Loaded with yummy banana chunks and juicy raisins, Muffin Marvel's banana muffin ($1.50) was marvellously fluffy and less greasy than most of its counterparts. It'll have been even better if it had a crisp crust though. The banana walnut muffin, however, contained less bananas than I would have liked, so stick with the former!

LE Cafe's famed pineapple tarts ($15.50 for a tub of 20 *before CNY price hike*), each sized as large as a golf ball, have proven so popular that they've been completely sold out two and half weeks before the start of Chinese New Year. Don't fret if you've missed the chance to get your hands on this festive treat though as it's available all-year round!
I loved the way the crisp, rich yet light pastry melted in my mouth. There's nothing to fault about the moist and well-textured jam as well. My sole complaint would be that the buttery fragrance of the tart crust was somewhat muted by the pineapple jam due to the low pastry to jam ratio.
The crumblier texture of the pastry in LE Cafe's pineapple tarts gives them an edge over those from Mirana Cake House. Nevertheless, those from the latter make an excellent alternative.

I've heard a lot about Chikuwa Tei, a new venture by the infamous Nazi chef of the now-defunct Wasabi Tei at Far East Plaza. It's a pity that I've not had the opportunity to dine at Chef Peter's former restaurant, but I certainly don't mind paying a bit more for a spacious dining area and friendly service.A crunchy braised renkon otoshi entertained our tastebuds as our orders were prepared.Every spoonful of the smooth chawanmushi ($5++) was chockful of ingredients, ranging from pieces to chicken to strands of chewy Korean noodles and shimeji mushrooms. The restaurant's signature chirashi featured fresh cuts of hirame, kajiki, kanpachi, salmon and tuna, as well as a dollop of buttery uni and a piece of tamagoyaki on a bed of well-seasoned sushi rice. Along with the above-mentioned starter, the chirashi set ($25++) also includes a bowl of fruits, miso soup and pickles. Particularly worthy of mention was the oily salmon sashimi, as well as the generous slices of fish which were certainly the thickest I've ever had!

The relatively quiet weekday lunch crowd and decent food- in terms of both price and taste- made for an ideal location for catching up with friends (over many refills of green tea). I'll love to try Chikuwa Tei's famed cod fish hotpot sometime!

Though the donuts from the bakery at SomethingToGo at Regent Hotel are priced at $3 each, their cost is justified by their size- these donuts are nearly twice as large as regular ones. Powdered sugar, almond & white chocolate (top) and hazelnut & dark chocolate (left) donuts all make tempting options, but the blueberry & custard version (right) is the one to go for.

SomethingToGo's donuts were all nicely doughy and fluffy, and were less greasy than most of their counterparts to boot. Take extra care when you bite into the blueberry & custard donut. You wouldn't want to waste any of the wonderfully juicy blueberry jam and rich, silky custard filling.

There's no need to worry about limited seating at Tom's Palette anymore, for it has now reopened with enough space to fit 22 40 people! 18 27 flavors are also on display at once now, up from 12 18 flavors previously. In addition, Tom's Palette is now open seven days a week, save for the last Sunday of the month.To celebrate CNY, Tom's Palette has launched five seasonal flavors- Eight Treasure sorbet, luo han guo, pineapple tart, pumpkin & winter melon and tau sar piah. My favorite would be the pineapple tart flavor (right), an amalgamation of tangy pineapple ice cream and bits of chewy pineapple jam, with tart chunks crumbled in for a buttery edge. And my favorite pistachio ice cream (left) never fails to put a smile on my face- how I wish it'll be available more often!A friend recently tipped me off about the limited-edition kuromitsu ice cream, and I'm absolutely glad I dropped by Shaw Towers that evening just for it- the deep and earthy flavor of Okinawan brown sugar combined brilliantly with the signature silkiness of Tom's ice cream! It's a real pity that this flavor will no longer be available due to certain reasons, but nonetheless, do give kuromitsu ice cream a try if you ever come across it.During my latest visit, I had some decently intense green tea ice cream (left), as well as pineapple tart ice cream (right) that tasted even better than before! Do give the latter a try soon if you wish- the CNY flavors will only be available till the end of the month.