As we walked past the shop, we could not help but be smitten by this French-inspired concept store which offers both a retail and dining experience. Like how it was intended to be, one could not help it but felt like he or she had returned to one of those imaginary magical worlds of childhood days. We last visited Au Chocolate quite a while ago and decided to have it another go!

There are three sections to Au Chocolate which is tucked quietly away at a corner of Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. The first shop front to greet would be the confiserie, which is a confectionery and chocolate atelier filled with candies, chocolates and all sorts of imaginable goodies! Then we also have a small takeaway counter which is located between the confiserie and the bistro. You would expect to find a wider range of cakes, macarons and pastries at the takeaway counter but if you fancy a dine-in at the bistro, do not be shy to request for your orders to be sent to your table!

Truffle Fries (S$15/++)What I particularly enjoyed about the truffle fries were that they were carved out of fresh potatoes where you could still see the potato skin attached to some of the crispy strips. It was drizzled with fragrant white truffle oil and seasoned with truffle sea salt. On the sides were mayonnaise and BBQ sauce to go along. Quite frankly, while we enjoyed the crisp texture of the freshly fried fries, I felt that the truffle fragrance lacked depth and intensity. The mayonnaise and BBQ sauce were nothing too great to rave about. Overall, it was good but not impressive.As we closely examined the 'newspaper' wrapping the truffle fries, you would notice that it is actually Au Chocolate Times! Mushroom Bites (S$15/++)The mushrooms came simmered in red wine sauce, paired with freshly baked bread and served with tasty tomato and olive jam. While we liked that the mushrooms retained the firm texture, giving it a slight chewiness and bounce, the flavours of the expected red wine sauce was slightly disappointing. Probably owed to the strong natural fragrance inherited from most mushrooms, the sauce failed to shine and tasted more like a good gravy. Coupled with the freshly baked bread which had a beautiful crisp crust to it, we enjoyed the complement in textures. The tasty tomato and olive jam tasted more like a variance to a tomato-based mayonnaise and while it did come appeal on my palate, it was well received by the ladies.

Au Chocolate frozen hot chocolate (S$12/++)This was a rather confusing and misleading drink to begin with. I struggled to find any element of 'hot chocolate' within the drink to give it any qualitative value. It was described as 'an all-time favourite' on the menu and since it resonated with the bistro's signature, we felt that it should be a 'MUST-TRY'. We were left hugely disappointed as it tasted plain pedestrian. With a generous amount of whipped cream crowning the frozen cold chocolate icy bits, the amount of calories in this drink would blow your mind off. The taste of the chocolate tasted mild and lacked intensity. We felt that the quality could have been better to warrant a simple iced cold chocolate drink at S$12++.

This drink took an awful long time before it finally reached our table. I submitted my request on two separate occasions after the order and on each occasion, I was assured that it was on the way. When I finally decided that I had enough and wanted to cancel the order, they seemed to expedite my request and had it before me within two minutes.

Au Chocolate Benedict (S$18/++)You could see that while it passed the classic eggs benedict test, it was not perfect. The poached egg did not look neat and I somewhat felt that the egg looked slightly clumsy and out of place compared to the one we had previously. I did not like the fact that there were 'lumps' of egg white and egg yolk.While the overall presentation with the muffin and bacon looked good, I was expecting a stronger punch in flavours and tastes from the homemade hollandaise sauce infused with red wine and dark chocolate. Again, the red wine element was sorely lacking and when enjoyed as a whole with the other elements on the plate, the dark chocolate failed to shine through. To give it credit, when we tasted the hollandaise sauce on its own, you could taste the chocolate taste cutting through, albeit mildly.

I might have set my expectations too high with the homemade hollandaise sauce but everything else on the plate was spot on. Crisp bacon and well toasted muffin with a nice portion of salad on the side.

Smoked salmon savoury crepe (S$20/++)While browsing through the beautifully illustrated menu, I was drawn to the savoury crepes which seemed unique as compared to its sweet counterpart. One would normally crepe to come with a sweet offering so this took me by surprise and the adventurous side of me decided to go for the smoked salmon.

The smoked Norwegian salmon came with finely-sliced crunchy Granny Smith apples covered in a rich cream sauce. When given the choice of a plain crepe or a chocolate rendition, we went for the latter. The crepe was freshly baked and there was a nice fragrance to it. It felt elastic and I found the thickness of the crepe to be ideal without too much flour to make it look like a pancake.

I thought that the combination was well thought out and sublime. The sweet and mildly sour tang from the green apples also gave a refreshing twist to the savoury smoked salmon while the textures were also well complemented with the crunchiness of the green apples.

The salad on the side was surprisingly addictive as it was topped with Au Chocolate's unique chocolate balsamic vinaigrette. While the salad was fresh, the dressing made all the difference with a perfect balance in acidity. Overall, this dish made my day and sealed it for me.I think that Au Chocolate has a beautiful setting and the intended 'magical world' decor that it was trying to achieve was certainly spot on. It seemed to transcend away from the affluence of the Marina Bay Sands into a corner reserved for the young and innocent. While the prices of the dishes certainly did not come cheap, it was affordable and well worth the experience.On the customer service aspect, I felt that some of the staffs were trying a little too hard to be nice when they failed to address the basics, such as making sure that orders were taken and making sure that they get served to the customers in a timely fashion. They were polite and humble in their conversations and was well appreciated. Overall, I felt that Au Chocolate is a decent bistro which has that relaxed ambiance for the diners but I would be more selective on my next visit.

Due to limitations in photo uploads, please refer to http://www.makeyourcaloriescount.com/2013/10/sg-memorable-revisit-to-au-chocolate.html for more pictures.

Chai Tau Kway or more commonly known as carrot cake is one of the dishes whereby I would proudly acclaim it to be uniquely Singaporean. However, it is a shame that the tradition of making carrot cake from scratch is a trade that is dying, considering the sheer amount of hard work involved.

Bukit Merah View Carrot Cake is one of the rarities left in Singapore whereby the family of three brothers take turns to mill rice themselves every morning to make the real carrot cake. The broken rice grains are milled down to a watery solution before adding piping hot water to cook the starch, which then turns into a paste. Diced carrots and radishes are subsequently added to the paste and steamed for four hours before it becomes ready to be pan-fried and served to customers.

Does it taste different from the typical carrot cakes at other hawker stalls then?

Black carrot cake (S$2.50/-)It is one of the few places where I can still find a plate of carrot cake at an affordable S$2.50 and still expect to walk away feeling full. Quite honestly, the white and black version are not much different except that the latter had sweet sauce tossed in towards the end of the cooking, just before being served.

We loved it because there were beautiful crisp bits and the carrot cakes come in chunks and blocks rather than in small bits. The reason, according to the owner, was that so that diners could taste the radish that went into the making. The smooth radish complemented the pan-fried crisp bits well and the portion of eggs was certainly generous in each plate.

The sweetness of the sauce was the icing on the (carrot) and personally I favoured the black version just that bit more. However as the sweet sauce was only tossed over the carrot cake just before serving, there were unfortunately some parts of it which was not evenly mixed so the sweetness was not consistent enough. Overall, it was still a dish done traditionally and tasted very well indeed.

White carrot cake (S$2.50/-)I think the above pictures do more justice in the size and shape of each piece of the carrot cake and the plain white version were savoury and tasty on its own. While the taste of the radish might not be strong and forthcoming, you could surely taste the difference from the commercial mass-produced ones with this just being that extra fragrant and savoury to say the least being on its own. Expect to enjoy some of that crispy bits too!We went in the evening and the owner seemed rather tired and reluctant to share more than what was asked and came across as someone with a rather 'cool' attitude. As expected, you would need to self-collect your orders and personally, this would be one of our MUST-TRY given the traditional traits involved in the making process and the overall taste.

We were privileged enough to be invited to the Grand Opening of Flor Patisserie at their latest outlet on Siglap Drive. Quietly tucked away in the residential estate, it surely required quite a fair bit of travelling for those craving for a sweet-tooth fix!

I always like to explore why a specific name was chosen for the eatery or business. 'Flor' is a Portugese word for flower and pronounced in Japanese as 'fu-ro-ru'. It symbolizes love, passion, beauty while the flower embodies the delicate balance of nature and beauty.

It was not our first try of Flor Patisserie's cakes though the last time we tried was a takeaway order. (Review may be found here) Flor Patisserie is essentially a Japanese-styled patisserie that serves authentic Japanese inspired French pastries. Chef Yamashita hails from Japan and brings with him over 20 years of experience in Japanese baking techniques and has spent a year and a half tailoring Flor's cakes to suit the climate and taste of Singaporeans. He draws his inspiration for cakes from flowers and translates the symbolic elements into dessert creations. It is then presented like the flower, a gift from Mother Nature, through the chef's selection of delectable and colourful offerings which resembles the life of a flourishing life garden.

With a clear understanding of the philosophy that goes into the making of these desserts, we were pleasantly welcomed by the hosts and some of the other invited attendees when we eventually find the hideout. It was surely a pleasure to meet up with some other foodies and invited guests and while it was a shame that we did not manage to speak to them much, I am sure there would be a next time to do so!Once inside the simply yet clean and chicly decorated eatery, we were captivated by the cakes and pastries on display. Personally, elaborate furnishings somehow just came across as having the customers to pay a premium for the food served so this appealed to me just fine.

Avocado mousse with lemon jelly (Complimentary)This certainly caught my attention as the name itself was pretty exotic to begin with. While we understood a little more from Heidi, the humble chef from Le Cordon Bleu who is responsible for these beautiful creations, we later learnt that this was a new offering yet to be introduced to the public.

We loved the rich flavours of the avocado but perhaps owed to the petite serving, the lemon jelly failed to shine as I could barely taste the zest of it. It was surely an interesting teaser but would require some further tweaking to the presentation before being launched as a dessert standalone.

Strawberry Shortcake (Complimentary)There are too many versions of Strawberry Shortcake out there in the patisserie scene that we become spoilt for choice. If there was one thing to takeaway from this was that impeccable layer of sponge. It was light and fluffy yet maintained slightly moist which gave perfect foundation to build upon this cake. The cream was fresh and light and overall it was a classic cake done elegantly.

Coco Royale (Complimentary)This did not quite live up to my expectation though admittedly I have a very high demand for chocolate cakes. It was an 'okay' chocolate cake in my opinion with the right amount of moisture within the layer of sponge and while we could taste the quality of the dark cocoa, it was somehow pedestrian as it lacked a breakthrough element to make it outstanding on its own. It lacked some texture or variety to give it a notch above and impress our palate.

Napoleon (Complimentary)Personally, I find that there are three main elements to the Napoleon, being the puff pastry, sponge and the sandwiched cream. The one takeaway from Flor Patisserie's cakes and pastries was that you could not quite go wrong with their base bakes such as puff pastry and sponge for they ensure that the quality was top-notch before being served to customers.

With that, the Napoleon won us over, easily. The crispiness of the puff pastry left flakes all over the white table. Apart from the mess, it complemented the soft layer of sponge neatly with the cream. That divine combination of textures was good enough to make me fetch for a second round!

Marron Pie (Complimentary)This was my first try of a marron pie but being made from Japanese chestnut, this pie was surely worthy of our calories! It consists of almond butter cream then baked in a crispy fragrant pastry bottom. This was like a hybrid of muffin and financier but we enjoyed that it was not overly sweet and yet flavourful enough. Could not get enough of those extra crispy pastry bits with a beautiful fragrance.

Despite being an invited food tasting session, I could not resist the other desserts on offer and started ordering away!

Mango Pie (S$6.95/-)The name sounded too innocent for this was surely not your usual mango pie. Beautifully encased with a puff pastry base, the middle layer comprised cream and an almond-flavoured pastry similar to that of the marron pie tried. It was finally topped with some fresh mango fruit cubes and mango puree. It was a powerful punch of rich flavours in each mouthful and I especially enjoyed the variance in texture with the puff pastry, cream and the fresh fruit. The toasted bread crumbs was the icing which added just about another layer of texture to this awfully sinful dessert.

It might just be too much for one to finish this, which I imagine would satiate your appetite. I would recommend for this to be shared between two or three.

Exercise caution if you are a weight-watcher for this is a calories-laden dessert, no doubt.

Earl Grey Chocolate (S$6.95/-)At first glance, I readily assumed that this was the classic Mont Blanc but it was when I asked for cake recommendations from Heidi did I cast a second look at this. Earl Grey Chocolate - now I was pretty sceptical about it but since the chef championed it, there was no way to resist giving it a shot.If there was one word to describe, it was sublime. The flavours worked harmoniously with each other, starting from the rich earl grey taste that lingered, chocolate chips, layered sponge cake and the fresh banana fruit nestled in the centre of the cake. What surprised our palate was the addition of crunchy chocolate biscuit bits hidden between the layers of cream and chocolate sponge cake. There was a lot going on with each mouthful and the flavours were rich and bold to say the least but this was really a winner.

Yuzu Green Tea Cheese Tart (S$3.40/-)It actually came across more of a cheesecake than a cheese tart but that was beside the point. Served frozen, it was a well-received treat on this hot afternoon! You could just taste the premium matcha used in the making but the slight let-down was that the yuzu taste was barely evident. The takeaway was rather more of a good matcha cheese tart.

It was mentioned to us that Flor Patisserie are working on bringing in some really good coffee to complement their current offering of cakes. They also have a good range of tea but being a coffee person, that unfortunately did not quite entice.

On the whole, we enjoyed the high quality cakes which were made of natural and fresh ingredients. Flor Patisserie does not use baking powder, artificial rising and softening agents, stabilizers or preservatives. The soft and moist sponge cakes especially were owed to the natural aeration of eggs being whipped to their full peak.

We thank Flor Patisserie for the invite and the sharing session by Heidi on their pastries and future developments. I firmly believe in their tagline which is 'If we won't eat it, we won't serve it'. Certainly looking forward to this outlet being their R&D branch where we should expect more creations underway!

For those who live and work in the Central like us, you could always drop by the branch at Duxton, Funan or Taka to pick-up a few calories-worthy cakes!

For full review and more photos, please visit http://www.makeyourcaloriescount.com/2013/09/sg-flor-patisserie-cakes-worth-travel.html

那些年，我们吃过的点心。。。what a nostalgic tagline for what seems like our contemporary style of having dim sum, the buffet way. A special as part of their anniversary celebration, they have this ala carte dim sum feast during lunch daily, from 11.30am – 2.30pm.

Located within Parkroyal Hotel at Kitchener Road, it was quite a posh set-up, typical of hotel restaurant dining and seemed pretty atypical of dim sum buffets. Upon reaching, we were greeted with excellent service and a seamless reservation process online.

Once seated, you’re served a cup of Chinese tea (香片), by their staff holding on to a long spout kettle, where you can spot the fanciful swirls or I like to call it a mini whirlpool in your teacup. It is said that the long tip helps to maintain the tea at the optimal temperature when served, as the heat is transferred as it flows through the long tip. The spout is also narrow enough to give sufficient water pressure so that it pushes the tea leaves to roll smoothly in the tea cup for a richer taste and aroma. Prawns in Beancurd Skin
We were all satisfied with this simple yet nicely done dish. Fresh juicy prawns wrapped with just a thin layer of crispy beancurd skin, it was fried to perfection where you don’t get to see much excess oil and it didn’t leave a greasy touch to it after finishing. Every mouthful we took was resounded by a crispy crunch and the smiles on all our faces reflected it all.Pan-fried Carrot Cake
With the name as such, we were all expected the squarish pieces of carrot cake, pan-fried to crisp outside. This came as a surprise, but a pleasant one at that. We all dug in to extremely soft cubes, well-seasoned and nicely complemented with the slight refreshing crunch of beansprouts (I’m never a fan of towgays but this was cooked long enough to get rid of the raw taste that I even helped myself to more portions of towgays). A tad oily but it’s probably required for the eggs that were stir-fried together in the dish. The less-than-health-conscious us cleared everything within minutes and ordered a second serving to satisfy our tummies.Hakka Dumpling with Turnip (茶果)
This isn’t a typical item on dim sum menus but it definitely brought back those olden days flavours and tugged at the heartstrings of my dining companion. Within the chewy bouncy with a slight translucent skin, contained bits of mushroom, beans, minced turnip etc, cooked together to give a unique savoury taste. It has a pretty strong veggie taste to it but that’s just me and my anti-veggie phenomenon, and seeing how the table of them enjoyed and even talked about it the day after the meal shows how much they’ve enjoyed it.

Siew Mai
Given the name of the dim sum feast, I was expecting some old school simple siew mai with just minced meat or the occasional prawn bits. This came as a surprise after I took a bite and its skin came off the top to reveal a tiny quail’s egg! With half a quail’s egg in each siew mai, it added a nice touch to the differing textures, and it was basically old school dim sum with a hidden bonus! Minced meat wrapped in smooth skin that doesn’t stick to your teeth with every bite, yet carefully wrapped such that it doesn’t drop easily to make eating it a chore. A timeless classic that has been nicely done!

Har Gao with Coriander
This is always my test to determine if a place serves good dimsum. A simple dish of prawns wrapped in skin, it’s always a challenge finding the perfect one where the skin is of a perfect chewiness, able to hold the insides together yet not overly sticky and doesn’t break too easily, and of course the use of fresh prawns with a tinge of natural sweetness, those that ain’t the crunchy type yet having a tad of bounce in its meat. This managed to satisfy all the above well enough, though I’d have preferred one that didn’t have a blend of coriander in it. Despite the coriander mix, the freshness of the prawns still managed to come through with a tinge of sweetness, and the perfect skin for our palate. Yam Paste Bun with Salted Egg Yolk
We were half expecting the likes of a 流沙包 (salted egg yolk custard bun), prying open cautiously just in case the fillings overflow in our eagerness and of course getting my camera ready for that shot of the moment. Not sure if it was our heightened expectations that got us thinking that the bun was quite a dismal attempt, we opened up to find nothing flowing, just what you'd normally see if you order red bean bun or lotus paste bun.

It delivered exactly what it described though, imagine your bowl of orh nee, used as fillings and a salted egg yolk in the middle. The yam paste wasn't overly sweet and went well with the bun, while the yolk became a little too jelat for us. Aptly described by my companions, they said it reminded them of eating mooncakes, but in a bun form this time. Well, the taste indeed does match up to that especially with the egg yolk. Not exactly our type of bun, perhaps mooncake/salted yolk lovers would have a different verdict from us?

Roast Duck
If you're the kind who loves to indulge in duck meat well roasted with crispy skin and juicy fats for that shiokness, you'd love this plate! After all, what's a dish of roast without the fats right? Glistening with fats, the meat was extremely smooth and tender, albeit a little boney for my liking. The skin could have been crispier, and the tiny fragments of the bones could have been removed for ease of consumption. That aside, it was still a dish good enough to satisfy us all, though not those who're more health-conscious!

Marinated Rice Noodle with Shredded Duck (cold appetiser)
This was quite an exotic dish in my opinion but my companion loved it so much, dipping it with the soy chicken sauce and the 红油 sauce which we ordered later on. The rice noodles tasted pretty plain but were very chewy (or q), hence went well with almost any sauce. It was slightly savory with the pieces of shredded duck, though it tasted slightly like shredded pieces of ham to me. Somewhat an acquired taste I suppose! Pork Belly with Taro and Mushroom
How could we not order this with its name of 那些年烧腩卷, seeming like a signature dish for this Dim Sum spread! With very fattening pork belly wrapped in a bun roll, it tasted somewhat like your usual braised pork belly bun (扣肉包) in a smaller bite-size portion. Tender and soft meat with the fragrance of taro infused in it, it was quite a delish in a mouthful! The mushroom taste wasn't exactly strong nor distinct, but I liked it that way!

Pan-fried Duck Meat Bun with Goose Liver Sauce
This sounded equally tempting to us and we waited for this with much anticipation after our first order got forgotten. It's like the concept of 生煎包, except that the fillings are changed to duck meat. Pan-fried to a light crisp with soft bun on the inside and a flavourful filling, this was quite a contentment. The duck meat was minced too small though, that you couldn't really figure out it was duck meat unless you'd read the menu. It was more of a cross between Char Siew Bao and 生煎包, a satisfying one nonetheless!

Minced Meat Dumpling with Sour and Spicy Stock
For the adventurous spicy-goers, this is almost an essential! We loved how it wasn't chokingly spicy at the beginning, with the spice subtly emerging from the back of your throat to give that extra kick! Definitely went well with the Rice Noodles earlier, though you'll probably be asking for more tea very soon! Would have preferred it with a bit less skin for that perfect dumpling. Glutinous Rice Ball in Brown Sugar Syrup (糖不甩)
Imagine your rice balls (湯圓) coated in peanut like your 'muah chee', this had finely grated peanuts and brown sugar syrup that wasn't overly sweet and complemented the dish with the varying textures all in a mouthful - sticky, chewy, crunchy, a simple combination of contentment.

Almond Cake with Mango Sauce
Extremely fragile little pieces of jelly, it threatened to wobble and fall off our spoons while on the way to our mouths. A little too sweet with the mango sauce, it overwhelmed the favour of the almond cake itself, though the cold jelly was a nice cooling touch to our throats. The mango sauce tasted similar to what was used in the mango sago with pomelo, nice yet too strong to go along with this. Homemade Beancurd with Wolfberry
This is a must-try for every visit to Si Chuan Dou Hua I believe. One that won me over and requested for extra servings after my first mouthful. Replacing the typical sugar syrup with honey-coated wolfberries, it gave just a slightly sweetened taste to the smooth and silky warm beancurd, a melt-in-your-mouth sensation with every mouthful you take! With cooked wolfberries in the addition, it also gave rise to a subtle natural sweetness, yet not overpowering the inherent beancurd taste and texture. Simplicity at its very best, it's legit to ask for more than one bowl of it!

With a fusion of different Chinese cuisines, it was a buffet spread that left us feeling contented and craving for more after the meal. With hits and misses, a usual for most places we visit anyway, some dishes were so memorable that it left a lingering taste and memory of how it made us feel, making us want to go back for another round soon! And perhaps this is what 点心 symbolises - 吃在口里 , 点到心里.

This buffet was priced at $30 per pax, and $5 for the floral tea, topped with service charge and GST, each person came up to about $42. Best to call and check on the availability of this buffet, as it's not on its regular menu.

It was actually our first time participating in a large scale dining group with a bunch of stranger foodies last evening at a Burpple event. We were the first to arrive and admittedly, it was on an awkward note that the dining session kick-started but thankfully it ended on a pleasant note and it was a pleasure meeting like-minded food enthusiasts. Apart from the guys at Burpple, we also got to learn about a meet-up group, Coffee & Cravings, where they kindly stayed back and chatted with us to provide an insight of their operations! It is actually a pretty interesting concept where they plan new eateries around Singapore to visit and practically anyone could just join in, make new friends and most importantly, enjoy good food!

As the evening progressed, the diners warmed up to each other and conversations started to spark. The catalyst was none other than food itself! The organizer had kindly arranged for the restaurant to serve the portions for sharing so that everyone present managed to get a taste of what they had to offer.

Cornbread with honey butter (S$6/+)The first appetizer to titillate our appetite was the cornbread. There was a beautiful fragrance to it that carried a strong butter and corn aroma. The crisp crust on the edges was what appealed to us most. Coupled with the grilled corn niblets and the rich honey butter, it was certainly a joy to savour. Our only complaint was that it lacked moisture within the cornbread itself, tasting a tad dry for our liking. While the luscious honey butter was elegantly scooped, it dropped points in terms of delivering the sweetness of 'honey'. Nonetheless, it seemed like a good start to the evening already.

Parmesan and Parsley French Fries (S$6/+)This simple dish made a classic entry to the dining table with its alluring aroma from the melted Parmesan cheese. As parsley is typically a mild-flavoured herb, we felt that it failed to enhance the bold cheese. The french fries were done the way it should be, crisp on the outside, warm and soft on the inside. As the grated cheese was drizzled sparingly across the french fries, the distribution was rather disparate so expect to taste the french fries plain or with clumps of cheese. It was a good offering but nothing spectacular to wow.

SoupsThe chefs had thoughtfully distributed the 3 types of soups ordered into smaller portions for sharing. Referring to the above picture, starting from top down, we had the celery soup with croutons, pumpkin soup and Caesar salad soup. The celery and pumpkin soups were off the menu items and subjected to change as they were 'Soup of the Day' and the normal offering would come at S$9/+. The Caesar salad soup, on the other hand, is a regular feature on the menu and is priced equally.

Personally, we found it rather upsetting that the celery soup was a touch too raw in flavour though it might suit the palate of some. By the time the soup came to me (which was admittedly quite a while later), the croutons was completely soaked so it was rather distasteful but other dining companions gave praise to the well-toasted croutons to complement the smooth soup.

The pumpkin soup on the other hand went really well and tasted velvety smooth. It had a beautiful richness and knowing the goodness packed in this ingredient, I could not help myself but slurped up the remaining bowl.

I thought it was pretty cool to drink a Caesar salad. The menu stated that it had bacon and aloe vera but I struggled to distinguish those two ingredients from my tasting. Nonetheless, it packed some lovely nutritious greens in that blend. While I enjoy and love my daily dose of greens, carnivores or meat-lovers might wish to take their cue elsewhere.

I held no qualms about the freshness and quality of ingredients that went into making the soups and it certainly warrant a spot as a starter dish when I return for a second visit.

B&G - Biscuits and Sausage Gravy (S$6/+)Apparently this was quite an acclaimed dish on the starters' menu according to those familiar with the restaurant. I was expecting something crispy and crunchy when I read biscuit off the menu so this somewhat messy presentation threw me off guard quite a little. I found it too heavy to be lined up as a side dish for the savoury sausage gravy was rather satiating on my appetite at least and you would not really want that ahead of a heavy meal. There was a slight salinity in the gravy and the finely diced spring onions gave an interesting twist in flavour. You could taste some of the finely diced sausage in that gravy but quite frankly, I would not coin the carbohydrates in this dish a biscuit as it tasted more like a buttery scone. I hesitated at the thought of a second serving and while others at the table bagged praises, I had a different opinion to match.

Fried chicken, crushed la ratte potatoes, spinach (S$18/+)Personally, it would probably be the last thing on my mind to order a fried chicken dish on an adventurous food tasting session. This was however their signature dish so it would be a shame to walk away not having a bite of that crispy batter coating the tender and moist chicken. The chef obviously pampered his proteins with delicate care and it was evident in the chicken breast portion that we shared. Despite being the leanest cut, it was well-prepared and the flesh was succulent and tasty. One would expect a deep-fried dish as such to be overwhelming greasy, this was surprisingly a clean and crisp rendition. The batter stole the limelight with a golden-brown crust where you could hear the crispness with each crunch.

Affable Chef Ryan was most gracious in sharing the secret recipe in creating that addictive batter. Unexpectedly, bourbon was a key ingredient and not forgetting the all important touch of acidity from fresh lemons. He later added that the temperature for frying the chicken had to be monitored and should ideally be within 320-325 Fahrenheit Celsius. When probed for further ingredients and preparation methods, he stopped short and warmly reciprocated with a smile.On a separate note, the dish served seemed slightly different from what was written on the menu. Our fried chicken and the greens were served separately but I reckon that on any given day, it should come complete on one plate. We liked that good quality ratte potatoes were chosen which were characterised by its unique nutty flavour and smooth buttery texture. Excellent complements for the fried chicken for sure.

Braised beef cheek, smoked potato purée, brussels sprouts (S$26/+)That saucy gravy left an impressionistic mark and reminiscing that beautiful unami taste was enough to make me swallow my saliva while writing. The flavours were bold and savoury to say the least. It seemed like a harmonious unison of brown, barbecue sauces and beef stock simmered down to an intense gravy. I had mixed feelings about the red meat after trying a few mouthfuls with my concern on quality assurance in preparation and cooking. We tried the the protein served on 2 separate plates and had distinctly different verdicts. The first tasted too dry and stiff for my liking with the beef coming off in strands while the other plate was spot-on brilliant, with a moist tenderness. The crispy deep-fried red onion strips gave a much desired crunchy texture to the main and hint of sweetness as it was mildly caramelized. I thought that while the accompanying complements such as the smoked potato purée and brussels sprouts were prepared flawlessly, the star failed to shine on its own accord.

Boston lobster, mac and cheese (S$22/+)Admittedly, I am not a fan of cheese, so when a dish as such which contained 3 different types of cheese came up to the table, I naturally cringed. With Parmesan, gruyere and white cheddar cheese added to the macaroni topped with toasted bread crumbs, it was too salty for my palate. Of the 3, I actually favoured the gruyere which had a nature of being creamy and nutty when young and tasting more assertive, earthy and complex with age. Unfortunately, it was hard to distinctly differentiate given the overwhelming salinity of the dish. Upon tasting, I had to wash it down with almost the entire glass of water! The lobster meat came in bite-sized chunks and while there were not a lot to go around the table, the portion I tasted came across as fresh and I particularly enjoyed the bouncy texture. There was also a natural sweetness in the seafood owed to the freshness of the ingredient.

With the starters, sides and mains happily in our tummies, there was no way to conclude the evening without satisfying our sweet-tooth cravings. Let the desserts come on already!

Monkey bread with vanilla ice cream (S$7/+)Being an eatery that prides itself as the 'New American Restaurant', it was a no-brainer to find this sweet, sticky, gooey pastry which is commonly served in the States for breakfasts. While the origin of this dessert pastry is unknown, some claim that it resembles the monkey puzzle tree and hence the name!

By chance and coincidence, one of our co-authors, spotted the chefs preparing the dessert. The chef had the 'bread balls' individually coated in melted butter, cinnamon and sugar before placing it in a moulded cake pan which was then cupped out onto the serving plate. There was a luscious whiff of cinnamon when the server landed the plate on the table. Under the spotlight, the vanilla ice cream was quick to melt, so apologies for the unglamorous shot! Served warm, the baked segments were easily pulled apart with a slight tug on the fork. It was particularly enjoyable as the bread itself was surprisingly chewy and went well with the saccharine syrup though some might argue that it was a touch too sweet. The warm bread was cordially matched with the plain-tasting yet richly flavoured vanilla ice cream - can you resist? Not us for sure!

Hot chocolate soufflé with strawberry ice cream (S$9/+)The strawberry ice cream was rich in flavour and creamy but there was nothing too impressive about it. The highlight though was the shredded lime bits in the ice cream to give a hint of acidity and tang. I was divided about how the ice cream is a good complement to hot chocolate soufflé for I thought it was quite a mismatch in terms of flavours and tastes. By the time I got to trying the soufflé, it was lukewarm and though the top was crowned with a nice crisp crust coupled with a soft and moist texture underneath. Soufflé means 'to blow up' in French, which is an apt description of the underlying process in the creation of this dessert with key ingredients involving custard and egg whites. While the individual components of the dessert tasted 'okay' on their own, I insist that the combination was flawed when pieced together.

Lemon tart (S$7/+)The lemon curd was held by a pine nut crust and topped with sculpted fresh whipped cream. It was then neatly tucked under a fine slice of caramelized lemon. The surface of the lemon curd was also lightly torched and while meticulous attention had been cast to enhancing the presentation of the dessert, the flavours unfortunately were a disappointment. The lemon curd lacked intensity and boldness in the acidity to give a biting tang like the one tried at Maison Kayser. The crust of the tart was limp and was short of a clean crispness that a buttery tart should resemble.

Strawberry shortcake (Complimentary)Chef Ryan was most generous and served us complimentary desserts. Sandwiched between the lemon-black pepper scone was fresh strawberry compote and whipped Chantilly cream. The scone was good, texture wise, with a crisp crust and on the edges while the inside was soft and moist. It however lacked a strong enough buttery taste to it and came across as bland and flat. We were left scratching our heads as we could barely taste any lemon or black pepper in the scone. While the strawberry compote and Chantilly cream worked beautifully in accompaniment to the scone, the highlight itself was barely sufficient to placate the diners at the table. The ingredients were premium and would a be worthy-try.

For the early diners, do note that Communal has a 1-for-1 offer on selected beers and cocktails for orders placed before 8pm. Customers have a choice of limited bar seating, comfortable sofas or even outdoors. The servers were attentive and accommodative to our requests. For the price-conscious, we felt that the items were appropriately priced in accordance to the quality of ingredients. The 10% service charge was also waived from the bill so you only pay the mandatory 7% GST on top of the menu prices. Overall, we enjoyed our dinner and while there were some hits and misses on the dishes, we left pretty impressed.

Due to photo restrictions, please visit us at http://www.makeyourcaloriescount.com/2013/07/sg-communal-where-bonding-takes-place.html for full set of pictures.