Addictions (with the main one at 22 @ Dempsey!) is the new chic cafe in Marina Square with its newly renovated wing! Quirky and whimsical in every sense, this cafe has something to be discovered in every nook & cranny.Their menu offers soups, salads, all day breakfast (!!!! did I just hear you squeal in excitement!!), mains and even desserts (which by then, we were too full to squeeze anything in)Their drink menu is by the side, with the menu on wooden chipboards and every chipboard that you pull out will be for a different drink category, etc 'Elixir of Life' for juces as well as their wine list, cocktail list and coffee list etc. A whimsical touch that we enjoyed because every category came with a short writeup/description that was pretty entertaining.

They also offer Antipodes water, for those who are seeking water from the springs of life.More small touches that we enjoyed. Incidentally, the staff here also have something different printed on their shirts. One says 'Wave for space cakes; and others read 'High on wheat' etc. Super interesting concept.

We ordered a Salmon Eggs Ben ($16), Crabmeat Pasta ($23) and 2 Coronas ($11 each), the bill came up to $71.The Crabmeat Pasta is creamier here than that at Marmalade Pantry. The taste of the crab is also more subtle so it's great for people who wish to enjoy the crustacean without having to sit through the strong aroma of crab permeating your pasta sauce. The sauce is very tomatoey (reminiscent of cream of tomato soup!) and creamy. We would have liked it with a bit more herbs just to bring out the flavour of the sweet tomatoes.The Salmon Eggs Ben served with sauteed mushrooms is a classic favourite with patrons. I felt that the hollandaise sauce was a bit lemony for my liking, I would have preferred it a bit creamier and smoother, but some people may like the zesty taste. The English muffin could also be a bit crustier, but on the whole it was a decent eggs ben -the poached eggs had the right texture. The mushrooms were good -the flavour really came out and it was a nice savoury complement to the dish.Corona to complement everything... and if you were wondering why the water is pink (we did too, and we asked the friendly staff!), it's because the water has glaced cherries soaked inside, so the pink coloring comes from the cherries...Honestly we don't feel that it made a difference to the taste of the water but hey, it's an interesting touch and we laughed about it with the staff (she agreed that it did not make a difference either and she didn't understand why they were doing it haha).

The ambience is great, the food is good and the service is stellar. The staff will come around and ask if we liked the dishes, and their attempt at making you feel at home is just impeccable. We filled up a survey form, and drew an extra box next to 'Good' (we titled it V. Good) just so we could tick in that box for service!

If you're in Marina Square, you may want to give their Eggs Ben a try, their potato pancakes are also relatively in demand. The crabmeat pasta is also worth a try Ps. They also offer Sticky Date Pudding, if you're a sticky date fan. Definitely going back to check this out.

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.

Nestled in the heart of where most youths in Singapore come together is a new kid on the block. Actually, I should say...new 'bear' on the block. No, not the real bears but close enough! They call it Bear Bites! This brand is oh-so-famous to those who frequent night markets in Taiwan (It was even featured in Taiwan variety programs). I was honored to be part of the guests for the opening on 27 Jul 2013 at *Scape. It was a rainy day but the rain did not douse out the excitement of both Bear Bites crews as well as hungry people like me.Bear Bites started in Taiwan back in 2010. While on a holiday in Japan, the founder (Avery) chanced upon a unique fusion concept between Taiwanese steamed buns and Japanese cuisine. An East meets West concept was thus birthed when the idea of creative burger was created. With more than 10 branches across Taiwan within a short period of 3 years, it has not only proven itself to be a success story but a really delicious one too!Ordering of the burger comes in steps. Yes, you have to follow the rules here. First you choose the meat. There are 2 options to choose from: Karaage Crispy Chicken and Oishi Fish Fillet. I went for the chicken. Step 2, you choose the cute looking pastel colored bear paw buns (they looked like stuff toys...I wouldn't mind having a pink bear paw cushion ). Options include: Original Milk, Brown Sugar, Yam, Curry, Oat, Strawberry (seasonal) and Squid ink. I opted for milk. The last step was to choose the sauce namely: Mushroom, Sweet & Spicy Thai, Black Pepper, Tartar, Honey Mustard, Golden Cheese. I'm a big fan of mustard so you wouldn't have to guess twice for what I chose! As the burgers are prepared on the spot, mine came piping hot...which just fits right into the rainy weather. The picture above shows Joseph (one of the Singapore outlet owners) making my burger.I was told that the buns were flown in all the way from Taiwan. To me, this would mean that it is the original recipe. The bun basically taste like chinese man tou, except that it's much softer and slightly sweetened. The thick tomato and lettuce were very fresh and crunchy. The best part of course is the meat! It was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Despite the fact that my honey mustard sauce was spread sparingly across the meat, it didn't soften the crispiness.My next try was the Chocolate Gelato. This time, I went for the brown sugar bun to compliment my chocolate ice cream. Comes served in little bear paws that is of smaller size than the chicken burger bun. It's a good size for kids. Maybe they should consider having Baby Bear Bites (aka. Happy meal!). Nonetheless, the chocolate was rich and very filling!

Do note that Bear Bites do not sell fizzy drinks, they only have Pokka bottled drinks for health reasons. And I also need to add that the buns are made of organic ingredients.

Please do not mistaken this with Bear Paw Burger in Malaysia. They might look the same but the taste is quite different. Bear Bites comes without the sogginess. Look for the red bear print lantern!One thing to add, they might want to consider printing 2 receipts. One for the crews to make the order and one for the customer to keep. Coz people with gold fish memory wouldn't really remember what they ordered. So when orders were ready, they didn't know it's theirs

And here's to many more bear paw prints in Singapore! Photo below showing the 2 owners (Left: Avery and Right: Joseph)

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.

This is one of the few shops serving Ayam Penyet in Lucky Plaza. I came specially for other one but it happened to be closed on that day so i went for this one as an alternative choice.

The shop was rather quiet even during the supposedly busy lunch hour. The service was rather prompt. Menu was presented quickly and order was taken attentively. We decided to go with the Ayam Penyet ($6.00) and Ayam Bakar ($6.00). The rice is charged at 0.80 cents per plate. We also ordered one of their special drink to share. It is orange juice with coconut in it for $3.80. It tasted rather strange. The orange juice tasted a little diluted with a rather minimum level of sweetness. It served with a handful of ice cube with shredded coconut. I did not quite appreciate the taste. Ayam Bakar. We were given the choice of thigh or breast meat. We wanted the breast meat. It was nicely grilled before applied a layer of sweet soya sauce to enhance the flavor. The chicken has got a noticeably tenderness. It was served with a slice of cucumber and tomato with long bean and a piece of raw cabbage. The hot chilli soya sauce was served along too. The spiciness and saltiness were rather well-balanced. Ayam Penyet was another good choice. The chicken breast was fried to perfection to achieve a delightful crispiness. The chicken was 'penyet-ed' to soften the meat. Perhaps I did not eat enough of ayam penyet to do a comparison as I actually enjoyed this particular ayam penyet very much. The sambal chilli was served separately. The level of spiciness was not as fiery as expected. I guess the spiciness has been adjusted to suit the locals well. No service charge and GST added to the total bill.

I am likely be back again.