When living in as humid and hot an island as Singapore, one is always on the lookout for the latest icy treat to cool down on a warm day (which is almost everyday). I am thus well acquainted with a range of ice cold desserts and snacks, ranging from the humble ice kacang to the “atas” gelato. One of my favourite snacks to indulge in on a particularly hot day is both refreshing and healthy – soft serve froyo! While I do occasionally like to DIY my froyo, one of my favourite froyo places to patronize is Yami Yogurt, probably the oldest froyo chain in Singapore. It helps that I’ve a member loyalty card, so there’s always an excuse to help myself to some more. Today’s froyo is a medium sized peach flavoured one ($3.40), which tastes just like fresh peaches. The best thing is that Yami yogurt froyo is not as sour and tart as regular yogurt and yet, it still has just the right amount of tartness to be called froyo. Unlike some froyo outlets out there who seem to be selling soft serve ice cream instead. To keep this snack in the healthy category, I usually opt for either nuts or granola as topping, which is what I did today. This crunchy and sweet cereal goes really well with the soft froyo and makes it an even better treat.

Do try them out on a sweltering day, your belly will thank you for it!

When dining with a group of people, splitting the bill is always a hassle because at the end of the meal, it’s a flurry of mobile phone calculators whipped out to calculate the cost after including GST and service charge. Then it’s a scramble to dig out just the right amount of change to pay for your meal. Thankfully, all of this is done away with at Marche, where you first pay for your food using a card and then at the end of the meal, make your real payment at the cashier before you leave the restaurant. Everyone pays for himself, trouble settled! It is on one of these occasions that I find myself at Marche once again, and I decided to go for the rosti ($6.20) and a side of calamari ($12.90). The rosti at Marche is probably one of the most popular dishes since there is almost always a queue at the counter, but the chefs there are usually relatively efficient so there isn’t really a long wait. I always get the sour cream and green onions to garnish because they make the rosti taste so much better! The rosti is nicely browned and seasoned with just the right amount of salt such that it’s tasty and not overwhelmingly so. The sour cream gives it a nice tangy taste and the green onions are there because I’m a fan of them. As for the calamari, they were fried in a golden batter which was absolutely delicious and the squid inside was nice and fresh. The accompanying tartar sauce is also an added (albeit fattening) bonus.

I would recommend this place to people dining in groups for the convenience, and for everyone because there is always such a wide variety of food that there’s bound to be something for everyone! (that likes western cuisine at least.)

Being a thai food aficionado , I have eaten more than my fair share of beef noodles and so when I heard that there was a new Vietnamese café in town selling Pho (which is somewhat similar to the Thai beef noodles that I’m partial to), I leapt at the chance to schedule a lunch date with a friend there to check it out.
Located conveniently at the basement of Wheelock Place, it is a mere stone’s throw away from Orchard MRT station. The café is rather small so the tables are also incredibly small. Not too mention the fact that half the table is occupied by all the various condiments provided to season the food means that you have very little room on the table for anything else. Which is fine, because the main thing is that there’s enough space on the table for the noodles!

I opted for the beef noodles (no surprise here) and because we got the set lunch ($9.90), it came with some rice paper rolls and dipping sauce along with an option of tea or Vietnamese iced coffee. The rice paper rolls were quite tasteless until you dip them into the sauce, which was delicious and reminded me of the sauce used in “chee cheong fun”. The noodles came pretty quickly after the drinks and starter was served so props to the excellent service! While it wasn’t the best pho I’ve had (the best located in a small eatery in China Town, San Francisco), it was well worth the price. Topped with generous amounts of beef slices, the broth was tasty and flavourable and the garnishes were also a nice touch. The noodles was silky smooth so that was a plus also. I would recommend this place to anyone who’s feeling puckish while shopping in town and ready for a nice warm bowl of soupy goodness.

In a desperate bid to chase away the monday blues, I thought that I should reward myself with a late supper at Long House Food court which is conveniently located at Upper Thomson Road, in the midst of famous dessert places such as Udders. Feeling peckish for some carbs, I decided to get the chicken rice from Bugis St Chuen Chuen Chicken Rice 白沙浮津津芽菜鸡. I opted for the set meal A, which consists of rice, chicken of your choice, soup and a side of beansprouts. Not to mention the usual suspects of chili and dark sauce which are a must when eating chicken rice! Priced at $5.30, I feel that this is a reasonable price for a well-balanced meal since you get your carbs, protein and fibres all in one place. The chicken was tender and juicy, and went well with the sauce that it was served in. The beansprouts were surprisingly tasty because of the accompany sauce and shallots! I was almost going to get the recipe for the beansprouts from the owners of the shop because I had never eaten such tasty beansprouts in my life. The rice is your typical fragrant chicken rice so nothing special abotu that.

All in all, it was a very satisfying meal and I would highly recommend trying this place out if you are a fan of chicken rice, just don't forget to order the beansprouts too!

Growing up in a cantonese household, soups are always a staple for every meal. Usually left to boil for couple of month to get all the flavor out, I'm used to drinking very flavorful soups at home so when I do go out to eat, the broth provided has to match up to these high standards! Luckily, Whitley Rd Big Prawn Noodle is one of those who have mastered the art of cooking such a tasty broth for their prawn noodles that I keep going back for more.$4 for a small bowl is usually enough to fill my belly, mainly because we tend to order other side dishes to share. The best part of this dish would have to be the broth. Boiled with prawns heads and seasoned well, it is a treat to the tastebuds as it is both salty and sweet at the same time! The noodles and accompany prawns are just fillers because for me, I could easily finish 2-3 bowls of the broth alone. I also like how the prawns are served in a manner that makes it easy to eat. Goodness knows how much I have struggled to peel whole prawns with just a pair of chopsticks and a spoon, only to have the prawn either fly off the plate or give up eventually and just use my hands. That said, the noodles and prawns are well-cooked and complement the soup nicely.

If you have a bigger appetite, the noodles come in portions of 4/5/8/12 portions so you can stuff yourself silly accordingly. I would highly recommend this place to people who love prawns and more importantly, yummy soups. I'll definitely be back for more when another prawn soup craving hits!