Hidden just like its neighbor, The Coffee Daily, Sun Ray Cafe is chucked in a corner of Serangoon Gardens. Publicity was pretty successful I must say. Of course, it’s needed for an inaccessible dining place. Reviews turned out just as successful. With that, I decided that I must give it a shot and check out the hype.They serve all-day brunch, together with their regular lunch / dinner main courses. No prizes for guessing it right – I ordered Brunch, for dinner, yes. Guilty as charged.American Breakfast ($14.90+) :: Besides the buttery-tasting bread (which is perfect), and the indistinct sausages, there was the scrambled eggs. Upon spotting the runny and creamy-looking scrambled eggs, I was all ready to jump on it. Because yes, I am the minority who likes the egg as soft and scrambled (as it should be) as possible. But with high expectations comes great disappointment. It was insufficiently salted.Eggs Benedict ($10.90+) :: Same bread used as in the American Breakfast. The course was mediocre and nothing to yell about. Quite a safe choice for this cafe, if you ask me. Though Wild Honey’s is still prevalent.Minute Steak & Eggs ($12.90+) :: I should have been taken the price as a forewarning that nothing good comes cheap. Second-class steak was served, not missing out on the fact that it was tough. It did not satisfy any of my beef cravings, sadly. This course fell way too short, and it’s to be avoided until it’s being looked into.

What’s unique is its policy of being pet-friendly. Diners can opt for either a pet-friendly area, or a non. Pet lovers, this can have a ‘good view’. It works, because it’s hidden amongst private estates; Amongst the rich asses (I’m just jealous) whom, if do not have a pet, is a crime. It can get noisy at times, with the dogs barking (at each other) from time to time. So depending on what you are looking for, sit in the respective sections accordingly.

So unfortunately, Sun Ray Cafe doesn’t hold a finger to most other brunch places. Moreover, it is hard to get to. Hopefully, its main courses are better than its brunch items.

Amongst the whole row of restaurants and cafes along East Coast Road, sometimes you are too spoiled for choices and not sure where to eat. Even though this trip to Mad Nest was planned, you need not worry if any of the restaurants you are visiting along that stretch is full, because you can easily switch it up.Mad Nest Restaurant intrigued me quite a bit when I was first introduced to it, what with the fanciful website design, and the super extensive menu – offering all-day Brunch items, Italian-Asian, Japanese, and Northern Indian food. All of that under one roof, MADNEST indeed!I was still impressed, when I met up with my friends at the restaurant. The restaurant was sleekly decorated, with cushioned high tables on one side, and normal dining, simple tables on the other, with a white and simple backdrop, adorned with a couple of paintings. Service was the same old, nothing out of the ordinary.Latte ($4+): Because I was really worn out, I decided to order a cup of latte for myself (I rarely have caffeine in the evening because they work wonders on me more often than not). Presentation was great. Taste, not so. It was the add-your-own-sugar kind. So I thought if you can’t impress with the overall taste, the only thing to impress with is the distinct taste of the coffee beans. But I guess they were skewed more towards being a restaurant than a cafe, I did not blame them for it. An ordinary cup.Oishii Maki ($16+): As we were in a party of four, we decided to order a dish each off the four cuisines. First up, Japanese. Made up of grilled eel and roasted salmon, served with avocado and mayonnaise, these 8 pieces of gem probably shone the brightest that very evening. The overall taste of it gives out just the right amount of saltiness with a soft punch of sourness. Eel and salmon, two of my favorite toppings. Well done here.The Mad Breakfast ($20+): Next in line, an item off the All-Day Brunch Menu. I was in-charge of ordering this, because well, I can and do have brunch items at any hour of the day. It fell way short when I tried it. The scrambled eggs looked promising but was nothing near acceptable. It was not salty, not creamy – it was plain mashed goo. To be honest, this has to be one of the worst scrambled eggs I’ve had. And that speaks a lot, considering the number of brunches I’ve had. The chicken sausages, the (not a) brioche, marinated mushrooms were barely edible as well. Don’t waste time on this.Hae Mee Bisque ($23+): We gave in to this when our first choice, Chili Crab Pasta was not available. The waitperson recommended this and we just went ahead with it. Firstly, no, the prawn bisque sauce did not do any justice to the dish. And secondly, the slipper lobster tails were dry, and meatless. The meat was scarce, and we could hardly taste a proper chunk of it.In a nutshell, I was not impressed with the food quality at all. It was a disappointment all in all. I hope it was only because we had chosen the wrong item off the menu. It would be a while before I head back there, unless something substantial changes along the way.

Note #1: Prices are only subject to 10% service charge. No GST.

Nantsuttei Ramen is one of many Ramen establishments that have made a name in Singapore. I’ve heard and read many raving reviews about it, and I was more than eager to give it a slurp myself. Parked at a corner of Millenia Walk, PARCO Marina Bay, no one would know its existent if the words did not get out.Who would have known you would be lectured before a meal right. Read through the notes and you’ll realize you might have been eating Ramen the wrong way all this while. Thankfully, not only is a lecturer not present, its tutorial is also an easy and joyous one – eating.Chashu-Men ($16++): Unfortunately, with or without the hype, Nantsuttei’s style of Ramen is completely not my cup of tea. The broth comes as a little too thick in flavors and taste, making it super cloying and an uphill challenge trying to finish it up. Its simmered pork meets the norm standard.The noodles, though relatively thin, was rather soggy for me. It isn’t firm enough to feel the bite of noodles. So, both the texture and the softness of the noodles are not to my liking, unfortunately.

I guess ‘taste is subjective’ is the best example here. I don’t see myself ever going back.

Hatched used to be this new ‘Eggs’ restaurant everyone talks about. It was so ‘in’ that if you didn’t know, your conversation partner would be like ‘whaattt?’. It took me really long to patronize the all-day breakfast place, for whatever reasons. Before coming, it was really one of those restaurants with a well-balanced mixed review. So I came without an expectation too high.The menu starts off with different categories of the cooking style of eggs. There are a couple of options each under ‘Boiled Eggs’, ‘Poached Eggs’, ‘Scrambled Eggs’, ‘Baked Eggs’ and ‘Omelettes’. Then comes the starters, some desserts and beverages. Whilst there, we were also presented with some ala-carte items that are well, not so hatch-y and egg-y.Burly Benedict ($19++): Whether you are opting for Poached Eggs with Smoked Salmon, Streaky Bacon and Smoked Ham, or in this case, Corned Beef, it costs the same. The same steep price, which I thought to be really ridiculous, when the Poached Eggs we were served with were not even slightly runny. I wasn’t the most pleased, because just like fries is the staple of Everything with Fries, eggs should be the forte of Hatched.Rosti Delight ($16++): The Rosti was slightly more comforting. The slightly peppered rosti went well with the Smoked Salmon; the right intensity of saltiness. The Poached Egg had the same problem I had given up hope on. The same question goes on the worthiness of the course.Turf N Cluck ($22++): In simple terms, this Steak and Eggs was more like it. Though served in a not-my-favorite style of Eggs, I was more relieved, as how wrong can a Fried Egg be right. The Steak was done to my liking – slightly on the chewy side. However, for the minority gamey meat lovers like myself, you would be disappointed. If you do dine here (for whatever reasons best known to yourself), place your bet on this. Or you can throw a dice and shift your cash to their Scrambled Eggs. I’m only hoping it’s done better than their Poached Eggs.

I strongly do not believe that getting the Poached Eggs right is a trial-and-error affair for a functioning restaurant like Hatched, not mentioning a few years old one. Hatched should get their act together, and before that happens, I’ll not be returning for sure.

No normal person (no offense meant) would be able to resist an Ice Cream Parlor, let alone one that has more than twenty flavors. Smart move, because well, you’d learn to bring more friends along to try out more flavors. I’m one who doesn’t usually go for the ‘free tastings’ of the Ice Cream, because really, Ice Cream flavors can’t go too wrong and a small lump of it can be deceiving as well. Liking a scoop of it doesn’t mean liking a cup of it.A plus point for Gelateria Italia is its self-service counter with free toppings of rainbow sprinkles, mini marshmallows and chocolate rice. But since I like my Ice Cream pure to taste the authentic flavors, I skipped this section all together.We had some lighter flavors on one cup, consisting of Soursop, Mango and Bailey’s Irish Cream. I say, don’t ever go for the Soursop. It has this weird taste attached. The Mango was pretty ordinary, with it being slightly sour. The Bailey’s Irish Cream was expectedly bitter with minimal sweetness. Not a flavor I’d want for a supposed sweet treat of Ice Cream.And we had a cup dedicated to Chocolatey flavors, which includes Dark Rocher, Nutella and Cookies N Cream. The latter was disappointing as its cookies were near to non-existent and dominated with the ‘cream’ instead. The Nutella was fine but would do better with a stronger taste. With that, the Dark Rocher shone bright despite its relatively duller colors and were the flavor that won our hearts that evening. It was sufficient to satisfy a Chocolate cravings, yet not overly sweet, nor overly sickly.

A cup of single scoop Ice Cream costs $4.90, and $6.90 for an addition. I do not think it’s worthy if you just buy the single scoop, but justifiable if you go for more scoops. The Ice Cream texture is generally smooth and good. The only thing you have to worry is its flavors. Of the 6 flavors I had, I am disappointed to be only impressed by one. Maybe we chose the flavors all wrong.

It’s an Ice Cream Parlor not condemnable, but one that you need to be wary. Good thing though, at least for its outlet at Bugis+, is its luxe decor and available of seats to continue the catch-up after a meal.