I've walked past this cafe several times before but this is my first time trying out the food here. It's one of those Japanese parfait cafes that make beautifully colourful parfaits, pastries and drinks.A friend mentioned that she has been addicted to Matcha Latte recently and I was curious to find out what so good about it. The Matcha Latte you get here is quite different from the one you get at Starbucks. It's a lot creamier and the distinct bitterness of the Matcha is more pronounced. It is also less sweet which is great!They have this pastry called the Chocoro. It's basically a croissant with various types of cream filling in them - from custard to chocolate and even red bean. The chocolate cream was rather rich and not as sweet, and it paired up really well with the Matcha Latte.

A very interesting ice cream store that concocts your chosen ice cream flavor on the spot using liquid nitrogen!  



From liquid flavoring to ice cream in a matter of seconds, this is an interesting concept that kids will love! I tried the Hazelnut Cheese Cracker 

 

The ice cream came with chunky bits of crispy stuff in it which made for a nice texture. However, the hazelnut flavor wasn't that strong and I would have preferred a more pronounced nuttiness to it. 

Overall, it was great fun watching the 'scientist' concoct your ice cream and I would probably return again to try out their other flavors. 

Part of the Tung Lok Group of restaurants, and fronted by celebrity singer/songwriter Dick Lee, MAD: Modern Asian Diner is one of those restaurants you definitely would not want to miss out on. Cast in soft warm lighting, stepping into this restaurant at The Grandstand is like walking into an art gallery of sorts. Decked out in bold bright colours, the decor is definitely befitting of Dick Lee’s eclectic and flamboyant sense of style.

Marrying the best of both Asian and Western cuisine, MAD serves up a good variety of Chinese dim sum and also some Spanish tapas. And if you’re ever in need of a potent drink any time of the day just head on down to their bar counter, helmed by mixologist Kino Soh, for a cocktail or two. =DWell, I’m not exactly a teetotaler but I seldom drink alcoholic beverages in mid-day unless I’m on holiday lounging on the beaches of the Caribbean or something. So I decided to go for a kiddie mocktail instead – Pink Thyme Lemonade($4), which looks equally pretty but without the alcoholic kick. =P You can really taste the crushed up herbs in the drink and it makes for a refreshing beverage to chill down on a hot day.One of the interesting dim sum that caught my eye was the Black Angus Siew Mai 黑安格斯烧卖 ($6.20). Sadly, the novelty of putting black angus beef into a siew mai did not translate into a palate-pleasing dish. Its chewy and springy texture was quite an interesting take on a siew mai, but it was a little bit on the dry side.Is it just me being ignorant? But I seldom come across Deep-Fried Liu Sha Bao 炸流沙包 ($4.80). In fact, this was my first time trying a liu sha bao that has been deep fried instead of the usual steamed version. And I must say that it is OH-SO-GOOD! The fluffy insides encased in a crispy skin and oozing golden salted egg yolk lava was simply divine. Well, it was a little on the oily side, but there’s no harm in indulging in a sinful treat once in a while. =DEveryone has been raving about how good the Wagyu Beef Claypot Rice is, but I decided to try the Lobster Crispy Noodle 龙虾面 ($32) instead. The noodles were deep fried to a crisp and there is this distinct smokey and burnt flavour to it even though it doesn’t look burnt. Plus, the lobster meat was really fresh and prepared skillfully such that the meat is springy and just about right, not at all overcooked. My only gripe is that the gravy was way too salty and the noodles were a bit difficult to eat since it was displayed in a standing tower of sorts. They also threw in some seaweed on the side which adds a splendid “oceanic” tone to the dish.Overall my experience at MAD: Modern Asian Diner was a pretty good one. What’s not to like about a chic ambiance, fuss-free ordering via iPads and all that good booze? The service staff were also pretty friendly and showed us how to make our orders via the iPad step by step – he even brought over an additional iPad instead of having the 4 of us share just one single device. I would probably pop by again for happy hour if I get the chance!

For more food reviews, check out my blog at www.jerjerjer.com!

Chai Tow Kway (white) is probably one of the very few hawker food that I enjoy. There's just something about that fried egg, radish cake and cai poh combination that makes it so good! I got to try this chai tow kway at Singapore Food Festival and what's unique about it is that they even have strips of carrot in it - I think I've never ever seen that before in my chai tow kway.

People call it "carrot" cake, but it's usually just radish cake without any actual carrots in it. This version had a few strips of carrot inside which gives it quite a refreshing taste. Some would find this chai tow kway a bit bland, but I like it that way - not too oily, not too salty. I even had it twice at SFF!

I used to hang out at the NYDC branch in Holland Village during my secondary school days, but seldom go there anymore. Over the years, they have revamped their menu several times already but "The Meatball That Ate Manhattan" ($17.50) is one of their classic dishes that remained. The whole focus of this dish is the impressively huge meatball that sits on top of a bed of spaghetti. For its size, the meat was quite tender and well-cooked all the way through. The marinara sauce was pretty standard though. This outlet at Wheelock Place was pretty quiet on a weekday at lunchtime and an ideal place to have a nice quiet lunch.