While Madam Kwan's has kept its exact opening date under wraps, it failed to keep curious foodies from flooding the restaurant last Sunday. Despite the torrential crowds at peak hours, I was whisked into the restaurant in no time at 5pm- hooray!

With fluffy and well-separated grains, the light yet aromatic coconut rice was one of the best I've had- better than Grandma's and the now-defunct Wok & Barrel's! Its accompaniments were less spectacular, however. Not that there was anything wrong with the sambal ikan billis or crunchy, piquant achar- it's just that they weren't particularly memorable.

I'm being picky here, but the the curry chicken- though succulent- wasn't quite fall off the bone tender. And one probably expects a more generous portion of chicken with a $13.90+ plate of nasi lemak, no?

While I have not visited Madam Kwan's in KL, I felt that their nasi lemak was somewhat overrated. To think that I actually contemplated making a trip to the capital to satisfy my coconut rice cravings! Nevertheless, given the quality of the food and its relatively inexpensive pricing (considering the restaurant's prime location), I will return to Madam Kwan's if I happen to be at Vivocity- once the crowds die down, that is.

I settled for a steaming hot cup of teh tarik ($3.50+) as the chendol was sold out. Let me know if you try their signature dessert and nasi bojari- I certainly had a hard time deciding between nasi lemak and the latter!

Cedele's Classic Hot Cross Buns are available all year round, but when Easter is around the corner, several other flavors come on offer. I liked the Classic Hot Cross Bun for its firm bite and for the dried fruits embedded in it. Chocolate addicts might prefer the chocolate version, which is studded with dark chocolate chips and walnut bits!I don't particularly fancy their D24 durian ice cream though. I like my durian ice cream to be punchy in flavor and this was somewhat too mild for me.

I'm a sucker for alcoholic ice creams, so I just had to try the made-in-house Chocolate Whisky and Pineapple Malibu ice cream at Barracks. Unfortunately, the ice cream was icy in texture and were mediocre flavor-wise. The chocolate whiskey ice cream tasted rather unrefined reminded me of cheap chocolate-flavored ice cream. Pineapple malibu (a mix of malibu rum, coconut and pineapple) fared slightly better and was somewhat refreshing.Thankfully, the red latte (rooibos tea latte) ($6++) was light and soothing. A pleasant drink.

One gripe that I had was that while I ordered a double scoop ($7.50), the two scoops of ice cream were served in separate cups and charged likewise at $4.20 a scoop. We were, however, bade warm goodbyes when we left the cafe.

Having never attempted a tea-based milkshake before, I ordered a regular Earl Grey Lychee milkshake ($4.50). As bizzare as this might sound, the combination was really delicious. Granted, it tasted mainly of canned lychees, but the earl grey syrup provided a refreshing edge to the drink. Texture-wise, the milkshake was a pleasure to slurp- smooth and not overly thick, with lychee bits for contrast.

I should have ordered a larger drink for an additional $1.50 though. The regular serving is really tiny!

Saizeriya's concept is a real winner: tasty western food at affordable prices that can rival those at food courts. As with most restaurants, orders are taken at the table but there's no service charge! The only self-service here would be to help yourself to the free flow of water or to the unlimited flow beverages for $1.50.I'm no expert at escargots but I was quite pleased with Saizeriya's rendition, which came with a very generous serving of garlic. Plus it only costs $5.80 for six!The Chicken Bolognese Doria was very competently executed as well. While there could have been more meat, this dish came slathered with a satisfying amount of creamy cheese. But I guess I shouldn't be complaining since this only cost $4.80 if i remember correctly!