photos of the savouries here: http://andmorefood.wordpress.com/2013/06/07/melt-the-world-cafe-town-part-1/
photos of the sweets here: http://andmorefood.wordpress.com/2013/06/07/melt-the-world-cafe-town-part-2/

probably the best buffet I’ve had in singapore – in short: high quality food – not the best in themselves, especially if considered separately - but very good for the fantastically large range on offer. even better than the line at the shangri-la, which has seen standards dwindling in the past years. heavy sticker on this one too, but we waddled away overstuffed and happy – so perhaps an occasional treat?

they have a lovely garden outside near the barbecue area – very lovely. there’s a lovely spread of bread and salads on offer; the cold seafood section was rather fresh. I rather like the barbecued section – though it was a little occupied (pitiful singular waiter grilling up everything), everything from the roast pork to the seafood made us happy.

they had a european section with stews and loads of vegetables – something very often missing in buffets. a decent indian section too – but I think straits kitchen wins out here.

and a nominal section of east asian offerings – chinese cooked food and a japanese section. the sushi was rather paltry though – I’d say to keep the space for something else.

there was a rather fantastic dessert spread here though. the long of the short is that the desserts span cakes, mousses, little mignardises and modernesque dessert-in-spoons, fruit and a cheese board. and a waffle maker.

layered mousse cakes, apricot tea cakes, american-type carrot cake, a berried trifle and local kueh kuehs – my sister went a little nuts over their tiny spoonfuls of dessert – I think there must have been more than ten on offer.

I was quite impressed with the cheese counter. it was small but satisfying, especially since none of us had much space left for cheese anyway. a pretty good range of fruit too that was frequently replenished.

the restaurant isn’t super modern, but rather homey old-school, good for large family dinners; it was noisy and vibrant, and everybody was kept happy with the spread of food. it is probably one of the more expensive buffets, and so wasted on me – but if you have a decent appetite, this will do right.

photos and more: http://andmorefood.wordpress.com/2013/06/04/the-halia-town/

this place was impressive – and while it wasn’t cheap, I dare say it was rather well worth it.

friendly service, a quiet corner of the hotel, and retro furnishings (very appropriately so, and hence not too hipster) – and good food plus reasonable prices: I think this beats many of my recent gastroventures clear out the water. fine dining without poncy starched-up nonsense.

the chef’s soup of the day was a great start – a lightly truffled bowl of cauliflower puree. our middle courses carried the momentum of the great start: we were very pleasantly surprised by the beautifully arranged plates of cured kingfish and sous vide chicken leg. the flavors were intense but complementary; and the chicken might be one of the best executions of poultry I’ve had in a while. the skin was well-seasoned, the butternut squash a sweet counternote to the savoury dish – and really a feast for the eyes.

their desserts were also really good. that makes it a winner from starter to fin – something that happens too infrequently. the sticky toffee was warm, with a slight drizzle of caramel sauce and creamy vanilla-bean ice cream.
the ginger nougat parfait was very interesting. almost like a semifreddo.

it is a lovely space – might feel a little cramped if full house, but otherwise quiet and very cosy. service was well-paced and unobtrusive; one of the best meals I’ve had recently, from start to finish. wholly and unconditionally recommended.

photos and more here: http://andmorefood.wordpress.com/2013/05/30/morganfields-buona-vista/

if you’re looking for a place this weekend to meet up with the large family and consume a large amount of food, this could very well be it. reasonably priced, large portions and decent cooking, this made for an enjoyable mother’s day dinner – I know, I know, it’s the end of the month now – and its way on our list of family-congregation-venues.

it’s a large restaurant with outdoor seating and a surprisinly spacious interior. it was very cosy – good for conversation but with enough visual distraction in case you’ve got one of those awkward families (I don’t, thankfully). their specialties here are platters and ribs – both of which were adequately tasty to deserve that denotation.

the ocean platter a large array of item: battered fish, a rack of ribs, grilled prawns, corn-on-the-cob and -in-the-cornbread-muffins, a couple of sausages and a pile of fries. every component was tasty and went down easily.

my granddad’s portion of fish and chips were rather fantastic – even better than the fillets on the platter. thick fillets of firm white fish encased in a crisp batter. the seafood basket I thought a little less impressive – still a competent rendition though.

our tequila spiked chicken was very good too – tender and moist – especially the breast, and with a well-seasoned skin that the partner was happy to finish.

we were told at the end – when we were stuffed beyond ourselves and had requested mercy in the form of a doggy bag – that our set came with a lava cake. piping hot – with no evil microwaving so oft inflicted on innocent, unknowing cakes – and paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it was so good we found anatomical capacity we never thought we had. it may not have been the best, nor the highest standard – but it was deep, dark and not-too-sweet.

and so perhaps this is the holy grail of family restaurants. a large menu to satisfy everybody, with competent cooking that’s well able to deal with providing quite these many choices, and food that came hot, fast and very commendable – the staff were friendly, our large order taken accurately; it’s going on a list of reliables.

p.s. I’ve just checked the menu online, and prices seem to have risen slightly since we were there – bringing it from reasonably-priced to just-within-what-you’d-be-willing-to-pay. still a good option for family dinners though!

cupcakes are very much the child-star of the confectionary zeitgeist, and have been enjoying a rather fervent revival in the last couple of years – shops popping up everywhere in singapore and london. this time, I popped by this place with a girlfriend after lunch at al hamra – I consider her very much the cupcake expert of my acquaintance, and far more equipped to judge these cupcakes than I.

I’m reminded to inform that her judgement is very much based on the definitive cakes at hummingbird bakery. these cupcakes were decent, if a little dry and icing a tad too soft when she got back – and bring it home you’ll have to, as this is a takeaway place with nary a bench.

good enough to return for – if in the area; apparently the twelve cupcake chain is marginally cheaper and much more convenient.

photos and more: http://andmorefood.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/plain-vanilla-bakery-holland-village/

photos and more here: http://andmorefood.wordpress.com/2013/05/22/sushi-tei-town/

to be sure, this outlet isn’t the best one (the paragon one is). the back (where we were seated) is a rather cramped, darkish rectangle of mutliple booths for two. it felt a little like office cubicles actually, so I wouldn’t say this is any place to bring a date – but for a casual dinner it did us pretty well.

we had good food on the table (which means the kitchens were well up to par – rather impressive for the crowd they were dealing with). the aburi salmon roll was fantastic – the salmon was generously silky and fatty, with a thin flamed outside with some char. the kaki mentai roll – or fried oyster in rice, topped with cod-roe mayonnaise – was also another discovery. I think it was the textural contrast of crispy batter + soft oyster + creamy mayo that worked. there was far too much mayonnaise on it though – but we easily schmeared it away.

the kagoshima katsu toji was tender and moist and not-too-fatty – delicious; this was part of their seasonal menu (that I think will be available for a month more).

we rounded up the meal with a grilled salmon head - this went down easily enough with a big helping of grated radish and lemon. so – a good dinner, made cheaper by a discount as members and vouchers (a result of loyal patronage) – we left both full and happy.