A delicious yet healthy bowl of piping hot Yoshinoya Beef with Vegetables Rice($6) certainly cheers me up on a cold Monday evening! The portion is unusually generous, especially for the beef which is always so tasty and soft. I like the fact that their food is lightly seasoned to retain the natural sweetness of the ingredients. Coupled with crunchy boiled vegetables that complements the otherwise soft texture of the beef and rice, this nutrient packed meal definitely makes it to my top healthier choice list!

We always look forward to Crystal Jade's Konnyaku mooncakes as they are a refreshing change from the usual traditional and snowskin varieties. I particularly love the Snow Lotus (nothing like the usual lotus paste!) flavour as it exudes a light flora fragrance that leaves a sweet lingering aftertaste. The glutinous texture of the Snow Lotus is akin to having boiled hashima in jelly And best of all, the Snow Lotus is believed to reduce heatiness & enhance immunity!

For those who are looking for something more unique, the Roselle & Hawthorn flavour would make a good choice. The slightly sour-ish taste is both appetizing and invigorating. And with both ingredients believed to help control cholesterol and aid in digestion, this is a must have to counteract the calories laden mooncakes!

As for the other flavours – Osmanthus & Plum, Rose & Red Date and Chrysanthemum Honey – I find them quite soothing and appealing as well, albeit a little too sweet!

Overall, a nice addition to the yearly mooncake feast!

We visited Udders Ice Cream at Kilat Road after dinner at Kim’s Family Restaurant to redeem our vouchers, courtesy of OpenRice.com

The shop was relatively quiet on a Friday night, perfect for a cosy chillax with your loved ones. We ordered their Orange Choc Bitters and Early Grey ice cream. Overall, we found the flavours to be quite mild and not too creamy or sweet - perfect for a light dessert after a heavy meal. If you are looking for something that’s intense and rich, this might not be the best place in mind.

Nothing fanciful with the added bells and whistles of crunch and texture, just simple pure ice cream to satisfy one’s sweet temptations…

Visited Cedele for breakfast upon friend’s recommendation of their Easter special sandwich set. One could choose between Ham & Cheese or Bacon & Cheese on a savory Cheese Onion Mustard Hot Cross Bun and comes with a cup of hot beverage as well – all these for only $5.50! The hot cross bun was soft and flavourful. The unique blend of cheese onion mustard was a refreshing change from the usual sweet offerings. The generous filling of ham and cheese was a delight to savour.

We ordered an Apple Caramello Cake (S$6.50) as well and it was simply delicious! The cake was moist, tender and soft. The oat and walnut granola toppings added an extra crunch to the overall soft texture of the cake. The salted caramel cream cheese was light and blended well with the cake. And best of all, one could enjoy free flow of rustic wholesome bread (Bread of the day was Focaccia) with every main course ordered!

Overall, we had a hearty breakfast at Cedele and would definitely patronise them again to try out their other offerings!

Went to the King Louis Bar at Vivo after having finally watched Les Miserables the Movie, hoping to prolong the ‘ang moh’ European experience (Delifrance, by the way, is NOT really French) within the day itself. Greeted by a ominous looking suit of armor, we cautiously entered the restaurant, prepared to defend ourselves with the wife’s handbag and my rusty Taekwondo skills should said suit of armour animate itself via some Merlin or horror movie spell.

The ambience of the restaurant looked as if it tried really hard to give patrons the impression of medieval Europe, and to some extent, this actually worked out pretty well, except for two things: 1) There are no tigers depicted in medieval European culture so placing a replica of one doesn’t quite cut it (unless the tigers decidedly went ‘ang moh’ too, like us that afternoon), and 2) a black theme in medieval Europe seems to be more associated with the witch’s cauldron rather than a rustic tavern with which aged oak or mahogany would have served better.

Nonetheless, we were treated to a royal reception by the friendly staff who waited on us the entire duration of the meal. To be honest, I felt a little uncomfortable having at least two pairs of eyes watching over us from start to finish and attending to us, but that’s probably because we were the early dinner birds of the day – no other patrons yet! Then again, it was a weekday, and the timing of the movie had sealed our dinner bird fate.

As the wife was on her usual “dieting routine”, it was up to me to venture into the dragon’s lair so bravely did by St George. She would probably take a nibble from what I ordered anyway, which was to be a hearty portion of ribeye done medium-rare, although I had wanted to attempt one of their mixed grill feasts – in particular, Lancelot (befitting of my meat lover status).

For the first time in my life, I regretted ordering steak. Not because it was lousy or anything. In fact, it was far from being mediocre. The regret sank in, rather, because it was so good that it was a pity I had not gone for Sir Lancelot! Up to this day, the feelings remain strong and should I revisit King Louis, I would play the role of the dragon that devours Lancelot – flesh and bone.

Lest we forget, this is a food review and review the steak I must, as is my noble quest. The ribeye was nicely grilled, slight charred at the more marbled portion (because fats cook faster), and juicy throughout the leaner one. This leaves a bittersweet succulence in the mouth (the bitterness from the charred), with a lingering aroma of flavours in the palette. The commonfolk would be applauded for their use of a simple, “Wow!” The marinate used (perhaps a clever balance of the usual peppercorn, oil, and salt) embellished the already gratifying flavour, adding a nice little punch to the natural moist – which needless to say was very much appreciated, thank you. Beef lovers who truly want that distinctive beef flavour could opt for the sirloin alternatively, although the ribeye doth bringeth forth that magical touch to thine tastebuds already(eth).

For a humble price of 22.50++, you can bathe in the majesty of a meal which I’ve had the pleasure of doing. ‘Aye’ to that, indeed!