Maybe it's just me, but knowing the fact that RamenPlay was set up by the same people at Bread Talk just doesn't inspire confidence or appeal. And that is probably the main reason why my first visit to this ever growing chain was barely a week ago.

The outlet at NEX Serangoon is big, spacious and it was pretty easy getting a seat outside of the peak mealtimes. 

Having no prior experience to go by, I went with the Sanpou Tonkotsu Ramen - one of the featured items on the menu. 
Sanpou (三宝) refers to the 3 featured ingredients within the dish - Cha Shu, Toroniku and Buta Kakuni all served in a pork bone broth. 

Even so, I didnt quite come away impressed. The Cha Shu and Toroniku were near undiscernible and tasted very much like unseasoned pieces of cooked ham. Saving grace did come from the Buta Kakuni aka Pork Belly in special sauce which was tender and flavorful from the sauce at the same time.

Very much a pork broth advocate when it comes to ramen, I was also pretty much disappointed with RamenPlay's rendition. The milky concoction just doesn't pack the punch in terms of taste. 
I did finish up on a high with an order of gyoza. Even though there was nothing spectacular, it was just as tasty as gyozas go, and I'm pretty satisfied with that.

Verdict: Would stick to my gut feel and leave ramen for the authentic ramen people.

Laurent Bernard Chocolatier. A common sight in many local shopping malls where the brand adorns kiosks hawking stunning arrays of everything chocolate. But what I only just recently discovered was how the same brand name would be whispered almost in reverence when it comes down to chocolate soufflés.The outlet at The Pier at Robertson if I'm not mistaken, is the only Laurent Bernard Chocolatier selling more than their standard chocolates and thus offer dine-in facilities , both indoors and alfresco seating. Chocolate lovers throng the cafe throughout the day, but it's only at night when it really becomes packed with dessert lovers and chocoholics alike.
P.S.: The name on the signboard actually says Laurent Cafe & Chocolate BarInside the cafe, it feels like a jaunt into a spruced up cafe from olden times - Victorian looking furniture and furnishings, a spick and span counter alongside a display fridge where you pick your ice creams from, lit overhead by a bunch of bare light bulbs.Guanaja Chocolate Soufflé - $18
Getting down to the core agenda of my visit - the legendary Guanaja Chocolate Soufflé. Prepared only on demand to ensure quality and freshness, each order takes approximately 15 minutes of waiting time. A paltry wait when the soufflé is finally served. All puffed up with a luscious looking chocolaty crown, the soufflé was served with a white chocolate sauce and a side of raspberry ice cream. Cutting into the soufflé and its soft yielding middle, wafts of aromatic chocolate hits you immediately. It was light, yet rich at the same time, and the centre was slightly gooey still, giving an interesting contrast to the dish as a whole.

One word: Delightful

I for one would not advocate the white chocolate sauce. When I tried it, it was a little too watered down for my taste. Views on the raspberry ice creams remain divided. It's super citrus-y and acidic and while it adds to the flavour profile, you've got to be a fruity person to enjoy it.

Some people might say, $18 for a soufflé, or any dessert at that is really overpaying it. But I still really enjoyed it as any chocoholic or dessert lover would. Laurent Bernard Chocolatier has just set the benchmark for chocolate soufflés for me, and I very much look forward to my next return visit.

Newfangled dining experiences seem to be all the rage lately and Keong Saik Road is just one of the few hotspots in town where you can see these changes in our local dining scene.

Muchachos would be one such example - taking one of the most down-to-earth of Mexican dishes, making it fully customizable and setting it in a bar concept no less.

And personally, the first impression wowed. I liked the chic minimalist design, bar counter seating and the interior decor that culminates in a dazzling array of bare naked light bulbs hanging from the ceiling.

Build-your-own Burritos

The trip down the rabbit hole continued with the very flexible customization options available for you to get your very own burrito fix. 

1. Pick a size (12" or 10")
2. Then choose your choice of carbs, proteins, fats and salsas in the order. 

You might just get reminded of a Subway sub-building as you pick and mix your way down the end of the line.

My very own Carbi-vorous (Carbs + Carnivorous) burrito -- $13

The pick of ingredients: Mixed carbs of Texas long-grained rice and mashed Pinto beans fried in bacon fat + Carnitas (pork butt cooked in its own lard). No veggies anywhere!

Verdict: Maybe it came down to my choice of ingredients, but I wasn't so much blown away by the burrito as I was with the whole decor and DIY experience. The flour tortilla was tender but went cold pretty fast in the chill of the aircon. And inside, the ingredients were good, just missing that wow factor. Working my way through a 12" serving was a long slog for my taste buds. But I do want to highlight the pork butt though - exquisitely prepared, the flavours came through nicely when I had a big enough mouthful of pork.

$13 for a plate akin to a Mexican popiah is just not something that I would do again in a hurry? But it's just another dining experience down in the books that I do not regret.

While I was still reeling from the 4-fingered hurrah from 4 Fingers and their signature soy-garlic flavoured Korean-style fried chicken (KFC), there was a serious contender for the throne of best KFC in Singapore. Given how taken I was with the delectable flavours from 4 Fingers, I was both sceptical and excited at the same time. It was a #makanhunt to be made in any case.

NeNe Chicken at Star Vista isn't all that easy to find. A small shop housing around 20 seats at best is located along one of the smaller side alleys and indeed very easy to miss. The interior was simple, minimalistic - wooden table tops and flat bench chairs - spruced up by a cartoonish wall mural of light pastel colours that brought that touch of levity. Food wise, $9.90 gets you a set meal at NeNe Chicken. A meal would include your choice of flavoured fried chicken, a packet of fries, a small drink and side of radish.Swicy Chicken Set As recommended, I picked the Swicy - sweet and spicy - Chicken. Bummer. Despite how the chicken looked, it was by no means crunchy, the sweet and spicy glaze was more cloying than flavourful and did more to reduce the appeal of the chicken by making it mushy, rather than helping it along. The fries were better, skinny fries that were reminiscent of the A&W curly fries in the past.

My Verdict: Showdown of the Korean Fried Chicken was won hands down by 4 Fingers. Unless you like your fried chicken more glazed, then consider trying NeNe Chicken.

ninethirty by Awfully Chocolate seems to be part of a rebranding exercise by the brand. Other than the array of chocolatey desserts that has become synonymous with the Awfully Chocolate branding, ninethirty is offering a range of contemporary and local dishes that can go head to head with most cafes or bistros around.


Chicken Soup for the Soul

On first impression, ingredients looked pretty sparse for a $7.90 bowl of chicken soup with barely a few strands of noodles. But it was definitely flavourful, tinged with the oils from chicken. Server piping hot, it still gets a thumbs up from me as comfort food.

Finger Food of Choice

Shoestring fries might do little to bring out the quality of the potato, but the truffle oil and salt that went into the preparation of this finger food favourite definitely adds to its appeal and aroma.  It definitely came close to being "gone in sixty seconds" here.

THE Chocolate Ice Cream

An improvement to Loola's menu at ninethirty was the introduction of their ice cream. I stick to my earlier reviews of Awfully Chocolate's signature Hei 黑 as the chocolate ice cream to beat. Dark, velvety and intense, it was the perfect way to end my meal at ninethirty. 2 scoops are in this case, definitely better than 1.

ninethirty has been very enjoyable. Very much looking forward to my next visit.