For full experience write up & photos, please visit my blog: http://www.aspirantsg.com/food/ice-cream-man-haji-lane/singapore or follow me on twitter for food reviews: https://twitter.com/AspirantSG

The ice cream sold here were personally made by the 2 owners (who are also very much in loved with each other – hence the sweetness of the ice cream) themselves rather than simply serving the usual Gelato, Mövenpick etc.

The lady boss was a joy to chat with & she happily introduced us to the day’s ‘hot’ selections. Both her & her boyfriend love to hear suggestions of new ingredients from their customers & create amazingly innovative flavors.

True to her words, some of the flavors served were really out of the world! A good example will be their squid ink ice cream which is pitch black in the photo below. I cannot put a word to the exact taste but it sure is salty.

The ice creams are charged based on their groupings:

Milk Base and Sorbet Groups: $3.50 (Single) & $4.50 (Double)

Premium and Liquor Groups: $4.50 (Single) & $6.50 (Double)

We eventually decided to go for Whiskey, Pineapple, Green Pea and Durian flavors.

You can’t really make out the Whiskey in the sorbet initially but after a few mouthful a slight high will kick in. They still strive to keep their customers sober. The pineapple was zesty and refreshing. Durian was well durian in its full package – so its still a no go for people who hate the actual fruit.

The green pea was a real winner. The seemingly humble green pea was a surprisingly suitable ice cream candidate. It’s sweet, delightful and reminded me of first love.

Unique flavored drinks eg Papaya Milk were available as well. Taiwanese gals take papaya milk for a reason. Pretty sure this drink will soon be a hit with the locals too.

Despite the shop size, there is a cozy spot for 5 – 6 pax that resides deep behind the counter. Many of our familiar childhood board & card games are made available for customers to relive their childhood days and have hours of fun & bonding with friends.

Overall a nostalgic childhood game session and we all loved their ice cream creations. Special thanks to the lady boss for her hospitality. We will definitely be back for their future innovations.

You may also like to check out my posts on other delicious food places: http://www.aspirantsg.com/restaurants-cafe-eateries-food-list-singapore

For full write up & photos, please visit my blog: http://www.aspirantsg.com/food/sincerely-youmee-noodles-indonesian/singapore or follow me on twitter for regular food reviews: https://twitter.com/AspirantSG

Nothing warms more than a sincere bowl of familiar Indonesian noodles to one working in Singapore. My Indonesian colleague's regular praises for You & Mee Noodle Place at Novena finally got me to dine there for lunch one fine workday without her.

The shop menu is simple with 6 main noodles, some side dishes, desserts and drinks choices for you to choose from at very reasonable prices. The lady owner is an Indonesian Chinese from Jakarta. She was really nice to talk to and patient with explaining the various mee choices.

After ordering, a numbered paper slip and drinks will be dispensed. Customers are expected to collect their food items from the collection counter once their queue numbers are displayed on the electronic display panel. The collection process does resemble a visit to a local polyclinics medicine dispensary.

My Mee Kangkong looks really appetiting in its thick, brown gravy. This mee is for people who love strong flavored dishes. The gravy is sweet & goes perfectly well with the springy noodles.

Mee Bakso by comparison is the less flamboyant member of the Indonesian Mee Family. The soup base is slightly salty, mild and overall taste similar to the chinese clear yellow noodles soup.

Mee Ayam was presented with lean chicken meat, mushroom & green vegetables. The mee on its own does look a little dry hence the reason for a bowl of soup. Very healthy option for office ladies on a diet.

Their Hot Barley is apparently quite a hit with ladies. Both my female colleagues loved it.

We only came to realise the purpose of the condiments chart after we have finished our noodles. They have recommended concocation for their various noodles! Arghhh.. our noodles could have tasted even better.

The condiments were clearly numbered to make it idiotproof for diners to follow their recommendations. Obviously...we are worse than idiots...

You & Mee offers authentic taste of Indonesian Mee Culture at very affordable prices. Pity we did not manage to experience the full flavor of the noodles with the recommended condiments. We will reserved that for the next round!

You may also like to check out my posts on other delicious food places: http://www.aspirantsg.com/restaurants-cafe-eateries-food-list-singapore

For full write up & photos, please visit my blog: http://aspirant1981.wordpress.com/2012/02/10/food-french-cuisine-kopitiam-style-singapore/ or follow me on twitter for regular food reviews: https://twitter.com/Aspirant81

We ordered the full + half portion of their Selection of Artisan Bread for our table of 4 which turns out to be a little too much. The breads were served warmed & french butter melts readily into the soft bread. Not outrageously amazing but decent enough.

The Roasted Mushroom Soup was well textured and a little salty. Probably due to the use of Truffle Sea Salt Cream.

For our mains, we went straight for the meat dishes. 3 of us had the Grilled 150 Day Grain Fed Angus Steak (cos the Blackmore Wagyu Steak was out of stock) comes with Mesclun Salad, pomme puree, Green peppercorn sauce. The beef was a good mix of lean meat & fat and goes really well with the sauce.

I would have preferred my beef to be medium rare but the chefs have decided to standardise all beef treatment to medium. Not too sure why. One of my friends further commented that the Truffle Salt was more prominent when he patronised the stall for the same main a few days ago.

The Lamb stew with Merguez Sausage was delectable. The lamb was ultra tender, it flakes with a fork and melts in your mouth. The sausages were a little salty but delicious still. The portion however was quite small for a guy hence must order the artisan bread….

Overall a pleasurable dining experience where we enjoyed quality french cuisine at a very reasonable prices.

You may also like to check out my posts on other delicious food places: http://aspirant1981.wordpress.com/restaurants-cafe-eateries-food-list/

For full experience write up & photos, please visit my blog: http://aspirant1981.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/food-dine-among-the-greens-macritchie-reservoir-park-mushroom-cafe-singapore/ or follow me on twitter for food reviews: https://twitter.com/Aspirant81

If having a leisure brunch, lunch or afternoon tea in midst of lush greenery appeals to you, MacRitchie Reservoir Park houses a modest cafe that will whet your appetite.

Located just a short walking distance away from the park’s new green two-storey carpark with 300 parking lots, MacRitchie Mushroom Cafe is a popular with the park’s patron & the nearby office crowd.

The cafe offers local breakfast delights from 7am to 10.30am.

And a good spread of lunch & dinner choices from 10.30am onwards at really reasonable prices. But since my colleagues were all raving about its curry chicken, I decided to go for the curry chicken – noodles version.

Plus an ice cold beer to go with it

Being part of Old Chang Kee, the cafe offers popular finger snacks for afternoon tea breaks as well.

My Curry Chicken Noodles was served piping hot and it sure looks fiery. The curry was fragrant and is a unique mix of sweet & spicy. The generous chunks of chicken absorbed the curry really well and were tender to bite. My only regret was ordering the noodles…. they do not go well with the curry & tasted soggy…

Alvin’s Curry Chicken Rice was beautifully presented in a Yin Yang Bowl. The rice was definitely the better companion.

Joyce tried the beef stew and wasn’t impressed by it. The meat was a bit too tough for her liking. I took a mouthful of potatoes & gravy. The gravy was hearty & luscious perhaps they just need to work on getting the beef more tender.

Enjoying gorgeous view of nature while sipping hot delicious curry, lunch with colleagues has never been better.

You may also like to check out my posts on other delicious food places:
http://aspirant1981.wordpress.com/restaurants-cafe-eateries-food-list/

For full experience write up & photos, please visit my blog: http://aspirant1981.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/food-shatec-bistro-recipes-for-great-food-singapore/ or follow me on twitter for food reviews: https://twitter.com/Aspirant81

Recipes – A Bistro by Shatec is a student-run restaurant that serves public patrons. I called up a day earlier to book a table for 3. The staff who took my phone reserverations was polite & professional but she did sound a little nervous. With that in mind, we were mentally prepared to lowered our expectations for both the service & food.

The restaurant was just a convenient 10 minutes walk from City Hall MRT Station and the first thing that caught our eyes with their Happy Hour Signboard! Now we know another waterhole for cheap drinks. Hee hee

Interior deco for the restaurant was minimal but it was still a comfortable and cozy environment. We were promptly seated and soon ordered.

While chatting & waiting for the food to arrive, it was interesting to observe these young chefs working and interacting with one another behind the food preparation counter. They are clearly a close bunch and they seem to really enjoy what they do. It does brings back fond memories from my previous youth part time stint at MacDonald’s.

Our Mushroom Velouté ($7.50) came quickly. This starter consist of field mushrooms simmered in light velouté with a hint of truffles oil. Despite its ingredients, the soup had a really strong ginseng aroma & a slight bitter taste. Totally unexpected flavor.

The main dishes took quite a while to arrive. The waiter meekly explained to us that the kitchen is assembling the full order so as to serve everyone together. The food that was eventually presented in front of us was fortunately worth the wait.

I ordered the Braised Beef Cheek Asian Flavoured ($23.90). Just as stated in the menu, the marinated beef cheek was braised to perfection. The meat was so tender that it seems to just melt in my mouth. I was pleasantly surprised!

Our Pan Seared Seabass with Garden Vegetable Ragout ($18.90) was replaced with a Red Snapper Fillet and accompanied with garden vegetable stew. I only managed to get a single bite. Taste pretty normal to me but then again I am no fish lover.

The Alfredo Cream with Pan Roast Cajun Flavoured Chicken ($14.90) saw spaghetti cooked in wine cream sauce, serve with Pan Roast Cajun Marinated Chicken and Garden Peas. The sauce went really well with the pasta.

In summary, the students wowed us with their great culinary skills. Despite the slight wait for the main dishes, both service & food were way above our expectations. I will definitely be back for more great food & service at a really decent price.

Besides dinner, the restaurant is also a great place for afternoon coffee & snacks.

You may also like to check out my posts on other delicious food places: http://aspirant1981.wordpress.com/restaurants-cafe-eateries-food-list/