I’d only discovered the existence of dry ban mian about a year ago and I bum at the fact that it’s an uncommon find in most hawker centres and coffee shops. He Jia Huan Ban Mian sells a mean bowl with springy noodles, bagging chews that just hits the spot.The magical pool of gravy sits at the bottom of the bowl, so do remember to stir it up real good. Word of caution: Do not wear white whilst devouring this amazing load of ban mian. And if you do, be careful not to get any gravy splattered on your shirt like paint on a blank canvas. Also, the gravy can get a tad spicy so be warned!The gravy is quite the savoury delight, hitting salty, sweet and spicy notes all at the same time. Your tastebuds will be in for the ride and will probably thank you for that dinner.

Yoshimaru Ramen Bar is located down that steep slope in Holland Village, next to 363 Katong Laksa and had a healthy crowd on a Thursday night. I always try to start from the basics whenever I try some place new, so I got the Traditional Hakata Ramen. The bowl of aromatic ramen arrived not too long later and at a glance, the amount of ingredients did not amaze me, especially since the ramen egg yolk looked a tad overcooked. But the taste. The taste was pretty good, more than satisfactory even. Though I did wish for a more generous amount of meat, the broth was indeed tasteful and the ramen -- comforting. We also ordered the Gyoza Platter to share. Quite a give and take here. While it wasn't oily - yay! - it was just a little dry on the outside - nay. On the bright side, the meats inside were moist enough for me.

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.

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