Full Review and Pics: www.dairycream.blogspot.com
$2 for a burger? Yes, it is quite unbelievable that one can still find
quality gourmet burgers at such an affordable price (other than McDonald's).
This petite slider that punches above the rest comes from Stirling, one of the
restaurants along the stretch of food outlets opposite Beauty World Centre in
Upp. Bukit Timah Road. The juicy and tender beef patty has a depth of smokiness that when
combined with the cheese, roma tomatoes, garlic aioli, makes for a seriously
good bite. This is so good that it makes logical and monetary sense to go full
course for the Sirloin Steak Burger ($19+). With a moist and plump Sirloin patty,
snuggled in between two halves of a lightly toasted bun, this is even more
irresistible because of the Jack Daniel infused Shitake mushroom sauce and
zesty coleslaw-like salad that softens the bottom bun. Taking pride in its grilling techniques, the Signature plate is none
other than the slow charcoal grilled steaks that is served with avocado butter ($35+).
Both the sirloin and rib-eye have a nice glorious char outside and luscious red
interior but sirloin turned out to be the more flavourful and tender cut with a
soft pleasant chew even though it has less fat than the ribeye.The Pan Seared Duck Breast
($25+) did not forge a deep impression because the meat were dry and
flavourless. If the duck could be sliced thinner, the dish has potential to
shine because the creamy truffle mushrooms and pencil asparagus was delicious. At Stirling, from meats to cheese, practically anything can be grilled
and the standards are consistent. Take for example the Grilled Halloumi Salad ($9+), a mouth-watering mix of baby spinach
and slightly crisp Greek cheese, which gets a fresh bright punch from the
dressing and tomatoes. Even fruits like watermelon ($12+) were not saved from the hot
grill and ended up as a delightful appetizer served with Parma ham and rocket
salad.Among the non-grilled dishes, I prefer the Caesar salad to the bacon
wrapped asparagus ($11+) as the hydrating slabs of crisp iceberg lettuce are
slathered in the right amount of dressing, with crispy bits of croutons and
bacon adding to the decadence.Surprisingly, there was no grilled desserts, unless you count green
tea waffles or crepe as grill items. If dessert is a must, the Mud Pie ($8+) is a dependable choice as it is
hard to go wrong with ready-made ice cream and Oreo cookies. However, I would
devote the space reserved originally for desserts, all for another plate of Crispy King Salmon ($23+).With a gently-salted and delicately crisp skin falling away to
perfectly cooked interior, this dish is testament of the chef's proficiency. I
like the idea of using sesame seeds, seaweed flakes in the creamy mash and the
savoury roe toppings as they truly enhanced the taste of the moist pink flesh.
If someone were to ask me where in Singapore has the best pan-seared salmon, I
would say Stirling.

Full Review and Pics: www.dairycream.blogspot.com

Full review : www.dairycream.blogspot.com
It has been a long time since I truly felt touched by honestly good food.

The moment I bite into the Kale and Mushroom, the cacophony of flavours simply exploded in my mouth without warning. Sweet, spicy, tangy......how can this humble looking sandwich taste so fabulous? I could not suppress my excitement and wanted to find out what magic has gone into this sandwich.

"It's Chilli flakes that we've infused into the olive oil and that tang comes from the clots of lemon milk juice cream you see on top of the mushrooms." answered the owner Traveen in a slow-paced Norwegian accent. Chilli flakes and lemon milk juice? WOW. This brilliant inspiration can only be found here at Smor, Singapore's first Scandinavian Deli that is opened by food enthusiast twin brothers Traveen and Tarun Gulrajani. They were so captivated by the concept of Smorrebrod (which means "butter bread") during their 3-month tour of 12 Scandinavian cities that they decided to bring it to Singapore, elevating to an artisan level with quality ingredients all sources from Scandinavia. It is not only the quality ingredients that make this worth. Like the Kale and Mushroom, the Crunchy Bacon is piled onto buttery and crisp toasted brioche bread that doesn't turn claggy with the moisture of tomatoes. Topped with side eggs, wilted baby spinach and shavings of emmental cheese, this warm open-faced sandwich is a great breakfast choice that tickles one's fancy. These sandwiches worked amazingly better than most cold pleasure-less wraps as they are prepared fresh upon order. The warm versions easily gain the upper hands as our palates acclimatize to the heat but the cold sandwiches are seriously not bad either. Instead of mundane ingredients like cream cheese and capers, the Smoked Salmon has a lovely acidic-sweet kick coming from the horseradish and dill-infused sweet mustard dressing which I mistaken to be honey at first. Some might find the Norwegian hand-peeled shrimps to be tad salty but if you factor in the tangy lemon mayonnaise and the sprinkles of chives, it's a simple, refreshing yet addictive combo. These voluminous seafood filling are stacked onto gluten-free light rye bread is resilient enough to avoid saturation from the extra moisture, yet still soft enough that it doesn't wear out the muscles as you chow into it. This is probably also the only place in Singapore where you can discover a fair range of Scandinavian chocolate snacks, savoury produce like caviar or coffee. I bought the Jaffa Nougatine bar ($2.50), some really good milk wafers at only $2.50 and the Shuffle Toffee Biscuits, the sinful combination of snickers, Mars and Toackers that are worth the calories. I have posted the Shuffle Toffee on my instagram hereWas it by chance that we managed to pick all four choices that were delicious? I seriously doubt so. Yes, the price of $6.90 for one sandwich, $12.90 for two and $17.90 for the Viking meal of three might seemed a little pricey or not satisfyingly sufficient for a meal. But trust me, a regular meal of two sandwiches are more than enough to fill you up. Moreover, if it's such a wholesome meal prepared with healthy ingredients, passion and sincerity, why not?

I seldom say that I will return to try the place but this I shall unabashedly say that a return is a must. Full review : www.dairycream.blogspot.com

Full review and pics: www.dairycream.blogspot.com
If you happen to spot a white color mousse cake studded with dried fruits called "Cassata Siciliana" at any local patisserie, don't think much, just get it. It is such a traditional and peripheral cake that few pastry chefs in Singapore would ever think of making one. The rarity drove me to get a slice at Dolcetto by Basilico, despite being already full to the brims.
This Italian pastry shop used to be my to-go place for takeaway pastries when it was still under the name of "Something to Go". The interior and menu have been revamped, but the signatures like Strawberry Torte, Praline Torte and Espresso Tiramisu still stay.

Full review and pics: http://dairycream.blogspot.sg/
Comfort food at hearty portions sums up my overall experience at this America's largest steakhouse chain in the world. It is quite difficult to fault the Kookabura wings ($14.90) or the Typhoon Bloom ($14.90) for being too heavy on seasonings because it is probably staying faithfully to the U.S. recipe. However, I wondered if some spice rub has been forgotten as the "spicy" wings were merely very savoury, juicy but not spicy at all. Similarly, the deep fried onion rings did not "blow" me away with the grease and sogginess. Nonetheless, the blue cheese dressing and signature bloom sauce in both dishes respectively were rich, creamy and tasty.
In fact, this was what happened to the Spinach Artichoke Dip ($13.90) which made it so difficult to resist from scooping the baked cheesy goodness with taco chips. Warm, fluffy with subtle honey-like sweetness from the molasses, the complimentary starter of wheat bush bread, was so delicious that it was wiped off the table in no seconds....

Full review and pics on http://dairycream.blogspot.sg

Tip Top is not a new name to many Singaporeans, especially those who lived in Ang Mo Kio area. Famous for its "tip top" curry puff, it has now launched an all-new Nyonya Beef Rendang ($1.40) curry puff, created from a home recipe by simmering beef with spices for long hours.  It was sheer joy tucking into the new Beef Rendang because the meat is soft and not too dry, with a tantalizing subtle sweetness that is not usually found in curry puffs. Across all three types of curry puff, the ratio of filling to skin was perfect, but the quality of the pastry skin wielded less clout among the curry puffs specialists in Singapore. Even after trying to toast or microwave them, the pastry skin remained soft and pliable, yet achieving its full potential of crisp and flakiness. ........