Headed down to Sun Ray Café to redeem a set of Yu Sheng which we won from OpenRice’s recent Yu Sheng Giveaway contest.

Tucked along a quiet street off Serangoon Gardens, this is definitely one of the less travelled roads around the vicinity. The staff greeted us warmly upon entering the café and we were ushered to a quiet cosy corner at the other end of the shop.

We quite like the ambience here as it was pretty serene and tranquil. We couldn’t say the same for the food quality however…

Small Yu Sheng ($10.80++)
This was really one small portion of Yu Sheng! The taste was quite refreshing as it was more of a fusion salad with pomelo bits, raddish, carrots, onions, lettuce, bread croutons, and smoked salmon. Nothing really impressive but this was by far the best dish served. Poached Salmon ($19.90++)
The salmon was overcooked and literally soaked in oil. The salmon was not really fresh but thankfully, the rich buttery aroma managed to mask the taste. Not recommended. Grilled Strip Loin ($23.90++)
As with the salmon, the strip loin was slightly overcooked (more medium than medium rare which the husband ordered) and the quality of the beef was pretty average. The rosemary sauce was nice but somehow didn’t blend well with the beef. Surprisingly, the potato salad – mixed with cheese and cream – was tasted great and was a joy to eat! Personally, I felt that the mains paled in comparison to the sides and appetisers. Not really worth the money and travelling time considering the quality and taste of the food.

Went to Menya last Sunday to check another box off the "Must-Eat" ramen hotspots in SG (we've probably tried at least 7 different ramen styles in Singapore as offered by the host of ramen restaurants). Having been to Star Vista a couple of times now, we were anticipating the usual snake-queues at Menya (the other 'snake' being at Itacho Sushi), despite the rainy December weather. So, we only attempted to get a seat really late into the afternoon at about 3-4pm. True enough, this strategy paid off and we waited only about 5 minutes plus to get a table for two (did we mention that we were the only ones in the queue?).

True to its namesake, the local franchise of Menya does not discount the Japanese hospitality to be found in its flagship Shinjuku outlet. The waitress offered us glasses of water while we waited, never hesitating to offer us more water, updating us on the status of available tables, and introducing their menu offerings to us - without a single frown on her face! We're not sure about you guys, but good service before even tucking into a meal proper creates that whole positive atmosphere which certainly lends to the memorability of a great meal. The unfortunate part was that this fantastic waitress was not local (Chinese National, we believe). Not that we are biased or anything, but to date, we have not met any local waitress with a remotely similar level of service - Japanese restaurant or not. If any managers in the Star Vista franchise of Menya are reading this, give this valued employee a pat on her back - or make it two!

However, this phantasmal experience would find us crashing back to reality upon entering the restaurant, as well as what transpired thereafter.

The first sights and sounds greeting us was a tremendous furore of activity - be it in the kitchen which we beheld in plain sight behind a glass panel, or the chatter and banter of other patrons tightly packed in the small dining area. Truly reminiscent of a 60's coffee shop! Unless that was the image Menya wanted to project, it didn't seem quite fitting for a high-profile ramen chain that reveres the legendary "Sword Saint", Miyamoto Musashi as its inspiration. The aroma to be found in other restaurants, tightly packed or not, was more of a stench in Menya, reeking of oily rags and a subtle hint of stale squid. Although we would probably remember the hospitality of the Chinese waitress for a while to come, the 'ambience' at Menya certainly dispelled any good impressions we had of the place - albeit lasting for as long as we were there.

We ordered their signature Cha Shu Ramen with Black Soup Base (we made this into a 15.90 SGD++ set which included a plate of Chicken Karaage), a plate of Green Salad at 6.90 SGD++, and a plate of Sliced Smoked Duck Breast at 6.90 SGD++. Since the waitress (not the Chinese waitress at the door) suggested warm tea to wash it all down, we went for a cup at 1.00 SGD++.

The husband was still wondering what the hype about Menya was all about when the Ramen was served. What happened in terms of gastronomical experience next was too negative to describe, so we will attempt to use more neutral adjectives to allow you, the reader, some breadth for interpretation should you wish to go through the same experience as us.

The ramen 'gravy', as aptly named, was black. But unlike soup bases from other ramen joints, this was more of a 'gravy' (note the inverted commas), which lingered in your nose in similar fashion as what we have described about the restaurant environment. Perhaps the primary ingredient in the soup base was squid ink and generous amounts of pork fat, we thought. To our disbelief, the manager told us that the black soup base of Menya is based on black garlic! Now, we have had numerous experiences with black garlic - in powdered pill form, as an ingredient to dishes like Bak Kut Teh, and even in its original food as bought from the supermarket (yes, we have tried peeling the cloves of a black garlic bulb and eating them direct). Nothing in Menya's black soup base tasted anything remotely like the varieties of black garlic we have tried. Absolutely nothing (when squid ink is the first thing that comes to mind, it's pretty obvious, don't you think?). As alluded to earlier, the soup was pretty thick and oily, probably more than what your palate can take (aka jelat) after a couple of mouthfuls (just look at the photograph and see for yourself). Nonetheless, the husband didn't want to waste his money and food, so he had as much of the soup base as he could take. At this point, we have to add that Menya's choice of Houji Cha (Roasted Green Tea) as their de facto "Japanese Tea" item is excellent as it really does wonders in washing down the soup base as well as memories of ever having consumed it. Best of all, the tea is refillable - much needed, indeed!

The ramen noodles were a bit on the tough side, rather than the springy or smooth or spongy varieties to be found in other ramen restaurants. To be honest, the noodles didn't seem very well-cooked. But then, this could be a ramen style we have not tried before so we won't delve into it. The cha shu was evidently seared to make it more fragrant as observable from the slightly burnt edges - a technique employed by other ramen restaurants as well. However, this was not enough to mask the stale pork taste found in the fats and lean textures of meat in the center region of the cha shu.

All in all, we felt that the ramen was truly more hype than substance. Perhaps the chefs were too tired after having served a huge lunch crowd? We don't know. Perhaps you, our valued reader, can be the judge to that.

The other dishes we ordered, were nothing much to shout about, with the Sliced Smoked Duck Breast in particular, to be leaning more on the salty side than the smoked fragrance to be found in sliced smoked duck breast offerings in other restaurants - Japanese, Chinese, Western. Lastly, the Chicken Karaage was more powdery in texture than crispy - maybe the flour mixture was a tad too much or the oil in which the karaage was fried wasn't hot enough. In summary, a mixed bag of emotions swelled over us as we left Menya. On one hand, we remembered the good service rendered by that Chinese waitress, and Menya's choice of de facto "Japanese tea". On the other, it was the less favourable memories that would probably spell the end of our visit to Menya - at least in Singapore.

Finally visited the open-concept Star Vista on a rainy Sunday noon, probably the only large-scale shopping mall in Singapore where you actually get wet indoors (i.e. don't visit Star Vista on a rainy day especially with roaring winds)!

Nonetheless, we braved the showers and were somehow 'blessed' by them when we chanced upon Morganfield's. Now, the Mister has always enjoyed his meats, proclaiming how he "can't live without them" ala Air Supply style. So imagine his glee when we learnt about Morganfield's signature "Sticky Bones" ribs - Hickory BBQ style! Lucky him. Except on top of that, Morganfield's Steak and Ribs Combo throws in a 150gm piece of sirloin as well. Even luckier him!

Although Malaysian in origin, one cannot help but feel transported into The Wild West upon setting foot in Morganfield's. Wooden beams that adorn the entrance and ceilings, signs that seem to make your Grandma feel young again plastered on walls, and lastly, wooden tables and chairs that complete the picture. Just look at the photo! Doesn't it seem inviting? Service was pretty good, perhaps due to the weather which might have left people snoozing at home (although we could have swore it was 12.30pm). We proceeded with our order: A Steak and Ribs Combo (no prizes for guessing), and a Grilled Ranch Chicken.

The Steak and Ribs Combo (38.90++), according to the Mister, was absolutely fabulous - he spared no effort stripping down the dish to its last morsel, devouring it cannibalistically. The half-slab serving of ribs were really tender (they just come apart with a gentle nudge of the knife!), yet still retaining their succulence - truly deserving of the name, "Sticky Bones" in that the taste sticks in your mind after the meal is long gone - magnifico! I found the Hickory BBQ sauce a tad sweet, but it harmonised well with the meat. The Mister was just devouring like no tomorrow. The combo's other half - a medium-rare sirloin - was more modest in taste, but equally succulent. To let diners enjoy the full natural flavours of the meat, Morganfield's does not provide sauces to go (unless you top up a little more $$ of course) with the steak. Being the meat-lover he is, no sauce is just as good for the Mister - if not better. The sides, too, were something to behold apart from the usual broccoli and fries you get in most Western diners in this country (of course, Morganfield's does fries too albeit with a little paprika twist to them not unlike Botak Jones'). What you'll see in the delectable photo is Minced Pork Chilli (and it's as spicy as it sounds, unlike more Westernised beef chilli) and Red-skin Mashed Potatoes - both of which were delightful complements to the meats in adding dimension to the latters' succulent textures. As for me? A nicely Grilled Ranch Chicken was on the platter (18.90 SGD++). The two chicken breasts were grilled to perfection, retaining their moisture (and juices evidently) but yet imprinted with that sizzling grilled taste. Needless to say, the Mister enjoyed his share of the chick too ;). All in all, it was an incredibly sensational meal serendipitously discovered that rainy noon - better if not comparable to Tony Roma's, the Mister exclaimed (and he's been there no less than 10 times, seriously). Capitaland card members will revel even more because of an additional 5 percent discount AND a 5 percent cash rebate (that's 10 percent just for being a card member, woohoo!)! For 57.80 SGD++ (2 pax), the joy of a good meal is never too expensive. In fact, it was rather affordable.

Kudos, Morganfield's!

We know there's a lot of Botak Jones (BJ) reviews out there, some good, some bad, some ugly (don't cue Clint Eastwood, please). So probably what you'll read will be (same old) x2, maybe not.

Having patronised Botak Jones literally a hundred times, maybe more, we've had more free ribeye steaks (thank you BJ loyalty cards!) than the toes on a cow. So when the friend introduced BJ's American Diner, we knew it was going to be baaad - in a good way of course. Heck, we specially drove all the way down from home in the Northwest just to eat, shoot, and leave for home immediately after.

True to it's namesake and Bernie's (aka the Botak himself) in-your-face American hearty philosophy, the whole setup felt right-at-home - the perfect ambience for some chow-down with the mow-down. Adding to that was the lazy, albeit rainy Sunday afternoon. The timing was not accidental, but deliberately, strategically, masterfully chosen. Why? Complimentary soup, and free flow drinks (either sodas, iced tea, or hot piping tea/coffee) to suit your mains when you order anytime before 4pm (daily except Monday when they're closed)!

We ordered the usual signatures: Cajun Chicken and Ribeye Steak: Hungry 300grams "Like a Boss" Edition. Since the Thanksgiving Meal still applied, we had it as well (the meal comprised generous servings of turkey breast with cranberry sauce + sides, free drinks, a soup, and a pumpkin pie with ice-cream for dessert - yours for the price of $20 nett). What entranced us next would be, besides the rather quick service although it was a pretty sleepy afternoon for the diner as well, the mains laced with incredibly large portions of spicy fries and cheese potatoes (this is where the carbo-phobic faint). As BJ fans would have noticed, the portions of fries at the usual kopitiam joints seem to be shrinking in line with the economic forecasts. Not at this diner, seriously. The ginormous portions of potatoes here brought tears to our eyes, having being reminiscent of BJ back in the good-old-days when you could ask for more fries and therefore, happiness.

Of course, we didn't come to hantam-bolah the fries. The mains were as good as the usual joints (same recipe, duh), just that they seemed more flavourful. For the BJ un-initiated, we were referring to the grilled scent of steak infused with rosemary and peppercorn + rich chewy texture of its doneness (a beautiful medium rare), the thick smokey accents and springy taste of the cajun chicken that would make your throat dry, and juicy tenderness of the turkey breast that shys away its tough, chewy equivalent you'll find in other similar outfits on the island. The pumpkin pie was a novel treat though, having tasted like kueh lapis (Bernie goes Singapura, huh?)

In the end, we literally pigged ourselves out, not being able to finish our cheese potatoes. All of us. To aid with the digestion, we attempted doodling on the blank white sheets of mahjong paper that served as dining mats using crayons found at our table (i.e. bring your kids along for a whale of a time - not yours).

We spent approximately 61 for 3 persons (no GST and service charge, yippee!). But the portions, we reiterate, were more like 6611... burp!!

We visited Pies & Coffee for their DBS 1-for-1 breakfast set promo and ordered a set of Hearty Brekkie and Smoked Salmon Stacked. Both breakfast sets come wither either a cup of orange juice or apple juice.

Hearty Brekkie
The set consisted of toasted Belgian waffles, scrambled eggs, cheesy chicken sausage, and mesclun salad with homemade citrus dressing. My only gripe was that the Belgian waffles were a little cold and could have been crispier.
Smoked Salmon Stacked
Toasted bagel stacked with scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes with green peas, sautéed button mushrooms and two slices of smoked salmon, this breakfast set lacked punch as it was rather bland and light. I was expecting a little more smoked salmon slices but for the promotion, it was still acceptable.Service was poor as staff were not very professional. They had some issue with my card initially and instead of checking their own system, insisted that my card was faulty. I ended up having to call the bank’s customer service to confirm that my card is in order before they checked their own system. Honestly, if not for the promotion, I would have simply left.