NamNam Noodle Bar is a growing business in Singapore selling simple but authentic Vietnamese dishes. The restaurant is best known for their pho, the country's national dish. There are always a long queue at all three of its outlets as customers are all willing to wait for good food. Me, too, brought myself to stand behind a long queue and waited for roughly 10 minutes to enjoy a delectable meal. We shortened our waiting time by opting to sit at their bar top table, which wasn't bad at all as I love their decor. They also have interesting Vietnamese condiments placed at every table and most of them works really well in enhancing the flavour of every dish I've ever ordered. Ordered their Lime Soda ($3) which looks pretty much like regular sprite on the outside but no! Don't judge it by the simplicity, for everything served at this place never fails to surprise me. Every sip was refreshing and wonderful. My friend ordered one of their signature beef pho, the Pho Beef Steak Slices ($8.90). The broth looked pretty plain and light on the outside but it was actually intensely boiled for more than 24 hours! So flavourful that actually to be honest, nobody would ever need the condiments at all! They also have other beef pho such as Pho Beef Balls, Pho Wagyu Beef Slices and Pho Beef Combination. For myself, I decided to try their bahn mi this time around, got myself the Caremelised 5-Spice Pork Belly, Pork Pate ($5.90) which I considered decently cheap for the really large toasted baguette I received. The 5-spice pork meat were really savoury and full of different flavours at every bite. Enhanced with mayonnaise, carrots, daikon, cilantro etc, this was a really great dish to make my new favourite! Can't wait to try the other bahn mi they have! Although this wasn't shown on the illustrated menu, the Southern Roll ($4.90) is a great side that can be ordered through the paper menu where you're supposed to write your order quantity on. Unlike the southern rolls I've tried at other restaurants, this was surprisingly soft with a firm juicy prawn to make a good bite. The sauce that it came with also enhances all flavour such that I hoped that I could have more! Overall, I fully enjoyed myself despite the long queue and brisk environment. The food were served really promptly and the staff here are all friendly and skilled in managing customers and orders. Prices are very affordable as well for the portion and flavour you get. Always love all the dishes I had and can't wait to try out everything on their menu! Thumbs up to NamNam!

Platypus Restaurants offers some of the most diversified selection of Italian dishes. Under the Platypus group, there's multiple food concepts scattered around Singapore that caters to different customers from all walks of life with unique needs and preferences. This includes the Platypus Kitchen, Platypus Test Kitchen, Platypus Family Kitchen, Platypus Gourmet2Go as well as Platypus Dessert Bar. Its website is also very user-friendly with downloadable PDF menu and I consider this one of the many plus points as compared to many well-known brands out there.

I've visited the Platypus Kitchen outlet which is conveniently located at Bugis Junction. The exterior seemed to be beautifully designed which gives out a form of modern elegance at simplicity's best. The interior was exceptionally inviting, full of warm and lovely furnishings mainly incorporating black and wooden colours in its spacious layout design. All the tabletop items such as menu and utensils were also meticulously placed with consistency. Platypus Kitchen believes that gourmet cuisine should be affordable yet quality must not be forgone. The interior decorations are also creative and well thought of such that the entire place has already given customers some excellent impressions even before they order. Their set lunch menu allows you to choose between hot soup or side salad along with your choice of beverages, some of which are pretty interesting. My buddy and I both went with the Roasted Pumpkin Soup, which would cost $3.90 on its own if we decide to go for ala carte. The soup was beautifully presented and were rich and full of true pumpkin taste, without any hint of unwanted preservatives. The soup alone was well-seasoned enough that we totally skipped the pepper! We also got the Mango Passion Fruit Tea (not in picture), which were very refreshing as well! Everything was very efficient! The Truffle Fries ($5.90) came to our table even before we finished our soup. These thick cut fries were perfectly seasoned with white truffle oil then topped with perfectly shaved truffles, it was more than amazing! Definitely the best truffle fries I've ever had! The truffle taste were strong but not overpowering on those crispy non-oily fries. Highly recommended to order! The menu online showed that the price is $6.90 but they probably lowered the price which is great because it shows that they're definitely not those kind of restaurants that are all for profits! The restaurant is especially well-known for their vast selection of fresh handmade pastas and risottos at pocket-friendly prices. One of their signature pastas, the Black & White, Scallop & Crab Pasta ($14.80), appealed to me the most in terms of colours and ingredients. This dish involves 2 kinds of pasta, for which the egg and squid-ink Tagliolini were nicely interwoven to create the attractive presentation. Generous amount of fresh crab meat, scallops and tomatoes were also included in the white wine consomme, which I find may be quite little, but from what I read from the menu, this was purposely cooked in traditional style and I could actually have asked for it to be more saucy. But ultimately, it was a really great dish and the handmade pasta were amazing! On its own, the dish cost up to $17.50 ala carte price. My buddy ordered the Saffron & Caviar Risotto ($16.80) which costs up to $19.90 ala carte price. This saffron infused risotto were seasoned to perfection, not too wet nor dry. It was then topped with generous amount of fresh char-grilled prawns and scallops, finished with a good amount of caviar and fine herbs. On its own, its very aromatic and the caviar was my favourite part to mix! We figured that since their appetizers and mains were so good, it would be a regretful idea to skip their desserts. So we got the Bailey's Extraordinaire ($8.90), which is basically a chilled alchol-infused mudpie served with crisp biscotti and shaved chocolate, topped with rich chocolate sauce. This was best enjoyed with the difference in textures by adding every spoon of mudpie on the biscotti to indulge. Perfect dessert makes an awesome ending! Overall, every dish that came to our table were of top-notched quality with fresh and some organic ingredients to create unique flavours without adding any bad addictives that could make the dish unhealthy. The service at this restaurant was also flawless! Simply perfect! It could be one of the rarest service experience I've ever encountered unless you include hotels' and overseas' experiences. The waitstaff were all well-trained with great attitude and knowledge. Not forgetting the lovely ambience, Platypus Kitchen truly provides diners with experience close to perfection. Excellent thumbs up!

Strangers' Reunion is a cafe located at a 10mins walkable distance from Outram Park MRT Station. After reading so many raving reviews about this fanciful place, my friends & I decided to visit on a Friday night! 

Despite its remote location, the cafe oversees a strong crowd that night even at 9pm. We've waited for a good 15minutes outside until some other customers left. In the midst of waiting, we also spotted that they have this sort of art gallery next door which is kind of cool. The interior has this kind of rustic warm uniqueness to it which makes you feel very relaxed, calm and at ease, probably the most perfect ambience for a date or simply catching up with old friends. We were led to the end of the restaurant where we were given the option to choose between sitting side by side on a corner table facing the wall or sharing a table with strangers. We've chosen to sit with this group of guys and hmm, let's say it was a pretty interesting experience! (That's why it's called Strangers' Reunion.) 

So anyway! We were starving & the first thing we ordered was the Chicken Schnitzel ($19.90), served with lotus root chips and mesclun, the portion came just right for 3 person. The huge chicken breast was nicely fried thoroughly and wasn't too greasy, but seasoning can be improved. Next we have our Truffle Fries ($12.90), the portion was more than enough to share between 5 people. Truffle oil was used but the taste wasn't that distinctive as I've expected. However, they did serve with truffled mayonnaise to strengthen the taste. Of course, what's a cafe without coffee? We've got 3 cups of Magic ($5.50/ea). This is actually a 2:1 ratio of Ristretto to Milk. The balance was enjoyed first with the taste of milk followed by a slight bitter coffee kick. My friends didn't really like the bitterness but I kind of silently got addicted to it, there's just something impressive from the sips other than the beautiful coffee art. Here comes the signature dishes! Strangers' Reunion is popularly well-known for their buttermilk waffles which everyone would definitely order. On the menu, customers can choose to have their waffles with the artisan Greek yogurt, vanilla icecream or maple syrup. We happily got ourselves the Buttermilk Waffles with Vanilla Icecream & Fresh Fruits ($12.90). This is probably one of the best waffles I've had in awhile! The light fluffy waffle was served golden crispy on the outside and showed no signs of imperfection. The high quality vanilla icecream and fresh fruits also compliment everything else really well. We kind of wanted more after the first waffle so we went ahead to get another one! This is the Buttermilk Waffle with Strawberry Maceration & Icecream ($13.90). The waffles are all the same, but the fragrant batter and not-too-sweet overall just makes you want more everytime you finish one! 
Overall, although the savoury dishes were considered quite normal, the waffles and coffee have lived up to their names! And despite its brisk business and full house night, the service staff were very efficient and were always on high alert to serve. The cosy ambience also makes everything else perfect for chilling or catching up! Will definitely return for the waffles!

One of my all-time favourite cuisines is Indian cuisine, being a Chinese, is it ironic that I say I don't mind eating Indian food everyday? 

Kinara is a restaurant located at Holland Village serving creative and contemporary North Indian cuisine. The operating hours are from 11.30am - 2.30pm for Lunch and 6pm - 11pm for dinner. It was humid outside on that day so we opted to dine inside. Although it's a pretty small space and seatings are limited, the inside of the restaurant remains elegant and gives you the atas yet warm feel of home. They also play some gentle Indian cultural music in the background and it's those kind that would make you feel culturally at peace, if you know what I mean. Their POS system is pretty awesome. The touchscreen pad allows you to order whatever you like and you just have to click "send order" to place your orders, which is really convenient. You can also choose the level of spicyness you want your dishes to be.  The free appetizer comes minutes later with fresh apple jam and a green sauce that taste like curried cilantro chili pepper sauce. For the best taste, apply both sauce on the cracker to enjoy mix of complimentary flavours and textures.  We started off by ordering some Jeera Pulao ($5), which is simply just basmati rice dotted with cumin seeds, it's light and fluffy and compliments other dishes really well! This is one of my favourite as there! This Herb Naan ($4.50) is topped with fresh mint and herbs  and may be possibly the best naan I've ever had in Singapore! I've tried a couple from different shops in Little India but none of them tasted as good as this. This Indian flatbread may be the most typical food for them to cook but then again simple things are hard to perfect to get the "wow" factor, but at this place, I've got it. We then got another awesome dish called the Murgh Tikka Masala ($22), which is made up of boneless tandoori chicken cooked with the chef's special spices. It's basically a creamy tomato-based curry with really flavourful spices. Indians are known to be the world's best user for spices and hence this dish deserves all the stars I have! My buddy and I also shared the Murgh Pashtoom, Butter Chicken ($22.50). This is a classic Indian dish especially meant for people who can't take any level of spiciness at all! Many versions of this dish exists in the market but this chicken right here has been marinated really long over night with good yogurt and spices, top it over some naan or rice and you'll be in heaven! 
So these basically sums up my amazing experience there at Kinara! The service may be alright and prices may be on the higher end, but nevertheless it's still a highly recommended place! The quality and taste of food along with the warm cozy ambience will always keep me going back for more. Thumbs up!

Have heard about Osaka Ohsho several times because of its popularity in Osaka, Japan. The name itself translates to "The King of Gyoza in Osaka" and because of that, I've been waiting for a chance to try it ever since it opened its doors in Singapore. 

There are currently two outlets in Singapore, one at Raffles City and the other one which I've went at Bukit Panjang Plaza. I tend to try out new dining places at really off-peak hours around 3-4pm just to avoid the crowd, which explains the almost empty place. I do this because it actually helps me to test out the restaurant's true product and service performance and potential. The young male waiter who served my buddy and I was really friendly and pleasant, he was able to answer my questions because some items on the menu are based in Japanese romanji style, and I needed to know the ingredients. I got myself this Chicken Tenshin Han & Gyoza ($13.90), the chicken actually refers to the chicken bits in the omurice. But seriously this omurice tasted amazing! They are not certainly not stingy in their eggs as it's probably made out of several beaten eggs that created the fluffy soft and smooth omelette. The rice used was also of top quality and the overall dish was topped with thick gravy that boost the flavour of everything else. The gyoza that comes with it were by far the best I've tried in Singapore so far! Before this, I was on the lookout for the best gyoza around the country and I'm so glad I've found it! It's actually handmade with generous but optimal filling of cabbage, ginger, garlic and 3 different kinds of pork wrapped in their special wonton paper. The grilled gyoza have no hint of oiliness to it and tasted great with the black vinegar. The ala carte price for 6pc was also relatively cheap at $3.90 and 12pc at $7.80. The addictive nature may have you ordering more for takeaways so you may want to order the 12pc one at all times! My buddy ordered the Teriyaki Chicken Set ($14.90) which comes with 3pc gyoza. Gyoza aside, the teriyaki chicken was cooked nicely on hot sizzling plate. The soy sauce glaze tasted fine but there's nothing that special. But that's okay because they're known for their gyoza anyway. Have also ordered their Fried Ika Gesu ($7.90), which is basically fried squid legs, I guess my buddy's on the hunt for the best fried squid legs and he didn't think this was great for its price. Although it tasted fresh and probably deep fried with new chaned oil, it is still considered overpriced for that small portion. So anyway we got the bill and I think it's a pretty reasonable amount for a casual dining Japanese restaurant with lovely ambience and irresistible gyoza.Overall, I would definitely visit again to this gyoza specialist! There may be hits and misses to look out for and hopefully this review may help in your future experience here!