We were at the mall when we happened to see a Fish & Co banner that there was a birthday month promotion discount on top of a complimentary ice cream, and since it was the birthday month for one of us, we decided to have our lunch at Fish & Co.Spacious with a rustic chic decor that gives it a warm, inviting and cozy atmosphere, we find it ideal enough for us to sit back, relax and enjoy our simple lunch in relative quietness, especially since there was (surprisingly) not many people despite it being lunch time. But that meant that the staff were more attentive to us, which we didn't mind at all. We had a few clarifications about the birthday month promotion and the staff who attended to us was responsive and forthcoming with answers. Although it was quiet, we thought that the service from the bubbly staff kind of liven up the quiet place a little.There are several types of dishes available on their menu, from seafood platters to pasta to baked rice and pizza. But really, the name says it all, it’s all about the seafood here. What we find interesting are the various versions of fish and chips from around the world, such as the New York Fish & Chips ($16.95). We would have love to try several of it, but being undecided, we eventually opted to go for the Best Fish & Chips in Town. Can't really argue when it is named that way!Best Fish & Chips in Town ($15.95)
Fresh seafood in a pan! Apparently, the idea of presenting the dish in a pan is inspired from the practices of the fishermen in the Mediterranean Sea, who cooked and ate seafood off the pan while out at sea. The fried fish fillets are indeed quite fresh and the batter coating the fish is quite light and crispy. The fries are also quite crispy and we like that they were not over salted, though funnily enough, I actually kind of like these tasty "chips" more than the "fish" (but that’s just me speaking as a potato lover).Bread ($1.95)
It was listed as just "bread" on their menu but we asked and were informed that these are actually seasoned with herbs. Soft and chewy, these bread are light but tasty enough for us. The portion is also quite plentiful and value for money at only $1.95 for a lovely basket of it.Mashed Potato ($2.95)
The mashed potato may be a simple side dish elsewhere, but the version here really stands out! The super slick mashed potato is silky smooth and moist with just a slightly chewy edge to it, and the creamy sauce, though a tad too little for the entire mashed potato, complements the potato really well. This is a side dish worth getting!Chocolate Pecan Cluster ($6.95)
When you combine moist chocolate cake with layers of gooey caramel and chocolatey brownie cubes spread with a rich chocolate ganache and throw crunchy pecan chunks into the mix, you'll get a treat that is nothing less of sinful. Chewy, crunchy, sweet and rich, this dessert will make the perfect ending to the meal. Oh yes, it's "one bite and you’re hooked!" alright!Complimentary Ice Cream
We weren't sure what to expect of the complimentary ice cream and this turned out to be rather common. Just a single scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with a swirl of chocolate syrup and a cherry. The ice cream is quite creamy, but otherwise nothing really special about it.

At least there was a discount off our bill, which we appreciated although we find their usual prices to be otherwise pretty much typical of restaurants. The food is quite decent for the price as the seafood at Fish & Co is quite fresh. The sides are actually also quite worth getting, especially the mashed potato. But it's the desserts like the Chocolate Pecan Cluster, aptly called "Sweet Lures" at Fish & Co, that I certainly wouldn’t mind being baited with again! 

There are actually quite a few Chang Cheng Chinese Mixed Vegetable Rice branches around Woodlands area and I was surprised to spot another branch at Food Republic. There is a wide variety of food here to suit every taste. Wanting something filling but not too heavy in taste, I opted for a simple meal of steamed egg, potato, fried tofu and a slice of omelette to go with the rice.Rice with 3 Vegetables + 1 Meat ($5.30)
The food is quite decent here. The potato and fried tofu in particular are flavourful and the slice of omelette is pretty big for its price. The rice though, is a little too hard for my liking.

At $5.30 for a meal, this is a little pricey since you can get an equally filling packet of mixed vegetable rice elsewhere for cheaper, but for a food court, I suppose this is considered typical, and it is also convenient if you are at the mall!

'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!

This halal bakery is rather small, but there is quite a variety of freshly baked breads available here. There are the standard size buns like Apple Bun ($1.20), Cheese Sausage ($1.30) and Chicken Burger ($1.50), but if you want something lighter, they also have smaller sized buns like Chicken Ham, Chilli Prawn or Red Bean bun at the very affordable price of $0.50. Also spotted here are baguettes, muffins and slices of local cakes like pandan cake. The breads are mostly placed outside the shop, in covered display units, due to the lack of space in the shop. The bakery may seem rather cramped and cluttered on first impression, but the breads here are quite decent. US Sausage Bun ($1.20)
This not only looks good with the unique honeycomb markings on the surface of the bread, but it also tastes equally good. The bread is quite soft and the US sausage is tasty and quite springy to chew on. I find this to be quite worth the price of $1.20 and will definitely buy this again. Nutella Bun ($1.30)
After the US Sausage bun, this was a bit of a let down, maybe because I had high expectations for this especially due to its namesake. The bread is soft as well, but there is no Nutella taste. Instead, there is just a slight sprinkling of chocolate bits over the bun, which isn't very chocolatey in taste either. However, the almond slices (instead of hazelnut) contribute to the nutty flavour to the bread and also add quite a fair bit of crunchiness. The name "Almond Chocolate Bun" is probably more accurate for it. Portuguese Egg Tart ($1.30)
The egg tart costs more than quite a number of their buns but it is quite decent overall. The egg tart is flaky and egg custard has a smooth and creamy texture. It is also lightly sweet, just enough to taste but not too much to overwhelm.

Overall, the prices for the buns are affordable and many are in the range of $1.20 to $1.60 for the bigger ones like the burgers. Service is also quite acceptable here. Taste-wise, there are some hits and misses, but I think overall, it is generally quite decent. It'd have been nice if there are more variety of other pastries and baked goods like cakes to choose from.