Full iL Gelato di Bruno review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2014/12/il-gelato-di-bruno.html

iL Gelato di Bruno is operated as part of the Gill Capital group, and is their premium Italian gelato / ice cream concept. I'm already familiar with iL Gelato di Bruno, having previously sampled their great tasting gelato / ice cream from their sister restaurant, the Brunetti Cafe in Tanglin Mall.

As a takeaway kiosk / stall, there isn't much ambience to speak of at iL Gelato di Bruno. They do display their wide variety of colourful gelato flavours in a clear refrigerated glass display, which draws the eye. Types of flavours and prices are clearly stated. But there isn't anywhere to sit, although they do have several small standing tables.

Staff at iL Gelato di Bruno are friendly, but are also trained to upsell. I find them rather patient when you're sampling flavours, able to allow you the space to make a decision, and able to step in to offer recommendations when needed. But if you decide on the cheapest option, they'll 'encourage' you to get a larger option.The gelato / ice cream at iL Gelato di Bruno is all made fresh daily, using premium quality, imported ingredients. This means that you get full flavoured gelato, creamy and smooth with each mouthful. However, this also means that prices are more expensive than elsewhere, and the serving size is also slightly smaller in comparision. Overall, iL Gelato di Bruno is a great place for gelato / ice cream if you feel like splurging.

Shin-Sapporo Ramen offers a unique ramen experience, in that they specialise in ramen from the Sapporo region of Japan. With fresh ingredients, and a painstaking process to prepare their excellent soup / broth, each bowl is a work of art. Pity then, that Shin-Sapporo Ramen is slightly let down by above average pricing (expensive) and a less than satisfiying ratio of ingredients in each bowl.

Ambience at Shin-Sapporo Ramen is basic at best. With a dark wooden colour scheme, the shop looks dull and unattractive from outside, but the open concept makes the place somewhat brighter. Furniture is functional but not too comfortable, cramped into a small floor space which can get noisy during peak periods.

Service at Shin-Sapporo Ramen is decent. I like that staff offer greetings upon entry, as well as bid you goodbye when you leave. Guests also don't need to wait too long before being seated, and dirty tables are cleared quickly and efficiently. But you might have to wait about 10 minutes or so for your order to be prepared. Also, don't expect much conversation with staff during peak periods, as they tend to rush about.

Food at Shin-Sapporo Ramen revolves around Japanese cuisine, in particular, the Sapporo style ramen. Their focus is really on the quality of the soup / broth, as well as the consistency of the noodles in each bowl, so ordering a bowl of ramen is they way to go. The other items on the menu however, are passable at best. Pricing is slightly higher than other ramen stalls, budget about SGD $30 or so per person for a meal here.Decided to order an additional side dish of Grilled Yakibuta (SGD $4.80), which comes with 3 pieces of grilled pork belly, as the actual bowl of ramen only has 2 slices! I must say the meat here is nicely grilled, with a good ratio of fat to meat, I only wish it was slightly thicker and more substantial!The Wakayama Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen (SGD $14.80) is very good in terms of ingredient quality, but ultimately, is also slightly expensive and unmemorable. What I like best is the well balanced seafood and pork broth / soup that is both savoury and slightly sweet, without being too salty. It's paired with a Hakata Tonkotsu style noodle, which is firm, straight, thin, and doesn't get soggy.However, the dish is let down by the garnishings. The seaweed is small, and quickly goes limp in the soup / broth, while the grilled pork belly is sliced too thinly, and is rather unsatisfiying. My egg was also slightly overdone. For a similar price, you could get a much larger portion / bowl at other ramen stalls.

Full Shin-Sapporo Ramen review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2014/09/shin-sapporo-ramen.html

Full The Marmalade Pantry review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2014/08/the-marmalade-pantry.html

The Marmalade Pantry first opened its city outlet in 2009, enticing diners with its 'modernist larder' concept, which promises fresh, healthy and tasty food that is prepared quickly. Drawing rave reviews, especially for their creative and pretty cupcakes, pastries and cakes, I was left feeling confused when I experienced poor food and poor service at The Marmalade Pantry during a recent visit... perhaps it was a bad day for them.

Ambience at The Marmalade Pantry has an elegant colonial charm, with fine tableware and colours of black and white offset by gold and wood trimmings. Love the open concept of the city outlet, perfect for people watching and relaxing. But the cramped floorspace means less privacy, and you can easily listen in on the next table's conversations.

During my visit, I received below average service at the The Marmalade Pantry. First, it was difficult to attract staff's attention, even though the restaurant wasn't packed. Second, they forget to serve my dessert after I asked for it, and I had to remind them again. On the plus side, staff did offer greetings when I stepped into The Marmalade Pantry, and food was served quickly.

I'm rather ambivalent about the food at The Marmalade Pantry. While I commend the use of fresh ingredients, and the beautiful plating of dishes, the actual execution of the dishes fell flat. For a upper-range cafe with higher than average prices, I expect better quality and skill than what I got, as such, I feel that The Marmalade Pantry is not value for money.

Portions sizes are decent enough for one person. I think the desserts at The Marmalade Pantry stood out for me as well, very pretty presentations, with good taste, though some are overly sweet. Overall, I would probably only recommend The Marmalade Pantry for desserts, not for main courses.

The aggressive looking Lemon Meringue Sponge Cake (SGD $8) has a sweet, airy, and light meringue that shatters easily, revealing the soft cake within. The cake is somewhat dry, but stands out for its zesty lemon cream that is a burst of flavour in the mouth.I loved the Peony Jade White Tea (SGD $7), with its light body, delicate floral aroma, and sweet fruity taste of lychee and passionfruit, with a slight bitter finish. Excellent choice for an afternoon high tea session!The Bananas And Berries Hotcakes (SGD $16) is served with a medly of berries (blueberries, strawberries) and honeycomb infused butter. The problem was the poorly cooked pancakes, which were limp, dry, and slightly tough in texture. Not satisfiying or tasty at all, in fact, The Marmalade Pantry received several complains about the poor quality of this dish from diners that day. Avoid!The Seared Scallop And Prawn Fettuccine (SGD $24) was actually good. The fettuccine pasta was cooked well, and the seafood of scallops and prawns were plump, meaty, and fresh! However, the tiger prawn bisque sauce tasted similar to the Prawn Noodles soup you'll get from your local coffee shop, making this a fusion style dish, with Italian and Singaporean influence. Also, I felt the stock was too intense, and the aroma of crustacean was so overpowering the table next to ours could smell it. I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that I was eating something that tastes like a Singaporean Prawn Noodles soup. The Pandan Kaya Cupcake (SGD $4.80) was created to celebrate Singapore's National Day by resident pastry chef Louie Moong, and features a soft, moist, pandan and coconut flavoured cupcake, topped with a swirl of coconut meringue, with a dollop of kaya / pandan coconut egg jam at the center.

Established in 2000, AdstraGold Microbrewery is a beer brewing pub and restaurant specialising in hot stone grills. My friends were excited about the drinks at AdstraGold Microbrewery, and although multiple online reviews have warned about the poor, inconsistent quality of food, we decided to dine here.Ambience at AdstraGold Microbrewery is decent. Furniture is well laid out and comfortable, with enough space for dishes. The main drawback is the dim lighting, tacky photographs and menu which look like it's stuck in the 80s, along with the tacky website. But I like that they have a huge projector screen to show various sporting events.
Service at AdstraGold Microbrewery is very good. Staff are friendly, attentive and efficient, able to make recommendations on the beer, and rather knowledgeable about the beer brewing process. They also checked on our meal and asked for feedback, which because of our extreme displeasure with the food, got an earful from some of our diners.
Food at AdstraGold Microbrewery is overpriced, easily among the worst I've eaten.

Portions are small, seafood isn't fresh, prices are double of other restaurants, and taste is lacking. It seems that due to low turnover, cooking oil is reused, leaving a bad taste in the mouth.

Drinks at AdstraGold Microbrewery though, are very good. They have their own in-house range of beers, some of which have won awards. I noticed most of their visitors actually only came for drinks, and didn't order any food. I'll follow suit next time, if I ever come back. But very likely, I'm never returning to this place, as I can get their beer elsewhere.

The Beer AdstraGold Red Ale (SGD $10.90) is a BeerFest 2010 bronze award winning beer, with a dark amber colour, taste of roast barley and a light, mellow texture. Very drinkable, goes down smooth, with a slight hint of lingering bitterness. Very affordable too, highly recommended!


The Premium Fish & Chips (SGD $19.90) is supposed to be the star signature dish here. But the beer batter, while flavourful, wasn't crisp, and the texture was limp. The fish was decent, seemingly frozen, not very fresh. The chips were good, thick cut, English style chips with a light sprinkling of salt. But for this price, the portion is smaller than what I can get from a coffee shop, as they didn't include any salad. Adding on a salad costs an additional price. The signature dish was not good enough.

The Lamb Rack (SGD $48.90) is not value-for-money at all. I will say that the salad is fresh, tasty and well marinated with balsamic vinegar. The chips are good as well. But the lamb rack is tiny, with barely any meat, and tasted very gamey. I told my friend I'll pay her to eat it but she refused.

Full AdstraGold Microbrewery review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2014/07/adstragold-microbrewery.html

Full Wet Market Zi Char review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2014/04/zi-char-wet-market-zi-char.html

The oddly named Wet Market Zi Char is a relatively new Chinese Zi Char stall in the S11 coffeeshop in Ang Mo Kio. The locals staying around the area seem to go for the "classic" zi char dishes. But Wet Market Zi Char also offers modern, restaurant style dishes, with prices that match.
The casual coffeeshop ambience of Wet Market Zi Char offers a large floor space and ample seating, but the ambient temperature is a big factor. Warm days or wet days can be extermely uncomfortable to dine here.
Wet Market Zi Char staff are typically hurried / brusque, especially during peak dinner periods. I notice they tend to upsell, or push the more expensive dishes on the menu if you ask for recommendations. Not good.
The chef at Wet Market Zi Char has good skill, and dishes come out with wok hei (Breath of the wok) flavour. While tasty, I felt that the higher than average prices here make Wet Market Zi Char less value for money. I'll won't be dining here again.
The Nonya Style Sliced Fish (Red Grouper) (SGD $16) uses a good quality, fresh red grouper. The flesh is firm and slightly sweet, and the Nonya style sauce is similar to assam, with a sour tangy taste. Perfect gravy for pouring on rice! I also love the medley of fresh tomatoes and orka / ladies fingers. My only complaint is that there are too few slices of fish for the price.Probably among the most expensive tofu I've eaten, the Special Pi Pa Tofu (SGD $16) commands a high price for its use of fish maw and dried scallops as garnishings. While the tofu is nicely done with a crisp exterior and a soft, wobbly interior, the high price makes this dish terrible value for money.