This was my second restaurant I visited for Restaurant Week last month. I've always walked past this place but never tried the food there before so I thought this was a good time to sample the food. My 3 course meal cost about $25 which was super worth it! Came here during lunch and there it was almost empty save for a couple at another corner. The place was quite nice and bright and has a sophisticated feel when you step in. Seems to be an open bar area and a TV which probably makes this a good place during soccer season. One thing I have to note, because this restaurant is located beside loads of greenery, there were quite a few mosquito buzzing around. I got bitten a few times! I would choose a table further away from the door if possible. First up was some complimentary olive bread. The bread was warm, chewy and delightful to dip into the olive oil and vinegar. We wish we have a bigger stomach space to ask for another basket but we didn't want to spoil our appetite for the meal itself (who makes themselves full on bread before getting to the mains?)The first course was the Oven-roasted Tomato Soup with Herb Oil. The soup was tangy, light and a fantastic start to the meal! You really taste the robust flavours of the tomato and the earthier flavours of the herb balances out the sour tang of the tomatoes. Save some of the bread to dip in this soup!My main dish was the Boneless Chicken Thigh, Potato Puree, Mixed Vegetables and Au Jus. Now when I read the words 'Au Jus' it racked up major points as Au Jus are super tasty concentrated gravy made from the natural oil and flavouring from the dish. The chicken was so tender and juicy! And that Au Jus was very nice too! I did like the medley of vegetables as they were cooked to the right texture (not too mushy or crunchy) and I love the potato puree. I need more of that puree!
Highly recommend this dish. It's safe and simple but because it is done right, it's comfort food after a hard day at work.Lastly was the Lemon Cheesecake with Chocolate Crumble. I'm slightly disappointed with the dessert. The presentation was beautiful and looks like a galaxy system with the fruits as planet. But the cheesecake was a little too dense for my liking hence it felt a little dry as I ate it. The crumble was quite sticky and I didn't enjoy it too much. Nice to look at but I would give this dessert a skip.

Overall, I enjoy the ambiance of the place and the starter and main dish were winners so I would come back to try other items. I reckon this place would be quite romantic at night so if you're in town and you feel like Italian food, why not give Ochre a go?

When I saw Casa Tartufo is known for their truffles on their menu, I was dying to try the food there. I love truffle oil on my fries, soup, pasta etc that the thought of having a truffle-infused 3 course meal was very appealing. Hence, this is one of the place I booked for lunch during Restaurant Week. The entire 3 course lunch was about $50 per pax after tax. When you first step in, the warm woodsy yellow design of the restaurant is very welcoming. With the old fashion white table cloth, red velvet wooden chairs and furnishing, you feel like you're stepping into a lovely Italian cafe. There wasn't much of a crowd so it's a very relaxing place to have a nice peaceful meal. Our first course is the Porcini Mushroom Creamy Soup with Black Truffles. You can smell the truffle oil once they placed this in front of you. The soup is very creamy and delicious and great for dipping the complimentary bread in. Hard to go wrong with creamy mushroom soup For my main, I chose the Char-grilled Striploin with Truffle Butter and Fries. This dish is the disappointing item in the whole meal. I got a pretty tough part of the meat (whereas my lunch companions who ordered the same thing got more decent sized and better cuts of the meat) and it was small! It was not very tender and I couldn't really taste the truffle in the butter. Plus the beef was kind of dry which is not something I will overlook especially at the price of the meal. Now dessert is where this place shines. First up we had the Truffle Ice-cream with Crumble Shortbread and Volcanic Salt. This is really GOOD! The hint of truffle in the cool ice cream and that slightly savory crumble just hits all the right notes. It was light, pack full of flavour and a must order!We had the Tiramisu which wasn't on the menu and I didn't really tasted any truffle in it so I'm not sure if there is any in this dessert. It was quite average, good mascapone cheese flavour and a slight hint of rum. I'm not sure about the actual name of this dessert but it was like an ice cream cake sprinkled with pistachio and the waiter drizzled the hot chocolate sauce in front of us! This is my favourite dessert of the 3. It was rich and cold and the hot chocolate sauce compliments the creaminess of the cake and the pistachio added that needed crunchy texture to balance out the dish. Super delicious and definitely must order this (not to share as I'm sure you can finish this all by yourself ) Thumbs up!

Overall, for the price I'm paying, I'm not impressed with the main. The desserts are definitely worth coming back for as they are divine.

Selfish Gene Cafe is one of those cafes that I've been wanting to visit but somehow pushed to the back of my mind as new and exciting food places open each month. I decided to just try it out one weekend when I had to arrange a brunch outing with friends. One thing to note is that this place does not take reservation, they take in walk-in only. My group had 8 people and we were quite worried that we wouldn't find seats but luckily they had 2 long tables which were unoccupied. Perhaps it was less crowded because we went earlier (about 11 plus) as by the time we left around 1pm, the place was quite packed. The cafe is not that big and when you enter you walk through a "hallway" where they set tables and chairs for smaller groups along the walls. The long tables are towards the back near to the counter. Very simplistic design - no decorations or fancy lighting and even the counter was quite simple. There is something unique at the spot where we sat - there is a glass ceiling, hence the light was quite strong at our area. I like the idea because you get plenty of natural light (good for photo taking!) and it's quite beautiful to see the sun beams filtering through the glass ceiling. BUT as the afternoon approaches, this area will get very sunny and if you are sitting directly under the sun rays, it will be quite warm. For people who cannot take the heat (like me), you might want to avoid this area.
Also, ordering is self-service here. They will give you the menu and you head to the counter to place your order. After you pay, they will hand you a number plate and will bring your food to you. As usual, I will order Iced Mocha whenever I go for brunch. The drink looks very "gao" (strong or thick) but sad to say it was quite diluted. I didn't taste much coffee in it and so it tasted like slightly diluted iced chocolate. I will try their hot drinks next time to see if they fare better. I was super torn between trying their Breakfast Plate or B.O.B. but in the end I chose the B.O.B ($15.80) to test the standard of their eggs benny (if I'm not mistaken, this item is available on weekends only). The 2 mounds of eggs were super appealing and wobbly. I got two poached eggs sitting on thin slices of salty Norwegian smoked salmon, crème fraiche, all sitting on a slice of toasted multigrain bread. I am pleasantly surprised with this dish. The eggs were a touch overcooked (not as runny as I would've liked) but the overall combination of flavours with the smokey salmon was very tasty! I didn't think I would like the bread (usually I have eggs benedict with softer bread like brioche) but the multigrain bread was very nice! Crunchy crust with bits of grains to add texture and elevated the dish. The mesclun salad was also not bad with a tangy vinaigrette which helps cuts through the rich egg and salmon. The portion is not very big and I didn't feel super full when I finish this dish which is great because that leaves room for dessert!Most blogs that I read about this cafe recommended the Banana Cake ($5.80) so I had to try it. It's very adorable! You get a mini-loaf of banana cake served warm with caramel, banana, crumble and peanut butter sauce. The banana cake was very very moist! I think serving it warm helps with that and somehow enhances the banana taste. It tasted quite fresh and not like those frozen cakes you get at some bakeries. I couldn't taste the caramel sauce as the peanut butter was too strong but I greatly enjoy this mini dessert. It's pretty small so not a problem to finish it by yourself.

Overall, I think the food was pretty good and I will definitely be back to try the other items! And since it's at the quiet Duxton area, you get to escape the bustle of the town areas. Perfect for a day to chill out with friends.

Nestled in the quiet Jurong Country Club is an unassuming Japanese restaurant called Fukuya. Most wouldn't have heard of it as it is quite new and being inside a country club does hide it from the public view hence it is much more peaceful dining here than at most mainstream Japanese restaurants. I love Japanese food and quite frankly when I heard this place was located at a country club, I didn't have too high expectations for it but I was so very wrong!From the outside, it looks like a very simple and understated restaurant. Don't let this facade fool you!Once you step inside, the place has an elegant design with gorgeous caged lighting and black plush seating. Simple and tasteful. Our first dish was a delightful little appetizer - Seafood Mayo on Fresh Salad ($10.80). This little bite packs a punch! The seafood is a mixture of many types of shellfish and other seafood blended together into one savory mouthful. The salad is some kind of seaweed type of vegetable which is chewy and really adds another dimension to this dish. However the one drawback is that it is a little too salty. Lower the saltiness and this will be a winning appetizer. Oh My God! This is one VERY DELICIOUS plate of sashimi. It is the Fukuya Tokusen Platter ($68.80) and it consists of 7 types of sashimi. They are simple divine! I was closing my eyes and savoring every bite. The fish was so fresh and some were fatty and just melts in your mouth. You're left craving for more once you finish a slice. The 7 types of sashimi are Toro (fatty part of a tuna), Uni (sea urchin), Botan Ebi (prawn), Salmon Belly, Katsuo Tataki (the dark red fish), Shima Aji and Tai. I'm not too sure what the last 2 are. I think one of them is the fin muscle of the Halibut fish and that was one of the best of the lot! Lightly seared so you get that bit of smokey tang and the rest was greasy fatty goodness. The salmon belly and toro were super delicious as well! I could go on and on about this platter and even though it is pricy, the sashimi are flown in from Japan so you really pay for the quality of the seafood.

One thing to note: The chef's soya sauce is specially prepared. He said that he made it less salty with seaweed (no idea how he did that) so it doesn't taste as sharp and strong as the usual soya sauce which I find that it is indeed true! These little touches added to the overall food experience which I greatly appreciate. This is the Dobin Mushi ($10.80) also known as Teapot Soup. Basically the chef boiled the soup with Oysters (YES Oysters!), mushroom and other ingredients into a sweet and light broth which is served in this cute teapot. You pour out the soup into a small teacup and drink it from there. For this, go easy on the lime. Usually you'll squeeze that piece of lime given into the soup to add some zest but I squeezed too much and it overpowers some of the natural sweetness of the oysters. Just a couple of drops is more than enough. This is the Gintara Mentaiyaki ($20.80) which is grilled gintara fish with the mentaiko cheese on top. The fish is moist and the taste of the mentaiko doesn't overpower it. I can still taste the freshness of the fish and I enjoyed it to the last bite! The patch of salad at the side...skip it. It had a very pungent taste which shocked me when I took a bite of it. Next was the Fukuya Aburi Sushi Mori ($28.80) which consists of Salmon, Anago (salt-water eel), Akami (I think this is tuna), Buri Belly (Yellowtail belly) and Unkun Uni & Ikura topping (the sea urchin sushi). I like the yellowtail belly best as it was super premium and fatty! I could go for another 3 more of it. All the sushi had its own sauce or seasoning so we were advised not to dip into the soya sauce so as to savour the sushi as it was meant to be eaten. This is the Fukuya Seafood Ramen ($26.80) and is the small version. Yes, this bowl which looks huge to me is small . They are super generous with the ingredients. There are prawns, clams, squid and many other goodies in this bowl. The soup is light and tastes a little like pumpkin broth but I was told that it was mainly a vegetable broth. Definitely a bowl to be shared if you want to sample the other awesome items on the menu as it is very filling. To end the (super satisfying) meal, we had the Kyoho Ice Cream (Japanese grape flavour) with boiled chestnut ($8.80). This reminded me of my childhood where we sometimes had grape flavour candy and it certainly tasted like that! The ice cream sat on top of a layer of cream which I didn't feel was necessary as the ice cream as good by itself. The boiled chestnut is very soft and slightly sweet and blends very well when eaten with the ice cream.

Had a great time at Fukuya with the friendly chef and the very impressive seafood they served. Quite a hidden gem in Jurong area and I would definitely recommend anyone to try the sashimi as it will definitely make you want more.

Arbite is nestled in the sleepy area of Serangoon Garden where you get to avoid the bustle of crowds and can just enjoy a peaceful day hanging out with friends. It's located at level 2 of a shophouse building (the sign is quite big so you can't miss it) and the place is a lot smaller than I would've imagined it to be. My friend and I risked heading there on a Sunday for brunch without reservation but were pleasantly surprised that there wasn't too long a wait. We got a table after 10 minutes. The cafe is very small and when packed full of chatting people, it can get quite noisy. I wouldn't say it's a conducive environment for chilling with a book but for a quick meal in a nice cafe setting, this fits the bill. Fun note: They sell quite a bit of truffle oil and other truffle stuff in that green shelve by the counter. Take a browse and you may find something worth buying for the kitchen.Cute photos framed on the wall. The design of this place is very minimalist and almost to the point of bare. Other than the touches of wooden tables and photo frames, there's not much other design in the place. First up for our brunch is the Sea Salt Caramel Banana Pan Cake ($14.90). The design is so cute! They made a smiley face which I though is an adorable touch. The pancakes are fluffy and soft (no knives needed just use your fork). There are 3 layers of pancakes and between each layer is a thick smear of mashed bananas. They don't serve maple syrup (you have to request for it) as I think it is meant to be eaten with the caramel sauce. I prefer my pancakes drenched with maple so without it, it's a tad dry for me. The bananas are thick and cloying and makes it harder to swallow. I also didn't get any hint of the sea salt that's supposed to be sprinkled over this dish. The bits of walnuts are very tasty with the pancakes, and I do like the texture, but overall I wouldn't order it again. We also had the Eggs Benedict ($11.90) and this is a very simple dish. A couple of poached eggs, some honey baked ham drizzled with hollandaise on brioche buns and a small salad in the middle. They don't have a smoked salmon version (I love Eggs Benny with salmon commonly known as Eggs Royale) but the eggs were cooked till they were perfectly runny and the buns were soft and acts as a nice "vehicle" to sop the eggs and ham up into my mouth. They were super generous with the hollandaise sauce and a hint of sour cream and even I found that it was more than enough! I like this dish enough (but it didn't leave me craving for more) BUT I have to note that it is quite a petite dish. If you're a big eater, it may not be enough. Their Iced Mocha ($5) is simply awesome! Most of the time, the mochas in cafes are either too sweet or too bland. The Iced Mocha here is a perfect balance of coffee and sweetness. I'm so happy that the coffee to syrup ratio is well balanced that I don't feel like I'm slurping up pure syrup. Dense and a hint of smokey flavour and because it's iced they did the right move to make the drink stronger as the melting ice will dilute the flavour. If you're not here to eat, definitely order this and relax the afternoon away. Lastly, we ended with this unique desert - the Gula Meleka Tiramisu ($8). For the uninitiated, Gula Melaka is brown sugar that's very sweet and has a heavy robust taste and typically used in Asian desserts. We were so intrigued with this East meets West fusion that we had to try it. The gula melaka is infused into the mascarpone and it's very strong! Actually from the first bite, the first thing that hit me was the alcohol flavour. Then slowly, as we ate, the gula meleka taste took over. By the time we finished half the dessert, we couldn't taste anything but the gula meleka. This ingredient has an overpowering taste and unfortunately, it consumed the delicate tiramisu till I feel like I was eating pure brown sugar. I couldn't taste the chocolate or mascarpone at all. So unless you have a MAJOR sweet tooth, I would skip this.

Overall, Arbite is a nice place to get a quick brunch. The food was a hit and miss for me but I like the ambience enough that I wouldn't mind coming back to try other items on the menu. The lunch menu did look very promising to that might be my next aim!