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 was really looking forward to the OpenRice tasting session at Gourmet Plus because it offers a mixture of Spanish, Italian and French food. So I'll get to try different types of European food at one go

The Gilda on Shot Gazpacho ($10 for two shots, below) is an appetizer served in a shot glass. Kudos for being creative! Step 1: Please dip the skewer of marinated olive, chilli, antxoas & baby onions into the gazpacho soup. Step 2: Sip a little of the refreshing gazpacho soup that is made of cold tomato . Step 3: Eat each piece of the vegetable on the skewer. The overall result is a lingering spiciness and sourness on the tastebuds, a refreshing starter to our 10-course dinner.The Haloumi & Green Olive Salad ($18, below) had grilled haloumi cheese tossed with olive, rocket & frisee, Japanese cucumber, pine nuts, red onion in a light mustard dressing. This is my first time eating Haloumi cheese, a Greek cheese, and I loved it. The cheese was pan-fried, slightly salted, texture was like toasted scallop but a bit harder. An interesting dish.Pulpo ala Gallega ($16), is a pretty stack of boiled octopus in between slices of potato, topped with fish roe. Quite a creative combination as the octopus was chewy while the potatoes were soft so there was variation in texture.

The next dish may look like a kitchen disaster, but never judge a book by its cover. Although the Squid Ink Coated Calamari el Bulli with Aioli ($16, below) doesn't look appetizing, my appetite was aroused by the garlic fragrance of this dish when it was served. The calamari was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Must eat with the smooth Aioli sauce. An addictive dish that I couldn't stop going for.Coca Iberico Jamon Lomo & Rocket ($28, below), uses Spanish ham which is from the loin and hence it is more tender than the normal ham. Coupled with the melted cheese and golden baked pizza crust, the result was a robust taste that exploded in the mouth. The roasted Corn-fed Chicken ($30, below), was very tender, and the taste was enhanced when the chicken was drizzled with the essence of chicken demi that accompanied it. Together with the shiitake mushroom, roasted potatoes, and kitchen vegetables, this makes a hearty French dish.Back to Spanish.. the Rabo de toro ($28, below). Spicy spanish oxtail stew, braised for 6 hours, and the result was ultra soft oxtail which tasted both gamey and tender. Eaten with the toasted bread provided. Just when I thought it doesn't get any better than this, we were introduced the Crispy Wagyu Beef Cheek ($35, below). Pan-seared melt-in-your-mouth beef cheeks on mashed potatoes, US asparagus, to be smeared with the red wine shallot gravy. The knife effortlessly cut through the reddish meat, evidential that it was well-braised for hours. How do they make it crispy on the outside and soft on the inside? They only fry the beef cheeks when it is ready to be served. And the mashed potatoes was also a scene stealer with its subtle cheese flavor. Meet Bermuda Triangle of Chocolate ($15, below). The delightful trio is made up of: (i) Chocolate lava cake, (ii) Nutella parfait & berries and, (iii) White Chocolate Panna Cotta. Personal favorite would be the cold sweet Nutella Parfait balanced by the sweet and sour berries. Simple yet good.Since they say there is always a separate stomach for desserts, one dessert would not suffice to end this feast. Our second dessert Nutty Chocolate Peppermint Ravioli ($14) - coated with sugar bread crumbs, molasses amaretto (a type of sweet Italian liqueur) and coconut waffle was nutty and slightly mint flavored. A very unique dessert.

This cosy restaurant has been around since 2004, so that means they must be doing it right. There's an alfresco area which has a romantic ambience. The place can serve up to 75 persons, sounds like a good place to hold functions/gatherings. They have an extensive wine list too. For an inspiring dinner experience and high quality Western cuisine in the East, do visit Gourmet Place for a weekend meal.

Many thanks to OpenRice and Gourmet Plus for the kind hospitality and making me feel like a royal during this great tasting session!

For full review and more photos, please visit http://weekendeatwhatsg.blogspot.sg/2013/08/gourmet-plus.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

Yayoiken offers set meals whereby there is a meat dish, accompanied by a bowl of Japanese rice, Miso soup and Tofu. The Yayoiken outlet at 313 Somerset is actually located all the way down at Level B3 where all the other eateries such as Yoshinoya, Fish and Co are situated. So it's quite easy to find.

I loved the seat structure of this Yayoiken restaurant as it is designed like cubicles and there are partitions separating the seats. Hence it offers a lot of privacy.

There are 2 types of menu : the Ipad menu for the tech-savvy and the hardcopy menu for the technologically-challenged. So thoughtful of Yayoiken! We made our orders by tapping on the Ipad menu and the orders were sent to the kitchen.

The Mix Toji Set ($13.90, below) was a mixture of fried prawn, pork cutlet, pork slices and eggs. The set also comprised of miso soup, tofu and rice. The crispy meat, enveloped with the the battered moist egg, was rich and sumptuous. It kept us going for more.The Miso Katsu Set ($14.90, below) had a breaded pork cutlet simmered in a thick gooey miso paste. The first bite into the meat delivered a salty savory taste. But after a while I thought the miso paste was a bit too intense and salty, and I got sick of it after a while. Probably a wrong choice made. My friend was enjoying her Mix Toji Set very much. Luckily, the comforting bowl of miso soupthat came with the set meal helped to counter the overly-rich miso paste.Ikageso Kaarage ($3.90, below), a dish of deep fried squid tenacles, was chewy and flavorful when dipped with the mayo and eaten with the lettuce that was drizzled with a tangy sauce.You can also get a hot/cold green tea (free flow) for just $1.. However, we had to press the "call for service" button on the Ipad for three times before the service staff came to refill the tea.

Tip 1: For the hungry customer with a stomach that is like a bottomless pit, this is a really value-for-money place as you can top up your rice for free.

Tip 2: Being the sharp bargain hunter, I saw a promotion for a free dessert if I joined as member of Yayoiken. Just need to go to this website Http://jpremium.asia, fill up a short form and you can redeem a free Matcha ice-cream or free Shiratama Zenzai (red bean soup) on the spot. Other privileges of being a new member include 1-for-1 Santouka ramen, free drink at Maison Kayser, 50% off Ginza Bairin pork menu etc. Wheeee!Here is my free Matcha ice-cream (worth $3.50, below).. We felt it tasted more milky than green tea.. Nevertheless, a refreshing end to a big meal.The warm Shiratama Zenzai (worth $4.90, below) is actually red bean soup with four glutinous rice balls. Although the red beans were overly sweet, the soup was subtle and balanced (it absorbed the sweetness of the red beans) and the glutinous rice balls were soft and chewy, another great way to end the meal.The meal cost only $20 per pax after GST and service charge, which was extremely affordable considering I left with a very full stomach that was going to burst. Will definitely be back again to try other dishes (not the Miso paste Katsu).

For more pictures and a less-concised review, please visit http://weekendeatwhatsg.blogspot.sg/2013/08/yayoiken-313-somerset.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.