There was only one reason why I entered CRAFT Bakery & Cafe... to try out the new Sugar app on my phone. It is one of those cafes that I found appearing to lack a character, it just looked very normal and a little dull. I guess I've been too pampered by fancy hipster cafes which haul bicycles onto tables. Oh well, but anyway I was curious about the functionality of the app so I did not care less about the frills, so I entered eagerly with a phone at hand, with $10 credits which I received upon my sign-up.

The Craft Sandwich was going at $9.60 on the Sugar app after I skimmed it, which was quite perfect for the credits I had stored inside my phone. For the post introducing the Sugar app, click here. The process of using the app was actually quite similar to using the taxi apps - very fuss-free and totally cashless. The Craft Sandwich's sugar immediately dissolved too, which made me realize that there's only one offer available to be claimed until they renew it again. However, after I finished buying the Craft Sandwich, I only had $0.40 left in my credits which meant I needed to top up my Sugar account. To be honest, that makes me very reluctant to use it again because I feel like the money stored in that account could potentially be left untouched for a long while and maybe even forgotten. If there was a way to use credits straight from my credit card without topping up, I'll feel a greater incentive to use the app.Back to the Craft Sandwich since this is supposed to be a food review as well: It was more like a waffle stuffed with bacon and salad. Cutting it was quite a challenge, and my fork met the plate more often than desired with violent clangs. Having said that, the waffle was quite crispy and the bacon was also not too tough to bite. The salad was surprisingly quite fresh and enjoyable though I still don't like vegetables. It was overall decent but nothing spectacular. I wished they could have a more exciting dish on the app to entice people for a second visit.

Perseverance is a virtue, and so I'm going to (in)directly compliment myself for actually trying to go to Sunday Folks for three times before successfully earning a table in this highly coveted ice-cream and waffles cafe. Moral of the story: don't bother going if you're thinking of dropping by anytime after 8pm because the queue will be too long. Perhaps at least in the near future. Now that we've gotten in after valiant efforts, let's find out if this superhyped waffle-ice-cream is really that good!I'm going straight down to comparing it with Creamier which has a strikingly similar concept with Sunday Folks. You can think of Sunday Folks as the more exuberant cousin of Creamier, located at a fancier neighbourhood flanked by The Butcher and Bistro Petit Salut (versus good ol' heartland Toa Payoh). The interior is a hybrid between the elegance of Artisan Boulangerie Co. and grungy look of most underfurnished hipster cafes. Let's get down to the waffles: A petit waffle (ie. one) with ice-cream goes at $8.80. The popular Instagram vote for the ice-cream flavour is pistachio, so pistachio it is. Sunday Folks' signature waffles come with a definitely fancier presentation with photogenic fruits and the beautiful twirl of my pistachio ice-cream, but beyond the presentation I would have to say I preferred Creamier's, or Wimbly Lu's. The pistachio ice-cream was way too sweet than I would prefer even though there were nicely roasted pistachio bits to enjoy. The waffles were similar to Creamier's standard - well, sister branches - Sunday Folks's held up better and did not turn soggy as fast as Creamier's., and is similarly more of the crispy sort. Overall, I would say Creamier is crammier and less fancy but go for its better deal. In fact, if you aren't in the mood for waffles but just drooling for ice-cream, Daily Scoop serves a wider variety - and you don't have to wait for a seat. Overhyped? Slightly, But it's not too bad, but definitely not over-the-top "excellent" or "best".More reviews: www.amiehu.com

There is a grim beauty in wandering during the monsoon season, with the pitter pattering of rain on the feet and the excellent excuse of some hot piping churros to go along. Why not, when it's such a perfect indulgence. A little walk around Holland Village makes for a liberating, destressing afternoon and then this caught my eye: Churrosity.Ten minutes later, a cup of $3.20 for a regular, personal serving of churros here resting on my hand. There are options of a generous drizzling of chocolate, honey, strawberry or dulce de leche. There is little surprise here as I chose chocolate. Finely crispy, piping hot and coated with coarse sugar and buttery goodness, churros are indeed gifts from the heaven. Good on its own and better with chocolate, a fine treat for tea break. Verdict on Churrosity or Spanish Doughnuts? Spanish Doughnuts does it more sophistication and better, but Churrosity is pretty good as well.

I think I've combed much of Westgate's casual dining spots that I thought I would try, on the first and second floor. Now I'm going basement... where most of the places are smaller-scale and really cozy. Tsukiji Men Don Tei was one of those that caught my eye because I was craving for something Japanese. It's a no-fuss, no service-charge (read: self-service), 20-mins meal sort of place, which is perfect for a pre-movie quick bite!There are days when my quick bites = a bowl of rice. You know, maybe it's an Asian thing, but I actually can crave for rice, or can't go a day without rice without feeling uncomfortable. And then it's probably a Southeast Asian thing, but I can't get enough of chicken. I'm just trying to justify my perpetual ordering of things similar to... Teriyaki Chicken Don. I wasn't expecting a lot from this, and probably that's why I wasn't disappointed as well. The only thing that is vaguely Japanese about this was the round rice grains and the bowl.. the rest of it was decent, the chicken was mildly well-flavoured and tender, though pretty inconsistent throughout, and the egg was a tad overcooked... but overall, it is still okay, I guess. For those who'd like to have beef, they have Gyu Don too. At this moment, Tsukiji Men Don Tei actually reminds me of Yoshinoya which I used to be crazy over. I guess that was where I fell in love with carrots for the first time because they are cut into such pretty shapes. Then I outgrew it when my appetite expanded into ravenous proportions (or did their bowls shrink?) and I never looked back. At Tsukiji's, their dons are much bigger than Yoshinoya and they are priced quite similarly. So... if you're looking for something that's somewhat Yoshinoya-sque, then you know where to go.

For more reviews: www.amiehu.com

I wanted to say that Restaurant HOME 家 would be perfect for Chinese New Year reunion dinners... but then again, why do we have to wait for only important occasions for an excuse to have a satisfying meal together? The best part of life is an aggregate of the most precious moments with our loved ones, especially those involving great food and the longgg conversations after finishing! Helmed by established Chef Tan Yong Hua, Restaurant HOME captures the essence of heartwarming dishes very well and had me feeling so blessed:As I entered, I found Restaurant HOME 家 to be spacious with comfortable distances between each table. There are also different sizes to accommodate both large and small groups. Instead of fancy interior design and furniture, the interior design's direction remains very down-to-earth, with semblance to a semi-traditional Chinese Singaporean home. The restaurant is also equipped with a washroom at the back.

I love to look at restaurants' walls of fame (which Restaurant HOME had at least two)! I had to look twice when I saw Hillary Clinton at the bottom row (third from left) standing together with Chef Tan Yong Hua - it felt so amazing to be able to enjoy the same dishes that this inspiring woman has tried. Amongst politicians, there are also many Mediacorp artistes as well.Despite the multiple accolades Chef Tan Yong Hua has acquired, he is extremely humble, kind, forthcoming in sharing his culinary tricks with us and even gamely posing for photos. Oh, I'm a fan already.There's something about blue porcelain patterns that remind me of family dinners. I can't be the only one thinking that, right? This attention to these details to ensuring an experience of family dinners is giving you no room to not feel all fuzzy inside.Indulging dining experiences at Chinese restaurants is best done with Peking Ducks. At Restaurant HOME 家, you can delight in Chef Tan's signature Barbecued Peking Duck with Lychee Wood 炭燒荔枝木北京烤鴨 ($68 - whole duck, $38 - half duck) which begins with crispy skin sliced from duck breast to be eaten with a hint of sugar in traditional Peking-style. In good ol' do-it-yourself Peking Duck traditions, we wrapped a slice of juicy, rich duck meat, classic julienned cucumbers with thick and mildly sweet plum hoisin sauce around thin Mandarin pancakes. Every wrap is very delicious and all savoured in sweet satisfaction. If you can't get enough of it, you can always opt for a second serving in which the same roast duck to be served in (1) soup, (2) wok-fried duck with ginger and onion or (3) deep-fried duck with dried chili, roasted minced garlic and capsicum pepper fine salt.A top-up of $10 is all it takes for this extra goodness. And so we went with the second serving: Deep-fried Duck 桥底避风塘鸭件 stir-fried with dried chili, roasted minced garlic, and capsicum pepper fine salt! Beautiful name and an immensely crispy bite to match, with little bursts of spiciness that would entice those who can't get enough of the roast duck... though I would say that nothing beats the original ;)Not the most photogenic dish but all that concentration went into making the Baked Marble Goby in Claypot with Chef Tan in-house Recipe 炭烧焗鼎锅笋壳 ($9/100gm) taste good. Bathed with an aromatic, light, rendolent sauce of lemongrass, Shaoxin wine, ginger, parsley, coupled with the tender yet textured fish... it's one of the better ones I've tasted in a long while. One of the more memorable dishes with its seemingly simple yet lovely consistency of the Homemade Egg Beancurd with Shrimp Paste, Crabmeat and Roe in Pi Pa Style 珊瑚琵琶豆腐 ($18). There are many layers to the dish, the more recognizable flavours are shrimp, prawn, water chestnut, mushrooms... it was beautiful. The beancurds were none of those store-bought generic ones, they are made with premium soybeans with a slightly rough texture. If you need a recommendation, this is it.The most photogenic dish but not exactly the easiest to eat.. some wrestling needed here with the Stewed Golden Noodles with Lobster and Spring Onions wrapped in O Ba Leaves 乌巴叶姜葱虾焖黄面 ($12.50/100gm)... but staying glam while eating is the least of your concerns if you're close enough to have such a fantastic dinner together. Served with a plate of egg noodles tossed with soya sauce, I would say that for the little meat I managed to wrung out from the lobster shells, they are very fresh and juicy, highly complementary with the seafood savoury sauce.Then we come to my absolutely favourite dish - the Old Cucumber Soup 老黄瓜汤($20) which I must emphasize heavily, boiled to perfection with sweet dates, candied dates (or jujubes, if you will), goji seeds, soft old cucumber and of course chunky meat to simmer with the soup for extra flavour. It's something if I go from disliking it to loving it, I guess. The pork was a bit tough to bite though. Tasting portion

The classic plating of Homemade Ramen with 8 Head Quality Amidori Abalone 8头网鲍拉面 ($26) involved springy ramen noodles and slippery with abalone sauce, with a luxurious portion of abalone which had a pleasing bite that I couldn't get enough of.Tasting portionTasting portion

I would mention both the Barbecued Duck with Lychee Wood and Crispy Roast Pork 干捞荔枝木烤鸭黄面 | 干捞烧腩仔鸭黄面 ($24) together, similarly styled and served with homemade noodles. The homemade noodles are reminiscent of wonton noodles in both taste and texture; the chilli on the other hand had fine touches of shrimp and a rather delayed but quite intense spicy aftertaste. Between the crispy roast pork and duck, I would have to go for the roast pork - but perhaps only because the original Barbecued Peking Duck with Lychee Wood has set the bars too high. The roast pork packed enjoyable fatty meat yet not being imposing, with a perfectly crispy skin that's painstakingly done with multiple steps in the kitchen.Allow me to rave about this a little, only because most Chinese restaurants neglect desserts quite a bit... but not here! This Chilled Rosella Flower Jelly with Diced Mango 洛神冻 ($6) is a refreshing, jelly-smooth sweet-sour treat that would be a charming end to a wonderful meal.But if you are a dessert-chomping monster like me, then you'll probably need another one... and for that I'll recommend the Chilled Japanese Pumpkin Puree with Black Glutinous Rice served in Pumpkin 金盅南瓜紫米露 ($10) which was exuberantly presented with a special Japanese pumpkin. The pumpkin puree tasted almost nothing like the regular pumpkin to be honest, the texture was more similar to coconut and curiously divine when paired together with the sticky black glutinous rice which was smooth and not grainy at all.

And of course, I had to get a picture with the MVP of the night - Chef Tan Yong Hua who came up with all the spectacular dishes for the night. If you would like to get a taste of his Signature Peking Duck with Lychee Wood, catch him at the Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014 on 22 November 2014. I enjoyed myself tremendously with such great food at Restaurant HOME 家 @ Rail Mall, and I'm sure you will too! For the complete full review & other exciting posts, follow my blog: www.amiehu.com