Opened by three young culinary graduates, Les Patisserie may be "another cafe in the hoods" but not quite so because it churns out some fine French pastries which caught my curiosity. Very much so since there is a scarcity of good ones in SG. Dulcey Hazelnut $7

I selfishly wished that the people could just focus on pastries and execute them well. But perhaps diversifying into savoury brunches, light pasta meals and coffee is also part of their survival strategy. Trying to be as fair as possible (though it's still impossible la), I went twice and tasted everything except for the Fraiser, Tarte Au Citron and Tarte Tartin.Is this Rocky or Softy?

L'Rocky ($7) created a false illusion of a sophisticated multi-textured gateau when it was simply a chocolate mousse-sponge coated with chocolate ganache. What could be an unadulterated chocolate experience was tainted by the rancid nuts and some compressed honeyed almond chips that failed to impart any exciting crunch. Same goes for the Chocolate macaron ($2.50/pc). It looked pretty but the meringue shells seemed to be subjected under much tension. Too chewy. I would be heavily condemned for trivializing the original inventor of the Plaisir because this is quite a faithful and successful reproduction of almond jaconde, vanilla Bavarian cream and chocolate mousse. Treading a safe and cautious path, the Plaisir could etch out a sharper character if the Pate a Bomb was torched longer for a more brilliantly golden caramelized sheen.But to my great relief, I managed to find the Creme of the crop here-Dulcey Hazelnut $7. Like the buttery sweetness of melted Valhorna Blonde, there is a sublime overload of gooey milk jam, accented marvellously by the under layer of nutty nibbling and crunchy tart shell. Don't say I didn't warn you about the sweetness. But it's truly a revelation of the senses.

(Updates: the original tart shell has changed to chocolate shell on my most recent visit)I can't appreciate coffee but I do love my Opera. The alternating layers of smooth, robust coffee buttercream and chocolate ganache worked in synchrony, triggering relapse of haunting and bitter melancholy. The pastries that I had on my 2nd visit fared much better, though the Salted Caramel macaron is still too chewy. The stretchy innards of the Croissant ($2.80) has a delectable saltiness which most croissants lacked, but it is still not the best in town.If you are a fan of mango, then I'm quite sure you'll like the Mango Mousse Cake. Yes, the components were too prosaic but the silky texture of the mousse was noteworthy. Best of all, the chefs got the right sweetness.

Tiramisu

This mountain-lookalike Italian classic consists of two biscuit sponges layered with mascarpone cream. Texture works but not the java flavour as the espresso and coffee liquor were too weak. Forest Berry $6.50

Not a novelty, but alas something that is quite rarely spotted here. Crunchy, lightly salted Sable Base topped with berries and piped with Creme patisserie. Together with the Dulcey Hazelnut Tart, this gave me the hope that Les Patisserie has the potential to create more promising pastries, if they can break out of the saturated zone.

Run by bankers-turned restauranteurs, The Boiler is an Louisiana style Seafood restaurant located in the most unthinkable place-Tai Seng Industrial area. But the location doesn't seem to matter at all, given that it was brimming with diners on a weekday night of our visit. First up, we kicked off the lobster relvery with the Live whole Boston lobsters that are available in three different sauces. The Works (spiciness ranging from mild to raging hot), Garlic Butter and Peppa Butter. The Works is piquant with an assam-like tang, but not too spicy. With lobsters shipped in daily from US, the taste can hardly go wrong. Sweet and not overcooked, the chunky fleshes might be a hassle to remove from the shells at first but all efforts were rewarded when you mopped down with the sauces.

But we soon found out that it's got more to offer than the lobster. Pick from brown crabs, prawns, mussels, clams and then choose your sauce. That said, the heartiest way to round off the evening is to feast on the Boiler's Bombdiggity Bag ($139/4); literally a seafood bomb filled with everything including sausages, corns and some deep-fried mantou buns at the side for soaking up the juices. The starters were overall quite impressive too. The Louisiana Spicy Mid Joint Wings ($8.90) were zappy with a nice sour kick that makes you grab for more. The Southern Chicks and Waffles ($9.90) had plenty of crisp, not only in the chicken but more importantly in the waffles that were drizzled in maple syrup. I shy away from the Bacon Shrimp ($11.90) in smoky Hickory sauce because they were too salty. As for the Fish & Chips ($12.90), it's a classic in its own league. The fish stayed moist and piping hot within a light, crunchy batter. The Signature Lobsicle ($15.90), aka lobster on Popsicle, might be safer in the Boiler instead of the deep fryer as they were too chewy.Business was so good that the chocolate molten lava cake ran out of stock and so we settled for the C.B.D, a pungent pun on the business district of Singapore because it stood for Crispy Banana Durians. Forget about the Bananas were substituted by yams that night, cos the pungent durians have already stolen the limelight. As we all know, never judge a restaurant by the history or the location. Despite being opened only for a few months, it's no nonsense when it comes to the Cajun-style lobsters here. Walk in, sit down and put on the apron. We did. And we ate. We ate very well indeed.

Full review: http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2014/09/the-boiler-its-crustacean-feast.html

Disappointing.

Standards have dropped tremendously. The lukewarm bak kut soup ($7/pax) was the ominous sign of a meal that eventually went downhill. The pork ribs, regardless of which country it came from, was not consistently cooked. It was the first time I encountered so much difficulties tearing off the meat from the bones. Full post and pics : http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2014/09/rong-cheng-bak-kut-teh-dark-clouds.htmlWhen cold lettuces and cold pig liver/kidney slices are thrown into a broth that is not hot enough, the final outcome of the Pig Liver & Kidney Soup ($5) was a mishap that stink of blood. Besides Bak Kut Teh, this place also sells some zi char dishes like the miserable plate of Sambal Potato Leaves ($7) full of withered greens. Other side dishes include braised beancurd skin ($3), braised peanuts ($2) and braised pig skin ($2) but none raised above the bar. Perhaps the Mee Sua Soup ($2) and the Fried Prawn Roll ($10) were the only pillars we could lean on.

Ironically, isn't this place known for its Bak Kut Teh in the first place?

Full review and pics:http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/2014/09/lolas-cafe.html
The glut of cafes that opened in Singapore within the last year has left me in a spot of disconnectedness with the people who are actively involved in "cafe-hopping". So I did some research before heading to Lola's Cafe which was suggested by Ms K. Strangely, it seems like the entire nation is heading for the brunches instead of the dinners (perhaps the fetish for egg bens has yet to subside). One of the most tried-and-tested dishes here is the Avocado Egg Bens ($15). Nothing much astonishing about this but the excellently toasted brioche was so crunchy and ideal for mopping up the mixture of runny egg and sweet salad dressing that collected on the plate.The Honey and Paprika Wings ($10) were indeed so popular that customers who couldn't snap a seat, were ordering it for takeaway. Juicy and sweet, these chickens would definitely be even satisfying with more spice. dark chocolate tart with coffee cream ($5)Earl Grey Tart ($5) Black Tea Prune Brownie with Vanilla ice cream ($7)

The dark chocolate tart with coffee cream ($5) could be the best bet out of the three sweets we've had. Speckles of sea salt tempered the bittersweet cacao ganache within a thin chocolate tart shell, though I couldn't recall tasting baileys or espresso in the cream. Meanwhile, I failed to comprehend an Earl Grey Tart ($5) whose filling resembles mudflow. Not sure if it was intended to be of such loose consistency or to be curd-like as those of lemon meringue tarts. The Black Tea Prune Brownie with Vanilla ice cream ($7) might not win brownie points on its looks but the clever use of tea-soaked prunes injected another dimension of sweetness to an otherwise archetypical baked chocolate cake.

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.