stargirl

While Madam Kwan's has kept its exact opening date under wraps, it failed to keep curious foodies from flooding the restaurant last Sunday. Despite the torrential crowds at peak hours, I was whisked into the restaurant in no time at 5pm- hooray!

With fluffy and well-separated grains, the light yet aromatic coconut rice was one of the best I've had- better than Grandma's and the now-defunct Wok & Barrel's! Its accompaniments were less spectacular, however. Not that there was anything wrong with the sambal ikan billis or crunchy, piquant achar- it's just that they weren't particularly memorable.

I'm being picky here, but the the curry chicken- though succulent- wasn't quite fall off the bone tender. And one probably expects a more generous portion of chicken with a $13.90+ plate of nasi lemak, no?

While I have not visited Madam Kwan's in KL, I felt that their nasi lemak was somewhat overrated. To think that I actually contemplated making a trip to the capital to satisfy my coconut rice cravings! Nevertheless, given the quality of the food and its relatively inexpensive pricing (considering the restaurant's prime location), I will return to Madam Kwan's if I happen to be at Vivocity- once the crowds die down, that is.

I settled for a steaming hot cup of teh tarik ($3.50+) as the chendol was sold out. Let me know if you try their signature dessert and nasi bojari- I certainly had a hard time deciding between nasi lemak and the latter!

Cedele's Classic Hot Cross Buns are available all year round, but when Easter is around the corner, several other flavors come on offer. I liked the Classic Hot Cross Bun for its firm bite and for the dried fruits embedded in it. Chocolate addicts might prefer the chocolate version, which is studded with dark chocolate chips and walnut bits!I don't particularly fancy their D24 durian ice cream though. I like my durian ice cream to be punchy in flavor and this was somewhat too mild for me.

I'm a sucker for alcoholic ice creams, so I just had to try the made-in-house Chocolate Whisky and Pineapple Malibu ice cream at Barracks. Unfortunately, the ice cream was icy in texture and were mediocre flavor-wise. The chocolate whiskey ice cream tasted rather unrefined reminded me of cheap chocolate-flavored ice cream. Pineapple malibu (a mix of malibu rum, coconut and pineapple) fared slightly better and was somewhat refreshing.Thankfully, the red latte (rooibos tea latte) ($6++) was light and soothing. A pleasant drink.

One gripe that I had was that while I ordered a double scoop ($7.50), the two scoops of ice cream were served in separate cups and charged likewise at $4.20 a scoop. We were, however, bade warm goodbyes when we left the cafe.

Having never attempted a tea-based milkshake before, I ordered a regular Earl Grey Lychee milkshake ($4.50). As bizzare as this might sound, the combination was really delicious. Granted, it tasted mainly of canned lychees, but the earl grey syrup provided a refreshing edge to the drink. Texture-wise, the milkshake was a pleasure to slurp- smooth and not overly thick, with lychee bits for contrast.

I should have ordered a larger drink for an additional $1.50 though. The regular serving is really tiny!

Saizeriya's concept is a real winner: tasty western food at affordable prices that can rival those at food courts. As with most restaurants, orders are taken at the table but there's no service charge! The only self-service here would be to help yourself to the free flow of water or to the unlimited flow beverages for $1.50.I'm no expert at escargots but I was quite pleased with Saizeriya's rendition, which came with a very generous serving of garlic. Plus it only costs $5.80 for six!The Chicken Bolognese Doria was very competently executed as well. While there could have been more meat, this dish came slathered with a satisfying amount of creamy cheese. But I guess I shouldn't be complaining since this only cost $4.80 if i remember correctly!

While Selegie's soya beancurd is one of the better ones around, it isn't nearly as smooth and soft as Rochor Beancurd and GoGo Beanz. Unfortunately, the ah balling were a different story altogether. While the yam filling was pleasantly smooth, the glutinous rice skin was thick and stiff.

Following the likes of Lao Ban, Selegie has also diversified into the soya pudding market. Their version was, however, rather tasteless. Stick to the old favorites, I say.

I dislike beer in general. But it's a different story altogether when stout is combined with chocolate. The bitterness of the alcohol is counteracted by the sugar; vice-versa, the bitter tang of the stout helps to tame the sweetness of the chocolate.In fact, I love Plain Vanilla's chocolate stout cake base more than their regular chocolate version. The malty, roasty notes of Guinness give the chocolate sponge a fuller flavor, and the carbonation of the beer gives the cake a softer crumb. Paired with PVB's swoonworthy cream cheese frosting, this is one cupcake that will guarantee you sweet dreams at night.

If my memory serves me well, PVB's vanilla-Irish cream cake tastes even yummier than their signature vanilla sponge, and that means a lot because the former is seriously delicious! Dreamily fluffy vanilla cake meets Bailey's-infused chocolate fudge (wouldn't have minded having more of this), Irish cream frosting and an alcoholic truffle, mmm.

The chocolate stout and Irish cream cupcakes are available till April 1.

Price: $3.20 per cupcake, $18 for a box of six

Resort World Sentosa's Malaysian Food Street has been said to feature some of the best hawkers in Malaysia. The budget-conscious will be glad to hear that prices here are not as steep as at the Rasapura Masters food court at the other integrated resort, Marina Bay Sands.

Fung Wong Confectionery's egg tart ($1.20) made my visit to Malaysian Food Street worthwhile. Although it tended on the watery side, the custard was wonderfully wobbly. Nestled in a crisp and light flaky pastry, it came as no surprise that these egg tarts were snatched up in a jiffy.

The crispy char siew bao (aka char siew puff) ($1.50) is also worth a try. The char siew filling encased within was pleasantly moist and tender, with a stronger spice kick than local variants.

I'm not one who usually patronizes Chinese restaurants, but Crystal Jade seemed to be the best located for dinner before sending a friend off at the airport.The meal started off with crispy cuttlefish with salt & pepper ($13.95++). This was one of the better dishes at the table.The pork chops with crispy garlic ($27++) were tender and none too greasy.The Claypot Eggplant with Minced Pork and Salted Fish was decent ($20.70++) but pricey. I find it difficult to justify paying so much for this dish when mixed rice stalls dish up comparable renditions of this dish...
I felt that the homemade beancurd with abalone mushrooms ($25.20++) was even more overpriced. Thankfully, it passed the taste test.The Yang Zhou fried rice ($12.80++) had nice wok hei and was something I wouldn't mind ordering again,I've never been a fan of E-fu noodles so I'll reserve my comments on the dish. A medium portion of this was priced at $18.80++ and was served with assorted mushrooms and some pieces of roast pork which could have been more crisp.The almond jelly could have been more springy.

Maybe it's because I love nut-based ice creams in general. But Alfero's hazelnut gelato is seriously good stuff. Velvety smooth and intensely flavored with the goodness of premium Piedmontese nuts, this was certainly the best hazelnut gelato that I've come across locally so far!

On the other hand, my vanilla gelato could have done with a stronger vanilla fragrance. Little surprise, then, that I couldn't resist stealing spoonful after spoonful of the hazelnut gelato from my friend's cup.

Cha chaan teng (tea rooms) are popular in Hong Kong for their tasty and inexpensive food. The food at Xin Wang is however not inexpensive, costing about at least $10 per head for a meal.

The pork chop baked rice came with a thick layer of cheese, but the tomato sauce (tasting predominantly of ketchup) smeared on the rice got sickening after a while and I struggled to finish my portion. I wouldn't mind trying the black pepper baked rice on my next visit to Xin Wang though. Thankfully, the iced milk tea was decent (by Singapore's standards), as I would expect of a cha chaan teng.

The goreng pisang ($1 or $1.10 each if I remember correctly) from Snow Mount is one of the better ones around. The bananas here are always ripe and sweet, and are coated in a light, lacy batter that is none too greasy. It would be great if the durian pisang, a deep-fried banana stuffed with some durian flesh, came with more of the pungent fruit though!

What's better than sinfully rich brownies? Classic Cakes' got the answer: sinfully rich brownies stacked with a layer of salted caramel. Chocolate and salt go wonderfully together, and this is no exception. I wouldn't have minded if the sea salt caramel was a tad saltier though! I personally like my brownies soft and fudgy instead of chewy, so I'll warm these sea salt brownies ($3.80 each) up before serving next time.

I'm usually not a fan of chocolate mousses, but Bakerzin's Chocolate Amer is a fine exception. The dark chocolate mousse is sweetened just right and is rich without being overly heavy. Layers of soft, moist flourless chocolate cake provide great textural contrast. This cake is definitely one that chocoholics must not miss out on!

I love my waffles cakey, so I didn't really fancy the light and fluffy version served at the Daily Scoop. Crisper edges would have been welcome too. On the other hand, I have no complains about the brownie-studded Salted Mister Brown ice cream that crowned the creation- though I wouldn't have minded if the brown sugar-based concoction was a little saltier.

Prices here are reasonable at $2 for a junior scoop, $3 for a single scoop and $5.60 for a double scoop. What's more, dine in customers get to enjoy their ice cream in chilled bowls!