*Celine and I were merely passing by this quaint little cafe when we couldn't resist its prettiness and decided to chill for a bit. There was nothing much on the menu, save for some canapes, macaroons, ice-cream and drinks - but what was special was that everything was infused with flowery flavors.So, a short introduction - this is a florist actually. Well it still is- note the florist shop adjacent to it? Yes, the entire deco of this shop is flowery, fairytale-like, from the ceilings to the table cloths. so we were all under the flower power literally. There were also many bouquets of flowers around the shop, beautifying the place further against its faux white brick walls.I chose a Rose Mojito (SGD$14.90) - a light red shade, rose-infused. The Mojito was sweet, but I couldnt detect the rose flavor. No, I couldn't even detect the usual minty Mojito overture. Nonetheless, it was a refreshing drink for a lazy Sunday afternoon.hen we shared a set of Macaroons (SGD$13.90 for a set of 3) - Sakura flavor, Lavender flavor and Hibiscus flavor. The sakura one was sweet but there was no "wow, aromatic!" factor. The lavender one was fantastically redolent with lavender's unique flavor and we both agreed this was the best of the three we tried. The hibiscus one was mildly fragrant in its flavor.
But overall, their macaroons were really good - not too sweet, hints of flower taste in cream and biscuits. The biscuits were just the right texture - not too hard or soft, but the teeth sinks in easily into the crunchy surface, and the rest melts in the mouth.

For full review and more information / photographs, please feel free to visit:
http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2014/11/chilling-out-at-flower-shop-cafe-bar.html

It was the *Pris' birthday and I had promised her a Rainbow Cake as part of the present, hence I sourced high and low for good rainbow cakes, being a taster myself at many cafes. I also did alot of research and read reviews, finally settling on The Bakery Chef.

Their service is very efficient - fast workers who bake good cakes withint a reasonably good pace, and response time is prompt as well.Look at the distinctive colors of their rainbow cake - so pretty and striking, are they not? The best thing is that the soft colors seem to melt into one another gently, without clear distinctive lines between them, like a real rainbow. It looks nearly too pretty to be eaten.

The cake is soft and has a chiffon-like texture, not overly hard like some I have tried. The flavor is good as well, a little hint of fruity here and there; and it is not too overly sweet. *Pris and her family enjoyed it immensely as well.

This is a 500g cake at her request, at a very affordable rate of SGD$35.00 (add another SGD$35.00 for delivery if you are not able to self collect).

For full review, please visit:
http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2014/11/rainbow-cake-by-bakery-chef.html

Up for another cake review? Well, I would like to talk about one of my very favorite cakes - the Lychee Martini cake by Pine Garden.This cake is surprisingly soft, like the gentle pale pink color it comes in. The layers of cream around it makes this cake like a cloud of cream fluff, and it melts deliciously in the mouth redolent of rich lychee flavor. The sponge cake within comes in layers of this lychee-flavored cream as well as real lychee flesh. The cake is cottony soft, comes in rich lychee flavor and is richly infused with martini as well - perfect for someone like me who prefer heavier flavors.

for full review, please read here thanks:
http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2014/11/lychee-martini-cake-from-pine-garden.html

So, in lieu of the usual ala carte dinners of past years at French / Italian restaurants, it was my turn to plan for this year. I did some research and comparison, and decided to give Cafe Mosaic's Valentine's Buffet package a try. Cafe Mosaic is a contemporary cafe serving East-meets-West concept cuisine.Nicely decorated with sugar-carved figurines and balloons, resplendent of romantic red-and-pink themes suitable for Valentine's Day, we could see that we were not the only ones eager for celebration at this new cafe. Many well-dressed couples were already at the door, lining up when we got there at 6.30pm.We started with appetizers like salad and seafood and slowly worked our way through the Japanese delicacies and Chinese dimsum items. The spread had quite a few variety and assortments of items - typical buffet items. We dined to soft music playing in the background, and rather good service of the service crew who constantly came to check if we were good with our food etc.I could not resist desserts of course - and they had plenty of cakes and chocolates decorated in lovely heart-shaped themes as well. Needless to say, these were very sweet endearments and the perfect finish to a savoury dinner.

For full review and photographs, please feel free to visit:
http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2014/02/valentines-dinner-at-cafe-mosaic.html

I was on the way to another eatery when I passed by JBM Coffee & Dining, and was instantly drawn by its very appealing, quasi-vintage and nearly seductive decor with that red and gold tones. I did not bother ascending further up the escalator - simply went in, and texted *Kalista to come here instead.  The service crew was very friendly as well, so I made myself comfortable in the pretty cafe / restaurant while browsing the menu and waiting for my friend to arrive.Anyway, while waiting for *Kalista to arrive (I was early), I indulged in my odd habit of having desserts first. I took the crew's recommendation of Tiramisu (SGD$6.00) - done just the way I love it. I always prefer tiramisu in cake form -there I had it. And the strong coffee flavor paired with just the right hint of alcohol was divine. The cake was soft, fluffy, ever so slightly creamy and moistened - not to the soggy extent, mind you.For mains, *Kalista had the Aglio Olio with Mushrooms, Chilli and Garlic (SGD$13.00) - even though we did not detect any hints of red dots (ie.chilli padi) around the pasta itself, *Kalista assured me that the pasta was good overall, from first bite till nearly the final. I trust her judgment - and after all, mushrooms almost never fail to enhance the flavor of food it is cooked with, right?As for me, I ordered the Beef Cubes (SGD$24.00) - I was a little disappointed with it came because it wasn't cubed at all - I was expecting tender beef cubes like those in beef stew (which incidentally, I was having craving for). Nonetheless, the beef in this case was light on flavor and succulent on its own account - easy to chew on even though the pieces were rather huge. The mash potato around it was precious - tasty and finely smooth.

For full review and more photographs, please feel free to visit:
http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2014/11/lunch-at-jbm-coffee-dining-one-raffles.html