Folks that read my review should really thank me as I will share with u the ultimate newbie tip to this YTH stall. It will definitely save u alot of time knowing this tip. The stall only opens for business around 11pm. It's couple in their 40s at work here. They were notorious for being fierce by the way. So here comes the tip, buddy system required. Once the stall lights are switched on, get one partner to queue at the LHS of the stall first while the other go get the food. The guy owner processed the orders based on the LHS queue and not whoever finished selecting a bowl of ingredients. You can opt to leave yr bowl of uncooked ingredients on the counter itself or its shelf but the queue still follows that of LHS. Vegetables is standard kang kong here. When it's your turn you just hv to tell the guy owner whether u want your ingredients done in soup or dry. Go soup definitely ftw. Also add that you want vege and anchovies else you will get nothing but plain soup. The noodles or behoon has to be ordered with the lady owner, only these 2 choices in dry or soup. After which u proceed to stand behind the table in front of the stall where many trays are placed. Auntie will send your order to that table where u also collect yr chopsticks and sprinkle pepper as desired. That's where you also pay auntie the money. Do tell her beforehand if u need empty bowls or anything. Key is not to get in her way or she will get grumpy.


Now about the food, I ordered one dry beehoon yellow mee mixed, it comes with some crunchy bits like that of fried wantan skin. My ingredients were served on a big metal bowl. My ingredients included cuttle fish, sio bak, pork belly, big intestines, small intestines, fried tau kee, lady finger, ngoh hiong, yu jiao, seaweed chicken, green chilli etc. I took many ingredients so plus the noodle adds up to $17. Anchovies given were generous amount that makes the soup nice. I felt it was an average eat, losing out to the one at lucky plaza. But the queue itself is a sign most ppl like it. But overall a fun experience I must say.

Orchard Central is still very much a veritable trove of dining finds for me. Maybe it's just me being late to the party, but better late than never!

One would not expect to find dining available within the same premises of a clothing boutique and hair salon. Yet the Japanese-Vietnamese fusion restaurant/bar, Kilo, was still packed during my last lunch visit.




Located on the far side of Orchard Central away from 313 Somerset, floor-length windows afford unobstructed views of Killiney and resident bar KPO. Diners have the choice of normal tables or counter seats along the bar or windows. The latter might offer better views, but are slightly lacking in terms of maneuverability with diners jammed packed less than an elbow's length away.

Given the posh surroundings and classy layout, I was really relieved to find that Kilo offered a lunch set menu at $15++ which included a Citrus Iced Tea along with your choice off the menu of mains, just a smaller serving.

My Set Lunch at Kilo:

The Beef Short Ribs Rice Bowl offered with the set lunch was petite at best. But what it lacked in portion size, it made up with flavour. The star was definitely the luscious slices of beef short ribs. 

Beautiful, pink and juicy, they were served atop a bowl of fragrant Niigata rice with a side of sweet corn, a salad of radish and sugar peas and some wasabi sprouts. Then you wash them all down with a cool clear concoction of iced tea.

At $17.50 after taxes, it's probably one of the pricier lunches in town. I probably would not convert into a regular just because of the price alone, but it sure is a delight for the palate.

Came by this place after Guan's abalone noodles was closed. Had to wait up to 30min for the claypot rice so we opted for ala carte dishes and plain rice (50cents each) instead. ordered the usual favourites like the lotus root duck $10, french bean with shrimps $8 and a salted vege toufu soup $6. As usual the duck was fantastic, with the sauce going so well with the rice. The french bean is also crunchy and the fried shrimps complements it. The soup was a little let down though, had expected those that was boiled for long in the porcelain bowl type but turn out its instant cooked ones. Total bill was $25 for 2 pax. I did not opt for the wet tissue as it was chargeable. Roadside parking lot is foc after 5pm, i think they actually hv free parking tie up with one of the "hui guan" at another lorong. if you can't find a lot, do check with them on that.

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.