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/coffee-dessert-time-at-waffle-slayer.html

Went cafe hopping on a weekday afternoon with friends. We've heard a lot about Waffle Slayer's savory Squid Ink Waffles, and we're here to find out how it taste.
The worn looking wooden framed glass doors that used to be Strangers Reunion's entrance. SR has now moved next door to a bigger shop space. Waffle Slayer has taken over this space and is dedicated to serving waffles, and everything available at SR.We were quite surprised to find that the cafe is almost full house at 4pm on a Monday. We had to squeeze at a small table at the back. Check out the crowd on a weekday afternoon!The tiny cafe was very packed when we arrived, so we decided to order food and drinks first and waited till around 5.30pm to take photos of this place (when majority of the crowd is gone).
The cafe is decorated with retro style fittings and mismatched old & new furniture. Check out the 70s light switches, old school wooden cabinet and the Formica coffee table.The Waffle Slayer's waffle & coffee menu and Strangers Reunion's food & drinks menu.Self service complimentary drinking water.We ordered 2 sweet and 1 savory waffles to share, 2 side dishes and one beverage each.
Truffle Fries $12.90++, this was supposed to be served with cheese shavings but since some of us don't eat cheese, we requested it to be served with only truffle oil and mayo sauce.The fries comes in a huge bowl, with the truffle oil and mayo served on the side. Both the fries and the sauce taste pretty good.
Spam fries $10.90++, with an interesting 'Jenga' style plating...cool. This was yummy as expected, an easy to prepare comfort food but yet the most popular. It was the first dish to be wiped out.Squid Ink Waffle w/ Smoked Salmon $18.90++, served with poached egg and Hollandaise sauce. The waffle itself does not have much taste of squid ink but overall still taste good with the savory salmon and creamy poached egg which were nicely prepared.Matcha Buttermilk Waffle $14.90++, served with Azuki beans, fruits and vanilla ice cream. This was the star waffle of the day. The waffle has a lovely matcha fragrance and goes well with the azuki beans and vanilla ice cream topping. Thumbs up!Red Velvet Buttermilk Waffle $14.90++, served with pistachio tuile, chocolate fudge & vanilla ice cream. We find the waffle taste quite bland and the chocolate fudge sauce a little lacking. Although the pistachio tuile and ice cream was rather delicious, the combination of all these ingredients was lacking the wow factor.For beverage, I had the Cafe Mocha $5.50++, it comes with a nicely done latte art, in fact all hot beverages with milk here comes with elaborate latte art. The mocha taste pretty decent though.Cappuccino $4.90++, with a graceful swan latte art. No complains from my friend so I reckon its good.Two of us had the Hot Chocolate $5.50++. I had a sip of this and find it rather chocolaty, not bad at all.Iced Chocolate $7.50++, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and sprinkled with chocolate powder. A cool drink to have on a hot hot afternoon.Waffle Slayer serves reasonably decent food and drinks, and the service staffs are friendly as well. This retro themed space could have been a great place to chill, but the tight spaces between tables and the constant crowd makes it hard to do so. We probably wouldn't be back any time soon unless they have more new and exciting stuffs to offer.

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.

For full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/05/new-dim-sum-menu-at-crystal-jade-kitchen.html

The last time I visited Crystal Jade was like eons ago. I've since taken a liking to their competitions such as Paradise group and Imperial Treasures group and the likes. We chanced upon the new All Day Dim Sum menu on display at their Suntec branch and decided to give it a try.They have the regular Ala Carte menu on top of the All Day dim sum menu. The dim sum choices weren't too extensive (about 30 items) but there are some unique items that attracted my attention. Items not commonly found in SG includes the Pork Liver siew mai and Shrimp paste fried rice rolls.We ordered one pot of porridge and several dim sum items for sharing.
First up, Claypot Fish Shrimp & Pork slices Congee 鱼虾肉片大煲粥 $9.80++. At less than 10 bucks per pot, this claypot dish portion is large enough for 2-3pax to share.Huge chunks of fish and pork slices as well as deshelled prawns were found in the porridge. The ingredients used were extremely fresh and cooked just right, retaining the juiciness of the meats and their natural flavors. I highly recommend this dish!
Pan-fried rice rolls w/ Spicy shrimp paste 虾米酱煎肠粉 $5.20++. This dish is very HK style, the chee cheong fun were well coated with shrimp paste sauce and has good wok hei aroma. It was not the best I've eaten (the best is only found in HK) but was still very decently done.Pan-fried Carrot cake w/ dried shrimp & Lup cheong 香煎萝卜糕 $4.20++, another yummy dish with ample shreds of radish and fragrant lup cheong bits enveloped within.Old school Pork Liver siew mai 怀旧猪润烧卖 $4.20++, a dish that is unique to HK region and first time seen in SG (at least for me). The pork liver was marinated for long enough period before steaming, contributing to its soft and succulent texture which was well complimented by the pork and shrimp meat beneath it...very delish!The usual suspects, Shrimp dumpling 水晶鲜虾饺 $4.60++ and Crab roe siew mai 蟹皇蒸烧卖 $4.20++ were pretty decent as well, fresh and flavorful.Pork & chive dumpling 家乡韭菜饺 $3.60++, this was one of my fave. The chive used was good quality ones with robust aroma, and the chef was careful to not overcooked it preserving its crunchiness as well. Thumbs up!Beancurd rolls in thick soup 浓汤鲜竹卷 $4.80++, it is uncommon to find this cooked in soup. Crystal Jade's version was rather tasty but not outstanding though.We ordered one dessert each and I had the Aloe vera & osmanthus w/ honey soup 芦荟桂花蜜 $3.80++, a nice and refreshing end to a scrumptious dim sum meal!Crystal Jade has done well with their new dim sum menu, giving us little surprises here and there with their uniquely HK style dishes. Best of all, the prices are very affordable! They have now renewed my interest in them and I will definitely return for more delicious food.