Ever since a recommendation from a friend of mine, Chili's has become my de-facto place for ribs.

First-time visitors would be taken by the stunning bright colours liberally splashed all throughout the restaurant interior, in sync with the vivacity that is Mexican culture. But whilst many would have quasedillas and tacos come to mind thinking of Mexican cuisine, they miss out upon the decadent ribs that Chili's has to offer.

Diners at Chili's can choose to either have their full-rack or half-rack ribs. For sharing between 2 pax or more, I'd recommend no less than a full rack - it's ribs after all and while they are as meaty as ribs get at Chili's, a 2-pax to 1 full rack ratio is much safer. No one goes hungry =D

Besides, a full rack can come with a choice of 2 flavours with Chili's Mix & Match Baby Racks. 2 half racks each glazed with your choice of flavour!Mixed & Match Baby Racks - $39

So far, I've been a Honey BBQ / Honey Chipotle kind of guy. I love how the honey sweetens the pork, and how it enhances the glaze atop the wood-grilled ribs. The Chipotle would just add another level of flavour to the already savoury ribs. Balance the greasy goodness with 2 choices of sides. Personally, I'd always opt to go with some starchy carbs: Overloaded Mash Potato, Chilli's own take of dry mash with crispy bits, and thick-cut fries that you just cannot go wrong with!

If you are ever stopping by Chili's, remember to give the ribs a go!

The hype surrounding the introduction of Tim Ho Wan in Singapore has been nothing short of tremendous. There are queues to match - nearly 2-hour long waiting periods at any time of the day. But in any case, it will be one of the rare few chances that one will be able to boast of Michelin-star dining without breaking the bank.

Be advised though that while it is fun to dine in numbers, it is not so fun to see smaller groups just pass you by in the queue when tables are available.

Tim Ho Wan is decked out like most dim sum places in Hong Kong, with rows of bamboo containers adorning the upper walls of the restaurant, setting the tone for a great dim sum feast. It is only relatively more posh and spacious. I say relatively because while it is an improvement by Hong Kong standards, diners will still stand a very high chance of getting bumped into by waiters making their way to tightly packed tables around the restaurant.

Food wise, it was an easy call. The 4 Heavenly Kings were must-tries. Baked Bun with BBQ Pork - $4.50
Served in plates of 3 and limited to just 1 plate per customer whether you are dining in, taking out or both, the Baked Buns with BBQ pork are by far the best dish in the menu. The light airy crust is unlike any other version of Char Siew Buns one can get locally and the crust itself actually tasted fragrant if u catch my drift, perfectly complementing the BBQ Pork filling. The main gripe: The filling was so sparse that looked more like a dash of flavouring than actual filling.Pan Fried Carrot Cake - $4.50 (3 slices)
The very common carrot cake takes on a new spin at Tim Ho Wan. Bits of Chinese sausage (lup cheong) and radish were interspersed throughout the carrot cake, giving the crispy fried cake that was already savoury additional flavour. Vermicelli Roll with Pork Liver - $5.50 (3 strips)
Colloquially known as Chee Cheong Fun and available with either Char Siew or Shrimp, the third Heavenly King offered a new choice of filling with pork liver instead. The pork liver did give additional 'bite' to the dish and a stronger flavour, but the Vermicelli Roll was just too thick and dry and the pork liver too little.

At the time of dining, the restaurant staff mentioned that the 4th Heavenly King, the Steamed Egg Cake, had already been sold out since quite early on in the day. Is it really that good? *Professional Foodie Curiosity*

Other dim sum that I ordered:Steamed Prawn Dumpling - $5.50 (4pcs)
A staple in almost any dim sum meal, the prawn dumplings were okay, but they didn't wow at that price point. The prawns were succulent but didn't taste very fresh and I personally thought that the translucent wheat dough skin was a tad too thick.Steamed Pork Dumpling with Shrimp - $5 (4pcs)
Aka Siew Mai, the pork dumplings were sad to say, pretty ordinary as well. You could give credit for the fresh ingredients but again, I wasn't dazzled as I would expect of a Michelin-starred restaurant. Deep Fried Bean Curd Skin Roll with Shrimp - $4 (6pcs)
While the Bean Curd Skin Roll wasn't evenly fried and crispy in places, it was still pretty much complementary to the mixed filling of pork and shrimp which even though was threadbare, still tasted very much savoury and left me wanting for more.Tonic Medlar and Osmanthus Petal Cake - $3.50 (3pcs)
The Osmanthus Petal Cake was pretty much integral to the hype and photos surrounding the introduction of Tim Ho Wan. One could very well say that it's one of the most picture-perfect ready dish of the restaurant. A professed carnivore, I wasn't really a fan of the flowery taste of the gelatinous cake as well as the strands of osmanthus strewn throughout the jellied cake. But I was the minority, so don't take my word for it.

All in all, my trip to Tim Ho Wan didn't quite live up to the high expectations generated from all that hype.
Is it worth a visit though? For the sensational Baked Buns with BBQ Pork I would! And now I can say that I have dined at a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Can you? =D

The number '18' in Eighteen Chefs bugged me for a while when I first visited the new restaurant at Cineleisure. I only saw 1 chef - Executive Chef, Benny making his rounds around the restaurant during my time there. If there were 18 chefs, it only stands to reason that , I wouldn't have had to wait 15mins for my order -.-

That aside, the restaurant was pretty chic, with tables resembling standard-issue primary school desks and menus kept in the space beneath. Nostalgic!

As usual, for a first visit to any restaurant without any prior recommendations from friends or family, I would always head straight for:
a. Signature Dishes / People's Choice
b. Anything that just appeals. Wildly.
In this case, the Heart Attack Fried Rice fits both criteria nicely.Heart Attack Fried Rice (1 pax) - $15.80
Juicy strips of beef beautifully seared, served with a side of butter garlic rice. Never mind the dark colour, the garlic rice is fragrant and savoury, just that it wasn't piping hot when served. And the beef! At the price point of $15, it is pretty rare to get beef at that thickness and grilled nicely such that the surface is lightly charred with a juicy midsection.

Tip: For a more picture-perfect dish, order the Heart Attack Fried Rice for 2. It's not just an increased portion, but also a significant improvement in plating as well. I was pretty dismal to see my neighbours eating from a stylish minimalistic wooden board while I was given a rustic metal dish =(

My conclusion: Eighteen Chefs is definitely worth a revisit. Next time, I'd be looking forward to design my own baked rice or pasta! 8 sauces, 13 ingredients and 12 toppings. I'm feeling like part of Eighteen Chefs already!

Disclaimer: I don't usually do food reviews for fast food. But I think this is very much worth the effort.

In 2012, when the movie Thor was screened, KFC launched their amazing, finger-lickin' Double Down burger. This year, with the upcoming Iron Man 3, they have gone and outdid themselves with the new and improved Double Down MAX.You can just see the effort that went into even the packaging, so much so that I felt like I was doing an unboxing for a new iPad.But the main focus, is still the burger. There are no buns. 2 pieces of crispy fried chicken sandwich savoury bacon strips along with golden hashbrown lightly drizzled with mayonnaise.

It's really "Om Nom Nom" and an orgasm in the mouth.

The combined texture and flavour explosion really wins my vote as burger of the moment. As much as I would say that we should all grab the chance to enjoy the burger during this promotional period, I should really warn of the extraordinary levels of sinful dining we are looking at with the Double Down Max. Potentially food coma inducing. LOL.

Going at $7.50 a meal with a side of mash potato/coleslaw and a small drink.
Enjoy!

Follow the hearts <3.

At Thai Accent at Vivo City, that is not so much a romantic notion as a very pragmatic way to approach your choice of dishes. The funky Thai restaurant offers a a sneak peak into the vibrant tastes of Thai cuisine with a simple yet tasty menu. Whilst there are dishes individually portioned with your choice of rice or 'nudles' (noodles), I would recommend ordering a la carte dishes with additional steamed rice for sharing if you are in a group. It's a chance at greater variety.

I ordered:Baked Honey Pork Ribs - $14.90
The pork ribs were so well braised that one can actually peel off the meat from the bones effortlessly. Soft and juicy at the same time, the sweet honey-glazed pork flavour was enhanced by the sauce flavoured with star anise.Tom Yum Soup (Single Serving) - $9.90
Well I have been to Thailand on a couple of occasions and Thai Accent's Tom Yum Soup has got nothing on the authentic flavours you might get at any stall in Bangkok. But the soup is still delightfully spicy with the distinctive heat and sourness that really whets the appetite. There's also quite a generous helping of seafood included in the single serving - prawns, squid etc. The amount of lemongrass might just be a tad overkill though.Stir-fried Asparagus with Prawns - $11.90
Personal recommendation for Thai Accent. This dish of asparagus and prawn totally wowed me. The crunchy asparagus paired off with succulent prawns was really good. And it was accentuated by a thick savoury consomme as a sauce which I drizzled liberally over my steamed rice as well.All in all a great meal that came up to about $20 per pax and the service was great! Very much like the warm hospitality you would expect at any native restaurant in Thailand. The waiters I think, kept an even more watchful eye on my glass of iced water than I did!