Okay, so we think all drink stalls are just the same old drink stall. Who's to tell one from another? Aren't they all the same?

Well, that's what i thought too... till one morning, i went to the Bedok 85 food market to have my breakfast and to my horror, the queue at this stall was like a deja vu of the Hello Kitty craze.

I couldn't understand how a drink stall could command such demand. I sat nearby and what i noticed, was that most of the people in queue actually ordered coffee!

I went back another day - earlier this time because i had an agenda - to join the queue for my morning cuppa.

I know i sound like another typical kiasu Singaporean. But who's to say, my kiasu-ness could possibly be a blessing in disguise this time.

Finally got to my turn and ordered a kopi. The cup that my coffee was served in was a small teacup, like those traditional ones you see at Ya Kun.

I could smell the aroma of the coffee even before taking my first sip. And being the java-obsessed girl i am, i could immediately tell that this coffee shop lives up to its name. The flavor of the coffee was rich and thick, complemented by the aromatic fragrance - it made for a great perk-me-up for the day!

If you love chwee kway, you must definitely try this at some point in your life.

They have the best chwee kway ever! Before i first tried it, i heard that i was really good. So the other day, i ordered some to da bao for breakfast.

Even after i reached home about an hour later, the chwee kway still looked in top-form! I began by first trying it without the chai po, just to do a taste test of how good it really is. And to my surprise, eating it alone was already good enough. I could have finished it all without the chai po. For some reason, it tasted so so so good.

I had to control myself before i finished it all, so that i could try it with the chai po this time. What i love about the chai po is that it wasn't too oily, which is apparently the case in many places. This one seemed healthier was surely pleasure without the guilt.

Back to the chwee kway and the chai po taste test. The combination of both made the entire meal ten times better. But better in its own unique way. So whether i ate it without the chai po or with it, it would still taste yummy and delicious.

The texture was great, the taste was great and even the auntie at the stall was so nice. Made my day!!

I don't know if you guys noticed the stall names, but Pasir Ris Laksa took over another laksa stall called Zhen Shan Mei Laksa.

Both specialize in the same dish and both at the exact same location. So I should think that most people don't even realize it at all.

I was quite disappointed because i loved the laksa from Zhen Shan Mei. If I'm not wrong, they both price it the same as well, at $6.90 a bowl. I could only hope that at the same price, this one will taste just as good.

Surprisingly, it won my vote and it tasted very similar too. With its rich and fragrant laksa gravy, fresh prawns and cockles, and thick beehoon noodles that were as they call "al dante", this bowl of laksa made me a very satisfied customer.

Served with the right proportion of noodles and gravy, i couldn't help but to finish everything and polish my bowl clean.

It was my birthday weekend and my all my boyfriend told me was that he had a great surprise in mind.

He psyched me up so much that i was overwhelmingly excited.
And when he brought me to Changi Village, it was a complete anti-climax.

I was about to tell him off, but before i could do so, we were standing at the doorstep of Changi Village Hotel. It was (and still is perhaps) the grandest architecture in the entire Changi village district.

Trust me, I was still dubious that old Changi was a good enough place to have my birthday dinner.

Things changed however, when he brought me into La Cantina, which was hidden deep inside the hotel (considering the hotel was hidden well enough).

We sat at the balcony, which has limited seating capacity, by the way. We could feel the refreshing Changi breeze and embrace the magnificent skyline from where we were.

The atmosphere was awesome.

We started with Minestrone Soup, and then ordered ourselves a Vongole Spaghetti (Pasta with clams in white wine sauce) and Linguine Al Grnachio (Crabmeat linguine in creamy tomato sauce).

The portions were very generous. And when i say this, i actually mean the seafood, such as the crabmeat and clams. Not like most places where they overload you with the noodles and give you small bits of seafood

The wine taste was also a pleasant touch to your taste buds - not over empowering, yet enough to make the flavor very distinctive.

I recommend this place for couples. It's romantic and makes the perfect place for a date.
P.s Try to reserve the outdoor tables, it's worth it.

How often do we actually come across a place selling authentic Peranakan food? Let alone one that is conveniently located in Orchard Road and in a foodcourt?

Straits Chinese might be a familiar name to some of you. In fact, this mini restaurant located at Food Republic 313@Somerset is part of the Guan Hoe Soon Group of restaurants, with their Straits Chinese Seafood Restaurant in Shenton Way, Straits Chinese Nonya Restaurant at Queen Street and a Guan Hoe Soon Restaurant at Joo Chiat Place.

They have been around since 1953 and till this day, they still strictly adhere to the recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation.

When i went down with my family, we decided to try out some of their signature dishes like the Nonya Fish Head Curry and their popiah.

Being Peranakans ourselves, we really loved the dishes. The flavor was there; the texture was there. Portion-wise, it was pretty okay for all their dishes. For that price at a foodcourt, it was either too expensive or that the portions were not value-for-money. But because they were so good, i could only wish there was more.

The Nonya Fish Head (around $25 for half a fish head) was just yummy! Personally, i felt it wasn't too spicy. Good in the sense that it doesn't numb your tongue, so that you can really taste it. Bad in the sense that i'm a true blue bibik and i would have loved for a stronger kick.

Popiah wasn't too bad either. Better than most places I would say. The egg skin was smooth and soft to the bite. A little too sweet for my liking actually, but i still found it tasty and appetising.

We actually do cook nonya meals at home once in a while and I must admit that it is no easy feat. Now that we get to enjoy them at a foodcourt, we'll most likely be visiting them again.