So that's just everything stated in black and white.

Chocolate Rum and Cherry
Dark pitted cherries laced with rum in our chocolate cake

i loved this. the cherries were aplenty and they were LACED not soaked in rum. even a non alcoholic like me could take it. and in good quantities as well.

White Chocolate Butterscotch Block
A unique combination of white chocolate and sweet-salty butterscotch with a dark chocolate swiss roll

the white chocolate was mousse like. light on taste but the heaviness of cream hits later. the sweet saltiness didn't come through. it was a lot of butterscotch that overwhelmed everything else. except the dark chocolate. it was a good balance for the sweet factor.

but yummy cakes! me likes

The plan was for dinner before we indulged in dessert.

Truffled fries ($15)these thick straight cut fries were tossed in white truffle oil and flavoured with truffle sea salt. a substantial portion served with mayonnaise and bbq sauce. perhaps instead of bbq, they could change it to a curry or wasabi mayonnaise dip.

This was a good starter and as hard as it is to share, these carbo laden deep fried foods taste best when shared. we had a chicken mushroom crepe. we were impressed when it was served. it was bigger than we expected. and every cut had an ample amount of chicken and mushroom. the side salad looked like christmas came early. with a handful of walnuts and dried cranberry giving a much appreciated twist to the usual boring side salads. there was also a lot of cream sauce which was a drawback since it was liberally drizzled and made parts of the crepe too soggy. i'd probably try making this order again with the sauce on the side next time.

and the desserts? we were rushing off for our musical and by the time we were done about 1030pm, the restaurant was already doing closings.

i randomly walked into palio because I had a while to spare before picking up some people from Hotel Michael.

after i was given the menu,

this arrived.and boy was it bad news.

because this lightly toasted bread was so good!

crisp on the outside and soft on the insides.

with the olive oil tomato dip. it was finger licking good!

and what's better for bread than a soup dip?i made an order for a mushroom soup. earthy and topped with all that generous truffle shavings.

i was delightfully drinking it till the last drop!

so much for a light bite.

Walking in to a dimly lit restaurant with high backed chairs and carpeted interiors.

This felt like stepping into a luxurious living room.

The tables had a suitable distance between them such that diners don't get uncomfortable speaking in case they are overheard at the next table.

Servers were mainly Mainland Chinese and the service was quietly efficient.

The steamers of xlb were on every table but today, i didn't feel like having any.

Now, I don't get why people rave about Japanese ramen and not this bowl of la mian from Paradise Dynasty.It's everything I wanted in a bowl of noodles. A generous serving of springy noodles in a deliciously flavourful broth with a three thick slices of braised pork belly. Should I also mention the braised half soft boiled egg? All for $10.90. and of course, making it absolutely chinese, I had a side of dumplings $6.90. meat and chives. a dip in the vinegar, topped with a few slices of ginger and send it right in for the taste test!

mmm. skin with bite. the juicy morsel of meat filling, the familiar taste of chives all made for a myriad of flavours in the mouth. YUM!

now that's what I call lunch.

It's a quaint and quiet restaurant with Japanese chatter around.

Must be good if the natives are dining here.

It's one of the restaurants under the RE&S group. Yup, the people behind Ichiban chain of dining and also Men-Ichi next door and The Green Pumpkin just opposite. Of course, there was also Ichiban further up from here. They basically monopolized the Japanese food street in Nex. I'm not complaining with all these dining options made available by my favourite Japanese family store.

Let's get some starters shall we?Just my brother and I, we decided to share a breaded squid balls topped with cheese. It was a pretty sight. But these caps of cheese, if they could just be a bit more melty, I'd have given it higher marks.

The salad was a good palate cleanser but I did wish they had some salad dressing on the side...We shared a kurobuta pork slice set. Tender slices of pork left to boil on a hotplate with cabbage and savoury sauce. This was a delight to go with rice. Might be a tad too salty on its own.

A couple of slices of sashimi, smooth chawanmushi and orange slices to end off the meal.

It was a good meal, although their menu items might seem a little more expensive than the ones offered at Ichiban outlets, I gladly paid for their quiet surroundings and generous servings.

Time to come back with the parents soon!