Astons is one of those well-known names known for offering tasty, quality western fare at competitive prices, giving many of the more pricey restaurants a run for their money. They have an "Express" branch at Woodlands, at a nondescript coffee shop just a stone’s throw away from Marsiling MRT. I must admit that I was rather surprised at the choice of location, but I am rather glad for it. More quality food in the heartlands? Why not? Chargrill Chicken ($7.50) - with Baked Potato and Onion Rings
At first glance, we thought that the portion size of the chicken is pretty small. However, the chicken meat, which is slightly pinkish, is really very tender and succulent. The sauce is light, but goes well with the chicken meat. You can choose two sides to go with the meat so this actually has the potential to be a healthy meal depending on the sides you choose. We initially wanted to get the Pasta Salad as a side but it wasn't available so we swapped for the not-so healthy onion rings. On hindsight, we should have gotten the potato salad instead. Nevertheless, the onion rings are quite decent although it'd be perfect if the rings are slightly crispier. The soft baked potato would make a healthy companion to the chicken as well if not for that big dollop of butter on it. We only smeared a pinch of the butter on the potato to add a little more flavour and ditched the rest of it. Hickory BBQ Chicken ($7.50) - with Mashed Potato and French Fries
Like the Chargrill Chicken, the chicken here is equally tender and succulent. But of the sauces, the Hictory BBQ sauce wins hands down. It is sweet and very flavoursome and both of us like Hickory BBQ Chicken more. However, we both agree that there should be more of the sauce to go with the meat as we ran out of sauce to dip the chicken in even before the end of our meal. The mashed potato is also quite good and we enjoy the smooth, creamy potato with its tasty sauce. The french fries are quite okay, we like that it is flavoured with powdered seasoning instead of salt, but it'd be better if they are served piping hot or even warm rather than cold.Cream of Mushroom ($3.00)
The Cream of Mushroom is thick and very creamy, with generous bits of chopped mushroom in it. It also comes with two slices of crispy garlic bread which are quite tasty when dipped and eaten with the cream of mushroom. I adore the texture of this soup but some might find it too creamy after a few mouthfuls. The portion is not big either, but it will make a wonderful complement to their grilled chicken for a more tasty and filling meal.

Overall, I’d recommend getting the chicken from their "Grillworks Chicken" series, especially the Hickory BBQ Chicken for the flavoursome sauce. Sides worth getting are the mashed potato, potato salad and baked potato, sans butter. It is also worth getting the Cream of Mushroom to pair up with the meal, especially if you are a big eater as the portion of the chicken can be a tad small.

Prices may be pricey for a coffee shop but definitely value for money for quality western food, and there is no service charge to pay here (GST is already included in the prices). That you can also get to choose your own sides is another bonus point for us. However, the food may take quite some time to prepare even during non-peak hours, but the service is generally quite decent and the staff are friendly and helpful with queries and recommendations. Environment is so-so, considering this is located at a coffee shop, but in our opinion, the food is worth coming for!

We heard so much about the Chococro here, so when we were in the area, we took the chance to check out the cafe when we passed by before lunch. Warmly decorated with classic wooden tables and chairs, the place seems cozy and inviting enough for us to chill out here. But we decided to come back later after completing our shopping instead. Bad mistake. By the time we came back at tea time, the place was crowded and fully seated and we had to wait around for quite some time for an empty seat, and then we had to join a long queue for our food.On the bright side, desserts lovers will love it here. There are quite a variety of beverages, breads and pastries, and desserts here, such as the chococros, parfaits, and ice cream! We were spoilt for choice as there were so many items that we wanted to try, but in the end, we just went with a few of their signature items instead. White Chococro ($2.60)​ & Chococro ($2.40)
Both Chococro are smaller than what is expected for the price, but they are quite a treat to have. The croissants are flaky and crispy with a rich buttery flavour and the chocolate filling for the original Chococro is quite rich and slightly bittersweet to taste. The White Chococro is slightly sweeter due to the icing powder which add a touch of sweetness ​to the croissant, but I personally prefer the original Chococro for the richer chocolate taste. Choco Banana Fuji ($7.30)
A perfect combination of soft serve ice cream on freshly baked butter danish pastry topped with smooth chocolate sauce! The soft serve ice cream is smooth, creamy and milky while the delicious butter danish pastry is very crispy on the outside but fluffy and buttery on the inside. This dessert is also topped with banana slices as well, which are a little too sweet for both of us, but otherwise we both find this Fuji pretty good!Matcha Latte ($6.00)
The Matcha Latte here is quite thick and creamy and I find the aroma and taste of fresh milk quite strong. It is just the right amount of sweetness for me though, with a tinge of bitterness and the distinct taste of matcha!

On the whole, we find the food here pretty good based on the few we had. The latte is fresh and aromatic while the chococro and fuji are sweet and delightful. I'd definitely love to return again to try the other desserts on their menu, like the parfaits.

Prices are quite standard for a cafe, but there is a further 10% e-coupon discount if you sign up as a member by going to a link scanned from a QR code at a sign near the counter. Service is quite decent and despite the queue, the staff remained friendly and helpful with our queries regarding the 10% sign-up discount. I only regretted that we didn't dine in earlier when we had the chance to, when the place is less hectic and the ambience more relaxing to chill out in.

One word: cute panda pau (okay, that's three).

Definitely a crowd pulling item. Despite having read some really "blah" reviews about the food here and knowing this to be a tourist trap, we still decided to walk into it and get the too-cute-to-resist panda pau to try. Mama Panda Kitchen is a cross between a restaurant and fast food outlet. The Chinese-inspired decor here with lanterns and bamboo dividers is something you might expect in dim sum restaurants. But the environment here is more casual and instead of giving your orders to waiters who will bring the food to your table, you have to join a snaking queue to order and collect your food at the service counters, much like a fast food outlet. Panda Chocolate Custard Pau ($2.90)
Since this was just newly released when we went, we tried this first. The panda pau here are designed to imitate the face of a panda and they are served up in bamboo containers dim-sum style. Unfortunately, the chocolate custard pau we got was a flop. The bun was too damp and felt too sticky and clammy. The chocolate custard filling is actually quite decent, but there is too little of it and its flavour could not redeem the rest of it enough. Panda Pau (Red Bean) ($2.90)
This is way better than the chocolate custard pau. The texture is soft and spongy and not damp or sticky like the chocolate pau. The red bean filling is also quite decent and not too sweet. This made us wonder if the failed chocolate pau was a one-off and we were just unlucky enough to get a bad batch. Unlike the chocolate pau, we enjoyed this. But some may find the price tag of $2.90 to be a tad tough to swallow.Spring Roll (2 for $3.90)
Unlike the cute panda pau, presentation is so-so for this. Even so, this is among one of the lower priced items on their menu. The spring rolls are quite crispy though, with a nice crunch to the skin, but we find the grated filling to be a tad mushy for our liking.Mango Pudding ($2.90)
The mango pudding here is rather creamy, not very smooth. It feels more like mousse to us. You can taste the mango flavour easily enough but unfortunately, I am not really that keen on it overall.Soft Drink (Iced Lemon Tea) in Souvenir Cup ($3.90)
Many will probably baulk at paying $3.90 for just a cup of run-of-the-mill lemon tea. But wait! The soft drink here comes in a plastic panda-print souvenir cup with straw which you can bring home as a keepsake or to reuse. You can choose from a selection of Coke, Coke Light, Sprite, Soya Milk, Ice Lemon Tea and Fanta Grape. For $3.90, it is indeed pricey for a drink but certainly one of the cheapest and decent Panda related souvenir around that you can get in comparison to the other items at the Panda souvenir shop!

Long story short, the food at Mama Panda are really quite over priced especially for the mains like the Shanghai Wanton Ramen Set ($15.90) which is really quite pricey even with the extras it comes with. I'd recommend just going for the snacks instead. Items not to be missed are the panda pau. The pau may be pretty much standard tasting and is also pricey to boot, but seriously, what the heck, everyone is still going to get it to try anyway, so just get it. Resistance is futile when it comes to adorable looking panda pau that look up at you with doleful eyes when you open the container! That, and get the soft drink in souvenir cups for a "decently priced" souvenir!

I am especially fond of Japanese bakeries. So when I heard of Yamazaki Boulangerie Chaude, and that their most of their ingredients and recipes are from Japan, I knew I had to check it out!The exterior of the bakery looks quite spacious from the outside, but the interior, with its somewhat rustic-looking decor, is smaller than expected. Despite this, they have a decent variety of bread available, many of which I was actually keen to try. But I couldn't finish so many and I didn't want to keep them for too many days so I mulled around for a bit trying to decide on a few to try.

Walking around the bakery, I was glad to see that there is a small counter at the back containing a few baskets of bread samples to try out. The Hawaiian bread was among one of those samples and I was totally sold on my first bite of this bread! Hawaiian Bread ($1.5​0)
Superbly soft and fluffy, even the outer crust layer is thin and soft as well. This is also mildly sweet in taste. I love bread that are good to eat on its own and the Hawaiian bread here definitely falls into this category. Although you can eat it with jam or other fillings, its subtle flavour is really best appreciated by eating it plain, or with just a dash of butter. Highly recommended!Snow Chocolate ($1.20)
This special Hokkaido soft bun is kind of a cross between a cake and a bread, based on the description for its Snow Custard counterpart. The ​bread itself is quite soft but the top of the bread is slightly crusty and a little crumbly. I like the smooth chocolate custard filling which is quite chocolatey but not too sweet. Chocolate Cream Puff ($1.80)
This scores just by looks alone. Just look at the generous, whooping amount of smooth and fresh chocolate cream sandwiched between the puff pastry! It may seem a bit daunting eating all that cream, but this cream puff is unexpectedly light, fluffy and not cloyingly sweet. Best of all, it's only $1.80. Certainly worth a try, but recommend not to store it for too long before eating.Chocolate Chip Waffle ($1.50)
The waffle is very crispy on the outside but somewhat crumbly inside; it kind of feels like biting into an oversized cookie. But taste-wise, it is surprisingly good. The addition of the chocolate chips is also a nice touch to the waffle for that extra bit of sweetness.Chocolate Fudge Slice ($4.00)
The selection of cakes here is quite limited, but I wanted to try the cakes from Yamazaki so I just rolled with this. The sponge cake layer is ...spongy but a little dry although this is redeemed by the smooth and rich chocolate fudge layer. A pretty decent cake overall, but I didn't find it particularly memorable.

On the whole, I am quite pleased with my first purchase at Yamazaki, especially the bread and pastries. My favourite from this trip is the Hawaiian Bread, which is worth a try and definitely worth buying again! I also enjoy the Chocolate Puff and Snow Custard as well. The prices for most of their bread are very reasonable and affordable, and service, while not spectacular, is decent. I’m already planning a return trip to try out their other bread. But do note that the selection of bread may be somewhat limited if you go early in the morning when they are just opened (around 10am). I went around 11am and quite a number of bread slots were still empty, so you might want to consider going just slightly later when most of the bread, which are freshly baked daily, will be fresh out of the oven!

The Ikea restaurant at the Tampines branch is a lot bigger than the Alexandra branch, with a bigger dining area and plentiful of seats. The self-service food counter area is also slightly more spacious to allow for smoother human flow. The place is dressed in a casual, modern style, with clean arrangement of simple, classic furniture and artsy overhead lamps. Colours are mostly kept to the minimum here, except maybe for the children corner. This may make the place look a little sterile, but I find the simplistic beauty of their minimalist decor endearing, especially when there are not much people around and it is quiet.We went before 10am (the restaurant opens at 9.30am although the store itself opens at 10am) when there is not much crowd yet so we could just sit where we like and enjoy our breakfast in relative peace. We opted for a seat nearer to the windows where natural sunlight bathes the area in a light, warm glow. The family next to us even took the opportunity to chill out together over their breakfast and the morning papers, giving meaning to the term "family bonding". Even before I get my food, I'm already liking this place.
Pancakes with Scrambled Egg and Hashbrown ($3.00)
The pancakes feel a little dense but are otherwise soft and slightly buttery. The scrambled egg is a little wet but not runny. Add a little salt here and a little pepper there for a little more flavour. I like the hashbrown best. They are crispy, tasty and not so oily. At only $3.00, we all agree that this set is really quite reasonably priced.Garlic Bread (2 for $1.00)
Generously seasoned with garlic spread, these slices of garlic bread are tasty enough to eat on their own or to get as an add-on to your meal or cup of tea or coffee. We like this enough to consider getting a bunch of it to make up a "loaf" to eat on its own in future.New York Cheesecake ($3.80)
Dense, heavy and creamy, the cheesecake is quite a treat. It is not too sweet, but cheesy with a tease of lemon zest. The thin cracker base feels a little wet, but overall this is pretty decent for the price. It feels quite rich on first bite. My favourite next to the cinnamon roll!Cinnamon Roll ($1.20)
Not just my favourite but also my family's. The cinnamon roll is sweet, soft and chewy with a slight crispy glazed outer crust. The scent and taste of cinnamon is also pretty strong, making this a rather flavourful treat. Recommended!Coffee ($0.50) & Tea ($0.50)
Make your choice from a cup of decent coffee or Dilmah Ceylon black tea, which comes from a teabag, at the low price of only 50 cents. The best part is that they are refillable and you can make them as sweet as you like with the sugar or cream sachets at the condiments counter.

As usual, the food are very reasonably priced with some really value-for-money items on their menu. It helps that the decor and availability of seats here are really much better than the Alexandra branch. Service is also quite decent and the staff are generally friendly and helpful with (our) queries. We enjoyed our dining experience here, not only for the affordable but tasty food but also for the family-centric environment and experience. Do go early to take advantage of the peace before the crowd (and noise!) starts trickling in. It will start to get progressively hectic, especially during peak hours. For us, it's definitely worth getting up earlier to enjoy a nice breakfast here with the family!