I was recently introduced to Lau Wang Claypot through Openrice’s food tasting session and I was surprised to find that this food stall has a history of close to 30 years of producing yummy clay pot dishes!

The store has been taken over by a young towkay with the traditional receipes all passed down to him. In order to make sure that he is keeping up with times, he has made very slight changes to the receipes to cater the the ever changing consumer preference and yet keep to the traditional taste.Located in Serangoon, it is a 5-10 minutes walk from the MRT station and it is hidden away from the main road, making this place hardly noticeable. However this is a place which I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a good pot of Claypot Sesame Chicken. My favourite stall had closed down quite a while back and I finally found a replacement for it!Lucky me managed to try out a fair bit of the menu as we had a really big group that day!A chilli lover myself, this one hits the spot! Not to spicy to numb your tastebuds, yet enough to let you savor the heat on your tongue as you drench your bowl of rice with the sauce!I can’t decide which one I like better, the spicy or the non spicy version, but I am sure that on days where I am craving for a simple savory dish, this will definitely be on my food list.
SGD 4.50 / SGD 6.50

 This isn’t my favourite as the soup isn’t as “herbal-ly” as I would have like it to be, There is definitely ample amount of herbs throw into the mix to make the soup, however as each clay pot is made fresh on the spot, there isn’t enough time for the herbs to infuse its full flavor into the soup, leaving a pretty weak herbal taste.
1 Frog SGD 8 / 2 Frogs SGD 15

I am never a fan ofliver and kidney, however those who tried the dish have commented that it is overall a pretty yummy dish, however the pig’s kidney didn’t seem to have been properly handled as there was quite a smell to it. Such a pity.
SGD 4.50 / SGD 6.50

 

Soft and flavoursome, this is a dish which I would recommend as well! Well cooked freshly sliced fish, with slightly spicy sauce base, I found myself reaching out for this dish several times during the meal. Definitely worth a try.
SGD 4.50 / SGD 6.50


SAMBAL SOTONG WITH LADYFINGERSWith a generous amount of seafood thrown into the mix, like squid and prawns, this will be one which seafood lovers would go for. The price is definitely reasonable for such a generous serving.
SGD 6.00The Kangkong is definitely well cooked, where it was presented to us crunchy, instead of limped from overcooking! I definitely appreciate the effort placed into dish.
SGD 4.00


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VERDICT
With their well cooked dishes, generous portions and fresh ingredients, it is definitely worthwhile to make a trip down to Lau Wang Claypot Delights.
My one complaint about all the dishes is that they come off pretty oily. The owner apologise to all of us that day and told us that he will definitely look into reducing the amount of oil used in the cooking. I am pretty sure that a friendly reminder for a lesser oil when placing your order will be taken note of.
The location can be a little troublesome to find. However with google maps, I am sure you will have no problems getting there since it is near to an MRT station.

Drove up to the Grandstand to try out one of the DIY pancake palours in Singapore! Slappycakes take over a 2 storey outlet offering DIY pancakes and simple mains.Originating from the US and with international branches in Phillipines, Japan, etc, I was definitely excited to try out what they had to offer

We ordered a smattering of side dishes to go along with the wholemeal and chocolate batter that we picked. There was bacon, cheese, mushrooms and blue cheese (not in the picture)We had fun playing around with the pancakes but we found the mixture to be super watery, that resulted in mushy pancakes. The bacon looks overfried, while the mushrooms came with a metallic smell as if it was just freshly taken out from a can. Pretty unpleasant in my opinionWe also order the Eggs Royale which were ok, but nothing particularly fantastic.


VERDICT

The food at Slappycakes were pretty underwhelming and I didnt expect the pancakes to be of that quality. The service in that restaurant is reasonably ok, but dont expect happy looking staff cause everyone just look like they are ploughing through their work day.

Would I be back again? Probably not.
I guess one time as a novelty is more than enough.

Stepped into Vivo's Central Cafe for a quicky lunch after spotting its quirky vintage exterior. Serving up simple cheap Hong Kong food fare, we enjoyed our visit as each item ordered delighted our tastebuds.Wanton Mee was soft and springy with ample seasoning and wantons provided. They didnt scrimp on the food despite the low prices so that is a huge plus point.Crispy duck rice wasnt too bad 2 eggs atop a bed of rice and a sprinkling of other ingredients.Well flavoured, this was a simple bowl of maggi notes with spiced pork cube and vegetables. Confort food which we kept teasing our colleague to pass us money to help her cook Maggi MeeNot a favourite Dan Fan Mian, this version was more soupy than peanut version which I like. The soup is soft and springy which makes it easily for slurpng it down. I wouldnt called this dan dan mian, instead Minced Meat Noodle soup will be more apt!Soft and packed with ample pork floss, this is a yummy starter before the meal.The thing I love most in this trip, is the Ying Yang which came in an old school design cup! Keep grabbing shots of it still my colleague want to whack me. Taste wise it is ok, but it would be better if it could be thicker.

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With their cheap prices and yummy simple food, this is place where I foresee myself heading back to at least twice this year. Definitely worth a visit when you are down and about at Vivocity!

Bueno Vista has little cafes popping up everywhere and Cali Cafe was my choice for lunch after spotting them on my Entertainer App List.

Grabbing a few of my colleagues, we ordered quite a few mains to try out. Sadly the meal didn't impress some of my colleagues where they found the tastes to be bland and one of them even said it was like eating junk food..For starters, the Waldorf Salad was a saving grace which everyone wish they had order instead of the pumpkin soup which wasnt well seasoned and artifically sweet. The salad was fresh and chunky with a good dash of salad sauce thrown into the mix.Pumpkin soup as mentioned earlier, was a let down.Fish & Chips were served cold, and the portions didn't fill up one of my male colleague who also commented that the fish wasnt fresh at all.12 hr Slow Cook Beef was my choice. The mash potato was ok, but the beef turn out way too salty. Perhaps it was meant to be eaten with the mash potato to mute its saltiness. I also wish more vegetables was added onto the dish.All Day Breakfast Set was huge in portion and my colleague who order this felt that it was pretty good, so we all kind of got a little envious of him. With 7 items on his plate, this can definitely fill you up!This was a dish which my colleagues enjoyed and they all gave their thumbs up to this sinful dish which has cheese and ham as it stuffing in the middlw. A little overfried if you had to pick on this dish.

VERDICT
I am caught in a 50/50 situation. I am not sure if it is worth me heading back since there are so many other good cafes around for me to spend my money at. The food isnt mindblowing good, but they arent bad either. I would still recommend people to try it out, if you would like to go someplace new.

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My birthday brought me to Chock Full of Beans for a quiet lunch with one of my favourite food kakis. My 2nd visit to this place, I am back to try out their main dishes after having a good impression of their coffee and drinks.Our order of Mocha and Cappuccino is served with cute little cartoons drawn into it! I love how colour is incorporated into the latte art. Definitely put a smile on our face The truffle mushroom spaghetti wasn't too bad, with ample amount of mushrooms mixed with truffle oil and pasta. The pasta was al-dente so I was pleased with it. The overall taste is a little underwhelming as the flavours are pretty much from the truffle oil, and there wasn't anything special about the taste.

VERDICT
I wish I had a better review for the food but I was left a little disappointed. I have heard rave reviews about their brunch menu, so I guess that would be the reason why I am back at Chock Full Of Beans.