Just yesterday, I visited Sun with Moon Japanese Dining & Cafe at Wheelock Place, Orchard Road.

It brought back memories of one friend as she was the one who first brought me here about 5 years ago. (Alice, I hope you're doing well!)

The place still looked the same as how I had visited it years ago, with nice, comfy chairs that really provides comfort while eating your meal. Also, I like how tables are well spaced out, so that you're still able to have a, somewhat, 'private' conversation with your friends.

I came here with two ex-colleagues-cum-friends and this place was really great for us to do some catching up.Big sisters of mine with 2 garfield soft toys they collected after the recent Garfield Run.

The set meal here is expensive - one set meal for example (which I had wanted to order), was the Sukiyaki & Tempura set, which comes with sliced Aus beef and vegetables in hotpot, a cracked egg, rice, soup and assorted deep fried tempura.

I did not order that as I was worried it might turn out too much for one person, on a diet too, to be having.

So....

I ordered the ala carte sukiyaki ($17.80)! The beef was served raw with soup broth. It cooked pretty quickly, about a few minutes or so. From this...To this! YAY!! Finally ready to eat. Big sister Serene felt that she likes the pork here - so she ordered an ala carte Pork Shogayaki ($12.80) instead of having the set, which comes with soft shell crab tempura, soup and rice. If you order rice separately, each order will cost you a hefty $3, which every Singaporean knows is expensive to pay for a bowl of rice! Big sister Christina ordered a Bara Chirashi set, which came with a soup, (a super small sized) chanwamushi - steamed egg - and the main dish (Sushi rice bowl with grilled eel, flame-seared salmon and scallops!). This set cost $28.80.When dining in a Japanese restaurant, how can you leave out the salad? I ordered the Bacon & Mozzarella Caesar Salad ($12.80). The appetising dish was well presented in a really huge bowl and was served with a special sauce, which I just poured it all over the salad without thinking twice. (Here goes the diet plan!) The salad tasted fresh and came with fresh mozzarella cubes which really added flavour to the otherwise typical mix. What also gave it a winning edge was also its thick cut bacon strips, that came with some fat on it. It tasted really good and I would seriously recommend this dish to anyone not on a diet.

Lastly, it's dessert time! You cannot leave Sun with Moon restaurant without trying out their desserts. It's one of the most lightweight desserts I've eaten and this is one of the top choices of my review tonight.What else? DESSERT TIME!!

For people who love variety in their food, I recommend the dessert trio ($9.80). The dessert comes with a goma pudding, a small slice of tofu cheese cake and green tea ice-cream topped with red beans. You will not regret this.

My favourite was the goma pudding (also known as black sesame pudding). They managed to marry both rich black sesame paste and silky milk pudding together, making the smooth and bouncy texture of their matrimony that much more exciting to eat.I also ordered a Matcha Tiramisu (Green Tea Tiramisu), it costs $6.80. It tasted so light and fluffy, it was a perfect end to the heavy meal.In summary, I like the food in this place, but I feel that most food items are really expensive. I would only return if I have more money to spare!

Location:

Wheelock Place

501 Orchard Road #03-15

Singapore 238880

Tel: +65-6733-6636

Directions - From Orchard MRT Station (red line), exit the station on facing Ion Orchard. When you've exited, just turn towards your right. Walk straight and follow through to the underpass and when you've reached the end of it (there should be an escalator), use that to get to level 3. The restaurant is on this floor. (Even if you can't find it, just ask any Singaporean locals. They'll be happy to direct you to Wheelock Place.)

My Ratings (the higher the score, the better it is!)

Food: 4.2 / 5

Ambience: 4 / 5

Bang for your buck (Value): 3 / 5

Service: 3 / 5

Average scoring via my F.A.B.S rating: 3.55 / 5

A new Korean Fried Chicken store has popped up again! I was nearby and I chanced upon this newly opened eatery so I decided to give it a try. Tongue-in-cheek name made me laugh - Chick and Ken - ChicKen! Lol. Now, on to the food.2 Flavours Fried Chicken ($15.90)

I chose the 8 pieces version, which gives you the option to choose 2 flavours from the 3 choices (YangNyeom, Ganjang and Salted Egg). The 16 pieces version however, gives you the option to choose 4 flavours - but I wonder what's the 4th flavour gonna be when there's only 3 flavours available.That aside, we went with the Ganjang and Salted Egg flavour. It was well divided in terms of chicken parts. For each flavour, they gave us 2 wings and 2 drumlets. I felt that the chicken portions were a little too small. Actually, so did my friend.Anyway, I was looking forward to trying the salted egg chicken as I wondered how it would have tasted. Sinful, I'm sure! I was expecting a deep flavour of the salted egg coated chicken, but unfortunately, it was a little blander than expected.Its flavours were not that rich, I'm guessing it's because of the addition of evaporated milk which somehow decreased the salted egg flavour. The chilli and curry leaves were a good addition for an additional oomph.

I was more surprised by the Ganjang Chicken - simply soy sauce, garlic and mirin.I loved the overall taste for this and its flavours had captivated me more, without being overwhelming on the saltiness aspect. This is one flavour I would recommend if you visit.

Overall, the chicken meat was tender, but I felt that it had lacked the crunchiness that I usually experience with Korean fried chickens.

Artisanal Classic Injeolmi Bingsu ($12.90)

I do give this dish a thumbs-up for its presentation.I feel that rice cakes taste nicer when they are softer. Unfortunately, I didn't like that the textures of the rice cakes here, which were inconsistent. Some were hard, some were softer. Also, there was only a thin layer of the powder on the small rice cakes, and the flavour didn't really appear.The red beans were really nice though. I think there should be more condensed milk given. Maybe a larger syringe would do the trick nicely. Lol.Overall, I did like this dish because the sweetness was well balanced (red bean paste, honeyed cornflakes were lovely) and the crunch level was addictive (crushed sliced almond flakes and cornflakes). The ice was very fine, and really very well done. The only gripe for me was the lack of taste of the peanut powder, which should be the signature taste for all Injeolmi-branded foods.

Also, I did kind of like the fried chicken here, and when I come back, I will still order the Ganjang Fried Chicken flavour.

Chick and Ken

Location: 21 Lorong Telok, Raffles Park, Singapore 049033

Website: Facebook

Ratings: 6.5 / 10Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook

I was invited to the second branch of the GeekCafe Singapore about 2 weeks back for tasting of their coffee by one of the owners, Jeremiah, who also owns and designs and produces sellout watches under the brand, Ancien Soleil (Ancient Sun). While the general idea of the second branch will be a replica of the first cafe, much effort have gone into the styling and designing of the cafe to give it a rustic, hipster look that will offer a good place to chill and socialise.

I had especially loved the lightings, which were picked with much care from their owners, who came from designing backgrounds.Posters hung in their cafe, which is designed by the GeekCafe team themselves. During his introduction of their coffee, I was pleased to know that their cafe roasts their own beans. Their coffee uses a combination of Columbia and Brazil beans, and added with their coffee bean roasting and coffee making skills, the end result is a deliciously smooth and easy-to-drink cup of coffee latte!Not only they are good at their coffee, but extended effort also goes into other drinks as well. I tried the Milk Hot Chocolate ($6) and the Green Tea Latte ($6), which is really good as well.

Usually, I dislike how hot chocolates make you feel very bloated at the end of the drink, and how it is usually very thick. But not for the Milk Hot Chocolate here, which is of the right consistency! They sourced one of the best chocolate powders from France and the rest is their own secret recipe, which uses only 33% cocoa powder, hence resulting in a drink that is light but does not lose the chocolaty taste. I liked how the Green Tea latte used the right amount of green tea powder, hence the taste wasn't overbearing as well. There was a slight saltiness in it and wasn't too sweet, which works just well for me! They have added a little brown rice mix in it as well for a unique touch of extra goodness.

All cakes are supplied from their partner, the Cat and Fiddle cheesecake store, which is well-known amongst cheesecake lovers. So be sure to order a cheesecake along with the coffee too!

The Spicy Arrabiata Pasta ($7.90) was very homely as well, and tasty for good value!A warm, homemade mushroom soup with huge chunks of mushroom in it ($6.50) to comfort the stomach~Another thing which is interesting to me, is that they also offer various classes, for example, a barista workshop, leather making workshops where people can learn to make crafts, or wait with a cuppa while their computer is being repaired! They also sell various items in their store, which includes the regular digital items, coffee making machines, drips, and more!They have officially opened doors to their second branch last week! So, for good coffee and if you need to repair your computer (ouch!), visit them and stay tune on their website or facebook for available workshops as well!

This was an invited media tasting session.

A newly set up western food stall lays inconspicuously in the corner of a popular eating mini food centre at Harbourfront Centre.

No prizes, but are you able to spot their shop?What really caught my eye at first was the unusual display of their condiments for customers: Jamie Oliver branded black pepper, red hot chilli pepper and mediterranean sea salt grinds! Oh my oh my. How very special of a western food food stall to use these condiments.That spiked my interest and I asked one of the staffs why they decided to use these condiments. He shared that it is used only for pastas and for some, on their salmon dishes. He stressed, however, that his dishes focus on having the right flavour in the gravy used, I agreed. And I love gravy, what more for chicken chop dishes, which are its main highlight, at least for me.So, I decided to try out one of their signature dishes today, the honey garlic chicken chop ($6.50)! I didn't have to wait too long. The dish was served in less than 4 minutes. Each dish also has 2 complimentary sides, and the portion looked substantial too.

I got the french fries and a cold pasta salad.Looking at the dish, it was interesting how they used cajun spices for the flavouring of the fries too. It was a creative touch overall, but I was slightly disappointed when part of the fries already became soggy. I just wished that they had paid more attention to their fries, which would have added more points to their ratings.The pasta salad tasted light and delectable, and I did not have any gripe over it. The chicken was tender and there were not much fat on the skin. I liked the honey garlic sauce as it was well done, and a light hint of garlic is apparent, without it overpowering the senses.

I do think they have earned their stripes for a well cooked gravy, and the tender meat. But the side dishes play an important part and I would recommend that they also pay more attention to it, and it'll exceed expectations even more.

Lunch menus are available here too:Their menu:

Dear all, just to let you know that Bornga (본가), is now having a business set lunch promo!Their stews go for $9.90++ now. This also includes side dishes house dessert and tea! I love the (wheat) tea they served!

As usual, I went for my doenjang jjigae (된장 찌개) today. They will cook/ heat this up in front of you!!Ta-dah! Its done and ready to eat!Laced with sesame oil, the bornga way would be to eat it mixed with rice and doenjang jjigae, like bibimbap (비빔밥)!Something like that, I think! Mine doesn't look too reddish because I didn't put too much chilli paste Our normal potato salad banchan (반찬) ran out when we asked for a refill. But what was served was a very refreshing sweet purple potato salad banchan!In it, there are small red pepper and black bean bits, topped with peanut crush. LOVELY. Couldnt stop eating this despite me being too full after my chiggae.

My friend was also very pleased with her dolsot bibimbap (돌솥 비빔밥) a.k.a stone pot bibimbap!!Happy!!

Visit Bornga here:Rating: 3.8 / 5