Pepper Lunch's concept is this: rice, meat, on hot plate. Sauce you add yourself. Stir the dish yourself. Whether or not you enjoy Pepper lunch will depend on how much you like the taste of their selection of add it yourself sauces, and your tolerance for paying for the hot plate gimmick.

When you order your dish, it will come in a sizzling hot plate that will be surrounded by a paper wall warning you to be careful and providing instructions on how to eat your Pepper Lunch. Simply add the sauce and mix. The rich will usually come with stuff like corn or vegetables, and set meals come up with salads or drinks or whatever the special offer is at the time. The main course is rarely filling unless upsized (not value for money) or turned into a complete meal with sides and etcetera.

This outlet is a highlight of the Junction 8 food court, a frequent haunt of mine during my schooling years. Yet, this Pepper Lunch outlet pales in comparison to standalone Pepper Lunches, like the one at AMK Hub, which provide a better atmosphere for eating and chatting. This one is crowded, you have to bring it to the table yourself, and its not any cheaper. Oh well.

Freshness Burger is a new fast food burger contender from Japan to enter the Singapore market. I'd tried it previously in Japan, and I can say that the Singapore experience is not markedly inferior.

Think of Freshness Burger as MOS Burger but with a nicer ambience, and you'd get a good idea of whether or not you'd appreciate Freshness. It even has it's own Freshness Burger 'Freshness Burger', which is like Bolognaise and a thick chunk of tomato between two soft, toasted buns. Sound like MOS Burger's MOS Burger? Tastes like it too.

One differentiating factor is Freshness Burger's Fried Potatoes, which are delicious and a side worth ordering. They are full in flavour and actually taste like potatoes, even showing some skin. As wedges they aren't crisp enough. But they're called Fried Potatoes, not wedges, so I'll give them a pass. As their own thing they are delicious enough.

Burger wise the selection is limited and ordinary. Outside of the humongous $12 Classic WW Burger (a giant double patty big mac clone I think), the burger portions are generally too small and not satisfying.

Outside of soft drinks, the drinks here are interesting and different, like their Matcha Latte. They are also very expensive and not value for money, being small and ordinary by premium drink standards. Only for big wallets.

At the end of the day, I would still recommend them over Burger King or McDonalds, and they win MOS Burger in atmosphere and ambience.

For more food photos, check out Omnivoracious (http://omnivoracious.tumblr.com)!

I can't believe I'm the first to review this place! Hawker stalls getting neglected these days I guess...

This Ba Chor Mee is not what you'd get from most other stalls. This comes only with meatballs, minced meat, and noodles. No frills like mushrooms, or lettuce. Visual-wise, it's very plain and boring and not very appetising.

Yet, the simple combination of soup and meat still manages to be endlessly eatable. You could eat bowls of this and not get sick. That is a testament to something that's simply satisfying... uncomplicated and unsophisticated, but no less delicious. The noodles are springy, the soup is just the right taste of meat (not oily, not salty), and the meatballs are firm yet tender.

Don't be tricked. There is a stall right next to this one, at the corner, with its own share of signs. I haven't tried it yet, but if you want the truly famous one, it's this one you're looking for. Location wise, this place is by a bus stop. Atmosphere wise, it's a coffee shop with alfresco dining under the stars, which makes the place remarkably cooler (temperature and ambience wise). It's good for drinking with Uncles but not for chatting with friends. There's a good selection of other stalls to supplement your Ba Chor Mee, e.g. Pork Porridge, Oyster Omelette, BBQ Sting ray, Satay, etc... A real hawker food paradise.

Note of caution, depending on where you sit, order from the correct drink stall servicing that quadrant. Otherwise you risk getting scolded! You're in the right place if the colour of your drink's straw matches that of the other patrons around you.

For more food photos, visit Omnivoracious (http://omnivoracious.tumblr.com)

Went there for my birthday and was not disappointed. Sadly, there was little to no crowd at this place even though it was a Sunday lunch. Only one other group, even though they could have sat so much more.

Well, there's not much to say. To check out the quality of the food you can try looking at my pictures, which fail to do the place justice. The sashimi just melts in your mouth. The saba is so well grilled, the meat slips off the bone cleanly. Everything you order will just be done at the highest standards. Though there is little by way of innovation here, they have what you'll expect in a Japanese establishment, so you'll not be left wanting (save for ramen...).

Unfortunately, their staff are Chinese-speaking, not Japanese, so while they will never leave you wanting for water refills or such, expect a little trouble communicating with them. They are friendly and polite and accommodating though, so that puts them in the upper echelons of service standards here in Singapore.

I would come here even if it weren't a special day, even though they are a little pricey. Nice as the restaurant's decor was, the view outside was marred by ugly cranes and office buildings.

For more food photos, check out Omnivoracious (http://omnivoracious.tumblr.com)!

FEI FEI WAN TON MEE: When you seek this store out, you might be confused by the other stall just across the road. Don't be deceived, choose this one. Apparently, there used to be some feud between the two brothers running the stall, resulting in a split, and recently, in a merger again. Time, as they say, heals all wounds.

Now that the brothers are back in business, we can focus on the food. And boy, is Fei Fei Wan Ton Mee worth fighting over. There's a reason they have managed to tide over their bickering after all this time. Housed in a little corner coffeeshop, there's nothing particularly remarkable about this place. There's decent human traffic, but no long queues to suggest anything out of the ordinary.

But sit yourself down, order a plate of Wan Ton Mee, and prepare to be surprised. The first thing you'll notice is that the noodles are served on top. WHERE'S MY CHAR SIEW you might immediately ask. THERE says your friendly waiter BENEATH THE NOODLES LOR. You will stir your bowl, and lo and behold, all the juicy ingredients float up. Pretty neat.

The noodles are so springy and tasty, you'll be satisfied just eating them alone. But the char siew is adequate and the vegetables are present, so that's better than most other hawker stalls already. Throw in the fact that you can have fried wanton and this place is perfect!

Highly recommended. For more food photography, check out Omnivoracious (http://omnivoracious.tumblr.com)