By a twist of fate, I landed at Yoshimaru Ramen Bar for dinner - which was not a bad idea because I love ramen anyway! This is the where the famous challenge is conducted - finish the ramen in 12 minutes and it's free... failing to do so you pay $35. The ramen bowl is really huge with 3 eggs. Challenge ends on 22 June 2014 - only three more days left if you are interested. Well, you can also opt to be a normal customer - there are many yummy selections too!Yoshimaru is one of the rarer ramen places that provide sesame seeds for grounding. Although it is not necessary, I like sesame seeds which give my ramen noodles more texture and layering as a whole.I opted for the Traditional Hakata Ramen which came as a pleasant surprise - it was better than most of the other ramen bars I have been to. Admittedly, I'm quite numb to the in-between standards, but when a good one comes along, I'll perk up immediately! This is one of them. I like how the soup base is savoury and not overpowering, soaked with the essence of pork bones for many hours. It is so thick with goodness, it's almost sinful. The ramen noodles are also springy and slurpilicious. I like how the portion is actually so big, I almost couldn't finish them even on my good appetite day. Of course, the egg was cooked to the gooey-yellow-gel perfection. Yummy!I was eyeing the Spicy Yuzu Ramen, but the word spicy and two chilli icons beside its name were quite intimidating! After asking one of the friendly service staff, he waved it off and convinced us that it wasn't all that spicy at all. Well, as it turned out - the soup base was an enticing blend of apparent citrus yuzu flavours and spices. The burning spiciness came as an after-aftertaste and would be pretty strong after say, five mouthfuls. But one mouthful of this soup base was very blissful even for a person who is afraid of spicy food. I love interesting ramen soup bases, it's like exploring a new place!Apparently Calpis is supposed to be a common drink but I haven't tried before in my whole life (hashtag, suaku) so... first try! Not bad... a bit like a hybrid between probiotic drinks and fruit juice. (hashtag, lesssuaku)And Asahi. Overall, Yoshimaru will rank pretty high on my ramen recommendation list alongside strong contenders such as Ramen Keisuke King and Suzuki Ramen Bar.

For full review: http://www.amiehu.com/2014/06/yoshimaru-ramen-bar-holland-village.html

Chili's first joint opened in Dallas as a burger joint, and have been spicing things up since 1975. Way to go, Chili's!
It's VERY obvious in their decorations that they originated from somewhere along in the United States. Where exactly in the U.S? We didn't know until I research on it and found out that they started in Texas, which probably showed how their table layout (table is made up of tiles instead of the normal wooden table material) got inspired from.
Decorations
I love how detailed they are, even up to their lightings. When we first went in, the waitress didn't allow us to sit anywhere we wanted because of 'reservations', which apparently is another example of restaurant serving invisible guests. I'm getting sick and tired of restaurants who always have their tables RESERVED ONE OR TWO HOURS in advance, when their guests never arrived even after we finished eating. So she placed us right beside the kitchen, which had smells emitting from it and my dining partner (my mother) wasn't too pleased.The open kitchen concept, to me, was a flop because it really made me feel very uncomfortable.I love how they included the plastic bottle Heinz Ketchup rather than the usual glass bottle, which really changed the total feel of Chili's table dining presentation.Menu
Salad Menu
Chili's had an extensive menu of items to choose from, including different variations of salad! This made us very pleased because we have a lot of options. They are also very detailed in describing each set of food, and the service crew was very helpful in explaining to us each dish.
Big Mouth Bites - $24.00
These four savoury mini fresh beef burgers is made with USDA choice ground steak. It is also topped with applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, sauteed onions and Ranch dressing on sesame seed buns. The buns were not as tasty, but the focus is really on the meat! Served with crispy onion strings and jalapeño-ranch dressing, big mouth bites is really delicious and definitely a MUST-TRY!Close-up of the Big Mouth Bite burger
The melted cheese mixing into the bacon, letting each carnivorous mouth be delighted with juicy tingling sensations.Overview (crispy onion strings & jalapeño-ranch dressing)
This is a dish that can be shared by two medium-sized eaters, therefore its' quite worth it! Country Fried Chicken - $19.00
This pork-tender battered chicken breast is served with traditional mashed potatoes and black pepper gravy. It is also served with corn on the cob and garlic toast, which I must place emphasis that the CFC is really my favourite. The chicken which was crispy on the outside, juicy and tender in the inside, gives me a verdict that it is the BEST CHICKEN I've ever eaten! The corn was really sweet and not too oily, and the mashed potatoes bathed in gravy sauce was a perfect combination to make me feel more full.They were a little stingy on their black pepper gravy though, because it tasted SOOOOO DELICIOUS, it was peppery and salty, making the chicken moist and a whole lot tastier! The potatoes were given in a right portion, sometimes certain restaurants give too much mashed potatoes or too little. Chili's do measure their portion for the asian appetite really well!Topical Sunrise Margarita - $16.00
A tropical sunrise margarita is a beverage best taken in summer (which Singapore has all year round) because it is refreshing and cools you down! While the alcoholic content was quite strong, the sweet sourness of the drink amplifies the flavour of all the dishes. I thoroughly enjoyed the refreshing drink kindly recommended by the waiter. Oh yes, you can share it with two or three people because the cup was as huge as my face, ha-ha-ha.

If you are looking for a meal budgeted below $50, I'd recommend that you order all three items that I've ordered. I can't ask for more, they are a perfect combination to a happy, blissful evening with the family! As for the service, I'd give it a neutral rating because I was pleased by the waiter who served us but not the waitress who handled us in our seating... really quite arrogant in the way she provides her service to us.

There is currently an opening promotion of 50% off for the second dessert! K1 Coconut Milk with Sago & Mango ($4 - 50% off, so it's currently $2): I really like coconut in my cold desserts and I'm glad to see so many coconut desserts available here! The coconut milk is not too thick but it's still within my acceptable range, not too diluted either. The numerous mango cubes are also sweet. It's quite value-for-money if you get it during its promotion period, I guess! I also like the sago balls, it's really quite nice to eat this combination. If they increase the thickness of the coconut milk, their quality can easily match up to Honeymoon Desserts. H1 Ice Cream Jelly with Mango ($5): Quite an interesting match which I haven't seen anywhere else in mainstream HK dessert places in Singapore, the jelly is mango-flavoured and not the bouncy sort but a softer jello sort of texture. The mango sauce around it is also very sweet and doesn't taste synthetic. This is quite worth it! Quite a small shop with three tables in total. There are only two staff (I think) - one counter staff and one kitchen staff. The place is still new so it's very very clean and neat! I foresee myself coming back for its milkshakes and smoothies since I live so near. It's just next to Gong Cha but I think this is wayyy healthier.

For full review, please visit http://www.makeyourcaloriescount.com/2014/03/sg-hanare-unparalleled-japanese-sashimi.html

While writing this post, I could not resist referring to my calendar and realised that my reservation at Teppei Restaurant is not till June 2014, with my reservation placed on 2 January 2014. Yes, the queue is at least six months long.
While the wait for my omakase at Teppei continues, we read about the opening of their sister restaurant, Hanare. We jumped with joy when we learnt that this new offering is located conveniently in the vicinity of Tanjong Pagar, a short five minute walk from the MRT station. Unlike Teppei Restaurant, Hanare do not accept reservations and have a walk-in policy only for both their lunch and dinner seatings, at the same price.At present, there are only two options with no ala carte menu. All prices are nett and inclusive of GST and service charge. Do note that you are expected to make payment upon arrival.We opted for the buffet on this occasion and with more than 20 different types of side dishes ranging from curry beef to chicken cutlet. As part of the buffet offering was the daily special and on this instance, there were three slices of salmon and two slices of scallop sashimi.

The bara chirashi, which essentially refers to a bowl lunch special is somewhat like a bento set with a fair share of sashimi offering. One would however be limited to four different kinds of side dishes, such as tamago ("egg") or seasoned vegetables.The sashimi slices were thick and fresh. The salmon slices were highly palatable with three slices to each portion served alongside fresh salmon roe. What I particularly enjoyed was the punch of freshness from the protein and with the wasabi, it surely heightened our senses.

The generous serving of salmon roe added a layer of glutinosity in texture with its gluey-ness while the salmon roe were firm and burst with goodiness with each bite. If you are a lover of salmon roe, this will not disappoint.After finishing our sashimi, it was time to check out what the buffet has to offer! Do not expect to be wow-ed with sashimi platter or the likes as the buffet features mainly cooked food such as chicken cutlet, spring rolls, seasoned and stir-fry vegetables and more importantly their signature curry dishes!The chicken and beef pieces were located beside the rice and curry pots though there were clear signage to indicate so. For those with a heavier appetite, load up on the fragrant rice, the tender chicken and beef and shower it with some curry love for a satisfying main on its own!
Unlike the usual sweet Japanese curry that we are more used to, this was largely adjusted to the palate of local Singaporeans as it spotted a slightly spicier touch. We loved the viscosity of the curry and the heat was cleverly balanced with the appropriate level of sweetness.Quite frankly, the buffet offering was not particularly impressive, with the usual chicken karaage, edamame, udon, etc filling the trays but this spring roll caught our attention as it had a layer of ham and cheese on the inside of the fluff pastry.The interior was simply decorated with a touch of minimalism to it. We liked that everything was pretty much self-service, including free-flow of iced and hot Japanese roasted rice tea. Do not set your expectations too high prior to trying and you will leave the meal satisfied. If you are looking for free-flow sashimi sort of Japanese buffet, then this might not suit you well either.
Overall, we enjoyed the lunch though it was a quick lunch affair before rushing back to Raffles Place! I liked that it was a no-frills dining experience, reasonable prices (considering that it was nett pricing) and the lady manning the counter was friendly and approachable. Would certainly return soon to try their bara chirashi set! While they are open for lunch till 1430hrs, do note that they are also open for dinner at the same prices with the same offering till 2200hrs.Hanare is located on the first floor, therefore look out for this signage to enter the flight of stairs.

Sng Muay Pop is just another awesome drink I believe can be easily made at home though. It seems something like a slice of sour plum being placed in ice ball and mixed with calamansi and even soda drink to be served. Sinpopo's menu says to suck on the ice balls to relieve the childhood experience of sucking on the traditional ice popsicle.
Scissors Cut Rice, a popular street food of soft chicken wings, crispy pork cutlet, egg and cabbage, served with curry gravy. Thick gravy, crispy and soft, are exactly as they described in their menu. One thing that's not met is the egg.
Zi Pao Kai with Bee Hoon ($8.90). The chicken is really tender and juicy, to an extent where I think 3 pieces is soooo not enough!
Ngoh Hiang ($7.90). You do not get to choose in Sinpopo. It is fixed, and comes with fish cake, five spices meat roll, prawn fritters and chinese sausage. I do enjoyed all of it, except for the fish cake, which seems tasteless.
Pulot Hitam with Coconut Ice Cream ($4.90). This is one classic black glutinous rice dessert back in the coffeeshops when I was still a kid.
D24 Durian Cendol ($4.90). You can expect basic ingredients such as coconut milk, jelly noodles, red beans, grass jelly, corn and such, topped with shaved ice, palm sugar and mashed durian meat.
Ais Bor ($3.90). Very similar to ice kacang/cendol, but this time shaped in a ball. A ball of ice, with the ingredients like corns, attap chee, jelly noodles, red bean, etc within.

For more details, please visit http://foodesteem.blogspot.com/2014/06/sinpopo-brand.html