photos and more: http://andmorefood.wordpress.com/2013/06/03/loolas-by-awfully-chocolate-town/

looks good, tastes not-so-good is happening alarmingly frequent nowadays – and it’s even sadder when desserts are the object of discussion. when you have chocolate and sugar and butter floating about in a little baked good, it’s depressing when they don’t end up being good. how can that even happen!

these were lackluster – very, very unimpressive. they weren’t too terrible to eat, but most certainly not worth the price nor the wait. it’s a pity, because the cafe itself is lovely – conducive for intimate conversation, spacious enough for comfortable seating.

I wonder if we went in expecting too much, but reality did quickly deflate our hopes – much like their soufflé.

supposedly a green tea pistachio riser of roast ground pistachios, green tea soufflé and a vanilla bean emulsion – this was really just a sweet omelette and lots of air. no matcha flavour, and no discernible pistachio – when we asked, the waiter came back after ‘consulting the chef’ that the flavours were to be subtle. I would argue they were so subtle as to be non-existent.

we hopped on the waiter’s rather enthusiastic recommendation of their loola’s floating island – crusty meringue, loola’s brownie, brandy flambé and a vanilla bean infused sauce. the good thing: enough salt in the brownie to bring out the chocolate and entertainment in brandy on fire; the bad: dry-almost-crumbly brownie encased in a too sweet meringue surrounded by a pool of sweet sauce. I had thought it would be too sweet – and it was.

but at the end of it – the food was just sad. I’m not wiping this place out entirely – I thought it was aesthetically-gorgeous (much like its desserts). it was a calm, serene sit-down place good for post-dinner, and really good for a bit of chat.

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/

this place is known more for their well-reasonable set lunches – but that’s paltry. sweets! we came here for desserts-only after lunch at al hamra; and it did us well enough, even if it was nothing too special.

they have a menu of typical italian desserts – we settled on the lemon meringue tart and a pannacotta, the latter of which really is indicative of the skill of the restaurant. the tart had a great crust – buttery lemon curd (though slightly gelatinous) and sufficiently-fluffy meringue on top, and it tasted the way it ought (average food truly don’t make for descriptive adjectives).

that pannacotta, though – I’m still on the lookout for a great rendition. this one is a little on the stiffer side, but still creamy enough not to offend. it didn’t have those beautiful black seeds though – so I’m guessing extract in this one.

it’s difficult to be more descriptive – but if you’re skipping it all to the last line – this place is alright if you’re in the area, though I wouldn't travel for it.

photos and more: http://andmorefood.wordpress.com/2013/05/26/la-nonna-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.