After hearing not too positive reviews of the original roast chicken at Charly T's, I decided to play safe by going for theKansas BBQ Pork Ribs ($22). Smeared with their pleasantly sticky sweet BBQ marinade, the fat-less meat did not have a overpowering smell of pork. But it was too tough and chewy. Instead of fries, the German potato side dish topped with bacon had a nice sourish tang, though the potato chunks were slightly undercooked.Perhaps I haven't try all waffles in Singapore but this is by far the crispiest waffle that is worth every seconds of 10-min wait. For $8, we received two large crunchy waffles stuffed full of melted chocolate chips. Being sweet on its own, the butter and maple syrup were rather unnecessary. Sorry to those fans of "moist and fluffy" waffles as I prefer these ones here that are as crunchy (or hard to bite) as Belgian Liege waffles.There were samplers for their signature rotisserie chicken in two dips-BBQ sauce and Spicy sauce. They were moist and fairly seasoned despite being chicken breast meat. Not as fantastic as the ribs or the waffles to me. The location at Pasarbella is not very ideal with limited seats and the meat dishes are overpriced. Perhaps dining at their usual restaurants at Dhoby Ghaut or Katong112 will reduce the possibility of squeezing with the crowd.

For more photos and full review, please visit http://dairycream.blogspot.jp/2013/10/charly-ts-waffles-beat-chicken.html

Entering this cafe when it ran out of kaya butter toasts and its signature bostock is just as disappointing as entering Ya Kun when their kaya toasts are sold out or even Breadtalk emptied of pork floss buns.

Understandably, it was a busy Sunday at 5pm but I still could not swallow my disappointment. Other items that have appeared in other reviews such as Cream Horn, Long Sponge Egg Cakes, Cookies, etc......were all gone. Count myself lucky or unlucky, I managed to catch the scones which were fresh out of the oven. Neither the aroma nor texture stood out and it was slightly dry on the inside. At the very least, I did manage to try it with their homemade lemon curd and kaya. The lemon curd was smooth and tart. But the kaya was not the brown version that we preferred and it was slightly too sweet.
The moist and custardy bread and butter pudding ($2) was as good as those served at many restaurants. It tasted as if Creme Anglaise (vanilla cream sauce) had been mixed into the batter, and should be left on its own without the strawberry sauce.For the other kopi/tea set with choice of 2 pastries, we picked the almond biscotti and coconut tart. Unlike many coconut tarts from neighborhood bakeries, it distinguishes itself from the average ones with its sharp toasted coconut fragrance and controlled sweetness. The pastries here are cheap and good. But not fantastic enough to draw me back unless I am in the vicinity. Perhaps it would be good if they can focus their core on only a few pastries and their coffee.

I'm not very sure but was it common for kopi tiam to sell so many pastries back in the fifties or sixties?

Visit: http://dairycream.blogspot.jp/2013/10/dong-po-colonial-cafe.html for full post and pics

I always have doubts about the food from any shop that is based on the concept of food and fashion retail. However, Kilo@Pact is an exception case because the food, especially those from the brunch menu are truly delicious. That said Though it was meant to be a brunch gathering, we ended having more ala carte items then brunch items. 1st reason was because brunch service is only available after 12.30pm although the restaurant opens at 11.30am. 2nd, the brunch menu had only 5 items.
For full post, visit http://dairycream.blogspot.jp/2013/09/kilopact-brunch-or-lunch.htmlSo to fill up time (and stomach), we ordered some items from the regular menu section called "Small Plates". The Baby Eggplant ($12) did not wow at the first bite because the egg plants were bland. But the dish miraculously hit the jackpot when the mascarpone cheese, bonito flakes and donburi sauce were mixed into a mess.The following two dishes were quite normal and did not excite me. The Ahi Mango Poke with Deep fried Wanton skin$16 is raw tuna mixed with cucumber, shallots and mangoes to be self-filled into the wanton shells. The Salmon Avocado Sushiro ($15) is rolled up sushi served with Niigata rice served with plain-tasting soy flaxseed chips. I would skip this dish because it fell short of flavours.But the highlight of the day to me was the dish that I had picked with another dessert fan-The Banana Bites ($12). This was not your average French toast as it is so moist with cotton-like softness. Bananas have been mixed into the batter, which was already sweet enough so the maple syrup was rather unnecessary. At the same time, I really liked the Portobello Benedict ($21) because the black giant fungi worked amazingly well with the piquant buttermilk-mozzarella sauce that was smeared on toasted English muffin. I did not know what “secret ingredient” the chef put inside but the taste was interesting, especially when you have everything in a one mouthful......

Full post on http://dairycream.blogspot.jp/2013/09/kilopact-brunch-or-lunch.html

Visit: http://www.dairycream.blogspot.jp/2013/09/cafe-le-claire-middle-east-cuisine.html for full post and pics
The menu here is really huge, ranging from Arabic Street food to rice coming from Bukhara of Uzbekistan. But honestly, the first impression of this place was unsettling; dim white lights and narrow space that did not look like it can sit big groups.Cutting straight to the food, the Falefel ($9) served with tahini dip were highly enjoyed by the kids because they are after all fried food made with chickpeas. These were tasty but less crispy than Pita Pan’s.The Mezze Platter ($16) is good if you want to try a bit of everything. Hummus (chickpeas), Tahini (sesame), Gibna Mahrus (tangy feta cheese and tomatoes dip) with some salad of olives, light greens and pickles. The kids had something healthier- Fish Kebab Bukhari Rice. Though Bukhari is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan, the rice used is actually basmatic grains and Bukhari rice is a widely consumed staple in Saudi Arabia. The fish was lovely marinated and grilled. Overall, this plate is quite similar to our Chinese mixed vegetable rice, albeit in lesser gravy.While the savoury food was hearty, the mandatory sweet fix was less than satisfactory. From the Yemeni Pudding ($5.50), a Middle Eastern créme brulée made of cardamom to the Om Ali ($6.0), an Egyptian hot dessert made of sweetened milk with layers of puff pastries, raisins and pistachio toppings, they were lacklustre—too soggy and stale.So ignoring the desserts, my family enjoyed the exotic meal here even though it was their first-time experience. Service speed is like the movement of a slow tortoise although we were the first to arrive. But on the very least, the price is reasonable.
For more, visit: http://www.dairycream.blogspot.jp/2013/09/cafe-le-claire-middle-east-cuisine.html

Metal shutters greeted us when we arrived but luckily, a Filipino waiter who was cleaning the tables outside the shop told us that they are opening at 5.30pm. Otherwise we would have thought that they were shut for good or closed for that day as the shop was supposedly to be opened all day.
Although the place offer numerous dishes all plastered to the wall, about 50% of the items have been labeled "STOP", which meant that they are unavailable, much to our disappointment. Nonetheless, having pictures for menu is always a bonus for people such as my folks who read in Chinese.We had the signature Claypot Rice (Small $11/Large $20) that appeared on every table.
The medium-brown colored grains were not as intensely flavourful after first mixing by the waiter, but turned out better after we've added more dark soy sauce by ourselves.They were fairly fragrant, with sweet lap cheong, chunky chicken and rare slices of large-sized salted fish that might shock some unprepared tastebuds for the saltiness. But it is precisely the "kiam" taste that makes the rice appetising.The Sambal Eggplant $7, which leans towards the dry version, is tasty even without any visible dried shrimps. The bottom swam in the right amount of chilli oil but the inconsistent heat resulted in occasion tough pieces.We thought Butter Oatmeal Cereal Tofu $6 sounded like a wonderful combination of oatmeal and tofu but we would skip this next time. The tofu is nothing exciting, plain without any extra seasoning. Fortunately, their special blend of sourish chilli sauce did help to tide through the dish. The crunchy Chye Poh Omelette $6, another popular dish at many tables, was not too bad, though the sweetness of chye poh did not emerge as strong as Taiwan-style chye poh neng. Would prefer it to be fluffier.For the desserts, the Tau Suan $2.50 was really good as it had been cooked with gula melaka. The beans also had the right texture and I like the fact that not too much tapioca flour had been added to thicken the gravy. Never mind the fact that we needed to pay for the you tiao, which we thought were included.Meantime, the black fungus soup is simply black fungus in sugar syrup with some wolfberries. Nothing spectacular as it is something easily prepared at home.

Overall, for the price range of below $8 for the side dishes, I would think that the quality of the food is reasonable. But with many places in Singapore serving much better claypot rice and chye poh omelette, I will remember this place for its.....tau suan.


For full review and more photos, please visit http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2013/08/le-chasseur-not-french-but-chinese.html