I must confess that I was grubby when I had to queue at 5.30pm sharp when the restaurant officially opens for dinner. Not that I was late, but people had been queuing before the door opens. The no-reservation policy can be a frustration for people who travel far to this park for the food. If I had not lived nearby, I would skip my 45-min wait and head nearby for roti prata instead. So here's our dinner: The Chilli con Carne ($8) was a simple appetizer of corn chips served with a stew of grass-fed beef chuck meat and beans. Served with sour cream and homemade green chimichurri, the blend of spices is weak and won't set your tongue ablaze.Main courses range from mediocre to good. The Smoked Pork Belly ($15) was the first to be delivered to our tables. On a bed of smooth mash potato, mango sauce and cherry tomatoes, the orange block of meat is like a body-builder with a gentle soul. With a right ratio of fats to meat, it neither overwhelms with grease nor engage the teeth in a laborious sawing job.On the other hand, the Pan Fried Salmon $15 seemed like reinventing the wheel with a different protein. Old friends like the mash potato (replaced the unavailable risotto) and the green chimichurri (from the Chilli Con Carne appetizer) met again to greet the salmon.Yet, another fish was terrific. The Crispy Fish Burger $12 was constructed with a perfectly deep-fried golden monkfish served on a bright, tart remoulade sauce. Fish varies daily so you may get cod or hake.
Being a supporter of Hugh's Fish Fight, I was happy to learn that the place uses sustainable fish. Besides, it was a courteous gesture of the staff to inform us about the tough texture of the monkfish to us during order even though the fish did not turn out that way. Fries were excellent too--crunchy with intense potato flavour.We tried nearly everything on the dessert menu: Churros ($9) did not excite with any cinnamon aroma. The amount of sugar coating could have decreased, unlike those described in earlier online reviews. But the chocolate sauce was served cold, resulting in a rather glumpy, odd taste. My threshold for chocolate was put to the test by the chocolate pot $8 (see top pic). It would be mission impossible to wipe off the extremely dense bittersweet ganache without the spicy cashew praline crumbles. Though the Belgian waffles ($8) are not the crunchiest ones but at least, it had a sturdy structure with some slight browned edges and fluffy interior. Thankfully, the hazelnut ice cream came in a generous scoop to pair with the unsweetened dough.

The food here are normal western fare which can be found outside a park so patience is the key if one really wants to dine in here. So the next time if I return for brunch, I would be dressed in my sports attire and go jogging to kill the time.


For full review and more photos, please visit http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2013/08/grub.html

For most traditional Chinese, the name "Tan Hock Seng" needs no further introduction. Situated at Telok Ayer St for more than 70 years, it has been widely known for its Hokkien pastries, amongst which some are already near "extinct" in Singapore. Their signature items are the Beh Teh Sor 马蹄酥 ($2.50/5pcs) aka horseshoe pastry that are made fresh daily. Was confused when I saw Pong Piah 碰饼 & Beh Teh Sor lying side by side as I usually thought they were the same thing.
In fact I was not wrong. Uncle says they have the same filling but the difference is that Pong Piah has a soft skin while "Beh Teh Sor" has a crispy skin.

But I got confused even more. Isn't pong piah usually very crispy? Nevertheless, I still go for the crispy "pong piah" (beh teh sor). If I treat it like a pong piah, this one is average. Why? Because the maltose was not in a semi-liquid form at room temperature, unlike the pong piah sold at a nearby wet market. Reheating this Beh Teh Sor does improve the texture a little but overall still clumpy. Similarly, I did not recognize the 老婆饼($3 for 4) here because it looks different from the usual Hong Kong Style ones (maybe because this is Hokkien-style?) I am not a Wife's biscuit guru like my Old Ma, who felt that the filling is not chewy or gelatinous enough.Unexpectedly, the Pepper Biscuits 胡椒饼（$3/5pcs) emerged as the darkhorse due to its uniquely sweet-salty flavour with Chinese five-spice aftertaste. The white sesame seeds ingrained on the pastry skin make it extra crunchy.Other items recommended by friends are Salty Tau Sar Piah 咸豆沙饼($2.50/5) and the Ang Ku Kueh Bean Paste and Peanuts (80 cents each). The skin of the Ang Ku Kueh was slightly too thick.But the Tau Sar Piah was better. Each ping-pong ball sized tau sar piah had nice golden brown sheen and very fragrant.On my most recent visit, I saw my favourite primary school snack--猪仔饼 (Piglet Biscuit)!! I quickly grab the "hard kosong" packet (10 pcs for $2.50) as these are not too sweet and I can enjoy the biscuit fully. They have it also in "soft kosong" and also "soft with lotus paste".

For full review and more photos, please visit http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2013/08/tan-hock-seng-cake-shop.html

Another reason besides going to Tai Hwa Kopi Tiam for Bak Chor Mee was to try the famous Western Food from Happy Chef. They serve a wide range of Hainanese-style Western food which has been drawing crowds from all over SingaporeOne of their popular items is the Chicken Kiev--deep fried chicken rolled with cheese and ham. At $9, I found the price steep initially but the portion was HUGE. The amount of gooey cheese right at the centre was very generous, and thus stealing the limelight from the leading actor, Mr Chicken.

There was no doubts about the crispy chicken coating, but the cheese solidified very quickly and turned into a chewy rubber that dislodged from the chicken. The taste emerged neither from the chicken nor the cheese, but the HAM. Better eat while it is still hot.

Nothing unique about the homemade mushroom sauce, as raved about in the video.Perhaps we should have ordered the Fish & Chips instead of Chicken Schnitzel $6. Despite the visible black pepper flecks, the chicken itself was bland and nearly tasteless. Did not help much by the salty chilli sauce. Though the entire cutlet was flawlessly fried, some parts of the chicken skin was uncoated evenly and became very soft & greasy . We wished we had KFC as we slogged through the characterless meat.

I can't be sure whether standards have dropped since it's my first try. (The owners who made TV appearance were not there) Furthermore, I have only tried 2 out of the 30 dishes here. Food not exceptional but the Chicken Kiev is still the better out of the two.

For full review and more photos, please visit http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2013/08/happy-chef-western-food.html

According to Teochew Ah Pa, the price has gone up with inflation. Now the smallest bowl is $5 and we ordered 3 bowls of dry bar chor mee, 2 Mee Kia and 1 Mee Pok. The queue is of course, very long as always.Alas, the much-awaited BCM came up and yes, it was the same old taste that we've had previously. It does not hold back on vinegar and seasonings, and thus give a satisfying kick which lures you back for more.No pork lard but crispy pieces of flatfish still works for us. My family love our BCM the spicy way but their plain version is equally competent. You can self service to more vinegar if you like.That said, we noted a problem this time round. Too much sodium in the wanton dumplings and also noodles. I did not remember the food being so heavily seasoned the last time (or my memory must be failing...) But it could also be this distinctive taste or 重口味 that keeps the business going so well after many years.

Indeed, we got thirsty hours after the meal. But well, once-in-a-blue-moon bowl of comforting and satisfying Bak Chor Mee won't hurt too much.

For full review and more photos, please visit http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2013/08/tai-hwa-bak-chor-mee.html

This dessert hideout at a secluded corner of Holland Village had been on my list since it was opened years ago. The chef-owner Janice had won numerous awards for her pastry creations. However, there seemed to be less positive reviews than negative ones.


Some felt that the quality/portions of the desserts did not justify the expensive price tag while some felt the service was lacking. Finally mustered the necessary courage to visit and well, our experience was not fantastic but not too bad.


The Red Miso Caramel ($15) with mustard crumble sparked my curiosity as saltish desserts often excelled well than purely sweet desserts. The miso lemon foam was robust enough to pair with the slightly tangy mustard yuzu meringue, though my partner found the match rather odd. This interesting dessert would not dull your taste buds, even though the mustard taste was faint.


This Southeast Asian style dessert is named Shades of Green ($14) had nothing to do with trees but 2Ps - Pistachio and Pandan. The pistachio sponge and coconut mousse were quite forgettable, but what I remembered was the sweet and aromatic pandan gula melaka custard. Overall not too dense nor overly sweet. If you like kaya toasts or nyonya kuehs like ondeh ondeh just like me, you might love this one.


There was a petite tasting menu, from which we ordered the Sticky Toffee Pudding ($10). But at $10 for a small slice, it was pricey and I should have stuck to the regular menu. With some wacky combinations of ingredients, I would not say that the desserts are extremely overpriced but more or less, on par with most western restaurants and even cafes here.

At least their dessert menu do not have boring renditions of molten lava cake, creme brulee or apple crumble. That said, don't be like me who wanted to save money by ordering the cheaper petite tasting creations. If you wish to go, do check out their website calendar as their opening days are irregular.



For full review and more photos, please visit: http://www.dairycream.blogspot.sg/2013/07/2am-dessert-bar.html