We were scouting the vicinity for some good food and the media clippings at the front of this stall caught our attention. We decided to give it a try and ordered a portion for sharing.

Priced at S$8/- , I was rudely surprised with the price and naturally I was expecting it to be calories worthy to say the least. As usual, photos do the talking!The portion size was just about acceptable for the price though we would expect more eggs and/or oysters. What we enjoyed about the oyster omelette was the crispness to the surface (of the eggs) which complemented the plush, fresh oysters. The oysters were well-cleaned and was void of any grittiness from sand. The homemade chilli sauce won us over as it sharply cuts through our palate with a fiery tang due to the chillies and lime.While everything was about right for me, I personally felt that it was too starchy as seen in the picture above. For those who desire it might say otherwise but I felt that it kind of overwhelmed the eggs and oysters and assumed the centerpiece of the dish, which seemed quite wrong in my humble opinion.

While service was not terrible, it was nothing to shout about. Word of advice, do remember your table number as a queue is likely. They will need to take down your table number and serve it to you subsequently.

Overall, it was still a palatable hawker dish but I continue my hunt for the best oyster omelette yet.

Paradise Inn is a familiar name with most Singaporeans with its offering of simple, affordable yet charming Chinese cuisine. The traditional concept of a Chinese inn is elevated to another level of sophistication as it carries a contemporary Oriental ambience such as lanterns and stools.

In addition to serving Chinese fare such as double-boiled soups in a relaxed ambience, Paradise Inn also specialises in serving teas infused with fruits, herbs and flowers.

While there was a queue when visited the branch at Marina Square, the wait was a mere 10 minutes due to the quick turnaround. Are we off to a calories worthy meal?

Spare ribs with pumpkin and dried oyster double boiled soup | 金瓜蚝士焞排骨 | S$18.90/++The pot of goodness was sufficient to feed four people with double servings each. The double-boiled soup, which has been simmered for at least eight hours, was generous in portion so expect to fill your dining guests' bowls with the ingredients such as spare ribs and pumpkin. We opted for a lighter soup as opposed to the classics which typically have stronger herbal ingredients.

Stewed pork belly with lotus bun | 招牌扣肉包 | S$2.30++/pieceFor those who appreciate and value their calories, this would be one of the most sinful appetisers but I guarantee that it is surely a worthy bite. While I enjoyed the layer of lean meat nicely complemented by the juiciness of the fat, I found the savoury oomph factor to be slightly lacking. I would have preferred a slightly stronger punch to make me go wow.

Fried fish skin with homemade chilli sauce | 自制酱脆炸鱼片 | S$7.90/++So simple yet so good. The fish skin was delicately deep fried to a nice level of crispiness without the grease. If you love your belachan chilli, you would surely enjoy this snack!

Steamed chicken with sand ginger | 生沙姜蒸走地鸡 | S$10.90/++This would appeal to those with a palate for stronger tastes. The use of kampong or more sophistically phrased, free-range chicken made all the difference. The meat was tender and juicy minus the fat. It had quite a love or hate relationship among the diners on the table as the fragrance of the ginger could be rather strong for some.

Hot plate tofu with cai xin and minced pork | 菜香铁板豆腐 | S$10.90/++A simple homely dish executed well. The slab of tofu on the hotplate was soaked in a savoury brown gravy with minced pork. It was soft on the inside without tasting overly mashy and had just the right level of firmness to retain its hold. The minced pork helped gave the tofu a nice rustic touch. Coating the hotplate is a generous layer of omelette. Absorbing the gravy, it was a beautiful dish to go with some white rice.

Thai style char-broiled pork neck | 泰式炭烧猪颈肉 | S$13.90/++I simply loved the fine marbling of fat which makes it tender and moist. It was grilled beautifully and while it was a simple dish, I enjoyed the execution. There was a nice thin layer of crispness to it which made it salivating good!

Crispy supreme seafood fried rice (small) | 香脆海鲜皇鸳鸯炒饭 | S$12.90/++This has to be one of our top favourites when it comes to a simple dish like fried rice. Our other recommendation would have to be at Din Tai Fung. What makes this dish outstanding was that it has crispy rice grains within the usual fried rice. The wok hei was sublime and every grain was nicely greased. I personally find that the hardest dish to master is always seemingly simplest dish to cook.

There was a slight mishap in our orders as it was not sent to the kitchen. The floor manager apologized at length and took efforts to ensure that our orders were expedited. While it was a hiccup, the overall customer service rendered by the various servers was good and we had no difficulties trying to secure their attention.

What drew me most and left a favourable impression was that the manager overhead me conversing in Cantonese and decided to strike a conversation with us in the same dialect. While returning my credit card after signing the bill, she also took the effort to address me by my surname and walked us to the exit before bidding farewell.

Among the many Chinese casual dining restaurants in Singapore, Paradise Inn has to be one of our top picks. The prices of the dishes are at an affordable range designed for the masses without compromising on the quality. Looking forward to trying the other restaurants within the Paradise Group!

Please visit http://www.makeyourcaloriescount.com/2014/01/sg-paradise-inn-calories-worthy-casual.html for our full review, complete with pictures.

Egg Tart (S$1.50/pc)Surely one of our top picks now in Singapore. We heard people before us were buying by the dozens and were wondering if it was as good as it sounded. We enjoyed the flaky pastry which was buttery yet not overly greasy from the butter used. The taste of the custard egg yolk also suited our palate. Not tasting overly sweet, it was rich and had a nice fragrance to it.

Red Bean Roll (S$1.50/pc)We liked the delicate touch to this simple pastry. Between the wraps and rolls was the mildly sweet red bean paste which we particularly enjoyed as the sweetness was enough to pleasure and not satiate.

Pork Siew Bao (S$1.50/pc)The pork siew bao tasted pretty similar to the usual char siew sou though the pork here was finely minced and diced so you could barely taste the meat. We loved the pastry though as it was almost melt-in-your-mouth soft. Apart from being a fragrant pastry, the filling was mildly savoury and sweet.

It’s pretty rare that we’ve found a café worth recommending. With the sprouting growth of so many hipster cafés recently, it’s almost a different café to hop to that you’d hardly want to visit a place twice.

This gave me the impression of the cafés I’ve visited in Sydney though, bringing the essence of café- chilling over. To me, a café is always about good food with a relaxing ambience, and an image of reading over a cuppa never fails to pop up.This was exactly what it was about, spotting comfy seats with shelves of magazines and books for you to browse freely. With the spacious and comfy seats, it’s no wonder that you can spot many propping their legs up, curled to enjoy a good read.

With so many self-service cafés around, I was quite surprised to find someone with all smiles, coming to pass us menus, clearing our tables and setting it.

After our super filling meal at Merry Men, we decided to just settle for desserts.Strawberry Shortcake

I’m a fan of fruity cakes and a strawberry shortcake as simple as it sounds, it’s tough to actually find one that manages to satisfy. This managed to do just right, with the right balance of light Chantilly cream and fluffy soft sponge cake. It wasn’t too sweet, balanced with the fresh strawberries. I’m usually picky when it comes to strawberry shortcake but this has certainly impressed me enough to want to go back for seconds – and no sharing this time!Berries Shibuya Toast

Thick toast with butter, chocolate sauce and a mix of berries, a first bite struck me as an odd piece though subsequently it became addictive with the savory butter going well with the sweet chocolate and sour berries. Though an ordinary dish, I liked how it was perfectly toasted, with crisp skin and warm insides, and served immediately that the centre wasn’t too soggy by the time it reached us. Well-executed dish, it was a hit for us!If you’re around the Robertson Quay area or looking for some late night haunts to chill, this would be one of our top picks. Great to nua/laze around, it’s quite packed though, and you might just wanna hang around before getting some comfy seats. Else you can always visit on a weekday if you’re looking for a quiet spot to finish up your work or do some reading. They’ve got free wifi so it’s very student/work-friendly!

For full review, please visit http://www.makeyourcaloriescount.com/2014/01/sg-babi-goeling-balinese-roast-pork-at.html

While most would choose to visit one of those hipster cafes that have popped up all over the area, we were looking for something different for a change.Spotting it from across the street with 2 red lanterns, it didn’t seem anything like an eating place, more like a temple or a place for rituals. It was only when we saw a review stuck outside on their roast pork that we decided to give it a shot. Stepping in, it was rather creepy with the music they played, the video which seemed like some documentary feature and greeted by an altar right at the doorstep.Recreating the culture of Bali and the more rustic feel, there were many photos pasted all over, and a few of it were actually photos of ones of the princes in Bali, as one of the owner’s wife was actually a descendant of the royal family!

With its chef and owners from Bali, the place is designed to bring you a taste of authentic Balinese cuisine, with their roast pork as specialty. Though with good food requires much patience, it takes many hours of preparation for the pork hence they only open from 5 to 10pm each day (except Monday).

All-in set ($8.80)
Balinese roast pork with rice, soup, sayer urab (vegetable toppings), 1 pork satay and 2 pork sausagesThis was recommended right upon we went in, good for first-timers who want a taste of everything. The roast pork lived up to our expectations indeed, tender and well-marinated to give a savoury touch, complete with a thin layer of fats for that smoothness. The roast pork skin and fried pork skin, however, were too hard for our liking. While I was expecting a crisp crunch to it, it was stiff and hard to chew, with a slight stickiness to it probably with the collagen from the skin.

The satay and minced pork on stick was also too hard for us, with the minced pork having a strong pork-y taste to it. I would have preferred it to be more tender, and the minced pork could have been rinsed in hot water first to get rid of the pork-y taste that might not sit well with many. The dark pieces of sliced sausages went well with the waxed texture and the beans were surprisingly good to add a crunch to the dish. I loved the subtle fragrance of the rice possibly coming from the banana leaf underneath, that wasn't overpowering like nasi lemak, allowing you to appreciate each item better! The set also came with a bowl of broth, however we found it a bit salty and weird, and the soup was not hot enough.

Black rice pudding ($3.50)
Signature dessert from BaliWe thought this would be another one of those usual pulut hitam, but were pleasantly surprised when we tried a few mouthfuls and uncovered different flavours within! Served chilled, the first mouthful was the usual, with seemingly loads of coconut but just slightly sweet. Digging in further, there was then a sweeter side to it, having gula melaka in it to complement the coconut fragrance. Then just as you were feeling jelat or too full in our case, the middle portion had ginger taste to it, to add that refreshing touch. Unlike those typical pulut hitam, we loved how the grains were not cooked till the paste form, and it was more of individual grains. Cooked just right in our opinion, we find this a satisfying one with varying flavours and the right texture to go!

Kopi Bali ($1.50)
Traditional coffee from BaliThis smells heavenly with a robust coffee aroma but we were greatly disappointed as it lacked the coffee taste and was overly sweet even for someone with a sweet tooth like me! Probably not something that I'll return for!We loved the hospitality and how the dishes were very value-for-money. Recommending a friend to try out this place too, he's also praised the Goreng Pisang they served, and it's on my to-try list the next time I visit!

Now on my trip to Bali next time, I’ll be sure to try out this dish to see if standards can actually match up!