While Selegie's soya beancurd is one of the better ones around, it isn't nearly as smooth and soft as Rochor Beancurd and GoGo Beanz. Unfortunately, the ah balling were a different story altogether. While the yam filling was pleasantly smooth, the glutinous rice skin was thick and stiff.

Following the likes of Lao Ban, Selegie has also diversified into the soya pudding market. Their version was, however, rather tasteless. Stick to the old favorites, I say.

I dislike beer in general. But it's a different story altogether when stout is combined with chocolate. The bitterness of the alcohol is counteracted by the sugar; vice-versa, the bitter tang of the stout helps to tame the sweetness of the chocolate.In fact, I love Plain Vanilla's chocolate stout cake base more than their regular chocolate version. The malty, roasty notes of Guinness give the chocolate sponge a fuller flavor, and the carbonation of the beer gives the cake a softer crumb. Paired with PVB's swoonworthy cream cheese frosting, this is one cupcake that will guarantee you sweet dreams at night.

If my memory serves me well, PVB's vanilla-Irish cream cake tastes even yummier than their signature vanilla sponge, and that means a lot because the former is seriously delicious! Dreamily fluffy vanilla cake meets Bailey's-infused chocolate fudge (wouldn't have minded having more of this), Irish cream frosting and an alcoholic truffle, mmm.

The chocolate stout and Irish cream cupcakes are available till April 1.

Price: $3.20 per cupcake, $18 for a box of six

Resort World Sentosa's Malaysian Food Street has been said to feature some of the best hawkers in Malaysia. The budget-conscious will be glad to hear that prices here are not as steep as at the Rasapura Masters food court at the other integrated resort, Marina Bay Sands.

Fung Wong Confectionery's egg tart ($1.20) made my visit to Malaysian Food Street worthwhile. Although it tended on the watery side, the custard was wonderfully wobbly. Nestled in a crisp and light flaky pastry, it came as no surprise that these egg tarts were snatched up in a jiffy.

The crispy char siew bao (aka char siew puff) ($1.50) is also worth a try. The char siew filling encased within was pleasantly moist and tender, with a stronger spice kick than local variants.

I'm not one who usually patronizes Chinese restaurants, but Crystal Jade seemed to be the best located for dinner before sending a friend off at the airport.The meal started off with crispy cuttlefish with salt & pepper ($13.95++). This was one of the better dishes at the table.The pork chops with crispy garlic ($27++) were tender and none too greasy.The Claypot Eggplant with Minced Pork and Salted Fish was decent ($20.70++) but pricey. I find it difficult to justify paying so much for this dish when mixed rice stalls dish up comparable renditions of this dish...
I felt that the homemade beancurd with abalone mushrooms ($25.20++) was even more overpriced. Thankfully, it passed the taste test.The Yang Zhou fried rice ($12.80++) had nice wok hei and was something I wouldn't mind ordering again,I've never been a fan of E-fu noodles so I'll reserve my comments on the dish. A medium portion of this was priced at $18.80++ and was served with assorted mushrooms and some pieces of roast pork which could have been more crisp.The almond jelly could have been more springy.

Maybe it's because I love nut-based ice creams in general. But Alfero's hazelnut gelato is seriously good stuff. Velvety smooth and intensely flavored with the goodness of premium Piedmontese nuts, this was certainly the best hazelnut gelato that I've come across locally so far!

On the other hand, my vanilla gelato could have done with a stronger vanilla fragrance. Little surprise, then, that I couldn't resist stealing spoonful after spoonful of the hazelnut gelato from my friend's cup.