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.

Food Republic is a nice enough place for meals. Slightly more on the pricey side, but it's air-conditioned, and food quality has so far been pretty well above what you might find at other food courts locally.

But I wouldn't have pegged it for a crowd puller. Which explained my surprise when I saw not just queues but loooong queues out side Koh Grill & Sushi Bar at Food Republic, Wisma Atria. And it wasn't a one-off phenomenon but a consistent sight especially during dinner time.

I decided to beat the crowd and try it for myself.
Foodie tip: Best time to avoid the hordes and long waiting times is around 11-1130 on weekdays. Got seated immediately and it was quite empty that the waitresses had the time to attend to us nearly exclusively.

My first guess about Koh Grill & Sushi Bar was wrong. It wasn't some super discounted $1 sashimi. In fact, it was about cheap food in town at all!

What I HadJapanese Fried Rice - $10
Very alike any seafood fried rice one might be able to get at a random zi char stall. Admittedly it did past the olfactory test when it was served, piping hot and smelling just awesome to whet the appetite for things to come.
But at $10?Beef Steak - $12
Definitely a letdown. The beef wasn't sufficiently thick to be enjoyable. Neither was it moist or juicy enough to warrant the $12 dollar price tag. Shiok!! Maki Gen 1 - $16.80
Star of the menu and small wonder. The cyborg sounding Shiok!! Maki Gen I actually packs quite a foodie-licious punch and is more than deserving of the 2 exclamation marks in its name. An assorted seafood maki, the signature dish has avocado, unagi and wrapped in rice with a tender piece of salmon draped on top, capped with seared cheese and fish roe. Ooh La La.

With hits and misses all round, it's questionable whether I would return to Koh Grill & Sushi Bar. I might if just for the Shiok!! Maki Gen II to test limits of shiokness, but definitely not if I have to queue.

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.

This review is so titled because Note di Sicilia really wows in more ways than one. Nestled in the cluster of restaurants and bars/pubs at Quayside Isle, the cafe first caught my eye with a chic array of neon-colored, lighted pedestal seats outside the cafe.

It was a total juxtaposition for the cafe interior - one can definitely feel the efforts made to recreate the ambience of an authentic Italian gelateria. Classy murals adorn the walls along the sitting area, and there's even a very traditional pushcart by the side to complete the feel.

Gelato wise, Note di Sicilia brings a lot more to the table as well. There's 3 broad categories available: 
1. Granita - fruit flavored ices with a slight granulated texture
2. Gelati - creamy flavoured ice creams made from fresh milk
3. Sorbetti - desserts made only from fruits and spring water

All 3 categories tasted very much different, I had the Pistachio from the Gelati range - the ice cream was silky smooth and the fragrance of the pistachio nut can literally be savoured with every mouthful. 

The other flavour I tried was the Coffee from the Granita family. Intense and slightly more on the bitter side, the coffee granita came across as a coffee slurpee with a very generous, concentrated dose(s) of espresso. Maybe because of the ice content, it melted way faster, but it was still some pretty passable iced coffee.

The Italian dessert experience would not have been complete without trying the Cannolo, a traditional Sicilian sweet treat of creamy ricotta stuffed in a crispy biscuit pipe and a healthy sprinkle of chocolate chips on both ends. It was definitely something new, the creamy ricotta tasted quite nice with the crunch of the biscuit, and the chocolate chips just added a touch of diversity to the overall flavour profile. The ricotta did get a tad cloying to the end as I hit the centre of the Cannolo without the chocolate chips.

The last surprise Note di Sicilia sprang on me came with the bill. There weren't any price tags displayed prominently, so I went into the cafe assuming the general price point of $6-7 a cup for gelato. The total bill I was presented with was $31.35; $8.50 for the Cannolo and $10 a cup for the gelato. Ouch.

It was indeed a nice place to hang out, the perfect ambience by the quay. But the price just stings for te unprepared. For chocolate lovers like me, I'd advise visiting the cafe earlier as the more popular flavours are usually sold out by 5-6pm.