I've known about Xin Char Chan Teng since it opened but I never ventured in thinking that they're pricey and can't possibly taste good. But one day, the hubby and I were desperate for food, having missed our dinner at 11pm, we were left with no choice but to eat at Xin Char Chan Teng.

Lo and behold, one visit and we're belated fans for life!

Firstly, the best thing about Xin is that they are open 24 hours! So if you're hungry after a movie or just looking for a late night snack in Boon Lay, land of no food after 12, then Xin is the place for you! They have dimsum and porridge as well as steamboat if you're ravenous in the middle of the night.

Our first foray was for porridge and it was such wonderful comfort food for two starving people. Maybe for people who are hungry, everything taste good. But the price is not too exorbitant either. Similar to the dimsum place we usually go to in Chinatown. Prices range from about $4 to 6 for a bowl of porridge of reasonable size.

They also serve beer so if you're up for some football and beer, they have cable TV in the restaurant too! I must mention that their claypot rice is really quite good! It's not particularly big but it is delicious!Of course we saw lots of people having their steamboat so we tried it out one day during an earlier dinner. The spread was alright, we were quite full for a usual steamboat price. Nothing particularly memorable but it was probably the only airconditioned steamboat place near our home in the west so it'll suffice!

If you prefer more quiet ambience like us then you'll probably want to come back after 9-10pm. But taste aside, this is really the supper haven for people in the west. If you're hungry one late night, try Xin out! It's quiet, air conditioned and food is good!

I've been eating at Hoe Nam Prawn Noodles since I was a little girl. For the past 2 decades, without fail, my family makes an annual pilgrimage to Hoe Nam for brunch after visiting my Grandparents' niche at the Mount Vernon Crematorium on Qing Ming festival. Over the years, we've introduced Hoe Nam to my entire extended family and the whole clan would troop down to Hoe Nam for prawn noodles every year.Unlike most prawn noodles you find in food court, the prawns here are big, the prawn and pork ribs stock is rich and brimming with taste to excite your senses. It was also the first place I knew 20 years ago that used chilli powder for your soup. I always put in plenty to make the noodles extra exciting! Of course my dad will always have his noodles with pig tail or other porky parts available.

Over the years, their standard may have dropped a little and their prawns may not be as big or as fresh. But they still continue to be one of my favourite prawn noodles that I benchmark others by. This is definitely the bare minimum of which good prawn noodles should have.

The hubby and I have a penchant for Gallery Hotel. It's one of our favourite places in Singapore because it's got a wonderful array of Japanese restaurants and Satsuma is one of them.Satsuma comes in 2 floors and when we visited it, the ground floor was full so we were shown to the second floor. As the floor area is actually very small and everyone is seated on the tatami on the ground floor, it almost feels like we just walked into somebody's house and interrupted the party! The second floor offers a different seating with proper table and chairs but still dark, intimate and cozy. Definitely the place to go to if you want to have a romantic dinner or just a nice chill out place with a few friends. Of course as with most establishments at Gallery Hotel, you can expect most of the chatter to be in Japanese! It actually reminds me of a shochu bar that I visited in Kyoto so if you're into authentic experiences then this is the place to go.

The shochu selection is of course delightful but since I am no expert, I shan't try to say more. The prices are not cheap but it's alcohol in a upmarket shochu bar so this is to be expected. We ordered our usual alcohol side dish - edamame - but satsuma actually serves complimentary raw salad too! It was quite refreshing, both in taste and dining experience. We seldom encounter raw vegetable sticks and cabbage with a nice tangy dip at Japanese restaurants. All in all, I'll definitely visit again to try the food when my budget allows it!

When my friend first brought me to Noodle House Ken a few years ago, I had not have had good, authentic ramen until that moment.For a taste of authentic Japanese ramen, cooked by a Japanese chef - Ken himself! - you must try Noodle House Ken. Surely the presence of Japanese businessmen having dinner there after work is one of the proof that the place is authentic. Let's not forget the feeling of being teleported to Japan whenever I walk into the main restaurant. The annex unit where most of the seats are have shelves of japanese comics, in japanese!

If that's not enough, the noodles itself will do the talking. The thick pork soup is delicious and wholesome. The noodles are springy and the cut of japanese "Char siew" is generous. My favourite must be the "hot spring eggs" where it's hard boiled on the outside but the yolk is still runny as it should be in a good ramen!

The side dishes are nice too. The gyozas are a standard in ramen noodle houses but I especially love the hot pipping onigiri (rice dumpling wrapped in seaweed) made fresh upon order.

Ah, the days of hanging out in a cozy little japanese restaurant, laughing and joking with friends over a hot bowl of good noodles. this is the place to go. Try not to go with too big a crowd though. 4 is comfortable. 6 is huge. more than that is just too many. The place is tiny so sometimes you may not find seats!

Call us old school but the hubby and I prefers the traditional style of steamboat where the kitchen serves up one plate of assorted ingredients for the hotpot. What we love even more is the hotpot with fresh raw cockles for extra kick! And where can we still find this in Singapore? At Thien Kee steamboat of course! Forget the china-style buffet steamboat or the japanese shabu shabu. This is authentic singapore style!Ever since the hubby introduced me to Thien Kee, we've made our almost monthly homage to the restaurant whenever we are in need of some comfort food on a cold rainy day. You may not think it's much comfort considering that on most evenings, worse on weekends, the place is jam-packed with people! I guess most people have the same idea as us!

Not only does Thien Kee serve a mean steamboat, they also serve the singapore-hainese styled pork chop and hainanese steamed chicken to go along with the steamboat! Our favourite is definitely the pork satay. When the pork fats melt in your mouth, words is lost to describe that delightful feeling.

Be warned though not to go during peak dinner hours on weekends or you may not be able to find any seats at all! It may be rather hard to catch the bosses' attention. But most importantly, don't order extra meat for your steamboat if you're on a budget. Just go for the standard plate! Don't forget to order beer to complete the chillax experience!