Oooh...Where do I begin...?

The rustic and hideaway location of this Italian restaurant makes it a real gem and a rare fiind indeed. The long, green drive into Portsdown makes you feel that you are driving into the country with nary a tall building in sight. Great way to excape the hustle and bustle of the city.

We were welcomed in chorus by the Italian manager and the team of wait staff as we entered into the restaurant.

Each table was set with small cups of homemade tomato salsa to dip bread in and it was delicious.

Starters were quite standard but I could not stop dipping my bread and spoon into the flavourful White Wine Vongole appetiser which was the Special of the day..

The other Specials of the Day when we went were not too unusual with Halibut and Sole Fish as Mains and the Lobster Linguine which was a bit dry and so-so.
However, when I went there about a year ago, they had Pasta with Wild Boar sauce and a Quail dish - all very unsual but lovely in a earthy sort of way.

One dish to die for is the Coscia D’anatra in Dolce e Forte which is on their Main Menu. It is a Traditional Duck Leg recipe from south of Tuscany. Stewed with Red Wine, Vinegar, Raisins and Dark Chocolate, it was tender and succulent as the meat just fell from its bone. All the flavours were infused into the meat and it was HEAVENLY.

Pizzas were flavourful with thin crusts. I found filling of the Calzone a tad watery.

Enjoyed our meal throughly except that we had to leave by a certain time as the restaurant was fully booked that night.

But we were off next door to another culinary delight - Laurent Bernard Chocolate Cafe

I always love going to Al Borgo. It has such a cosy atmosphere, and the staff is very attentive.

For starters, we had Deep Fried Calamari and the Vongole soup. The squid was tender and lightly battered, not overdone, and the tartar sauce accompanying it was of the right tartness.
The Vongole Soup was gorgeus, not too salty and full of flavour.
Also, the Zuppa di Mare (Seafood Soup in Tomato base) is very rich almost like a sauce. Great for dipping breads.

Besides the usual Italian fare like lasagne and squid ink pasta, they have an unusual risotto made up of red chicory.
The pastas were of the right texture, with the right amount of sauce coating every strand of pasta. We had a variety of pastas like the Squid Ink (rich but not sickening), Scallop with White Wine Sauce, Seafood with White Wine Cream Sauce.

Pizzas were yum and the Quattro Stagioni was quartered to contain the 4 different ingredients - Artichokes, Mushrooms, Ham and Salami. I think it'll be better to mix them all instead of concentrating 1 flavour into 1 quarter.

The Chocolate Cake was well-liquered and the sponge pillowy soft, yum
The Diplomatica which is a layered pastry cake was not quite what we expected with the pastry limp (not crispy) and too much cream.

The Flat White was more of a Latte and the coffee not quite strong. Something that is unsual in an authentic Italian restaurant.

Despite the couple of so-so items, the service was great - the waiter told my daughter that we didn't have to say thank you as we were the customer and it's their pleasure to serve us. Where do we get wait staff like that?!?

These days, soya bean curd is sold nearly everywhere but to find an exceptional tasting one is hard.

I heard that there was a stall in Chomp Chomp that sold milkcurd that was comparable to jelly. So I went in search of it to finish my meal off. As I was walking through the crowded Chomp Chomp, a brightly lit sign of a dessert stall caught my eye. The moment I saw it, I knew it was going to taste good. I ordered a bowl of Mango and Almond Milkcurd each. I immediately stole a bite of the Mango as I was walking back to my table.

The curd was so smooth that it slid down my thirsty throat, and it had a strong mango taste which everyone will love. I wanted some more but decided not to have another bowl as I didn't want to upset my stomach. The almond one tasted good too. This stall has many other flavours and for $1.50 per bowl, it's easy on both the stomach and wallet!

It's one of my husband's quest to try newly-opened food joints that have been recommended to us. So, we were off to this coffee shop in Queen Street looking for this French food stall one evening and was rewarded by good food.

The place was nothing to shout about being in a coffee shop but the stall was well-patronised, so much so that the Stuffed Chicken Roulade was sold out when we placed our order.The Mushroom Linguine was subtly flavoured by the variety of mushrooms and the pasta was al dente to the bite.The Duck Confit Salad was refreshing with tender duck meat and light vinegarette drizzled on the vegetables.Aahh...the Short Ribs was something...the meat literally melted in my mouth and the red wine gravy that accompanied it was so tasty and we demolished every drop of it with the comforting buttery mash potato. Bliss

When I think of Penang food, the first thing that comes to mind is Penang Assam Laksa and that is what I had here.
The Assam Laksa was not too sour nor fishy and had generous amounts of ingredients. One thing that I found strange was the coarse beehoon looked and tasted a bit like Japanese udon.I ordered the Rojak with the sauce separate but they forgot to add the roasted peanuts in it. The prawn paste sauce was not too bad and the pungent prawn taste was tempered by some lime juice and sugar.