First off - this is a great discovery for all cake lovers.
SoOOO good that I was actually torn between sharing the find and run the risk of having cakes sell out before I can get them myself. But I guess I'm a good, sharing foodie.

At the time of this review, Chalk Farm is the latest addition to the food central at the basement of Paragon. To call them a simple cake shop is inadequate. As I saw on their website, a cake company would be much more apt instead.

The shop design was minimalistic and chic - a simple, elegant white counter top to showcase a dazzling array of cakes, brownies and cupcakes behind a glass case enough to make any sweet tooth quiver.
Needless to say, I jumped right in, getting a slice of Chocolate Guinness Loaf, Lemon Yogurt Cake and a Red Velvet Cupcake at about $14.

My shots taken of the cut slices aren't that fantastic so I'd just omit them here - but boy oh boy did I have a good time gobbling down the cakes and making a general pig out of myself. The Chocolate Guinness Loaf was truly unique - with the stout being truly and thoroughly infused into the cake, you'll get the malty burnt flavour as an aftertaste with each bite. For those not so into chocolatey or strong flavours, I'd recommend the Lemon Yogurt Cake. Great fruity fragrance and tasted sublime. It was light and refreshing, yet immensely satisfying at the same time.

I still have some photos to share of the cake delights from Chalk Farm:If you like Red Velvet Cakes, this might just bowl you over.Assorted cupcakes.Delectable brownies - the 24 Karat brownies just look so expensive with the edible gold flakes =D

Verdict: A must try if you are in town and looking for cake. Get your drink from else where but oh yea.. the cakes from Chalk Farm.

After the success of Cookyn Inc, private chef Mervyn Phan set out to set up a warm, cosy environment where people could meet and share awesome good food. The result: GRUB.

Located at Bishan Park, GRUB doesn't look like much from afar, especially when the blinds are down in an attempt to ward off the heat. Outwardly, it was just this grey block sitting amidst the surrounding greenery. One of the few things that really stuck out a mile during my visit to GRUB was the wait - nearly 1 hour long, with no shelter available whatsoever once the sun went directly overhead.

Dispensing my first piece of foodie advice: If you are looking at a late weekend brunch, don't. Not unless you have a sure-fire way to get into the restaurant without much waiting.

And maybe it's because of the throngs of customers, service standards at GRUB was in no way adequate either. It took nearly 5 mins starting the moment we were ushered to our seats for a waiter to pass us the menu. The table was still littered with the remains of the previous diners if I may add.

Grumbling aside, the air-conditioned interior of the restaurant was a welcome reprieve from the sweltering heat from the outside. I liked the brick feature wall adorned with an assortment of posters lit up by a single bulb. Crispy Fish Burger - $11
The fish burger would probably be the burger you see most people ordering. A gleaming burger top sandwiching a delectable looking fillet long enough to stretch miles outside the burger is rare indeed. The usual complaint of not finding the fish in between your bread is simply non-existent here. Couple that with the fake that they use Hake instead of Dory at GRUB, I was pretty happy with the burger.Belgian Waffle with dark chocolate ice cream - $8 Simple, plain, unpretentious. It's a good ol' waffle toasted to perfection with a delightful scoop of dark chocolate ice cream. A tad expensive at $8, but I'll give them that.Churros with dark chocolate or creme anglais dip - $8
Waaaay overkill with the sugar. Entire sticks of churros look as if they had every square mm of surface area plastered solid with sugar. It was to the extent that I could not really detect the original flavour of the snack through all that sugar crystals.

Quick Fix: Get your hands dirty yourself and start swabbing each churro of sugar before proceeding with the dips. That's quite nice enough.

Chef Phan's celebrity status locally has indeed drawn the crowds. But whether or not GRUB deserves the gourmet bistro status still remains to be seen, with a fair amount of hits and misses alike. Personally, while I don't mind visiting again to try other dishes on the menu, I really wouldn't want to go through that amount of waiting again.

Japanese cuisine has always been a hit in Singapore, with ramen leading the charge. You can expect to find a Japanese restaurant offering ramen of some kind at almost every major mall here.

One of the latest contenders for Singapore's favourite ramen is potentially Tsukada Nojo, located at the new wing of Plaza Singapura. Hailing from the Miyazaki prefecture of Japan, the restaurant's speciality ramen is championed by a stock painstakingly prepared - just 3 ingredients of Jidori bones, water and salt are boiled and left to simmer for over 8 hours! Something that I just had to try.

Stepping into the Tsukada Nojo came quite close in my mind to revisiting olden Japan. A very much wood-based interior design, with all the trimmings I'd expect after watching Japanese anime. Even the service staff were clad in traditional Japanese garb as well.Wooden restaurant interiorOpen-concept kitchen with Jidori Chicken

For me, a first visit to any new restaurant would not be complete without trying the in-house recommendations/signature dishes. My choice of main course was the ramen lunch set special: Tori Nikomi Soba
You can actually take your pick of the type of noodle to go with the soup (the recommendation being egg noodles) and the entire set meal is actually served separately. The ramen within the stock, and everything else on a different plate for you to dip or soak as you wish.

Plus 2 other sides:Nikumaki Onigiri
A Japanese rice snack with a porky twist, the Nikumaki Onigiri is a bite-size rice ball wrapped in what I fancy to be bacon-like pork strips glazed with in a special soy sauce. Whilst the rice might be more on the plain side, the pork and the sauce definitely comes together to make this dish a pretty mouthful.Chicken Nanban - $8
A typical fried chicken dish I would expect at a Japanese restaurant. Juiciness with a crunch but the sauce I did not quite care for. It was just a little too cloying for me.

Verdict: Great experience on the whole in terms of the ambience and some new takes on both ramen and rice snacks. The Jidori Soup tasted simple yet flavourful at the same time.

To know Singaporean cuisine, one must definitely know Hainanese Chicken Rice. Contrary to most assumptions, this brand of chicken rice did not have its roots from the Hainan Island, but evolved right here in the little island of Singapore.

And in Singapore, the title of Chicken Rice King is still hotly contested, with Tian Tian as a serious contender for the throne.

Bid adieu to the days of Paddlepop for the latest in gelato is in town. Stickhouse, now open with 3 outlets islandwide (Tanjong Pagar, Sentosa Imbiah Station and Orchard Plaza), offers classy Italian gelato served on a stick!There's a dazzling array of flavours to choose from - ranging from the all-time favourite of chocolate to more obscure flavours like Coconut or Liquorice. Additional variations include the Golosticks (praline-covered), Fruit Sorbets (both plain and coated) and the most unique Stick Merenda, a soft sponge cake filled with fruit or chocolate jams coated in your choice of chocolate and sprinkled with your selected toppings.

At the time of this review, there was an ongoing promotion that offered half price on the second stick... *Shrugz*Plain and simple - Chocolate GelatoChocolate with a nutty touch (hazelnut sprinkles)

Eating the gelato off the stick really brought back waves of nostalgia, only waayyy better in terms of quality. Thicker and creamier, my stick of Chocolate gelato has that strong full-bodied flavour any chocoholic can wish for and trumped my memories of Paddlepop hands down. The card box provided also helps prevent any mess, from dripping gelato onto your clothes.

So next time if you are in the vicinity of any Stickhouse and are in need of a chilly dessert, just let yourself go that once. It's probably worth it. =D