With origins tracing back to more than a decade and 15 outlets in local-wide, I am sure that Soup Restaurant or better known as 三盅两件 for the older generations, is not a stranger to most of you. Mama Kook loves their traditional "Chinatown heritage cuisine", especially their Samsui Ginger Chicken, Beggar's Bowl Tofu and Ah Gong Potato Leaves, just to name some. Hence more often than not, we frequent this restaurant for our weekly family dinner.

Soup Restaurant's highly-recommended, signature dish - Samsui Ginger Chicken (S$15.90) is savoury and flavourful. The tender chicken meat was steamed with simple seasoning and is served boneless for easier consumption. The secret lies with their special ginger sauce, a fragrant but not too over-powering mix which complemented the chicken well. Seemingly less oily than the usual hawker chicken, it proves to be a healtier alternative as well.One way to savour this dish is to wrap it with fresh crunchy lettuce, topped with a slice of cucumber and generous amount of ginger sauce. As seen below:We also ordered the Hometown Tofu (S$8.90) - freshly hand-made tofu garnished with greens. The tofu skin is slightly crisp, but the inside remains soft and silky. However, I still prefer their Beggar's Bowl Tofu.Another speciality, Ah Gong Potato Leaves (S$8.50) - sweet potato leaves sauteed with sambal belachan (spicy shrimp paste). We never failed to order this dish whenever we visited. It also comes in a non-spicy verson - Ah Ma Potato Leaves.Soup Restaurant only dishes up 30 servings of Hand Chopped Minced Pork w/ Salted Fish (S$8.90) per day. It is tender, flavourful and has just the right amount of saltiness. The addition of chestnuts into the minced mixture provide an irresistible crunch.Peiyi ordered the Double Boiled Tian Chee Chicken Soup (S$7.90) which helps to detox/cleanse and rejuvenate one's body. It is a tad bland for my liking, I reckon the amount of herbs (especially Tian Chee) used is of small quantities.Soup Restaurant is generally worth the bucks and is likely to be popular especially among the older generations who lived through the "samsui" era, as the flavours would probably evoke their nostalgic memories. For the younger generations like me, while taking a bite of that succulent Samsui Chicken, try to understand the stories and heritage of our ancestors, and savour a piece of history.

Nestled in one of Singapore's most happening night-spots, the multi-level Hansang's layout was a fusion of Western and native Korean, equipped with a sleek series of wooden furnitures and inviting ambience lights, with the real barbeque actions cooking up at the second storey.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love pork belly meat, despite all the high fats content and health risks and what's not, I mean, come on, life's too short not to enjoy. By that, self-control is definitely recommended when in Hansang, with all the high-grade wagyu beefs and pork slices, one would find it hard, but salivate constantly.

Well, it's not wrong to pamper your taste buds with some Samgyupsal (S$25.00) once a while. These lightly seasoned pork belly slices sizzle at the touch of the grill. There are probably a hundred and one ways to savour the meat, but my prefered way of eating is none other than wrapping one or two slices with some garlic in the crispy lettuce, dipped it into chilli sauce and pop them into the mouth!If you are looking for something more fulfilling, why not try their classic Bibimbab (S$18.00), which consists of generous portions of meat slices, mushrooms and assorted vegetables, not forgetting the glorious egg. Jumble them up with your prefered sauce and you're good to go. Nothing special though.
A good bowl of beef stew is set to warm one's body during the cold season. Although not usually the case in all-year-summer Singapore, beef stew with savoury broth and heaps of japchae (glass noodle) is still one of my favourite dishes when it comes to Korean cuisine.
Smoke might be difficult to avoid as Hansang is not equipped with retractable pipes that suck in the barbeque smoke, prices are quite steep (spent about $50 per pax), other than that, Hansang is a good place to go if you're craving quality korean barbeque in a relaxing environment.

It was indeed an honour to be invited by online dining guide, Openrice.com for a food tasting session at Ambush, Plaza Singapura. Perhaps you might have seen the grafitti-styled logo, paired with a couple of tomatoes elsewhere, it is because they have offered diners a convenient and casual European fix at other major shopping malls - Junction8, Jurong Point, Ngee Ann City and Jurong's new Jem (Opening in April 2013) as well.

What's on the food tasting menu?

Negra paella (S$14.50) rises up as one of my Ambush favourites, the reason for my love towards this Valencian classic is simple - the rice was sticky enough, flavours were robust and I liked how the bright orange roes contributed an additional crunch to the overall texture. Just like any squid ink dishes, make sure you have checked your teeth before grinning!Roasted Pork Knuckle (S$28.00 for whole) impressed me with its perfect crispy skin, yet the juicy tenderness of the meat was sufficiently retained. You could have seen how good this was when it disappeared off the table after a few minutes. The sauerkraut and mashed potato that comes along with the pork knuckle was nothing to rave about, but I do strongly recommend to savour the pieces of meat by pairing it with the gravy sauce.Huge? Definitely. Juicy? Yup. Flavorful? Checked. Mussel Pot Large (S$17.60) is something not to be missed. We had them doned in Aglio Olio style - semi-sweet, which is so full on sauteed onions and garlicky flavour, and classic Vin Blanc - aromatic with white wine. Both, which proved to be too good to compare against each other.Decorated with home-made tomato and orange sauce, while the Duck confit (S$18.00) sits comfortabley on a bed of mashed potatoes. It actually looks better than it tasted. It was well-seasoned and marinated, but a tad dry for my liking.Crispy Chicken and Seaweed Pasta (S$13.00) was what I have chosen for my main course. The pasta itself was cooked slightly less than the al-dente standard, while the crispy chicken reminds me of KFC's popcorn chicken. Although this dish was an interesting fusion of Asian and Western, it was not exactly a winner for my palate.All in all, I thought that the starters/appetizers fared better than the main courses. But hey, guess what, "everyone gets a little taste of Europe", Ambush is a great option for a simple gathering over a wide variety of European dishes.

A dear aunt of mine introduced me to Shin Kushiya when it opened not long ago, I have frequented this Japanese restaurant quite a bit since then and till now, it has remained as one of my definite favourites.

Shin Kushiya is well-known for their authentic Kushiyaki, or skewers grilled with Bincho charcoal (aka King of White Charcoal) imported from Japan. One can truly taste the quality of the fresh ingredients used and the distinct smoky flavour. Paired with their homemade tare sauce, Kushiyaki is definitely a must-try. Perfect for quite bites before main course and sharing. Prices ranged from S$2.00 onwards per skewer.
Platters of mouth-watering Kushiyaki

Still craving for more small bites before your main? Why not try out their softshell crab temaki (S$3.40) or a plate of crispy, tasty whole crab for sharing? We ordered the Sanshoku Don (S$17.80), a delicious combination of fresh salmon, maguro and kaki on top of a bed of soft Japanese rice. Ever heard of sashimi melting in your mouth? This is it. Sanshoku (三色) actually means toppings with three different colours. They are not only limited to sashimi, but also to other ingredients (i.e. dango, eggs, vegetables) as well.
Their Pork Cutlet (S$16.80) is crispy on the outside and tender inside. Dipped in their spicy tare sauce and paired with the crunchy fresh salad, I bet you'll be begging for seconds.Good and authentic Japanese food, without burning your wallet. Shin Kushiya is the place to head to.

Speaking about dim-sums, my makan buddies are forever raving about Swee Choon, a well-known and established local restaurant which has opened its doors since the 1960s. As a huge dim-sum lover, I knew I would be sorry if I gave this a miss.

Located at the heart of Jalan Besar, in the district of Little India, Swee Choon is well-known for delicacies such as xiao long bao, la mian and various Hong Kong and Shanghai dim-sum. Opened from 6pm to 6am to serve your dim-sum cravings even at the wee hours, be not surprised to see long queues starting at approximately 5.30pm.

One of their signature creations, Swee Choon Mee Suah Kueh (S$2.00 for 2) - deep fried vermicelli cake with crispy brown skin, while the interior is soft and steamy. Although one might think that noodles and cakes are not quite a match, but I dare say that this uniquely scrumptious dish will prove you wrong.Their Fried Custard Pumpkin (S$1.80 for 2) is decent with a slight tinge of sweetness. However, the skin is too thick and starchy for my liking.The classic Siew Mai (S$1.80 for 2) is slightly longer than standard and tasted decent, the meat is a little over-minced, resulting in the lack of different textures. I prefer the ones at 126 Eating House much more.My favourite is their Red Bean Paste Pancake (S$4.80) - sweet red bean paste enclosed in a thin layer of crispy skin. Trust me when I say the crunch is loud and how I wished they'd serve a scoop of good chocolate ice cream with this.Another must-try is their signature Steamed Salted Egg Yolk Custard Bun also known as "Liu Sha Bao" (S$3.00 for 3). The rich sweet custard explodes when you sink your teeth in it. The saltiness of the yolk and sweetness of the custard complemented each other, making this one of their winning dishes.Another of their speciality, Swee Choon Big Pau (S$1.60) is another winner. Big fluffy chinese bun filled with minced pork, a piece of chicken, egg and half a shitake mushroom. Best to eat it while it's hot.We also ordered the Sichuan Chilly Oil Wanton La Mian (*S$4.80). The noodles were a tad too starchy for usual la mian, but the wanton is good.
Lastly, we had the Fried Hor Fun w/ Shrimp in Creamy Egg Sauce (*S$4.80). Delicious dish with fresh succulent shrimps in an abundance of creamy sauce (just look at that eggy goodness!)Overall, Swee Choon proved to be worthy of a dim-sum paradise. A great dining place for family gatherings or friends outings. Or if you simply want to have your late-night or early hours dim-sum fix, Swee Choon is the place to head to.