What the Mid Autumn Festival a.k.a. Mooncake Festival spells for food reviewers is the endless supply of mooncakes that threatens the waistline and jawline. While i enjoyed the innovative variety of snowskin creations from the various hotels, i found myself craving for something different, something savory. My cravings must have been heard by the good people at Thye Moh Chan, who sent over some salty teochew mooncakes to neutralize all that sweetness.

I wouldn't call them mooncakes actually because they are more like the 'piah' (chinese pastries) that i grew up eating. I love the salty tau sar piah (mung bean paste pastries) since young and hence i really enjoyed the savory mooncakes that Thye Moh Chan offered.

TMC has been handcrafting these ethereal-light flaky pastry skin with a selection of fillings laboriously by hand since 1943. My mama was raving about them when we walked past the store at Chinatown Point previously. Needless to say, my little old lady left the store with a huge bag of traditional biscuits. You could imagine her happiness when the mooncakes arrived. I didn't even get a chance to get a proper picture before she dug in.

Sweet or Salty tau sar (single yolk) Medium (4pc/box) - $24.80, Large (1pc/box) - $22.80
The sweet and savoury mung bean filling each enveloped a single salted egg yolk. The sweet rendition is topped with white sesame, while the savoury encompasses a blend of salty mung bean paste with fried shallots, white sesame and is seasoned with white pepper. They crumbled very easily and i found that it is easier to scoop each slice up with a spoon so that you can taste all the filling.

My favorite flavor was the Yuan Yang! Medium (4pc/box) - $24.80, Large (1pc/box) - $22.80
It is similar to the Salty tau sar but on top of that, there's spicy pork floss in them! ZOMG. I guess that's also some of the Breadtalk influence as they have been running under the Breadtalk brand for a while now. Not that i'm complaining. The pork floss adds on that tinge of sweetness which gives this mooncake a more complex flavor. Super yums!

Mummy's favorite is the Double Delight. Medium (4pc/box) - $24.80
Other than the red bean paste, there's the unique ‘crystal’ filling made with winter melon, melon seeds, dried orange peel, white sesame, spring onions, and glutinous rice flour. Sticky, chewy and sweet. Guess that's how i got my sweet tooth. ;)

There's also the rare Durian flavored one during this MAF period. Limited quantities of this smooth D24 durian-infused bean paste and crispy pastry could be purchased only at Thye Moh Chan outlets for $35.20 for 4 medium sized mooncakes.

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

I do love the St. Regis Singapore for its array of delectable dining options. There's Yan Ting for fine dining Chinese cuisine, La Brezza for casual Italian and Brasserie Les Saveurs for everything else. Out of the lot, i could see myself dining at BLS most often. Champagne Brunch, Afternoon Tea, French dinner.. there's hardly anything BLS can't execute with panache.

In fact, this was my third time dining at Brasserie Les Saveurs. This time I sampled the a la carte dishes prepared by Chef de Cuisine, Antoine Bonnet. The young chef has over 20 years of French culinary experience (he started cooking at the age of 14!) and he cooked his way through France, UK and Lebanon. French cuisine is still his passion as he finds challenge in creating deceptively simple dishes.

Our amuse bouche was the Steak Tartare. Light seasoning was used in this version of the tartare. Despite the thicker slices of the meat, the dish was silky and smooth, as was the flavor of the meat.

Second course was the Salade Nicoise. I can't never get enough of salads and this was refreshing with a touch of sweetness. Black pepper seared yellow fin tuna, mesclun leaves, quail eggs with marinated anchovies, green beans and Kalamata olives.

Next we had the Bouillabaisse Facon Les Saveurs which is a Fisherman's seafood stew slow simmered with fennel and saffron. While the seafood were fresh, i found the dish lacking in the rich seafood flavors that i'm accustomed to in a traditional bouillabaisse. I much enjoyed the lovely Rouille sauce with crusty bread as that added more robustness to the dish.

I could die many times over as long as i get my pan seared Foie Gras Poéle. BLS version is that with apple and rhubard compote, "sauternes" reduction raisins and brioche toast. Remember to separate the brioche from the compote asap so that it doesn't get soggy.

My favorite dish of the night was the Le Homard Thermidor. Huge Boston lobster flamed with cognac, mushroom bechamel sauce and gratinee gruyere. This is exactly how I love my baked seafood, with lotsa cream and cheese but still maintaining the sweetness of the crustacean. Oh and it's HUGE. Did I mention that already?

For full review and more photos, please visit ms-skinnyfat.com

You MUST order the mini egg tarts ($5.80 for 4). One is not enough for anyone i swear. The light and flaky puff pastry carefully held the wobbly golden custard which was like an egg cream. I'm drooling at the thought of it now..

I swear by anything that has shrimps in them. Every prawn dish that we tasted were fabulous owing to the fresh and succulent seafood. Just look at those Har Gows ($6 per basket).

I love the thin and springy steamed rice rolls and the shrimp ($5.80) and scallop ($6) ones were stellar. Definitely value for money given the size of the prawns! 3 rolls with 3 prawns in each of them.

The pork dishes weren't that great as compared to the prawn ones. It's not that they weren't good, they were just not that great in comparison. I was really looking forward to the Baked BBQ Pork Bun ($6 for 3) but was sorely disappointed. Imperial Treasures Bakery sells better buns that you can take away for cheaper. The pork was weirdly savory with onions in them that weren't caramelized enough. The milky bo lo bao crust was alright but at some parts the bun to meat ratio was too much. I also found some parts of the bun a little hard and crusty in the stale way.

The highlight of the meal was supposed to be the steamed Custard Bun ($5 for 4). I was looking forward to ending lunch on a high and sweet note but... I didn't like the salted egg yolk custard because it was way too sweet!

I sure wouldn't mind going back considering the good price point and high quality of the dishes. The final bill came up to $24 per pax inclusive of GST and service charge. Not bad hur! Something to keep in mind when you're in town!

For full review and more photos, please visit www.ms-skinnyfat.com

This outlet of Keisuke specializes in Tonkotsu Ramen, which is made from a rich milky pork broth. Keeping things simple, they have 3 flavors to pick from- Original, Black Spicy and Red Spicy. Black Spicy is a pepper based spice while Red Spicy is a fresh chili paste.

The first thing i heard about Keisuke was their free flow boiled eggs and seasoned bean sprouts. That kinda contributed to the long queue i guess. Not that much of a cheapo to go for such stuff, especially since bean sprouts are the bane of my life.

The ramen could be easily customized using the order form. Kinda idiot-proof. I went for the original with seaweed and flavored egg. And a little bit of spring onions. Don't quite get who would go for the 'no char siew' option.

Despite the less oil option, there were a lot of pieces of fats in my noodles. I dutifully scooped out most of them.

S's spicy red ramen with normal oil level. I didn't quite like the red spicy flavor as it was more of a dull piquantness than a savory one. The original broth was very rich and flavorful but it was also rather salty.

Our verdict on the ramen. It's not bad. We concluded that the broth was on the same level as Santouka's or better. Santouka happens to be his favorite ramen in Singapore. I wasn't too pleased with the char siew though as it was drier and tougher than the high quality pork cheeks that we are used to at Santouka. But the egg? Simply awesome. I could inhale 5 of these realistically speaking. Nice gooey texture in the middle and the soy infusion right to the center of the egg. Lovely.

I wouldn't mind coming back for ramen if the queue isn't insane. Certainly one of the better ramens around.

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

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

Another restaurant checked off my Duxton list. This time it was The Vintage Room by the Deliciae Group and needless to say i'm a fan.They have their little enclave of restaurants in Duxton Hill so diners have variety to choose from. Apart from TVR, there's also L'Entrecote (just next door) and Sabio Tapas Bar.

Back to TVR, it's a vintage bar designed with an eclectic and cosy atmosphere. The design concept revolves around an Old World vibe with refurbished furniture littered around the space, from door frames to lamp shades. A lot of effort has been spent in acquiring an impressive collection of old-fashioned frames and antique.

TVR is more of a bar than a food place though they do have small bites as well. The selection of champagnes, wines and spirits is huge and hails from the old and new world.

I started with the Caesar Ritz ($15), a Vodka/gin and elderflower liquor concoction. It's refreshing and lightly tangy with the lime juice base.

A good selection of small bites and sharing plates are also available if you require some food to accompany your drinks. Executive Chef Damien Le Bihan (who also runs Sabio by the Sea, read review here) is the one who developed the menu.

I enjoyed the Mix of Cold Cuts ($38) served with the grilled buttered Poilane Bread. Meat lovers paradise with Bayonne Ham, Pate de Campagne (French Pork Country sStyle), Duck Rillettes (love this!), Andouille De Vire and Saucisson Sec.

The Ceneri’s Truffled Brie Cheese with Black Truffle from The Original Creator, Ceneri Cheese Master ($23) was my absolute favorite. This is also available on the dessert menu at L'Entrecote. It's milky, creamy and absolutely orgasmic.

From the Tartines section, we had the Fresh Goat Cheese, Onion Caramelized and Bayonne Ham Served on Poilane Toast ($17). It's a nice blend of flavors and the goat cheese was pretty mild.

Desserts weren't too promising actually. I'd suggest you head over to Sabio for the awesome churros by Chef Damien. Now if only they do a delivery order..

There are drinks specials from Tuesdays to Fridays. Ladies, there are free bellinis on Thursday from 6-9pm! You know where you can find me on Thursdays. ;)