Orchard Central is still very much a veritable trove of dining finds for me. Maybe it's just me being late to the party, but better late than never!

One would not expect to find dining available within the same premises of a clothing boutique and hair salon. Yet the Japanese-Vietnamese fusion restaurant/bar, Kilo, was still packed during my last lunch visit.




Located on the far side of Orchard Central away from 313 Somerset, floor-length windows afford unobstructed views of Killiney and resident bar KPO. Diners have the choice of normal tables or counter seats along the bar or windows. The latter might offer better views, but are slightly lacking in terms of maneuverability with diners jammed packed less than an elbow's length away.

Given the posh surroundings and classy layout, I was really relieved to find that Kilo offered a lunch set menu at $15++ which included a Citrus Iced Tea along with your choice off the menu of mains, just a smaller serving.

My Set Lunch at Kilo:

The Beef Short Ribs Rice Bowl offered with the set lunch was petite at best. But what it lacked in portion size, it made up with flavour. The star was definitely the luscious slices of beef short ribs. 

Beautiful, pink and juicy, they were served atop a bowl of fragrant Niigata rice with a side of sweet corn, a salad of radish and sugar peas and some wasabi sprouts. Then you wash them all down with a cool clear concoction of iced tea.

At $17.50 after taxes, it's probably one of the pricier lunches in town. I probably would not convert into a regular just because of the price alone, but it sure is a delight for the palate.

When it comes to picking a cafe for that nice idyllic afternoon tea, I'm always on the lookout for that additional factor of serenity. And I found it at Cedele at Greenwich. Located on the outskirts of the more popular Jalan Kayu prata hotspot, the outlet at Greenwich is air-conditioned and comfy, and had few enough people that it offered the space and quiet that goes so well with afternoon tea.

And tea was a slice of Orange Chocolate Cheesecake and a cuppa Iced Chocolate Addiction.Orange Chocolate Cheesecake: $5.90
Iced Chocolate Addiction: $6.90The Orange Chocolate Cheesecake was of the denser variety. A layer of chocolate glazed the top, dripping down the sides. You could taste the infusion of orange throughout the cake - adding that touch of citrus-ey acidity to the cheese core. Those seeking solace in a cheesecake without that punch of solid cheese fragrance might appreciate the perfumed orange flavour with every bite.

Iced Chocolate Addiction sounded it was just made for a chocoholic like me, and it was. Liquid chocolate goodness, smooth and silky as it goes down the hatch. Not that 'gelat' compared to Starbucks' signature Iced Chocolate, but still good in its own way.

With this experience at Cedele, Starbucks or Coffeebean would really have a strong contender when it comes to my choice of a tea-time cafe.

This is a hidden foodie find. I kid you not.Housed within the same premises as the illustrious &MADE helmed by 3-Michelin Star Chef Bruno Menard, it would take a walk-in diner to discover L'Entrecôte Express. The Parisian-style steak house has kept true to its origins in France nearly a century ago - having just 1 main course on the menu, leaving you with only the battle to pick your choice of starters and/or desserts.

L'Entrecôte Express' plat du jour aka. featured dish of Entrecôte Steak uses only premium cuts of beef prepared to your choice of doneness and the special thing about the steak - it's lavishly covered with the secret recipe sauce that is proclaimed legend-wait for it-dary! Trimmed Entrecôte Steak - $29.90

The steak was served all sliced and ready to eat. Just seeing that nice warm pinkish cast to the meat, the chef has got to really know his meat temperatures - it was medium tending towards medium rare, tender and juicy. Especially when eaten with the butter-based sauce which was a flavour explosion on its own. Primary flavours that lingered on the palate were butter and a hint of mushroom. Plated alongside the steak was a very generous portion of golden fries, great eaten with the sauce as a dip.Did You Know
The words in French to ask for the doneness of your steak:
bleu (rare), saignant (medium rare), a point (medium) or bien cuit (well done)

It was definitely a meal that widened my scope when it comes to steaks. The sauce was indeed nice, but having a premium cut of beef sitting so deep in sauce is just not my thing. Steak lovers who place a lot emphasis on their steak sauces should really go try it out though!

P.S. Just deviating slightly from L'Entrecôte Express, The Lamb burger from &MADE which my colleague had. Awe-inspiring right? A small introduction to the world of gourmet burgers and 3 Michelin stars standards.

First off - this is a great discovery for all cake lovers.
SoOOO good that I was actually torn between sharing the find and run the risk of having cakes sell out before I can get them myself. But I guess I'm a good, sharing foodie.

At the time of this review, Chalk Farm is the latest addition to the food central at the basement of Paragon. To call them a simple cake shop is inadequate. As I saw on their website, a cake company would be much more apt instead.

The shop design was minimalistic and chic - a simple, elegant white counter top to showcase a dazzling array of cakes, brownies and cupcakes behind a glass case enough to make any sweet tooth quiver.
Needless to say, I jumped right in, getting a slice of Chocolate Guinness Loaf, Lemon Yogurt Cake and a Red Velvet Cupcake at about $14.

My shots taken of the cut slices aren't that fantastic so I'd just omit them here - but boy oh boy did I have a good time gobbling down the cakes and making a general pig out of myself. The Chocolate Guinness Loaf was truly unique - with the stout being truly and thoroughly infused into the cake, you'll get the malty burnt flavour as an aftertaste with each bite. For those not so into chocolatey or strong flavours, I'd recommend the Lemon Yogurt Cake. Great fruity fragrance and tasted sublime. It was light and refreshing, yet immensely satisfying at the same time.

I still have some photos to share of the cake delights from Chalk Farm:If you like Red Velvet Cakes, this might just bowl you over.Assorted cupcakes.Delectable brownies - the 24 Karat brownies just look so expensive with the edible gold flakes =D

Verdict: A must try if you are in town and looking for cake. Get your drink from else where but oh yea.. the cakes from Chalk Farm.

Japanese cuisine has always been a hit in Singapore, with ramen leading the charge. You can expect to find a Japanese restaurant offering ramen of some kind at almost every major mall here.

One of the latest contenders for Singapore's favourite ramen is potentially Tsukada Nojo, located at the new wing of Plaza Singapura. Hailing from the Miyazaki prefecture of Japan, the restaurant's speciality ramen is championed by a stock painstakingly prepared - just 3 ingredients of Jidori bones, water and salt are boiled and left to simmer for over 8 hours! Something that I just had to try.

Stepping into the Tsukada Nojo came quite close in my mind to revisiting olden Japan. A very much wood-based interior design, with all the trimmings I'd expect after watching Japanese anime. Even the service staff were clad in traditional Japanese garb as well.Wooden restaurant interiorOpen-concept kitchen with Jidori Chicken

For me, a first visit to any new restaurant would not be complete without trying the in-house recommendations/signature dishes. My choice of main course was the ramen lunch set special: Tori Nikomi Soba
You can actually take your pick of the type of noodle to go with the soup (the recommendation being egg noodles) and the entire set meal is actually served separately. The ramen within the stock, and everything else on a different plate for you to dip or soak as you wish.

Plus 2 other sides:Nikumaki Onigiri
A Japanese rice snack with a porky twist, the Nikumaki Onigiri is a bite-size rice ball wrapped in what I fancy to be bacon-like pork strips glazed with in a special soy sauce. Whilst the rice might be more on the plain side, the pork and the sauce definitely comes together to make this dish a pretty mouthful.Chicken Nanban - $8
A typical fried chicken dish I would expect at a Japanese restaurant. Juiciness with a crunch but the sauce I did not quite care for. It was just a little too cloying for me.

Verdict: Great experience on the whole in terms of the ambience and some new takes on both ramen and rice snacks. The Jidori Soup tasted simple yet flavourful at the same time.