I must say that I was really thrilled to witness the opening of the new Gelateria Italia branch at Causeway Point, although my mind was inwardly lamenting all those busted dieting plans. Located near the atrium, Gelateria Italia features a gelato counter, a "deli" counter, and an open dining area that cleverly made used of the open space around the pillars.

At the gelato corner, there are two display counters that features a wonderful, colorful array of flavours such as Nutella, Pistachio, Butterscotch, Cookies and Cream and so on. The wonderful thing is that you get to sample the flavours before deciding on the ones to buy and the staff are generally friendly, patient and accommodating enough to allow you to try a few flavours. You can then opt to get the Piccolo size (small cup of one flavour - $5.40), Medio size (medium cup of two flavours - $7.70) or Grande size (large cup of three flavours - $9.90).

After sampling a few, we decided to get:Piccolo Size: Nutella ($5.40)Grande Size: Ferrero Rocher, Toblerone, Pistachio ($9.90)

Being such chocoholics, we chose mostly the chocolate flavours to share although we also got the Pistachio to try. The gelato were creamy and milky and consistently dense and sticky in texture. Out of the flavours we got, my favourite was the Ferrero which was very chocolatey and felt richer in taste compared to Toblerone and Nutella. I also liked Pistachio which was sweeter than expected and was quite nutty too with bits of pistacchio in it.

The price was pretty expensive for just a small cup of gelato. But what we liked about the gelato from Gelateria Italia was that there were also actual bits of ingredients like Nutella, Ferrero and Toblerone bits mixed in which added to the richness and sweetness of the gelato. However, at this branch, I found the Ferrero bits to be comparably few compared to the same Ferrero gelato I have tried before at another branch.

Although it seemed to be worthwhile for us to get the Grande version of three flavours at $9.90, we found that some of the flavours (basically the chocolate ones) overlapped each other, making it hard to discern between flavours. This was made worse by our overloading of toppings on the gelato. So to enjoy the taste of each flavour, it might be a good idea to just get a single flavour, or with differing flavours, like chocolate and strawberry. And also go easy on the toppings even if it is tempting to overload the gelato with the free toppings such as the marshmallows or chocolate rice, as it can overshadow the taste of the gelato rather than enhance it. We regretted swamping our gelato with the toppings as it distracted us from truly savouring the flavours of the gelato. We have since learnt the errors of our (greedy) ways; no more toppings for us next time! Other than gelato, the Gelateria Italia branch here also offer waffles (which you can also top with gelato) and other breads like sandwiches, croissants and muffins at the "deli" corner. There are also beverages like Hot Chocolate ($3.80) or Cafe Latte ($4.20) as well. If you wish to dine in, there is a homely designed open dining area that is both comfortable and inviting enough to sit and enjoy your food, drink or gelato, although we thought that it would be nice if the tables were spaced apart a little more. Nevertheless, we had an enjoyable time with our gelato at the open dining area and would certainly be back again the next time to try out the waffles with gelato and beverages here!

There was a newly released breakfast item on McDonalds's menu a while ago but I managed to try it only recently. We went to the branch at Woodlands Civic Centre on a weekend morning and there was quite a long queue but fortunately we managed to find a seat rather quickly. We wasted no time getting our order upon securing the seat.Sausage McMuffin Set ($4.00)
One of my favourite item on the McDonald's breakfast menu. English muffin with a tasty sausage patty and just a slice of cheese has never tasted so yummy! The hash brown was also very crispy on the outside and definitely best eaten on the spot. I normally take away the food but eating them here while they are still piping hot definitely has its perks. The tea was run-of-the-mill Lipton tea though. Sunrise Roll Sausage Set ($4.50)
This was basically the same sausage patty as the one in the Sausage McMuffin, except that they just cut it into half. The patty came sitting on top of soft and fluffy scrambled egg and cheese blanketed in a whole wheat tortilla wrap. It was quite decent in taste and I liked the scrambled egg, but the portion of the entire wrap was really quite small and not very filling. The Sunrise Roll Sausage Set cost $0.50 more than the Sunrise Roll Ham Set and it also came with a side of hash brown and a cup of coffee, which was unfortunately too diluted and lacking in both aroma and taste. You could swap the hash brown for a cup of corn but we went for the hash brown instead.

Overall, I personally still preferred the Sausage McMuffin set. It is not only tastier but also more filling and more value for its price! There is also a McCafe here serving beverages like Cappuccino and desserts like brownies, cakes and pies. I've previously tried the Darn Good Brownie ($4.20) here which came drizzled with chocolate sauce. This was quite decent but not as rich as I'd like and I didn't really find it to be that darn good. The texture was more cakey than fudgy and I'd have liked it to be a tad more moist and fudgy, but that's just my personal preference. It'd have been awesome if it had come paired with vanilla ice cream though.

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!

Every food court is sure to have a stall selling western food, and this stall is it at this Causeway Point Level 7 food court, Bagus. The stalls here are all halal, including this western food stall. We were tempted upon first sight of their menu, as the food looked quite good on it and there were also a few dishes not commonly sold in a typical food court stall. It helped that there were a variety of sides like Cheese Fries ($4.50), pasta like Bolognaise ($5.90) and Carbonara with Bacon and Mushroom ($7.90), as well as mains like Chicken Chop with a choice of fries, spaghetti or rice (7.50), Salmon Butter Rice ($8.90) and Lamb Steak ($10.90). The food here were slightly pricier compared to other similar stalls at other food courts and the price range for the pasta and baked rice were more or less comparable to the prices at establishments like Pastamania. A tad pricey despite the selection of dishes if you ask me, especially for a meal in a food court environment.

Seat-finding here can be a chore during peak hours, even during weekdays. The place was also rather noisy at this time, making it hard to have conversations. Mostly, it was just eat-and-go here. So don't expect much of the environment, which was kind of a pity considering that the prices of the food at Bagus can be pretty pricey for a food court to be paying just for the food. But while the environment was beyond the stall's control, they did try to make up for it in service.

This was a self service stall and there was a short wait for our food due to the dinner time rush, but despite the rush, the staff remained friendly, polite and helpful with our queries regarding their promotion. Even the chef who was busy preparing orders next to the counter had the occasional smile for customers. Eventually, we decided to get the Mushroom Pot Pie, Chicken Baked Rice and Aglio Olio to share. Mushroom Pot Pie ($3.50)
The cream of mushroom was served in cute little bread that was shaped like a pot with a hallowed out middle, sitting in a bowl with "overflowed" soup forming a moat around it. We thought the presentation was really quite cute. We were expecting the bread to be soggy from soaking in the soup but it surprisingly held well together even though we left it sitting there for quite a while. The bread was quite soft and slightly chewy and we agreed that it tasted quite good with the faintly aromatic soup, which was smooth and creamy. There was also a decent amount of sliced mushrooms in it. This is one dish that I'd definitely return for. Chicken Baked Rice ($8.90)
We actually found this to be quite pricey on first impression, but this was quite decent in taste. The tomato rice was quite fragrant and there were bits of chopped tomatoes in it. We liked that the rice were slightly moist but firm without being too soggy. The tasty chicken meat, which I personally found to be the best part of this dish, was also quite tender, juicy and well-seasoned. The melted cheese topping was slightly gooey but unfortunately not cheesy enough in taste for me. Overall this wasn't the best baked rice I've tried before but the taste and portion were decent, especially the chicken chunks. Aglio Olio ($4.90)
This was a rather simple dish with just the spaghetti cooked in chopped red chilli, garlic and olive oil. We liked that the spaghetti was not oily and was thick and quite chewy to bite. I was actually kind of disappointed at how blah it looked at first glance, but this dish actually packed quite a punch. It was really super spicy, so much that it was super numbing. If you are trying other dishes as well, you might want to try this dish last because its intense spiciness and flavour will overwhelm the taste of the other food (not to mention that your tongue will also be too numb to detect any other taste LOL). I don't really like food that are too spicy but weirdly enough, I kind of liked this simple dish. We were glad that we also got the Mushroom Pot Pie with our meals because the creamy mushroom soup actually did help to soothe and "cool" down our tongues a little (just be careful that the soup is not scalding hot!).

At the end of our meal, we were quite divided in our votes between the Chicken Baked Rice and Aglio Olio but we thought that the Mushroom Pot Pie was worth getting. They also have a Chicken or Beef Pot Pie ($5.90) which I'd definitely be keen to try in future. Overall, the food were quite decent but we agreed that most of the dishes were still a little pricey for a food court stall although there were some reasonably priced ones like the Mushroom Pot Pie. Nevertheless, we found the food offered by this stall to be one of those that were actually flavourful and not mild or bland like the food offered by most of the other stalls at Bagus. Certainly worth a try if you don't mind the price!

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!