This is THE SUPREME breakfast from McDonald's loaded with scrambled eggs, my favourite McMuffin, 2 strips of chicken bacon and a hashbrown! I would almost always order an Ice Milo to go along with my breakfast at McDonald's. The Clementi outlet is usually packed with students mugging for their tests and even in the wee hours of the morning, you will see students queuing up to grab a bite before school. It's located right next to the bus terminals so it's rather convenient. The Breakfast Deluxe Supreme cost me $8 but if they had added pancakes to it too, then it would be the ULTIMATE Breakfast Deluxe Supreme!

I've been hearing a lot about BlackBall's Taiwanese desserts but this is my first time trying it out. I ordered the BlackBall Signature ($4.90) which is their specialty chin chow / grass jelly with a generous sampling of all the various toppings for you to try out. You can even choose between, cold, hot, warm or icy. I decided to go for the icy one since it was a rather hot day. Out of all the extra toppings that was included, I preferred the yam ball and golden sweet potato. The dessert wasn't too sweet as well which is good - definitely very refreshing on a hot evening.

Pinocchio is a cozy and fun Italian Gelato joint located at Star Vista mall. On weekdays the mall is rather quiet and filled mostly with students from the nearby schools like ACJC. Pinocchio's selection of gelato is quite wide and they have a lot of unique flavours like Fruity Paradise and also classic favourites like Rum & Raisin. I tried the Tiramisu + Rum & Raisin + Orange Chocolate. The gelato began melting really fast and the staff gave us a really huge serving, so it was practically dripping everywhere! The cafe is decorated with cute wooden Pinocchios everywhere which made it quite unique. Overall we enjoyed ourselves and will definitely come back here again.

Check out my blog for more photos: http://www.jerjerjer.com/italian-buffet-basilico-the-regent/

It’s been a very long time since I had a buffet. But I met up with my sis today for a feast at The Regent hotel’s Basilico Italian Restaurant. Even though I’m usually a very small eater, I couldn’t help myself from trying out almost everything that was on the menu.Their buffet spread that day wasn’t exactly your typical “Christmas Buffet Lunch” with roasted turkey and honey-glazed ham. Instead it was a gourmet Italian feast of succulent meats plus a stunning array of antipasti and sauces to choose from. The desserts, however, were more Christmas-y with a gingerbread house of cookies and a log cake.I’m more of a traditionalist when it comes to buffets. Meaning to say, that I usually like to start with feasting at the Salad bar / Antipasto section first. I find that greens are a really great way to whet your appetite for the indulgent feasting ahead. I particularly enjoyed the cold Mushroom Salad which had a variety of different mushrooms in it. The Artichoke Hearts had a sourness to it that also made it refreshingly palatable when paired with the rather bland Barley Salad. I also tried the huge Asparagus and Aubergine (eggplant as some people call it) which were both cooked really well and maintained their crunchy freshness.Next I attacked their meats! First I went for the Leg of Lamb at the carving station and also took a bunch of Grilled Veggies from Zucchini, Yellow Squash and more Aubergine. The leg of lamb was rather juicy and roasted to perfection. There was also a Grilled Tomato topped with shaved cheese. Even though it’s just tomato and cheese, I thought it looked soooo cute that I couldn’t resist not taking one. The Grilled Beef was also really tender, tasty and juicy but the Grilled Salmon was a little on the bland side. If there were a lemon butter sauce to go along with the salmon, then it would have been perfect! The Seafood Risotto was rather good too though I usually prefer my risotto to be more moist.I’m not really a Parma Ham person (you either like it, or you don’t). I had tried eating Parma Ham once before when I was in Milan for a holiday but didn’t really like the fermented, salty taste to it. Well, they did have quite a wide selection of cured and smoked ham with big slices of Melon but I opted for the Smoked Duck instead which was awesome! They are also quite well-known for their cheese selection and had 3 humongous wheels of cheese where you can fork out a block or two to go with the variety of interesting honey that they have, like Chili Honey (which was really quite spicy, according to my sister).Basilico also had a section filled with different Le Creuset pots with even more stewed meats hidden within! I had some of the Spicy Italian Sausages, Beef Meatballs, Chicken Stew and Seabass. And I also tried the Seafood Linguine which was really good. The pasta was cooked al-dente + the taste of the clams and prawns are like a seafood explosion in your mouth.To end of the feast, I had a scoop of Caffe Espresso Gelato topped with almond flakes. The coffee taste was really refreshing, especially after such an indulgent meal and the gelato was also really smooth. I also tried some of the Raspberry Gelato from my sis and it was just as good!

Overall, the food at Basilico was excellent and probably one of the better Italian restaurants around within the $50 – $70 per pax price range. The restaurant can accommodate over 200 people but I can only imagine how crowded the buffet stations will be with that many people around. The service was passable though the staff were not very attentive when we were trying to call for the bill.

Check out my blog for more photos: http://www.jerjerjer.com/italian-buffet-basilico-the-regent/

More delectable food reviews on my blog here: www.jerjerjer.com

Italian cuisine is my second favourite type of cuisine, next to Japanese food that is. And I was really glad that I had the chance to participate in a Food Tasting by OpenRice at Ristorante Pietrasanta (along Portsdown Road at Wessex Village and just next to Temasek Club). This restaurant is truly a hidden gem located in that area. You’ll need to do a bit of searching to find the place – exit AYE after North Bouna Vista, go past Temasek Club and you’ll see a forested area with low lying tin-roofed buildings. Here you’ll find a cluster of rather unique and interesting restaurants, similar to those you find at Dempsey Hill enclave.

The food tasting session began with a demonstration by Chef Alfredo Colle on how to make some Homemade Mozzarella Cheese.Apparently, this is the only Italian restaurant in Singapore that makes their own fresh Mozzarella cheese by hand. Look at just how stretchy that cheese can go. Mozzarella cheese is usually semi-soft and has high moisture content which makes it stringy and great for pizzas.The final product that comes from all that stretching, spinning and cutting is a ball of perfectly round cheese which is chewy and slightly rubbery in texture. Since the Mozzarella on its own does not have much of a taste, it was served with some Burrata – another type of Italian cheese made from a combination of Mozzarella and fresh cream to achieve a more flavourful and rich, creamy taste.We also had a basket of freshly baked Focaccia Bread to eat with the cheese. The bread also goes really well with some extra virgin olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.These Parma Ham Mozzarella Rolls are wrapped in more Mozzarella cheese and also has rocket leaves rolled up within it. The pungent taste of the rocket does not overpower the salty parma ham and I thought the combination went really well together. Both equally strong flavours rolled up into one and wrapped up in a rather tasteless cheese. Mmmmmm.. mamma mia~! How refreshing..After all that cheese, it’s time to dig into the main course! First we had some Fettuccine al Tartufo ($24.90) which is basically Fettuccini pasta cooked in a mushroom truffle sauce. It also had minced sausage meat in it which gives it a rather interesting texture. The truffle taste was quite strong too and since I love mushrooms, I really enjoyed this pasta! =DNext we had some Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli ($17.90) served with a butter and sage sauce. The thing I love about Italian cuisine is that it is very rich and flavourful but that also means that it can be rather fattening, especially when almost everything contains butter, cream and cheese. Well, I say eat first and worry about the calories later! =PThis is one of my favourites here – the Risotto Porcini ($23.90) with saffron and bone marrow. You’ll probably notice a few red strands in the sauce – those are the saffron which is one of the most costly spices available in the world. A few strands of saffron also has a coloring effect which turns the sauce into a deep orange colour. This dish is creamy, rich, and oh-so-very satisfying.We also got to sample some Mixed Sausages which turned out to be quite average end when compared to the many delectably rich pastas we just had.Doesn’t this piece of meat on a bone look impressive? Well, it’s a Lamb Shank ($28.90) with Chianti wine that has been braised for over 4 hours, such that its meat is tender enough to just fall off the bone. However, I felt that the tomato-based sauce was a little bit on the bland side for me. I would have preferred it to take on a stronger, saltier and richer flavour.I seldom associate fish with Italian cuisine, but here’s one on the menu – Grilled Lemon Sole. Fish, to me, is mainly about how fresh it is more than how it is cooked. The meat for this was fresh enough and also flavourful enough, but it’s not exactly the kind of dish you would think of ordering at an Italian Restaurant.

Finally, for my absolute favourite part of every meal; it’s dessert time!The Lemon Tart here is sour and refreshing enough to invigorate your senses, but at the same time the sourness is not too overpowering and well balanced out with the sweet meringue on top and tart pastry. Plus, it comes with a little bit of jam on the side too, if you’re not good with sour foods.And finally, the main star of the show is… Tiramisu! One of my all time favourite desserts. This Tiramisu reminds me of the one I used to get at Paragon (though the restaurant that sold it closed down a long time ago). It has really light mascarpone cheese and a rich, strong espresso coffee flavour to it. Though I would have liked my Tiramisu with a bit more Tia Maira liqueur in it to give it that extra kick! =P Still, this is one of the best Tiramisu I’ve tasted in a long time.

Overall, I really enjoyed the good Italian food and with the great company of other food bloggers as well. Here’s a big THANK YOU to Chef Alfredo Colle and Ristorante Pietrasanta for hosting us!