The food scene in Singapore is very competitive and fast-changing especially for tenants at Far East Plaza. Recently, I noticed this new F&B establishment "5 Little Bears 五只小熊" outside the walkway of Far East Plaza with Chinese wordings and eye-catching lanterns. From the feel of it, the design concept sure looks young and appealing and I decided to visit one of the days for lunch.Upon stepping into 5 Little Bears, the ambiance was very light-hearted, casual and cozy with flowers by the side of the stairs leading down to the dining area which reminds me so much of boutique cafes over in Korea. There is a counter where menus are placed and patrons can self-service and make their orders for food there. Good news is that they don't have service charge and the price of the food are inclusive of GST!! After ordering, the friendly Taiwanese staffs will ring a bell and place the food at the food collection counter so you can collect it and dine at the comfort of your table. My friend had the Taipei Oyster Vermicelli ($4.50) which they will add a little vinegar and chili in it to enhance the taste. According to your preference, you can choose to add more of it too with the condiments available at the food collection counter. In that bowl, there were generous amount of oysters although they ain't that huge compared to the ones in Taipei and I love the mushrooms which adds a sweet flavour to it. Best of all, the silky smooth vermicelli can be eaten with just a soup spoon as they have cut it into short bits so you need not worry about splattering all over your shirt. I had a yummy bowl of Taichung Braised Pork Rice ($4.80) and from the looks of the serving portion, it was simply irresistible of great value!! There was a nice portion of minced braised pork, half a braised egg together with salted veg and a large stalk of leafy green, all these sitting on a serving of sticky Japanese short grain rice. When eaten together, the moist texture of the braised pork was so succulent that it melts in the mouth and the droolicious gravy complements the soft and chewy rice perfect to the bite.Ending off our meal, we shared their signature dessert, Eight Treasures Ice ($6) . With a perfect combination of red bean, green bean, barley, taro jelly, sweet potato jelly, glass jelly, peanuts and pearls on finely shaved ice, it was sheer paradise as I could feel heaven on earth with the delectable mix of sweet and bouncy goodies on a humid and warm afternoon. The serving was huge and it is recommended to be shared with 2 to 3 persons. Good things like this is meant to be shared with anyway!

It was a satisfying and sumptuous meal as the food tasted very authentic like those I had in Taiwan. The lunch crowd was streaming in in groups continuously and that speaks volume for a new eatery such as this. My dining experience here of sitting on stools and slurping down a bowl of Oyster Vermicelli sure feels like dining at a roadside stall in Tapei night market. With so many other varieties of Taiwan street snacks to choose from like their Salted Crispy Chicken and Kaohsiung Beef Noodles, I am already planning what to have for my next visit!

One afternoon, I decided to do a quick lunch at NamNam Noodle Bar as I had a sudden craving for Beef Pho. So since the queue wasn't too long (it is always crowded past 12.15pm), I decided to head on down to satisfy my long-waited Pho craving! Upon visiting the restaurant, I found out that they have a Saigon Street Favourite Set Lunch ($9.90) set lunch which consist of a Pho, Fresh Roll and an Ice Coffee. It was surely of great value and I ordered it.I enjoyed my Beef Pho as it smells so good even before I eat it. With a condiment tray filled with various sauces and pepper like fish sauce and chili flakes by the side of the table, I can customize the pho to my liking with it. Hence, the pho was served in its original state without any strong flavours. I like the silky smooth texture of the rice noodles too!Served together was the Fresh southern rolls with sweet shrimps, egg, and fresh herbs. I didn't enjoy this as the surface of the rice flour was dry and tough. It seems to me that they had prepare a lot of portions and have left it in the open. This was disappointing as rice rolls is one of the Vietnamese specialities.

The coffee has noting fantastic but The Saigon Street Favourite Set Lunch is available on weekdays from 11am to 3pm. Brave the queue at your own risk as sometimes, it will take up to 20 minutes to get seated.

Chilling out at a cafe is a lifestyle which some say that it is an expensive hobby. Over on the 2nd floor of Star Vista, there's a cafe run by Prima Deli Group and it goes by a geeky name of iBake. Upon visiting the cafe, it has a sign which says that they specialize in sandwiches and coffee. True to that, they do have a range of other attractive-looking pastries which are inexpensive and of great value! I decided to pop by on a Saturday afternoon to check out this cafe which has a huge alfresco seating area overlooking the atrium. Although the afternoon was humid and hot, there were fans blasting at full power to keep us cool. Most Singaporeans would prefer chilling out in an air-conditioned cafe but I felt this cafe isn't too bad too as we can sit around and people-watch without having to worry the friendly staffs chasing us away.Coming to the food, I didn't know what to have and the staff immediately recommended me the Kouign Amann ($2.90) which sounds and seem very unique to me, so I went ahead with the staffs' recommendation and had it. At the first glimpse, this pastry has a very nice glaze on the outer surface. There were almond flakes and caramelized sugar, giving it a perfect crisp texture on the outside and between the layers, the light French pastry was very delightful and decadent to the bite. I enjoyed it as it wasn't too sweet to my liking. Thumbs up! My dining partner preferred something on the sweeter side so we had the Pain au Chocolat ($2.80) which is a chocolate croissant with crisp flaky pastry. In my opinion, it has a right balance of chocolate so it wasn't too sweet and overwhelming. Furthermore, the chocolate were of darker type so it wasn't too milky too!We enjoyed our pastries but it is best to go along with some drinks too. My dining partner chose the Cappuccino ($6) that was served in a big coffee glass. Interestingly, the coffee they use here are from Segafredo Zanetti, a leading Italian coffee producer that specializes in espresso. Taking a sip into it, I can feel the smoothness of the cappuccino but I thought there were a little too much chocolate powder on it, causing it to be on more of the chocolatey side. Nevertheless, it was robust and leaves a linger aroma on my palate.On the other hand, I tried the Lemongrass Ginger Tea ($4) which was served in a cute teacup with a little leaf popping out from the middle. I recognize these lovely teabags when I visited Dean and DeLuca! I was in disbelief that they actually sell it so cheaply here compared to the mentioned cafe.After soaking the teabag in semi-hot water, about 80 degrees for a few minutes (to prevent from burning the tea leaves), I opened the lid of the teacup and the fragrance of Lemongrass Ginger hit my nostrils. It was very soothing and relaxing as I sip on the herb tea which aids in relieving stress and digestion. It was superb after my sweet pastry and the service staff was very kind to offer a refill of hot water too!

Besides just coffee and pastries, they do have combos where you can have a variety of items at a good value price such as sandwich and soup. I have to say that the price of the pastries are really of affordable value considering the quality of it. You must check out this cafe when you visit Star Vista if you do not mind alfresco seating.

If given a chance to choose a place to chillout and unwind on a lazy quiet afternoon, Prive Cafe would be my favourite hideout. Not too far off my place, Prive Cafe is tuck among the posh and lush environment within Marina at Keppel Bay where yachts and The Sail at Keppel Bay is. The environment is really too close for comfort to unwind with friends or along with a book. Hence, I headed over to Prive Cafe one afternoon and decided to nibble on some bites while I escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Looking at the cakes menu, what caught my eye was the Japanese Purple Sweet Potato & Miso Chiffon Cake ($6) which sounded interesting so I decided to give it a try. When the cake was served, it appears to have 2 layers, the purple sweet potato below and the faint aroma of miso was very comforting as it carries a caramel flavour to it.

Overall the cake was soft, moist yet still on the sweet, tasty side! Beating the afternoon heat, I had to order a glass of Ice Cappuccino ($6.50) to sip on while I enjoy my slice of cake and my book. It was not too bad for a chilled coffee as I still can taste the smooth and robust flavour of coffee despite the ice melting away. Quite good I would say compared to some other cafes which the coffee taste very blend after awhile.Concluding my visit to Prive Cafe, I have to say that the service really varies from time to time. Even though I frequent this place often, I always see new faces of staffs which some are very friendly while some only offer better service to Caucasians or big spenders on main courses and alcohol. Hence, don't expect really good service here as some of the staffs can be very arrogant. Ambiance wise, there's nothing much within the cafe but if you seat at the alfresco area that's outside, you can have a view across Keppel as well as visually appealing monuments.

TIP: If you visit Prive Cafe on Weekday afternoon, they have a Cake + Tea/Cake Promo at only $8.50!

My friends and I were at 100AM at Amara Hotel having dinner and after dinner, we were leaving to find somewhere nice for desserts and hang out. We just happened to pass by Tsujiri Tea House that is at level 1 just beside the escalator and being a fan of anything matcha, I persuaded them to give it a try as this brand of Tea House has been around for more than 150 years originating from Uni in Kyoto, Japan.Using the finest quality of green tea, this kiosk serves a selection of pattiseries including shaved ice, soft serve ice cream, ice blended and hot/cold latte selection. Beside the kiosk, there were a few seating places which doesn't allow a huge group of people to hang out here. However, the staffs were very helpful to bring out some stools for us to sit as there weren't enough chairs.

Looking like a typical bubble tea kiosk, there were menu hanging above the counter and also menu in a mini leaflet so you can carry it around in your pocket to decided on your next order. It is very helpful because they will issue a member card and will issue a stamp with every $5 purchase to redeem a free drink after 10 orders.I didn't know what to order being my first time here and the staff recommended me to have the Shiratama Parfait (O-maccha) ($7.80) which was a popular choice among many people. I can see why as it has their signature matcha soft serve accompanied by a mochi with peanut shavings. It is topped onto some Azuki Beans too, making it oh-so-heavenly! My perfect combination!

The soft-serve has a very smooth texture with a nice, milky flavour. The soft-serve took some time to melt too and of course, that rich matcha flavour was excellent! How nice is it the chewy mochi ball complements the soft serve very well.My friend had the Shiratama Parfait (O-maccha) ($7.80) too but they have a different choice of topping, a chocolate roll instead of a mochi! How interesting to have chocolate with matcha but both of it goes along too balancing out the sweetness of the chocolate. My female friend enjoys it with the crunchy cornflakes in between. What an interesting combination!Being a huge fan of Yuzu, I couldn't resist not ordering the YUZU Citron Tea Float (O-maccha) ($6.80) which has a nice citrus twist topped with creamy matcha soft serve. I thought the combination is a little weird but as long you finish the soft serve before it melts into the yuzu sofa, it should be alright!

Overall, I enjoyed my post-dinner dessert here as macha generally is beneficial to health and I need not worry about all the excessive sugary sweetness. I will be back again to try their other items like O-maccha Latte with Whip Cream and even Original Black Tea Latte as well as O-maccha Float too!