Someone told me about the Pan Fried Bun from Aster Pau so I've been wanting to try it for a while. Got my chance at the branch at Jurong, which was a well-maintained kiosk manned by a very cheerful staff who brightened up my day with a greeting and a smile. There was quite a variety of items available, but as I have not tried Aster Pau before, I didn't know what to expect and had to spend some time skimming over the display counter and menu. The staff was patient with me although I didn't want to take too long, so I ended up overlooking a few items on the menu that I'd have liked to order as well. Oh well...

Nevertheless, I got the Signature Chicken Pan Fried Bun ($1.30), Creamy Custard Pau ($1.50) and Premium Walnut Pastry ($2.00).Signature Chicken Pan Fried Bun ($1.30)
The staff pan fried this on the spot so there was a short waiting time for it. It was a wee bit crispy on the outside but very soft inside; I thought it felt a little like steamed cake. The chicken and mushroom filling was quite juicy and there was a decent amount of mushroom bits in it but taste-wise, I thought it was a little bland, especially the chicken taste which wasn't very discernible. Overall, this was just an okay for me.
Creamy Custard Pau ($1.50)
This fared much better although the pau was kind of squashed by the time I reached home. Appearance aside, the pau was quite soft and the yolk custard was really creamy and not too watery. It also wasn't too salty and there was a tinge of sweetness to the yolk custard which I liked. Premium Walnut Pastry ($2.00)
The best of my purchase, this was made with premium US walnuts, Hong Kong Lotus Paste and Salted Egg Yolk in the center. I loved the layered flavour of the pastry. This was smooth, crisp and crunchy on the outside followed by a slightly crumbly inside that was sweet with a melt-in-the-mouth sensation. At the core was the salted egg york, which added a tinge of saltiness to the pastry.

At first, I found the Premium Walnut Pastry to be pretty pricey at $2.00 for such a small piece, but I am really glad I got this despite the price. Fortunately, the rest of the items on their menu were more reasonably priced. They also have a package deal which would give you more bang for your buck if you get more. The Premium Walnut Pastry for instance, cost $10.80 in a set of 6 instead of $12.00 when purchased individually. I'd definitely recommend getting the Premium Walnut Pastry to try!

J-Dining is a new Western delicatessen serving take-away meals at Isetan Basement 2. As such, there are no seats or tables for dining in. There are three sides to the delicatessen each selling different types of food, which I was more than happy to check out by walking around the delicatessen twice like a lioness stalking its food.On one side, you can find yummy fried food like the Hokkaido Corn Cream Croquette ($2.40) and Hokkaido Potato Croquette ($2.40). There are also skewered fried food like the Skewered Chicken Cutlet ($2.20), Shitake Mushroom ($1.80) and so on.Walk around to the front, which is also the center of the delicatessen, and you can find a range of salads here, like the Corn Salad and Potato Salad. The salad price is charged by gram, at $3.80 per 100 gram for both Corn and Potato Salad. There are also soups like Pumpkin & Vegetable Soup and Onion Soup. These fortunately are priced at $1.80 each and not according to gram!At the other side, you can choose from a variety of bento sets like Chicken Teriyaki Bento ($7.80), Chicken Namban Bento ($8.80) and Japan Kagoshima Platinum Pork Tonkatsu Bento ($9.80). If you can't make up your mind, there are also the Mixed Fried Bento Set ($7.80). Unfortunately, I didn't manage to find the Chicken Nanban Bento set when I went, so I skipped the bento instead and got a soup, salad and potato croquette instead.

The lady who served me over the counter was very friendly and helpful when I asked if I could pay for food chosen at the different sides together. She also helped to check when I wanted to clarify if the ham in the salad was pork or turkey (they said it was chicken).Hokkaido Potato Croquette ($2.40)
Made from potatoes from Hokkaido, this really got to be eaten while still hot. Mine lost a bit of its crispiness upon reaching home, but it was still crispy around the edges, The inside of the croquette was quite dense and I could taste the goodness of the potato on every bite. Yummy!Pumpkin & Vegetable Soup ($1.80)
I was tempted to get this soup because of the word "low calorie" on the sign. But for something that was low in calorie, it was pretty tasty! The soup was really packed with small bits of vegetables and there was such an abundance of it that every mouthful I had was never empty with just the soup! It wasn't salty or sweet but it was tasty enough without being bland. Serving given was also quite decent (bigger than the serving size of the soup at Mos burger).Corn Salad ($4.20 - $3.80/100gram)
The salad came with corn kernels, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbages and ham. The ingredients were fresh and the salad, when eaten still chilled, was quite crunchy and refreshing. It also came with a small portion of dressing which added a zesty flavour to the salad.

Overall, the takeaway meal cost me $8.40 in total, of which the salad was the main contributor. This might probably be considered a tad pricey since you can just get the more filling bento set at J-Dining or even at Japanese restaurants like Kuriya for around the same price. But even so, I thought the food was quite worth its individual prices, especially for the soup and croquette. I personally didn't like that the salad was charged according to gram, but for some, this might be a welcome move since you kind of get to choose your price (and by extension, portion of salad serving as well). Despite this, I liked that they included a range of healthier food like the salads and soup on their menu aside from the fried snacks and bento sets, as this would give customers alternative choices for takeaway.

In my opinion, J Dining is a decent choice for a quick snack on the go (like the croquettes) or for a takeaway lunch or dinner (like the bento sets). I would definitely patronize J Dining again in the future especially for the croquettes, and hopefully I'll get to try the Chicken Nanban Bento Set too!

Thanks to OpenRice's the Hungry Games event, I redeemed a free scoop of Ben & Jerry's ice-cream when we went to Vivo City recently. The place was pretty crowded although we managed to find a seat to rest our feet and enjoy my free scoop of ice-cream. It was self-service here so I had to go up to the counter, where various tubs of yummylicious ice-cream were also displayed, to redeem the ice-cream. At the original price of $5.40 per scoop, I usually go for chocolate ice cream as a safer option so that I don't end up with a flavour I might not like as much as chocolate. But as I have tried almost all of Ben & Jerry chocolate ice-cream previously, I thought this would be a good chance to use the voucher to try other flavours. I initially wanted to try Chunky Monkey but my friend recommended the Strawberry Cheesecake so I got that instead. Strawberry Cheesecake Single Scoop
Most of the strawberry ice cream I've tried before elsewhere has always been rather cloyingly sweet so I was pleasantly surprised to find that this ice cream wasn't really very sweet. And it did really taste like a cheesecake with graham cracker crumbs! Someone once told me that when it comes to ice-cream flavours, "you can't really go wrong with Ben & Jerry" and after trying the Strawberry Cheesecake, I really have to agree!

Will definitely love to try out other flavours in future!

One of my favorite item when it comes to vegetarian food is the vegetarian kway chap, so I was glad to see this stall selling it today when I went. Other than the standard vegetarian version of economy mee hoon, they also listed quite a range of vegetarian dishes like Mee Siam, Mee Rebus, Lor Mee, Nasi Lemak, Laksa, Hor Fun, Hokkien Mee, Fried Rice and so on! However, some, like the Kway Chap, are only sold on certain days, usually in the morning. For example, Kway Chap are sold only on Wednesday and Friday. I missed ordering this dish a few times so I was glad I finally managed to order it today!Vegetarian Kway Chap ($2.50) + Mock Char Siew Addon ($0.50)
The kway chap came in a big bowl with a decent serving of mock intestines, braised beancurd, a whole braised hard-boiled egg and crispy mock minced meat bits. The portion of the flat noodle was quite plentiful compared to the standard smaller bowl portion given by most kway chap stalls. The soup was light and not oily, which I liked, and it also had a slight herbal taste to it. Fans of the real McCoy might be disappointed though, since it was not heavy on flavours like the non-vegetarian version, partly due to the lack of "lor" or braising sauce that usually accompany the meat on a separate plate. Here, everything went into one bowl. But this actually worked for me because I got to have my favorite part of kway chap (the kway) without all the fatty or oily parts!

As they were also selling the vegetarian version of economy mee hoon, there were also a selection of sides available, like the usual like mock char siew and fish balls and I even spotted hash browns! I requested to add on the mock char siew and was pleasantly surprised to learn that it was only an extra $0.50 for quite a decent amount given!

I was quite full and sated after the meal and best of all, the whole meal costed me only $3.00 with the extra char siew. I thought that it was really quite value for money. Plus it helped that service was also pretty decent despite it being self service. The stall owner was friendly and took the trouble to double check if I wanted the egg with the kway chap since some vegetarians do not take egg. I'll definitely be back for the kway chap again and to try the other vegetarian dishes like the Nasi Lemak on their menu!

The re-opening of Borders is a cause for celebration for some people, but while there is nothing like browsing a bookshop and losing yourself among rows and rows of brand new books, I wasn't exactly planning a trip to Borders any time soon since I have Book Depository and Kinokuniya for all my books needs. That changed when I learnt that the Borders store at Westgate is also housing a dessert cafe on its premises. And they are having a promotion for new member sign up that includes a free waffle with two scoops of ice cream + 1 complimentary scoop of ice cream at the cafe. In my book, that is cause for celebration.

And definitely worth making a trip for! "Epilogue Sweets" is actually a new dessert concept cafe from the existing Epilogue Cafe, and is located right at the entrance of the Borders bookstore, which makes it great for stopping by before or after you start browsing the store. With its simple clean but modern look that seems to match and blend in with the rest of the bookstore, this small cafe was inviting enough for us to just choose a random table and plop ourselves down on the comfy seats!

This one-stop cafe has a range of western desserts from Macarons ($2.20) to cakes like the Red Velvet ($7.50), Devilish Brownie with Ice Cream ($6.50) and even an Oreo Heaven Cheesecake ($7.50), although their cakes selection is subject to availability. There are also bread and pastries like Muffins, Caramel Hazelnut Tart ($5.50), and Mini Butter Croissants ($4.00 for two pieces) at the display counter outside, which is good for takeaway. We were also surprised to see that they also have a healthier range of Asian desserts like the Osmanthus Wolfberry Jelly and Traditional Herbal Jelly which we found to be a refreshing addition to the menu aside from the usual Western desserts selection. For the health conscious, there is also a range of Fruit Parfaits ($6.80) and Fruit Juices and Smoothies!

The highlight of the cafe though, seems to be the Waffles. Their lowest priced waffle is the normal Waffle with 2 Condiments ($6.20) that you can opt to have with two choices of sauces from Chocolate, Caramel, Strawberry, Honey or Maple Syrup. You can also add on a scoop of ice cream with your Waffle with 2 Condiments ($7.80) or top up with yet another scoop ($9.00). Alternatively, you can get the Waffle with Caramelised Fruits like Banana or Apple ($9.90) which will also come with a scoop of Ice Cream. Then, there is also the rather interesting Milo Waffle with Kaya or Peanut Butter Custard ($9.00) which sounds equally yummy. If you prefer something savoury, fret not. There are also savoury waffles like the Waffle with Chicken Chipolata ($8.00) or Waffle with 2 Scrambled Eggs and Smoked Salmon ($10.20). Talk about being spoilt for choices! I'd seriously have a hard time choosing but luckily, the decision has already been made for me with the free waffle promotion! Waffles with Two Scoops of Ice Cream ($0.00)
Since this was free, it didn't came with additional add-on like fresh fruits or custard, which I'd have loved to try. Instead, this came with two scoops of Vanilla and Chocolate Chips ice cream and a small separate cup of maple syrup which was good for deciding how sweet and how much syrup to add to your waffle. The waffle was quite thick and crispy on the outside but soft on the inside which we liked. The ice cream were both soft and smooth, creamy and milky with a strong fragrant vanilla and chocolate taste. The complimentary scoop of strawberry ice-cream which came in a small, separate cup was equally creamy but I found it to be a tad sweet for my liking, although my mum liked it and cleaned out the whole cup. For me, I liked the chocolate best, as it also came with crunchy chocolate chips and I found it a delight to have with the waffle!Nutella Swirl Cheesecake ($7.50)
I can't resist anything with Nutella, so I knew I was going to get this the moment I saw it in the display counter! My mum doesn't like cheesecakes so I was more than happy to have this all to myself! I like that the cheesecake was rich and dense with a hint of tartness. The pie crust base was thin and slightly moist and crumbly which I also liked. However, I couldn't really detect much of the Nutella which I found to be quite faint in taste. For the price, I'd have preferred the chocolate-hazelnut taste to be slightly bolder, but as a normal cheesecake, this was quite decent enough.

Caramel Macaron ($2.20)
There was no chocolate macaron when I went so my next best choice was to get either the vanilla or caramel macaron. I opted for the latter. This little macaron had a crispy shell with a soft and slightly chewy interior. The caramel filling was sweet with a bitter aftertaste which I supposed was to balance the flavours since the macaron shell was already quite sweet, but I personally wasn't too fond of the bitter aftertaste. Because of this, I found myself wondering if I should have taken the Vanilla instead .Traditional Herbal Jelly - 8 Treasure ($6.60)
My mum was more than relieved that it wasn't just all cakes and waffles here, so she opted for the alternative Traditional Herbal Jelly, 8 Treasure choice which came with shaved ice and 8 other fresh ingredients like the Gingko Nuts. Barley, Melon Strip, Wolfberry, Dry Longan, Red Dates, White Fungus and Honey. Although we thought that the entire portion was a little small for the price, which we also felt was a little on the high side for a traditional Asian dessert, there was quite a variety of ingredients to go with the Herbal Jelly. I personally liked the gingko nuts and melon strip. This was also quite cooling and very refreshing to have!Iced Earl Grey Tea ($6.00)
We initially thought the serving size was just a normal glass so we were hesitant to order at first due to the price, but upon seeing the Iced Lemon Tea that the table beside us ordered, we decided to get the Iced Earl Grey Tea to share instead. This came in a jar which was definitely good for sharing, although I personally still found it a bit pricey. There was a hint of citrus with the tea which I liked but my mum found it to be a tad bland, probably because it got somewhat diluted after the ice melted. This was also not sweetened by default but there are sugar satchets in a small basket on the table that you can add if you want the tea sweeter.

Overall, we found the waffles and ice-cream to quite decent and worth a try. I also liked the cheesecake despite the somewhat-lacking Nutella flavour. I did find it to be a bit pricey at $7.50 per slice but Borders members get a further 10% off their purchases here, which helped to lessen the sting. On the other hand, the Traditional Herbal Jelly and iced Earl Grey Tea were okay although we both wondered if it might be more worthwhile spending that same amount of money on something else on their menu. For me, I'd have loved to try the French Hot Chocolate ($6.50), Caramel Hazelnut Tart ($5.50) and either the Milo Waffles with Peanut Butter Custard ($9.00) or the Waffle with Chicken Chipolata ($8.00). But, that is for another time.

Our meal came up to a total of $23.63 after a 10% Borders member discount. As we spent more than $20.00 in a single receipt (not including the free waffle and ice cream), we also got to redeem a free book from Epilogue's shelf! Not a bad deal if you ask me!

That said, it's pretty worthwhile to get the Borders membership now while the sign up offer is still ongoing. There are other sign-up bonus including a Borders voucher, although I am probably one of those weird few who signed up for membership just for the cafe's privileges! In my defense, there were also several customers asking about Epilogue's promotion for Border's members. This is where you can really see the quality of service provided here. While there were one or two stoic ones, the rest of the staff were generally polite when explaining to the customers or directing them to the correct counter. The young cashier at the display counter who was also mostly the one who attended to me was very friendly and bubbly. Although she wasn't sure about the macarons' flavours when I asked, she took the effort to check it out for me. She was also patient when answering my queries about the various desserts on display and the promotion!

So.

Whether you just want a short break, or even just to enjoy a nice treat, I think a stopover at Epilogue Sweets might be a nice way to end your trip to Borders on a sweet note!