Mixed Meat Platter (Roast Pork, Char Siew (Barbequed Pork) and Sausage)

Roast pork was probably the best among the 3 types of roast meat ordered but it was nowhere as crunchy or good as the ones we had in Malaysia, at Hao Bi or Famosa. Overall a very mediocre plate of mixed roast meat on rice. I had to admit that I tended to be more critical when it came to reviewing roast meat dishes for I am a huge fan of it. On this occasion, I was certainly not impressed with the quality. Worse still, the accompanying soup had to be self-scooped. Not that I would ever drink the usually MSG-laden soup, but I could certainly see the 'What? Seriously? You gotta be kiddin' me look' on the two customers in front of me when told by the serving uncle to help themselves to the soup.

Verdict: 6.5/10

I've heard so much about Flor Patisserie and its high quality of pastries from various reviews and friends. Flor has pride itself upon its Japanese origins, with an authentic Japanese chef who crafts every single pastry fresh daily. A firm believer of using the freshest ingredients, they do not even use baking powder and every cake is made with the natural aeration of eggs, which probably explains its fine texture. Strawberry Souffle ($6.60)Crumbly bits at the back of the Souffle

A generous amount of strawberries used, the looks of the sweet-looking strawberries drew me to it in the first place. Perhaps it wasn't the season of berries, it turned out rather disappointing with sour strawberries with every bite. Though the cake was light, it tasted a tad too compact and felt like pound cake after a while. There was a refreshing tinge of lemon infused into the cake which gave it a slight twist. The crumbly bits added more texture to the otherwise boring cake. It could have been better if the strawberries weren't limited to the top layer and were interspersed throughout for it to taste like a strawberry souffle instead of a light lemon pound cake with strawberries.Strawberry Cheese Tart ($3.40)Perhaps a stereotype, I was a little disappointed when I saw the cheese tarts coming out in sealed packages like that because it seems as though it's been pre-made. It turned out to be impressively good after unwrapping it and giving it a shot. The cheese was surprisingly light which didn't leave the 'je-lat' feel like what happens after eating most cheesecakes. I loved the crumble as it was well baked and still had a crisp to it. One slight downside to it, it didn't taste anything like strawberry at all. Would have easily passed off as a normal cheese tart.Napoleon ($6.60)

A rather messy slice of cake, it has puff pastry at the bottom as well as the layer right below the jam. It hit a chord with us as it wasn't too sweet (despite the hefty amount of jam on top!) and the pastry added a different layer of surprise as it blended well with the texture of the soft cake, slices of strawberries and jam. It tasted a little like Ritz Strawberry Strudel though, except that the really soft cake was so well baked and whisked that it almost melts in your mouth. The pastry could have been baked longer for it to be crispy enough such that it doesn't end up as separate pieces from the cake, making it very messy.

Overall, it was quite a disappointing experience with Flor. Perhaps I've had expectations after hearing all about the authentic Japanese culture, seeing the long queues and the slight linkage with The Patissier upon seeing similar names, which resulted in the cognitive dissonance. I still give credits to the high quality of ingredients used and freshness of its pastries, just that it could have been slightly better especially with its positioning as a Japanese shop. Not exactly an impressive place, wouldn't be worth your effort to make a trip down to Duxton just for it.

It is within walking distance from Farrer Park MRT, but do take note of the ultra dusty air while on the way there. There's just too much construction around, which I thought kinda affected our mood while trying to find our way there. People around were very friendly though, helping us navigate around and for a moment, I felt like I was travelling all over again!It was quite easy to spot as their decor was very distinct from their neighbours. Lemon Poppy Cake

We reached at about 2pm plus and they were just starting to serve their cakes out for display on the counter. There weren't quite alot of choices for us yet, and wanting to take a break from the stronger tastes with all the coffee, we skipped the chocolate fudge cake and chose this instead. It sounded rather refreshing and unique, with poppy seeds topped with lemon curd.

The poppy seeds gave it a slightly rougher texture, which made it rather interesting. The cake could have been made finer though, so as to highlight the contrast in textures. It was a tad too airy and rough that the poppy seeds didn't exactly stand out. The lemon curd was also slightly tangy, with a pretty sharp sourish cringe to it. It was quite nice for the lower 'level' where there was just a thin layer spread over it, and added a refreshing tinge to it. The layer of curd on top was too thick though. Also, thought they could have made use of the lemon curd to gel those two layers instead of making it seem like two distinct pieces of cakes.Rather cramped seating area. This is all they had, with one more table at the side which my camera couldn't capture.Macchiato

Macchiato means marked or stained with a small amount of milk, so this was pretty much a shot of espresso with a thin layer of milk foam on top. It accentuated the taste of the beans which didn't really sit well with me. It was way too acidic and tasted sour right at the first sip. I was waiting for the taste to be completed with a more rounded after taste, just like the americano I tried in UK. Sadly, that was it. Nothing very special to boast of, probably a hit for those who like their coffee acidic.

/edit: According to feedback from the people at Liberty, the sharp taste wasn't an indicator of the acidity and in fact, their espresso blend had little acidity in it. Not too sure if the term was used correctly, but simply put, it was quite sour and you could taste the sharpness that was harsher than the usual americano I've tried before, with no milk at all to round off the taste. You might want to try the milder ones if you don't fancy very sharp coffee.Gibraltar

Pretty latte art is a battle half won. A rather intriguing name they had for this that got my friend curious, it was named after the glass that contained this drink. Technically known as Galão where it's one espresso shot with 3 shots of milk. I liked the consistency of the foam that was very smooth. The beans were however, too acidic for our liking again. I thought it'd be milder than a cappuccino and was quite surprised by the strong coffee in it. Interesting try!

They've got rather irregular opening hours, so do make a call before you head down or check out their Facebook updates. It seemed very much like a sideline hobby for the owners. Great place to visit if you like the sharp taste of coffee.

/edit: Found out from the Liberty folks that the irregular hours are not due to them working on this as a sideline, but rather, they're focused more on their trade customers. Thanks for the correction! (:

With a sweet tooth like mine, there's always room for dessert! A catchy name with raving reviews, it's been a place I've been wanting to try out for quite some time. Though with its short opening hours, it's always hard to catch them especially if you're working.

Known for their red velvet cake as well as having one of the best carrot cakes in Singapore (acclaimed by some), it is no surprise that they run out of both rather quickly. After making the 4th trip down, I finally got my piece of red velvet cake, (it's either closed, or sold out every time I go) and of course, with high expectations tagged to it given that I've made so many trips down!

As usual, the carrot cake was sold out but I'm not a fan of carrot cakes either, so I ended up getting its red velvet and key lime pie.

Key Lime PieA refreshing twist to the usual sweet desserts, this is good for a little change to your taste buds. The lime was only moderately sour, so fear not if you'd usually cringe at sour plums or raw lime. It's more of the sweetened lime juice you get from most hawkers, made into the curd form. It was very soft and melted in our mouths almost immediately. Surprisingly good I would say. The tart, however, was a tad disappointing as it wasn't crispy enough to give that extra texture to the soft curd, and neither was it the buttery kind that melts in your mouth. It fell apart easily and didn't gel well with the lime curd. The meringue on top wasn't good either. It wasn't whisked till light and fluffy and ended up tasting like sweetened whipped cream.

Red Velvet CakeAccording to the owner (or so I thought since she's the only one I see there all the time), this is meant to be served at room temperature. So if you're buying it for takeaway and refrigerate it for later consumption, do remember to leave it out at least 30minutes prior to serving.

For fans of red velvet cake, I would say, this was the most disappointing piece I've ever tried! I thought it was because I had high expectations but after tasting, we all agreed that it was bad, even without knowing how red velvet is supposed to be like. To put it simply, this tasted like a slice of cheapo birthday sponge cake that you buy off the shelves in neighbourhood bakery stores. I'm not trying to be overly critical, but this simply isn't a fair impression for first-timers of red velvet. Feeling indignant, this was simply doing injustice to the simple yet indulgent dessert.

It wasn't moist enough and didn't have enough cocoa taste to it. The only redeeming factor is perhaps the cream cheese frosting but this time round, it didn't exactly lift the taste of it as it was just a combination of very sweet cake and frosting.

Honestly, I wasn't impressed at all with the quality of desserts, nor the taste of it. Its affordable prices and location in a central yet neighbourhood precinct was attractive to me, giving it a cosy and family-styled feel, but I felt that it had missed out the most important element of any food establishments - its taste. To me, taste should never be compromised for prices. Despite all the rave and good reviews I've heard and read, it isn't a place that I would recommend if you're serious about desserts. It certainly hadn't lived up to my expectations, though that's just based on the two that I've tried. And well, it's unlikely that I'd return again for another round for sure.

It's pretty easy to miss this place as the unit numbers aren't stated very clearly and this is the only thing that's placed out there. Not very helpful if you're walking along the main streets of Pertain Road and not going into the forks. It's right next to the salon along the main street, so walk in further and you'll spot this sign that leads you in.MochaThis had a stronger flavour of chocolate in it and was a little sweet for my liking. It would be been better if the coffee taste was stronger. Nonetheless, I thought the coffee used was quite good, it wasn't acidic and left a fragrant after taste.The dining companion had the latte which she claimed was fairly good but I did not get to try it.

BKL Salad ($4)

The highly recommended potato salad on most reviews. I thought it was quite a plain dish, simply mixing chunks of cut-up potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and a dash of mayonnaise. It tasted very homemade, something that I can easily prepare on my own, hence I probably wouldn't pay for this. I thought it was quite a good complement to the taste with potato skin left on, it was slightly salted and gave variety to the texture. However, I didn't like the type of potatoes used. It was very loose inside and it felt rather distinct from the skin. Perhaps that was why the skin was left on too, so that it doesn't fall apart and become mashed potato instead.

I'd probably think twice before making a special trip down. Probably a good chillout spot for the ambience but food wise, I'm not too sure if it's worth the distance.