The Wicked Garlic should not be an unfamiliar name to many who are working in the CBD area. Prominently located near one of the side entrance into the International Plaza and just situated right opposite the UOB bank has attracted many of the working crowds during the lunch hour. Deck in a full coat of black with nothing too fanciful decorations, just simple seating arrangements with tables and chairs to sit the lunch crowd and satisfy their hungry stomach.The Wicked Garlic are known for their pasta and thin crust pizza. Besides an ala carte menu, they have a lunch set menu which varies daily and it consists of a pre-determined soup and main and a drink of your choice for just $12.70 nett. Their lunch menu slightly differs from the dinner menu, where they have additional dishes like risotto and one of their popular ones will be the Grilled Large Prawn in Curried Risotto. I’ve been there twice during my lunch hour. The first time i went, i ordered the Lunch Set ($12.70) – Cream of Mushroom Soup, Linguine tossed with Beef Ragu & Bacon in Pomodoro Sauce and Iced Lemon Tea. Decent food served at reasonable price. Good consistency and flavor for their mushroom soup with bits of wild mushrooms. Linguine were cooked to al dente with hint of sweet and sour flavor to the pomodoro sauce. Nothing too spectacular but instead it resembles that of a simple bolognese pasta dish.The second trip there, i decided to go for their Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Prawns ($11.70). Their Spaghetti Aglio Olio on its own will be $5.70, and you have the choice to add like mushrooms(+$1), bacon(+$2), squids(+$4) or prawns(+$6) at their respective prices. Spaghetti tossed in garlic, chilli, parsley, anchovies and extra virgin oil turns out to be extra flavorful and aromatic. I like their use of garlic which enhances the overall taste of the dish. Though i felt that the prawns fell a little short in the quality between crunchy succulent and a tad of softness but nevertheless, it is still rather fresh i would say. I much prefer this Spaghetti Aglio Oli with Prawns to the Linguine tossed with Beef Ragu & Bacon in Pomodoro Sauce in terms of flavor and taste wise.
Service was quite friendly and waiting time for the table was not too long which make it a good alternative to the hawkers food. But one bad thing about it, is the ventilation. As the area is quite cramp, they could not have a proper enclosed kitchen, so their kitchen follows the open top concept, so after a meal there, you will never fail to walk out without smelling like a dish of pasta.

https://poohlovesfood.wordpress.com/2015/07/17/the-wicked-garlic/

Contrary to the image, when the clock strikes 7pm, the snaking queue takes over to welcome you into their humble sushi bar! You will only get to see this side of The Sushi Bar before 7pm. If you do not wish to queue, it is highly advisable for you not to just make 1 week of reservation in advance but at least 2 weeks in advance because they kind of kept a fixed number of tables available for reservations which is pretty small.Similar to what an authentic Japanese restaurant does, apart from the fixed menu, it usually comes with another Daily/Catch of the Day Menu stating what are the fresh catches from the sea they have on that day itself. These Sashimi usually come at a much higher price due to its freshness and some being seasonal too.First appetizer to kick start the dinner is none other than the traditional Chawanmushi ($2.80). I guess it’s kind of hard to come across awful tasting Chawanmushi since it’s such an easy to make dish, and nothing too fanciful is needed to give it the finishing touch. But what makes this dish stands out the most it’s the smooth and silky egg with a touch of light seafood flavor to it.Next up was the Scallop Mentaiyaki ($13.90). Thinly sliced fresh scallop which are light in taste paired with the creamy mentaiyaki sauce and tiny fish roes under the quick glaze of fire brings the flavor to another height. It was simple yet an impressive dish.First gem of the restaurant is their Chirashidon. We went for their Normal chirashi-don ($24.90) which consists of 3 thick slices of each sashimi that were full of lustre – Salmon, Aburi Salmon, Tuna, Swordfish, Yellowtail and Scallop topped with Ikura (salmon roe). The cut of fish falls between common and something more premium. They are selfless in their ingredients, each slice of fish is that thick, fresh and succulent with the Swordfish having the extra bite in particular. Their generosity of sashimi has definitely surpass the proportion with the rice and way exceed my expectations for the price i’m paying for.Second gem of the night that we couldn’t miss was this Salmon Aburi Roll ($14.90). I love how the taste and texture of each ingredient has complement one another. The crunchy crispy battered prawn with buttery avocado wrapped around with sweet japanese sushi rice and half grilled salmon aburi goodness that literally melts in your mouth. It’s such a delicate delicacy.
The Sushi Bar definitely makes a good place to satisfy your japanese cravings at pocket friendly price yet not comprising on the quality in the food served. Despite the crowd, attentive and prompt service was rendered to us while we were there too. Highly recommended place!

https://poohlovesfood.wordpress.com/2015/07/11/the-sushi-bar/

Right in the heart of the CBD area sits the Sarnies Cafe with an unpretentious outlook. They have kept everything simple with just a few art pieces and well furnished with wooden seating arrangements for both indoor and outdoor.Not an extensive dinner menu but what they have are really one of a kind and classic.First appetizer of the meal was this Triple C – Curry Crab Crocketts ($14). Don’t mistaken them for mozzarella cheese sticks! Within each of them are filled with flow-y piping thick hot curry crab sauce. The texture well resembles that of mozzarella cheese sticks just that instead of cheese fillings, it’s hot curry crab sauce fillings. Although i’m not too sure what kind of crab am i suppose to expect inside, but it tasted good enough for a finger food! The curry is not too spicy, the flavor falls a little between Japanese and Indian curry.Next up was Avocado Fritters served with Spicy Lime Sauce ($10). It’s my first time seeing how avocado can be served differently on the dining table. It’s simply avocado balls coated with crumbs. A bite into the ball and you can feel the creaminess and richness of the fruit itself. The spicy lime sauce on the other hand was pretty light, so it went well with the richer tasting avocado and balances the flavor.Last appetizer of the meal C4 Bomb – Truffle Mash wrap with Home-Cured Bacon ($12). The mash potatoes is of super smooth and fine consistency with subtle truffle taste. The bacon used to wrapped around it was a little crispy yet not oily and with a little saltiness to it. The pairing with avocado puree makes it a delightful combination.This Cajun Spiced Paperbag Chicken ($14) consists of 3 drumsticks/thighs part well marinated with cajun spices. The chef really took good control of the heat and cooked it to perfection. With the skin a little charred, and the meat inside remains tender, juicy and flavorful. The cheese sauce that accompanied with it complements the overall taste really well and makes this dish kind of addictive! I could easily finish this whole portion by myself. It’s really that good.Finally here come the first main – Thai Disco Pasta ($15). Pretty interesting name they have there, and when we were asking for recommendation, we were warned that Thai Disco is very spicy not for the faint heart! But when i had a taste of it, i was pretty disappointed, not that the dish was bad, but the spiciness level and omph that i was expecting, it’s simply missing. Nevertheless, this pasta dish is pretty good. Why is the name Thai Disco Pasta? Simply because of the ingredients used – Basil, Kaffir and Chilli padi, the very 3 ingredients that you will never miss it in any authentic thai food. The whole dish was aromatic and the spaghetti was cooked to al dente. A simple dish yet with all the main flavors locked into it.Kabocha Pumpkin Risotto with Prosciutto Ham ($16) was the last main we had for the night. Kabocha Pumpkin is commonly known as Japanese pumpkin with its sweetness higher than a typical sweet potato or pumpkin. It looks kind of different from a typical risotto right, doesn’t it? Yet, the consistency and the rice is pretty much similar to that of a risotto nonetheless. The overall dish is full of natural sweetness from the Kabocha Pumpkin making it a pretty light dish but with the presence of Prosciutto Ham enhancing and bringing out the flavor of the risotto.Of course, we need desserts to end off a meal – Churros with whipped cream, chocolate and salted caramel dips ($10). I guess I still like my churros with chocolate dips, it’s still the best combination of all! Whipped cream dip seems to be a little too light for it, maybe it will be better, if it’s used as a filling instead. Salted caramel dip pairing was pretty mediocre too, maybe the consistency of the dip was not right, so the flavor does not really goes well with the churros. The churros here are pretty thick and sweet on its own, it gets a little too ge-lard after one stick.
Overall, Sarnies dished out pretty good and interesting food that was different from the norm. The ambiance makes it good for a night chill out after a day of work in the CBD area.

https://poohlovesfood.wordpress.com/2015/07/04/sarnies/ for more reviews

Fresh Fruit Lab or otherwise known as FFL, has been around the cafe scene for a good amount of time. FFL has differentiated themselves with a laboratory-inspired theme and fruits infused food/drinks menu. It’s conveniently located just a 5-10 mins walk away from Kembagan Station along the bustling Changi Road, attracting quite a decent number of crowds on a Saturday night.It’s a nice gesture for the staff to serve this complimentary rack of test tubes filled with fruit juices that can be found in the menu for tasting prior to placing our orders. At least we get to try the different flavors and order something we like best. To further enhance our experience in a laboratory-based cafe, water is served in beaker and juices/sodas are served in conical flasks. The juices concoctions are pretty unique and interesting bringing out the different characteristics of the different fruits and vegetables when they are mixed together. Three to Tango was one of my favorite, something zesty yet refreshing, the perfect drink for this hot summer. The one in the conical flask below was Passion Fruit Soda, its surprisingly cooling and refreshing with real mashed up passion fruits, somewhat tasted different from the usual soda that just mixes with syrup.Being the usual us having no idea what’s good to order, we decided to choose from a mixture of Chef’s Recommendations and Lab Bestsellers. First up was Truffle Fries ($12), neither a bestseller nor recommended by chef, but it’s like a must order, cause we have a crazy truffle fries fan among us. What makes a good Truffle Fries is definitely the presence and infusion of the truffle’s aroma and flavor coupled with hot crispy exterior of the shoestring fries. FFL’s truffle fries has definitely met 80% of the criteria.First Chef’s Recommendation’s of Masago Cavier Pasta ($20). Delicately plated with Baked Half Scallops topped with Sunny Quail Egg and Cavier Masago. Spaghetti was cooked to al dente, and wholesomely infused with the taste of Masago Cavier. Half Scallop was well seasoned and baked to perfection; not too hard and chewy but instead light on teeth. The dish is a little heavy on taste some might find, but this dish definitely suits my taste bud, someone who enjoy seafood and prefer food with heavier flavors!Next up, this Fish & Chip ($19) is FFL’s Bestseller! Generous and relatively big piece of Beer battered pacific dory served with shoestring fries and homemade tartare. The fish was thick, fresh and not crumbly. And i like how all their main dishes are accompanied with fruits infused salad that gives an additional sweetness to the overall dish.Like how the dish is named, Da Bomb Burger ($19), it’s really da bomb! In between the 2 toasted bun sits a juicy 250g beef patty with crunchy lettuce and tomatoes, crispy bacon and a runny sunny side up! It’s a total burst of flavor in the mouth. The balance from the lightness of the sunny side up and veggies paired with the flavorful beef patty, is simple yet awesome.
With some stomach space left just for the dessert, we ordered both their Rainbow Cake ($7) and Lychee Cake ($6.50).I must admit their Rainbow Cake tasted a little different. The cake was moist and dense; Cream cheese that was used for layering was rather light and the different layers bring about a citrus taste to the palette. This Lychee Cake is another praise worthy piece of dessert. Delicate pure looking dessert that sits a big juicy lychee. The texture of the cake was pretty unique, the exterior is as though i am eating marshmallow, and within it is layers of these marshmallow and sponge cake. Light and fluffy with subtle sweetness.The best way to end off such a fulfilling dinner is definitely a cup of fruit infused tea to cleanse our palette and help us in our digestion.
Overall, it was quite a pleasant dining experience in Fresh Fruit Lab. The ambiance and the quality of food served was superb. However, the downside was that the setting sun were shinning in at where we were sitting during the evening time which was quite a disturbance. Nevertheless, it’s a recommended place for a good chill!

https://poohlovesfood.wordpress.com/2015/06/06/fresh-fruits-lab/ for the full review with pics.

Originating from Korea, this dessert boutique cafe has opened its door along Keong Saik Road attracting all the local korean fans. Cafe is deck in 3 main coats of color – white, yellow and brown, bringing out a clean, neat yet quirky ambiance within. The dining area is well spaced-out but not lacking in any cosiness. We are pretty lucky having not to queue for long hours before we can get hold of these bingsu and pretty potted desserts.What makes Banana Tree stand out from the rest is definitely the cutesy presentation of their desserts and drinks. For one, their Iced Chocolate Som Som Latte ($7) is topped with white fluffy and sweet candy floss. And frankly speaking, i like their candy floss better than the latte itself. I find the Chocolate Som Som Latte somewhat a little too thin in flavor, lacking the richness and milkiness i was expecting.Flower Baap ($6.50), flower pot pudding made with finest ingredients. We went for their Banana version. Smooth handmade cream with mash of banana topped with oreo bits. Quite interesting burst of flavor, something different from the usuals. Simple yet delightful pot of dessert.The last dessert we tried was this huge Pot BingSoo ($12.50). The base is made up of fine shaved ice with sweet red beans cooked to the right consistency, neither too hard, nor too soft accompanied with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Definitely feeling shiok eating this on a sunny hot day! & in my opinion, this pot is good for sharing for a group of 4 and more, as the 2 of us gotten a little bored in finishing it!Generally, the cafe has the potential in attracting the crowds due to the pretty plating of desserts & drinks and the use of cute little utensils, like the mini spade spoon! & also the very fact that it comes from korea! Flavor and quality wise is definitely decent and comparable to most other places selling similar items.
https://poohlovesfood.wordpress.com/2015/05/28/banana-tree/ for the full review with pics.