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I don't know what is the secret cold-poach method used for this Cold poached chocolate $6.00 but it is simply a velvety semi-solidified chocolate ganache. It was my favourite out of the rest, because it was just pure chocolate goodness without any obstructions in the mouth.The saltiness of the Salted Butterscotch Blondie Brownie $6.90 did not strike out as much as I would have thought. But the delectable fudgy, chewy texture after microwaving makes it one of the earliest cake to be wiped off the plate.On the other hand, the bulky Hazelnut Crumble with a cookie base $6.90 is not something that you will like on the first bite, but the bittersweet taste gradually crawled in. What I like most is the top crumble layer, which was why I bought it initially. But apart from that, I would still pick the Butterscotch Blondie.The White Chocolate Creme Brûlée ($6.90) which was served in a ramekin dish, is now in a the form of tart like their Chocolate Tart. But ooh...this would be one of the sweetest dessert I would remember for life. So sweet that I would avoid at all cost the next time.The White Chocolate Butterscotch Block ($6.50) is not something new on the menu but I wanted to recall its taste. This is fairly good one when you have it with the dense brownies because the light fluffy texture of Swiss roll sponge and the sweet-salty butterscotch cream helps to balance the richness of the latter. But the white chocolate layer tasted more like buttercream instead of fresh cream which I would prefer.

And surprisingly, after having ALL these except the Creme brûlée in one sitting, I was not hit with any chocolate concussion as my previous visit for Fullerton Chocolate Buffet.

Hope that when I return there will be new items to try too!

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Stepping into the historic kopi tiam, you see people from all ages and all sorts of attire, drinking kopi, playing iPhone while waiting for the kaya toast to be served.I must have forgotten about the crowd as I came here on one of the busiest day-National Day.
Don't be alarm if the auntie ignores you. Just be on an eagle-eye to catch the next empty table. We managed to squeeze into a corner table, stuffy but at least that saves up the extra charges for air-con.
"自己拿啊、自己拿啊＂,chirped the Hainanese old auntie, who left after clearing the bowls from earlier visitors. "Wah! So good ar! " What if anyone take extra and not pay?" Well, this boils down to trust and honesty, I guessed. Grab a plate and pick your own pastries. No need to wait for the aunties to come......just start feeding yourself because the drinks, eggs and toasts take time to cook.Each pastry on display sits on a paper lining, which the auntie did not even bother to count after everything. We had 6 pieces at first; 4 egg tarts, 1 plain and 1 almond cupcake.
And ooh...these egg tarts are SUPER delicious. I have been deceived Nth times by numerous tasty-looking egg tarts which ended up with pliable tarts. But not this time. The dark brown shell is thicker-than-usual, but crumbly and fragrant.

Call them cupcakes but do not compare them with those popular cupcakes on the street nowadays. Not moist, greasy nor very sweet. You might find it dry but these are how they should be.
Being just fresh out of the oven, I popped one carelessly into my mouth, forgetting that they are meant to be shared. Every now and then, a fresh tray of baked items out from the kitchen draws me to see what's out there. Though they were not the golden cream horns and custard puff, I took another 2 cupcakes with chocolate icing.The much awaited open faced toast buns ($1 each) were spread with green kaya. I did mention previously that my family usually prefer brown to green, but this is an exception. The kaya spread was aromatic and sweet, but just nice. Nonetheless, I would prefer thin-sliced kaya toasts. There was no need for the butter knife to spread the butter evenly. Just slam the other side down and chow through the lukewarm bun like a burger. Kopi? Milo? Or Teh? We had all of them. Though their beans are roasted traditionally in their kitchen, the coffee was diluted. The milo was not spared too. You won't have time to laze around and chill out with your friends compared to many hipster cafes (be prepared to receive glares by people who are queuing.... some people were hogging tables while playing iphones after their meal)
I enjoy it this no frills kopitiam. Chop chop. Eat. Drink and Go.

At the heart of TLC menu is RAW Food or RAW-Fusion Food. It uses no red meat, no cow dairy, no white sugar, no preservatives, no additives, no artificial colorings and include gluten free alternatives. So if you are quick to spot the (loop)holes, this place is not entirely vegan, as it serves things like salmon and goat cheese. Starters were the hand-cut Sweet Potato Wedges ($4) that were earthy and good. Lightly baked with olive oil, it did not had the tempting smell of fries from fast food outlets but an alluring scent of coriander seeds.
Some might find it rather firm but these were perfect for napping in the home-made mayonnaise (made of cashew nut milk, lemon juice, water, olive oil and salt) --->no egg yolks.Follow that up with TLC cheese burger ($15): a dehydrated patty of portobello mushrooms, almonds and sunflower seeds, topped with tomatoes, sprouts and romaine lettuce. I stared in disbelief at the bun-less burger as those burgers from the opposite tables had buns and cheese.Though the mushroom patty had a robust aroma, it was tough and dry, not aided by an unidentified bland orange sauce Wished it was a simple grilled Portobello mushroom with garlicky herbs. But there were good things like the Mexican-inspired Raw Taco Boats ($12). My trepidations of greasy wheat glutens dissipated when the two large sized mock meat turned out to be made of dehydrated walnuts.
The light guacamole and mango salsa sauce had a touch of Indian flavors, probably because this dish used similar spices such as cumin. While the savoury food were wholesome, it was the RAW desserts that blown us away. Each had their own merits and everyone declared our own favourite item. I love the Raw Dark German Chocolate Cake ($8.50) made with Dates, Zucchini, Coconut oil, Cacao Powder, Irish Moss Honey and Macadamia. It was compact and chocolatey, not too sweet despite a toffee-lookalike honey layer on top. The shards of fragrant toasted coconuts were a bonus.As for the Raw Blueberry Cheesecake($8.50)made with coconut oil, agave, cashew and lemon juice, we could not be bothered by the alien-sounding ingredients such as psyllium husk, soy lecithin, Irish moss, as we dived straight into the delicate mousse and crunchy base. A bit of sweet and a bit of summer fruity flavours, we did not miss the sharp tang of cream cheese.Tiramisu (actually we all did) was made of natural coffee extract and sitted on chalky and fragile almond-flour cake base. This is literally an authentic tiramisu sans the fats from Mascarpone Cheese and Raw Egg Yolks (Yes, tiramiusu is made of raw eggs too). And who says tiramisu must have the alcohol to taste good? Honestly, I left the place feeling more satisfied than I had expected (perhaps it's due to eating "Real Food" ).

However, the fact that nearly every dish were full of (grinded) NUTS, drove me nuts a little. Perhaps I would still pick Indian/Chinese style vegetarian food from Raj Restaurant over TLC. That said, don't leave without trying TLC's desserts which had not been compromised on flavours.

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While it features robatayaki (charcoal grilled food) as its main call, it is more like a casual Japanese restaurant rather than a strict robatayaki place where chorus of yells assails your ears even before you are seated. Ambience aside, one can't be wrong with the robatayaki seafood here. The Salmon Belly $9.99 is expertly done--crispy crust without sacrificing the fats on the pink moist fish. The accompanying side of grated radish and salmon roe helps to cleanse the palates for more items ahead. The grilled ayu $14.99, which belongs to the same salmon family scientifically, tasted brilliant too. With just a sprinkle of salt, this river fish is revived and offers more meat to chow through than the mini-sized mackerel in nasi lemak.But the same thing cannot be said of the King Crab $14.99. The meat was sorely super-glued to the shell, perhaps because they had been frozen for quite some time.The highly-anticipated oyster ($14.99 each) from the South Pacific Ocean sat lazily in a shell. Fresh and meaty, it was a pity that some of its natural essence got lost in salty shoyu broth that it was soaking in. Grilled corn $3.99 does not sound terribly exciting but these ones are truly sweet with a heady aroma of burnt honey. Meanwhile, those who are afraid of onions should try the Grilled Onions $3.99. Before you start worrying about onion breath, these ones here are slow roasted till tender, and what is left behind is pure caramelized sweetness.Unlike most Japanese restaurants, the Eggplant $3.99 stays away from miso and is presented as a lightly vinegared, healthy dish topped with dancing bonito flakes. Would prefer if there is more of the chef's special sauce.Besides the grilled robata and vegetables, there is also a Hi-mono section, which usually includes familiar dried fish such as Kinmedai or Mackerel. Instead of fish, we opted for the Shio-Kouji Chicken $9.99, which came surprisingly as the size of half a spring chicken. The most delectable part was the crispy, slightly charred skin with hardly any grease clinging on the surface. Below is the juicy meat that has been imparted a rich savory depth by the Shio Koji (fermented rice salt marinade).From the Otsumami Section, items offered are side dishes or deep-fried snacks that one can have as appetiser or simply with a good bottle of sake. Under the canopy of shallots and onions, the Scallop Tataki $15.99 (lightly grilled semi-raw scallops) were spectacularly fresh. For an enhanced sweetness, try dipping it into the shoyu or salt.The dessert choices are not many and so we swept two out of the three items on the list. The Matcha Trifle ($9) is a boat-shaped dish filled with volcanoes of bite-sized green tea-flavored and plain pancakes around a scoop vanilla ice cream and red bean paste. This resembled a deconstructed upsized dorayaki and highly recommended for sharingFor a super rich indulgence, try the custard pudding $4.99, which is creamy yet dense with a substantial amount of dark brown caramel sauce that perches delicately between the sweet and bitter. The texture is definitely not like any creme caramel or panna cotta.

Just when you think this restaurant may break your bank, prices go with the casual attitude at no more than $20 (Except for crab). Visit any robatayaki at Roppongi and one is prepared to fork out more than hundred for a meal.Here, one get to enjoy not only fresh seafood from Japan but also a bewildering array of comfort dishes such as Tonkotsu pot, Unagi Toji and even Okonomiyaki! Though opened barely for a few months since July, all signs looked positive are clearly hitting all the right chords with the lunchtime crowd.

For full review and more photos, please visit http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2013/09/hamanoya-quality-robatayaki-at.html

With some vouchers at hand, I decided to splurge on GODIVA's Mid-autumn Festival 2013 Limited Edition collection. Otherwise, I would have to wait till I strike lottery or wait for payday before I could get my hands on these royal Belgium treats.I am not sure of last year's theme but Godiva is really adventurous at playing with fruits. With every chocolate bearing its unique fruity personality, savouring each piece of the petite creations is like meeting a new lover. The Pépite Mooncake Chocolates (Pépite meaning nuggets), is a series of 3 different flavoured chocolate pralines. For milk chocolate fans, the Apricot-Peach Crunchy is a stone fruit blend of chocolate with Ghana milk cocoa powder, Turkish hazelnut and Louisiana walnut. If you pursue the dark side, the 64% cacao Peru dark chocolate delivers an irresistible crunch with caramel hazelnut, soybeans in Hawaiian almond paste for the Mango-Passion Fruit Crunchy. Unsurprisingly, the innocent looking white chocolate packs the sweetest combination of pomegranate chocolate ganache and crispy strawberry crunch.But everything was too small and not satisfying as the BIG ONE. It costs a whopping of $25 for just ONE SLAB! There are two versions; milk chocolate (which had ran out of stock) and the other was the dark chocolate. The wild combination of redcurrant/orange ganache did not clash with the base of white chocolate, apple and pear. Who would have tried to squeeze FOUR FRUITS into a CHOCOLATE? But this was mind-blowingly good; and I could not fathom why it tasted like PEANUT BUTTER. As much as I liked to rave about everything at GODIVA, the Rare Cheesecake Truffle Bar $9 was nowhere near a cheesecake and certainly not a rare one. Better to indulge in a real cheesecake than this.

Sometimes, I do think that there are cheaper alternatives whose taste is no less inferior than Godiva. But there are occasions when its quality is truly a notch above the rest. And that ’s the point when you feel like the king of the world.

For full review and more photos, please visit http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2013/08/godiva-singapore-mid-autumn-festival.html