It is such a pleasure to finish off a meal with a cold dessert and this stall is very generous with its portion of Red Rubies. I was quite pleased to see so many of it as I liked the crunch of the water chestnut after biting through the gelatinous coating.

However, this excitement slowly wore away with each spoonful as I found the coating a tad too thick and chewy. The coconut base was more enjoyable as it was not too sweet or thick.

Extra points will be given for the stallholders who are very friendly and trusting. They let my husband have some credit when he did not have enough coins. Of course, this was returned and they teased my children in a nice manner.

Nasi Lemak is one of those dishes that I will inevitably buy if I want my carbo and coconut fix. All things oily and cholestral-rich.

Surprisingly, the Nasi Lemak here, sold by Chinese, is not oily and gives you a good variety of vegetables to choose from

The sambal was delicious, not too spicy or sweet and the ikan bilis with peanuts was fresh and crunchy. There was no added sugar or salt to it.

The chicken wing was not oil-drenched nor overly-battered and had a good taste. The omlette was fairly thick and satisfying.

All this made for a satisfying meal that didn't leave me feeling I overdosed on oil and coconut

Holland Village is my regular haunt if I do not feel like going far in search of a meal.

I have always patronised the Food Centre not because it is known for good food, but because it is convenient and affordable. In fact, I think the stallholders here do not need to make a particular effort to up their cooking skills as there is a large number of expatriates who do not know whether there is 'wok hei' in their sweet & sour fish.

Despite a lack of outstanding food stalls, I chanced upon the Bittergourd Fish Soup at Da Hua Food stall.

The soup came with a generous amount of bittergourd and carrots, and a decent number of Toman fish slices. They added beaten egg into their soup and this made it texturally interesting and the overall taste was quite good. It also looked quite 'homemade' to have the egg strands floating around

YES!!! Another Japanese bakery which bakes lovely little bread and buns.

This is one of my favourite 'commercial' loaf of bread. Four Leaves is very generous with the cranberries which lends a sweet and slightly tangy taste to the soft buttery bread.

It is excellent with fresh organic butter and makes a wonderful breakfast or snack item

The strange thing is that they do not sell a whole loaf of it, you have to buy 2 halves to make it up. Neverhteless, I will buy four packets in one go to freeze at home so I will have a ready supply when the craving strikes

I always seem to gravitate towards Italian cuisine for it's hearty fare and substantial carbo fix, and it was to Rubato that my family decided to have a simple birthday dinner for my daughter.The resturant is nestled in a row of shophouses in the Clover Way/Jalan Pemimpin private residential and industrial area. So it does feel kind of strange as you drive past flatted factories and warehouses before arriving at the resturant.

The restaurant had a cosy, modern feel with both indoor and outdoor dining areas. We chose to sit indoors because of the heat and the haze. However, the comfort of being indoors did not make up for the patchy service.

They were kind enough to let us be seated though we arrived early before opening time. It took a while for them to serve us water and bread even when it was past the opening time. When we wanted some soup because one of our family members was starting to experience gastric pains, they said they could not serve as the chef had not arrived! Surely, the soup is already made and heating up in the kitchen and the junior chef or kitchen assistant could easily dish it up! They then offered bread to start and the soup also came shortly after. I think they saw the logic that they do not need the chef for that bowl of soup!

I do not have a picture of the Soup with Organic Field Mushrooms but it smelt good with truffle oil. Unfortunately, the aftertaste was slightly bitter, and needed some getting used to.The Charcoal Grilled Squid was slightly overdone and thus a bit chewy but the smoky taste and freshness of the squid made up for it.Ummm, the Spaghetti Vongole was lovely with very fresh and juicy clams. The gravy was also thick and tasted of the sea but not overpowering.I found the Gnocchi too cheesy and heavy but my daughter liked it.The cream sauce on the Spaghetti Carbonara was too thick and they were very generous with the bacon which made the smell and taste of the pork overpowering.Rubato will get its wait staff serve the Birthday boy/girl a dessert on the house with the birthday song.

My daughter waited 2 hours for her birthday treat to be served but was well reward by a flavourful panna cotta with a generous serving of caramel syrup.