Despite being a Singaporean since birth, I have never ventured into Farrer Park. It doesn't look ulu on the map (being two stops away from Dhoby Ghaut). But somehow there is nothing there for me to venture. Recently I saw an Openrice article on nice cafes to hangout, and one of them is L'etoile cafe hidden in Farrer Park along Owen Road. The small but cosy-looking picture of it was tempting enough for me to travel to Farrer Park. It's a two-storey indie cafe along a stretch of shophouses. L'etoile means "star" in French, and it's also the symbol of this cafe.

I was quite pleased when I stepped into L'etoile. The cafe was very bright and made use of full length windows. The use of different types of mismatched furniture made the place very colourful and homely. The designer of L'etoile should deserve some award for making it look so pretty and inviting! There are several corners which you can just laze in with your group of friends or with your significant other. Some of my favorite corners:

#1 - By the window on second floor. I love how the curtains blocked out the harsh sun rays and gave the place a soft focus look. #2 - Cosy corner on first floor. #3 - Cosy corner on second floor. If you look carefully below, this table is actually a sewing machine table. Quite creative to use as a dining table and it gives the place a nostalgic vibe too. One bird kills two stones!Sad to say, the food was quite forgettable for me. The Matcha Azuki Chiffon Cake ($5.90) was coarse and too dry for my liking. The Chicken Wings ($8) were a bit bland and not flavorful enough, and the portion was quite small for the price. As for the Big Breakfast ($14.90) which was served with toast, potato wedges, mushroom, bacon, sausages, eggs and greens, unfortunately it was more variety than quality. The Strawberry Soda and Ribena Soda ($4.90 each) were nothing to shout about too. In addition, I don't know why but it can be very noisy when everyone speaks at the same time. I suspect it has got to do with the material used for the ceiling or walls which amplifies the sounds made.

To conclude, I guess the main draw of L'etoile would be its chill vibe, vintage and whimsical decor, instead of the food. There were a lot of couples and groups of friends there. L'etoile also has free wifi and some power plug points (not a lot though.. two hidden behind the big sofa on second floor and two near the window). They also have a collection of travel books and magazines which you can read. It's worth a first visit for a lazy weekend although I don't think I will be going back anytime soon.

For full review and more photos, please visit http://weekendeatwhatsg.blogspot.sg/2013/08/l-cafe.html

I visited the Palai Rennaisance outlet on a Saturday afternoon for some cakes. I am a lover for pretty cakes and garden-like setting so this one really hits me in the centre. Such a pretty restaurant.. With royal-like cushions and seats, I felt instantly like a princess!

Meet Chantilly ($9, below), one of the cakes in Antoinette's 2013 collection. It is made of passionfruit creme and sweetened vanilla meringue, and a slice of banana hid in the crust. I am a big fan of anything that has fruits so this gets my thumbs up for being sweet and fruity.Le Royale ($9, below) is a combination a dark chocolate mousse, almond meringue, hazelnut almond feuilletine, chocolate genoise and dark rum. In layman terms, it's a chocolate and hazelnut cake. This is for the chocolate lover as the chocolate was very rich and dense. The base was a hazelnut almond feuilletine which was akin to thin crispy waffles. Overall, the texture was rich and crispy. It was like eating a chocolate cake and hazelnut waffle biscuit.This place was quite empty during a Saturday afternoon. Considering the whole of Singapore was in Orchard on a weekend, I think this is a great place to escape the crazy crowds for a nice afternoon tea.

I went there during the off peak hour 3pm plus on a Sunday. The restaurant only had three other group of customers. Hence, I could get a seat immediately. Nevertheless if you need to wait, please self-help to some ice barley tea while you wait outside the restaurant. So thoughtful!

While we were waiting, we chomped on some beanspouts provided as a side dish. The beanspouts were crunchy and marinated with a sauce. My friend who is a lover of beanspouts claimed it's the nicest beanspouts ever. We finished half a bottle of the beanspouts.

Not sure if it was because we went during the off-peak timing, our Ramens came very fast... My King Ramen ($16.90) which I topped with soft boiled eggs and seaweed for $3, really made me felt like a king instantly. The pork slices were damn nice, thinly sliced and savory. Despite the description being pork slices with ginger, the ginger taste was subtle which was good because it would be weird if the ginger taste was overwhelming. The eggs were sweet, runny and melts in the mouth. Noodles were chewy.. and the most important was the soup base.. an instant umamni kick.. the soup is thicker than normal soup which was due to the pork bones being boiled for 11 hours instead of the normal 8 hours. The Summer Ramen ($15.90), which we topped with eggs of $2, was also equally good as the King Ramen.. The soup base was rich and full of umami taste.. The chilli is made of three types of chilli: Japanese Chilli, Szechuan Pepper and Cayenne Pepper. Sounds lethal.. the soup was spicy but we can still handle it.

We also tried the green tea cola ($3.80) which was very addictive.. Sweet, fizzy and refreshing.. Hmmm tastes like drinking Coke + 7 up + sweet lemonade? However, we could not taste the green tea though the content label stated green tea is included. Nevertheless, a very special drink and a must try!

For more pictures and less-concised review, please visit http://weekendeatwhatsg.blogspot.sg/2013/08/ramen-keisuke-tonkotsu-king.html

I ordered the Black Pig Bolognese Fettucine ($13, below). Apparently this is their signature dish. Their pasta is made in Hokkaido so it's different from the normal western pasta. The fettucine was a bit hard and chewy, not really to my liking. But the black pig bolognese was quite tasty, well marinated with the tomato based sauce. 3.5/5My friend had the Full Size US Pork Chop Doria ($16, below). Doria is a Japanese type of food, similar to gratin but with a rice base. To me, it tasted like risotto. The tomato base was quite bland and diluted. I like the pork though which was juicy. 3/5We waited for quite some time for our food to arrive, probably 20 minutes. My friend's order was Doria which it was indicated on the menu that it will take 15 minutes to prepare. On the other hand, my Black Pig Bolognese Fettucine did not have a minimum preparation time indicated on the menu. However, at the end, my friend's Doria came first before my Black Pig Bolognese Fettucine.

After a not-so-satisfying main course, we were looking forward to the desserts hoping they would help to end the dinner with a wow. We had the Pont Neuf ($5.20, below) which was a cream puff crispy on the outside but creamy and soft on the inside. Yumms! 4/5Upon the strong recommendation of the service staff, we ordered the signature dessert Fruit Scoop ($7, below). To be honest, it was quite a normal fruit cream cake to us.. 3/5For more pictures and less-concised review, please visit http://weekendeatwhatsg.blogspot.sg/2013/08/dulcet-studio.html

This outlet is popular with the people working nearby but most of them opt for takeaway. Hence, it is relatively easier to find a seat here than other places in the CBD during the rush lunch hour. My favorite is the Cracked Mayo burger which costs $5.90 ala carte but you can top up with a drink and fries for additional $3. The patty is made from soy and the texture is like normal meat patty. The taste is a bit unique but still tasty coupled with the mayo sauce that tops on it. Overall, it tastes like a chicken burger for me, minus the calories. A healthy option for the health conscious who need some comfort food in the middle of the work week.