Sunday Folks. Sunday Market. Shrove Tuesday.

I'm not sure why these cafes are named after days of the week but I do know that they are run by passionate young people. Honestly, Shrove Tuesday is only my third cafe after returning from Tokyo. While I still hold a healthy skepticism with regards to the quality of cafe food, I am delighted to discover some stellar food here.Gelato is no longer a novelty but there is something playful when it comes to the Italian ice cream here. It's Gelato desserts. This magnum-lookalike "Milk Chocolate Classico" might not be convince you to splurge $10 but wait till you sink your teeth into the chocolate shell. Instead of the typical artificial-tasting buttery ice confectionary, a dense caramel brownie-like layer concealed in the fresh and smooth vanilla gelato, made it extremely pleasurable yet gratifying. Count yourself lucky if you managed to detonate one of their "BOMB" (bizzare ice cream balls), especially the salted caramel version which was unavailable during my visit.Same goes for the Matcha & Black Sesame gelato ($2.50/$3 for premium). Yes, these might be my two favourite flavors but there is a reason why they are standouts of their own species. The Black sesame gelato grabbed our attention away from its matcha counterpart due to its warm earthy nuttiness, thanks to the incorporation of grinded BS seeds and BS paste. But be forewarned that the sugar content for both flavours were askew. Waffles ($5) were light and delicately crisp on the edges, crawling in with subtle honey sweetness. Cakes are not as stellar as the gelato so expect standards to fluctuate with the nature of pastries. Baked goods like the Strawberry Rose Red Velvet ($4.50) had a stale, uninspiring rose buttercream, clearly not performing at its utmost. Though neither coffee nor orange was discernible in the Ivory Orange Coffee Mousse ($4.50), the texture of the mousse was smooth and wholesome. While there is a range of other cakes such as Peanut Banana, Tiramisu and cheesecakes, I'm contented with their gelato creations, which I hope can be further experimented and one day expand to become the forte of the cafe, apart from waffles and coffee.

What comes to your mind when you think of Southern American food? Humongous portions, heavy flavours, deep fried food, bourbon and maybe Paula Deen. Full review and pics: http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2014/09/the-beast-sunday-brunch.htmlIt seems like a battle half-won for the Chicken & Waffles ($20), a monstrous hunk of deep-fried thigh on waffles. The chicken is excellently crunchy and tender, but the golden batter was too salty and thus one can't help but chomp it down with the partially deflated waffles for a balanced flavour. As a hard truth, the chicken tasted best when doused with the bourbon maple butter sauce. The Pulled Pork Hash $18 may very well typify the savage character of a beast. Imagine strands of meat ferociously teared apart and tossed with cubed potatoes, red peppers and BBQ sauce. But this Beast seems timid at heart for the taste was uninspiring and dry. A little more simmering of the pork with apple cider vinegar and chilli pepper may awake the soul of the Beast. Like most authentic Southern sweets , the desserts here do not go easy on sugar. I appreciate the thick Oreo crust of the Mississippi Mudpie ($14) but this strength also became its weakest link when the pie layer is as stubborn as a rock.The Bacon Waffle Sundae ($12) could be misleading for it is NOT a SUNDAE. But this can be forgiven because it delivered more than just a usual ice cream-waffle dessert. Accompanied by gooey butterscotch sauce, crunchy pecan brittles and a monstrous ball of Honey & Fig Ice Cream, the waffle itself has already surpassed the pallid version we've had earlier due to its sturdier structure and a distinct buttery notes. The crispy candied bacon was a bonus. But what I liked best was the bacon maple glazed donut ($5) which reminded me of a sticky sweet Bak Kwa bun that BreadTalk introduced years before or the "Sweet Mother of Bacon" from Artichoke. And it's actually a SIDE, not a DESSERT. Yes, petite in size but it may just be the wildest creature at the Beast.

North American Cuisine? I have no idea what it means but I guess it's a bit of everything as I scanned through the menu of Seasons Bistro. You've got the Bahn Mi Sandwich from Vietnam, Tacos from Mexico and even the classic Cajun dish "Dirty Rice" from Louisiana.....

Overall, the savory dishes we had were more impressive than the desserts. They were complicated, not only in terms of the ingredients but also presentation. So complex that we were playing "guess what's this ingredient". For instance, the Deconstructed Salmon Spanakopita ($29) boasts a lengthy description:

Pan fried salmon with sautéed spinach, crumbled feta crumbs, hung yoghurt, lemon Beurre Blanc, crispy leeks and olive oil caviarFortunately, the dish did not digress too much from the original Greek pie and the salmon was fresh with lots of slippery omega oils. But I was not certain about the value of lemon butter cream since the taste is already quite rich with cheese and yoghurt. Char Grilled Portobello ($25) --eggplants, pickled onions, cucumbers, salsa verde, sundried tomatoes, goat cheese, maple balsamic reduction is a good non-meaty option. Artichoke fans might be a little disappointed though, as there were no fresh artichokes in sight but they were deep-fried and transformed into brown "shallots" that squished out oil as you chew onto it. We loved the truffle fries with pecorino and rosemary sea salt ($9) more than the succotash – corn, beans, tomatoes, peppers ($6). The latter risked creating an impression that they could be churned from frozen mixed vegetables. The cooking is assured and the menu is adventurous. But the same cannot be said of the desserts that were deprived of both originality and quality.

Red velvet cheesecake ($12) belongs to the heavy dense NY style cheesecake and tastes like cocoa. How about renaming it as Chocolate cheesecake? Meanwhile, the cream cheese frosting of the Carrot Cake ($12) is too sweet and zapped of moisture. If one measures the Mojito Tart ($13) according to the yardstick of a Lemon Meringue Tart, then the recipe for the pastry shell and the gelatinous custard will need to be fine-tuned, not mentioning the missing rum or mint.

Full review and pics: http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2014/09/seasons-bistro.html

Limited-time promotion menu always sound like an attractive deal and this month's specials features unique Thai Street Food prepared by resident Thai Chef Sittichok Panchum. The best way to try everything is of course, to go for the Tasting Platter ($45). Nonetheless, each component is available at ala carte and suitable for those who do not take certain kind of meat/seafood.The meal began with a complimentary bread with the perfect S-shape curve. Served with a tomato relish instead of butter, it has such a fluffy interior that one can take an afternoon nap on it.

These dishes certainly looked like what you remembered of Thai cuisine, but with a whimsical twist. An example would be the Moo Yang-a dish of char grilled pork belly served on satay sticks on a bed of slightly undercooked Thai jasmine rice. While the pork juices and the honey herb marinade drooled onto the grains and made the dish a little oily, I put our reservations aside and dig in deep. The dish was so flavourful that I would be happy with just a bowl of that same fragrant rice and pork belly.

But there are other interesting offerings such as Sei Kua, an indigenous fusion of Thai curries and western sausages. Instead of meat, glutinous rice takes the driver's seat in the sausage casing. It is drenched with a dry thick red curry with pork that was competently sweet.
The Baby Octopus was slightly chewy and rubbery, but its chilli sauces are unapologetically strong. The tongue starts burning from the chilli padi the more I chew into it but luckily, there were some cabbage slices to provide temporary heat relief. Meanwhile, there is also familiar classics like the traditional crispy thai fishcake. This is safe for those who are not adapted to chilli, as it has been masked by a transparent sweet thai dressing with sprinkles of peanuts. But nothing could beat the large and succulent spencer gulf prawns that have been lightly breaded and deep fried. The coconut could not be detected but it was so fresh that we had no problems demolishing them.
Don't forget to spoon the speckles of garlic, green and red chilli padi on the prawn before putting everything into the mouth. These potent spices warm the belly in seconds. Just like the prawns which were Sustainable Seafood Movement, the Fish of the Day (price subjected to vary) features any fish that are caught on that day. We had the Drum fish, which has a moist and not-too-flaky texture. Dusted with black specks of olives and tomatoes, the al-dente penne pasta are a comfortable match to the fish. By then, we were pretty stuffed but marched off bravely to conquer the dessert platter. We were usually loyal fans of milky chocolate ice cream rather than sour apricot or raspberry sherbet. But it is the red and yellow granite balls that added sparkle to the rich caramel molten chocolate cake.

The icy sensation melts into tart juices that brings everything alive, including the banana crepe with that is super crispy but rather hollow on the inside. Meanwhile, though the sourishness of the baked figs on puff pastry made one's face pucker unknowingly, it was nice balance to the sweet vanilla Creme custard sauce.

Whether it's main courses or desserts, Mezza9 delivers. And even though it is a 5-star restaurant, its set lunches are reasonably priced at $29 for 2 course and $39 for 3 course from Monday-Saturday. What's even more attractive for me is the flexibility to choose starter-main/main-dessert.

With that in mind, I have plenty of solid good reasons to come back again.

For full review and more photos, please visit http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2013/08/mezza9-grand-hyatt-thai-street-food.html

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