Tiong Bahru Bakery by Gontran Cherrier is a bakery cafe set up by Spa Espirit Group. It is the same group which owns a number of restaurants such as Open Door Policy, Skinny Pizza and Demspey House. Tiong Bahru Bakery first opened in Tiong Bahru estate now has a second outlet located in Raffles City Shopping Centre. Tiong Bahru Bakery at Raffles City Shopping Centre has been enjoying a brisk business ever since it has opened at the bustling location. Coincidentally, on the day of visit (3rd Aug 2013) it was their first anniversary at Raffles City. As such, they had a $1 Mini Kouign Amann promotion. The products offerings are proudly displayed. Customers who are interested to buy something (no matter how many) would need to go through this entire stretch where they would be enticed with a visual display of a whole range of food such as bread, pastries, cakes, sandwiches, desserts and coffee. What a smart move! Tiong Bahru Bakery offers a while variety of drinks and coffee which are displayed at the cashier.We ordered 'Magic' coffee, Mini Kouic-N Amann and a Plain Croissant.The 'Magic' Coffee $6.50 was a hybrid between a latte and macchiato. The coffee from the Forty Hands was aromatic and quite decent. Croissant one of the items which has been highly raved about. The Plain Croissant was not exactly cheap as it cost $3.20.

The exterior of the Croissant was beautifully baked. It was crisp and flaky. The interior was soft, light and fluffy. Taste wise, it was simple with just the right buttery fragrant to make you keep longing for more. Certainly, one of the better Croissant I have eaten. I like how they kept it simple and original with no fanciful alterations, just the way it should be. Price wise, I would agree that its not cheap. But, it was worth it. Simple yet delicious! As mentioned earlier, Tiong Bahru Bakery was celebrating it's first anniversary in Raffles City and had a $1 Mini Kouign Amann promotion! As such, we ordered one to share. If you are curious why the promotion was only for Kouign Amann. The reason was because the Kouign Amann is their bestseller.

The Mini Kouign Amann was addictive. Made from bread dough with butter and sugar folded, it was a crisp round pastry with caramelised sugar coating its exterior. The interior was buttery and sweet with a hint of saltiness. The partner liked it so much that we ordered four more pieces to bring back home to indulge.

For me, I thought that both the Mini Kouign Amann and Plain Croissant were equally good and worth indulging in when we are around the area during tea time. We will be back!

Paradise Inn is one of the brands under the Paradise Group. Paradise Group has come a long way. Back then in 2002, it was located in a coffee shop in the industrial estate at Defu Lane. Today, Paradise Group has expanded rapidly over a short span of time to more than 30 restaurants with 8 different concepts. In addition, they have breached into the overseas market with 9 restaurants in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and China. Always good to hear that a Singapore brand has set foot into the overseas market.

Paradise Inn's concept is to replicate the concept of inn (tea house), restaurant and dessert house, and at the same time offer authentic and value for money food. Paradise Inn at Changi Airport Terminal 1 is the largest outlet under the Paradise Group with a capacity of more than 150 seats.As we visited the restaurant at 945pm on a weekday, the restaurant was relatively empty. Although the restaurant closes at 11pm, the last order is at 10pm.The Braised Peanuts $1.50, a common common starter at Chinese restaurants was highly addictive. Once you start with one, it would be hard to stop.There were a variety of floral and herb fruit-infused hot teas to choose from as its concept was a tea house too. We chose the Jasmine, Osmanthus, Dried Longan & Chrysanthemum Tea which cost $3.80 per person. Its benefit includes nourishing the heart, improving the immune system and strengthening eyesight. With the tea candle below, the tea was kept warm at all time. The Jasmine, Osmanthus, Dried Longan & Chrysanthemum Tea was light and refreshing. Tea lovers would love this!The La Mian with Beef Brisket Soup $10.80 came in either spicy or non-spicy version. The partner ordered the non-spicy version. The beef was tender and the broth was rich and tasty. A plus point to mention would be that the soup was not oily.I ordered the La Mian with Shredded Pork and Preserved Vegetables $7.80 in Signature Pork Bone Soup which was served with half an onsen egg. The la mian was quite good; smooth and springy. The broth was tasty and had the preserved vegetable (Sze Chuan vegetable) flavour was infused in the broth. Kudos to the chef for the execution as the broth was not overly salty, which is normally the case when preserved vegetable is used. Furthermore, the onsen egg was surprisingly very well executed!

We were so glad to enjoy such delicious Chinese cuisine the moment we arrived in Singapore! Home sweet home.

The Italian Restaurant Saizeriya was one of the 12 participating restaurants.Diners with Liang Court's Wednesdays' Food Trail Coupon can get to try the US Sirlion Steak (U.P. $11.90) with Salad and Free-flow Drink Bar (U.P. $3.90).The amount of food served with this coupon was astonishing. So generous! There was even a plate of rice! The salad which was served almost immediately after I had ordered the food.The US Sirloin Steak was average. It was the most expensive on Saizeriya's menu. I felt that the steak was a tad too dry and hard. The portion of the serving was big considering the price.

So far I have tried the set meals at two participating outlets. I am impressed by the portions. I would have expected that the servings would likely be 'downsized'. But well, I was wrong. I am glad that the serving was the same as what a normal customer (without coupon) would have been served. Kudos to Liang Court and participating restaurants! The little things that matters.

I must say, this Wednesdays' Food Trail Coupon was value for money.

For full review and more photos, please visit http://foodiefc.blogspot.sg/2013/07/liang-court-wednesdays-food-tasting.html

Liang Court held an event called Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails in July and August 2013. Diners could purchase the Food Trail Coupon for $30 at the Customer Service Counter and enjoy 3 different set meals from 3 different restaurants in Liang Court and also a free beer. The first restaurant was been pre-selected, diners could choose their second and third stops from any of the remaining 11 participating F&B shops. I received a copy of the Food Trail Guide and two complimentary Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails Coupons. As shown above, the coupon shows that my first restaurant (pre-selected) is Tamoya. Looking through all the set meals in the Guide, I decided to try Marutama Ramen first (there is no need to utilise the coupon in sequence). The Liang Court's Wednesdays' Food Trail Coupon allowed me to try the Zenbu-nose (U.P. $18). It was essentially the signature Marutama Ramen with all toppings! The toppings are the Kakuni (Stewed Pork Belly), Sliced Roasted Pork, Aosa (Seaweed), Negi (Spring Onions) and Half-Boiled Seasoned Egg.

Those who frequent Marutama Ramen would know that the signature Marutama Ramen (without toppings) would have cost $12 and an addition $6 is required if all toppings were added. The Zenbu-nose; with all toppings added!Three big pieces of Sliced Roasted Pork (Char Siew) were given. The roasted pork had quite a good balance of lean meat and fat ratio. So much so that it was tender.The Kakuni (Stewed Pork Belly) as it should be had a higher proportion of fats to lean meat compared to the Char Siew.'The Half-boiled Seasoned Egg would have been perfect if its yolk was runny as they had got the marination right. It was a pity that it was slightly overcooked and the yolk was not runny.This bowl of Zenbu-nose ramen came with lots of ingredients like how it should be. If you were to take the cost of the Food Trail Coupon (i.e. $30) and divide by 3 restaurants, it means that essentially, you are paying for $10 per restaurant (do not forget, there's a free beer too).

Chew on this: Having this bowl of Zenbu-nose ramen would have covered more than 50% of your purchase of the coupon.

DFor full review and more photos, please visit http://foodiefc.blogspot.sg/2013/07/liang-court-wednesdays-food-tasting.html

I made two trips down to Pek Kio Market and Food Centre on a Saturday and Saturday for breakfast as I have been wanting to try the popular Wah Kee Big Prawn Noodle 華記大蝦麵.But however, the stall was closed on both days! Never mind, there are other food worth eating in this food centre too! As I was walking around searching for another stall to patronise, I spotted this unique stall called Pin Wei Hong Kong Style Chee Cheong Fun 品味港式猪肠粉. This stall is located directly opposite Wah Kee Big Prawn Noodle.

What caught my attention was neither the queue nor was it the menu which offered Scallop ($4) and Abalone ($16.80) Chee Chong Fun. It was instead the fact that each piece was Chee Chong Fun was freshly made upon order, the traditional way (using a cloth)! Not factory made! The reason why there was a queue was because at anyone time, only two Chee Chong Fun (Steamed Rice Noodle Rolls) could be made. Standing there, observing the way the Chee Chong Fun was made, I must say that it was an enriching experience seeing the whole process of it and watching their nimble hands at work. The owner, the man in white shirt was friendly and approachable.I ordered the Char Siew Chee Cheong Fun which cost $2.50. The owner does not stinge on the ingredients. For $2.50, I got a plate of Char Siew Chee Cheong Fun which was double the portion of what is served elsewhere with another layer of Chee Cheong Fun stacked on top. In addition, there were lots of Char Siew fillings.

The Chee Cheong Fun was served in a delectable well-balanced sauce that comprised of light soy sauce and sesame oil. Personally, I preferred this type of sauce compared to version with dark soy sauce. Fragrant sesame seeds were sprinkled on top to enhance the taste. This Chee Cheong Fun; steamed rice roll was soft, thin and smooth, it was also able to hold the fillings without breaking. Pin Wei Hong Kong Style Chee Cheong Fun is certainly worth a try as it is of similar standard (or even better) to those served at restaurants and cheaper too! I can imagine myself having this for breakfast every weekend if I am staying at the block of flats next to it!

Life is interesting isn't? If Wah Kee Big Prawn Noodle was not closed, I would not have discovered this Chee Cheong Fun Stall! Literally - "When one door closes, another opens."

Ps: I noticed that more people ordered the Prawn Chee Chong Fun which cost $4.

For full review and more photos, please visit http://foodiefc.blogspot.sg/2013/07/pin-wei-hong-kong-style-chee-cheong-fun.html