We had a huge problem deciding what to get for our girlfriend on her birthday. All we knew was that she wanted a chocolate cake with a lot of nuts.

Well then, with that description, we traipsed over to Pine Garden to place our orders. $84 for a 2kg hazelnut chocolate cake. But we wanted it special.

A Chanel bag? But they said that would be 3kgs for a minimum order. And for how many people? 30-45.

Ohmy. So what could they do with a 2kg cake?make it into a pretty gift! Wrapped with generous fondant curls and layers. We needed a top up of about $80 to get this done.and it was all worth it!

Layers of moist chocolate cake assembled together with hazelnut cream and choco crispy balls.

Every bite with a delicious crunch.

Be warned though, it's a lot of cream we're talking about.

between the 14 of us and about 5 repeated servings, we managed to murder three quarters of this cake so i think it probably serves 25 people comfortably.

It was a crazy hot afternoon and everyone wanted a seat indoors.

We eventually got seats but it wasn't much cooler in the cramped cafe.
I found a pretty pink prada wallet and returned it to the counter and all the server could say was, oh how do I know who it belongs to? But yes, I will keep it here.

Hmm. I didn't think I needed to tell the staff what to do with a lost and found item? I might as well have dropped it off at the postbox outside.

So anyway, dessert was...
Black velvet.
I don't know if my memory of a Red velvet marred the experience on this. But it wasn't a very nice slice of cake. It was dry and the cream cheese wasn't very creamy or rich. Just very sweet.And should we talk about the coffee? It was a pretty heart latte art. Good balance of milk and coffee but it took me close to an hour to get my coffee. I kid you not. I was all ready to walk out. it took me three enquiries and did I mention about having to clear my own table? Four staff outside but still short handed.

Sigh. Hope the girl got her wallet back and you guys do better if I ever do return.

What better for supper than some smooth and silky beancurd?
Maybe a cup of cold soybean milk? Or perhaps some fried doughsticks?

Well, make that all of the above.
The soya beancurd we ordered was with soymilk.
Most days I'd rather have it just with sugar syrup but my girlfriend wanted soymilk.
It was a little of an overkill seeing as how we also had a cup of cold soybean milk.

The doughsticks weren't served hot. I was terribly disappointed. Just as well, it helped me skip the oily mess.

Otherwise though, loved my beancurd and soymilk.

Finally we made it here. After two attempts of getting sidetracked and going there on their off day, this is us. At Stranger's. Now this I've heard about. Magic. A 2:1 ratio of ristretto to milk. I could probably get this done with my nespresso but there was just a je ne sais quoi about this cuppa. Perhaps the milk. What couldn't be recreated at home can be bought for $5.50 a cup here.And a snack to go along of course.
Like perhaps... truffle fries? At $12.90 this wasn't cheap. And sadly? Not truffled enough. It wasn't a thorough toss in the oil or perhaps not enough was used. The sides of the bowl had evidence of truffle oil though. We picked it up for a photo and had to get our hands washed. The garlic aioli was good but too watery. too many drips on clothes and arms. Case in point. I eventually asked for mayo before I became a garlic mess.

This was an early dinner break at newton circus.

Had a craving for prawn noodles. less the noodles. more the prawn broth.

So of course, this was what I ordered.A generous serving of raw beansprouts reminded me of a bowl of pho.

Although I appreciated my serving of veggies, the raw taste of the beansprouts muted the taste of the broth.

This was an order for pork ribs. Although the pieces of pork seemed substantial, some had too much fat/ tendons that it made it hard for me to bite.

The broth was sweet and light. But apparently, I hear the broth gets thicker as the night goes on.

So maybe it's best you do a supper run instead.