For full write up & photos, please visit my blog: http://www.aspirantsg.com/foodie-food/irvins-live-seafood-house-12-lunch-buffet/singapore or follow me on twitter for food reviews: https://twitter.com/AspirantSG

The promise of lunch buffet at only $12 (inclusive GST) per pax at a new restaurant called Irvin's Live Seafood House saw me & my colleagues heading down to Jalan Leban for a hearty Friday lunch.

I was surprised to see the restaurant occupying half of what was previously Ivin's Nyonya Specialities space.

They had an impressive lunch buffet menu that offers different dishes daily! They really took great pains to make sure that customers are never bored with their spread. You can check out what we had for lunch on 27 Apr below.

A beautiful centrepiece with starters like salad and finger food greeted us as we stepped into the restaurant. After the friendly waitress brought us to our table, we quickly scattered off to check out the spread.

Main staples like fried rice, fried noodles, plain rice & porridge were available as main fillers. My advice is to skip the first 3 and ...

Go for the abalone porridge! For my Non-Chinese readers, abalone is considered an expensive auspicious treat that is usually taken only during the Lunar New Year. Abalone porridge at a $12 lunch buffet sounds unbelievable!

The porridge tasted sweet and had a really smooth texture. That probably came from hours of simmering with abalone broth. There were some chewy abalone like strips sighted. But we were not fully convinced that these were abalone, sounds too good to be true.

Their Seafood Broth was a must try too! Its flavourful from long hours of boiling with chicken, crab and other ingredients and had the starchy texture of shark fin soup.

These super yummy potato chips hid a sinful ingredient - salted egg yolk! The dish definitely test the skill of the cook. He needs to stir fry these fragile chips and make sure that they are evenly coated with salted egg yolk sauce. It's such an innovative combination, I hope they have patented it!

Besides coating the chips, a large bowl of salted egg yolk sauce was also made available for another indulgence.

It's for diners to dip their hot, crispy golden brown fried bun into! You have to try your best to block out thoughts on high cholesterol and weight issues when you bite into this heavenly union.

We loved their Butter Chicken too. Tender chicken meat fried till golden brown & coated with a layer of smooth butter. Why do sinful stuff all taste so good....

Below are some of the other dishes like Beef with Ginger, Five Flavoured Prawns, Deep Fried Crispy Pork Ribs and others that were served during the buffet.

There were 2 dessert options to choose from. I went for their Black Glutinous Rice Paste also known as Pulot Hitam. It has a light coconut milk fragrance so I assumed coconut milk has already been added. The sweetness was just right and each mouthful feels so comforting. I am guilty of wolfing down 3 bowls of this wonderful dessert.

The health conscious can opt for Cheng Teng which is believed to be able to get rid of humidity and “heatiness” of a person.

I strongly recommend all readers to check out their lunch buffet soon! Its super value for money.

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/foodie-food/antoinette-a-great-taste-of-french-hospitality/singapore or follow me on twitter for food reviews: https://twitter.com/AspirantSG

The health-conscious can dine in delight with Salade Antoinette ($16.50). Loved the refreshing combination of crab meat, boiled egg, tomato, pine nuts, toasted brioche and mixed greens sprinkled with yuzu dressing. Easy on the eye, it was a really good appetizer for a small group of 4.

Nordic Savory Crepe ($18.50) was crispy on the edge, we enjoyed the strong taste of smoked salmon that was accompanied by red onions, capers and dill cream cheese.

Their Morel Mushroom ($26.00) was a sight for sore eyes! This is a MUST order for all Carbonara lovers. It's good that the serving portion was appropriate, the intense creamy texture can get pretty overwhelming after a while.

If you are into burgers, check out Burger Antoinette ($20.00) which consist of Pan-fried apple, chicken leg patty, pommery mustard mayonnaise, butter lettuce, onion chutney, plump tomato, chips and petit salad with house dressing.

End the meal with their signature dessert - Antoinette (S$9 each). My fork just glided through this divine concoction of chocolate, earl grey and hazelnut with minimal resistance.

Although the menu was a little steep on the price tag, I feel that its worth it for the wonderful food and ambience.

You may also like to check out my posts on other delicious food places here

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

Upper Thomson Road is soon becoming my favorite hangout place for post work dinner & dessert.

While exploring all the culinary delights along that stretch. Wafflelicious is a bright, cheery waffle speciality cafe that you will definitely not miss.

You can choose to sit inside the cool white concept air-con interior or enjoy the cool (only in the evening) Al fresco & soak in the area charm.

The cafe operates on a self service concept. You will need to walk into the cashier to make your order in 4 easy steps! The young staff managing the counter was friendly & helpful with suggestions, the tough part is making up your mind.

We selected Cinnamon and Passionfruit flavored waffles from the wide array of flavor choices completed with a scoop of Vanilla & Mango gelato ice cream. To taste the waffles with minimum distraction, additional toppings were given a miss.

I love the aroma of fresh waffles and the sweet taste of maple syrup mixed with ice cream and crispy waffles. The waffle flavors did not surface too much in the mix. I guess they made more of a difference before everything gets jumbled together.

Overall, this cafe is a great place for afternoon leisure chit chats or post dinner chill out sessions. Yummy waffles & gelato ice cream are reasonably priced and the staff are very friendly.

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 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 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/