Sitting on the 2nd flr of the Intercontinental Singapore is the popular Man Fu Yuan Cantonese Restaurant. While dim sum reigns high on the list of dining preference for lunch, one can enjoy delicate Cantonese cuisine if time is not a concern.

Whenever I dine @ Man Fu Yuan, I like to start off with the Crispy Silver Fish @ S$8 a portion. The restaurant serves one of the best besides Lei Garden & Li Bai.

Ladies will be delighted in the nutritional Double-boiled Fish Maw in Shark’s Cartilage Consommé @ S$26, which is believed to be beneficial for the complexion.

The soup is painstakingly boiled for hours to extract the nourishing essence from the shark’s bone cartilage. Personally, it’s the best in most restaurants I’ve tried. Rich & milky.

Delectable creations include the Braised South African 5 Heads Abalone. This hard-as-rock mollusc is slowly braised into velvety smooth & subtly chewy abalone. For abalone lovers, this is one meal not to be missed.

Seafood lovers, you may also like to try the Sauteed Fresh Scallops with Cripsy Conpoy & Garden Greens @ S$38. The scallops has a delicate sweetness that could have come only from absolutely fresh seafood & I love the crunchy broccoli.

I’m a fried rice fan but many failed to tease my taste buds. Besides the fragrant smell, the Man Fu Yuan Fried Rice with Fresh Scallops & Conpoy is simply delicious. Plus, the tiny salted egg-yolk cubes add flavour to the rice.

Winner of several accolades, Man Fu Yuan is the perfect venue for a joyous family get-together, a business luncheon or an intimate dinner.

This popular seafood restaurant has a host of accolades under their name. Fans of Palm Beach would probably remember their days @ Leisure Dome, Kallang. Huge sitting space with 2 floors, simple & no frills décor……. Most importantly, their reasonable prices & good food, which attracted a following of loyal customers, like myself.

Our first course was the Crispy Baby Squid from S$10 – S$20. It's a simple plate of deep-fried calamari with honey. Beer lovers would probably like to have this munchies to go along.

Piggy & Bessy from S$18 – S$36. I don’t know why the funny name but the slices of pork fillet sure tasted better than its name. They're marinated with a tinge of vinegar, so the tender fillets tasted a little sweet & sour. The dish also comes with a plate of steamed buns.

Double-Baked Crab Ala Singapura is an award-winning dish @ the S’pore Food Festival @ about S$60 for each 1.5kg crab. If you’re a cheese lover or tired of eating the same old Chilli/Black Pepper Crabs, this one’s for you.

The chef uses mouth-watering Sri Lankan crab & bake with cheese to perfection. The baked crab has a touch of crispiness on the outside & when you bite into it, it has the freshest juicy meat.

Food is good here but honestly, the restaurant lacks service. Though I’ve a couple of bad experiences there, it has never stopped me for returning. I’ve been their fan since their Kallang days & that was more than 15yrs ago. If you don’t mind their slow & unpolished service, this is the place to go for good food.

Named after the famous Tang Dynasty Poet, Li Bai is famed for its Cantonese cuisine served in the tradition of grand Emperors.

While waiting for my set-lunch to be served, I ordered this must-have appetizer. The S$8 plate of Silver Fish at Li Bai is the best, next to Man Fu Yuan & Lei Garden. The starter here is served with crispy Kailan leaves & with a dash of chilli peppers.

The first course on the set-lunch menu was the Dim-sum Combination, which blended perfectly with the artistic touches of paintings & poems. The tasty deep-fried item is wrapped in beancurd-skin & has a crunchy filling of minced meat & seafood. I like the dim-sum in the middle best cause I love the tiny bits of green & yellow peppers, chestnut etc, which added some punch to the seafood. The last item was just an ordinary seafood dumpling you’d often find in the dim-sum menu.

Now, the Double-boiled Chicken Soup is worth-mentioning. You get a whole piece of baby abalone to chew on after drinking this delicious clear soup, which was bursting with flavours.

Next course was the Pan-fried Wagyu Beef & Chicken Roll, served with Lotus Leaf Rice. Japanese Enoki mushrooms were cleverly disguised in the tender meat rolls, with special sauce dribbled on them. As the oyster-based sauce was rather rich, it kinda left the lotus leaf rice rather blend.

We ended the decent meal with the Special Dessert of the Day - Mango in Sago.

Nestled among the greens of the peaceful Safra Country Club, the restaurant was packed with foodies going for Jumbo’s Tim-Sum. The menu displayed an arrary of mouthwatering dishes.

Amongst those was the recommended Deep-fried Scallops @ S$18, which looked good in the menu. The plate of Scallops were stuffed with Chinese Pear & glazed with Plum Wine. The Scallops, came drenched in mayonnaise, tasted sweet & flavourable, though a far cry from the pix in the menu.

The Shark’s Fin with Crabmeat was pathetic, but then again, what can one expect from just S$14 a bowl.

Another recommended dish by the Manager was the Deep-fried Tilapia, which we ordered with an unanimous vote. The freshwater fish weighing 800g @ S$32, was deep-fried till crispy, accompanied by the Nonya Sauce. The fish tasted bland but it went very well with the tangy sauce, which was a little sweet & sour, with a tinge of lemongrass.

We ordered the Silver Fish @ S$8, which was served in a basket. It was a let-down.The portion was generous but too much batter & oily.

The Homemade Tofu @ S$14 is worth trying. The healthy Spinach Beancurd was topped with a mixture of mushrooms which makes the dish especially tasty.

Since this is a famous seafood restaurant, one naturally can’t go without ordering crabs. We ordered ours cooked in the pepper & salt style, instead of the usual chilli or black pepper. We wanted something different. Well, this dish was just normal, nothing to shout about.

I like the Mango Pudding. The diced mango bites were sour, so it blended well with the pudding.

Overall, food was just so-so. Service wasn’t commendable either. No one change our plates throughout our lunch. Maybe they were too busy coping with the crowd.

Well, I wouldn’t mind having lunch there after a game of golf or if I’m staying at the resort. I definitely won’t travel all the way to Changi just to eat at Jumbo.

Fancy dining at a French fine-dining restaurant in a colonial bungalow? Nestled in the tropical Botanic Gardens is the renown Au Jardin, which means “in the garden”. Hailed as one of the best restaurants in Singapore, this charming restaurant has quickly gotten into my A-list the very 1st time I visited more than 10 yrs ago & has never failed me since.

If you’re in a romantic mood, remember to book their popular lovers’ corners; perfect spot for with a view over-looking the lush greenery.

This time, there were few of us so we sat in the “hall”, a far cry from the window seat. As it wasn’t my glutton self that evening, I’d opted for a 4-course from the Table d’ Hote Menu @ S$150/pax.

Lobster Roe Custard was served as the Amushe Bouche. A witty idea indeed; a delectable twist to the conventional Japanese Chawanmushi.

For the Hors d-oeuvres, I was to choose 2 & I went for the Foie Gras & the Scallop Tartare. This delicacy was beautifully plated along with some fruits & drizzled in passion fruit gel, which was an excellent accompaniment.

The Scallop was an interesting dish with a unique presentation, I must declare. This sashimi dish was so fresh & I was dying to dig into it upon seeing the Truffles. I was surprised to find an egg York. I broke it & mixed it well. OMG, the taste was so divine & I’ve not tasted anything as heavenly as this.

So whether you're letting the scrummy Foie Gras melts in your mouth, or having the scented Truffles drown in the “indecent” fresh & dried Scallops as you gobble up everything, you’ll be assured your taste buds will be dancing to the magic flavours.

The Wagyu Short Rib was roasted & braised in a red wine reduction. Even at medium-well, the succulent beef almost melted with joy in my mouth.

Interestingly, the Rose Petal Crème Brulee that I’d chosen didn’t appear as I’d expected. It was presented in the form of a slice cake. The mixture of the Mascarpone Cheese & Raspberry Sponge was intriguing. I was surprised to taste Rhubarb in the Sorbet, which is a vegetable plant. Love the dessert!

It was another satisfying meal @ Au Jardin. Not a single dish has failed me & I’d definitely return again & again.

If you’ve the chance to dine here, be sure to take a stroll at the only botanic garden in the world that opens from 5am to midnight every single day of the year. Best part, it does not charge an admission fee!