Despite being a Singaporean since birth, I have never ventured into Farrer Park. It doesn't look ulu on the map (being two stops away from Dhoby Ghaut). But somehow there is nothing there for me to venture. Recently I saw an Openrice article on nice cafes to hangout, and one of them is L'etoile cafe hidden in Farrer Park along Owen Road. The small but cosy-looking picture of it was tempting enough for me to travel to Farrer Park. It's a two-storey indie cafe along a stretch of shophouses. L'etoile means "star" in French, and it's also the symbol of this cafe.

I was quite pleased when I stepped into L'etoile. The cafe was very bright and made use of full length windows. The use of different types of mismatched furniture made the place very colourful and homely. The designer of L'etoile should deserve some award for making it look so pretty and inviting! There are several corners which you can just laze in with your group of friends or with your significant other. Some of my favorite corners:

#1 - By the window on second floor. I love how the curtains blocked out the harsh sun rays and gave the place a soft focus look. #2 - Cosy corner on first floor. #3 - Cosy corner on second floor. If you look carefully below, this table is actually a sewing machine table. Quite creative to use as a dining table and it gives the place a nostalgic vibe too. One bird kills two stones!Sad to say, the food was quite forgettable for me. The Matcha Azuki Chiffon Cake ($5.90) was coarse and too dry for my liking. The Chicken Wings ($8) were a bit bland and not flavorful enough, and the portion was quite small for the price. As for the Big Breakfast ($14.90) which was served with toast, potato wedges, mushroom, bacon, sausages, eggs and greens, unfortunately it was more variety than quality. The Strawberry Soda and Ribena Soda ($4.90 each) were nothing to shout about too. In addition, I don't know why but it can be very noisy when everyone speaks at the same time. I suspect it has got to do with the material used for the ceiling or walls which amplifies the sounds made.

To conclude, I guess the main draw of L'etoile would be its chill vibe, vintage and whimsical decor, instead of the food. There were a lot of couples and groups of friends there. L'etoile also has free wifi and some power plug points (not a lot though.. two hidden behind the big sofa on second floor and two near the window). They also have a collection of travel books and magazines which you can read. It's worth a first visit for a lazy weekend although I don't think I will be going back anytime soon.

For full review and more photos, please visit http://weekendeatwhatsg.blogspot.sg/2013/08/l-cafe.html

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.

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.

I was caught by the crowd right in front of this stall when i was there on a Saturday evening. I wanted that something extra before dinner. My attention was somehow caught by the Cream Cornet displayed right there. It is reasonably priced at $1.60. I decided to get 1 to go.The texture of bread was rather soft and fluffy with a slight buttery taste. The cream custard was rather smooth with just the right level of sweetness. An ideal choice to have it with coffee.

I took notice that this is an outlet of Prima Deli and somewhat impressed by the range of items on display.

I enjoyed the Chicken Briyani from Afghan Briyani & Murtabak stall from Yes Boo Food Corner. This coffee shop serve both Northern and Southern Indian Food.

During the Ramadan - Islamic month of fasting all the Nasi Briyani are ready packed for quick take-away.Either chicken or mutton, one packet of Nasi Briyani cost S$5.00 with a small packet of Achar (pickles) and curry gravy.

A whole chicken thigh goes with the Briyani. The chicken meat is tender but the chunky mutton is a bit tough.
The yellow rice cooked with the masala, turmeric and other various spices is fluffy. It would taste better if they are served hot. The gravy is thick and not too spicy.