Actually, my dinner at Podi did not turn out as bad as the online reviews, perhaps because we picked the right dishes and it was a non-crowded weekday evening when you can dine at ease with less noise pollution.
We went for the satisfying Hearty Eggs ($16), a sourish pool of tomatoes with baked beans, mushrooms, spinach, sausages, caramelized onions and gruyere cheese and poached egg.

To put it in another terms, it's a Moroccan breakfast, Shakshouka. The ingredients were nothing spectacular. It was the assorted bread served alongside that made the difference when you dipped into the sauce.
Bewilderingly, we were discouraged by the staff to order something else instead of the "The Ham and Brie French Toast" ($16) is not the crunchy type. Why must French Toast be crunchy? Were the staff worried that it would not be delicious? Well, I'm glad we insisted with the order as they were strangely delicious.

The yellow pillowy bread with a small wedge of stinky Brie and ham in between, smelled like the eggy French toasts from my own kitchen. But somehow the spinach, both inside and on the brioche, together with the maple syrup transformed this into a rather non-prosaic dish.
It's cruel for me to compare this Matcha Cake ($5.80) to the standards in Tokyo, but I discovered that the middle is the moistest and most intense section of the cake. A bit boring with only sponge and cream but you can call it "beauty in simplicity".

The Banoffee Crumble Pie ($5.80) with scents of cinnamon and thick crust, might be too cloying but oh, that's how I like it to be. Have a bite of that dark chocolate layer, take a sip of the French peppermint tea ($6/pot) and voila~it tasted like refreshing peppermint chocolate!

Full Review and Pics: http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2014/09/podi-all-day-brunch.html

Full review and pics: http://dairycream.blogspot.jp/2014/09/saboten-313-somerset-new-offerings.html
It feels very different to dine at Saboten restaurants in Singapore because they are well-furnished with spacious seatings and bright lightings, unlike the usual no-frills takeaway Saboten outlets that I come across in Tokyo. But of course, this world's largest Tonkatsu chain do have restaurants in Tokyo, mostly in major shopping malls or department stores. To celebrate the opening of its new outlet in 313@Somerset, Saboten introduces the Iberico Loin Katsu and Fried Jumbo Prawn that are exclusive to this outlet.
Iberico pork, which is famed for its refine marbling and tender texture, was not an easier cutlet to handle than the original katsu. Not as rich or oozing juices as you may find elsewhere, the trimmings were rather leathery, and some effort was required to disintegrate the protein. This in particular, is what polarizes opinions.
The Fried Prawn Jumbo Set ($28.80) featuring a wild-catch Tiger prawn, crab croquette and original loin cutlet, is more likely to appease the finicky palates with a mixture of seafood and pork. The coating of breadcrumbs for this set of ingredients was also more consistently golden, light and not cloyingly oily.
As usual, you proceed with the old but obligatory ritual of grinding the sesame before adding the Tonkatsu sauce. But what surprises me is that there is also radish and even curry sauces, which I view as privileges that one can't get in Japan--it is usually katsu with one and only one type of dressing. This may not be the place for the impeccable classic tonkatsu but you can still discover some reliable deep-fried gems, if you pick the right ones

Full post and pics on http://dairycream.blogspot.jp/2014/01/brownice.html
Vegan food, vegan desserts and now......vegan ice cream. Brownice, a vegan ice cream parlor with a blue avatar, has kicked out a previous gourmet ice cream shop Ice Kimo at Sin Ming Centre. No dairy, no eggs, low fat, suitable for lactose-intolerant…These surely sounds like an attractive health contract. But the sweet treat is not necessarily a low-calorific indulgence. After all, unrefined sugar, nuts and brown rice are still usedTexture-wise, the ice-cream (two scoops for is not as smooth as most ice cream parlours including below320nitro. Luckily, both the Madagascar Vanilla and Cookies & Cream were not too sweet. Not too sure if coconut milk was used but there was an odd coconut aroma which lingers on.Don’t mistake, I love coconut but perhaps I’ll save it for other desserts.Constructed of French Chocolate, Hazelnut Chocolate ice cream and a raw crust, the tri-layer mudpie $9.80 refused to budge despite being left in room temperature for 20min. The ice cream flavours were more tolerable than the individual scoops earlier, and lovely contrasted with the salty biscuit base. The original toppings of caramelized salt almonds which ran out of stock, was a sign that they are likely to be tastier than our chocolate chips and granola.

Due to the ingredients, the price of Brownice’s vegan ice cream is not very nice. But perhaps its a good investment for our health.Full post and pics on http://dairycream.blogspot.jp/2014/01/brownice.html

Visit: http://dairycream.blogspot.jp/2014/01/matts-chocolate-shop.html for full post and pics
Matt's The Chocolate Shop is a shop which anyone can easily overlook along the stretch of near identical office-like shops at Amoy Street. The short opening hours meant that I had to zoom here within my hour-lunch break, but luckily with the accompaniment of another chocolate lover colleague.Although they are famous for their Chocolate Cake ($4), it tasted like a normal cake to me. The ganache was too thin while the cupcake-sized chocolate base was not as dense nor moist as I thought. Not sure if it was because local chocolate was used (as informed by the staff) but the proportion of ganache to cake is too off-balanced. But some might like this simple, no-frills cake. Though the Pandan Cake with Gula Melaka Dressing ($3.50) did not look like the gorgeous bundt shaped version on their FB page, it tasted better than expected. Our piece was drenched with a fair amount of gula Melaka, which helped to moisten the cake without overpowering the pandan flavour. My favourite part? The crispy brown crumb coating. The best vote goes to the Tiramisu ($7). My partner was surprised at the instant aroma of cocoa once she lifted the cap. Though there is only one layer sponge and cream, the coffee liquor taste was stronger than most places and soaked every pocket of the sponge thoroughly. Despite being consumed right out of the chiller, the cream was soft and luscious. I regretted not going for the double-layer at $10 Overall, the most anticipated chocolate fudge cake turned out to be a disappointment. But I am happy to discover a decent tiramisu here. And one good thing is that everything was not too sweet.
Yes, they sell chocolate truffles too but I am hesitant about them. Visit: http://dairycream.blogspot.jp/2014/01/matts-chocolate-shop.html for full post and pics

Visit http://dairycream.blogspot.jp/2013/11/ming-kee-chicken-rice-porridge.html for full review and pics.
After Tian Tian Chicken Rice, I think this must be the stall which will actually require people to queue for more than 30min. We queued for exactly 40min slightly before 5pm on a Sunday afternoon. Why the long queue? Well, this appeared in "Where the Queue Starts" and the price is really cheap. We ordered half a chicken ($12), chicken feet ($3), bean sprouts aka taugeh($3). Each plate of rice costs 50cent. What's good: The chicken. Admittedly not as good as kampung chicken but the meat was chilled tender and juicy. A good antidote against the sweltering heat inside the stuffy hawker centre. bean sprouts aka taugeh($3).
One won't find chicken hanging at the stall because they are all submerged in cold water before serving (versus hanging upside down at Tian Tian) The knife skills were also considerably above average. The rice was not as greasy as Boon Tong Kee but still fragrant especially with sweet soy sauce, though some might find the grains hard. But, the problem for us was the diluted chilli which seemed to be prepared half-heartedly. Old Ma stated that the chilli should be really superb to the extent that one can finish an entire plate of chicken rice without the chicken. In short, this place is definitely not the best chicken rice in town. Worth queuing for the price but not for the taste. Visit http://dairycream.blogspot.jp/2013/11/ming-kee-chicken-rice-porridge.html for full review