For complete review and pictures, please visit: http://theyummyyak.wordpress.com/2013/10/10/spathe-public-house-2/

Spathe Public House first made its blip in my food radar with its "Mammoth Signatures" concept. Who doesn't love ordering plates of food twice the size of your head? Can't deny that the idea is to share la, but it's always open to you to knock your friends out.

Spathe Garlic Fries, $8++ - The garlic fries were served first, and right off the bat we knew this place was going to be a keeper. Freshly fried strips of potato infused with the smokey aroma of roasted garlic, and lightly dusted with paprika powder... mmm. These were ridiculously moreish, and I actually prefer them to the (usually poorly cooked) truffle fries that have suddenly become a thing in hipster restaurants these days.

Sous Vide Spanish Octopus Salad, $42++ for mammoth portion (feeds 4 to 6) - The salad here at Spathe was nothing short of amazing. The octopus was perfectly grilled and pleasantly chewy. Citrusy notes from orange slices went well together with the tangy mustard vinaigrette dressing used, and both lifted the overall flavour of the salad without being overpowering. $42++ gives you a mammoth portion, which fed the 4 hungry girls in my party very well. Individual servings available at $22++.

Mohammed Sultan Meter Dog, $18++ for an individual portion - If the individual portion's anything to go by, I can say for sure that I'll be back for the metre long version. The veal and chicken wurst encased in the buttered bun was incredibly juicy, fulfilling the basic requirement for any self-respecting dog. Drizzled with wasabi mayonnaise and specked with what appeared to be paprika powder as well (which is what I call any orange colored powder, by default), the lightly curried wurst was just a little spicy. I would have liked for the sweetness of the caramelized onions to be tamped down a little, though.

Spathe Australian Angus Burger, $22++ - Spathe also does a great burger. The handmade beef patty tasted fresh, tender and juicy. Together with a fried egg, red pepper chutney and a brioche bun, it was an exquisite combination. Cajun spiced fries served on the side were decent, but definitely paled in comparison with the addictive garlic fries we'd polished off at the start of the meal.

Spathe Public House serves delicious food at reasonable - well, as reasonable as hipster food prices get - prices, which makes it a winner in my book. Great venue for some catching up too. Service was excellent the evening we visited as well as the following day when we contacted them about a wrong item we had been billed for. I'm already planning to return for brunch.

For complete review and pictures, please visit: http://theyummyyak.wordpress.com/2013/10/04/xin-mei-xiang-zheng-zong-lor-mee

Xin Mei Xiang serves one of the best lor mee I've tried. Not too fond of yellow egg noodles because of their alkaline taste, but the noodles here are just faintly alkaline and nicely al dente. The lor bak is tender, and the ngoh hiang aromatic and firm to the bite. Generous chunks of fresh fried angkoli or red snapper top the dish and make for a splendid sight. One thing to note is that fish is only served with medium ($4.00) and large ($5.00) portions of the dish.

The make-or-break factor of a bowl of lor mee lies in its starchy gravy. Although the idea of starch upon starch may send a nutritionist into convulsions, the gravy at Xin Mei Xiang successfully achieves an optimum viscosity of being just thick enough to coat every strand of noodle. Under the hands of a less skilled chef, the gravy would be gooey and too heavy to drink on its own. No such complaints from us - we slurped up every last bit of the gravy in her bowl, as though it were a soup. The black vinegar added a pleasant zing to the gravy which derived umami from the prawn-based stock, and the whole experience was made just a little spicy by the red, green and storemade chillies.

The queue at Xin Mei Xiang one Sunday afternoon stretched for metres, and didn't show any sign of letting up as closing time approached. This despite the torrential downpour that drenched me completely as I ran from the MRT station to Old Airport Road Hawker Centre, making my Sunday a very gloomy one indeed. The things we do for food. If anything, I've learnt that there's nothing like a piping hot bowl of lor mee in cold weather.

For complete review and pictures, please visit: http://theyummyyak.wordpress.com/2013/09/30/nakhon-kitchen/

This trusty gem of a neighborhood eatery is what most of us Hougang peeps turn to when we're looking for a quick Thai fix. That the restaurant is staffed entirely by Thais should be an obvious sign of authenticity.

At dinnertime, there's almost always a 30 minute wait to be seated at Nakhon Kitchen, even on weekday evenings. I wouldn't dream of coming here for dinner on weekends, so I don't know how crazy a Saturday or Sunday queue can get. Once you're seated, however, service is prompt and your dishes are served in no time.

Pineapple Fried Rice, $6.00 - One of the few non-spicy dishes on the menu, the pineapple fried rice here at Nakhon Kitchen is lightly curried, sweet, and nicely complemented by raisins and a light sprinkle of pork floss. Pretty average, but nevertheless useful to have this on hand if you're ordering the tom yam soup.

Black olive fried rice with minced chicken, $6.00 - If you're not a believer of fruits in your rice, you've got another carb option in the form of olive fried rice. I actually prefer it to the pineapple rice, as the salty fragrance of olives and siew dam (a dark, syrupy Thai soy sauce) pervades every grain of rice in on that plate. The accompanying chopped raw onions and cashew nuts add a welcome crunch to each spoonful of rice as well.

Tom Yam Soup, $6.00 - Ah, the tom yam soup. Where do I even begin? If you're one of those people who have no problem at all with spice, by which I mean you're capable of eating baby red chillies without breaking into a sweat, then you'll enjoy this. Objectively speaking, this is very good soup - it's filled with the distinctive aroma of lemongrass and has a satisfyingly tangy taste due to the addition of tomatoes. Generous serving of fresh seafood within as well.

Thai vermicelli salad with seafood, $6.00 - Don't be fooled by the deceptively mild appearance of the yam talay here. I used to find this salad incredibly spicy, but after drinking the tom yam soup this yam talay seems to possess the spice level of a Happy Meal. That metaphor doesn't even make sense, but I trust you understand what I mean. Sour, fiery and refreshing, this vermicelli salad functions as an excellent palate cleanser and whets your appetite for the dishes to follow.

Kang Kong Belachan, $6.00 - When my conscience is niggling from all that pigging (wa I'm a poet), this stir-fried veggie dish is something I always order to try and make myself feel better. Like oily vegetables will negate the effects of the other dishes from hell that I'm eating. The kangkong served at Nakhon Kitchen is crunchy and nicely infused with the fragrance of fried garlic as well as the shrimpy flavour of belachan. Only gripe is that it could be a little less oily.

Stir-fried minced pork with basil leaves, $6.00 - This dish is a must-order for me every time I visit. Basil leaves are an acquired taste for most, and to me they taste wretched when consumed in isolation. They remind me of liquorice, which I happen to be terrified of. I do, however, think they're excellent when they lend their flavour to stir-fried meats. Nakhon Kitchen's rendition of pork and basil is one of the best there is.

The more observant among you would probably have noticed that the dishes reviewed in this article all cost $6.00. Split between three, it works out to a reasonably priced dinner. Plus the food's great, which makes this place is one of my favourite Thai eateries in Singapore. Just a gentle heads up, in case you haven't realised what I've been repeatedly driving across - the spice level here isn't for the faint-hearted. This is value-for-money Thai food that packs a lethal punch, and I'd advise you to come prepared for your stomach lining to bear the consequences of your meal.

The shop was a flurry of activity on a Saturday afternoon - there was a queue in front of a lady standing at a rack of assorted pastries, another behind the lady solely in charge of doling out tau sar piah, and a third one at the cashier's. People were outside the shop working on adding the finishing touches to mooncakes whilst surrounded by trays of bean paste fillings that had been laid out to cool. It was a little chaotic, but everyone seemed to know what they were doing. As I made my way around trying to make sense of the way things were ran, a frazzled looking man emerged from the kitchen holding a tray of newborn mooncakes, moving swiftly to slot it into one of the holding racks outside the shop.

What I loved about this shop was how unabashedly Teochew it was. I know this is Hougang and I know we're talkin' old school bakery here, but I was still caught off guard by the aunties speaking to me in dialect. Dude... that almost never happens in Singapore. The aunties didn't even seem to register my surprise, like it never crossed their minds that I might not be able to understand what they were saying. I was very pleased to be considered one of them. Never mind that I actually am. I then proceeded to flex my, ahem, linguistic muscles by replying in Teochew. A little stilted due to years of non-use, but perfectly comprehensible, if I may say so myself. Cue tears of pride and joy.

Tau sar piah, $20.80 for a box of 10 - For all the humble and homely qualities that Soo Teck Lim so effortlessly embodies, it must be said that their pastries don't come cheap. At a little over $2.00 per piece (assuming you buy a box of 10), the price point places the tau sar piah here as one of the most expensive I've come across. Don't be a wuss and let that stop you; just think about how illogical it would be to willingly fork out $4.00 for that ridiculously tiny lavender bundt cake from Carpenter & Cook yet refuse to part with $2.00 for a notoriously hard to make tau sar piah.

I got a mix of flavours for the 10 tau sar piah: Salty, sweet, pineapple and black sesame. Those flavours are listed in order of preference, post-tasting.

Let's start with the not-as-good. Notice I didn't say not-so-good. That's because all the tau sar piah were, objectively speaking, brilliant. In spite of the conspicuous absence of lard in their Teochew pastries - I'm sure you see the word vegetarian in the shop name right - the tau sar piah crusts were both flaky and crisp. I didn't take very well to the black sesame flavour because it was quite peppery (??), and I would've preferred a pineapple filling with a chunkier texture as opposed to the smooth jam that was used here.

The sweet and salty flavours were, on the other hand, faultless. The sugar level in the bean paste used for the sweet tau sar piah was nicely reined in, allowing for the texture of the freshly and finely ground bean paste to shine. As for the salty tau sar piah, the crumbly mung bean filling with its subtle notes of five spice powder and just the slightest dash of pepper, was so, friggin', amazing.

Teochew yam mooncake, $11.30 each - The yam mooncake here was decent though not mindblowing. The filling, in line with Soo Teck Lim's philosophy of keeping things "not so sweet" (it's even printed on their paper bags), was where the absence of lard was keenly felt. It was devoid of the depth of flavour that the Eater Palace mooncakes possess, what with the latter's shallot-y orh nee fillings. Crust-wise it didn't fare so well either. Truth be told I was expecting quite a lot more for an eleven-dollar mooncake, but I suppose they've done as well as they can for vegetarian mooncakes. As you can tell I am a firm believer of the necessity of meat in one's diet.

Would I go so far as to call the tau sar piah sold here the best tau sar piah in Singapore? I'd argue that it's definitely up there with the big boys in the Balestier area, but returning to Soo Teck Lim isn't going to stop me from craving the buttery tau sar piah from Loong Fatt. Them's apples and oranges, and sometimes a pig just wants to have it all.

For complete review and pictures, please visit: http://theyummyyak.wordpress.com/2013/09/15/soo-teck-lim-vegetarian-confectionery/

When I'm asked to recommend brunch places, there are two places that instinctively come to mind, namely Symmetry and, more recently, Hummerstons.

It was because of Hummerstons that I was introduced to the concept of poutine. Originating from Quebec in Canada, a traditional dish of poutine is made by pouring warm meat gravy onto a mound of fries topped with cheese curds. Because it's impossible to get cheese curds in Singapore for some reason, Hummerstons states on their menu that quesillo oaxaca, a type of semi-soft white Mexican string cheese, is used as a substitute. Doesn't matter to me since I've never tasted the real thing. Count me in for anything au fromage.

The fries used in Hummerstons' poutine have their skins on, just the type I prefer. Sadly, however, for some reason the dish is never served piping hot, like all fries ought to be. The gravy's hot and flavorful all right, but there's a conspicuous lack of it. They could definitely be more generous with the quesillo oaxaca as well. The Italian Job fared slightly worse than The Hangover - the beef and mushroom ragout taste like substandard bolognese sauce and just doesn't gel with the fries and gravy. The Hangover's saving grace is that the runny yolk of the poached egg increases the volume and viscosity of the gravy.

I order the poutine repeatedly because the different groups of people I've visited Hummerstons with are just so excited by the idea of cheese, meat and fries. It does look like an infallible concept. Unfortunately I've never been impressed.

Thankfully, Hummerstons does brunch really well.

Their desserts used to be outstanding as well, but have since been replaced with an unimaginative selection of cakes - "Chocolate Fudge Cake, Red Velvet Cake, Carrot Cake". I wish they would bring their fun desserts back.

Though the food at Hummerstons can hardly be regarded as uniformly excellent, they do have some very good brunch dishes. I love the ambiance and its location in a quiet corner of Robertson Walk as well. It's a perfect stop to do some filling up before spending a lazy afternoon lounging at one of the picturesque cafes in the area. I suppose that's why I've developed a fondness for the place, and why I keep returning in spite of the steep prices.

For complete review and pictures, please visit: http://theyummyyak.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/hummerstons/