the array of dishes sitting behind the glass display may look appetizing, but they have in fact been there a while, which explains why most of the dishes never arrive warm.

that's the problem with having food "chap chye" style - they give us such a huge variety to choose from that they can't possibly keep replenishing everything, so i guess the fact that the porridge always come warm, with the rice grains just cooked right, and perfectly watery, make up for it. for an "economic rice" sort of place though, i do think the food they offer are way too pricey. the first time i was here with my boyfriend's family, the bill for 5 of us came up to almost $50. this time round, it was just slightly more than $16 for the 2 of us, which means it costs about $8 to $10 per head to have a simple meal here, which is almost triple of what you would pay for a (warm) packet of economic rice at a food court.

so why are we back a second time?
the fact that their food gives us a cosy feeling in our stomach, because they are just the kind of dishes that your grandma would cook, and the way she would cook it, not just because they are tasty, but because it evokes a homecoming feel, think: chai-poh egg and spicy porky bits.
i guess that explains why almost all the tables at the 3/4-filled restaurant were occupied by families on both visits, since most mums never cook anymore - in fact, *my* mum cook only once a year, if i'm lucky. but perhaps it's just a "chinese thing".
it is also relatively more comfortable to eat at as compared to the noisy and crowded food court or coffee shop.

however, if we were to come at a time when the dishes are just freshly-cooked, i have a feeling it'll be an entirely different, and very tasty, fulfilling meal. so i'm throwing in a benefit of the doubt - i'm coming back for "that feel", well, UNTIL i learn to hold my own in the kitchen that is!

pandan coconut waffles are, i guess, a signature of neighbourhood bakeries in singapore. i can never resist the aroma that comes out of those machines every time i walk by. i've tried them at numerous such bakeries, but none beats those you can find here at Bread Garden, bukit batok! unlike those from other bakeries which are thin and sometimes, limpy, the ones here are really fluffy!of course, preference vary from person to person. i love my waffles soft as opposed to the crunchy, over crispy kinds. the waffles from here are really tender and chewy, and so friendly to the wallet too at only $1.

they are good already on their own, but if you must, they taste best with peanut butter spread. i've tried chocolate, and kaya, but i thought they were too sweet and overwhelms the taste of the pancake. the cheese didn't go too well with the waffle either.

i have them at least a few times per week, even my boyfriend's curious mum are now addicted to them after finally relenting and giving it a try after seeing me munching away happily at them so often. teehee!

i have been meaning to give these much hyped about burgers from Relish a try for the longest time.

since the restaurant we were originally slated to have dinner at were fully booked for the night, we headed to Relish on a whim, but of course only after calling to ensure we could get a table. #lessonlearnt

i got the bacon and cheese beef burger, while baby had the wildrocket beef burger. we also ordered the onion rings in milk batter with curry mayo dip to share. these took an hour to arrive.i didn't like the onion rings. the dip was pretty good though. it tasted like twisties. i wished more thought were put in the burgers. my beef was medium rare and it was the best, and only good part of the entire plate. everything else was really plain - the buns were dry and could use a little toasting, the fries could do with a little bit of seasoning (salt, pepper, chilli powder, seaweed powder, the like.). the bacon was also more than a little overcooked.

boyfriend had his beef well done and i thought it was rather dry, but he gave Relish 8/10 so to each their own i guess. his only grouch was that the veges used in his burger were terribly bitter.

i was *really* excited to visit after chancing upon Antoinette's facebook page - i wanted to eat those cakes with those dainty little forks and plates, and i wanted to sit in those velvety soft armchairs and absorb all those pretty!it was a last minute decision to eat there (i'm insanely fickle...) for 'date night' with boyfriend, and after spending 1.5hours sitting in rush hour traffic, the most dreaded thing i wanted to hear was that they were 'fully reserved'. i wanted to burst out crying. ::: peers forlornly into the windows of restaurant:::

we did manage to take away a bit of Antoinette away with us though, in a gorgeous little box and paper bag. we got the Antoinette cake and the new Mango/Passionfruit cake. Both of them were mousse cakes, with a little layer of biscuit at the bottom for the chocolate cake, and a layer of cake at the bottom for the Mango/Passionfruit.a sort of 'sauce' (i think it's cherry) spills out when the red blob atop the Antoinette was poked apart. we could also taste a tinge of cherry in the thick chocolaty mousse. there was a darker, thicker chocolate mousse in the center of the cake. similarly, the mango/passionfruit cake had a very thick, refreshingly sour taste, and there was coconut mousse in the center. i would actually compare the cakes we had to those at K Ki. i'm not sure which *i* prefer, but boyfriend really likes those from Antoinette. guess we'll be heading back aplenty!

and if you, like me, have also always wondered how meringue tastes like - it tastes like cotton candy.

plus, i guess sharing some cakes together in the car is *sort of* really romantic =D

aside from the usual (and very delish) xiao long baos that are my absolute must-haves at din tai fung, i tried a bunch of other new and old dishes for the first time on a recent visit.

new and only available till 31st aug - steamed chili crab xiao long baosvery much like the original xiao long baos, except with a spicier, sweeter broth, but still as bursty, still with the thinnest of dough skin, and with an extra fat layer of thinly shredded spicy crab meat stacked on top of the pork meat.

this was at $6 per basket of 4. there's also a 15% discount with your dbs/posb card. very well worth it methinks.

new and also only available till 31st aug is this 'wu xia' man tou in anticipation of the upcoming movie. i was expecting a lot from this man tou the moment i glimpsed the promo on their website. there are 2 flavours - the black sesame, and the sweet potato - and you can't mix them, so we got the sweet potato. in my mind the man tou should ideally be really really soft and chewy, but it's just really plain and you can barely taste the sweet potato. it's not horrible, per se. just not fantastic. i really wouldn't recommend this. we've been having century eggs everywhere after tasting them on its own at hong kong on a recent trip. these were really good - the sauce was just nicely salty, the yolks were really thick and creamy, the ginger slices added a really nice tangy flavour to the dish - all that makes a century egg dish good.i didn't like these glutinous dumplings much. these were really thick and filling, and pretty bland as well.

apart from the queue at din tai fung which usually warrants at least a 20 minutes wait, the food, service and value are pretty ace. however, the shops nearby should serve as a pretty good time filler/distraction while waiting.