Following its resounding success on Purvis Street and Far East Plaza, Saveur had just launched their third outlet at The Cathay - Concetto by Saveur. With their minimalist sleek look and down-to-earth, sincere service, this newspangled Italian restaurant has won my heart right from the beginning.

Italian? Instead of their usual specialty French cuisine, Concetto has an Italian twist to its dishes on the menu. Many attractive dishes on the menu without heavy price tags. Interestingly, they separated the different dishes into elements - Earth, Land, Seas, Light and Water. Tip: Order a few dishes to share with your fellow diners on the table so you can try a bit of each rather than have one on your own - as it might get a little overpowering in itself.Grilled Octopus
The grilled octopus was accompanied by anchovy dressing and fennel salad. A slight hint of tangy lemon and enticingly wasabi-like (minus the spicy), this appetizing dressing made the chewy octopus and salad pop into character. Lovely and recommended.Pumpkin Fagottini
Urban city has given a bad name to a this little bread parcel called fagottini. Drizzling a good dose of sweet sauce over creamy pumpkin, cheese and almond, this plate tasted more like a dessert than a main. A little confused, but nevertheless, it's a delightful try as pumpkin is once again, cooked to its best form. Rarely would I like pumpkin, but I give trust to the chefs here.Black Risotto
Risotto's got its black from squid ink. This is very thick, moist and gooey. A little on the salty side, I cannot imagine finishing this on my own - so share it for a good taste. The squids are very chewy and fresh, though slightly overpowered by the saltiness of the risotto itself.Tiramisu
A deconstructed tiramisu here, as Concetto/Saveur never fails to impress with their dessert presentation and flavours. The taste of rum is almost non-existent, which may or may not be a good thing depending on your preference. The sweet chocolate flakes make it look so grand. And the whole thing is edible, so dig in.Concetto also has their own herbs garden, and prides itself for being eco-friendly. A wonderful experience here. Situated at where Billy Bombers was, Concetto is easily spotted from the outside of The Cathay.

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By 8pm, the famous 928 Ngee Fou Ampang YTF would have closed, this is the next alternative available just 2 doors away. You are allowed to choose more variety here, in fact you can also opt to choose the ingredients yrself just like the typical YTF stalls. You will always see the boss drinking beer in the shop with friends. Most of the workers are PRCs. The drinks are sold by them as well a separate smaller kway chup and braised duck rice offering. I was lazy and opted to leave them to choose for me a 1 person share, only requesting to hv more of the crunchy stuffs. When served, i was delighted with a plate of 2 tau kee, kang kong, brinjal, fried toufu, ngoh hiong, fish ball, fried wantan, bittergourd...pretty good variety i must say. And their sauce mix has definitely improved over time and i dun think they lose out to 928 alot. Its more to the saltier side though. Overall i rate it a good eat, can't exactly remember the pricing but it should be <$8 definitely.

Only recently uncovered, Cakes Literally is yet another addition to the already booming site in Farrer Park, no less an of-standard one. I’m not complaining, because food enthusiasts like myself just can’t get enough of cafes, can we.The high contrast of colors exudes a simple yet sophisticated ambience. The pristine white urges you to sit down, unwind and have a cup of coffee and cake. Though they don’t house the most comfortable pieces of furniture, their warm hospitality and slow-dancing tunes make it all up. Run by a close-knit family, you can expect a fuss-free, rules-free kind of cafe-experience, while letting your hair down to sounds from artists like James Morrison and Colbie Caillat from their iPod (that was before a huge crowd of family, including children, came in and stole the mood away).A few words can sum up what Cakes Literally offers – Coffee, Tea, Cakes. Not the most extensive, but hey, simplicity is the way to go now in this fast-paced society, isn’t it.Latte ($4.50) :: When it’s coffee from Papa Palheta, you know it wouldn’t go wrong. Arguably the best coffee I’ve ever had, we further had another cup of Mocha ($4.80) just to fully satisfy our caffeine cravings since the brunch place we were at failed miserably. The Mocha was especially intriguing, as shaved Belgian Belcolade Dark Chocolate makes up the chocolate in the mocha. It was like in coffee heaven; high in acidity, aroma so sublime, and an overall impression that lasts.Valrhona Flourless Cake ($7.50) :: Not only is it flourless, it is also gluten-free, and 100% self-baked. + Mousse + chocolate shards + cocoa + venchi chocolate caviar in belcolade shell. I love the semi-cake semi-mousse overall texture of it, where you can still get a good bite but a soft and smooth one. For the more intense chocolate lovers, go ahead and sprinkle the cup of venchi chocolate caviar over your slice of cake. But to be honest, maybe I have a high tolerance but it wasn’t unbearable at all.Orange Almond Cake ($5.50) :: This, on the other hand, has a different texture all together. Surprisingly, I love the combination. It wasn’t as tangy as I had expected, which is good. Crushed almond is mixed in the cake itself, which I suspect gives the rough and grainy surface of the cake. While the flavor was satisfying, the texture did not quite float my boat.

I have no qualms that they will, like most small family-business, have consistent impeccable service. They’re constantly cheerful and approachable. If I am in the area, I wouldn’t think twice going through the glass door again.

Note #1: Only cash accepted.

Note #2: Prices stated are nett. No GST and service charge.

Note #3: They also sell whole-cakes.

There are 3 locations at which one can enjoy the Imperial High Tea for $28.80++, at Beach Road, Serangoon or at the 60th floor of UOB Plaza, overlooking the city skyline and towering skyscrapers. For such a prime location, you'd expect it to get snapped up during the weekends so we suggest making reservations. (Walk-ins are usually turned away, disappointed, due to lack of space!)

The interior has a lot of Chinese touches, such as bamboo and wooden stool inspired chairs. There is a lot of wood used for a warm, homey feel. The entire restaurant is spacious and large, with private guestrooms as well for private dinners and business meetings.From this menu given, you can see that there will be 3 teas served (staggered, throughout the meal) as well as 9 other dishes.Out of all 3 teas, I liked Long Jing and Pu er as it had a subtle fragrance to it that went down very smoothly. The Long Jing comes in a glass tea cup where you have to drink it by angling the lid (the tea leaves are in the cup) so that you won't drink the leaves in too.The other 2 teas were served in tiny porcelain tea cups, which were dainty and really provided a nice touch to the whole feel of the high tea.(Left) This is the fried osmanthus with water chestnut. To be honest, this was a bit strange for me because it tasted like the Chinese fried Nian Gao. The sweetness and the texture was similar too, the only difference was that it had osmanthus (gui hua) in it, and that provided a nice fragrance, albeit faint. I didn't really like this dish, it was a bit odd for me.

(Right) The sweet potato glutinous rice ball was served in a small spoon-like dish, in sweet soup. The ball wasn't sticky and starchy, it had a nice gluey texture to it and the taste of sweet potato was distinct. It's chewy, soft and I really liked how the sweet potato gave this substance instead of it being just another starchy rice ball. The sweetness of the 'tangshui' was also just right.(Left) The steamed crystal dumpling with osmanthus really surprised me, the texture of it was soft and it looked like it might be gluey, but it held its shape. The inside was delicious -the dumpling was chockfull of vegetable with bursts of the refreshing scent of osmanthus. The skin of the dumpling wasn't sticky too.

(Right) The lotus root roll was a nice savoury snack -it had the crunch of the lotus root and yet the skin was really smooth. A nice contrast in flavours, this reminded me of a vegetarian chee cheong fun! (Couldnt really taste the osmanthus in this one, but it was still good)(Left) Minced meat dumpling in chilli oil would have been good if not for the fact that there was so much garlic in the sauce! The chilli oil it was doused in provided a nice kick to the otherwise plain meat dumpling, but the bitterness as well as the sting of the garlic was a bit sharp for my liking. Maybe this could have been avoided by dipping the dumpling into lesser sauce.

(Right) The noodle with onion oil was well cooked, it had a delicate flavour which was deliciously appetising. The noodles were springy and had a good, slightly chewy texture. My only gripe would be that this dish is REALLLY oily. The flavours however, were gearing for light,refreshing and subtle. This they succeeded.(Left) The pea shoot dumpling had a slightly thicker skin, with a lesser translucent quality compared to the crystal dumpling. The taste however was satisfactory, the pea shoot still had some crunch, and this dumpling proved to be a good savoury snack. I would have liked it slightly more juicy though!The homemade beancurd with wolfberry tasted like ordinary tau hway to me. Nevertheless, it wasn't too sweet and the texture of the beancurd is really silky smooth. When paired with wolfberries, it tasted surprisingly good! A small bowl is just nice for rounding off the high tea.

It was only after we had left and revisited our photos that we realised that they had left out the Deep Fried Chicken Puff ): The service is relatively good here, and they keep topping up the water for the teas. Service is also pretty efficient, and 2 dishes come out at one go, so it isn't a painful wait for every dish to be served. At $28.80++, I wouldnt say it's really worth it (don't get me wrong, the food is definitely decent), but it's worth the experience. Chinese high tea is more centred on having many small dishes similar to dim sum, lots of tea, good conversation and a mix of sweet and savoury.

If you wish to order ala carte, this can also be done, but we recommend just sticking to the given menu. After all, they have planned out a good variety/range of dishes ranging from fried, steamed and boiled/handmade.

The word "Kazan" is known as volcano in Japanese. The numerous newpaper printouts had actually caught my attention as I walked past Tonkotsu Kazan Ramen. Initially I thought that Kazan is actually referring to its level of spiciness - as hot as volcano but as when I took a close look, I realised the "fun" in the meal and decided to give it a try.

"Irrashaimase" - a very loud and warm welcome greeted us upon stepping into the restaurant and gave a very good first impression. Secondly, the server came welcoming us with its menu. Tonkotsu Kazan Ramen was well decorated with the classic feel of a Japanese Ramen Stall similar to what I had visited in Japan. Not only was the utensils and cookery stuffs placed neatly, the ambience was well lited and rather quiet which served as a perfect place to dine over the weekends to keep away from the bustle of the city. Do help yourself with the freeflow of seasonings on the table ranging from vinegar to shoyu and they even provide garlic with the garlic press for their customers to enhance the taste of their dish.Proper instructions were pasted on the table to guide and share with customers how to cook a delicious kazan ramen. It had also advised customers customer to stay away from the hot stone bowl.We ordered the classic Shoyu Ramen to have a taste of its original Tonkotsu broth as it was mentioned on the menu that the broth was enhanced with a special blended soy sauce paste. Each strand of smooth and springy ramen is delectably coated with a flavourful broth. This aromatic broth somehow reminds me of a famous Ramen Stall located in Tanjong Pagar area! Yums!
Cost: S$12.00I had ordered one of its signature dish, Curry Kazan and the long awaited volcanic eruption performance is about to commenced. The dish was initially served in a hot stone pot and the server had pour half a pot of curry into it, covered it up with the hood and about one minute later, he poured the remaining curry into the stone pot again. Timing was all measured by the little hour glass device on the table as seen in the picture).
Cost: S$18.00The hood was then remove and "ta-da", take a look the end product and enjoy the sizzling sound in the video.


Not only we have to be caution on the pipping hot stone pot, we have to be additional careful and keep a distance from the curry as they may follow the "sizzling" sound and stain our clothing. Do also note that my meal comes with additional bowl of rice to goes along with the remaining curry as the portion is enormous for me, I suggest that the meal can be shared by 2 instead!
Last but not least, if you are thinking of having green tea in this Japanese restaurant, you can find alternatives as green tea is not available in its menu. The total bill for the night including 10% of Service Charge and 7% GST is well spent for the night as I really enjoyed every bit of the meal.