I brought my boyfriend to Santaro thinking it would be nice to try top-quality authentic Japanese food for a change. I knew the prices were going to be steep, but I figured that the prices must mean that whatever's brewing in their kitchen, must be good.

Okay, so here's the thing. The meal was indeed delicious and authentic. The Sushi and Sashimi were extremely fresh and meticulously sliced to perfection. The Teriyaki Chicken and Unagi were beyond tasty, oozing with flavor, and melting in your mouth with every bite.

The Udon was heavenly. If you're a fan of this dish, you'll definitely have to try theirs. I swear I've never had soft and smooth udon noodles with such powers of seduction like this one.

So all in all, the food was amazing. But is it worth the price?

I personally don't think so.

The restaurant looked old, crammed and rundown. Maybe it's for the whole traditional Japanese feel - I don't know. But it felt lifeless and dull. We could even hear the kitchen from where we were sitting.

The service was much to be desired. They shouted to each other like we were in some hawker centre. Worse still, the waitress serving us spoke to us like we were in a coffee shop ordering drinks.

If the ambience was better and service up to standard, I might consider it to be a good place to go to for authentic Japanese food. But with all the negatives, I'd advice against that.

My family visited the Jai Thai restaurant at Bishan, as suggested by my parents. Apparently, they enjoyed the food at their East Coast outlet so much that they decided to return for more.

Since we were around the area, we stopped by the branch at Clover Way for dinner.

The restaurant on its own was quite hidden, especially so at night. But surprisingly, the place was packed with people.

We managed to get a table quite instantly.

After much deliberation, we finally narrowed down our options to six dishes. We ordered a small portion each of Pineapple Fried Rice, Olive Fried Rice, Squid with Black Pepper Sauce, Stir-Fried Bean Sprouts with Salted Fish, Seafood Tom Yam, Deep Fried Chicken and Spicy Black Pepper Beef.

Being run by a group of people from Thailand (evident in the layout and decor of the restaurant as well), the food was definitely authentic. I particularly loved the squid and beef, which were very well prepared. I thought they could be a little more generous with the Tom Yam and the chicken would have been better if it were slightly more tender.

The service was much to be desired. Then again, it could be due to how busy they were. They got our orders wrong, then they came to tell us they ran out of white rice, and they kept ignoring us when we called for their attention.

Upon a friend's recommendation, a group of 8 of us decided to head there for dinner to give it a try.
We were apprehensive at first because of its location. Being situated at Biopolis, surrounded by many office buildings, the place seemed rather far off and quiet in the evening.

Fortunately, when we stepped into the restaurant, we were comforted by the number of tables being occupied by westerners accompanied by Indian locals.

We knew there had to be something good about this place!

We ordered twenty garlic and butter naans (about $3+ each) and a variety of other gravies and curries. Being an entire table of chinese, we weren't certain of what the different South and North Indian dishes were, so we picked according to our gut senses, hoping they would be good.

To our amazement, they weren't just good, they were very good.

The naan was well-flavoured and very soft. Loved the texture and taste of it.

The Palak Paneer ($10.00), which is actually finely pureed spinach, topped with cubes of homemade cottage cheese, is now a favourite of mine. Very flavorful and authentic.

Other dishes we ordered include the Palak Kofta Curry ($10), Kaju Mattar Khumb Curry ($10.90), Kadhai Mushroom ($10.90).

Last Friday was my very first time stepping into Riverwalk Tandoor. I've walked past the restaurant countless times before and have in fact, seen promotions a couple of times on daily deal sites.

However, it was only with my dad's birthday that I considered trying out this place. After all, I've read good reviews about it and it's pretty affordable for a buffet as well.

So we called them and made a reservation at 7pm for dinner.

When we arrived, the place was still relatively empty, with maybe just 4-5 occupied tables.

The service staff there were very friendly and welcoming, making it an overall very pleasant dining experience. They were quick to refill our water glasses, quick to clear our plates and very responsive.

To our amazement, the crowd started pouring in at around 8pm and there was a mix of caucasian tourists, indian tourists and locals. Not what we would expect of a typical Indian restaurant like that in Little India.

The food was superb! The curries and gravies were so fragrant from the spices, and the meats were well-marinated and tender. The spread was no doubt a gourmand's dream come true.
So much so, we wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the restaurant was started by a Indian national. It was indeed a cultural experience for us - the food, the decor, everything was authentic.

Would I return? Definitely.

Two saturdays ago, me, together with a group of friends met up in town. I, being the only girl with a whole group of 7 guys, we were automatically repelled from the overwhelming human traffic.

We spent a while deciding where to settle and finally leaned towards a place recommended by one of his friends.

He took us to the uppermost floor in ION Orchard, where this Chinese restaurant called Paradise Dynasty was quietly sandwiched between other bigger retailers.

But don’t be fooled. There were hoards of customers patiently awaiting their turn to be seated. A long waiting line and no one complaining? I knew in an instant that this place was going to be something.

Twenty minutes flew by in the company of good friends and before we knew it, there we were, seated and staring at the menu, spoilt for choice and undecided on what to eat.

We ordered different types of La mien dishes, wanton soup, the traditional xiao long baos and the highlight of our meal - the signature Paradise Dynasty xiao long bao.

A crate decked with 8 colorful Xiao Long Baos is definitely not a usual sight. The ones we commonly see are the plain and boring white-flour skin ones at Chinese restaurants like Din Tai Fung and Crystal Jade.

Paradise Dynasty takes it up not one, not two, but eight notches to bring us eight colorful shades of dumplings – each with its very own uniquely special flavor.

In each crate, you will get eight first-of-its-kind xiao long baos like the original meat-filled dumpling, ginseng, foie gras, black truffle, crab roe, cheese, garlic & szechuan.

At first bite, they were quite a culture shock to our tastebuds. They were so unlike the usual yet so deliciously good.

I would strongly recommend Paradise Dynasty.
Not only does the dining atmosphere feel really posh, the food there is top of the game. And surprisingly, prices are quite affordable.

Whether you like it or not…

I’LL BE BACK!