For full review and pictures, please visit http://makeyourcaloriescount.blogspot.sg/2013/05/sg-loysels-toy-cafe.html.

Perhaps one of those that make it to the list when you speak of coffee or brunch places these days, Loysel's has been quite a popular spot, seeing how it's packed even on a rainy morning that we went on.

Known for having one of the best coffees in town, and having such a nice cosy space, it's no wonder that more people are flocking to this quiet little cafe. Situated right next to the Kallang river (though you can't really see it with the bushes around), it feels quite like a mini getaway from the usual skyscrapers and busyness of life. Loysel's Lemon Tart ($4.20)
This sure looked tempting, with its golden brown crust and rich yellow lemon curd. Flowing out almost immediately while cutting it open, I liked how smooth it was, and having a refreshing sour taste at first bite, then leaving a sweet after taste. A strong lemon taste yet wasn't overpowering and was pretty addictive. I would have preferred the tart being more crumbly to complement the dessert better, and perhaps more buttery to have that richer tart taste.
Nom Factor: 7.0/10 Eggs Ben ($12)

I was surprised to see the rather small serving they had for eggs ben. Served on toast instead of the traditional muffins, it was slightly over toasted that made it too hard, not the kind with just a crisp outside and warm soft insides. Just about to be satisfied with it passing the eggs ben test, I was disappointed to find that it was quite over-poached, with a whole layer of cooked yolk lining the sides (on the right not shown in the picture). Coming to the hollandaise sauce, I thought it was quite a generous amount they gave, but would have preferred a richer version of it, with it being slightly more buttery. The redeeming factor came with the bacon accompanying the dish, and well, bacon just makes everything a notch better. Not a dish worth your calories, in my opinion, as you can easily get better quality eggs ben elsewhere.
Nom Factor: 6.0/10

Loved the overall ambience of the place, and it's definitely great for gatherings or chilling out sessions. However, with the dishes we've tried, I probably wouldn't return for a second visit.

Helmed by celebrity chef Daniel Koh, who was the Executive Chef at Concorde Hotel, then moved on to the now-defunct Chef Daniel's Kitchen, his latest culinary concept focuses on french cuisine with a patio dining environment.
Greeted with warm service staff who were excitedly doing up the recommendations, we'd gone for all their signatures.

Papaya Soup with Mint ($3.50)

 

Strongly recommended by their staff as soup-of-the-day and at a special promo price, it was quite a palatable start, with a hint of papaya aftertaste. It was one with a savoury touch, tasting slightly like seafood bisque instead of papaya.

Spicy Wing Zing ($6.50/4pcs)

 

Plain fried chicken, it didn't come with a spicy kick, though we'd all enjoyed the 'zing' that came with the sauce, adding a refreshing lemon touch to the otherwise greasy fried chicken.

Crabmeat Burger ($13.50)

 

The star of the dish lying on a bed of cabbage, it tasted of prawns rather than crabmeat. Nonetheless, I liked the springy bounce to it, with a well-seasoned fresh seafood flavour to it.

Beef Stew ($15.50)I've always been a fan of beef stews, though this was quite a disappointment with watered down gravy, and stiff beef cubes. The dish was simply lacking in flavours, and tasted like the stew hasn't been simmered long enough.

Lamb Shank ($15.50)

 

This was a crowd's favourite out of the lot, with tender soft off-the-bone flesh. The gravy was slightly too sweet for my liking though.

Lychee Pork ($13.50)A classic french dish, this had a slight twist to it, using lychee-flavoured 'pop pops' typically used in bubble teas instead. An interesting combination with tender pork slices paired with a sudden burst of lychee. I would have preferred the base gravy to have a subtle taste of lychee as well, so that the two flavours don't come as separate senses.A taste of all its signatures didn't leave me impressed, and got all of us disappointed. Though prices were affordable and portions were just right, its flavours didn't quite hit the note for us. We would still prefer Saveur or Bistro Du Vin for some french food fix.

Our previous visit to Arteastiq Boutique at Mandarin Gallery was a memorable experience as it was somewhat a sanctuary haven to retreat to in the midst of the busy city life. A relaxing trip to the Millenia Walk area brought us to its affiliated boutique, the Arteastiq Tea Bone China.

Priding itself for serving a range of speciality tea, this branch is more known for its offering of all-day Shanghainese and Cantonese dim sum, all handmade using Arteastiq very own special recipes. The concept of Tea Bone China is inspired by the luxurious experiences of olden-day Chinese merchants who used to lounge in the garden and sip tea while watching birds sing.

Salted egg yolk bun | S$4.90/++

 

 

When this was first served to us, we were dumbfounded as this was quite unlike the usual presentation of the popular salted egg yolk bun or more commonly known as "liu sha bao". The clever use of bamboo charcoal powder to the bun gave a sharp contrast in colour when you pry open the bun, revealing the rich salted egg yolk on the inside. Apart from winning points at a presentation level and novelty's sake, we felt that it was a decent version whereby the buns were not too thick but the intensity and flavours of the salted egg yolk lacked strength. It was good but not the best when I draw comparison from more dim-sum focused Chinese restaurants such as Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck.

Crab egg pork siew mai | S$4.90/++

 

Carefully wrapped into bite-sized portions, this would be gone in one mouthful even for the ladies. We enjoyed the juiciness of the siew mai but the crab eggs atop failed to shine through. Overall, I felt that it was rather pedestrian and okay-tasting, do not expect to be wow'ed, that is for sure.

Xiao Long Bao | S$7.90/++

 

We are generally spoilt by the vast offering of xiao long bao places in Singapore such Din Tai Fung, so it is no surprise that our palate have been sharpened to taste a good rendition when one comes along. Once again, like the other dim sum dishes tried, this was good but not impressive. The broth within the xiao long bao was not as full as expected and the skin of the wrapping was slightly thicker than desired. We however enjoyed the moistness and juiciness of the minced pork but that was not enough to win us over.

BBQ pork puffs | S$4.90/++

 

While most of the dim sum dishes seemed to fare just about average, this managed to be quite a surprisingly good rendition. The flaky pastry was done beautifully and the minced bbq pork on the inside was also delectable to our palate without tasting overly sweet. The drawbacks were that the pork filling was insufficient and it was served cold, which might have been due to it being exposed for a while and personally, I would settle for nothing less than freshly baked pastries when it comes to dim sum.

Pan-fried pork dumplings | S$5.90/++I actually enjoyed this dish though I have always been quite a fan of pan-fried dumplings or 'wo tie'. It does not involve rocket science to perfect this dish but it is important to ensure that the surface is pan-fried to a nice golden-brown crispness which was done so on this occasion. The chives and minced pork filling on the inside was moist and juicy and it was also not overly greasy which appealed.Like its sister branch Arteastiq Boutique, this place has a nice decor which was thoughtfully designed. Offering art jamming sessions in an attached partitioned room next door, I find the focus to be leaned towards art rather than on food.The service staffs were courteous, friendly and approachable. It was always easy to try and fetch their attention. While the customer service, setting and the offering of art jamming remain crowd-drawing factors, the dim sum dishes failed to justify the calories and it might be a while yet for us to return for their food.

Please refer to http://www.makeyourcaloriescount.com/2014/02/sg-arteastiq-tea-bone-china-reunion-of.html for full review.

Please visit http://www.makeyourcaloriescount.com/2014/04/sg-standing-sushi-bar-great-weekday.html for full review.

People always say that once you've come out to the working society, you would start missing the life of being a student. Maybe it's the competitive Singapore education system or the nature of the Masters degree that's so demanding that actually make me miss working. Well, at least you can experience the sense of satisfaction which seemingly studying cannot offer.
My classmates and I intended to have an early dinner before our night class and while we originally planned to head down to the Standing Sushi Bar located at Singapore Art Museum (8QSAM), it only opens at 6pm every evening. As a result, we visited the branch at Marina Bay Link Mall instead.
We learnt about the prevailing promotion [$3 salmon sashimi, $2 sake, $5 beer, wine, hot sake and umeshu] on Monday and Thursday only at 8QSAM Standing Sushi Bar. Unfortunately, the branch at Marina Bay Link Mall has a separate promotion targeted at the office crowd there. We ended up with the weeknight deal [izakaya happy hour $5 salmon sashimi, $10 martinis, $5 Asahi beer, $5 large glasses of sake ,and a selection of $5 bar bites].

Salmon Aburi Roll

 

Previously, there was a hype surrounding Koh Grill's Shiok Maki or Sushi Bar's Salmon Aburi Roll. In terms of the proportion between the rice and ingredients, the salmon and cucumber pieces wrapped inside the rice was done to a nicety. We found the coating layer of salmon sashimi was slightly too thin, resulting in the torching process cooking the entire salmon altogether. In terms of taste, while the homemade sauce served here was refreshing, Koh Grill's unique creamy cheesy sauce was our preferred choice. Nonetheless, the balance of this dish was executed well and surely worth a try!We ordered 3 bar bites in the list including salmon sashimi, yakitori and potato aburi.

Salmon Sashimi - 5 Slices

 

I'm not really a fan of sashimi, but the salmon sashimi was thick and fresh which we felt was value for money at S$5/-. For the purpose of comparison, if you're only targeting their salmon sashimi, I suppose visiting the branch at Queen Street would fare better economical sense since similarly, five slices there would cost just S$3/-.

Yakitori - 3 skewers

 

After trying the yakitori at Sumire Yakitori House, we felt that this dish could do with some improvement. The meat lacked sufficient marinating time and the grill did not achieve the desired golden brown tan. Also, we found the yakitori sauce to be too watery which made it unable to coat the meat and failed to deliver a punch in flavours.

Potato Aburi

 

I was really looking forward to this dish as I love potato salad and the dish in the menu photo surely looked more appetising and palatable than what was served as it depicted an extravagant amount of sauce. Unfortunately, the dish served was nowhere close to the picture as there was no overlying sauce and the seaweed wrapping tasted chewy rather than crisp. Though the potato salad on top of the three seaweed wrapped sushi was generous and flavoursome.

Scallop Maki

 

The scallop was fresh and the seaweed remained crisp wrapping the right amount of vinegared rice, overall the dish was carried out perfectly.

Unagi Roll

 

We found quite a distinct inconsistency in terms of the distribution of the ingredients within the roll and the unagi tasted average.Quite frankly, the sushi served at Standing Sushi Bar were mostly pedestrian, nothing much to rave about nor criticise. The service was passable as we struggled to fetch the attention of the service crew on several occasions considering the restaurant was not even full house. Nonetheless, it is a great place to fetch some decent, value for money Japanese food and alcohol, and enjoy a good chat with your friends or colleagues after work.

For full review, please visit http://www.makeyourcaloriescount.com/2014/01/sg-miam-miam-french-artisanal-cuisine.html

Miam Miam is one of the newer artisanal French cafe-restaurants that opened at Bugis Junction in late October last year. Inspired by the grace and charm of kissatens, which means tearoom in Japanese, Miam Miam aims to deliver fresh flavours and ingredients of Japanese cuisine, together with French artisanal cooking techniques. Using only the freshest and sustainable-sourced ingredients, is the queue justifiable?When it was finally our turn at the queue after some 15 - 20 minutes, we were informed that tables will only be issued when all diners are present. We however noticed that there was a table of three ladies who were seated inside only to be joined later by two other friends and placing their orders subsequently. Equality does not always prevail, it seems. Anyhow, when our group was finally complete, we submitted our orders through ticking off a menu. We were advised accordingly that the pastry dishes would require a waiting time of about 40 minutes which I felt was a nice gesture for diners to adjust their expectations and particularly important if they are rushing off for a movie or some other planned activities post-dinner.Riz Noir Black Rice (S$16.50/++)Riz Noir is the french name for black rice and at Miam Miam, they served an unexpected squid ink rice underneath a buttery-tasting omelette. The eggs were velvety smooth with a strong buttery fragrance. A scoop further revealed the essence of the dish; the rice had a unique colour to it with refined iodized flavour. The squid ink rice was cooked al dente and the texture of the grains was nicely complemented by the smoothness of the overlying eggs. Arguably among ourselves, some felt that the rice was a touch too salty for their liking while personally it was within my acceptable level.

There was quite a generous portion of squid, scallops and prawns in that rice but for a restaurant that takes pride in serving fresh seafood, I was rather disappointed with the quality of the prawns. Overall, the flavours were spot-on and good, particularly the squid which was cooked beautifully to give a nice elastic texture without tasting too rubbery.

Souffle De Nuage (S$15.50/++)For those who generally have a preference for cheesy and creamy food, this would suit your palate. Unfortunately, I am not quite a fan when it comes to creamy dishes for I find it satiates my appetite quite easily. Nonetheless, in all fairness, I felt that it was beautifully cooked and there was no denial that upon service, the waft of fragrance from the 'clouds' of eggs and cheese whetted our appetite!

The home-styled ketchup fried rice underneath that cloud tasted pedestrian standalone but when enjoyed with the oozing cheese, it could be quite a savoury mouthful. I would struggle to finish the dish on my own for the eggs and cheese would fill me up by the third or fourth spoonful.

Miam Miam Haze aka London Fog (S$6.80/++)With an impressive name, I found the taste to be a disappointing match to say the least. While I appreciate the efforts to introduce a few elements and flavours in the drink, it seemed too ambitious and the earl grey based tea failed to shine through in its own glory. With steamed milk and homemade vanilla syrup added to the hot beverage, it was ironically like what the name suggested, a hazy and foggy experience for my palate.

This might have an acquired taste on some but it surely did not work well for me. The serving glass for its price does not quite seem to do justice either. My first reaction upon service was, "Uhm...is that it?"

French Toast (S$9.80/++)One key takeaway was I learnt the French name for French Toast - Pain Perdu or so we read off the menu. Starred as one of the key signature desserts, it had an interesting texture to it, quite distinctly different from what I had tried elsewhere.

Miam Miam's rendition tasted more like kueh or snacks made from rice flour or glutinous rice base. Unlike the usual toasts which have a soft and fluffy inside, this was dense and could be quite a filling dessert. Once again, I felt that this could potentially be quite a controversial dish as I know that some people might enjoy the texture for what it is while others, myself included, have a preference for the more traditional French Toasts with fluff.

I could not quite bear to enjoy the cream that was scooped into the shape of ice cream. The cream was rather rich and definitely not reserved for the calories-conscious. Separately, I found myself enjoying this dessert better simply by drizzling the maple syrup over the warm toasts.

Matcha Soufflé (S$10.80/++)There was a beautiful crust to the soufflé as evident with that golden-brown tan on its surface. If you want to take a snapshot, I would advise you to do it immediately upon service as some three to five minutes later, the crust would collapse.

Digging in, I found the taste of matcha lacking. Instead, the viscosity on the inside and the taste awkwardly reminded me of kaya. It was slightly too sweet for my liking though for those with a strong sweet-tooth craving, this might do the job. The preparation and technique was beautifully executed but the taste lacked depth.Interestingly, you could press one of these buttons located at the edge of each table to call for attention from any of the available service crew. They each wear a watch which is synchronized to the alert which gives the assurance to diners that their attention are being valued.Miam Miam offers an open-space concept so while it was fenced off from the public, expect shoppers to stare across your table especially if you are allocated a table at the ends of the restaurant. The vibe set off by the restaurant is one of casual dining but while finishing my meal, I struggled to find outstanding elements of French and Japanese cuisine in the dishes. While we find that it is a worthy place to visit, it might be some time yet before we return for their food. The queue of course would be a strong deterring factor notwithstanding the acceptable prices.