For full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/06/hatter-street-cafe-waffles-four-seasons.html
I had an impromptu coffee session with one of my sista who stays just across the street from Hatter Street cafe. We were there at around 5pm on a Friday evening and the cafe is about 70% full.The tiny cafe has a whimsical decor theme which sets it apart from the usual industrial themed decor of similar indie cafes. The cafe's name Hatter is derived from The Hatter, a character from the story Alice in Wonderland, who loves having tea parties in the magical wonderland. The menu is written on the whimsical wall murals, no physical menu will be presented at the table.This cafe is self service style, just walk in, pick a seat and place order at the cashier counter. We ordered 2 of their specialty waffles and ice drinks to beat the late afternoon heat.My Whoaffe with Pandan ice cream & Gula Melaka sauce $8.90. Whoa...the waffle smelt great when it arrived at our table. I was totally blown away by the crispy crust and soft fluffy center of the waffle, and the homemade pandan ice cream tasted heavenly with a very authentic pandan aroma. Thumbs up!My sista's Whoaffle with Chocolate ice cream & Chocolate sauce $8.90. She was raving about the yummy chocolaty ice cream and crispy crusted waffle too!Please do not be deceived by the seeming small portion of the waffles in the pictures. The waffles was really quite big piece, probably the bigger scoop of ice cream contributed to the false impression.

Our drinks Ice Mocha $6.50 and Root beer Float $4.50. They both tasted average, nothing to shout about.Hatter Street cafe is a nice little place to chill with small group of friends over simple desserts and drinks. They do not serve any sort of savory food or snacks, and no gourmet coffee available here...just really good desserts and regular drinks. Seating space is really tight, so my advice is to avoid weekends peak, and don't come in groups of more than 4pax!

Chef Yamashita, the co-owner of the popular bakery Flor Pâtisserie, has left the joint venture and started his very own bakery. I got the news of this move from posts of follow foodies on FB. His new shop is located in the nostalgic heartland of Tanjong Pagar Plaza.Situated in a quiet corner with a modern minimalist decor theme, Chef Yamashita Japanese Artisan Bakery stood out like a sore thumb among all the old school shops on level 2.Mrs Yamashita, who was manning the shop welcomed us with a sunny smile and Japanese's enthusiasm to serve. At around 4pm, most of the popular pastries were already sold out! I had to make my choice with what's left for the day. I managed to grab the last two pieces of Banana Caramel luna wrap and a few other Petit Gâteau (small cakes).Banana Caramel Luna Wrap $5.90 and Ichigo Luna Wrap $5.90, looked exactly like the ones sold in Japan bakeries. They do not just look good but taste super as well. The vanilla sponge cake was fluffy and light as air, and pairs perfectly with the fresh cream and the generous serving of sweet tasting cut fruits.Thumbs up!Rikyu 利休 $6.80, a Matcha flavored cake with green tea cream atop of green tea meringue roll with fresh cream & azuki bean filling, sprinkled with chopped Japanese chestnuts. This cake is a Matcha fan's dream come true, it has aromatic matcha flavor oozing from inside out.Chocola Hill $6.80, dark chocolate brownie with walnuts topped with chocolate cream and chocolate tuile. The brownie turned out a bit hard to chew after leaving in the fridge overnight, overall passable but no wow factor.Darkcherry Tart $6.80, a cream cheese tart with dark cherry compote topping. Hubby ate this one, he said it was yummy.Do note that all their pastries are freshly made every morning with no added preservatives, and must be refrigerated asap if not consumed within 30-45mins after purchase.


For full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/06/chef-yamashita-japanese-artisan-bakery.html

Brought hubby to Symmetry cafe for his birthday lunch as he wanted to eat good quality food with nice ambiance. I've read a lot about Symmetry's good food and service and have always wanted to try it myself. So here we are, at Symmetry Cafe on a Wed afternoon armed with a confirmed table reservation.Symmetry cafe is located on a small street called Jln Kubor, about 15mins walk from the Exit B of Bugis MRT. It is house in a restored colonial style building, painted all white with bright green windows...nice.We were greeted by a friendly waiting staff and ushered swiftly to a table at the back of the cafe. The cafe was only half full at 2pm. I was able to take some pictures after we had placed orders for our food.
This place has an industrial themed decor with hanging factory lighting and kerosene lamps, and unfinished brick walls, wooden fixtures and metal shelves. Intriguing paintings lined the walls that piqued our interest...such as 'The Last Supper' scene with an amusing twist.Table setting and Lunch menu...We each ordered a beverage and a main course, and one starter dish and waffle for sharing.
My Hot Chocolate w/ Marshmallows $6.50++, served with a crunchy gingerbread man cookie on the side. I love this thick and chocolaty drink dressed with toasted tiny marshmallows that dissolves delightfully in my mouth on every sip...slurp!Hubby's Cafe Mocha $5.50++, also served with a gingerbread man cookie. He's very happy with his choice.Prawn & Courgette popcorn $17++, deep fried battered prawn balls with minced courgette served with piquillos pepper remoulade. The prawn balls were super crunchy and succulent, and goes well with the non spicy remoulade sauce, very addictive to eat.My Tiger Prawn Aglio Olio $22++, Spaghetti tossed with garlic, togarashi, konbu, chive, olive oil in white wine sauce. There was a good amount of de-shelled halve prawns in this dish, and the togarashi chili pepper seasoning was pretty spicy...giving the dish a fiery boost on flavor. The prawns were very fresh and pasta was done well too, seriously delish!Hubby's Snapper Meunière $24++, pan fried whole snapper fillet with brown butter and lemon confit, served with capers, almond, kelp, wakame & cherry tomatoes. The fresh and juicy white fish meat was cooked to perfection with a strong buttery flavor. Hubby was singing praises about this fish dish after devouring it within mins.Our enjoyment didn't just end here, the highlight of the day Waffle $16++, served with berries compote, peanut butter, nutella, maple syrup & blueberry ice cream topped with chantilly cream. The thick and fluffy waffle was expertly prepared with slight crisp crust and soft spongy center, and it smelt really really good when served. Apart from the impressive plating, it tasted incredible too with the 6 different kinds of accompaniments, one dish with 6 types of flavors...what more can I say.We thoroughly enjoyed our meal here at the Symmetry cafe, food quality was outstanding and service was very good too. The serving staff didn't need to write down our orders and she remembered that I had specially instructed to serve my pasta w/o cheese. The cafe also has a nice ambiance to boot. It is such a great feeling to step out of a restaurant feeling full and truly satisfied...I will definitely be back in a heart beat!

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

TCC has recently revamped their menu and introduced a significant number of new dishes and beverages. We haven't been visiting them since last year and its time to check out the one outlet that is serving an entirely different menu from other TCC boutiques, TCC By The Bay, at Keppel Bay Marina.Located at level 2, this TCC boutique has tall ceiling and surrounded by full height glass windows with unobstructed view of the scenic marina area. Natural sunlight flooded the dining area providing patrons an Al fresco dining kinda feel but in aircon comfort.The restaurant serves a diverse international clientele thus they have a different menu to cater to multinational palates. On top of that, they have a kids menu that is not available at other TCC outlets.All of us ordered the Monthly Special drink, Berri Jubilee $8++, a pretty in pink ice-blended berries drink dressed with vanilla whip cream and topped with lovely flowers and pearls. Photo taking frenzy ensues...This drink is not only good to look at but tasted great too...refreshingly sweet and fruity with bits of strawberry seeds inside. Very nice!
Roasted Pork Belly Salad $16++, thinly sliced pork belly, served with mesclun salad tossed in grape vinaigrette and accompanied with tomato confit and apple purée.The sweet and tangy sauce complimented the savory pork slices really well, the dish was wiped out within mins...undoubtedly delicious.
My friend's Crab & Corn Chowder $12++, served with crab claw meat, sautéed corn kernels and garlic toast. The soup does not have strong flavor but has generous serving of crab meat, overall passable.My main course, Roasted Pork Belly with Sauerkraut $28++, served with broccolini, roasted fingerling potato and cider infused brown jus.Two thick chunks of pork belly roasted to perfection with crispy skin and tender juicy meat. The brown jus that comes with the roast pork was extremely yummy too...slurp!
Grilled Grain-fed Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Jus $36++, served with dauphinoise potato, sautéed baby carrots, asparagus spears and capsicum.Friend requested for medium rare, the beef was done medium when served but meat was still tender so she was not disappointed at all.
Seafood Aglio Olio $26++, served with with pan-seared giant scallops, blue-shell mussels and prawns. We were quite surprised that the scallops were that huge! Seafood were very fresh and succulent and the pasta was well executed too.Stuffed Cheesy Chicken in Parma Ham Wrap $27++, oven-roasted parma ham-wrapped chicken breast, stuffed with mozzarella cheese and fresh sage, served with potato dauphinoise and chicken jus. No complains for this dish accept that it was very filling.We loved dining at TCC By The Bay, food was really good and different from the other outlets. And coupled with the magnificent waterfront view and friendly service staffs, we really hoped to come back again to try more nice dishes.

For full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/05/late-lunch-at-tcc-keppel-bay-marina.html

For full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/05/dinner-at-hamanoya-robata-dessert-from.html

This was my 2nd visit to Hamanoya, they have since added many new items to their menu and I am here to suss them out.They have added many new sushi and sashimi items which are lacking in their previous menu. However, being the first Robata restaurant in SG, their forte is their slow grilled items so I'm still sticking to ordering ala carte charcoal grilled items for my dinner tonight.The food portion looks seemingly small in the pictures so I picked out about 5 savory items and an Onigiri as the carbo dish. The drink and a small complimentary appetizer was served right after placing order.The spinach cold dish was nice and refreshing. However, I was kinda disappointed that they have stopped serving complimentary skewered seafood as complimentary starter dish which I had on my first visit.
Grilled Onigiri w/ miso paste $3.99++, this was lightly grilled over charcoal fire to bring out the smokey aroma of the miso paste. It was very tasty and the chef did a good job of making sure the rice is still soft and moist despite having gone through the grilling process.Grilled Asparagus wrapped w/ Bacon $4.99++, this is a no brainer pick on my part as it is a guaranteed yummy dish. Who could resist anything made with crispy bacon?Grilled Chicken meatball w/ half boiled egg $4.99++, I had this before and I'm having it again, as this is way too delicious to not order again. The marinated minced chicken meat slow cooked on a large wooden spoon was extremely juicy and flavorful, and dipping it into the creamy half boiled egg just takes it to a whole new level. Must try!This is something new, Grilled Miso paste w/ fresh vegetables $4.99++. The Miso paste is the main focus here even though it was supposed to be the dipping sauce for the freshly cut veggies. The miso paste has added bits of finely chopped veggies to enhance its flavor and the grilling process gave it a really nice smokey fragrance. It was quite tasty but a tad too salty for my palate.Grilled Salmon belly $11.99++, another dish that I had previously and don't mind having it again and again. The restaurant has limited servings of these daily and it gets sold out pretty fast. It is not hard to figure out why it is such a popular dish. Being the softest part of the fish, the tender and succulent meat was oozing juicy goodness from within...simply divine!At this point, I already knew I had over-ordered for tonight. All the dishes served were really larger in portion as compared to what I saw on the pictures. It didn't help that my last dish was also a big portion one. Tonpei Yaki とんぺい焼き $7.99++, a Japanese Izakaya styled omelette with pork belly slices and chopped veggies topped with savory tonkatsu sauce and creamy mayo.This was a truly mouth-watering dish, there were generous amount of juicy pork belly slices in the omelette. I was pleasantly surprised that they are charging only 8 bucks for this dish! Definitely recommended.
I didn't manage to finish all my food in one seating so I packed them back for dinner next day. The pork omelette and the salmon belly remains very delish even after sitting in the fridge and being reheated after one day!
The service level here definitely scores high points in my good books, very professional and polite like in every authentic Japanese restaurant. Coupled with reasonably priced and fantastic food, this is Hamanoya's recipe for keeping their customers happy, and coming back again and again.