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SPRMRKT (otherwise known as SuPeRMaRKeT, but without the vowels) is one of those places that seems to exist in a different dimension, a parallel universe such that you don't realize that it's there even if you're right in front of it. It was only after I read a couple of good reviews about SPRMRKT, that I realized that I've actually walked past it several times. I guess I never really had the impetus to go in because of its nondescript entrance and facade. I mean, I've got friends who've been there to eat and yet do not know its name. Throw in the distractingly snaking long queues of the locals buying 4D at the 7-11 next door and you've got a recipe for invisibility.

Their menu, whilst decidedly limited (there are only 3 mains everyday to choose from), rotates on a daily basis. This way, there's no food wastage, but you still get to sample a somewhat extensive menu. Also, their menu is overhauled every few months. Putting aside their ever-changing menu concept, I found that their food is honest, straightforward and unpretentious.

Thursday's menu had the Beef Lagsana ($16) was hearty, wholesome and one of the best ones I've had. Generous in portion too. I was stuffed by the time I was done with this. The bolognese was rich and meaty, with enough cheese to hold the layers together without being too rich. Good, old-fashioned, comforting flavours.

The Grilled Zucchini and Eggplant Croissant Sandwich ($10) was a vegetarian's dream. Soft mushy slices of grilled vegetables were dressed in a tangy spicy tomato and basil paste with olive oil, matched with peppery mesclun and sandwiched in a buttery croissant

Tuesday's Menu, which features a uniquely SPRMRKT signature, the Blackened Fish & Chips ($17). Despite its deceptively charcoal-like appearance, it's a lot yummier than it looks. The batter, blackened with squid ink, is thick and crisp, and lends that smoky accent to the mild creaminess of the fish. It was so good on its own it didn't even need the homemade tartar sauce. Loved the chips here, they season the thick-ish potato chips with paprika, a little spiced up saltiness

Grilled Chicken Caesar ($9): seriously the best caesar salad ever. The fleshy strips of grilled chicken breast were well-marinated, juicy and nicely charred. A generous sprinkling hand with the bacon and parmesan ensured the sodium content of the salad was kept high, while a softly poached egg bound the various elements of this standalone meal together. The egg was runny enough to double up as a dressing so the thousand island was rendered unnecessary

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I'd heard great reviews of this place and was eager to try it out. As it turns out, from the pretentious try-hards hogging the limited seating to the mediocre food and limited menu, everything about this place screams overhype. The only good and real thing about this place is the coffee. Although their coffee menu is limited, their brews are rich, potent and full-bodied. A real zinger. That said, the coffee alone isn't mind-blowingly sublime enough to draw me back. I wouldn't go out of my way to a middle-of-nowhere place like that, just for coffee. Of course, coffee addicts may beg to differ. But, if you're nearby, at Lavender Food Centre or somewhere in the vicinity, you could swing by here for a strong cuppa coffee.

The Ham Omelette ($8.50) with Mushrooms ($2), toast, greens and half a supposedly grilled tomato (it was barely cooked). The omelette was average fare, and quite forgettable. Something a decent home cook could whip up easily.

The Pancake Stack with Blueberries ($10) was nice but pedestrian, and very reminiscent of Mickey D's version. And the abysmal number of blueberries were also quite miserable. 5 blueberries to 5 pancakes meant each pancake had its lone blueberry mate

We also sampled their cakes, which was such a big mistake. Their dry and uninspired cakes aren't worth the calories or moolah. The Old Fashioned Banana Cake ($4.50) was dry and lacking in that rich fragrance evocative of really good banana cakes fresh out of the oven.

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This first-ever outlet of the popular pizzaria is 2 doors down from the famed Senso, and it's interesting to note that both are owned by the same people. Both are equally popular but cater to very different occasions and budgets. Senso's more refined while Spizza is more rustic. While I have to confess that my favourite pizzaria is still Ricciotti, Spizza does stand out in a couple of ways, namely their Quinta and their portobello starter dishes (you can't get these at Ricciotti). Also, Spizza's casual, convivial vibe is extremely charming. A great way to unwind after a long hard week of work.

We started off on a high note with the Portobello Al Forno ($12.50), a duo of oven-baked portobello mushrooms topped with chunky bolognese sauce and melted taleggio cheese. This was dripping with earthy juices and totally scrumptious.

Garlic Bread ($5): a little ho-hum, there just wasn't enough garlic butter spread and the baguette wasn't toasty enough

Quinta ($18 for medium): with black truffle paste, egg, tomato, and mozzarella is a MUST-TRY here. The black truffle paste is AWESOME. This uniquely flavoured pizza really does set Spizza apart from my favourite Ricciotti. Somehow, the distinctively strong truffle essence managed to complement, rather than overwhelm, the flavours of the tangy tomato and cheese base and delicate mildness of the sunny side up egg

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The standard of the food here has noticeably gone down, with the grub ranging from mediocre to average and pedestrian.

We ordered almost everything on the appetizers and sides menu for sharing, and got a few mains to share as well. With the exception of the onion rings and mushrooms, the rest of the sides and appetizers weren't finished.

We had:

1) Beer Chilli Cheese Fries ($19): good, with a generous helping of melted cheese and chunky beef chilli. But, you've gotta eat this piping hot. It was a turgid yucky mess once it got tepid

2) Calamari ($25 for large) with marinara sauce was unfortunately overcooked so the squid rings turned out a tad rubbery. These needed a bit of chewing to get through

3) Spicy Whitebait ($17) with lemon garlic mayo was pretty alright, the batter was nicely spiced and flavoursome

4) Fried Shrimp ($17) with lemon aioli was bad. The prawns, with shells on, weren't fried to a crisp, with the batter being too thick and all, resulting in mushy meat and a tough shell that you couldn't just eat together with the miserly meat.

5) Buffalo Chicken Wings ($27 for large) marinated with hot NY sauce, was good. The hot sauce was spicy enough and the wings were juicy and flavoursome enough. Crudites and cool ranch dressing provided some respite from the heat of the hot sauce

6) Double Cheese Nachos ($42 for large) with jalepenos, guacamole, sour cream and salsa, were pretty delicious, but like the beer chilli cheese fries, also got a little disgusting once it got tepid and the cheese hardened into an unappetizing cold lump

7) Beer Battered Onion Rings ($12) were one of the better sides, with a whole moist and juicy onion ring covered in a thick batter and fried to a crisp

8) Herb Garlic Fries ($10), thick cut for a substantial bite, were also pretty good. A liberal sprinkling of dried herbs and garlic salt made this quite the yummy snack

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Jai Thai, together with its Thai counterparts E-Sarn and Thai Noodle House, belong to a breed of small, family-run, Thai eateries hidden deep within private residential enclaves. These eateries don't cater to the mass market, because of their inaccessible locales, but they do well enough by catering to its immediate hinterland. Jai Thai, like E-Sarn, has a chain of 4 eateries. However, it does distinguish itself from E-Sarn in 2 aspects. The prices are a notch cheaper, and the ambience is consequently a lot more basic and rustic. In fact, it's even cheaper than Thai Noodle House, even though both eateries are equally rustic.

Prices here at Jai Thai are ridiculously cheap, which explains the prevalence of cash-strapped school-going boys from the nearby Raffles Institution. One of the most value-for-money Thai restaurants ever. The restaurant is starkly decorated (if you can even call it decorating) with harsh fluorescent lighting, white-washed walls and coffee shop-styled furniture providing the basic props. The floor's half done in granite and half tiled, it's like a contractor gave up halfway through tiling the floor. Clearly, the focus is on the food. At Jai Thai, you get rustic, homestyled cooking.

We were there at 5.50pm on a weekday, and they were completely occupied by 6.15pm. P.S. They open at 6pm. Reservations are advised and so is car-pooling (Jai Thai is a few doors down from Rubato so they both have the same parking woes).

We had:

1) Deep Fried Seabass with Pepper & Garlic ($18): possibly the cheapest fried fish ever. This was surprisingly fresh (especially in light of its price), and well fried, with crisp skin and moist flesh. Chopped garlic cured with lime and soy and interspersed with pepper provided the barest of seasoning. We'd much prefer the fried-to-a-golden-crisp type of garlic seasoning, but this wasn't half bad. Because the garlic was cured with lime, its characteristic sharp pungency was removed

2) Tom Yum Soup with Prawns ($6) isn't as spicy as it looks. The tom yum spice paste is very thick though, so you get lots of pounded spice bits stuck between your teeth. This was also a tad too oily for our liking, even if the heads-on but shells-off prawns were sweet and fresh

3) Fried Chicken with Basil Leaf ($5): lightly spiced and fragrant, with the use of basil. Although chicken breast meat was used, they were moist and tender