Vietnamese cuisine has gained momentum in Singapore over the past few years, with many of their restaurants spouting all over the island. The more noticeable ones are those with Pho in their name or the famous Nam Nam. Pho Street has just expanded to their third outlet in Bugis.
Their spanking new interior decoration stretched into a huge space inside. There is plenty of seating area, so there should be no worries about waiting time even during meal times.
Their Vietnamese drip coffee is not an in-house concoction from a pre-mix packet... not sure if it is a temporary arrangement. The coffee was not impressive, but not expecting much since they already warned that it was a pre-mix.
I would normally love chicken skewers, but this is a little dry and the marination didn't go deep into the meat, rendering it almost tasteless. While I would say that it's edible (you know what that means), it has a lot of room for improvement. Oh well, at least it looks good.
The crab cakes were slightly better in terms of taste, on the savoury side. Its texture resembles minced meat, with slightly crunchy turnip bits inside. Other than that, it is quite a normal dish.
I guess Vietnamese dishes really aren't working for me... with experiences of overly oily pho noodles and shampoo-tasting lotus tea, I think I've lost quite a bit of faith in them. The next time I'll try Vietnamese cuisine is probably if I get to the country itself.

Jurong Point is easily my favourite shopping mall, no points for guessing why... but following the features on LENAS, Pizza Hut, Seoul Xpress, Old Town White Coffee, Benten Cafe and Ji De Chi... here's one restaurant of the local delights: Grandma's! This popular franchise popped up along the basement of this shopping mall in December 2013, and provides an awesome alternative for those who wants to eat the classic Singapore dishes yet don't want to brave the heat. Air-conditioned places and local fare have never given me a good impression together - you either get one or the other. Maybe Grandma's could change this deep-seated perception.
There is an ongoing promotion at Jurong Point - Spend a minimum of $8.90 on a bowl of noodles (a few choices available including Ipoh Kway Teow Soup, Dumpling Soup with Noodles, Chicken Noodles, Fish Noodles Soup) and get to buy their Chicken Rice at $1 (U.P $10.90)!

Once seated, a basket of keropok ($1.80) was presented on the table. I thought I only needed to fend against appetizers with hidden charges at dimsum restaurants, but I was wrong. Nevertheless, their keropok was really crispy - worth a try.
The Dumpling Soup with Noodles came in a minimalist white bowl with springy mee kia. What's more, their ingredients are extremely generous with four huge dumplings stuffed with prawns. Reminds me of how grandmothers always do that to feed the children well. A good place to invite foreign friends to try local cuisine without squeezing with the crowd. The whole bowl of noodles was really flavourful and I gobbled it up in no time.
Grandma's Signature Chicken Rice was surprisingly good. The rice was chicken-rice fragrant (though not soft enough to contend with Tian Tian's and the best of hawker centres) and sufficiently oily. The chicken on the other hand, met expectations for it to be tender and smooth. Although I wasn't a fan of chilli sauce, I had to try it - piquantly spicy and strong, this chilli sauce packs a bomb!
Some handmade Milo ($1.80) that was a little diluted and a little too sweet for my liking... oh well, the bar is set too high by my favourite Milo vans.

Have you been to Westgate? Probably yes, just like the rest of West Singapore. Assuming you are as blur as I am, you might have missed out B2 of Westgate. It's a whole yummy world that I've not discovered for the past 5 times I've been to this shopping mall. While it looks like JCube's B1, the choices at Westgate are much more exciting. One of them is Griddy Gourmet Waffles. Its menu is entirely waffle-inspired, but be rest assured that you won't just be chomping down waffles. The menu is neatly categorized into 5: Griddy Sandwiches, Griddy Plates, Griddy Fingers, Griddy Up and Griddy Desserts. Here are my picks for the Griddy Sandwiches!Stuffed generously with beef patty, mushrooms and savoury sauces, the signature Gourmet Ribs waffles is quite an innovative and delicious creation. The waffle exterior tasted more like burger bread, and not like the usual pandan-flavoured waffles you find at neighbourhood confectioneries. The one that truly caught my attention was the waffle fries, which came along with the burger. Initially I didn't think much about it because I don't like fried food, but it is really crispy, expertly salted to the right amount and tasty! If I could choose, I'd prefer this Aloha Hawaiian to the Gourmet Ribs. The teriyaki sauce drizzled within is more sweet than savoury. The chicken is succulent to every bite, though I wished it could be more tender. Next, we also tried the Griddy Up Set of a Classic Waffle + Drink! Not sure why they are using Pho Street's packaging... but the drink they had was Sjora orange juice, straight from the carton. I would say that this isn't a memorable dish, and they could do more to make it more exciting - perhaps add fruits, chocolate or other toppings. It's good to fill your stomach as a snack, I guess.From the Griddy Desserts section, my selection is S'mores Griddy! Looks sinful? Well, wait till you eat it... trust me, it's worth every calorie! I felt like leaping into marshmallow icy mountains with chocolate snow caps. It's great that the waffles are slightly warmed but yet the ice-cream melted quite slowly.I'm a closet fatty, I eat a lot and can't stop if there's food in front of me (very bad for health though). These Onion Rings are freshly deep fried and they are really tasty because (1) they are piping hot, (2) definitely did not reuse the cooking oil (3) super fragrant and golden-brown crunchy/crispy! It's rare that I'll ever praise fried food - because it's hard to get it right, but Griddy definitely nailed it.

My recommendation for Griddy Gourmet Waffles would be for its desserts and sides which I really enjoyed and found to be better than the average dining experience. You can head over if you're still feeling hungry after your main course elsewhere or a place to relax your legs after shopping.

Following its resounding success on Purvis Street and Far East Plaza, Saveur had just launched their third outlet at The Cathay - Concetto by Saveur. With their minimalist sleek look and down-to-earth, sincere service, this newspangled Italian restaurant has won my heart right from the beginning.

Italian? Instead of their usual specialty French cuisine, Concetto has an Italian twist to its dishes on the menu. Many attractive dishes on the menu without heavy price tags. Interestingly, they separated the different dishes into elements - Earth, Land, Seas, Light and Water. Tip: Order a few dishes to share with your fellow diners on the table so you can try a bit of each rather than have one on your own - as it might get a little overpowering in itself.Grilled Octopus
The grilled octopus was accompanied by anchovy dressing and fennel salad. A slight hint of tangy lemon and enticingly wasabi-like (minus the spicy), this appetizing dressing made the chewy octopus and salad pop into character. Lovely and recommended.Pumpkin Fagottini
Urban city has given a bad name to a this little bread parcel called fagottini. Drizzling a good dose of sweet sauce over creamy pumpkin, cheese and almond, this plate tasted more like a dessert than a main. A little confused, but nevertheless, it's a delightful try as pumpkin is once again, cooked to its best form. Rarely would I like pumpkin, but I give trust to the chefs here.Black Risotto
Risotto's got its black from squid ink. This is very thick, moist and gooey. A little on the salty side, I cannot imagine finishing this on my own - so share it for a good taste. The squids are very chewy and fresh, though slightly overpowered by the saltiness of the risotto itself.Tiramisu
A deconstructed tiramisu here, as Concetto/Saveur never fails to impress with their dessert presentation and flavours. The taste of rum is almost non-existent, which may or may not be a good thing depending on your preference. The sweet chocolate flakes make it look so grand. And the whole thing is edible, so dig in.Concetto also has their own herbs garden, and prides itself for being eco-friendly. A wonderful experience here. Situated at where Billy Bombers was, Concetto is easily spotted from the outside of The Cathay.

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Delightful pastries for lunch, cest génial. This little gem of a cafe, Artisan Boulangerie Compagnie specializes in everything bread, dough and exquisite. With 50 different varieties are available to choose from, be ready to be dazzled and spoilt for choice. Just look at that, I'm sold! Plain Croissant - $2.80
While it appears less fanciful than its fellow croissant counterparts like the Sweet Ricotta Croissant, this crispy bread crust modestly took my breath away upon the first bite. The buttery fragrance wafted into my system even before I started eating. Lovely to the last mouthful.Portobello Sandwich - $9.80
Impressive in terms of taste, this sandwich bundles rich juicy flavours of cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms and sauce together with its soft bread. While it appears small on the plate, it is actually very filling.Salmon and Dill Quiche - $6
Quite a delightful pastry that I enjoyed. The salmon is adequately savoury and the bread tasted really fresh from the oven. Loved it and wish I could have a bigger appetite so I could try more!

Comfortable, relaxing and private setting for your meals, and it can be considered affordable as most of the pastries are less than $10! Share a few with your friends and you can have both variety and keep your wallet in check. I'm definitely coming back for a second round to try out other pastries.

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