I’ve never been that crazy over cakes previously but now they are like my ultimate comfort food. When I’m feeling blue, all I need is just a lovely slice of cake and that’d be enough to turn my day around. Like what the husband said to me, I am so easily satisfied.

Four Leaves bakery is probably as old as me. One that I grew up with and often regarded as ‘one of those local bakeries’ that I’d buy breakfast buns from. One day, after doing my grocery shopping at NTUC Fairprice at AMK Hub, I walked past the Four Leaves outlet outside the supermarket and was captivated by the cakes on display. Without hesitation, I ordered 4 slices to go so the husband and I could have a dessert party after dinner that night. Cake euphoria.

I didn’t expect Four Leaves to come up with cakes of patisserie standard but I was truly wrong. Never judge a cake by its brand, appearance or price.Besides Patisserie Glace, this Strawberry Shortcake is definitely on my top spot. In fact, it is better than the one from my all-time favourite patisserie, Rive Gauche which is really unexpected.

Perfectly moist vanilla sponge layered with fresh cream and sliced strawberries. I love how light the sponge and cream are, definitely not cloying at all. The strawberries are neither mushy nor hard and taste more sweet than sour. I could easily finish the entire slice as overall it isn’t too saccharine. Between these 4 cakes I have tried, I rank this my Number One.Sharing the same top spot is this vanilla sponge cake with fresh cream, peach slices, mixed fruits and almond slices. I got this cake for my mum’s birthday last year and we totally enjoyed it. There is a generous serving of peaches between the sponges that don’t taste of heavy syrup (thank goodness). The fruits on top are a mix of sweet and sour flavours that really complemented one another and the sliced toasted almonds give it a lovely nutty flavour and crunch. This is similar to the Strawberry Shortcake except that assorted fruits are used instead of just strawberries.Chocolate sponge coated with rich chocolate ganache, enough to tantalise the taste buds of any chocolate lover. The husband prefers this to the fruity cakes since he likes anything chocolate. As for me, I am biased towards Chef Icon’s Chocolate Trovana which is the most amazing chocolate cake I have ever had (read my review on Chef Icon here) so no other chocolate cakes have quite made it for me (unfortunately). Not that this Chocolate Classico is bad in any way, it’s just not as good as Chef Icon’s. In my husband’s opinion, this is smooth and velvety and the chocolate ganache isn’t too sweet.I’d prefer the Coco Exotic (to the Chocolate Classico) which is also the husband’s Number One favourite among these 4 cakes. Chocolate sponges filled with light chocolate mousse and crunchy hazelnut flakes. The latter is totally kick-ass! That crunchiness amidst soft layers of sponges and mousse really brings this cake to another level.

For full review and pictures, please go to http://www.springtomorrow.com/2014/02/06/delectable-cakes-from-four-leaves/

This satay bee hoon stall in Ang Mo Kio Central Food Market has been around for at least 25 years. I first had this when I was in primary school in the 1980s as my Granny was a big fan of it and she’d always bring me here then. I continued patronising this stall over the years not just because it evokes childhood memories but because it is still one of the better satay bee hoons in Singapore after I’ve tried many others elsewhere.The winning formula has got to be the satay sauce that is thick, rich and flavourful despite being oily too. I don’t like cockles so I’d always request for them to be omitted and the stall owner would just give me extras of the other ingredients. I love the crunch of the fresh prawns and kang kong (water spinach). The sliced pork, cuttlefish and tau pok (fried tofu puffs) are tender. The bee hoon is nicely blanched so it’s never soft and soggy. Drenched with a generous helping of the satay sauce, this is a volcano of flavours and textures. What’s not to like?

For full review and pictures, please go to http://www.springtomorrow.com/2014/02/18/centre-satay-bee-hoon-ang-mo-kio-central-food-centre/

The husband and I walked past this bistro a few weeks back when we saw a menu signage at the entrance that featured its value-for-money lunch sets for steak & free-flow fries. Being a steak frites lover, this was something I couldn’t resist so we had to return over the weekend to try it out. We hadn’t been to its flagship restaurant at Duxton Hill, so it was a good chance to compare their steak frites with my all-time favourite, Les Bouchons’. So how did it fare?We did call to make a reservation the day before but it seemed unnecessary to do so as the restaurant was quite empty when we were there just after noon even though its neighbours were all quite packed with customers.We were first served a mixed greens salad with whole walnuts and a lightly sharp mustard dressing.Next up was the duck rillette served with pickled gherkins and grilled buttered Poilâne bread. One mouth of this and I was on cloud nine. Simply to die for! I had good duck rillette at Melt – The World Cafe (Mandarin Oriental Hotel) before and this was on par if not better. Shredded duck meat processed in duck fat that turned out smooth, tender, a little creamy but with texture. Just spread over the crispy toast and top with a gherkin, the flavours that burst in the mouth were just indescribable. A must try starter indeed. The only downside was, the portions of rillette and bread (only 2 slices of really thin toasts) were probably enough for one person rather than for two to share.And here was my plate of steak with over-flowing shoestring fries. The steak was pre-cut into slices and then drizzled generously with their signature sauce. There wasn’t a need for a knife because each slice of beef was of bite size. Despite that, I still preferred the usual way of cutting my steak, lol.

Even though L’Entrecôte’s winning formula was supposed to be the sauce, I found the sauce lacking in flavours, in fact, it was a little diluted. To make it more palatable, we had to add a dollop of Dijon mustard to boost the flavour as the beef was under-seasoned.

The fries on the other hand were really outstanding. Hot, crispy and just addictive. I was happily eating the fries with my hands unlike the ‘dainty’ husband who had to use his fork. And because my portion of beef was quite small, I had space to order a refill of fries. The service staff then brought out a plate of freshly-fried fries which she then hastily slumped (and slided) onto our respective plates when she could have used a pair of tongs instead.The husband’s Large portion which wasn’t a huge difference with my Light.Even though the steak was nicely done with a pinkish centre and little blood juice, the meat was a little hard and chewy for my liking. Perhaps I should go for Medium Rare the next time.The Large meal came with a dessert of chocolate mousse which we shared. This was chocolatey, smooth and not overly sweet. Portion was small but good enough as a luscious finale to the meal.

For full review and pictures, please go to http://www.springtomorrow.com/2014/02/16/lentrecote-the-steak-fries-bistro-suntec-city/

The husband and I were at City Square Mall over the weekend when we were attracted by this ‘row of shophouses’ on the 4th level of the mall that was filled with nostalgic charm.

Indeed, this was a new concept by Food Republic to recreate the New World’s good old days when street hawkers on mobile stalls were common then. All the stalls at this food atrium were replicas of vibrant Peranakan shophouses.We explored the food court to seek out new lunch options but ended up at my favourite ban mian stall instead. A light and soupy meal was exactly what I needed.

Qiu Lian Ban Mian was set up in 1988 by Madam Ong Qiu Lian who inherited the family recipe from her grandmother. Every bowl of their noodles is homemade-style, straightforward and unpretentious. That’s why I’ve been patronising them (outlets are located island-wide) for years whenever I crave for ban mian.Noodles are freshly made everydaySo what exactly do I like about this? The soup is rich but not overly salty. It is not oily either and overall it’s pretty healthy. The ikan bilis (anchovies) and shallots are fried to crisp, making the soup more flavourful with a nice crunch. There are lots of crunchy chye sim – love it! The noodles are chewy and springy, exactly the way I like my noodles. The little clumps of minced pork are well marinated with a lot of flavour. Seriously, what’s not to like?

For full review and pictures, please go to http://www.springtomorrow.com/2014/02/14/qiu-lian-ban-mian-food-republic-city-square-mall/

A new kid on the block in our local fast food scene, Yellow Submarines has been serving up cheesesteak, subs and burgers in the heartland since its first and only outlet opened in Toa Payoh Central last April.

It is hard to miss this eye-catching restaurant in cheery yellow colour located in a conspicuous corner where a former bridal studio used to be. When you come out from Exit C of Toa Payoh MRT Station, go straight ahead for a few metres and turn right till you reach a pedestrian crossing. Yellow Submarines will be on your 10pm direction.These thick cut fries are quite a treat compared to the usual shoestring ones but they are just like the regular frozen french fries so nothing could go wrong. The same runny cheese sauce from the sub is drizzled over the fries here. Subtle flavour, just not cheesy enough. Do note the sauce will be at the bottom of the cup so dig right down before you finish the fries.What I have here is no where near the picture on the menu. The generous serving of beef slices, though juicy and tender, are pale in colour and under-seasoned. If not for the cheese sauce, this sandwich would be a totally bland one. The beef in most if not all of the Philly cheesesteaks I had before were all nicely browned over the griddle for colour as well as flavour so I am quite disappointed that the beef isn’t prepared in the same way here. The onions aren’t caramelised too. And the cheese sauce is a little diluted. I do like the fresh bread roll that’s light and soft in the middle. Overall, it is decent as a normal sliced beef sandwich but to call it a cheesesteak, it’s just not quite there.

For full review and pictures, please go to http://www.springtomorrow.com/2014/02/11/cheesesteak-yellow-submarines-toa-payoh-central/