The two-day old (on the day of our visit) cake studio used to operate as an online business which caters for weddings, birthdays and other events. The variety served that day included cakes, tarts and complimentary cookies. Tea is the only beverage here, and there are several to choose from; all of which are by Clipper Tea.There’s two types of cheesecake available here; a creamier one similar to New York Cheesecake as well as a Tofu Cheesecake ($4.90). We went for the latter which has an incredible “q”- texture which we found interesting. The base was crispy and crumbly without being too moist, and its sweetness went well with the lightness of the smooth tofu cheesecake. A really less sinful option to go for if you are in for a lighter but equally satisfying dessert.As the owner described, the Congo Bars ($3.90) are Brownies done the opposite way, which is also known as “Blondies”. They essentially contained more vanilla to chocolate, and they are just crusty like any Brownie. We loved the version here; the Blondie was not fluffy like a cake but was crumbly though smooth at the same time. While Brownies can feel incredibly heavy and heaty over time, these Blondies are less sickening over time due to it being done inversely.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/05/01/abite-owen-road/

Opened with the first phase of renovations for Suntec City within the Fountain of Wealth zone, it is one of the few new tenants of Suntec City, which is also the newest outlet of Bibigo. It would not be Korean enough if a meal at a Korean restaurant does not consist of Tteobokki ($7.00++), which is why we settled for one. The spicy sauce was part sweet, part spicy; a sauce with an intense taste and was thick, while the rice cake were chewy and springy. The vegetables gave the spiciness a break, which was refreshing as well.Chicken Kimchi Fried Rice ($11.00++) came in a stone pot and also with a complimentary soup. Bits of pickles vegetables can be tasted, which were also spicy and added a Kimchi flavour to the spicy rice. A good amount of Chicken chunks were also included; all of them tender and lightly marinated in spicy sauce as well. Charred bits of rice could be found for the extra crunch and flavour, while the egg yolk was runny.For dessert, we had the Potato Mattang ($6.00++), which was fried Sweet Potato sticks coated in caramel served with candied walnuts and rice crackers. The sweet potato sticks were similar to Taiwanese Sweet Potato fries but with the batter of french fries, which gave it a sweet-salty combination from the caramel coated on the top. Rice crackers were plain but became sweet with the caramel while the candied walnuts tasted much like popcorn. A dish we would call unique, though does not fit everyone’s tastebuds.The Hoddeok ($6.00++) was the one that most should be able to accept; a sweet pancake with a dash of cinnamon and caramel with an ice-cream on top, this is the dessert that would appeal to sweet tooths. The pancake seemed similar to the rice cakes, being chewy but significantly less stiff, which was a great combination to caramel. The ice-cream was a vanilla ice-cream that was somewhat sorbet-ish but seemingly quite icy; not exactly what I would prefer.A variety of drinks are available, ranging from tea, coffee and alcohol. They use teabags for their Iced Oolong Tea ($4.00++) here, which is a great deal for chilled drinks as the melting of the ice cubes just acts as some sort of a “refill” for your tea.

For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/04/26/bibigo-hot-stone-suntec-city-mall/

Being part of the Arteastiq group, Hong Shi Yi Food Artistry which is situated beside Art Gallery 798 is also one of the more affordable Chinese restaurants in Millenia Walk.While there were many items offered in the dim sum menu, nearly half of it were not available for dinner as their last orders are at 2pm. The Shanghai Xiao Long Bao ($7.90++) is however available throughout the day. The Bao was filled with savoury broth that bursts with each bite, and the skin was of the right thickness as it was easy to bite through. The meat filling was also generous as well. This should satisfy XLB lovers who are picky on their XLB.Steamed Custard and Salted Egg Yolk Bun ($4.90++) came in an unconventional form, featuring a black bun containing sesame than the usual white one. Honestly, the black bun is no different in taste than the usual, and we thought it could have been less thick as quite a huge bite needs to be taken to reach the custard. We would also loved it more if the custard was more flowy, but the filling was great as it was thick, being slightly more salty than sweet with more salted egg content.Crispy Red Bean Pancake ($6.90++) was part of the dessert menu. The pastry replicated much of a Chinese Onion Pancake with a subtly sweet red bean filling that was generously filled within.Since there were a lack of dimsum, we also went for mains to share. The Fried Rice with Shrimp, Preserved Vegetables and Egg ($14.90++) was superb with its moistness and the perfect blend in taste where there was a balance in all flavours which gave the dish its subtle fragrance. Prawns were pretty fresh as well.Intended to be a side for the rice, the Honey Glazed Yam Cube ($11.90++) was a savoury-sweet dish. The heavy flavours of the sweet and sticky honey somehow did not overshadow the yam, which was something we liked about it. We could not stop ourselves from getting back to dish over and over again as it was just addictive, and even the vegetable that was laid on the plate tasted great with the honey sauce as well.Another dessert we ordered was the Chilled Glutinous Rice with Ice-Cream ($4.90++). Unlike the conventional way, this dessert is served cold in the bowl and therefore the ice-cream takes longer to start melting. Interesting to note was the Chocolate Pocky Stick that was stuck into the the dessert, which not only looked odd and did nothing much to the taste of the dessert too. The Glutionous Rice is served unsweetened, so one should mix in the ice-cream before having it for the subtle sweetness with a hint of vanilla atop the Glutinous Rice. Definitely a hit for Pulot Hitam lovers.Since it is a concept by Arteastiq, we had high expectations for our tea. The Jasmine Tea ($2.50++) we had was rather different as it turned out with a rather refreshing taste that seemed clear without a heavy aftertaste nor body. A tea that is great to have in between heavy tasting dishes.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/04/24/hong-shi-yi-food-artistry-millenia-walk/

The latest venture belonging to Mediacorp actor/host Ben Yeo, this bistro located at the heart of Bukit Timah brings the best of western food to the residents as well as late-night supper-goers to their patrons, which encompasses the all-familiar Tenderfresh Fried Chicken as well as pasta from Play Kitchen, which was his first venture.Since the meal was going to be rather meaty, we went for a healthier side which we went for Marinated Mushrooms with Cherry Tomatoes ($5.00). It started off rather weird and quirky; the juicy and somewhat zesty tomatoes just did not seem to hit a note with the earthy and flavourful cold mushrooms, but with each spoonful it became rather tolerable and in fact tastier with every bite. The mushrooms were able to break the monotony of the usual salad, and adding Parmesan cheese definitely adds on to the taste factorThe Fries with Wasabi Mayo ($4.90) did not really hit off well with two of us, who were big fans of wasabi. We found it too tame although it carried a distinct flavour of wasabi less the numbing factor, but the other dining partner who was not very receptive of wasabi loved it as it was not too strong. Personal preferences, I would say.Because it was Tenderfresh, I could not do without ordering fried chicken. The Lucky Set ($7.90 with sambal sauce/$6.90 without sambal sauce) comes with two wings, fries and coleslaw. The fries were salted enough to taste with enough crisp, though I would love it thicker. Chicken Wings were huge, crispy and juicy. Tossed in a generous amount of sambal sauce, these wings reminded us of the days of Carona; carrying a real kick of spiciness that packs lots of oomph not meant for the light-hearted.One of my dining partners went for the Grilled Tilapia with Aglio Olio & Sambal ($8.90). The pasta was evenly tossed in herbs, chili, olive oil and pepper which carried a fragrant light yet peppery flavour; great enough on its own. On the other end, the Grilled Tilapia was well-grilled being crusty on the outside but felt rather dry and lacking of flavour. That was where the sambal sauce comes in handy, which adds a spicy kick to the fish. Interestingly the sambal sauce here is slightly different from the one served with the chicken, which is more dry and carried a heavier belachan taste.The other dining partner ordered a somewhat similar pasta, save for the Chicken Chop with Black Pepper sauce over it. To be honest, we were a bit confused with this dish; supposedly named Chicken Cutlet with Aglio Olio & Thai Sauce ($7.90), we were expecting a fried cutlet than a grilled one and there was really nothing Thai with it. The Aglio Olio was as good, and the grilled chicken was juicy and fragrant. We loved how it was, but we were caught off guard by what it turned out to be in reality from the menu.

For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/04/17/tenderfresh-classic-cheong-chin-nam-road/

OMGrill should not be too unfamiliar to most who have watched Wok Stars. Owned by Ng Kheng Siang, he propelled to fame by winning the show, which was Singapore’s first reality cooking competition. The stall was the result of his win, which has his lease being paid for for a year.Soup of the day was Mushroom Soup ($1.50), which was made in house. Not the creamy sort, it was filled with chunks of mushrooms and was very earthy. It also had a distinct flavour of vegetables to break that heavy earthiness.For a side, the Grilled Pineapples ($2.00) were canned pineapple rings with grill marks, it has a charred flavour with a bit of sweetness from the syrup. Not a flavour that some can appreciate, but probably a Hawaiian-grill inspired dish that is a great compliment to the fragrant buttered rice.Being a stall that does not serve pork or lard, much of the dishes revolve around chicken. The Original Chicken Chop ($5.90) can be ordered as a set meal that comes with fragrant buttered rice, garden salad and hand cut coleslaw. The rice was fragrant with a hint of butter and raisins but was slightly too dry for our liking, but we loved the coldness and freshness of the coleslaw and that refreshing combination of corn and cherry tomatoes for the garden salad. The Chicken Chop was juicy and fragrant with a taste of “wok hei”; definitely a unique local touch to a western dish.Pan-fried White Fish ($6.90) was quite a shocker, and not in a nice way. We found it disappointing that they use fillets that were similar to those used in Japanese stalls in food courts, which is known to be not exactly appealing. The saving grace was the garlic cream which was flavourful, but they could have drizzled more of it. One of the dishes to avoid here.The dessert range consists of crepes, both savoury and sweet. Banana Crepe with Coconut Ice-Cream ($4.00) was the dish that secured the Wok Stars win. This is a superbly sweet dish; caramalised bananas soaked in more caramel encased in a crepe. The coconut ice-cream was heavy on pandan flavour without being milky, which makes for a very gula melaka-like flavour for the dessert. Definitely a sort of dessert that’s not expected within a food court.

For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/04/15/omgrill-blk-132-jurong-gateway-road/