Hee Kee Desserts is one of the new tenants at Jurong Point, which had been noted for their creative and innovative take on Hong Kong desserts.Having seen photos on Instagram and Burpple on their Mango Cheong Fun ($6.00), we decided to go for it. To mimic Cheong Fun, a thin layer of coconut jelly was used to wrap the fresh mangoes. The result was a silken smooth skin that had pandan flavours, which matched the soft mangoes well. However, we found it a pity that the sweetness of the mangoes were overwhelming the subtle flavours of coconut. It was no doubt an interesting and innovative dish, but probably the flavours could be tuned to be more neutral on each other.We initially expected something more similar to a Durian Mousse for our Durian Pudding ($5.50). Served chilled, it was really pudding-like as the fibres was also mixed into the pudding thus making it a wee bit stiff but flavourful for the pudding as it was full of the pungent fruit’s flavour. The mousse added the bittersweet flavour and a chew as it contained fibres.With the trend of Liu Sha Bao getting common, Hee Kee Dessert has taken an unconventional approach by infusing the same concept to Tang Yuan. Their Liu Sha Tang Yuan ($3.80) comes with a choice of either Osmanthus Soup or Ginger Soup. The Tang Yuan seemed to be a tad thick, but the filling is full of sweet-salty goodness. We thought that there could be more fillings, but when it comes to liu sha, when can there be enough?For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/08/09/hee-kee-desserts-jurong-point/

Legendary Hong Kong is the only F&B tenant within the Mongkok-themed area. It is more like a restaurant per-se, as despite having four different stalls occupying the area, patrons have to queue to get seated and write their orders on forms to place orders. The sprawling 300 seater restaurant also boasts different themes in its different sectors, so patrons could be dining in a setting of a Chinese restaurant in a meal but come back another day to find themselves in a traditional tea room the next visit. Currently Legendary Hong Kong is undergoing its soft launch period, only three out of four of its stalls are open; namely Kou Yu Roast, Lung Fung Dim Sum and Hong Kong Congee & Noodle. While the full menu is also not available, there is already quite a spread ready to be ordered on the temporary ordering chit.First to arrive the table was the Traditional Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Assorted Meats ($5.50++). For a non Glutinous Rice lover like me, the light tastes were just to my liking as it did not feel to jelak on my first take. It also did not carry the strong peppery flavour that local renditions has. Salted egg and sausage were also added to the glutinous rice apart from the meat, which all contributed their flavour as they get soaked into the Glutinous Rice which made it really tasty.The Custard Crust Bun ($2.50++) had an option of being served plain, but we ordered ours with butter at an additional cost. Soft and fluffy bun coupled with the milky crust on the top, this was simply something that was simple, but really satisfying.Steamed Sponge Cake ($4.00++) was also light, soft and fluffy, but it was not sticky enough so it crumbled rather easily. What we loved was the subtle sweetness that it carried, light and aromatic. It also felt significantly less dense and felt barely filling; a good thing since we could get more items to share this way.Aesthetically, the Deep-Fried Prawn Wantons ($6.80++) looked more Malaysian than Hong Kong because they reminded me of the ones I would get from the Pontian Wanton Mee stall in coffeeshops and hawker centers. Ignoring that fact however, the dumplings were well-filled with a fresh whole prawn, which was succulent and sweet too.We found the Steam Pork Dumplings ($5.00++) rather run-off-the-mill. Firm pork with prawns in between. Those who prefer to meatier Siew Mai May have a liking for this, though honestly there is not much to comment about this one.Legendary Hong Kong seems to serve one of the smallest Steamed BBQ Pork Buns ($4.00++) amongst Hong Kong inspires eateries. We were honestly not too impressed by the thickness of its skin, which is made worse when we realized that the filling contained more charsiew sauce instead of meat. We did not mind about the well-balanced sweet and savoury flavour of the sauce, but the bite of fatty meat or even stray pieces of meat was barely there.In comparison, the Rice Rolls with Fried Shrimp Spring Rolls ($5.50++) won the hearts of everyone on the table. It was a mistake on my part as I was trying to order the Rice Rolls with Prawns & Chives but I got too trigger-happy when I saw the word “prawn” and ordered the wrong item. While the rice roll did not come swimming in soy sauce, it came with an ample amount that was enough to made every piece savoury. Wrapped inside the silky smooth rice rolls were a spring roll with a prawn in them. The light tempura-like batter used for the spring roll and the sweetness of the prawn and its succulent meat just provided a well-matched combination of taste and texture for this dish which all of us just cannot get enough of.I have a weak spot when it comes to carrot cake in XO sauce, so the Sautéed Turnip Cake with XO Sauce ($5.50++) was a clear winner for me. Each Turnip Cake was slightly charred to invoke a bit of crispness along the edges, which is a sweet-savoury combination with the addition of XO sauce. Even better was the fact it came with beansprouts, which quite evened out the greasiness of dish so it feels cleaner to have.Wanting to try something different, my dining partner and I also decided to try their London Roast Duck ($14.80++) which we had been tempted by since when we were in the queue. It comes in three sizes, portion (pictured), half and whole. According to one of the wait staff, the portion size is “a little more than a quarter, a little less than a third”, so use that as a gauge if you want to order this. Each slice of duck was succulent and tender, and because it was marinated in honey it was also slightly sweeter than your average roast duck with a bit of smokiness. Accompanying it was a Citron dip, which gives the duck a slight tang which makes it even more addictive. We were so impressed we wished there was more, but we were already were almost full from the other orders that we had.While there were some hits and some misses with the food, the beverages are undoubtedly bad. Our Hong Kong Style Milk Tea & Coffee Mix ($2.20++) tasted no different from the Hong Kong styled Coffee, which was really diluted that it felt like plain water and having a weird aftertaste of 3-in-1 coffee. Go for the Green Bean or Red Bean Ice when you are there; it definitely looks a lot more promising than what we had.
For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/08/03/legendary-hong-kong-jurong-point/

Right after killing off the Canele brand in Singapore, Les Amis Group introduces a new dining concept involving Vietnamese cuisine again following the success of Nam Nam Noodle Bar. Comnam is the latest offspring of the Les Amis Group, which ventures into areas untouched by Nam Nam Noodle Bar. Although Comnam and Nam Nam Noodle Bar are both Vietnamese eateries, Comnam focuses on rice bowls and rice soups. Serving a traditional Vietnamese cuisine, Comnam aims to beat the convention where broken rice are being seen as peasant’s food. It is also known that broken rice has a texture similar to couscous, which makes it easier for the rice grains to absorb flavours from other ingredients, thus more flavourful than usual rice.Settling for the rice bowl, I went for the Pork Cutlet rice bowl ($9.90). Rice bowls are customizable with two options; Kimchi Brown Rice or the Vietnamese Broken Rice. Since it was the signature of Comnam, I went with the latter. Sure enough, the rice was lightly flavoured with coconut, which was aromatic. The Pork Cutlet was crispy as well, and the top seemed to be marinated with prawn paste, which gave it another dimension of savouriness apart from the hint of lemongrass it carried. Pickled vegetables were crunchy and refreshing being a mix of sweet and sour, and it even came with an omelette which seems pretty similar to Japanese tamago. This was a steal despite its price considered its portion; too huge for me to finish.Sounding rather delicious on the menu was the Fried Bananas ($5.90). Unlike the usual ones we have featured occasionally, it comes with coconut cream and sesame instead of caramel. The result was amazing; the sweetness of the bananas coming in harmony with neutral flavour of thick coconut cream. A pity the batter seemed a tad thick as it felt a wee bit doughy, but was not really too disturbing anyway.If anything, the Vietnamese Coffee with Milk ($2.60) did not feel a single bit Vietnamese. It did not carry a flowery accent like most of those I had tried, besides it tasted a bit too bitter and burnt at the end. Barely satisfying.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/08/14/comnam-raffles-city/

Operating as a poolside cafe, FIX Cafe is situated right beside the pool within the clubhouse, with a view facing the pool and replaces a Seafood restaurant that used to occupy the same area. As such, the cafe is also open-concept; forget about air-condition here, just fans to keep you cool from the hot weather outside. The signature dishes here are the Naanwiches; a unique fusion concept by putting the Indian Naan toegther with various cuisines, though other mains are also available. There are also a number of sides and desserts such as cake and puffs available, and there are also set meals where you can pair up certain selections of the menu for a discount as well.For our main, we decided to share the Chicken Tikka Naanwich ($10.00). Probably the most authentic Naanwich amongst the menu, the Chicken Tikka was marinated deeply full of flavour, and smothered with more sauce that invoked a mild spiciness that was able to fire up its flavour. Inside the wrap were vegetables such as red and green peppers, as well as cucumbers. The inclusion of the vegetables helped made it feel rather authentic as it replicated the Chicken Tikka skewers which comes with the same vegetables and also induced a refreshing crunch which breaks the spiciness of the Naanwich.There were a wide selection of cakes available; all of which sounded interesting, but we eventually chose the only puff in the display. As interesting as it sounds, the Butterscotch Arabica Choux ($6.00) was a Choux Puff sliced apart, topped with coffee cream in the middle which was made from Arabica coffee beans and the Choux pastry at the bottom stuffed with not only Butterscotch, but also a thick Chocolate Ganache. The crusty Choux pastry went well with the bittersweet flavour of the fillings; all of which invoked their own dimensions of the various flavours they carried. It was one dessert we just could not stop laying our forks on, and we reckoned that this would be one dessert that would definitely go well with coffee for a leisure tea break.We were being told that the coffee here is a “Mocha” blend that is roasted by a local roaster. The Flat White ($4.50) I had felt rather milky, though the sweet chocolatey notes could still be made out; somewhat a waste as it had a pretty interesting flavour profile. An extra shot could be added for those who prefer stronger coffee, though that would come at an additional cost of $1.00.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/08/12/fix-hometeamns-jom-clubhouse/

Guess the vicinity around Jalan Besar is starting to get infected with the many cafes opening in that area, even Farrer Park is not spared. Pek Kio had seen openings such as aBite and P. Bistro, and Rangoon had Woodshed. Now its Old Hen Coffee Bar.Ordered their Buttermilk Waffles ($9.00). It originally comes with Blueberry Compote but they were out of that so they replaced it with poached apples for mine. Buttermilk fragrance was evident, while the waffle itself was toasted just nice to be crisp yet soft, but retaining a cooked through texture as it was more bread-like inside. The overall result was brilliant; the sweetness from the soft poached apples matched well with the strawberries and the slight tartness of honey-infused yoghurt, and the chocolate sauce drizzled was yet another dimension of sweetness added.Cold Brews are also undeniably one of their specialties. On the day of my visit, only the White ones were available. Undeniably creamy, the White Cold Brews ($6.50) were really satisfying in hot weather. Their take involved a tinge of sweetness, creating a very malt-like sweetness at the end of each sip. For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/07/25/old-hen-coffee-bar-rangoon-road/