Some time ago I've went to The Soup Spoon as I was yearning for a warm hearty dinner on a rainy day. 

The Chef's Special that time around was the tweaked version of clam chowder, which was the Peace, Love & Muscles Chowder. This consists of New Zealand green shelled mussels, sweet potato, russet potato, celery, spinach, fennel and bacon. The ingredients sound delicious but in reality it's not that awesome, consistency needs to be thicker. I would still prefer their regular clam chowder. I also got myself a Fish Taco Wrap with side salad and seriously, it tasted horrible! There was this sour taste to it that irks my appetite and I gave up eating after 2 bites. My friend who tried the same dish at another outlet also experienced the same issue, so this is definitely something that can be taken out from the main menu. Overall, with high hopes come big disappointments. I have not returned to this place for awhile now and will only go back after I rid the fish taco image from my mind.

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!

Finally got to try the McDonald's new Bubblegum Flavourburst Icecream ($1)! The flavour was a surprise at first because I was kind of expecting purely sweet! But there was a hint of sour and thus this concludes why it's by far probably one of the best icecream flavour from McDonald's! Since we can't often find cotton candy or much less bubblegum anywhere near us, this can serve as an affordable treat to yourself after every meal!

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!