Well, They have made the right choice for when it comes to cakes, I daresay no one knows them best!

Of course being in Tampines, means being pampered by a a wide variety of bakery shops! I don't wish to go through each and every single one of them for I have my preferred shop. Let me give you a hint. It's starts with the letter R."I want that Oreo Cheese cake!" That was all I remembered before I plunged into my wallet... At $38.00, I swear it was all worth the calories. On top is a smooth, creamy cheesecake that is absolutely packed with grinded Oreo cookies bits while the top is a thick, substantial oreo crust. It was rich though I wished the cookies bits hidden in the cake was much bigger just to enjoy the dessert better.

Apparently, the folks at Steakout uploaded my previous visit onto their facebook wall and they have brought answers to my questions raised from my previous visit. In case you couldn't see the fine prints in the screenshot above, here's what I was informed.

1. They are still the same folks that ran the former ROS but taken on a new name (Steakout).
2. Their famed Lava Cakes is more sinful than ever and that's a good news for me!
3. In my previous post, I talked about their excessive use of butter in their baked potato? Well, they told me
they will look into the matter. Perhaps less cholesterol? I'm hoping so...
4. Now I know how a well-made Vanilla Ice Cream tasted like. Come to think of it, the Vanilla Ice Cream I had with over at Max Brenner tasted almost the same too.The Creamy Mushroom Soup that came with the set lunches ($2.50 to add on). Nothing out of this world but hey, expectations are always the root of all problem. I don't know about you but I think it's worth that $2.50.My partner went for the Grilled Chicken ($7.90) which was beautifully plated but I feel that the gaps in between could be managed better. I on the other hand, went for the Sirloin Steak ($14.90), medium rare as usual and I won't have it any other way! The beef cut was a fair deal. It's not your tender type of meat but it's also not that laborious to chew either. Definitely, filling unless you're a SUPER SUPER BIG EATER!I will go as far as to say this: "Steakout might possibly have the best Chocolate Lava Cakes in town."

I know my friends who frequent Max Brenner, Laurent Chocolate Bar and Three Inch Sin would disagree with me and a few of them might even stone me for making such an outrageous comment! But I'm speaking the truth! Best in terms of price. You're not going elsewhere and get a Lava Cake that's flowing really good molten chocolate and served with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream that I thought to be laced with alcohol at but then informed that that's due to the use of really good quality Vanilla Pods at $6.90.

I'm not sure if ROS has closed down or rebranded itself but all I know now is that a new steakhouse is reborn. Whenever I past by the same place, I see a new successor to the old republic. Steakout.

Upon entering the steakhouse, everything seems the same. The siting arrangements. The Australian desert backdrop. What about the food. Is it still the same or better? A glance at their menu, they may have a different design altogether but the name of most of their dishes still remains the same just as I remembered.Pan-grilled Dory ($8.90) smothered with brown mushroom sauce. Garlic spaghetti and baked potato accompanied the unpretentious dinner. Initially, my partner was skeptical about having fish for dinner but after trying his first mouth. The rest were history...Rosemary Pork Steak ($9.90) doused in thick black pepper gravy. There's nothing much for me to say since meat was well-marinated. Extremely tender when paired with the black pepper sauce, I daresay it's pretty darn good!

Nothing special about the baked potato apart from the fact that the unhealthy amount of butter on it but the apple salad was refreshing to my palette.Now, my friends would know how much I can eat. The sky's the limit or I should say the stomach's the limit!

Eating is my first love. Sharing is my way of communicating my love to my friends. Steakhouse Crispie ($6.90), thick fries and onion rings. Something out of the package but at least it's piping hot.

Now now now. How can we end of the night without some desserts right? I personally was eager to try out their lava cakes. I just wonder if it's the same as ROS or something different...Glorious Lava cake ($6.90). A good lava cake doesn't just trickle or dribble chocolate. No it sure doesn't. It's even better my dear. It's POURS out rich and warm chocolate! My partner on the other hand, got the Brownie ($5.90). Cute and cuddly. A dream come true if you ask me. Dense and chocolaty. But still Lava cake beats Brownie hands down. No competition that's for sure!

Now as the two of us indulge in our desserts, somehow we realized that there's something about the vanilla ice cream but we just couldn't lay out fingers on. We suspected it's laced with alcohol. A pretty strong one I have to say but just like my partner say:

"Does it matter? What is more important is we get to enjoy the desserts."

The agenda for the morning was to have a hearty breakfast at Next Door Deli and grab some of those old school buttercream cakes from Pine Garden as gifts for our lecturers. But life can be full of uncertainties especially when you aren’t sure what time will they start business. True enough we were disappointed to know that we came too early. We could have waited for an hour or so but why bother if we can head to another place right?

We managed to find another cafe just down the street selling mostly old school desserts of every kind and dim sum dishes. It’s quite easy to know what they sell since almost all their menu are laminated and stick onto every corner of the shop.It was a simple breakfast affair. Nothing too fancy or too expensive with most of their food menu ranging from $2 to $4. I didn’t expect anything out of this world until I tried their Honey Butter Toast. Just imagine tearing through crisp butter toast messily drizzled in honey, every mouthful is a bliss! They do have other variations but according to the friendly staffs, this is their best-seller and I have no doubts this toast deserves being called the best!I’m very well aware they have almost all my favourite old school desserts but it was just too early in the morning for one. Instead I opt for their Hazelnut Ice Coffee which I have to say it was well brewed considering this place resembles like your nearby coffeeshop. But with more variety from your plain cuppa. My partner ordered a nice smooth cup of milk tea which kinda reminds me of the days I spent in Hong Kong sipping tea at the local cha can teng after shopping.

For a person like me who treat drinks as secondary, this is one place I dare recommend for really good and affordable drinks. And the best part is you can order more without feeling a heavy pinch in your pockets since there’s no GST and service charge involved. If I’m around the area of Ang Mo Kio again, I might just step into this place again for their beverages or desserts.

That is provided I managed to reach the shop before they closes at 4.30pm.

Every Thursday and Friday afternoons, a special kind of magic unfolds at an old military barrack. Up a hill and down the steps. House Dempsey is the place. Vintage is the theme, tea party is the game. Everywhere you see girls in poker dots dress and guys in stylish hair. From families and friends to tai tai wannabes, everyone is part of the activity. It’s so vintage just like my girlfriend’s fashion taste. So fill your cup to the brim and let the magic of tea begins!The sandwiches were great but the cakes, mediocre but still fit for consumption given the affordable rates ($25++). Everything went out fast, just like those Vietnamese rice rolls. They were replaced for all I know. Disappointing I have to say but at least the spring rolls work their way! Everything was great apart from sipping hot spicy ginger tea. I heard there’s blended tea served but I guess the crowd does get sip them first if you’re late.It was a buffet with a spread and a tea party that makes the Mad Hatter go zippy and glad. So what are you waiting for? Drive up the hill or take the free shuttle bus if you know where to go. The magic of the tea party, only at the House at Dempsey Hill up there. By the way, reservations are definitely recommended or your face will express a grin with envy wishing you did in the first place.