While fellow cafe/restaurant Lola's is drumming up a storm further down along Simon's Road, I decided to revisit Ice Edge Cafe, just for old times sake. Before Lola's came along, the restaurant was pretty much one of the to-go places in Kovan for late desserts and drinks.Restaurant Interior
Nothing much has changed over the years - the restaurant expanded, but the bright orange walls and furnishings still remain at the centre of the restaurant interior.

For lunch I picked one of the recommended signature dishes from Ice Edge - the Seafood Aglio Olio which really gave me mixed signals. The seafood weren't really the freshest as advertised. While the single mussel was more dry and lack-lustre, the prawns though succulent, weren't cleaned out during prep. What won me over was really the pasta, which as al dente and had that perfect mix of oil and spice that I like with my aglio olio. Seafood Aglio Olio - $16.80
Personally, I find it hard to walk away from a dessert display empty-handed. Especially when they stock some really intense and exotic flavours. My choices: Mao Shan Wang + Belgian Dark ChocolateLarge Premium Gelato Cup - $7.60
The durian-chocolate combination is just hard to beat. And both flavours being strong, not 1 of the flavours would be drowned out by the other and you'd be able to enjoy aromatic durian and delectable chocolate by the spoonful.

Overall, a meal at Ice Edge Cafe's not cheap. But it was enjoyable especially when it came to the desserts. If ever there was a reason to head back, would be the signature Molten Mao Shan Wang Lava Cake. Molten Chocolate Cake there's aplenty, but a melted durian core? =D

Working in Orchard might really take a toll on the wallet. That is, unless you know where to go.  My search for cheap eats in Orchard brought me to Midpoint Orchard, a mall I had no reason to visit for the past decade of trawling Orchard Road. 

A sprightly coloured neon sign with a coloured interior sets Jtown Cafe apart from other tenants  in the basement of the shopping centre. It is a modest affair, simple tables and stools and an open kitchen concept, nothing fancy. 

Stepping into the restaurant, my party was promptly received by warm Indonesian hospitality. We were shown to our seats and recommended the set lunch right away.

Bingo.

For just $5.50 - $5.90, you can choose from 5 main courses, and receive a complimentary beef ball soup and homemade green tea.


I had the Black Pepper Chicken Set and it was good! No sign of peppery undertones but the chicken was still amply savoury with its sauce, and there was rice and some greens blanched and served on the side. It just really packed the warmth of homecooked food with comely flavours. 

The free bowl of beef balls served in chicken stock would certainly give the main dish a run for it's money as well. Chewy and fragrant. Yum! Some might complain that the soup would be a tad on the saltier side - a problem easier resolved by the homemade green tea, which was light and refreshing without the overpowering sweetness from it's canned counterparts.

Then if you are looking for a dessert to round up your meal (like I did), give the martabaks a shot. Martabaks are Indonesian sweet pancakes, served hot and sprinkled with sugar. It's very much a sweet tooth dish, but even till now I'm not quite sure what to make of hot durian in my dessert. You will need to find out for yourself for that.

Total Cost for Lunch 
$5.90 + $3.90 = $9.80
That's a full meal with drink and dessert to boot! It certainly does not get more value-for-money than this.

With fine dining restaurants the like of Yan Ting at St Regis and Cherry Garden at Mandarin Oriental offering sumptuous dim sum spreads with price tags to match their 5-star ratings, it comes as no surprise when many people come away with a common misconception that a dim sum meal is exorbitant.

There are exceptions and having a good dim sum meal does not necessarily have to break the bank! On that note, I searched and I followed recommendations and found Shi Wei Xian Hong Kong Tim Sum at Aljunied Crescent. Nestled in the grey area between Geylang and Aljunied, it wasn't easy to find - especially with the number of food centres in the immediate vicinity. My advice? Seek out the Geylang East Swimming Complex and start working your way from there.On first sight, Shi Wei Xian Hong Kong Tim Sum might not look like much. Just a humble outfit in a coffeeshop where the stall is mostly kitchen churning out dim sum eagerly awaited by customers. Here's where I dispense my 2nd piece of advice: Be early. Or popular favourites get sold out right quick. When I reached at 1230, the stall was already out of their congee and Yam Puffs.

But what I had to pick from, was nevertheless quite sufficient!Prawn Chee Cheong Fun - $2.50
Generally passable, the steamed rice paste wrap of the chee cheong fun was quite thick, but still went well with the slightly heavier soy sauce that came with the dish.
My complaint: The distribution of the prawns was poor, there was one roll which did not contain any prawn at all.Char Siew Pau - $1.60
It might not seem like much, but finding char siew pau at $0.80 a pop nowadays is quite a feat. While it wasn't a sensational hit, the dough was still soft and plump, and the ratio of bun to filling, nice and satisfying. Salad Prawn Dumpling - $2.40
Fried a deep golden yellow, the salad prawn dumpling was the only fried item I ordered. It was savoury, but you could taste how fish paste was mixed heavily into the prawn filling, which only served to dilute the taste of the prawns.Bean Sauce Pork Ribs - $2.50
Nothing spectacular here. The bean sauce could very be more gelat and tasty.Prawn Dumpling - $2.50
Passable, but again could be better had the skin been not so thick and the kitchen more generous with the prawns.Crab Meat Siew Mai - $2.50
Unlike your average Cantonese siew mai of pork and mushroom filling, the siew mai at Shi Wei Xian actually contained a combination of pork with crab meat. It's a first for me and I must say, it does indeed change the flavour profile that I've been used to for siew mai. 'Like'!

All in all, my dim sum brunch just set me back $14! Not too shabby isn't it? The food might not be wowing any pants off, but for this price, I would say it's probably as good as it gets. Try it!

What if you wouldn't have to trundle through half of Malaysia just seeking the comforts of great tasting Penang cuisine? Wouldn't that be a dream come true?

With Penang Kitchen's 2 outlets at Bukit Timah and Katong, the dream seems to have become reality. My visit to the Katong outlet was inundated with flavours of Penang and it was a pity that I could only make space for just the Assam Laksa and SeaFood Mee Sua.

With the seafood mee sua, it was as flavourful as the Laska was spicy and packed the heat. Delightful. Will definitely return for a second visit sometime soon.

I remember fondly the days in my youth where I would spent loads of time gallivanting around Somerset. The teenage boy's tri-factor was ever so outstanding there - LAN gaming, Pool or Movies. And the good food! I was just all over Botak Jones back then. 

It's with a heavy heart that I write this review, recognizing that those days might just remain memories after my latest visit just last week. 

Everything looks the same but different. I ordered my favourite combo of Cajun Chicken Breast with 2 sides of Spicy Fries and Baked Cheese Potato.

To its credit, the Cajun Chicken still tasted pretty nice. A hefty piece of chicken breast not overly cooked that it's still moist - with melted cheese and a tangy Cajun sauce on top. The fries were ok, but the Baked Cheese Potato was a show stopper. Served now in a disposable plastic cup rather than on the plate as it was before, the potato was wet and soggy towards the centre and bottom of the cup, and the flavours just weren't there anymore.

The price difference was the pits though. A regular Cajun Chicken set would have set you back just $7.90 in the past, but now costs $10.30 after adding $0.80 for the Baked Cheese Potato. 

It's just too bad that things turned out this way, but I wouldn't recommend Botak Jones or be back for a return visit anytime soon.