Tim Ho Wan has been all the rage in Singapore. The queue at Plaza Singapura for the first few weeks was so long one needs to wait for hours to go in. I finally was able to try their food when I decided to visit this outlet at Toa Payoh when I heard they opened. Priority were given to ERA agents (not surprising, since Tim Ho Wan is owned by Hersing Corporation, who owns ERA as well) and that the rest will have to wait at the join-in queue (on a Saturday there weren’t much ERA agents around).

The Glutinous Rice Dumpling took me by surprise. My initial thoughts before having it that the glutinous rice taste, being infused with the lotus leaf’s fragrance will overpower the taste of the ingredients inside. The ones here is a strong combination of tastes between the lotus-leaf infused glutinous rice, chicken and mushrooms.The Prawn Dumpling should never be missed out in a dim sum restaurant. The differences between the ones here and elsewhere is that the ones here are the prawns used are slightly bigger and more juicier.The Pork Dumpling with Shrimp should also never be missed out in a dim sum restaurant.The Pan Fried Carrot Cake is soft and moist and the radish taste was rather apparent.No one should ever leave here without ordering the Baked Bun with BBQ Pork. The outside of the bun is very crusty and tasted great. The BBQ Pork is even better. Well-marinated, it was sweet and meaty. This is a perfect combination.The Vermicelli Roll with BBQ Pork was well-executed. The vermicelli roll is thin, the BBQ pork was juicy and succulent.The Tonic Medlar & Osmanthus Cake (Cold) is a great dessert to end off the dim sum feast with. With a jelly-like texture consisting of wolfberries and osmanthus, it tasted sweet and refreshing.The Chinese Tea is refillable and is always a refreshing drink to order in any dim sum places.If you are around Toa Payoh, do visit the outlet here as they have branch-exclusive food items!

For the full review and more photos, please visit http://makanarts.com/2013/12/13/tim-ho-wan-era-centre/

After my previous visit to Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King Four Seasons , I found myself craving for their ramen again. This time round I went to the one situated at 100AM, which specialised in their chicken broth ramen.

The Green Tea Cola tasted a bit like Sprite. It's refreshing to drink this especially after finishing the ramen.The Tori King Ramen with All Toppings is their signature ramen that comes with a chicken thigh, 2 half-boiled egg, a big piece of chashu and a big piece of seaweed. The chicken is tender, the egg tasted invigorating and the chashu was chewy. The greatest credit goes to the soup. It is flavourful, not too salty and accompanies well with the nice-cooked ramen (I didn't finish the soup as per what I did at Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King Four Seasons though).The Black Spicy Tori King Ramen with All Toppings is the black pepper variant of the original ramen. It is nearly the same as the Tori King Ramen except with a little spice. If you do want your ramen to be slightly spicy, this should definitely be ordered.Definitely will come back here again if I'm craving for ramen. If you are around the Tanjong Pagar area, this is one place to visit (the other being Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King, under the same company)

For the full review and more photos, please visit http://makanarts.com/2013/12/13/ramen-keisuke-tori-king-100am/

For the full review and more photos, please visit http://makanarts.com/2013/12/07/oz-specialty-coffee-thomson-v-two/

A place that I would never have thought will have more shops opening due to its abysmal occupant rate, Oz Specialty Coffee is a week old cafe specializing more in their coffee.

Their selections of coffee and other sides. The cakes selection are brought over from Berry Gerry Bakes (which is also located within the same building, the Thomson V cluster), a confectionery that uses old school baking style.The staircases that lead upstairs. Unfortunately there is no seating space on top.The Flat White uses the Roadster blend from Pacamara Coffee Roasters (from Thailand), which has been the first in the region. The taste turns out great, very thick and has a smooth blend.The Durian Canele is unpretentious. Full of durian taste, this will never disappoint durian lovers. I liked every bite of it.Oz Specialty Coffee is a nice place to relax as well. If you want great coffee and cakes, this place should never be missed out!

For the full review and more photos, please visit http://makanarts.com/2013/12/07/just-want-coffee-blk-1-everton-park/

Opened exactly a year ago, this place serves hand-drip coffee & ice-drip coffee, in addition to the standard roasting method.The Flat White came in a rather huge portion, served with a small biscuit and is rather thick (I should have ordered their lattes though since those are their better selling coffees).Everton Park, being the place with an upcoming cafe trend, is a great place to come to. If you are around the area, this is one of many selections to choose from!

For the full review and more photos, please visit http://makanarts.com/2013/12/05/commune-cafe-millenia-walk/

Commune is a shop that specialises in selling home furnishings and furniture. Based on the concept to have a place to sip on a coffee and relax after shopping, a small portion of the shop is converted to a cafe, that sells coffees, cakes and certain breads.The Flat Black is a bit too strong for my liking. It was also slightly burnt, which also made finishing the coffee even harder. To the last drop, the burnt aftertaste was so strong I felt disgusted after finishing it.If you are within the area and needs a caffeine boost, this is a place to consider (and for its cakes too!). Just make sure to order other types of coffee or go during daytime!