Situated along a row of shophouses at Hoe Chiang Road, Tanjong Pagar (diagonally across from 100AM Mall) is First 25 Cafe, opened by two young founders at age 25. Despite their young age, they have travelled extensively around the world during Christmases and have tasted the cooking of their couch-surfing hosts.  As such, they decided to bring back the rustic taste of local flavours to Singapore, into a cafe of their own - serving primarily Italian fare in cosy, beautiful settings. When we first entered the quaint little cafe, we were awestruck by the pretty whiteness and decor consisting of floral touches aroundWe started with a Gnocchi with Pesto Sauce (SGD$11.90), complete with an onsen egg and bacon. The gnocchi were small, soft and doughy potato balls - gentle texture and really fun to chew on. Pesto sauce added flavour to the pasta, as did the egg mixed into the dish.Then, we had an off-the-menu delicacy that we enjoyed tremendously - Truffle Curly Fries. This was a combination of heaven and all things good - substantial dose of truffle aroma curled into strands of crispy fries. It was an addictive side dish, and we felt like we could not get enough.For drinks, I had an Iced Strawberry Coffee, which was .... interesting but not memorable. There was not much strawberry flavour detected amongst the ice coffee's sweetness.

For full review and more detailed information, please feel free to visit:
http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2016/02/lunch-at-first-25-cafe-tanjong-pagar.html

Under the Spa Esprit Group and right besides its sister restaurant, Skinny Pizza, Skinny Salads specialises in fresh, creative salads with ingredients from different parts of the globe. One could choose from salad bowls or wraps here at the counter, or order one of the readily-created salads. Service was little to boost of, but then they don't impose service charges here, so there.I ordered the drinks because they sounded interesting, and fresh, so when the cashier gestured for me to take one of the bottles from the iced shelf myself, I was a little surprised. *Katherine had a Watermelon Rush(SGD$5.00) and I had a Minty Watermelon (SGD$5.00). I rather enjoyed my drink because there was a slight kick to my usual sweet melon juice.I had the Kale and Quinoa Salad (SGD$11.50) with lots of grains, corn and crunchy kale. With the dressing, this salad was very flavourful, and well-portioned so it was filling. The ingredients were fresh as well, making for a healthy and enjoyable meal overall.
For full review and more detailed information, please feel free to visit:
http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2016/02/lunch-at-skinny-salads-100am.html

Having visited The Square @ Novotel Clarke Quay for Christmas Dinner and Indonesian Food Festival, I was psyched to be back for Chinese New Year Buffet Dinner.  The restaurant was decorated in a festive mode for the upcoming Chinese New Year, with plum blossom flowers, red banners etc, and this jolted my festive mood even as I stepped in. Needless to mention, the buffet dinner for this period would also consist of traditional Chinese New Year dishes, which shall be introduced shortly.A walk around the restaurant would unravel the various delectable international cuisines being served up on hot trays or pots. The Chilli Crab needs no introduction.- robust flavour tinged with spiciness and powdery, tender flesh.Now the Stars of the Night - traditional Chinese New Year dishes such as the Mushroom with Sea Cucumber, braised to a lovely tenderness and redolent of the shitake mushroom's strong earthly aroma.The Yusheng (raw fish with tossed vegetables) was displayed at a counter of its own, looking prim but pretty for the taking. It would be an interesting way of eating Yusheng, buffet style. The Sashimi Fish used was a "distant-cousin of the Tilapia", freshly-prepared and also the sashimi of the night under the seafood section. The vegetables and dressing were extremely sweet and fresh, making for a tantalising plate of Yusheng.Or how about the Cooked Salad / Asian Salad section? There were interesting fusion dishes such as Asian Angel Hair Pasta Salad - springy (QQ) pasta that was very delicious; I had second helpings of this.

For full review and more detailed information, please feel free to visit:
http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2016/02/media-invite-cny-buffet-dinner-at.html

Having been to Plate @ Carlton City Hotel when it first opened, I was pleased to be heading back, this time for their buffet lunch for Chinese New Year. The usual buffet lunch for weekday is SGD$38.00++ but I believe the CNY menu now costs more. Service was rather professional and polite; they were also very efficient at clearing used plates.Ambience was as I remembered it - dimly-lit to create atmosphere, dark earthly hues to lend a sophisticated air, and well-spaced. Pool view was abundant on the front, and a beautiful alfresco terrace sits at the back. They serve International buffet for their lunch and dinner, but there's also an ala carte menu available if you would prefer not to have buffet.I started with some Seafood - mussels, scallops, prawns etc. The seafood was saccharine with sweetness, and flesh was springy.Sashimi and Sushi were next to the seafood section, and I enjoyed the items in this section as well - these were the 2 stations I refilled my plates with.The festive / Chinese New Year section comprised of Yam Ring stuffed with lots of other ingredients, fish, tofu, Sea Cucumber dishes, bak kwa dishes etc. There were also fragrant (lotus leaf?) Glutinuous Rice.Finally, desserts. I loved this section because there were lots of variety - from cakes and kuehs to Chinese dessert soup to Ice Kacang and ice-cream. The array of colorful sweet foods tantalised us even as we just looked at them; some of them were too sweet, but I liked the cakes.

For full review and more detailed information, please feel free to visit:
http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2016/02/cny-buffet-lunch-at-plate-carlton-city.html

New Fut Kai Vegetarian Restaurant (新佛界素食馆) is situated at Jalan Besar, and has been serving delicious vegetarian cuisine to the vegetarian and non-vegetarian communities for the past decade. Their menu is extensive, from mock meat to mock seafood, even comprising of local delights such as vegetarian satay and spanning across other cuisines such as serving briyani rice!Ambience is home-styled, comfortable but not extravagant; design leans heavily on Chinese flavour, with big round tables and wall decor items. Service was average but polite enough. There is an alfresco area for dining as well, if one doesnt mind sitting at the small alley beside the restaurant.The Deep Fried Abalone Mushroom with Pumpkin Sauce (SGD$12.00 for small / SGD$18.00 for medium / SGD$24.00 for large) - the abalone mushroom was battered and crispy on the exterior, with a tender and moistened interior. The pumpkin sauce was thick and saccharine, and as a result the dish was very tasty.The star of the night was the Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat, served with enoki mushroom on the side. Personally, this was my favorite dish of the night. The broth was delicious, tasted like the soup cooked with real sliced fish. The vegetarian / mock fish was made of beancurd skin and springy in texture. There were quite a fair bit of vegetables in the soup, making it a balanced meal.Following that, we had the Sambal Hotplate Fish, served with limes on the side. This dish resembles a fish dish in an uncanny fashion, especially the appearance. One of my dinner companions nearly forgot that he was at a vegetarian restaurant, and began to look out for bones in the mock fish dish. Anyway, it was made of soy, so there was a crunchy texture to it, as well as a sweet taste, heavily obliterated by the delicious spicy sambal atop. I enjoyed it immensely because I can take very high level of spiciness, but feedback from other companions was that the sambal was too thick.Then we had the Braised Vegetarian Ribs with Coffee (SGD$10.00 for small / SGD$15.00 for medium / SGD$20.00 for large). The tender, soft, mock meat was held together by sugar cane stick, and redolent of coffee's aroma. It was a little too soft as compared to the real ribs, but overall flavour was robust.

For full review and more detailed information, please feel free to visit:
http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2016/01/invited-tasting-dinner-at-new-fut-kai.html