I actually like Four Leaves for their creativity in creating the Mini World a.k.a mini size buns. Priced at $0.65 for one, $1.80 for 3 and $2.80 for 5. I figured 3 pieces of such would get me full like how one regular size bun would, except I would be able to enjoy 3 different flavors instead just one. Sweet ones range from danish to brownie. The savory ones have more varieties though, such as hot dog, pizza bread, black pepper chicken, etc. I love their belgian waffles too. In plain honey glazed, chocolate coated and chocolate coated w/ thousands n hundreds sprinkle. The plain waffle is usually good enough for me, served at tea time or breakfast. Soft, chewy and so good tasting with cinnamon and nutmeg added to give its special flavor.

It was here where I planned a birthday dinner for my boyfriend. I wanted it to be more than ordinary hence I thought of Forlino for its fine, posh ambience in significant view of the Singapore flyer and city. Pretty hidden away on the 3rd floor of One Fullerton, the entrance to it is on the 2nd floor, next to Butter Factory's Fash. Take the stairs up and it'll bring you to the start of Forlino and soon with an amazing interior deco that resembles 'Alice in wonderland'.

The restaurant staffs are prompt and cheerful who greet you by the bar counter upon arrival. Of course, in order to secure a good dining spot, I made a reservation for 2 prior to that evening. I think I must have been a real 'kiasu' and troublesome customer as I called more than just once or twice, to confirm the right seating table, the surprise birthday cake plan and well, I just wanted everything to be in the correct order. Still, the staff remained to be polite and friendly.

The memory of Forlino that calls out to me was how the restaurant had a plan to use an artificial cake dummy as the complementary 'birthday cake'. To describe, the dummy was of the same size as the refrigerated round cakes on display at Swissbake outlets. I think it was meant to be a 'black forest cake' but I've to stress how real the strawberries on top looked. In fact, the entire cake dummy looked so real my boyfriend actually had no clue till I told him after dinner. With that said, of course the false had to be concealed, immediately after the wish was made and candle was blew off, one of the intelligent staffs said, "now we will bring this back to the kitchen and serve the cake to you later after it's cut." Ah yes, they sang him a birthday song too.

We had the Gourmet menu with 4 courses, but Forlino gave a complimentary Appetizer so should I say Five-course dinner, with a bottle of white Moscato wine we ordered.

Warm Homemade Foccacia served with Raw Tuna Slices and Cauliflower Mousse
It was like oven-baked Italian pizza bread, flavored with herbs. A rather large serving for an appetizer, it was cut into 4 quarter pieces. The raw tuna slices were somewhat similar to sashimi but less salty, however the one that stood up among this dish was the uniqueness of the cauliflower mousse. Before this I had never tried cauliflower mousse, it was actually like thickened soup puree. Soft, fluffy and light with vegetable richness. Favorable.

Pan Seared Goose Liver with Amaretto and Pumpkin Cream
Almost any fine dining comes with foie gras. Forlino's one laid in a small pool of pumpkin cream instead of just olive oil. I really love pumpkin as it is vitamin-packed and tasty sweet. The sweet almond-flavored liqueur added to the extra sweetness.

Homemade Spaghetti with Black Cod, Baby Artichokes and Mint
I'm upset to say both my boyfriend and I couldn't finish this course as we really wanted to save room for the mains and desserts. It was special though as it was basically like mint based pasta. The black cod were in nibbles but generous and went well with the spaghetti, I've to add, somehow it did taste a little to reference of Chinese-style noodles. Say, ee mee.

Wagyu Beef Cheek Braised with Marsala Wine and Herb Mashed Potatoes
This wasn't mine but what my boyfriend choose for his main. I'm not sure about the herb mashed potatoes but I did try a pinch of the wagyu beef cheek. It was really tasty and the meat simply came to shreds as soon as you try it. Bursting with beef flavor and tender.

Halibut Fillet with Orange, Green Asparagus and Martini Vermouth Sauce
This was what I had. Fish meat itself has always been nutritious and low in calories. The Halibut Fillet was indeed outstanding as it not only reeked no fishy taste, including its skin. The orange peel made it superb and refreshing.

Molten Lava Chocolate Cake with Banana Gelato and Rum Sauce & a complimentary piece of milk chocolate birthday cake.
And this was where the complimentary cake fitted in, served with the dessert course. The molten lava chocolate cake was lovely, soft and warm chocolate batter with a stream of lava chocolate oozing out as soon as it was halved. Good but I have to confess I have also tasted similar ones elsewhere. The banana gelato ice-cream was a good combination as we all know banana and chocolate go very well together. The birthday cake was a little square piece, which turned out to be alright, it was milk chocolate but we were too full by then to finish the entire piece.

Coffee/Tea served with Petit Fours
Choice of hot coffee or tea at the end of the meal. Petit Fours were basically danish cookies, meringues & butter cookies. 2 little pieces of them each, delightful. I liked the butter cookies best as it simply melted in my mouth, giving the burst-out-of-butter feel. Hot coffee was fragrant but rather ordinary.

Forlino is one ideal place to plan a dinner for events or functions, a place where you can be assured things wouldn't go wrong as from my experience, the staffs proved to be of reliable service. Ambience is wonderful too as upon stepping in, you know it that you are in for a treat. Highly recommended.

Platypus Test Kitchen is a newly launched restaurant in the heart of Raffles Place that serves fresh made pastas, soups and desserts. The freshly made pastas price from $15.50 onwards, ordinary pastas are cheaper than that. For an additional $3.50 you can upgrade to a set meal that comes with a drink and soup.

The décor of this restaurant looks like a modern kitchen and the feel of this place gives you a very warmth and homely feel.

As I just needed a light meal, the staff recommended me the homemade carrot & ginger soup. It was simply delicious; the soup was made of seasonal carrots pureed with a hint of ginger. It had a very natural flavour and definitely no msg added.

Will certainly return for their fresh made pastas!

Canele offers a range of glamorous and elegant cakes and desserts. Tested and true, the macaroons are luxuriously fulfilling with every bite. Evidently flawless in physical texture and slightly chewy in the center. Word has it that Canele's macaroons could be an alternative to the ones from Ladurée or Pierre Hermé in Paris.

The flavors at Canele are intense but my favorite pick so far is still Rose as it is not commonly found at middle-range bakeries which also sell macaroons, pretty in pink does it better. I understand that they've to be sweet as after all being made from egg white, more-than-average amount of sugar is needed to sustain the baking in oven, so hence I won't complain about the sweetness.

A wise pick as a gift for someone who loves his/her incredible desserts.

A place without GST and service charge yet produces damn good customer service. The staff are cheerful, efficient and well-spoken. I've always liked the pizza at Peperoni Pizzeria and I remember the first that I ate there, I went back 6 times within the same month, every continuous weekend. They're of wood-fired thin crust dough, topped with generous serving of ingredients. The Fruiti di Mare is a sure-win, heavenly dose of garlic with seafood and cheeeeese. For the large size, 22 inch for $22, you can mix 2 flavors into one pizza. The XL, literally extra large, around 42 inch(I can't rmb the precise measure) goes for $45.. it is as huge as the dining table. XL can have a combination of 4 flavors.

Tried the Squid Ink Fusilli too, it was pretty similar to Aglio Olio style except for the visible difference in visual. It was still fulfilling as the pasta texture quality was soft and chewy yet not mushy. We also had a Strawberry Daiquiri which was well-blended and really refreshing.

Nothing else on the menu beats the awesome pizza though. Anyone who likes Italian cuisine should try Peperoni, at least for the novelty. The fragrant cheese on pizza that melts in your mouth, oooh.

It's so good and thin, one could finish a large(22 inch) all to him/herself. To add, the thin-crust is light enough yet retains pizza dough authenticity and not to an extent of turning into a biscuit.