'The King of Gyoza in Osaka' - that's what the name "Osaka Ohsho" translates to. With such a title, one is naturally tempted to check it out and find out if it lives up to its name as a "gyoza specialist".The exterior of the outlet is dressed in a classic display of black, with two display counters outside showcasing colourful models of the food. Upon closer peek into the interior, we were glad to find that it didn't look as intimidating as we had expected of a "king". The environment and ambience are casual enough for anyone and everyone from all walks of life to enjoy a nice meal in.We went on a weekend at lunch time and the place was crowded. Fortunately, a seat was available so we were seated pretty much quickly.

There is a tablet on the table where you can key in and submit your order to the kitchen for processing. Quite an easy and fuss-free way to order especially during peak hours. But even with the crowd, the service is prompt and the staff are courteous and attentive. We had a few queries about some of the dishes on their menu and the guy who attended to us was patient and responsive, so much that we kind of felt bad for 'bothering' him. Gotta give the guy a cooki... er, gyoza for service!Fried Chicken with Tartar Sauce Set ($13.90)
The set comes with a main plate of fried chicken with tartar sauce, a bowl of rice as well as 3 of their signature gyoza and a bowl of soothing egg soup. Not too bad a value for the price of $13.90. The fried chicken is not as crispy as we would have liked, but the chicken pieces are well-marinated and very succulent. The tasty pieces are simply a total delight to eat with the generous portion of creamy, sweet and tangy tartar sauce, which is so good that I even used it to dip a few of the gyoza with! It was a sad day for us to find the portion of the chicken given to be a tad too little to share between us, heh. Fuwatoro Chicken Tenshin Han Set ($13.90)
This perfect combination of sticky and fluffy Koshihikari rice generously doused with a velvety smooth and lightly savoury gravy, and then blanketed with a thick, soft and fluffy omelette is one dish not to be missed if you are at Osaka Ohsho. Despite being drenched in the gravy, the rice remained firm and not soggy. The chopped fried chicken bits inside add a bit of texture to the rice, but frankly I'd have preferred to get it without the chicken just to savour the smooth, velvety texture of rice, gravy and egg! I was initially intimidated by the generous portion of rice at first glance, but I simply couldn't stop popping in mouthful after mouthful of this addictive dish that simply hits the spot on every bite. The amazing, heartwarming Fuwatoro Tenshin Han is a definite must-try! Gyoza ($3.90 for 6, $7.80 for 12)
Surely the highlight of the meal! It'd be a sin to visit the "King of Gyoza in Osaka" and not try their gyoza which they are renowned for. Although the sets also come with gyoza, you simply can't get enough of these handmade dumplings that are skilfully grilled to golden brown perfection with a delicious crisp on the outside and a moist, tender inside. The skin, made of their own special wonton wrapper, is delicate but sturdy enough to hold the filling without breaking apart too easily upon picking up with the chopsticks, while the filling, with a combination of cabbage, ginger, garlic and finely minced pork, is juicy, flavourful and succulent. Highly recommended!Houji Cha (Hot & Cold) ($1.00 each)
There's nothing like a cup of steaming hot tea after a filling meal. Light and mild with a very slight roasted flavour, the Houji tea complements the flavourful meals well. I like the hot tea better over the cold version, as the ice will dilute the flavour of the already mild tasting tea. Plus there is no better way to end a heartwarming meal, like the Tenshin Han, with a warming cup of tea!

Overall, there is not a dish we ordered here that we didn't like (although some might find the Houji Cha a tad bland) and we find their other dishes like the Fried Chicken with Tartar sauce to be quite tasty as well. But the ones that stand out the most are the Fuwatoro Tenshin Han and Gyoza. The Fuwatoro Tenshin Han, in particular, is the most memorable for me and I can't wait for the next time to savour it again, with the gyoza of course!

The pricing of the food here is quite reasonable for a Japanese restaurant and the set meals, which usually come with gyoza as well, are quite worth it, though you may find yourself wanting more, in which case, the gyoza are at a rather affordable price of just $3.90 for 6 or $7.80 for 12!

It'd be a pity not to check out this king at least once if you are a fan of Japanese food and gyoza. Osaka Ohsho is certainly deserving of its title!

Red and loud, that was my first impression of Just Acia, which offers Asian dishes from the "Best of Asia" at "great value". While the decor is attention grabbing, I find the environment, with the somewhat casual canteen-style seating arrangements, to be suitable for groups of friends and family to have a nice, chatty meal together.There were not much people when we went on a weekend mid-afternoon, so we were seated pretty quickly by the friendly staff and given a piece of order form for our orders. Basically, you just write the quantity of the items you want on the order form and bring it up to the counter to place your order and pay for it.The food offering here is a fusion of Asian influences, with most of it being Chinese, Korean, Japanese and some Thai. There are set meals featuring the standard Asian staple, the rice, as well as noodle like the Japanese udon or ramen. Alternatively, there are also Western-style pasta sets for something a little more diverse, like the Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Chicken Teriyaki set.

We decided to get the Steamed Dumpling Rice Set for ourselves. This was a late lunch and we were hungry, so we also ordered a few sides before our main sets came.Samosa ($0.90 for 4)
First dish to come to our table. And yes, it's only $0.90 for 4 pieces! The skin is quite crispy with a crunch to it and the curry-tasting flavour is aromatic but not overwhelming.Deep Fried Chicken (Small) ($3.10)
A rather tasty treat, the chicken is very crispy with a slightly powdery batter on the skin. The meat is quite juicy and I like that the oil has been well-drained and it didn't come across as too oily.Steamed Dumpling Set ($6.30)
There is really a mix of Asia in this set, with a set of dumplings, a bowl of white rice, miso soup, and a side of kimchi. The dumplings are decent but the skin, though slightly chewy, is a tad too fragile. It breaks apart easily upon picking up, but the dumplings are quite soupy on the inside. We also like the miso soup, which is full flavoured and not diluted like some soup I've tasted elsewhere.The coffee, soft drinks and ice cream that come with the set are free flow. There are two types of ice cream here. The soft serve ice cream is nothing to scream about as it is not very smooth and feels a little like finely crushed ice. But the ice cream from the tubs, with a variety of flavours like cookies and cream, peppermint and strawberry, fare slightly better with its creamy texture. For better tasting beverage and dessert, feel free to mix both soft drink and ice cream together to make your own ice cream float!At just $6.30 for the dumpling set meal with free flow drinks and ice cream, it is really quite a steal. While the main set and the free flow ice cream are more than filling enough for the average diner, we find that it is also worth spending a little more to get extra sides like the tasty Deep Fried Chicken to go with the meal (maybe cut back on the ice cream a little to make space for the sides, although we still went for two helpings of ice cream each!). Even with sides, each of us paid less than $10.00 for a complete meal here. And despite sharing the sides among us, we still left the place feeling very bloated!

Service is also not bad here. The staff are friendly and quite helpful with queries. While paying at the counter, we asked if the samosa contained any meat like beef. The staff wasn't sure and we thought that was the end of it, but he took the effort to go and check with the kitchen for us, which we appreciated. And they don't even charge service charge here!

All in all, the food is decent enough for the price (and certainly very filling). If you are undecided on the type of cuisine to have for lunch or dinner, you can consider Just Acia to get a mix of Asia on your plate!

Delifrance is a long established name known for selling delectable French breads and pastries. While I usually takeaway the pastries here, we decided to dine in this time to enjoy their hot meals like the potato gratin which I count among my Delifrance favourites.

​​The cafe has a small open-dining area which is decorated with simple, classic wooden furniture to add to the cozy ambience. The place is small, but there were not many people when we went during dinner time on a Wednesday so we were particularly looking forward to relax and have a nice chat over our meal.

However, this was the start of a rather bad experience at Delifrance. First, we were dismayed to learn that many of their hot meals like the potato gratin, curry chicken bread bowl and baked chicken rice among several others were all not available. Upon asking for baked rice, two of the staff couldn't agreed on whether it was available when all they need to do was to just check. Then the staff charged us the Wednesday promotional "Egg D'vine" set at its regular price, even though we specifically mentioned the offer to her when we ordered. She also refused to let us double check our orders unless we paid for it first (which of course defeated the purpose of checking it in the first place). We didn't want to kick up a fuss, so we just left it at that but suffice to say, the remainder of our dining experience at this branch was marred by the bad service.French Chicken Feuillete ($3.60)
One of my favourite offerings from Delifrance other than the Potato Gratin. The pastry is buttery and flakey while the chicken filling is plentiful and succulent. For some reason, the price is a little higher here compared to the prices at other Delifrance branches I've been to, but this tasty feuillete is worth its price.Deli Potato Egg Mayo ($6.00)
The potato is decently sized and evenly baked throughout and the egg mayonnaise is light and just the right amount of consistency. This is lightly topped with crunchy bacon bits. However, we didn't find this to be anything special taste-wise and to be honest, I thought this is something you can easily make yourself. It might be more worthwhile getting the baked potato with other toppings instead.French Butter Croissant Egg Mayo ($6.80)
This was supposed to be on a promotional pricing of $9.00 for their Wednesday deal with a soup of the day and a drink, but the staff charged us the full price for both croissant and soup separately. Questionable antics aside, this is worth getting as the croissant is soft, buttery and flakey. The egg mayo also goes quite well with the croissant rather than with the baked potato. Get this with the soup of the day and this has the potential to be a rather filling meal!Soup of the Day: Mushroom Duxelle Soup + Ice Lemon Tea Set ($4.50)
The ice lemon tea is run-of-the-mill but the mushroom soup complements the croissant well. The soup is very creamy with a generous serving of mushroom bits in it. There is also a small slice of bread to go with the soup. The soup is pretty tasty and I'd recommend getting this soup set to go with the croissant!Chocolate Drizzle Cupcake (Top) & Chocolate Chip Cupcake (Bottom) (2 for $5.60)
The cupcakes cost $3.50 each but it is more value for money to get 2 for $5.60. We went for the chocolate drizzle cupcake and chocolate chip cupcake (mine!). The size is quite big for its price and we love the dense, rich and moist cupcake texture. The chocolate chip cupcake has gooey melted chocolate inside as well, making this a very chocolatey treat, but I find the melted chocolate a tiny bit sour, although it might help to lessen the overall sweetness a little. Overall, we agree that the croissant with the soup set and the cupcakes are quite worth a try. The taste of their pastries like the French Butter croissant ($2.70) and French Chicken Feuillete has remained consistently good and these are definitely worth getting as well, especially the croissants. Items I'd definitely buy again are the French Butter croissant, French Chicken Feuillete and Cupcakes. However, the service leaves much to be desired and I'd rather just stick to simple takeaways for future purchases. The prices here are typical for a cafe but I find that you can just buy the croissant for $2.70 and make your own toppings like the egg mayo. That way you'll get to enjoy the same quality and taste of their croissants but at less than half of the cost of eating in!

Poulet is a modern French-themed bistro and apparently, the open dining area at Poulet is inspired by the modern alfresco setting in France. The French are considered by many to be a romantic lot and the decor and ambience at Poulet certainly keep up with this impression. The charming decor simply ooze class and the additional fixtures like "street lamps" circling the seating area help to add to the romantic feel of the place. Better yet, the tables are comfortably spaced to give a little more privacy for conversations around the table. I came here with a group of (noisy) people, so with everyone yakking away at the same time it can get a bit hard to bask in the environment. This is definitely a place that would be enjoyed and appreciated more on a date or with a close friend or two (think girl to girl talk!)! Poulet mean "chicken" in French, so when a restaurant simply named itself after the poultry then you know you just got to try their star dish featuring it! Most of us certainly did not hesitate to choose to order the Poulet Roti to try.Poulet Roti ($15.80 for Half Chicken)
This dish came looking quite appetizing with half a chicken slow roasted to a lovely shade of brown sitting in a pool of homemade Mushroom Chardonnay sauce. It tasted as good as it looked and the chicken meat was amazingly tender while the sauce was quite creamy and tasty. All of us ate the chicken down to the bone except for a friend who left it unfinished as she found the sauce a tad too overpowering after a while.Chicken and Fig Marmalade Sandwich ($8.80)
Another visually appetizing dish with a baked crispy and flakey croissant generously stuffed with tender and finely shredded chicken meat dressed with aioli sauce, crispy lettuce and tomato slices. I simply adore the sweet fig marmalade which was especially tasty and went very well with the chicken and croissant. Pity there wasn't more of it for someone greedy like me! This sandwich also came with a side of thick fries and dip for a more filling meal. I liked that the fries were not so salty. Tiramisu ($7.80)
This lovely looking dessert in a jar was another winner in my book. The chilled mascarpone cheese was rich and creamy while the light and soft sponge fingers soaked in espresso and rum syrup was not overpowering. I found the entire dessert to be the right amount of sweetness and moistness in terms of taste and texture (at least to my liking). Everyone else also gave this the thumb up although one thought that the flavour of the espresso didn't come through strongly enough (but still liked it irregardless). The portion was pretty generous which made this dessert great for sharing, but a few of us couldn't get enough of it and were tempted to hoard this for ourselves. Definitely a must try! Banana Bread Pudding ($6.80)
This was another dessert worth trying, especially if you prefer a warm, comforting dessert to complete your meal. It also came with a scoop of milky vanilla ice cream which went nicely with the warm bread pudding, although it melted a little too fast. The warm bread pudding was quite smooth and "spongy" and there were real chunks of banana in it which added to the overall sweetness of the dessert. This can feel a tad too "gooey" or "mushy" to some, especially when the ice cream melted, but I personally found it to be moist and spongy, and rather soothing on the throat. The portion was also quite decent for the price.Creme Brulee ($8.80)
This was a new item on the menu so we also got it to try. The egg custard was very silky smooth with a faint tinge of vanilla while the thin layer of caramelized sugar crust on top was quite crispy and sweet. While I agreed with the rest that this was nice, I wasn't really too impressed with the serving size as the custard layer was pretty thin, especially considering that this cost more than the Tiramisu which was quite generous in portion.

Overall, based on group feedback, I would highly recommend the Tiramisu, Poulet Roti and Chicken and Fig Marmalade Sandwich. I actually personally preferred the sandwich over the Poulet Roti, but with the Poulet Roti being the star dish, you won't go wrong with it. I also liked the Banana Bread Pudding but it didn't go down too well with a few others, so if you don't like the wet and slightly "mushy" kind of dessert you might want to stay clear. As for the Creme Brulee, the taste was decent but I thought it was a tad lacking in portion size for the price.

Service was also pretty good and efficient, and our orders were promptly served not long after ordering. The prices were also quite affordable and we thought that the quality and taste of the food here in general were worth the money spent. I'd definitely love to come back again for another round, especially with a date or a close friend to relax and soak in the ambience here while savouring the food! A leisurely paced meal is surely the way to truly enjoy the dining experience here at Poulet. Bon appétit!

With Chinese New Year looming, we decided to have an early family dinner in addition to the usual reunion dinner and we voted on Paradise Dynasty 2 at Causeway Point for our pre-CNY "bonding session". Paradise Dynasty 2 is a casual dining restaurant offering both northern and southern Chinese cuisine with a balanced mix of traditional taste to suit the traditionalist in every family while its refreshing take on delicacies like the Xiao Long Bao will help to cater to the taste of the younger generation. The decor is not as grand and "majestic" as the Ion branch, although it is still quite pleasantly decorated in a contemporary Oriental style that is inviting and comfortable enough for our purpose.The four of us went slightly earlier, around 6pm, on a weekend evening before the dinnertime crowd started forming, and was rewarded with a seat almost right away. The place wasn't too noisy at this time which made it quite conducive to conversations around the table while enjoying our food, but it did get progressively noisy once the crowd started filing in.

There was a menu specially catered to those wanting to have their CNY dinner here, but after some consideration, we decided to skip it and just order all our favourite food ala carte from the menu instead. Nothing like sitting down with your family to have a wonderful meal with your favourite dishes!Signature Dynasty Xiao Long Bao ($13.80)
You know this got to be good when even my mum who is a fussy eater gave it the thumb up. The skin was very delicate; it was strong enough to hold the ingredients inside but thin enough to break easily upon poking or biting to release the clear, savoury broth into the spoon. The meat was also quite tender and well seasoned. Flavours available were Ginseng, Foie Gras, Black Truffle, Cheesy, Crab Roe, Garlic, Szechuan and Original. These Xiao Long Bao were meant to be eaten in order so that the stronger flavours would not overshadow the more subtle ones, but we ordered it to share between the four of us so we just took and ate whatever each of us liked. it I enjoyed the Black Truffle and Cheese, while my mum adored the Original. Highly recommended!Shanghai Fried Rice ($10.80)
Instead of white rice, we decided to get the Shanghai Fried Rice to go with the rest of our dishes and the portion was quite enough for 3-4 person. This was pretty fragrant and flavourful with small cubes of meat, seafood and fried egg in it. All of us gave it the thumb up and I love that it wasn't too oily too. If you're planning have a bowl of rice with your dishes, I'd recommend getting the Shanghai Fried Rice instead of white rice. It may cost more but at the very least, it'd make the meal more flavourful and enjoyable!Drunken Chicken ($7.80)
This was served chilled and the aroma of the wine was quite strong. The chicken meat was silky smooth and succulent while the skin was quite fatty. However, the portion was pretty small, probably just sufficient for a person or two. My dad enjoyed this dish although the rest of us found it okay. Sauteed Diced Chicken with Cashew Nuts and Dried Chilli ($10.80)
Now, this sweet and spicy dish was my favourite! The chicken cubes were very tender and the crunchy cashew nuts were a lovely complement to the chicken. The sauce was very tasty and I love the perfect combination of sweetness and spiciness in this dish. Compared to the Drunken Chicken, the portion was quite decent, although it still ended up insufficient for the four of us because all of us loved this dish and simply couldn't have enough of it! Ma Po Tofu ($9.00)
Another family favourite, this was another spicy dish which impressed us with its burst of flavour in the mouth. The tofu cubes were very smooth and the combination together with the minced meat, black beans, and chilli was just awesome. Every mouthful was simply bursting in flavour and left us wanting more! Deep Fried Pork Ribs with Garlic ($14.80)
This was the most expensive dish out of our entire order, but unfortunately, it was also the least popular among our group. The skin was crispy but other than that, all of us found it to be pretty tough to bite. We ended up not finishing this dish, which was kind of a waste. But it didn't really live up to expectations, especially my mum's who was the one who ordered this. Chilled Aloe Vera and Osmanthus Jelly in Honey Lemon Juice ($3.50)
This light dessert didn't look impressive on first sight but it was quite decent in taste. There was a fair amount of aloe vera bits which was soothing on the throat, while the addition of the tangy lemon juice made this quite a refreshing dessert to have especially after the spicy and fried dishes we ordered. Souffle Egg White Balls Stuffed with Red Bean and Banana ($4.80)
I was expecting something really sweet. To my surprise, this tasted lighter and wasn't as sweet as I had expected, but the icing sprinkled over the balls helped to add an additional touch of sweetness to it. The egg white balls were also quite soft although it'd have been nice to have more of the red bean and banana filling stuffed in it. My dad wasn't a fan of this dish but taste-wise, I found it to be pretty interesting and certainly wouldn't mind trying it again in future!Pan Fried Pork Dumpling ($3.90)
This was a last minute order and took quite a while to be prepared. It was just lightly crispy at the base but the winning factor was the consistently chewy (or "QQ" as my mum puts it) texture of the skin, which we enjoyed. The meat was also pretty tender. My mum found it quite comparable to the Xiao Long Bao.

All in all, the Sauteed Diced Chicken with Cashew Nuts and Dried Chilli and Ma Po Tofu were the clear favourites for all of us and we agreed that these should come highly recommended. We also enjoyed the Shanghai Fried Rice, Signature Dynasty Xiao Long Bao and Pan Fried Pork Dumplings and found these to be worth ordering as well. My parents were not really fans of the desserts but I personally liked the Souffle Egg White Balls Stuffed with Red Bean and Banana although I'd love to have more stuffed filling in it (I'm just greedy that way). As for the Drunken Chicken and Chilled Aloe Vera and Osmanthus Jelly in Honey Lemon Juice, they were decent but the four of us were divided on the votes. On the other hand, we all agreed that we could have done without the Deep Fried Pork Ribs with Garlic.

One thing worth a special mention here was the service, which was really excellent and the staff were very attentive to our needs. Our cups of Tea ($1.00 per cup) were refilled promptly, frequently and always with a smile. During the time we were there, we were served by about 4-5 staff and all of them were polite and courteous. When the Pan Fried Pork Dumplings took too long to come, one of the staff was apologetic about it and took the initiative to check on its status with the kitchen without any prompting from us at all. It was pretty clear that they tried their best to make our dining experience an enjoyable and pleasant one, despite it being close to full house by the time we were almost done with our meal. Even my mum was suitably impressed. The only slight hiccup was the slightly long wait to pay at the counter near the entrance, as the cashier had an issue processing the payment of the customer before us, but overall, it didn't really marred our experience at Paradise Dynasty 2.

Our total bill came up to $97.93 for four person for a meal of 9 dishes and tea, so that was about $24.48 each. We thought this was really quite reasonable especially considering the quality of food and service we got here. We certainly left feeling like 'royals' after our little feast at Paradise Dynasty 2!