The variety of mooncakes available in Singapore is not limited to the traditional baked Cantonese version, snowskin mooncakes and flaky-crusted Teochew-style mooncakes. Dragon Phoenix Restaurant's Mini Cheese Mooncakes ($38 for a box of 20) come with a tender shortcrust pastry crust is a great baked mooncake alternative for those who dislike the richness of the quintessential Cantonese version.

I loved how the tender and flaky pastry of these two-bite mooncakes simply crumbled away in my mouth! Smooth with a melt-in-your-mouth texture, the smooth, sweet lotus paste was nicely complemented by the savory cheese flavor incorporated into the buttery crust as well as the salted egg yolk embedded in the filling. Just like Home's Favourite's durian mooncakes, these were something I knew I had to get when I first tasted them at the Takashimaya Mooncake Fair.

As with other mooncakes with flaky crusts, these Mini Cheese Mooncakes should be best consumed within a few days to guarantee freshness. But don't worry, they're still scrumptious even if you keep them for longer than that!

Located within the colonial Raffles Hotel, you'll find yourself in a sea of soothing light blue once you enter the restaurant. Sititng at the rectangular tables along the centre aisle, we noted that the mirror next to the last table did a great job of making the dining hall appear longer than in reality.

The food arrived quickly after we placed our orders with the polite waitresses. On to the what we ordered!

Baked Barbecued Pork Puff ($4.0++ for three): We had trouble picking the char siew sou up with out chopsticks because their flaky skin was so delicate, it kept crumbling away! The juiciness of the sweet and exceptionally moist char siew filling made a great complement to the light and tender pastry.

Steamed Prawn Dumpling ($4.0++ for four): A must in any dim sum order, Royal China's har gao didn't disappoint. The plump prawns were fresh and crunchy; and while the translucent rice flour skin was a wee bit thick, it was slightly chewy and sticky like it should be.

Steamed Bun with Fresh Mango and Salted Egg Yolk ($4.0++ for three): The superbly soft and fluffy pau skin tore apart to reveal a golden, molten filling. Not only was the oozy custard of the perfect consistency, it had a wonderful balance of sweet and salty. Easily my favorite item of the meal, I'll definitely be coming back to Royal China to have more of this salted yolk pau.

Steamed Glutinous Rice with Lotus Leaf ($4.0++ for two): Eating rice dumplings usually leaves me bloated, but Royal China's steamed glutinous rice surprisingly didn't. The rice was moist and soft, and came chockful with well-cooked meat and mushrooms. While not lacking in flavor, I felt that the dish could have done with more oomph.

Baked Egg Custard Tartlet ($3.6++ for three): I liked the fact that these egg tartlets came in a petite size, so that I'll have more stomach space to sample more of the menu. The light and crisp pastry base which paired the smooth egg custard will please those who adore flaky pastry. While Royal China's rendition was decent, Tong Heng's egg tarts undoubtedly remain as my firm favorite.

Crispy Taro Roll with Scallop ($4.80++ for three): Fried to perfection, the crisp yam threads crumbled away into a smooth mushy mass... what a delight! There was a small piece of scallop hidden inside for some textural contrast, but the tasty yam was clearly the star here. Without doubt, these lovely taro rolls are a must-order at Royal China.

Having ordered six different items, my dining partner and I were both full by the end of the meal. Surprisingly, the bill added up to less than what you'll expect of an establishment in a grand institution like Raffles- our meal worked out to cost about $17 per person, including taxes. I'll definitely recommend the dishes featured in this post to anyone craving dimsum!

Superdog is definitely my favorite fast food joint.

The house specialties- the Superdog and the Superburger- are not bad, tastewise, and are chockful of goodies. The Superdog includes a German Bratwurst topped with Superdog Chili, grilled bacon, sliced tomatoes, shredded cheese and diced onions. Beware of your bun breaking into two halves haha! The massive-sounding Superburger contains 1/3 pound grilled fresh beef patty with 2 slices of grilled bacons, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and grilled onions; but it's actually the perfect size for a meal if you don't order fries to go along with it.

But my favorite hotdog is somewhat ironically also the most affordable- the Chicken Ripper ($3.50), which features a juicy sausage topped with a tasty and slightly spicy mayo in a soft bun. Though the sausage is deep fried till it bursts. hence the name 'ripper', it's never oily. I also love the Fresh Chicken Burger ($4.50), featuring the same yummy mayonnaise with a slab of juicy chicken thigh meat. Bacon Lovers, an indulgent burger with well-grilled bacon strips and caramelized onions, is even more delicious.

You can add regular/medium fries and a cup of iced lemon tea to your meal for $2.50/$3. The freshly brewed iced lemon tea is refreshing and sweetened to just the right degree. It's definitely much better than the factory-prepared versions other fast food chains serve. For drinks, my brother prefers the Pineapple Sensation, an icy drink blended from real pineapple.

The Chili Cheese Fries ($4.50 ala carte, you can top up $2.50/$2 to substitute your fries from the $2.50/$3 set meal) are good too- I always find my dining partners and myself mopping up every last bit of the meaty chili with the crispy yet potato-ey fries. The battered onion rings here ($3 ala carte, you can top up $1/$0.50 to substitute your fries from the $2.50/$2 set meal), while less greasy than most, were not crispy as I'd have liked them to be.

There are student set meals on weekdays too, at $5.20, which is pretty good deal for a hotdog/burger with chili cheese fries and a drink. (Of the course the options will be limited but since I prefer the cheaper items, this doesn't matter to me!)

Some time ago, I also finally got around to having breakfast at Superdog, which is available at their White Sands and Vivocity outlets everyday from 7.30am to 11.30am.

The pancakes were freshly cooked on the spot, so I had to wait a while for my order to served. Not that I'm complaining, for the service was prompt enough. Here's another relieving piece of news for diners who don't take hot coffee like me- they serve complimentary iced water. In proper coffee cups, not in flimsy little plastic containers.

My Banana Walnut Pancakes ($4.50 with coffee/tea) came with SCS butter and a small container of syrup- supposedly maple syrup, but it wasn't fragrant enough. Bananas taste fantastic with pancakes, so no complaints here, even though I felt that the banana slices were a tad overcooked and hence sticky. The small walnut bits encased inside also added an enjoyable texture contrast to the fluffy pancakes. However, the plain parts of the pancakes were kind of bland- I probably won't give their plain pancakes a try then.

How do Superdog's pancakes compare to McDonald's Hotcakes? The former is firmer, thicker (about one and a half times as thick) and fluffier, while the latter leans towards the soft and limp camp. McDonald's Hotcakes are more fragrant, but they do not offer them with toppings, unlike Superdog. Also, the pancakes from Superdog actually filled me up till lunch- McDonald's version oddly leaves my tummy feeling empty after a while, despite all the calories it contains. Probably 'cos it has a high glycemic index, I guess.

Superdog also sells Chocolate Chip Pancakes, Bacon & Egg Multigrain Sandwiches and Ham & Cheese Multigrain Sandwiches.

I have heard favorable reviews of Cedele's sandwiches, and decided to give the popular Rosemary Chicken Sandwich one day. Here, the common combination of turkey and tangy cranberry sauce is given a twist by using fresh chicken chunks lightly flavored with rosemary-infused olive oil and topped with a sweet cranberry sauce. My choice of bread, the focaccia bread, came perfectly toasted. Its slightly chewy texture contrasted well with the crunchy and refreshing lettuce, tomato slices, and juicy chicken pieces; I'll choose this again the next time I have sandwiches at Cedele! (I think a sandwich set with a small bowl of soup goes for $9.50)

The soups at Cedele are not bad too. There are dairy-free and vegetarian choices as well. My favorite is the Roasted Vegetables soup, the others which I've tried include Pumpkin, Curry pumpkin and Chicken Sweetcorn. Each heartily-sized bowl of soup goes for $7, but top up 50 cents for the soup set and you'll get free flow of Cedele's quality bread to mop up all that soup!

There is a cake set which offers a slice of cake with a choice of coffee or tea for $7.80. Cedele's Carrot Walnut cake is reputed to be one of the best in Singapore, and I'm not surprised why. Dotted with a generous portion of toasted walnuts, the cream cheese icing smeared over the moist cake was simply heavenly! In addition, the serving of this cake is large enough for two small eaters.
The Blueberry Maple Cake was wonderfully redolent of maple syrup. The moist yet crumbly texture of the cake went perfectly well with the fragrant frosting and the blueberry jam layer on top. Naturally, it's on the sweeter side though.

The array baked goods at Yamazki never fails to beckon and tempt me whenever I pass by. There are quite a wide range of breads, pastries, and cakes around, with prices normally around $1.50 to $2 per bun. Though the prices here are a little more pricey than most bakeries, it's worth the money, especially if you know what to buy.

Milk Bread: Soft with a delicate milk taste.

Queen Bread: Essentially thick, buttered slices of bread which are perfect for toasting. Soft and fluffy!

Hawaiian bread: My favorite loaf from this bakery, the Hawaiian Bread is superbly soft and remains so for the next few days!

Double-taste bun ($2): Half of this large, soft bun is filled with chocolate cream while the other half is filled with custard cream. The chocolate cream filling is rich and satisfying, and is balanced out by the mild-tasting, smooth custard. One of my favorites! There's even a triple-taste bun with adzuki bean paste.

Belgian waffles: A must-get whenever I spot them fresh out of the oven, when they're still warm and fluffy on the inside. They're still good when cold though, the crackly, crunchy sugar coating goes well with the dense, cakey interior very well! These beat the soft ones from Sweet Stone D'Paradise in my opinion

Their light and flaky sugar puffs are lovely too.