I was most delighted when a sweet friend of mine sent me some goodies from Plain Vanilla Bakery! Cupcakes stores are dime a dozen nowadays, but PVB distinguishes itself from the fray with its refined offerings.

If you only have space for one cupcake, I urge you to try Strawberry White Chocolate. The vanilla cake was faultlessly airy and moist and surprised with a center of fresh, sweet strawberry bits. My favorite component had to be the cloudlike white chocolate frosting though...this was arguably the yummiest cupcake I've ever had and possibly the best cupcake that I'm ever going to have.

Chocoholics will surely take to PVB's chocolate hazelnut cupcakes. Swirled with impeccably smooth chocolate hazelnut frosting that's sweetened just right, the dark chocolate cake base is suitably richer and denser than its vanilla counterpart, and comes filled with a gooey Nutella centre. Although these cupcakes are best kept at room temperature as storing them in the refrigerator may cause them to dry out, I like to stow them into the fridge right before serving such that the frosting hardens up slightly!This cupcake oasis dishes up mean brownies as well. Rich and fudgy with a gorgeously crunchy crust, they are best savored at room temperature if you like your brownies with a bit of chew. Alternatively, heat them up before serving if you like your brownies on the gooey side.

If you're too lazy to head to Holland Village, PVB does delivery for a charge of $8 with a minimum order of six cupcakes. Or you could spread the love with a gift of these mouthwatering delicious cupcakes!

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

The bargain-hunters and I stopped by Kim's Family Restaurant to check out its lunch sets one day. For $9.90+, you get a spread of banchan, a choice between beef, chicken and pork bulgogi and a bowl of rice! The number of banchan served depends on the number of diners- I was served seven dishes when I was there alone, but was given eleven when I ate there with two of my friends.

Both the beef and pork bulgogi were well-marinated and tender, and came in generous portions to boot. I prefer the former though! One grouse I had about the food on both my visits, though, was that the bulgogi and rice were lukewarm. Nevertheless, I wouldn't mind returning for its value-for-money lunch deals!

While I enjoyed the rich and creamy texture of the Mango Cheesecake, I found the biscuit base a tad soggy. Nevertheless, at $5 for two slices, Swissbake's cheesecakes are a rather good deal and I wouldn't mind having them again. They're better than the cheesecakes at some coffee chains, at least!The Lemon Passionfruit Cake, which comprised layers of passionfruit cream and sponge topped with lemon curd, was pretty alright. While I liked the flavor profile of the cake, the sponge layers were a tad dry.

While I enjoyed the slurpy kuay tiao noodles and generous portions of tender beef brisket, bouncy beef balls, half-cooked beef slices that came with the Long Phung Special Beef Pho, I wasn't too impressed with the broth. Yes, it was sweet and flavorful, but it wasn't hearty enough and was laden with MSG. The soup was also lukewarm and was too cold to cook the raw egg which came with the dish.The Chả Giò (fried spring rolls) were crisp and meaty though. Thumbs up!

Having never visited Vietnam, I'm not sure Vietnamese iced tea is supposed to taste like. Though light and refreshing, the tea had a bittersweet aftertaste which didn't go down well with me.

My favorite ice cream flavors at the Daily Scoop are none other than Lychee Martini and Cha. Contrary to what its name suggests, the former contains nary a trace of alcohol and is refreshingly fruity with a slightly icy texture that I adore. Cha, a fragrant and refreshing earl grey sherbet, makes an excellent post-lunch treat as well. A pity that it's not available often though!

Price: $2 for a junior scoop, $3 for a single scoop, $5.60 for a double scoop