What I saw

It’s difficult to miss the shop since it stands out like a giant bright red phone booth along Tanjong Pagar Road. And of course, what’s more befitting than having its name decked street-sign-style? Look in and you’ll notice limited seating inside: A quaint corner with wooden crates for seats and some bar seats beside the counter. But what greets you at the door besides the day’s specials is a fortunate “More Seats Upstairs”. Phew.It’s true. At Drury Lane, you pay as much or as you like for those muffins. While this does give them great feedback against other muffin competitors out there, I believe we should be gracious and pay a decent amount, unless of course they were that bad.While I unfortunately did not get good shots upstairs, it was definitely the more popular level of the two with its cosy attic-like feel. But it was just a fair bit too noisy for my friend and I, so we headed down instead. The downside though? You’ll start to smell like the day’s orders because of their open kitchen concept.

What I ateI must say that neither the coffee nor my eggs benedict satisfied my raging tastebuds. The coffee ran a little thin for my liking and held an acidity that departed from comfort. For the eggs benedict, something just wasn’t right with the hollandaise sauce with its consistency more runny than thick. The three streaks of honey-cured turkey bacon you see? Not my thing because it was just so hard to bite into. If I’m being totally honest, they tasted like the local delicacy – ba kwa. My friend didn’t enjoy her order of baked eggs with tomatoes either. “They tasted like canned tomatoes.” (They probably were. And she’s more of an eat-fresh girl.)

On the whole

It wasn't the most pleasant brunch experience and I had to head elsewhere after that to settle my caffeine craving. But to be fair, my visit was some time in August and perhaps, just perhaps, the other items on their menu aren’t too shabby. And maybe they got better. A little bird told me their pancakes were ones to try, so I might return to give them a second chance. Probably just with caution.

For more of my reviews, head to: http://www.aquaintsense.wordpress.com

There were 3 levels of spiciness to choose from - Red, black and white. I tried the Black Spicy Ramen which was a peppery and spicy mix for broth. The noodles were tangy and the pork slices were soft and tender but I would have liked the yolk of the ramen egg to be a tad more underdone.

I must say that with practically the entire foodie world raving about Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King's ramen, I'd heightened my expectations and was looking forward to be blown away by its flavours. While the bowl of ramen was undoubtedly good, I was pretty disappointed that it didn't surpass.

Toss & Turn is one salad shop I would go to on days I feel the need for a healthy punch during lunch. You can create your own salads here at $7.80 for a small serving and $9 for a regular. Difference being half the size and 2 less vegetable add ons. Fair warning, the regular salad is huge and their servings are beyond generous.

You can also choose from their line of salad combinations but it's always nice to be able to decide what exactly goes onto your plate.

I had a regular salad here, which was made up of:
1 Salad base - Cold pasta
ted Chicken & Sauteed mushrooms
4 Veggie/Crunchies - Wasabi sprouts, Cherry tomatoes, Beans & Almond flakes

Then you get to top it up with sauce, of which I chose Honey mustard.

The end product was extremely flavouful though I did find the roast chicken to be a bit dry. Also, $7.80/$9 stands pretty steep for a salad (which was why I chose noodles instead, to try and get my money's worth) but having said that, I would still head here for my salad fix in town. It pays to be/feel healthy.

Though Koh Grill & Sushi Bar is slightly hidden at the same level as Food Republic, there's no need for an introduction to this popular Japanese restaurant with a signature like the Shiok Maki ($16.80). It now comes in 2 versions - The first being "Generation 1" with unagi and of course, the 2nd generation featuring prawns, which we had.

What the Shiok Maki comprises of:Avocado and prawn bits are wrapped around by seaweed, with an outer bed of rice (of course). Then, aburi salmon is draped over the top, slathered with a thick cheesy mentai dressing and finally topped with bursts of tobiko. As with many others who would highly recommend at least one order of the Shiok Maki when you're here, same for me. It's definitely a must-try, especially for those with a weakness for cheese. It comes in a great sharing portion too - 8 pieces of maki, unless you're made up of an odd number. Then, fight for it. Besides that perfect starter, I had a lunch set - Bento I ($14.90), which was basically Sashimi Moriawase with sides of rice, miso soup and a salad. Compared to the Shiok Maki, the bento set was a letdown. While the sashimi slices (salmon, tuna and yellowtail) were generous in terms of thickness, I really wish the portions were larger (3 each). As for the soup and salad, they were pretty standard.

In conclusion,
I don't know about their other food offerings like Ramen and grilled items but I wouldn't be particularly happy to order Bento I again. My colleague had Bento A, which had a far bigger portion of salmon sashimi slices (five). But of course, the Shiok Maki was a pleaser and I would certainly return for that again.

The Daily Scoop is my go-to place for ice cream whenever I'm in Holland Village. And it's always crowded at night with their limited seats available.

We had the waffle with a scoop of Nutty Macadamia to share, which came drizzled with chocolate sauce. While we wished there had been more sweet lines of chocolate lashed over the dessert, the waffle carried a good texture and was firm to chew, and went really well the the creamy yet refreshing notes of the ice cream.