Had an impromptu dinner with evil sistas at Triple Three restaurant. It has been very long since I last dine here. The restaurant has a new decor and layout. I loved the beautifully arty hanging chandelier at the lobby area just infront of the restaurant. The restaurant has a contemporary chic themed decor.The buffet dinner is priced at $98++, includes a special chocolate buffet station on top of the usual desserts corner. The buffet this month features premium Wagyu Beef from Kagoshima (Japan), Baked Norwegian salmon and Lobster Mentaiyaki. My food choices were..The Honey baked ham was very good, meat was very lean, very soft and not salty...nice. The tempura was fresh and crispy. Baked cod fish was fresh and tender. Sushi were extremely fresh as well...very good standard food.The chawanmushi was silky smooth and full of fresh ingredients...the tobiko roe pops in my mouth with every bite...yummilicious!The herbal live prawns were very fresh and crunchy but the soup is a tad bitter due to the Angelica (当归) used in the soup. The wolfberries were sweet though.

The featured premium seafood were Mentaiyaki Lobster and Chili crab sauce Crayfish. We had to queue up to get these.The Mentaiyaki lobster was good, smoky and very flavorful but was a tad salty though. Lobsters were fresh but some were slightly overcooked and was chewy...still delicious nonetheless.

It is time to attack the Chocolate station. I'm a chocoholic, I've saved some stomach space for these sweet treats.The Chocolate macaron was the Top dessert of the day...light and flaky meringue shells with very very dense and smooth dark chocolate filling...heavenly! I was going to get more of these but they were wiped out pretty fast The Chocolate tart topped with caramel and walnut was a close second, with bitter dark creamy chocolate that blends with the sweet caramel in one bite, coupled with the crunch from the walnut...brilliant combi The Dark chocolate mousse cake, smooth and creamy mousse with crispy biscuit base...extremely delish too. As Premium dark chocolate was used, most choc desserts here were not too sweet..perfect for indulgence!

Some other desserts I had at the regular dessert station were..The Berries mousse was nice, it is sweet and slightly sour and had bits of strawberry seed inside. The Green tea & Strawberry ice cream were very dense and creamy...strawberry ice cream had bits of seeds inside as well...yums.

Service here is good, very prompt and polite. Food here was of very good quality, the restaurant lighting is a little dark though...a bit too romantic for a buffet setting. Overall dining experience was well worth the hefty price tag.

For full review and more photos please see - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2013/07/buffet-dinner-at-triple-three-mandarin.html

For detail review and many more pictures please visit - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2013/05/hi-tea-at-museo-quayside-isle-sentosa.html

My friends and I bought a Groupon deal ($35nett for weekend Hi tea at Museo U.P. $48++). Since there is only one seating (1.30pm - 5pm) for weekends, we made our reservation way back in Mar to secured seats. Museo is located at Quayside Isle at Sentosa Cove, not a very public transport friendly place but definitely a sanctuary away from the bustling city area. Arriving here immediately puts us in a relaxing and laid back holiday mood.

There are many international restaurants here that offers waterfront dining experience. Museo is located at the 2nd level above the Picotin bistro.Our table had waterfront view. It is the sofa type seat where diners take off their shoes and relax over a cup of tea/coffee...if you don't need to get up for food that is. We initially find it cumbersome to get in and out to get our food from the buffet stations. But once our tummy are filled, it is really quite relaxing to laze and sip tea while enjoying the view outside...The buffet spread...not a huge selection of food but food quality is very good. Their signature dish Roast pork belly (sio bak) gets snapped up pretty fast!The Dessert station, also limited choices, some are nice some are not so nice..My food choices...I ate 3 rounds, all of them contains sio bak. The pork belly is roasted just right, has 2/3 lean meat and 1/3 fat plus super crispy skin....heavenly! Their fresh prawns and Cajun chicken chop are also very good. The appetizer dishes such as the cold pasta, tuna tataki and seafood salad were also very fresh and well prepared...yums.For desserts, I had the mango mousse cake, green tea mousse cake, chocolate swiss rolls and cream puff. I liked the chocolate swiss roll and mango cake, they were soft and spongy and not overly sweet. The others tasted so so only. For fruits, I had the rock melon, it is super sweet!The highlight of this restaurant had to be their Arteastiq tea. I had two rounds of hot tea and a cup of hot chocolate. Their hot beverages were very lovely, the hot chocolate was thick and creamy, the French rose tea was fabulously fragrant and the Mint lemongrass tea really wakes up my senses. Overall we really enjoyed the dining experience here. The service was good, prompt and friendly. Dishes were cleared regularly, ice water was refilled without asking. Food at buffet stations were replenished fast...especially for their popular dishes. The buffet price includes unlimited order of non alcoholic drinks. We find that it is really worth the price we paid.

Full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2016/01/in-love-with-kimbap-from-seoul-roll.html

As the waves of Korean F&B concepts continue hitting our shores, small takeaways shops such as Seoul Roll that specializes solely in Kimbap (seaweed rice rolls) has started appearing at populous shopping malls. I've always liked eating Kimbap and will order some whenever I was at a Korean eatery.The shop, located at basement of Raffles City, has 13 varieties of seaweed rice rolls available. The kimbap rolls are freshly wrapped upon customer's order, each costs $4.50 - $5.00. Kimchi and Korean teas are also sold here.I love eating these so much that I visited it thrice within a month and bought 8 different flavors home to try. All of them were delicious, some I liked more than the others. I've arranged my photos in order of my personal fave.Crispy Shrimp $5.00 - Carrot, Lettuce, Cucumber, Eggs, Budok root & Kochujang AioliSpicy Cuttlefish $4.50 - Lettuce, Cucumber, Carrot, Eggs & Budok rootSeoul Roll $5.00 - Carrot, Radish pickle, Budok root, Cucumber, Eggs, Luncheon meat & KimchiMackerel $5.00 - Carrot, Radish pickle, Lettuce, Cucumber, Eggs, Budok root, Pickled red onion & Deonjang AioliSpicy Pork $5.00 - Carrot, Radish pickle, Lettuce, Cucumber, Eggs & Budok rootCrab Salad $4.50 - Carrot, Radish pickle, Lettuce, Cucumber, Eggs & Budok rootCrispy Pork $5.00 - Carrot, Radish pickle, Lettuce, Cucumber, Budok root, Eggs, Tonkatsu, Red Cabbage & Soy AioliChicken Bulgogi $5.00 - Carrot, Radish pickle, Lettuce, Cucumber, Budok root & Eggs

As you can see, they are very generous with the fillings. Each roll can be cut into 5-6pcs. They also take online orders and delivery. Check them out at http://www.seoulroll-sg.com/. I'll be back for more!

Full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/12/heritage-afternoon-tea-at-clifford-pier.html

Finally got to try the recently introduced Heritage Afternoon Tea menu created by Shermay Lee, owner of Shermay's Cooking School, and also author of Peranakan Cookbooks capturing traditional nonya recipes past down from her grandma. This menu is available at the newly renovated upmarket restaurant, Clifford Pier, at the Fullerton Bay hotel. 

The first thing that struck us was the imposing X'mas tree beautifully dressed in classy Tiffany blue theme, with a huge Tiffany gift box at the base.We arrived a little early and got to hang around the posh lobby taking photos while waiting for the restaurant to start sitting guests for afternoon tea.I took a dozen photos of the stunning Clifford Pier, with iconic colonial style ceilings and stylishly designed decor and furnishings. This restaurant has the best hi tea ambiance so far among the 5 stars hotels I've been to.At exactly 3.30pm, the restaurant opens for afternoon tea, and we were ushered swiftly to our seats. Check out the simple and chic table settings and condiments.Cream cheese, Pandan kaya, Pineapple jam, Fruit jam, Chilli sauce & Butter.

The Afternoon Tea menu ($43++) consists of 8 savory treats and 8 sweet treats that has distinct Peranakan influences, and a selection of local (Teh Tarik, Kopi Kosong & Air Bandung) and western favorite beverages to go with the food. Both food and drinks are free flow.

For starters, I ordered the Teh Tarik while hubby had the Cafe Latte. The Teh Tarik was not too bad but a tad sweet. I'm more impressed with the ice Bandung drink which was really fragrant and refreshing.In the midst of sipping tea, the restaurant suddenly came alive when a pianist started playing at the grand piano in the middle of the restaurant and singing live for the patrons. And, he sang quite well too.The first dish arrived after a short wait, and it was served on a plate. A pair of Kurobuta Pork Kong Ba Bao & Chilli Crab Mantou. Both were delicious, the braised pork belly was soft and well infused with flavor, and the chilli crab filling has got chunky crabmeat with tasty tomato sauce. A nice start to the meal!When we're done with the starter dish, the waiting staffs served up a 3-Tier afternoon tea goodies. On the top tier was scones, Buttermilk scones & Tropical fruits scones. They were not too buttery and taste good with the pandan kaya and pineapple jam. Some scone lovers may find them not buttery enough though.The middle tier contains the savory snacks and sandwiches. Handcrafted Kueh Pie Tee, Mini Po Piah Wrapped in Nonya Egg Skin, Nonya Chicken Curry & Roti Jala Wrap, Bak Kwa Finger Sandwich, Hae Bee Hiam Sandwich & Otak Sandwich.

The savories were my favorite, we ordered second helping of the Chilli Crab mantou and the Kueh Pie Tee. The Chicken Curry & Roti Jala Wrap, Bak Kwa & Hae Bee Hiam sandwiches were commendable too. The only disappointment is the Otak sandwich, the otak is low quality and chewy, not nice.At the bottom tier were the sweet treats. As it was X'mas month, they replaced some of the original pastries with Christmas pastries. We have Roselle Jam Linzer Cookie, Bandung Macaron, Red Velvet Swiss Roll, Mixed Fruit Cake, Christmas Fruit Cake & Pear Tart.

The sweets were not very impressive, I only liked the Red velvet swiss roll and the Pear tart cookie, the Bandung macaron was overly sweet and '漏风'! The rest were forgettable.Despite having some minor misses with food quality, the afternoon tea experience was pretty awesome and we really adored the gorgeous ambiance of this elegant establishment. Service rendered here was good, I would gladly return to try the original menu after the festive seasons.

Lola's cafe, a hidden gem nestled in the heartland of Kovan area, has been making its way onto foodie's good books serving delicious food at pocket friendly prices. I've finally found an opportunity to check it out.I arrived at the entrance of this cafe at around 5.30pm on a Friday evening, it was already 80% full. The friendly staffs quickly ushered me to an available table. This tiny eatery is decorated with mixture of nostalgic and modern furniture and accessories. Several tables here are made with retro sewing machines.There is an iPad queuing system near the entrance. If the cafe is full, patrons can enter their contact details and get a call when a table is available, no need to physically queue up here.Our tiny table and the food & drinks menu. Everything here are priced below 20 bucks and there is no GST and Service charges...cool!Hubby and I ordered a drink and a main course each, and one side dish for sharing. My Mocha $5.50, comes with a lovely coffee art, the coffee was smooth and robust...pretty good!We had one of the cafe's most popular sides, Honey Paprika Crispy Wings $10. The spices and honey sauce was really delish, chicken meat was tender and juicy too.My Chicken Burger $14, toasted sesame buns with marinated chicken leg served with spicy aioli sauce and potato fries. The chunky chicken leg was very tender and tasted good with the spicy aioli. I loved the crispy fries that comes with the burger!Hubby's Coastal Seafood Spaghetti $14, served with prawns, mussels, squid in white wine tomato sauce. The seafood was fresh and the pasta well executed, and the sauce was pretty awesome too. At only 14 bucks, its a steal!We had a wonderful meal at the Lola's cafe, food is of good quality and prices are very affordable. Best part is they have 5 serving staffs providing prompt and friendly service and it didn't cost us 10% extra to enjoy that! This is one place worthy of multiple visits.

For full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/06/dinner-at-lolas-cafe.html