For pictures and full reviews, visit my blog at www.ms-skinnyfat.com

I decided that I liked Symmetry when i first set sight on the cafe but by the time i left, i decided that i was in love with it. You know that feeling when you met someone for the first time but felt comfortable talking about everything and anything like you've known each other all your life? That was Symmetry for me. It knows me inside out.

Café by day, restaurant bar by night, Symmetry is a cosy and laid back spot in the Bugis area, situated within Jalan Kubor. The decor, the vibe and the music were all too familiar to me. We have the same great taste in music for the songs they played were all on my favorite playlist. ;)

The lunch menu isn't as extensive as the brunch one but the selection is still wide. I had to have my eggs regardless so it was the Poached Eggs for me. The waiter recommended this over the Croque Madame and i must say that i was very pleased with this.

These were runny as though they were more soft boiled than poached. The creamed potato mash went nicely with the sunshine yolk. The spicy chorizo and caramelized shallots were amazing with the sweet and smoky flavors. Bacon was honey glazed but still maintained the saltiness. Oh and the blueberry butter cream was a nice touch to the entire dish. I really loved how the different flavors came together.

The coffee tasted good but the foam wasn't made well. As i was trying to get a good shot of the latte art, i noticed that my foam started to sink and bubbles started popping. Hmm... They took quite a while to get our coffee and it was only served after our mains have arrived. Something needs to be done about that.

I will probably be back to try the other items on the brunch menu. They look too good to be passed over. See you guys there sometime!

For pictures and full reviews, visit my blog at www.ms-skinnyfat.com

The iconic Raffles Hotel has finally gotten itself a decent restaurant for brunch with The Halia coming under its roof. Afternoon tea at the Tiffin Room is one thing but ladies of leisure still need their morning coffee run and eggs of course! And what better place to do it than at the urban, casual-chic sister of the award winning restaurant.

I much preferred the indoor space which has a bit more privacy as compared to the alfresco bar area. Plus the Singapore weather is not meant for dining outdoors, even with ceiling fans. Give me my ac please.

Weekend brunch starts at 11am. The selection is extensive with both the Brunch Specials and the Main Menu available for the picking. I've been in quite a bread mood recently and the Assorted Bread & Pastries ($12) really appealed to the tummy. The croissant was delightful and i love that they serve clotted cream with the basket.

The Pancake with bacon, maple butter, fresh strawberries & puree ($12) was one of my favorite dish. I always get overwhelmed after eating a piece of pancake but Halia's rendition had me going on and on. I like the slightly buttery batter which was fluffy and the thin flaky bacon was an interesting complement to the dish.

If you're more the traditional English Breakfast sort, you'd do well with the Grilled breakfast with any style eggs ($23). What's interesting was the sweetened bacon which was thick and juicy. The scrambled eggs had this interesting layered texture and i like that it was runny but not too creamy. I'm getting hooked on buttery eggs.

I'm not so much of a fan of the White bean Iberico chorizo leek stew ($16) but if you like gumbo and the starchiness of such a stew for brunch, then this would be it. The stew was rich and starchy with a tinge of sourness from the smoked chipotle sauce.

The Celeriac "Lasagna" ($12) is an interesting signature with crunchy thin sheets of pasta. I thought i was munching on vegetables. This was accompanied with mushrooms, thyme, baby spinach, lemon and Madeira cream.

Another signature is the Halia Chili Crab Spaghettini ($25). Piquant spicy finish that is typically Asian. The flavor of ginger was rather strong but it gave the dish a fresh note. I could also taste the sweetness of the crab meat. If only they would use a thicker pasta.

The Sous Vide Baharat Chicken Leg ($28) was very tender and flavorful. It also had that smoky taste which was well complemented with the sweet butternut squash puree. I was intrigued by the crispy thin skin which had the texture of a baked potato skin. Served with a ginger, coriander and pepper salsa.

I like how Halia caters to vegetarian eaters with their innovative dishes. The Mushroom, Lentil & Walnut Bake ($24) was absolutely delicious and even this meat eater was sold. It was nutty, cheesy, savory and sweet with the fennel seed cream and sun dried tomato. I would order this again.

As you can tell, the Halia offers a wide variety for brunch and i found it quite perfect for group gatherings. Enjoy!

For full review, visit my blog at www.ms-skinnyfat.com

I had the opportunity to check out Azur at Crowne Plaza and their latest offering of premium buffet dinners. The award-winning restaurant will be launching its first edition of the series, Feast of the Seven Seas, this July over a limited period of two weekends from 19 - 21 July as well as 26 - 28 July.

Diners can have their pick of seafood and shellfish: Boston Lobsters, Steamed Blue Crabs, Tasmanian Crayfish, New Zealand Green Mussels, Freshly Shucked Fines de Claires Oysters, Jumbo Bay Clams and Poached Tiger Prawns. I absolutely loved the pearly juicy oysters and sweet and succulent tiger prawns.

The Lobster Bisque with Tarragon Chantilly Cream with Herb Gougères was rich and creamy without being heavy. It may be a tad salty but i liked the robustness in the flavors.

The slipper lobster and the stir fried bamboo clams are of the Singaporean zi char standard. The chili sauce of the bamboo clams is akin to the chili crab sauce but i found the bamboo clams too fishy for my liking.

The sashimi slices were really huge unlike some hotel buffets that provide pitiful pieces. I liked that the sashimi weren't sliced in large batches to ensure freshness of the fish.

From the carving station, the Baked Whole Salmon with Seafood, Aromatic Spices, Coconut & Lemongrass Espuma is something that you should not miss. This dish is Thai inspired and i loved how the scallop and salmon were fresh and juicy.

There are many other dishes on the buffet line like the award-winning cheeses from New Zealand, appetizing starters, freshly baked selection of bread and sinfully decadent mini shooters and cakes at the dessert bar. Remember to save space for the Bread Pudding for it's one of my favorites.

For the price of $88 per adult, i felt that the price is not worth it. The variety is not the most extensive and the taste wasn't mind blowing.

Visit my blog at www.ms-skinnyfat.com to participate in the giveaway!

I love the Duxton area for the copious cafes, restaurants and quaint little stores, as well as the generally laid back atmosphere any time of the week. I've been rediscovering da hood these couple of weeks so you can be expecting a few more restaurants to be added to my Duxton list. So happens that Praelum Wine Bistro is a restaurant under the Palate Card and that gave me a chance to utilize my privileges!

Nothing good happens when you put 2 hungry girls in a wine bar, especially one that easily allows you to taste the various wines with their automated wine dispenser.

After Amanda, our young and bubbly sommelier, passed us our wine card, we proceeded to have a little wine tasting of our own. The drinks are available in 3 sizes, tasting, half and full glass. This is great because you could try many bottles before deciding on the drink (or drinks) for the night.

If you don't know what to get, Amanda is really good at giving recommendations. My Austrian Leth- Roter Veltliner Schieben was aromatic, extremely concentrated, smooth, round and waxy on the palate with a bit of spice and racy acidity. I found this a great food wine that is refreshing and friendly.

The Ojai Pinot Noir 2007 is another good quality easy drink that goes with any meat from chicken to pork. This is a rich, ripe fruit pinot that comes from America, California. It has the typical ripe fruit flavors but is still delicate on the palate.

The Yllum Reserva Malbec 2007 is another delicious red that we enjoyed. Smooth, ripe fruit, rounded with a little tannins; it's almost like biting into the fruit. This entry level Yllum from Argentina is yummeh and you can expect more from their top range!

The Tarte Flamee- Classic Alsatian "Pizza" ($15) is actually a thin crust bread dough that is baked to cracker crispiness. We had ours with creme friache, onions, bacon and egg and i loved how the yolk coated the slice to give it that extra moisture. The onion may be a little overpowering but it was delicious nonetheless. Vegetarian option is also available.

If you love cheese then the Baked Brief with Nut Crust ($18) is made for you. Mind you this is an entire round of oozy brie baked with roasted garlic and nuts. Spread it on top of the crispy garlic bread with pillowy interior and you have a winning formula.

The Escargot with herb and garlic-basil pesto (1/2 dozen $16) is a must order. W and I mopped the sauce with our buttered bread and left nothing in our pot. It can be so hard to find a sauce this flavorful and i liked how the snail had absorbed all that essence thoroughly.

You got to be crazy to say no to the Bacon wrapped Scallops ($18). The rich Bernaise sauce was the icing on the cake and had me ooohing and aaahing as i chewed on the juicy morsel.

The Roasted Pork Parcels ($16) was undoubtedly our favorite dish of the night. Juicy pork fillets stuffed with herb filling, mushroom, cream cheese, wrapped with pork belly and roasted and then topped with apple sauce. Pair this with the Leth Rottinger; this wine complimented the dish and brought out the sweetness of the pork. TOO GOOD.

The Coq-Au-Vin ($24) was one huge plate of traditional French chicken stewed in red wine.The meat was tender but we found that the dish was a little salty for our liking. If you're a big eater, you'd love this dish. The garlic butter mash was hearty and i love that it still has the potato bits in it.

No dinner is complete without dessert and wine! We paired the Moelleux Au Chocolate ($12) with the Hungarian Disznoko estate 1999 Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos. It was like drinking nectar and this wine is fresh and well balanced with a delicious long finish. This 1999 was the best vintage of the 90s.

The cake is not exactly a lava cake and certainly not as rich but i liked the lightness of the flour. Perfect sweet ending to the night.

What's sweeter was the bill. Our bill came up to $233.55 (heh heh) and with the Palate Card, we received a 50% discount. Say wert?! Happy bellies and happy pockets! For more information on the Palate Card, visit www.palate.sg.

I'm giving away a Basic Palate Card. Visit my blog for more details. Giveaway ends midnight 19 July!

For more reviews, visit my blog at www.ms-skinnyfat.com

The Ascot is a boy's kinda place. Hearty portions of English comfort food, a host of alcoholic beverages to choose from, comfy couches and most importantly soccer couches and big plasma screens for catching up with your mates over matches.

While the boys help themselves to impressive imported beer selection, ladies could go giggly on the ciders. And you can't go with Brother's Toffee Apple cider, it is no doubt my favorite. If you have a sweet tooth, this is the drink for you.

We started with the Smoked tomato soup ($8). It went extremely well with the porous and crusty bread served. The soup was creamy without the heaviness of the cream, and also really smokey and lightly spiced. It was great tasting when hot but i found that the smokiness of the soup reminded me of BBQ sauce and that was very apparent when the soup was cold.

If you like blue cheese, then you gotta have the Strawberry Spinach Salad with crumbled blue cheese, pistachios, bacon and avocado ($18). The raspberry vinaigrette dressing was rather refreshing, especially when paired with the strawberries. I love my cheeses really strong so this blue was mild for me. The other starter that you can't miss is the Cold Cut Platter ($18).

3 types of cold cut- Salami, Proscuitto and Ham, served with silver onions, gherkins, scotch eggs and homemade bread. I loved the gooey egg yolk of the soft cooked egg that was wrapped in sausage meat and deep fried. I would suggest a more well flavored sausage as this was on the bland side. I was fully expecting the meal to continue on the high note that the starters had set, but the mains at The Ascot paled in comparison.

The Sunday Roast ($28/$32) served with Yorkshire Puddings, and free-flow sautéed vegetables, potatoes and Tzatziki salad, was bland and mediocre. Nothing great to shout about.

The Bangers and Mash ($20) were equally ordinary. We couldn't tell the difference between the veal, Cumberland pork, garlic and thyme sausages. I dont care how authentic Bubbles and Squeak are, the oily taste of fried vegetable is just extremely unsexy. Play it safe with the truffled mash i say.

The Chicken Tikka Masala($18) was the English style northern indian curry. The chicken was marinated in yoghurt and spices and then cooked in a creamy tomato curry which wasn't spicy nor overly rich. I prefer the authentic Northern Indian style of course.

If you want something more substantial than the starters, then go for the Ascot Burger served with Fries. In our humble opinion, this was the better tasting main dish at Ascot. The burger patty was well flavored but overall burger it's a little drier than what I would like it to be. The best part of this dish was the fries. Double fried for the crispy exterior and they still maintained that substantial filled interior. Yums. Go for the beer and burger special. It's only $25 with a pint of Stella Artois.

Skip desserts. Really. Unless you're into stale and oily batter coated Mars Bars that aren't fully melted. Or oily bread crumbles in the Bread Pudding. Trust me they are not worth your calories. Anyhow, stick with the starters at The Ascot. We were very satisfied with them. The burger and beer combination should do fine too. The others dishes are really just average.