I had been to Cafe Oliv abt a year ago. I can still remember that I had their soft shell crab with salted egg yolk ($6.90). The soft shell crab was very crispy and coated with the sinful salted egg yolk…. it was truly an indulgence!

I decided to head back to try some of their other dishes .

The Menu

They offer a 3 course weekday set lunch priced at $10.90+ and a ”premium” set lunch (Mon-Sun) . The Premium set lunch comes with a soup, main course, dessert and a drink.

I am trying to cut down sugar in my diet and hence I decided to go ala-carte.



Caesar Salad ( $8.90+)

Served with Herb foccacia croutons , romaine lettuce and crispy bacon in caesar cream. I find the caesar cream too rich & cloying for my tastebuds. The bacon strips were very crispy and had a smoky flavour. I like their bacon strips , which taste quite different from the bacon bits normally found in Caesar salad.


Chilean Cod with Citrus and vegetables ($21.90+)

They were very generous with the serving portions. The chilean cod comes with 2 slices , fatty and generous slab of oily fish for omega boost! The cod fillets were well seared , retain its natural flavour.Notice the shredded carrots strips garnish on top of the cod? I thought it was ginger strips but when I nibble , it leaves a sweet aftertaste and I was assured it was carrot. Sometimes little things can be used to garnish food to enhance the overall presentation and taste.The vegetables served alongside – Brocolli, cauliflowers and carrots were soft but not mushy. There were times where I tried a few version which were either too mushy or raw.

Verdict: Other than the caesar cream which was a little too heavy , the cod was well-prepared. I’m glad that I made a re-visit to Cafe Oliv to try their mains. I must say that their prices are pretty reasonable and the service was attentive.

The Vines Seafood & Steak Restaurant is located at Upper Thomson road, not far away from Novena Square and opposite a Church. I have long heard their name as their BBQ pork ribs are one of the best ard, their prices are also cheaper compared to the other Western Food.

Their dishes had a little Hainanese flavour to it. One must try is the Hainanese Oxtail Stew which is only available on weekends. They have set lunch and the menu changes everday! Thus, you would not get bored eating the same food. The main courses are priced at $12 & above and just add $3.50 to enjoy a soup, dessert and drink. There are only 3 types of fish available- The dory, Salmon and Ikan Kurau(Threadfin).

They would advise you not to over-order your food and please keep that in mind. The portion is here quite huge and listen to your tummy before you proceed with your orders. Initially I have sat my eyes for the Italian Gelato (menu placed on the table) but I had to skip that as I was too full for it. Luckily, I followed his words and did not order that.

Garlic Bread

2 slices of garlic bread was served immediately when I placed my order. The garlic bread was warm and fragrant with the aroma of garlic and butter. The crust was also very crispy. It’s great for nibbling while waiting for the soup to be served.


Seafood Chowder


The soup was served together with the garlic bread. I am not a fan of soup thus I wouldn’t give any comments on this seafood chowder. The only thing I felt was the soup was just ”ok”. It wasn’t too starchy and there were some prawns in it.


Pan-fried doryfish with curry cream sauce


This was my choice of mains. There was actually 1 fillet of doryfish but they cut in into 2, serving it with carrots, white carrots and long beans. Apparently the fish was served with curry cream sauce thus I pressume the carrot stew goes well with the curry sauce.

The fish is quite fresh and tender and has a crispy outer layer. The crispy layer seemed to ”soak” up the curry sauce…. shiok!The curry sauce was quite fragrant, not too spicy and rich. The vegetables were crunchy and I must admit they served a generous portion for that. They topped the dish with 2 stalks of ”dou miao”.

Sweet Potato Pie



The dessert of the day was The Sweet Potato Pie. I thought the pie was served warm but it was served chilled instead. It was not very sweet but I couldn’t taste much of the sweet potato. The base was a little too thick though.

To sum it up, The Vines Seafood & Steak Restaurant is one of the restaurant that serves the most resonable set lunch. Even their mains were not too expensive and portions are huge. You wouldn’t burn a hole in your pockets. The food here is generally good and they seemed to be full house almost everyday for lunch and dinner. The service here is friendly and efficent too. I wouldn’t mind coming back again for the other dishes on the extensive menu.

Fellow food bloggers must have heard / had been to Oomphatico’s . I have heard of it long long time ago but I always missed the chance to visit the restaurant. I am sort of Mountain tortoise, calling myself a food blogger and yet to try their food till now! Anyway, Oomphatico’s is quite popular in Tanglin Mall as well as Caffe Beviemo (the strawberry shortcake is damn cute !)

Oomphatico’s is a sort of cafe, serving from breakfast all the way to dinner. It is a favourite place for caucasian to sit around, chit-chat , having breakfast and enjoying high-tea. Thus, you can see that at least 70% of the diners here are Caucasians.


The cafe/restaurant adopts a pinkish decor and it looks elegant and resembles a fairyland! Once you step in, you can see the dessert counter with a variety of colourful cupcakes, pastries and cakes. The waiter/ waitress would then ask you for outdoor/indoor seating. Most Caucasians would prefer outdoor seating and it is just opposite Ah Hoi’s Kitchen!

They offer 3 different types of set lunch- a soup/salad, 2 course or 3 course set lunch and prices are nett.They offer quite a variety of cuisine and those dishes that are vegetarian are being highlighted. There is a mixture of different cuisines— Mediterranean, Western and European .. to cater to a larger group of people.


Mixed Leaf Salad ($5 ++)

Being a ”salad lover”, I would always try to have a simple salad to start. This mixed leaf salad was ordered as an extra side dish but it came together with my mains.The mixed leaf salad has mixed salad leaves, Avacado,kalamanta black olives, cubes of cucumbers and Real juicy cherry tomatoes. I highlighted the word Real juicy as the juice of the tomato burst out immediately when I took a bite and I created a mess!

Roasted Black Pomfret, served with butter, veg, tossed with olive oil & Lemon ($19++)

Initially I wanted to get the vegetable steak but I saw the red snapper being offered in the set lunch as well. They do not allow me to change the soup. Thus, I had to choose between the vegetable steak or the Snapper. When I asked the waitress the ”Fresh catch of the day”, she told me it was Black Pomfret . I confirmed with her that it was 1 fillet of black pomfret & I want it being roasted.I waited for about 15 mins for this dish and when it appeared in front of me, I was completely stunned! It was not a fillet but a WHOLE FISH! OMG, I thought it was rather huge and I probably could not finish it. Anyway, I began to dissect the fish and enjoyed the fish head (my fav!) but found the front portion was a little under-cooked. I could see some red coloured blood in the gills part and I had it sent back to the kitchen. They apologised for the mistake and promised to prepare a new dish for me thus I waited… again for another 10 mins.They just reheated the under-cooked fish and serve it back to me. As I had already ” enjoyed the fishhead”, the reheated fish was ‘‘headless”. I thought they would prepare a ”new dish” for me but was just talking through the hat (bullshit!).

Back to the fish, it was well-roasted and the skin was very crispy and the meat is very tender and juicy. Being a fish lover, I would definitely enjoy the fish especially the chin, belly and the fishhead. It was a little unglam when I actually used my hands to dissect the different parts and spitting out the fish bones. However, I did not care and enjoyed the fish because it delicious!

The accompaniments- Maittake mushrooms, asparagus brocolli and tomatoes were well roasted as well.

Overall verdict : The cafe is provides a relaxing and comfortable setting and I would love to spend my leisure time having high tea here or simply chit-chatting with some friends. It deserves another return , perhaps for the desserts or the pomfret fish again. I would have given a high score if the fish were not served undercooked as the fish is really delicious !

Strategically located at a corner facing the yet-to-be opened Genting Integrated Resort over at Sentosa, the Serenity Spanish Bar & Restaurant is an oasis of ‘cool’ in bustling VivoCity.

A place for yuppies and families to wine and dine in air-conditioned comfort or alfresco, facing the Sentosa harbour, we are the only outlet in VivoCity to have a full bar with loads of house and international cocktails at affordable pricing. Other than great food and drinks, there is a live band playing from 7pm to 11pm daily & a flamenco dance performance every thursday night 8pm to 10 pm – a sure way to enliven any weary soul.

Cuisine
Serenity Spanish Bar & Restaurant serves authentic Spanish fare.The menu has a wide range of tapas, salads, mains and other Spanish delicacies. Their specialty is paella and they dare say that they have the most authentic and best tasting paella in Singapore because they use the best and freshest of ingredients, and their chef prepares each dish to exacting standard.

I was given a sofa seat by the Window facing the Resort World. Actually I am not particular about seating but the staff kindlt offered me a wondeful seat to enjoy the ambience. I must admit that the view would be spectacular at night and when the Resort World is officially built.

There is a live stage where live bands & performances would be held. Spanish music is played. Although I do not understand, I actually felt quite relaxed. I guess those it would be great when eating spanish tapas and watching the live performances at night!

I decided to take the SET LUNCH priced at $11.90++ which I felt that it was pretty reasonable for a 3 course meal. There is a choice of salad/ soup of the day, pasta( penne/ spaghetti), type of sauce and ingredients (mixed vegetables and mushrooms, beef bolognese, etc), a choice of ice-cream and a free drink.


Fresh Green Salad

Some salad leaves mixed with olive oil vingrette, simple and light. It serves as a great appetitizer.


Fusilli with mixture vegetables and mushrooms tomato sauce

I had the fusilli with the choice of mixed vegetables and mushrooms in tomato sauce. They are quite generous with the serving and there were quite a few types of vegetables in the pasta.( Zucchini, Carrots, yellow squash and mushrooms) all tossed in tomato sauce. I love any pasta that goes with tomato sauce as cream sauce tends to be a little heavy. There were bits of fragrant garlic bits in the pasta and I sprinkled some black peppercorns to spice it up. It was not too bad.


Strawberry ice-cream

There was a choice of Chocolate/ vanilla/ Strawberry flavour. I had the strawberry flavour and it was served ina cup with some nice buttery digestive biscuits sprinkled at the top. The ice-cream is just ordinary, not much strawberry flavour.

The service here is quite friendly but a little slow. I love teh ambience here and would definately come back for the paella and probably have some tapas while watching the live performances at night!

Capricci, Italian dinning & more. Besides Italian dining, Capricci is also ideal for parties, celebrations & holding events. Capricci is fairly new (about 8 months) but it has already established a good reputation in this F &B industry.

Step into Capricci, I felt a sense of welcome & warmth. The restaurant adopts a fine-dining ambience, with dimly-lit lanterns, providing a relaxing atmospshere.


Complimentary Bread

Few pieces of Focaccia bread with olive oil & balsamic vingrette. The bread came warm,soft and moist, just the way I like it. There were some black olives and sliced capsicums in the bread. It was not too bad.


Melanzane alla Parmagiana ($16++)

Layers of sliced eggplants with melted mozarella in between, baked to perfection. The tomato sauce that comes with it is home-made therefore it taste naturally sweet and fresh. The skin of the eggplant slices are crispy as they were being deep-fried before being baked. Basil pesto sauce drizzled at the side, simply lovely! I fell in love with it & would definately come back for more.


Tagliolini Pasta with zucchini, groper and Saffron Sauce ($22++)

Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of the saffron crocus. It is expensive and used for colouring food and just a little would be enough to colour food.

The Tagliolini pasta is very smooth and has a QQ texture. The Zucchini is very crunchy and they actually made an effort to peel and slice it evenly. Paparika powder sprinkled at the sides added a nice touch.

Chilli from Sicily

When they present this chilli on my table, I was a little surprised. Pasta and chilli taste a little weird to me. Do not be deceived by it’s appearance. The chilli is fiery hot & spicy, it sent my tongue dancing after trying just a little. I didn’t dare touch it.

However, some critics said that the Chilli is not to be missed in Capricci. I tried having a second try with my pasta and it was actually not too bad. But, I would still prefer without it.

Massimo, the restaurant manager of Capricci is very hospitable and friendly. He explained the different dishes to me and seeked my opinions of the food. He made an initiative to find out the customer’s preference and tastebuds.

I think restaurant managers should learn from him to make an effort to talk to the customers to find out about their opinions and suggestions for improvements