Ippudo in Mandarin Gallery is always in long queue whenever we passed by. I am glad to they have decided to open another branch which located at Shaw Centre. I remembered Ippudo was one of my first few food tasting with OpenRice two years back. If you have trouble finding the place, you might want to enter the Isetan cosmetic area at the familiar Lido Shaw on the first floor and turn right to Shaw Centre.Beef Tataki is definitely my favourite here. Loving the beef marbling with slightly seared at the top . The yuzu pepper paste was placed around the beef to give a slight appetizing taste.
Beef Steak S$15.00 serves in cube size and sizzling teppan plate with black pepper sauce. It was medium done and you can taste the tender and juicy of the meat.Tsukune Rice S$7.00 was served with a juicy minced pork patty and sweet sauce. And not forgetting the soft-boiled egg that runs through the Japanese rice. Splendid satisfaction I would say.Tomato cream sauce-drizzled Kani Cream Croquette which was served in golden flaky crust. The fillings were filled with creamy crab that was gives a ‘wow’ after a biteIppudo Original Salad S$12.00 indeed gives a surprise taste. Eric was saying to have some greens for dinner so we decided to go for salad. Mixture of avocado, tofu and grated deep-fried potato created a good chemistry and the wafu sauce enhanced the flavours of the dish. We are so into the sauce and approached the staffs on the ingredients used. Mashed carrots and onions were added into the sauce which makes the sauce has the spicy and sweet taste. Good job for the chef’s creation.Gyoza served here is consider one of the good ones that you can find in town. The skin is very thin and the pork filling is tender and soft to enjoy.We moved on to their signature ramen. Shiromaru Motoaji is Ippudo’s original creamy gelatinous tonkotsu ramen. It comes with char siew and our choice of noodles done hard. S$12.00 for small and S$15.00 for regular. All I can say is awesome. I love the thickness soup base which is quite addictive.Tan Tan Tonkotsu S$16.00 is the specialty ramen for this branch. The ramen is modified to suit the local taste. It is blended with Japanese sesame paste and of course their creamy and thick soup base.As for desserts, we have sesame ice with shiratama S$5.00, matcha ice with shiratama S$5.00 and Strawberry parfait S$8.00. If I were to choose for second serving, I will go for sesame ice with shiratama.
For more reviews, check out my post: http://hazeldiary.com/media-invite-ippudo-shaw-centre/

The Betterfield Cafe is 1-week old cafe that located within a walking distance from Bugis MRT station. The cafe's not easily noticeable as the storefront is currently facing the construction and it is not at the front entrance of the road. Thus, you might to search them within Waterloo Centre.The staff recommended Pulled Duck Burger S$20.00 and Secret Thai Chilli Chicken S$14.50 for our dinner. Pulled Duck Burger was served with charcoal bun, french fries and tangy sauce. The sauce is specially made-in-house recipe by the chef to enhance the flavor of the pulled duck. The duck meat was moist and tender to enjoy.Secret Thai Chilli Chicken served as ala-carte in the menu list. 8 pieces of chicken with symphony of spices, coriander and thai chilli sauce. Crispy skin tasted like KFC but the difference lies in their sauce.The cafe also has all day breakfast menu. Some of the customers ordered egg benedicts for dinner. I also observed orders from other tables and duck confit is also one of the well-received dish here. So, if you are dropping by, you can have choices to give it a try. All prices are in nett price.
For more food reviews, check out http://hazeldiary.com

For more photos, check out my post: http://hazeldiary.comIn Mexican, 'Hombre' is 'man' in Spanish or a slang term meaning 'dude'. 'Cantina' means 'bar'. Well. Hombre Cantina, a Mexican food joint established in September 2013 along Boat Quay that serves variety choice of drinks and mexican foods.
Thanks to OpenriceSG for the invitation and get to explore about Hombre Cantina. The interior of the place is decorated with beach theme with a simple and nice touch up. Since it's mexican style, customers approach the counter to place their orders. Foods and drinks are delivered by the service staff upon ordering.
Six main courses are available to choose from the menu price at S$15.00++.Quesadillas
Tortilla folded and grilled with cheese and filling of your own choice. The choices are Fried Pacific Dory, Roasted Pork Shoulder, Braised Beef Brisket, Roasted Chicken Thigh and Roasted Veggies. We tried the beef and chicken version that day and I am loving it with the melting cheese in between. Best to enjoy it while it is hot!Nachos
Tortilla chips topped with black beans paste, cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream & fresh cilantro. Generous serving in a basket to share among friends and to go with beer.Burrito
Tortilla with Mexican-styled rice, black beans, lettuce, pico de gallo and sour cream with filling of your own choice. Choices are Fried Pacific Dory, Roasted Pork Shoulder, Braised Beef Brisket, Roasted Chicken Thigh and Roasted Veggies. We tried the beef and veggies flavors. Definitely a filling main course to choose with the amount served. Well mixed ingredients all in one serving!Tacos
3 soft corn tortillas wrapped with cabbage and pico de gallo with the filling of your choice. Choices are Fried Pacific Dory, Roasted Pork Shoulder, Braised Beef Brisket, Roasted Chicken Thigh and Roasted Veggies. My personal preference is Fried Pacific Dory with tomato salsas.Rice Bowl.
Mexican-styled rice topped with black beans, lettuce, black beans, pico de gallo and sour cream, topped of with your choice of filling. If you are a rice person, you can opt for this.Mexican Corn S$8.00. Grilled corn cob with Hombre's in-house spices that makes the grilled corn different from others. Other than the spices, there is also grated cheese to enhance the flavor of the ala-carte.Chicken Chicharrones S$10.00. It's one of their best seller to go with the beer. It is coated with the in-house spice blend and served with sprinkle lime over it. Quite refreshing taste after the sprinkle though.The owner was kind enough to serve us Tamarindo. One of the recommended drink which turned out to be the favourite of the ladies on the table. Tamarindo is made up of chilli and tamarind. Served on the table with a spicy green chilli with its seeds floating in the middle of the drink.A sip of it makes you go 'wow' and asking for more of it.
Fruta is the combination with passion fruit or watermelon. Refreshing fruity taste with 50ml of Tequila with salt clinging on the rim of the glass cup. Perfect choice for the ladies taste buds.
Hombre Cantina is a nice chillout place for group gatherings.The place has a beautiful scenery that you wouldn't want to miss too. You will be spoilt with the choices of drinks available here but not the foods though.

Boutique Cafe situated at Phoenix Park is a newly cafe which attracts instagrammers to have photo posting. The word Boufe is pronounced as ‘buffet’. There is a woman apparels/ clothing boutique by the side of the cafe. Ladies can do shopping after brunch. What an idea!If you are taking a public transport, take a bus from Redhill MRT station and alight 1 stop later when you saw the entrance of Phoenix Park. Approach the security and request for BUGGY RIDE to Blk 308. If you are driving, parking is free!
It’s my first cafe hopping with food khakis from instagram on this brand new year. Here are the foods and drinks that we shared on the beautiful Sunday :-Flat White S$4.80 & Hazelnut/ Vanilla Latte S$5.50Mocha S$5.50Egg Benedict S$16.00 served with homemade brioche with honey baked ham, poached eggs, homemade hollandaise sauce and fresh greens.Triple B S$21.00 which is also known as Boufe’s big breakfast.Freshly baked buttery croissant served with scrambled eggs, assorted sausages, streaky bacon, sautéed mushrooms and fresh greens.Brioche French Toast S$14.00 is a recommendation brunch.Homemade brioche in french toast mix, topped with fresh berries, cream chantilly and maple syrup. Simple yet satisfying!After filling our stomach, we ordered desserts. Strawberry Shortcake S$8.00. Moist texture cake with strawberry sweetness. However, the price is at the high side for me.Chocolate Tart S$5.50 will be the favourite for chocolate lover. I love the the contrast colour presentation served on the table. The tart filling was made up with 3 separate layers namely the dark chocolate for the top, milk chocolate for the middle and peanut butter for the bottom layer.
All prices are nett without GST and service charges. I personally love the interior cafe designs with black and white theme. Every corner of the cafe is worth for photo taking. The cafe is worth visiting for the foods quality and also cosy place for brunch session.
For more reviews: http://hazeldiary.com

Australian cafe & bakery chain Pie Face opened its first outlet in 313 Somerset, Singapore followed by the second outlet at Bugis Village. The brand has multiple franchises in Australia, New Zealand and New York. They also have the intention to expand to Malaysia soon. Those who are in Malaysia, please be patient.
Pie Face is well-known for having cute expressions on its pies but it is also renowned for baking all its gourmet pies from scratch. The bakeries are made fresh daily so customers can enjoyed every single ones with smiling face.
The pies comes in two sizes which is the mini and regular. The mini pies are priced from S$3.00 and the regular ones from S$4.90. I would go for the regular ones as it’s worth the value and size.
After explanation by people from Pie Face, those smiley faces are actually denotes the different fillings within each pie. Sound interesting? It’s definitely a great way to display creatively.Chunky Steak Pie S$5.20 which is the crown jewel in Pie Face’s array. The combination of beef chunks and carrots that have been braised in a flavorful gravy, is an easy one to like. I would prefer the beef to be more soft and tender to enjoy.
Chicken & Mushroom Pie S$4.90 is the combination of pieces of tender chicken with mushroom in a thick and cream gravy.
Chicken & Peppercorn Pie S$4.90 is the combination of chicken meat and bits of peppercorn.
Thai Chicken Curry Pie S$4.90 is something flavorful which suits well to Asian flavor. This is Asian-inspired, bringing together chicken meat, carrots, onion, garlic and coconut milk. Loving the fragrance taste of the coconut milk combination with the ingredients.
Tandoori Vegetable Pie S$4.90 with a medley of carrots, capsicum and mixed beans in tandoori sauce for the vegetable lovers. It is one of the choice for vegetarians if they want to give pie face a try.