Talk about a Mediterranean restaurant and wine bar! Well, Divino Restaurant & Wine Bar is that, and more - this contemporary and relaxing restaurant are actually maimed by some very friendly and courteous gentlemen, and they have Saturday night wine tasting as well.After browsing through their simple menu with exquisite Mediterranean dishes, I decided to go for the Grilled Vegetables (SGD$9.00) since I was not hungry. The dish comprised of eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes and olives all grilled to a golden brown deliciousness - perfect for those looking for a healthy and warm dish in lieu of cold salads.The Beau had the Spaghetti Carbonara (SGD$9.00) - the portion was tiny, which was fine since creamy stuff should not be taken in huge portions. The pasta was rather limp but the cream gravy was good. They were quite generous with the ham as well.We also shared a dessert of Apple Pie (SGD$8.00) - layers of crepe-like pastries stacked into a slice of pie, filled with freshly baked apples and topped with a large scoop of vanilla ice-cream. I loved it actually, especially for the chewy texture of the pie itself instead of the usual fluffy-styled pies. I also appreciated the generous slices of apples and ice-cream sprinkled with fudge.

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No doubt the stark whiteness of its chic exterior and entrance looked very inviting, and the restaurant is spacious, serving very affordable buffet at just SGD$29.99 per head for dinner plus SGD$1.99 for free-flow drinks.

I took a walk around the place to check the buffet counters out - a little assortment of sushi, sashimi, shabu shabu items, different soup base and some desserts, that was about it, in this vast, spacious restaurant.Our hotpot was boiling prettily with the ingredients we had tossed in - golden mushrooms, vegetables, shiitake mushrooms etc. While the Tonkotsu soup was tasty in a more gentle manner, the Shoyu soup was literally as its name implied - robust. The saltiness stunned us awake literally.We changed soup base just to try the other two - now Prawn Paste base and Seafood. The staff did not help to change so we had to DIY with hot water and more bowls.  Our second pot of soup began sizzling in heat again, and it was time to dump the ingredients in. The Prawn Paste soup was scrumptious but very salty as well. We solved the issue by adding in a glass of hot water. The Seafood soup was delicious as well, with the right level of saltiness.I also had a platter of Salmon Sashimi, Swordfish Sashimi, Squid and Sushi in Tofu Skin - the latter was rather nice but then the recipe was idiot-proof. The sashimi was disappointing - not fresh at all, and really hard.

For full review and more photographs, please feel free to visit:
http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2014/12/dinner-at-chiso-zanmai-japanese.html

The crew was relatively friendly, calling out greetings when we entered. We selected a booth seat and then set about ordering some stuff while waiting for the client / friend.*Alloy had the Apple Crumble (SGD$6.50) - a soft but taut, pie-like crust instead of the flakey, crumbly crust we were expecting. Even the fillings were sticky, with bits of apples and raisins. Overall taste was not bad, not too sweet tinged with sour overtures, but we really thought that the term "Apple Pie" would have been more befitting.I had the Strawberry Shortcake (SGD$7.00) - served to me in a sleeping form. For that price, it was rather small. The cake was soft but coarse, with flavor that you could find in any other neighborhood bakery. It was disappointing, and I wondered if I should have ordered one of the cheesecakes on display instead.To make things worse, my Iced Earl Grey Tea Latte (SGD$7.00) tasted like very diluted latte, with the barest hint of earl grey. I guess the photo depicting the thin veil of drinks herein speaks for itself - I was practically drinking latte-flavored water.

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http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2014/12/tea-break-at-cafe-crema-westgate.html

I was in the mood for Chinese / local food for lunch, hence Cafe Oriental was the selected venue. It was done in strong replicate of vintage Chinese coffeeshops in the past , complete with marble-topped round tables and wooden chairs. It looked promising in its theme, and we were looking to the food here.*Will started with a Malay Chicken Rice (SGD$18.00) served prettily on a tray with a small bowl of soup, roasted chicken, preserved vegetables and chilli on the side. The chicken meat was rather tender and the rice had hints of traditional chicken rice fragrance, but other than that, *Will found it to be a rather average dish.I had the Seafood Hor Fun (SGD$18.00) - Chinese rice pasta tossed in supposed superior broth and loads of seafood - giant prawns, squids, cod fish and some vegetables. While I appreciated the smoothness of the horfun and the generous portions of seafood, I was disappointed to note that even with these ingredients, the dish was bland. There was no hints of sweetness or flavor, it was nearly tasteless so I concentrated on finishing my seafood and vegetables mostly.
Service was average as well, nothing spectacular for a restaurant serving Chinese dishes that probably tasted better at stalls at a fraction of the price here.

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http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2014/11/lunch-at-cafe-oriental-amara-hotel.html

Having been to The Tiramisu Hero for brunch once, I decided to give it another go today, since *Charmaine picked it anyway (out of all the cafes here in Lavender area). It was still every bit as pretty, and there are still these adorable accessories for sale.We were very full from our lunch, but girls being girls - merely ordering just a pot of hot tea just wasn't enough (initially that was our agreement - just a tea or coffee). *Charmaine had the Tiramisu (SGD$7.50) in a jar, original flavor. She commented that it tasted merely like "chocolate and cream" at first bite, but then commented that the flavor grew on her as she continued to progress through her dessert.I decided to go for the Tiramisu (SGD$7.50) in a jar - the strawberry flavor. As usual, there was no detected coffee aroma, just sweet cream and strawberries (I felt like I was eating S&C literally), though the texture was light and fluffy, lovely in its own right. I just wouldnt consider this a tiramisu place.They also have these amazing pre-mix Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows (SGD$4.80) goodies for takeaways - all one needs to do is to add hot water or milk to enjoy a delicious cup of hot chocolate. *Charmaine bought a couple to try - I shall ask for her review soon.

For full review and more photos, please feel free to visit:
http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2014/11/dessert-at-tiramisu-hero-cafe-revisit.html