I was hoping to try some of the signature ala carte dishes at Kinki but unfortunately, only set lunches/sushi/sashimi/maki are available during lunch. Anyway, this seems like a popular eating spot for working executives as the place was packed during lunch on a weekday.

My chirashi don was not bad but nothing outstanding. Quite a few pieces of fresh sashimi and I particularly like the ebi as it was ultra sweet and succulent. The set came with a bowl of miso soup, pickles, salad and a cream filled mochi for dessert.

Prices are on the high side though. For the same price, I can get a better chirashi at Aoki =)

Truffs at Telok Ayer is the latest newcomer on the chocolate scene in Singapore. The boutique shop is very spacious and the smell of heavenly chocolate lingers in the air. I really wanted to try their dark chocolate cake but sadly, there's no sliced cakes on sale and it's only sold as a whole cake (order 3 days in advance), sigh. There's only 3 types of truffles available: 55% équateur, 66% antilles and 70% honduras dark chocolate. I had the 70% ones as I like my chocolates to be ultra dark and bittersweet. These were quite good, very smooth and rich. Bonus point about Truffs is that you can try all 3 types before deciding on which one to get. The people there are really generous: one whole truffle as sample! =)

A social enterprise that’s part of Post-Museum, Food #03 is a very laid-back and hippy place with no air-con (think natural breeze), cool naked walls stripped back to raw brickwork and framed by curlicued window grilles.

I came specially for the signature Dugu Burger ($11) that’s the “most famous veggie burger on Rowell Road”. The tempeh patty was moist and soft, but tasted slightly bitter cuz some parts were badly burnt. And sadly, there’s no homemade bread here. Merely toasted Gardenia focaccia since the normal buns were unavailable.

Because everything is freshly made on request (no microwave in the kitchen!), the waiting time can test one’s patience. And the staff seemed rather clueless about what’s available. One minute there’s buns for the burger, the next minute there’s none. “No desserts today” was what we were told, and then when we asked another staff, “yes yes, we do” was the answer -__-

In a cafe named Artichoke, artichokes are bound to be found on the menu! Simple char-grilled globe artichokes with za’atar and evoo ($7+)~

The portion of the pan fried halibut ($30+) was really generous! Two thick slabs of fillets (really fresh but way too salty), perfectly grilled prawns and scallops, and patatas bravas (crispy potatoes with smoked paprika)~

Dessert: date pudding with dulce de leche custard, peanut caramel and sea salt ($10+). Too complicated and so sweet and dense that more than half was left untouched.

Like Nagomi at Cuppage Plaza, Ooi Japanese Dining is one hidden gem that I want to go back again and again. And again. Hiromi-san, the lady boss, is so charming and takes the effort to explain each and every single dish sent to our table so that the sensory assault on the palate is maximised.

Gingko nuts are a secret love of mine. Mom always say that it’s not good to eat too much but I often do just that whenever there’s freshly de-shelled and cooked ones at home. Here, the shioiri ginnan ($10++) are roasted with rock salt and so addictive! Slightly nutty and delicately sweet~

Steamed whole with the skin still intact, this kuri ni ($12++) is the sweetest chestnut I’ve ever eaten. One is sooo not enough!

The nama shako sashimi ($28++) comes highly recommended by Hiromi-san cuz Ooi is the only place in Singapore where one can have mantis shrimps served fresh in its rawest form. She even showed us a book on the subject, that’s how passionate she is about the food at Ooi!

I always try to have eel in any form at Japanese restaurants if I can. Ooi’s anago tsukeyaki ($20++) is L.O.V.E. The sea eel was grilled so perfectly, though the tiny bones in it were rather annoying. And chef included the edible soft bone of the eel on the side too!