Sometimes, I come across something so good, that every bite felt soul shining and that I momentarily lose myself in my food. Lunch at Sumiya Charcoal Grill Izakaya @ Orchard Central is just that and perhaps abit more.
Hidden in a little loft at Orchard Central, this gem of a restaurant is one of Orchard’s best kept secret that I almost didn’t feel like sharing.Sumiya is offering an awesome lunch set deal where you can get a Mix Bara Kaisen Don set for a steal of $18.80 and other equally irresistible options.The delectable set is food-coma inducing, with a generous bowl full of assorted sashimi cubes, avocado and blanketed with toboki and salmon roe. It comes with sesame sauce should you need that additional umami kick but its hardly required here. Completing the set are other side kicks like chawanmushi, an appetizer, miso soup, salad and mochi. This set is a force to be reckoned with.Less belly bursting but still delicious is the Ni Anago Don Set (Simmered Conger Eel) with delicately simmered conger eel. Look Ma! I can’t see my rice!A hearty choice would be the Teriyaki Chicken Don set. Tender morsels of teriyaki chicken makes a satisfying lunch. I’m not sure how long the lunch set promotion would last, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be visiting Sumiya again and again.

After much convincing, I agreed to give PapaRich @ OneKM a try and lets just put it out there that it would probably be the last time I step into another restaurant by that name.
Sad food makes one sad. The interior of the restaurant is lavish but does nothing to elevate the food.As advertised, The Super Rich Combo includes aromatic nasi rich, served with fried chicken drumstick, aromatic braised beef, sweet & spicy squid, potato, hard boiled egg, lady finger, papadum and sambal. With all the haphazard mishmash of ingredients, the dish just doesn’t add up. The nasi is flat and dry, the braised beef is fibrous and tough, egg (as you can see with the grey ring) is over cooked, sambal is spicy and not aromatic at all… Granted, having tried really good nasi in a foodcourt at half this price didn’t help either. Lets just skip this altogether.On a slightly better note is the Ipoh Kuay Teow Soup with Steamed Chicken. The soup base is average and abit on the sweet side. The first few mouthfuls were enjoyable but it went straight downhill the more you eat. I’m guessing there’s too much msg in it but I could be wrong.The saving grace of the mains we ordered is the Steamed Chicken that is has a silky and tender texture. However, the sauce again is over cloyingly sweet. Its more like a sugar gravy instead of one that includes soy sauce.The chendol is so ordinary, I have problems describing it.

Just when I thought foodcourt fare has reached the point of hopelessness, that it compromises taste for profitability, I came across Red Ring Treasures @ Wisma Atria Food Republic. Its relatively new an outlet, having just opened sometime mid 2014. Prices are very reasonable for a stall situated in the heart of town and the taste… I’m won.The highlight of the meal to me is their Onion Blossom. I ordered it out of curiosity. I seen it at restaurants, pubs but being adverse to onion, it never justified me ordering it. First of all, the onion blossom served resembled a gorgeous golden flower. Fried perfectly, not a single burnt spot. Unlike some under cooked onion rings, these are timed just right such that the onion is sweet yet retaining some crunch.The noodles had a good bite to it. Not too dry or soggy. I like that the pork cutlet doesn’t taste too greasy, or smell like stale oil. On hindsight, I probably should have added some chili to the noodles as the taste, though good, tends to plateau after afew bites.A huge bowlful of soup, the dumplings were well made. Its pillowy and soft to the bite, the thinly skinned dumpling encased a robust core which falls apart when you eat it.
I eat my words. Foodcourts does indeed have restaurant quality food at very reasonable prices. When I come across a gem like this, I feel excited about sharing it.

Sin Lee Foods first piqued my interest when I found out that its a pet friendly establishment. I'm always looking for places to bring my cat. Their decor got my hipster senses tangling and their signature dish was Fried Chicken Waffles - named The One and Only.. So why not?

Since then, I visited twice already and in my humble opinion, there were more hits than misses and I would definitely recommend it to a friend. On the plus side, the service standards and the food quality is consistently good and the constantly changing, creatively managed menu means there will never be a dull moment. Its adventure on a plate. Bring it on!

(oh, and prices are nett. No GST / Svc charge)

Getting there is a bit tricky because its neatly tucked away at a corner. Its a short walking distance from Tiong Bahru MRT station.Neatly tucked away along Bukit Ho Swee, just up a short flight of stairs, with the black and white striped blinds.Hipster styled decor with telling vintage signboardHipster Magazine Rack

The staff is very friendly and I find that they are very knowledgeable about their dishes and recommendations. I love the coffee so much so that, I do not have a photograph of it. #truestory. Too impatient to drink it. Both iced latte and the hot version are good. Thumbs up. I can't say the same for so many other places though.

Now on to the food....The One and Only - Fried Chicken on Waffles ($22.00)

The One and Only, is touted as their signature dish. Its a daring combination of Fried Chicken and Waffles which attempts at balancing the sweet and the savoury but unfortunately didn't work at all for me. The fried chicken was done perfectly, crispy yet juicy and moist but the waffle base was a let down by being rather flaccid and bland. The sweet caramel sauce didn't help either. The dish comes across as confused and doesn't complement each other. Much better off eaten separately and perhaps without the coleslaw totally.Aburi Broccoli Salad - $10.00

This dish isn't particularly attractive but I realise that once I start digging into it, I can't stop. I had some problems sharing this dish. Its simply not enough for me. Aburi here refers to the cooking style that is the partial grilling of the broccoli. The salad is tossed with white balsamic vinegar, garnished with smashed papadums, a dash of mayo and orange sugar. Its really very addictive and I can't recommend this enough.Soft Shell Crab Bun - $17.00

The soft shell crab bun was another sinful favourite. Perfectly battered soft shell crab with the most amazing spicy, tangy sauce, lying seductively on a sinful bed of toasted, buttered buns. Only one request.. can we have much more of that sauce please??Beef & Grains - $23.00

Orzo pasta, served with tender seared beef striplion, topped with a runny egg, pickled ginger slices and generously blanketed with furikake. Its western, japanese and local food rolled into one comforting dish. I was surprised how well the pickled ginger elevated the dish and I usually shun that thing. Resident catboss

Sin Lee Foods // Blk 4 Jalan Bukit Ho Swee #01-164 Singapore 162004

Opening Hours: 10am – 9pm (Tues-Sun), Closed Mon except PH

Prices on the menu are nett. (no gst/ svc charge)

Been hearing about the much hyped about Mille Crêpes from Lady M and decided to try it for ourselves.
Personally, I am rather underwhelmed by their service and the desserts.

Even though the restaurant was practically empty, with only 3 tables besides us, it took ages for our order of a slice each of the Vanilla Mille Crêpe, Green Tea Mille Crêpe and Gâteau aux Marron to be served.There's too much cream in the cakes which made the cakes mushy and overall everything was too sweet. Of the three we tried the Green Tea Mille Crêpe was probably the best as the matcha took down the sugary sweetness a notch. Not the best Mille Crêpes I've had definitely. I found the sponge layers in the Gâteau aux Marrons too dry.
Coffee was normal.

We ordered:
Vanilla Mille Crêpe - $8 per slice
Green Tea Mille Crêpe - $ 8.50 per slice
Gâteau aux Marrons - $7.50 per slice
Cafe Mocha - $5.00 per cup
Lady M Ice Cafe - $5.50

Prices subject to 10% service charge and 7% GST.