This outlet at Orchard ION is one of the few Swensens outlets that has a local menu and includes local dishes like Mee Goreng and Chicken Rice.
In addition to the local dishes, we had our usual favourites -
Calamari Rings and Caesar Salad.

The Caesar Salad was absolutely fresh and crunchy and the lime mayo dressing went really well with it. The Calamari rings were piping hot and crispy.
We always have our usual drinks - hot coffee and ice lemon tea.

Everything was perfect until our decision to try the local cuisine.
It wasn't up to our expectations. The Claypot Laksa looked and smelt good, but had only an average taste. Something was missing.
As for the Crabmeat Fried Rice, it was bland. The Soft Shell Crab that came with it was not well marinated. Overall both those dishes were average, and hence, not to our liking.

Of course, the saving grace for the day was the Gold Rush - never fails to satisfy.

One nagging issue was the presence of houseflies. As this outlet doesn't actually have doors, its open concept allows pests inside. It was quite annoying, trying to Shoosh the fly away! Hopefully the management looks into the hygiene issue.

A visit to this oulet at Nex never disappoints, and this time was no exception.
It was a busy and crowded Friday evening and the tables were filling up fast at Grandma's.
We decided to order some of our ''úsuals'' and try some new dishes as well.

Our usual is always Grandma's specialty - Fried Rice!
The Fried Rice is prepared with a secret recipe that gives it a special Ooomph!!
It also has a generous amount of prawns - my favourite.

One of us tried the Assam Prawns with Rice.
The rice chosen was Chicken Rice. At Grandma's you have a choice of 3 types of rice -
Nasi Lemak, Nasi Bukhari or Chicken Rice. Of course, there's plain whit rice as well.
The Assam Prawns tasted good with the Chicken Rice.
The Assam Prawns were not too spicy and the onions were crunchy and added to the
overall flavour of the dish.

The two side dishes, Kailan with Garlic, and Bean sprouts with Dry Cuttlefish were
great complements to the main dishes.
The stir-fried Bean Sprouts-Dry Cuttlefish combination was awesome!
This was our new must have!!!
In addition to those two sides, The Foo Yong Egg- another specialty - also enhanced the dining experience.

The cold Grass Jelly drinks went well with the food - another good choice!

It seems like almost everything on the menu will not disappoint - true to the spirit of
Grandma's.

This outlet at Ang Mo Kio Hub is always busy and it is often difficult to find an empty table.
It offers either Mutton or Chicken Briyani, variations of Prata and Roti John on its menu.
We tried the Mutton Briyani and Egg and Plain Prata, with Teh Tarik.

The portion of Briyani Rice was quite small, though the taste was good.
The mutton pieces in the mutton gravy were tasty, but an equally small portion. Frankly speaking, the Briyani was not actually the authentic Briyani one would have expected - where the meat, rice and seasonings are cooked together. This was just coloured rice and mutton curry.

Next, the prata. It was quite a long wait for the prata, with just one chef preparing the orders. The pratas arrived piping hot, but they were too thick and not crispy enough.
The accompanying fish gravy was too watery and lacked flavour.

Overall, the standard of the food could be better, looking at the prices.
There is no vegetable dish available, except for the cucmber pickle that comes with the Rice sets.
The Teh Tarik also needs to be improved, given its diluted taste.

It was not the best value for money, just average.

This Western Food Stall in the Food Junction at Nex Mall has a good variety of dishes on its menu. It also has some attractive set meals as well.

We tried the Al Funghi spaghetti set and the Lamb Chops set.
Both sets were upgraded to include an extra Cream of Mushroom soup and garlic bread for an extra $1.50 each.
The upgraded Al Funghi set came with a free side - I chose mashed potato.
The Lamb Chops came with a choice of two sides - in this case, salad and mashed potato.
There was also a choice of gravy - black pepper sauce in this case.

The spaghetti was average - it was a little too creamy and cheesy.
The mushroom pieces were cooked just right, but, somehow, something was missing from the taste. The homemade Cream of Mushroom soup was good! It was not too creamy and contained many tiny chunks of diced mushroom. The flavour was great and the mushroom soup deserved the thumbs up! However, the garlic toast that came with the soup was quite the opposite! It was too soft and too bland in taste.

The Lamb Chops were okay. They were well done - just as we had asked - but the marination was not as perfect. The black pepper gravy added to the taste, but only just.
The mint lime dip on the side was just ok, mainly because the mint flavour was deeply weakened by the lime. The mint should have been stronger, and this would have gone very well with the lamb.

Mashed potato is always my favourite, but this free portion was a bit too much.
After eating half of it, I had to stop. The gravy was little too thick and the mashed potato was too soft.

The Food Junction needs some sprucing up to provide a more conducive environment for dining.

Overall it was good value for money, but tastewise, it could have been better.
Perhaps the next time I will avoid the mashed potato and try some other dish on the menu.

This branch of the cafe is located at Nex Mall and is a new addition.
This cafe is one of the last outlets to close in the mall, and that's why there is always a steady stream of customers there.

This cafe may be popular for its Pontian wanton noodles and Graffiti-allowed tables.
However, I discovered, quite by chance, that there are mouth-watering tradiitonal desserts available here, too.

It was almost 10pm and I was longing for a late night snack when i chanced upon this cafe.
It serves a variety of local desserts both hot and cold - such as Green Bean Soup, Red Bean Soup and Longan with Almond Jelly, to name a few.

I tried my all-time favourite dessert, Black Glutinous Rice or Pulut Hitam.
The Dessert is not too sweet and you can ask for more or less coconut milk.
The consistency is not too thick and it is a wholesome night snack.
This will be my regular haunt for night snacks.