Amazonia brands themselves as an "integrated Family Entertainment Centre", with enthralling amusement facilities going hand-in-hand with a comprehensive menu selection at their bistro. I recently had the pleasure of attending a tasting session with OpenRice at this one-of-a-kind recreation centre, so this post will inevitably focus on the highlights of the bistro!

Amazonia had picked out some of their star dishes for this session, and while there were some hits and misses for me, the sheer variety on offer ensures everyone is bound to find something on the menu that hits the spot.

Our four-course tasting menu consisted of:
- Caesar Avocado Salad
- Chef Nasi Goreng
- Sweet & Spicy Garlic Tiger Prawn
- Chocolate Fondant with Ice Cream

The salad certainly stood out in its use of creamy avocado chunks, which are not usually found in Caesar salads. It definitely was a welcome addition for me! Besides this, you get all you would expect in a Caesar salad, such as croutons, eggs, olives and tomatoes. In particular, the croutons remained crisp instead of turning soggy, and so did the lettuce leaves.No surprises in the nasi goreng, which came with all the usual accoutrements such as prawn crackers, chicken drumsticks, satay and an over-medium egg. The rice was thoroughly aromatic and flavourful, providing a beautiful base for the various accompaniments. While the satay was fragrant and tender, the drumsticks paled in comparison, being rather hard and dry.The tiger prawns arrived on a bed of fragrant fluffy white rice, with an assortment of greens on the side. While there wasn't anything particularly wrong with this dish, I felt it could be made more complete with some garnishes and spices in the rice. That would also go some way in justifying the rather high price of this dish.Rounding off the session was the Chocolant Fondant, which came topped with a generous dollop of ice cream. It was wonderfully rich and creamy, as might be expected with a dessert like that. The fondant was also studded with crunchy chocolate buttons that tasted of surprisingly high quality.As part of the event, we were also shown around the various play areas within the maze-like entertainment complex. The inner-child in me was indeed coaxed out, as I marvelled at the various games rooms, ball pits, slides, trampolines, bridges and tunnels that transported me into a whole universe of fantasy. Amazonia even has a surreal glow-in-the-dark themed recreational golf course in which I spent more time admiring the creative setup than doing any real putting!

I would say Amazonia has indeed succeeded in bringing us a unique brand of family fun and dining, with an entertainment setup that is sure to charm any youngster's heart. It certainly offers a safe and wholesome enthralling escape from the daily rigours of your little ones' lives, whatever they may be! Some of the bistro's offerings, however, may need to be reviewed to see how they can provide more value for the prices charged. 
 

SUFOOD is a vegetarian dining concept founded in 2010 in Taiwan. The very first Singapore outlet was recently launched, and my curiousity compelled me to pay a visit.
Upon entering the restaurant, it struck me as very modern and brightly lit.Furthermore, it felt squeaky clean, even somewhat sterile and hospital-like. Perhaps this may be attributed to the fact that it is barely a month old.

Apart from an inital blip when we were presented with menus printed in Mandarin, service standards were excellent throughout. After replacing our menus with the English version and guiding us through it, we did not hesitate to order the Italian-inspired set menu (SGD 25++). This set consists of a six-course meal, complete with a beverage and dessert. All items are also available a-la-carte.Despite being the first course, the SUFOOD Appetizer left one of the stronger impressions. The poached Japanese yuca root was crunchy, mildly sweet and refreshing, as was the cherry tomato jelly. Although the stack of oriental white water snowflake greens provided a strange and unfamiliar mouthfeel, being slightly slimy, there can be no complaints about the taste. Rosemary breadsticks: simple, rustic, yet delicious. The breadsticks were fragrant and flavourful, especially when dipped in the accompanying mustard. These would be even more stellar if they were slightly softer.  The Tropical Fruit Salad was pretty uninspiring, consisting of chopped fruits with an accompaniment of stawberry yogurt. Nevertheless, it was a juicy and refreshing course.  Perhaps the Cream of Pumpkin Soup was the most disappointing course for me. Although the soup was rich and thick enough, the taste left much to be desired, being strangely bitter. The cube of pumpkin was appreciated though.I was definitely pleased with the Homemade Vegetable Calzone. The huge calzone came stuffed with loads of broccoli, artichokes and a variety of mushrooms. These were generous slathered in a rich creamy pesto sauce and parmesan cheese. Great success!Not that successful for me, however, was the Vegetable Pita Pockets. In this dish, mushrooms, peppers and broccoli are baked in Arrabbiata sauce and served alongside toasted pita pockets. Nothing about this dish stood out for me, although nothing was particularly bad either. Furthermore, I found it a little too piquant. The Osmanthus Flower Jelly was a simple maple syrup jelly infused with Osmanthus flowers. This was mildy sweet and refreshing, and rounded off the rich and heavy calzone well.The traditional panna cotta is given a twist, served with a puree of black sesame and topped with walnuts. It was not too cloyingly sweet, and had a surprisingly light and fluffy texture. 

Each item of the set menu may be had a-la-carte. However, if you have sufficient room for the full set menu, it is certainly recommended as it offers a wide and interesting array of Italian-inspired vegetarian cuisine. Try it to sample this wholesome and niche cuisine at an unbeatable price!

Roadhouse is a beautiful American diner tucked in a quaint and cosy corner of Dempsey Road. Arriving on a rainy Friday afternoon, we found the restaurant as well as the surrounding areas relatively empty and serene.Stepping into the restaurant, I was struck by the rustic yet elegant interior design. There was extensive use of wood in the beams and furniture, providing a soft and welcoming touch. The interior was airy and well-lit by natural lighting, even though the sky was overcast.The legendary Roadhouse Wall of Fame was prominently displayed, showing off the proud conquerors of The Terminator Challenge. Polish off a massive burger stuffed with six Wagyu patties, cheese and bacon in 20 minutes and you dine for free!

For the rest of us with more modest appetites, the Liquid Cheeseburger Fondue (SGD 10++) is must-try! This innovative creation is a cheeseburger in liquid form, with generous amounts of minced beef, diced tomatoes and other condiments immersed in thick, rich molten cheddar. A skewer of bread biscuits accompanies this decadent dish.The Mac & Cheese Bolognaise (SGD 20++) was simple combination of two classics, Mac & Cheese and Beef Bolognaise. With the fusion of these two eternal favourites into a single pasta dish, one can truly experience the best of both worlds. A thick cheese sauce smothers the rich contents within. Beef bolognaise, parmesan and Monterey Jack all slathered with a rich, creamy dressing. How can one resist? The Simply Brie-vine (SGD 24++) is one simply divine burger. The centrepiece of the burger is a 170g Wagyu patty grilled on Roadhouse's signature Josper grill. The thick patty emitted a wonderfully smoky fragrance and was satisfyingly juicy and flavourful. Slabs of grilled poached pear and brie dovetailed beautifully with the patty. The brie, a truly majestic cheese, was delightfully creamy. The poached pear added a hint of sweetness and tartness to the burger, nicely balancing the richness of the other ingredients. Sundried tomatoes and rocket provided the finishing touches.

Prior to this Between X OpenRice Food Tasting Session, my only experience with German-based cuisine had been a couple of visits to Brotzeit for some schnitzels and bratwursts. My Deutsch foodie experience was thus greatly enhanced during this Tasting Session, courtesy of Between and OpenRice.

Stuttgart Blackforest Boutique S-Café is a lovely little German eatery that appears to pride itself on delivering an authentically German experience to its patrons. This was evident throughout my visit.

While waiting to be seated, one already catches a glimpse of the exquisitely-furnished café interior. An impressive variety of pastas and spirits sits invitingly on large wooden shelves. Stepping inside, I was struck by the sight of large majestic trees scattered across the eatery, their branches reaching towards the lofty ceiling. Much thought and care was indeed put into the decorations, with a spinning water wheel and a wall of antique cuckoo clocks among the more outstanding features.Water wheel: attention-catching centrepieceWater feature complete with fishShelves upon shelves of specialty pastas

After getting to meet the fellow OpenRicers present as well as Joash, the General Manager (Singapore) of VCNC (which is behind the Between app), we were ready to choose our dishes from a selection of mains and desserts to accompany a Wurstsalat (SGD 18++), a salad with sausages, onions and gherkins.The Wurstsalat was simple yet satisfying in a understated way. The sausage slices possessed a unique mix of tastes, with a slight sourish tang adding some tart zest to the otherwise salty meat. The accompanying greens and cherry tomatoes added the finishing gustatory as well as visual touches.

For my main, I went for the Schwäbische Maultaschen (SGD 25++), which consists of two large pockets of Swabian pasta, each stuffed with savoury minced beef. These were served on a bed of sautéed onions and potatoes. Accompanying these was a mesclun salad complete with bright cherry tomatoes. The two maultaschen were generously sized and appetizingly presented, with the onions, potatoes and salad each adding a distinct dimension to the meat pockets. The pasta itself was soft and subtly fragrant, and provided a perfect foil to the more intense flavours of the minced beef. The maultaschen were well-complemented by the bed of potatoes and onions, whose tangy flavours I presume may be attributed to a vinaigrette dressing. It was indeed a flavourful and well-balanced dish.Flavourful minced beef within!

Accompanying my meal was a cappuccino (SGD 10++) which was easily the most frothy and fluffy coffee I have ever encountered. Check out the froth!

If you cut through all that fluff (literally), you will find that Stuttgart does really do quite a mean cappuccino. The coffee was thick and full-bodied, with intense aromas wafting up with every (divine) sip. Rounding off the feast was a slice of Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (SGD 12++), a freshly-baked Blackforest cake that was fluffy, creamy, light and rich all at once. The spongy cake layers were interspersed with sweet and gooey cherries, with cream and chocolate shavings holding it all together. The cake was delightfully sweet and intensely flavoured with Kirschwasser, a traditional cherry liquor, making it a wonderful flavourful burst on the palate.

While service was reasonably attentive and polite to a fault, it was at times a little slow. We were made to wait uncomfortably long for some of the dishes, but this could be put down to the large group we were in. Overlooking this blemish, the homely ambience and quality of food were indeed top notch, making a visit to Stuttgart Blackforest Boutique S-Café an advisable one. Just be sure to visit only when not in a rush, and go prepared to spend a leisurely evening over some great-tasting German cuisine. Do also take the opportunity to take a few photographs (unintrusively of course), as the café is painstakingly decorated.

En Guete!

Bao Today offers a mind-boggling array of over 40 dishes for their high tea buffet, available from 3pm. This buffet is sit-down tapas styled, so there is no need for diners to constantly get up to refill their plates! Rather, friendly servers come round at regular intervals, dishing out delicacy after delicacy that you simply cannot get enough of. The servers introduce each dish and diners simply indicate if they wish to have it, as well as the quantity of each item. Of course, being a buffet, you are entitled to unlimited servings of each item. Just be sure not to order more than you can finish! I like that you can customize the serv ing size of each dish to suit your preferences. For instance, you can order just a single salted egg yolk bun (liu sha bao), or even a single siew mai. This flexibility definitely cuts food wastage and allows each diner to zoom in on what he really wants, as you are not stuck with an entire basket of dumplings when you want only one.

The buffet spread is not fixed, as dishes may be rotated, or even added to and removed from the repertoire according to customer feedback. Below are some dishes that are certain to be mainstays as they hit the spot perfectly!These are so crispy, and so packed with briny goodness! The fried beancurd skin rolls beside them are not too bad as well!Sweet and crispy. A little too greasy though.These dumplings don't just taste good, they look pretty too!Full of bite and flavour.Chock-full of fragrant mushrooms.This was a little too dry and hard.A perfect combination of sweetness and bitterness to balance out your rich feasting!Visit Bao Today for a dim sum buffet spread of immense variety and quality! All of their items are freshly prepared within the day, hence Bao TODAY!