I first chanced upon Saizeriya when I was at Liang Court 2 years ago and it was also my first time enjoying a half dozen escargots in garlic butter at a mere $5.90 even though its standard was comparable with some French restaurants here. The prices for food were incredibly cheap for a decent restaurant like this, plus there was no GST or service charge too. This restaurant is perfect for group dining so more side dishes and mains can be ordered for sharing without breaking the bank.

Saizeriya is actually a Japanese chain of family-style Italian restaurants with over 750 outlets in Japan and Asia and is well known for its low, affordable prices since the late 1960s.The variety on the menu is pretty impressive with soups, salads, appetisers, baked rice & gratin, pizza, pasta, grill and desserts.Freshly made, creamy mushroom soup that tastes more of milk than mushrooms. It is mediocre, nothing spectacular. Still better than canned soup and at this price, I have no complains, really.This is the best focaccia I’ve ever had! Fresh from the oven. Crispy on the outside and light on the inside. The garlic butter spread on top is so good, it makes this focaccia one to die for! I like to eat it on its own rather than dip into the soup because it’s just so buttery and fragrant yet not overly greasy. Yum.Octopus slices that are lightly torched on the outside for a slightly smoky flavour. I thought the octopus would be really hard and chewy but I was wrong. The interior is done medium so it’s actually quite tender when I bite into it. I could taste butter, olive oil and parsley in the sauce that was drizzled over the octopus. This is a welcoming alternative to sashimi.Mussels cooked in a tomato & garlic sauce. You really have to like garlic to like this dish because a lot of minced garlic goes into the sauce and the flavour is quite overpowering. Despite the strong garlicky taste, I still like it because it manages to mask any possible shell-fishy flavour from the mussels. There was one piece of mussel that didn’t open up so it’d be good if the chef could check on such details next time before the dish gets served to customers.

For full review and pictures, please go to http://www.springtomorrow.com/2014/01/31/cheap-italian-fare-saizeriya-ristorante-e-caffe-toa-payoh-central/

I love traditional confectioneries as they have played a pivotal role in shaping the local pastry making scene but yet they remain underrated as modern bakeries are now claiming a bigger share of the market with more innovative, trendy creations.

I was first introduced to Tong Heng by my mum many years ago as she loves its egg tarts, walnut cookies and lao po bing (wife biscuit). Whenever I’m near this part of Chinatown, I’d definitely pack a box of its signature egg tarts which I think have remained unrivalled to date.What beats enjoying a hot, fresh-from-oven egg tart? Unlike most egg tarts that are round or oval in shape, Tong Heng’s egg tarts are diamond shaped. The crust is neither a puff pastry nor a shortcrust pastry but it is flaky like the skin of a tau sar piah and tastes like an evenly baked biscuit, packed with a lovely crisp crunch. This is definitely why this egg tart is unique and different from others. I like that the crust is not greasy to the touch and its thickness is about right too.

The custard is wobbly and soft, not overly sweet and has a nice, rich eggy flavour to it. What can I say? This is just addictive!

The husband decided to try the curry puff and pork crisp too. I took a bite of each. While I didn’t think they were spectacular, they were still special because of their Chinese style pastry skin and sweet tasting filling. It’s worth a try if you haven’t had them before but the egg tarts are not to be missed! Die die must try!

For full review and pictures, please go to http://www.springtomorrow.com/2013/12/20/traditional-eggs-tarts-from-tong-heng-confectionery-chinatown/

This 12-piece set consists of 6 drumlettes and 6 mid-joints i.e. 6 full chicken wings. The wings come in two flavours, spicy & soy garlic and you can request for a mix too which we did with our order.

The difference between Korean fried chicken and other standard fried chicken is that it is fried twice hence the skin is much more crispy. But this also means the chicken wings would end up looking skinny and shrivelled with barely any meat underneath the skin. So if you think this 12-piece set can probably feed 2-3 persons, no, it can’t. I can devour the whole box and still not feeling satisfied from it because the wings are just small!

I can’t compare these wings with others because these are more of a snacky type of food and you’d love them if you love crisp and crunch. The chicken itself doesn’t have much flavour but the marinate sauce & spices rock. I prefer the soy garlic to the spicy one because it’s rich, sweet and salty at the same time. The flavours just explode in the mouth with every bite. The spicy wings lack ooomph as they are quite bland in flavour which is a pity as I love heat but these are below my expectations.

If you prefer your chicken to be tender and juicy, then this Korean style of fried chicken is probably not your cup of tea. I call such chicken wings beer food because they are more like pub grub which you can enjoy over beers but not as a meal on its own.

For full review and pictures, please go to http://www.springtomorrow.com/2013/12/27/4-fingers-korean-style-crispy-fried-chicken-wings/

I just wonder sometimes why I would go crazy with buffets especially when I love variety but I’m never able to eat so much at one setting compared to the husband. And my appetite seems to shrink as I grow older (another sign of aging?) but my weight remains the same (unfair!). Buffets are just not worth it for me anymore but after going to Straits Cafe @ Rendezvous with the husband one Saturday, I decided to bring the parents there the following Saturday too. Just because of one thing that got me really hooked on. And I was sure it would be something that could impress the fussy folks too.

The Straits Cafe is located on ground level of the Rendezvous Grand Hotel and it serves up a decent spread of Asian delights and Singaporean favourites.

A quick glimpse of the buffet spread:At S$40++ per pax for the weekend high tea buffet, the available variety of food is rather impressive. Besides cold appetisers, salads (and DIY ones too), sashimi, sushi, chilled seafood (prawns, flower crabs & conch aka ‘gong gong’), cheeses, dim sum, popiah & kueh pai tee stations, kebab corner and desserts, there are also live stations for kopi & teh tarik (coffee & tea), roti prata and their award-winning laksa.The prawns and flower crabs are fresh but they are just not sweet which is a common trait of chilled seafood at buffets anyway. Neither am I a big fan of the gong gong which tastes like overcooked, chewy escargot with no flavour. The salmon sashimi is not of the best cut as I could taste the sinews in some of the pieces. The octopus is pretty good though. Nicely poached, tender and sweet. And of course, the husband never forgets his sushi which is of pretty normal standard.I didn’t manage to try every single thing of course so these are just pictures of what all of us had on our plates. I particularly like the bak kut teh (with a nice peppery flavour), made-it-myself kueh pai tees (still not as good as Carousel’s but not too bad) and grilled meat from the kebab station. The rest of the items are pretty much mediocre, nothing exceptional.

I was a bit disappointed with the so-called ‘award-winning’ laksa as I felt it lacked punch and spices. Even after I’ve mixed in a tablespoonful of sambal chilli, the gravy just fails to excite my taste buds. The fragrance from the coconut milk is there but it just doesn’t taste complete. I wonder if the chef is now different, that’s probably why the standard has dipped.What I like here which I haven’t seen in other high tea buffets is the live drinks stall (that looks like an olden days street food stall) that serves up freshly pulled milk tea aka teh tarik which is one of the best I’ve had. It is not overly sweet and has the right balance of tea flavour versus milk.

The roti prata which is prepared upon order is sadly chewy and lacks the fluffiness and crisp of a good prata. The curry gravy is decent though, rich in flavour and not too oily.

For full review and pictures, please go to http://www.springtomorrow.com/2013/12/31/high-tea-buffet-straits-cafe-rendezvous-grand-hotel/

My colleague recommended me Chef Icon after she had her most amazing chocolate cake from there for her birthday. When I first visited the website, it wasn't really that eye-catchy and I was doubting if it was worth an order. After reading everything on its Avina.Neutro Baking style (no animal rennet, no animal gelatin, no animal meat, no liquor, no margarine, no MSG, no onions & garlic, no preservatives and no chemical bread improvers) and understanding the goodness of its products, I just felt compelled to order something to try as I was really curious if a chocolate cake would taste good if made in a healthier way.I was deciding between their cheesecake and chocolate cake and finally settled for a Chocolate Trovana. I was surprised at how plain the cake looked when it arrived. But looks were indeed deceiving because I could smell the cocoa fragrance the moment I lifted up the lid of the box. And immediately, I knew this was good stuff - even without tasting it.Look at how moist, smooth and luscious the texture is. It was love at first bite for me. The chocolate wasn't overly sweet, in fact it was exactly how I love it to be. The rich and intense taste of chocolate oozing all inside your mouth followed by a fragrant and bitter aftertaste of what good quality dark chocolate should leave behind - it was beyond words. The cake was very moist, so moist that I imagined myself eating a pudding rather than a cake. It was also the first time my family and I went hmm-hmm together after the very first bite. Everyone gave the thumbs up.

Choc cake lovers, this is a cake to die for. If you haven't tried this, you are really missing out on good things in life! Worth every penny, worth every calorie. Bring on more!