After hearing so much good stuff about Tiong Bahru Bakery from my mum, my family finally went down on Sunday to the first outlet for breakfast. The dining space inside the bakery is a bit crammed and I heard many "excuse me"s as people tried to navigate their way around to/from the queue and tables, but it didn't affect me much because I was here for the food and the food was good.

I started my meal with a simple cup of Hot Chocolate which was already sweetened. The chocolate was not very thick (or dilute) and it wasn't too sweet either. The "latte" art was also pretty.I got a mini croissant ($1.80) since it is supposedly the best in town, and it was. The croissant was flaky on the outside and soft in the inside and it was served warm (it was put in the oven for a while before serving). The butter flavour was also not overpowering. I wish I ordered the larger one because I simply wanted to have more. I also got the cereal burger with ham and cheese and it was delicious. They were generous with the ham and although there wasn't any sauce in the burger, the strong salty-sour taste of the cheese, the mild wild rocket, cold ham and fluffy cereal buns came together nicely such that it wasn't too dry or too bland. We also ordered a couple of other breads and they were pretty good as well. The prices here are quite high, but the food is awesome and is definitely worth a visit! (and many more in the future)

I came here with a few friends this afternoon for tea break as we were craving some pratas and one of them recommended this location just opposite Bukit Timah Shopping Centre. A detour had to be made because of the construction going on, but my friend assured us that it would be worth it.

They had signboards after signboards of fancy drinks, but I decided to play safe by going with the Teh Tarik, but the iced version of it. It tasted smooth and not too sweet, so it was good Teh Tarik.The main highlight of the day was supposedly the prata. It did take quite some time for the prata to serve, so I was kinda disappointed when the pratas arrived cold. They weren't thick or soft enough, and they were difficult to cut, so I didn't like the prata. The curry was not hot either, but the taste was decent and it comes in three forms, Vegetable, Fish or Mutton Curry. While the food was not to my liking, the service was better as they offered to give us the different forms of curry to try when requested and even refilled the plates for us.Feeling hungry, I decided to try the Chicken Roti John (or you can choose to eat it with mutton). I enjoyed this more than the prata as this one was at least warm when I tucked in. The sauce was only mildly sweet and the bread was soft. I would have preferred if they could add more chicken as it was very limited and it was mostly egg within the buns. Or maybe, it was a good thing that there wasn't alot of chicken because it was quite tasteless and bland. Comparatively, this dish was still alot better though.I'm not sure I'd say that it was worth it, but my friend claimed that the prata was alot better on his previous visit, so the standard might not be consistent. Overall, the Indian food was decent.

I love pretzels. I really, really do. They're the best things on earth, whether they're the crispy salted ones from supermarkets and soft warm ones from Auntie Anne's. I literally buy a pretzel whenever I see a pretzel. Which is why I was disappointed with the pretzel I got from this branch in Jurong Point.

I ordered the Zesty Roselle pretzel, one of my favourites due to the sweet, tangy flavour of the beautiful pink coating that blends nicely with the original saltiness of the pretzel base. To be fair, it tasted great like it should, with generous coating of roselle powder. The problem was that the pretzel was served cold. The service was relatively poor as the worker did not seem to notice customers or offered to heat up the pretzel.While I'll still pick up a pretzel when I see one, I'll probably think twice before getting one from Jurong Point again.

While I was spoilt for choices at the "new wing" in Plaza Singapura with all the affordable lunch deals from neighbouring restaurants, I was drawn to Hifumi for two reasons: 1. I love Japanese food, 2. Free flow of appetisers at a relatively affordable price. I've previously dined at places with free flow of drinks or desserts, but appetisers was a first and I was intrigued to try it out.

All set meals come with access to the appetisers bar and it does offer a range of delicious and interesting Japanese snacks. In contrast to most other restaurants, you can try small portions of every appetizer available and fill up your plates with those that you love. According to a friend who dined here previously, the appetisers are on rotational basis and are not always available. Nonetheless, I would recommend the Chawanmushi, which is soft, silky and piping hot and contains mushrooms, crabmeat and the occasional prawn. The Fried Sweet Potatoes are a must-try and we just couldn't stop after taking the first bite. They are coated with a sugary surface that make them all the more sinful (but awesome). The vegetable bar (that comes with spicy miso sauce or cheese sauce) is rather decent. I also enjoyed the cocktail fruits after my meal, in which the canned fruits (I presume) were complemented with fresh watermelon and dragonfruit. The downside is that the appetisers were quite cold when I ate them (except the Chawanmushi, which was kept hot by a machine) as they have been left out for some time, but the staff do refill the bar quickly when it is finished. To maximise your experience at the appetisers bar, try and look out for when the food items are refilled with hotter versions!

Overall, I loved the concept of the free flow appetisers and their offerings are actually good. The main courses were also pretty good.

I tried the Paper Baked Chicken ($11.99+), which is supposedly the Healthier Choice. I mean, it was definitely the healthier choice since the pepper sauce was not very salty. The chicken was tender, but it was not marinated enough as the insides of the chicken meat felt quite tasteless and I had to roll it in the pepper sauce a couple of times before it tasted good.On the other hand, the Garden Vegetables in Claypot Hayashi Stew Set ($12.99++) we ordered came with amazing sauce. This dish is on the monthly promotional menu. We didn't know what Hayashi was (apparently it's stewed beef cooked with onions), but the sauce was just so tangy, flavourful and thick. It even served well as dipping sauce for some of the appetisers, such as the deep fried tofu which came with too little meat sauce. There is also an option to purchase free flow of drinks for $1.99++ only and they have a drink pantry of soft drinks, coffee and tea. I was overall satisfied with my Hifumi experience and the spread and quality of food justified the price tag (which is not really that steep). I would come again to see the other appetisers they have to offer.

I live just across the road, so I've been patronizing this stall frequently ever since I moved in, mostly for the Carrot Cake for breakfast. While the famous chicken rice stall located just two stalls away always gets a long queue during meal periods (or even during off-meal periods), the food items from this stall are quite decent (which explains why I keep coming back for more, apart from convenience sake). The family-run stall is sometimes tended by their teenage son, but regardless of who is behind the wok, the quality of the food is consistent.

I do not have any pictures of the carrot cake, but it is really quite delicious. The portion is decently sized (even the smallest $2.50 one is good enough for breakfast), the carrot cake is not too oily and they are generous with the eggs. Personally, I prefer the Black Carrot Cake as the sweet sauce used makes the taste better, but both white and black ones are good.

I had the Hokkien Mee noodles for lunch today ($3.50) on takeaway, but I was glad that the noodles remained hot even after leaving it for some time. I like how the noodles are fried until they are very soft, such that even the beansprouts lose some of their crunchiness and blend in with the other textures. I had the smallest size of noodles and it came with 2 prawns and bits of sotong, which I would have liked a little more. (I would recommend getting the larger portions because the meat that comes with the $3.50 portion is very limited) While they are soft, the noodles were on the dry side today, probably because I left it out for too long. I feel that the Hokkien Mee tastes better when you dine at the coffee shop when it is piping hot and full of moisture.Admittedly, this stall does not serve the best Hokkien Mee noodles or carrot cake in Singapore and is not worth a separate trip down, but it is good enough for the people living around the area.