Galicier Confectionery is a neighbourhood bakery that specialises in traditional nonya kuehs, cakes and pastries. A simple shop front with no fanciful finishings, it exudes a type of old-school charm which I used to see back in the 80s. Totally unpretentious but filled with delectable snacks that bring back the fond memories of the good old days.I’m always excited when I see such a bakery because I know the inside will boast of stories and recipes that are passed down from generations. This sense of nostalgia and familiarity is exactly what makes these kuehs taste even more extraordinary.The kueh dadar that we normally get from elsewhere is a green-coloured, pandan-flavoured pancake roll filled with brown-coloured grated coconut that has been soaked in gula melaka syrup (palm sugar) but Galicier’s kueh dadar is one of a kind. There is no gula melaka used in the filling so the grated coconut is snow white in colour. And to my delight, the coconut filling is fresh, juicy and crunchy. It is the first time I have tasted the original flavour of coconut in a kueh dadah without having its aroma overpowered by the rich taste of the gula melaka. It is mildly sweetened with rock sugar but definitely not cloyingly sweet. Kudos to this, it’s the BEST kueh dadar I’ve had in Singapore so far.

The ondeh-ondeh (round glutinous rice balls filled with gula melaka) is also very different from the usual ones we get. It is orange in colour with a tinge of sweet potato fragrance as Galicier has added mashed sweet potato to the dough. And the best thing about this ondeh-ondeh? It’s the explosion of liquid gula melaka with tiny toasted sesame seeds when you take a bite of each morsel. If you’re not careful, the lava might just dribble down your mouth and make a mess. But that’s just the fun of eating. The soft and slightly chewy dough is so smooth, it almost melts in your mouth like mochi. Seriously, who invented ondeh-ondehs? These are just so lip-smacking good!

For full review and pictures, please visit http://springtomorrow.com/2013/10/13/nonya-kueh-from-galicier-confectionery-tiong-bahru/

If brunch equals to breakfast plus lunch, then high tea should be lunch plus dinner. That is why I adore high teas! And L’Espresso would be my ultimate choice for an ‘elegant teatime pursuit’ that exudes pure indulgence in a modern English, sophisticated setting.

The English Afternoon Tea Buffet at L’Espresso is available daily with a single seating 2.00pm-5.30pm from Monday to Thursday and double seatings i) 12.00pm-2.30pm ii) 3.00pm-5.30pm from Friday to Sunday and Public Holidays.At S$45++ per adult and S$22.50++ per child, you will be thoroughly spoilt by what the buffet has to offer. And it’s not because it has a huge variety of food (in fact it doesn’t compared to other buffets), it’s the meticulous attention to details, for both food and service that truly exceeds my expectations.

To complement your afternoon tea, you’ll get your choice of any 2 drinks from their list of fine tea selections. I picked the Prince of Kandy which tasted really light and fragrant, served in a vintage style English tea set.I love the array of pretty canapes that you can just pick up with your fingers and devour in one bite. Very exquisite and delicate, just like little works of art. In fact, I was so enthralled by the dazzling assortment of dainty sandwiches, savouries, pastries and desserts, that I just couldn’t decide where to start.

Some notable highlights include the Smoked Chicken with Apple & Apricot in Crispy Shell (almost like a western style kueh pai tee), Slow-Cooked Chicken with Crepe, Foie Gras Terrine with Cranberry and Parma Ham with Melon. The ingredients are paired with one another for the right reasons. A bite of each canape seems to add a burst of different flavours in your mouth that blend together perfectly.

Their croissants and sandwiches came in a delightful selection of fillings too like Roast Beef with Gherkin, Philadelphia Cream Cheese & Cucumber, Egg & Truffle Cream, Turkey Ham with Dried Pear, Smoked Pork Loin with Caramelized Onions and more. They were so good, I just had to eat one of each! (though I normally avoid carbs at buffets!)

Needless to say, I went crazy with the smoked salmon (paired with salad) and cheeses (paired with crackers, dried apricots & nuts) too!

For full review and pictures, please visit http://springtomorrow.com/2013/08/14/lespresso-goodwood-park-hotel/

It was 8 o’clock in the evening and the husband and I were roaming everywhere in Raffles City, undecided on where to have our dinner till we chanced upon Buffet Town that was bustling with life (and noise) inside. A peep into the restaurant through the glass window, I saw piles of chilled crayfish, oysters and scallops on display that were beckoning to me.

Most of the time, chilled seafood at buffets are either briny or are simply tasteless so I wasn’t harbouring much expectations that I’d get good quality seafood or sashimi at this restaurant. We were just tired of trying to find a place (without a long queue) to sit down and eat so decided to settle for this.

The dinner buffet was supposed to end at 10pm but the buffet line at the hot food section already seemed pretty vacant and miserable at 8.15pm. Oh man, I wasn’t even tempted to go around to capture pictures because most of the chafing dishes and trays were quite vacant.At $35.80++ per person for the weekday dinner buffet, the available selections of cold seafood, appetisers, sushi and sashimi seemed pretty impressive. While I did try a bit of everything, nothing was really worth a second helping except for the sashimi that were fresh and generously sliced.

I could almost compare Buffet Town with Todai @ MBS in terms of food variety that ranged from Asian/Local delights, Japanese to an International spread.I enjoyed the laksa with a rich, flavoursome broth and crunchy, fresh prawns. I also appreciated the availability of grated pineapple that could be added to the satay sauce to enhance its flavour the traditional way. The sauce for the Chilli Crayfish wasn’t too bad too. It was a pity the crayfish tasted like leftovers (from the chilled seafood section) as the chef had run out of crabs.

We didn’t get to try the Yakitori section as well as many other hot dishes as they weren’t replenished at all throughout our time there.

For full review and pictures, please visit http://springtomorrow.com/2013/10/28/buffet-town-raffles-city/

We arrived pretty early at the restaurant and were ushered to a table almost right away. That probably marked a good start to a supposed good meal. Once we got seated, we were then left alone even though the restaurant wasn’t even crowded yet. No one came forward to take order of the broths we would like for our hotpot. I assumed it was still early as they just opened doors and probably needed more time to prep so we patiently waited for about 5-8 minutes and then saw some service staff scurrying around. When we gestured and caught the attention of one of the staff, the lady actually looked away and walked to another table to take order for another family who arrived later than we did.

We managed to take our order with another service staff (who looked like she was in a big rush). It would be helpful if the staff could run through the various broths available or probably give a quick introduction on how the dining system works so we would know where to start as first timers here. There wasn’t a list or menu provided on the table that we could refer to.

Apparently, there were nine soup bases to choose from, each representing a different prefecture in Japan. We could select two for our double soup pot and we decided on Nara (chicken and milk broth) and Akita (wafu/miso broth) which were their most popular picks.Besides the standard ingredients of assorted vegetables, seafood, meats and yong tau foo you’d get at most hot pot buffets, Danro also serves a small selection of sushi, cooked food like bak kut teh, chilled onsen egg, oden (Japanese style yong tau foo), soba and an assortment of fried items too. Shabu Shabu Pork and Beef were also available in individual portions, stacked in bento-style boxes.

The bak kut teh was surprisingly good. Nice fragrant broth with tender soft-bone pork and sweet chunks of white radish. The onsen egg was well executed too. The fried food were overly greasy like most fried food in buffets anyway but the crispy salmon was quite a treat.While the parents preferred the lighter Akita broth which was miso-flavoured, my husband and I liked Nara better because of its milky appearance and richer flavour. The Nara broth went very well with chicken and seafood whereas the Akita broth was good for yong tau foo items. If you’re a big fan of rich flavours like cheese, cream and the like, then you will enjoy the Nara broth too. The parents got a little sickly of it after a while but I thought the soup was extremely flavourful, the more you cooked things in.

We wanted a refill of the Nara broth when it almost ran out but the service staff said it would be chargeable at a couple of dollars more. Well, no one highlighted this surcharge to us at the start so it was quite unexpected that we needed to pay to get a refill of this ‘premium’ broth. We opted for some complimentary standard broth that we could help ourselves to. No loss at all as the ingredients soaking in the remaining broth in our pot had already added lots more flavour to the soup. We cracked an egg in and enjoyed the soup as it was.

If you’re a fan of kiritanpo (grilled rice on skewers), you can purchase each stick at $1. This is supposed to be Danro’s speciality. We weren’t aware about it as the service staff who took our order didn’t mention it so we didn’t get to try. Oh well.

My husband and I had a bit of fun at the sauce section trying to concoct our own special dipping sauces. I thought the sambal chilli tasted best.

We ended the meal with some fruits, cakes and soft serve ice cream. Nothing impressive to really rave about.

For full review and pictures, please visit http://springtomorrow.com/2013/09/27/danro-japanese-hot-pot-buffet-nex-serangoon/

Ever since the last time I dined at Blue Garden Korean BBQ Restaurant when I felt a little disappointed that there weren’t any beef short ribs, I decided to continue my hunt for another authentic Korean bbq place that could be the one.

I love all sorts of Korean food and their bbq is one of my favourites. Because I’m more of a carnivorous eater plus I love the variety of side dishes that come with the meal. It’s not just the meats that I go for but I truly enjoy the fun of cooking while eating.

I was walking around Chinatown one day when I was drawn by the smell of the bbq. That led me to discover the Ssikkek Korean Grill BBQ Buffet Restaurant which I have been patronising frequently whenever I have a craving for bbq.

A polite Korean lady or young man will greet you at the door and you’d be ushered to a table speedily the moment you enter. There are several huge LCD tv screens around the restaurant, all displaying Korean music videos so you can sing to the songs of Girls Generation or to Gangnam Style as you wait for your meat to cook on the grill.

At about S$28 per person after taxes with free-flow drinks included, this is a great value-for-money buffet choice in town. The restaurant is spacious and can get really busy. An ideal place for family meals or gatherings with friends. It is advisable to make reservation ahead as walk-in guests are only entitled to dine-in for 2 hours whereas guests who called to reserve tables can leave at closing time which doesn’t make sense since everyone pays the same price. The variety of ingredients isn’t huge but is of good quality. They serve various cuts of meat from pork collar, belly & bacon to chicken, bulgogi beef & short ribs, seafood (squids and grey prawns), vegetables, fruits, side dishes and even cooked food. Three of my favourite meats would be (in order of preference) the bacon, pork belly and beef short ribs. I like my meat to be a little charred and slightly crispy on the outside. Then wrap the meat with lettuce and top with some grilled garlic slices, bean paste and crunchy kimchi. All in one mouthful. Simply heavenly.

For full review and pictures, please visit http://springtomorrow.com/2013/07/09/ssikkek-korean-grill-bbq-buffet-oriental-plaza/