There is a cute and pretty-in-pink dessert kiosk at Sembawang Shopping Centre, which is called Black & White Dessert House, with the "Black & White" being an allusion to their mascot panda.There are currently 4 signature desserts on their menu: Signature Grass Jelly ($4.90), Signature Smooth Beancurd ($2.90), Osmanthus Kanten ($2.90) and Refreshing Ai-Yu ($2.90). Each of these comes with a variety of fixed toppings. For example, the Osamanthus Kanten comes with kanten, lotus seed, aloe vera, and black sugar kanten with osmanthus sugar syrup on shaved ice. If you don't like some of the toppings, or if you have other toppings you prefer to get instead, you can always Design Your Own Dessert here in 4 steps:

Step #1: Choose the base: Grass Jelly, Cold Beancurd, Kanten or Ai-Yu Jelly ($1.20 each)
Step #2: Pick the ice flavour: Plain (no charge), Passion Fruit, Winter Melon, Watermelon or Honeydew ($1.50 each)
Step #3: Add your toppings from a list of: Red Bean, Taro Ball, Peanut, Lotus Seed, Aloe Vera and so on ($0.80 each)
Step #4: Syrup Topping (if any): Caramel, Gula Melaka, Honey or Pandan Sugar

Pretty interesting if I may add!I decided to get one of their signature item to try, the Refreshing Ai-Yu, which came in a big and cute foam bowl with their "black & white" mascot on it.Refreshing Ai-Yu ($2.90)
The photo doesn't do the dessert any justice. The kind auntie actually packed it almost to the brim in the bowl but I didn't eat it right away and by the time I reached home and actually managed to sit down to enjoy it, the shaved ice has mostly melted, although there was still sufficient amount of the shaved ice left for me to enjoy this! This dessert has Ai-Yu, Yogurt Magic Ball, Colorful Konnyaku and Aloe Vera with Honey Syrup on Plain Shaved Ice. The ingredients are quite fresh and the Ai-Yu is smooth. The honey also adds a touch of sweetness to the dessert. My favourite topping here, other than the Ai-Yu, is the Yogurt Magic Ball, which will add bursts of slight sourness to the dessert with each bite. Pretty refreshing!Premium Soy Milk ($1.50)
This comforting drink is not only fresh, but is also quite smooth and easy on the throat. It is not too sweet, at least for my taste.

Overall, the prices are quite decent, especially for their signature series which comes with various toppings. The service is also pretty good here. The auntie who served me when I went is quite friendly and approachable. Call me superficial, but I would also like to give the thumb up to their pretty stall set-up and cutesy brand image, which they have obviously put some effort in. Taste-wise, my first impression of their desserts is quite favourable, especially for the Refreshing Ai-Yu, which is really quite worth it despite the mishap on the reduced portion size due to the melted ice (but that was really my fault). I'd definitely recommend giving their signature items a try!

Passing by the elegant Rive Gauche kiosk at Jcube, I decided on a whim to buy some of the pretty cakes that were on display and dragged my friend along. We were greeted by a young salesgirl who was quite polite, although there was an older staff who kept trying to whisper and distract her even though the younger staff was clearly trying to attend to us. We weren't too impressed with the older staff but we appreciated the attentiveness of the younger staff.

After some deliberation, I ended up buying a few items for myself. Madeleine ​​($3.50 for 5pcs)
There were 4 raspberry flavoured Madeleine and only 1 Chocolate Madeleine which was a tad disappointing for me at first as I generally prefer chocolate. But it turned out that the chocolate wasn't very rich and the raspberry flavour actually tasted much better. These little sponge cakes were also quite buttery and spongy. Mont Blanc ($6.50)
Look-wise, it wasn't really the round, dome shaped Mont Blanc that I was expecting, but this was quite decent in taste overall. The vanilla sponge cake was very soft and light and I liked that the chestnut filling was not too sweet although I found the chestnut cream to be a tad "oily". Neverthless, I enjoyed the cake, although I liked the other one I bought a lot more! Crunchy Cheese Crumbs ($5.80)
This light cheesecake with cookie crumbs came looking really cute in a little round bowl and was simply amazing to taste! The cheesecake was smooth with a light cheesy taste which I thought balanced quite well with the crumbly biscuit crumbs which had bits of chocolate in it and was sweet. The cookie that came with it was a tad soft but the white chocolate piece was quite crunchy. Overall, this was just sooooo delicious and I couldn't get enough of it!

Overall, I think the cakes at Rive Gauche are quite good and I'd recommend giving the Crunchy Cheese Crumbs a try! It's so good that I'm considering getting the larger version of this cake for a birthday! The prices were also quite reasonable especially considering the quality of the cakes here. They also sell other pastries and confections, like the Eclairs, Brownies, Meringue and Cookies, which I'd definitely check out on my future trips to Rive Gauche!

Famous Amos is famous enough without the need for any introduction. Every time I passed by the kiosk at Causeway Point, I had to fight the desire to bring some cookies home. You can always catch a waft of the distinctive aroma even from a distance away. Freshly baked cookies have never smelled so nice!I finally caved in one day and decided to buy some cookies as an early treat for Christmas. Upon going closer to their kiosk, I was surprised to spot brownies and muffins as well and decided to get one of each to try!Rocky Road Crown Muffin ($2.80)
The muffin was pretty big and was quite reasonably priced at $2.80 for its size. There were a few flavours like the Double Chocolate Chip Crown Muffin and Chocolate Chip Crown Muffin but I opted for the Rocky Road Crown Muffin. The muffin was soft and not too dry. It also had chopped walnuts topping on it which added a bit of crunch. Overall, I found this to be quite decent.Belgian Brownie ($2.60)
There were Chocolate Chip Brownie, Chocolate Chip Walnut Brownie, Chocolate Chip Macadamia Brownie and Belgian Brownie. I opted for the Belgian Brownie. Unlike the muffins, I found this to be quite small for its price and a tad disappointing. There was no nuts inside and just a very thin layer of chocolate on top. Texture-wise, I thought this felt a little more like a cake. Probably better to get the Brownie with Walnut or Macadamia instead. Cookie Canister 215gm - No Nuts Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Chips & Pecan Cookies ($18.30)
You can get the cookies in a standard bag with no additional cost, or with gift boxes or tin cans which would make great gifts, although the gifts boxes or tin cans would cost considerably more. I chanced upon the black cookie canister which I liked enough to get the cookies with it. There were a variety of cookies and I got the No Nuts Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Chips & Pecan Cookies. These were consistently firm and crunchy on every bite and remained so even after keeping for more than a week. There was also a generous amount of chocolate chips and pecan bits in it despite these being bite-sized cookies! Simply a delight on every bite!

All in all, the muffin was quite decent but I'd just stick to what they are famous for, the cookies. There's certainly a reason why Famous Amos cookies are famous!

Jollibean has been around as one of the more established stalls specializing in soya bean milk. The branch as Woodlands Civic Centre may be small but it offers the usual range of Jollibean soya bean milk and pancakes. On this particular trip, I bought a bunch of food for my parents and myself as my mum wanted to have some soya bean milk.I like that their classic soya bean milk is thick and smooth and not too sweet. The one with grass jelly had a decent portion of grass jelly in it but personally I prefer the classic version. Sometimes, simple is best!The one thing that I always get when I visit this stall is the pancake rolls. I think the quality of the pancakes differ from store to store as I've also tried it from a branch in Tampines and I found the pancake there to be rather bland and the filling to be rather meager. The branch at Woodlands Civic Center tasted much better and there was more paste in the pancakes. The red bean paste was sweet and the peanut paste was crunchy. Personally, I prefer getting the pancakes with the peanut paste as it is also more tasty and more filling!I also occasionally treat myself to their traditional pancakes, and this was one of those times. The pancake was thick and the peanut filling was quite generous. The mix of softness and crunchiness was especially delightful! I'd give five-stars just for the pancake rolls and traditional pancakes alone! I also got the round pancakes in the new soy custard and curry chicken flavours. I have also previously tried the chicken ham and potato, red bean, green tea, and chocolate flavours. I think the round pancakes are pretty average though. They are smaller than the ones from Mr. Bean and the portion of the filling inside was smaller too. The taste was also much milder than Mr. Bean. But if I had to choose among their range of flavours for the round pancakes, my favourite would be the green tea.

Overall, I'd say go for their soya bean milk, pancake rolls and traditional pancakes instead, especially those with the peanut filling!

Ivan's Carbina is a small, modest stall in a nondescript coffee shop that sells a range of western fare. Here, you can find the standard main courses such as the usual Grilled Chicken Chop ($5.50), Breaded Dory Fish aka Fish and Chips ($5.50) and Burgers (from $3.50) to a few items that you would expect to find on a restaurant's menu and not a coffee shop stall, like the Air Flown Ribeye Steak ($11.80) and Norwegian Salmon ($8.80). In addition, there are also appetizers like Cheese Fries ($3.20) and Caesar Salad (from $5.00) as well as pastas like Carbonara ($5.00), Amatriciana ($5.00), Beef Bolognaise ($5.50) and Aglio-Olio (from $6.00).

Certainly quite a decent variety of western fare for a coffee shop stall! However, lazy ones like me might find it a little out of the way since it is not super conveniently located right next to the MRT station or in a shopping mall, but the general consensus among us seemed to be that the walk, which was about 5 to 10 minute or so from Woodlands MRT, was worth the short trek. Despite being tucked away in a quiet neighbourhood coffee shop, they have a stream of loyal customers who adore them for their range of good quality food at coffee shop prices. We have been to this stall a few times and there were always no lack of customers patronizing this store each time we were there. This time, we went on a weekday evening to order our favorite dishes as well as to try their roesti. Cajun Chicken Spaghetti ($5.50)
This was my favorite dish on their menu. The chicken pieces were crispy and juicy and the sauce was very tasty with a hint of sweetness that was not cloying. The spaghetti was cooked al dente and was still firm and a little chewy. You can opt for a cream or tomato base to go with your spaghetti and while I have tried both, I found myself leaning more towards the slightly thicker cream sauce even if it was a little more sinful. This time though, the cream was a tad dry although it was perfect the previous times we went. Carbina Grilled Chicken Chop with Mushroom Sauce ($5.50)
One of the popular choices, you can get the chicken chop with their signature mushroom sauce, or with the black pepper or teriyaki sauce. While the black pepper sauce was pretty peppery and tasty too, we got it with the mushroom sauce this time, which was creamy and had real mushroom slices in it. The chicken was springy and we like that it wasn't oily. Personally though, I preferred their Breaded Chicken Cutlet ($5.50) better although I liked the sauce that you can get with the chicken chop!Breaded Dory Fish ($5.50)
Coming from a fussy eater who used to claim that dory fish are not good for Fish & Chips and yet still loved this dish is probably testament enough of its quality and taste. This was quite crispy on the outside and tasted fresh. The serving size of the breaded fish was quite big too. Like the Chicken Chop, this also came with crunchy french fries and a side of colesaw, but the main star was still the breaded fish. Carbina's Signature Chicken Chop with Roesti ($7.80)
There was a miscommunication with this order as we wanted the original Roesti with Chicken Cheese Sausage ($6.80), but they gave us the Chicken Chop with Roesti instead, which cost more at $7.80. The chicken chop was decent and but the roesti was unevenly cooked and the taste wasn't that exceptional. We didn't really think it was worth the price. You might as well just get the chicken chop on its own instead for $5.50.Chicken Nuggets ($2.00)
We got this to share. I am fussy about my chicken nuggets and I thought that there seemed to be a slight difference in taste compared to the ones I had on our previous trips, which were meatier and tastier. What saved the day was their zesty chilli sauce with a tinge of sweetness, which was great to dip the nuggets with! But of course this was in those chilli/ketchup plastic bottles so you can also have the chilli with your main as well!

Overall, we were in agreement that this stall is worth a visit although I'd recommend going for their mains like the Fish & Chips or for the pasta range. Prices were quite reasonable for a stall that sells above average western food, some of which you don't usually find at coffee shops. Service was also quite okay when we went and I personally felt that one of the young staff handle the wrong order quite well in spite of his age. Just don't expect too much of the ordinary and somewhat isolated coffee shop environment. But for pretty good western fare at coffee shop prices, I think I can put up with the environment, or the lack thereof!