For more photos and review, please view http://thumbsforfood.blogspot.sg/2013/03/ikoi-japanese-restaurant-thumbsforfood.html

Ikoi has been around for very long. Just the mention of the name and I'm sure Japanese Buffet lovers will know where is it.

Having heard so much about its big name, I was thrilled to be able to finally try it out. The ala-carte buffet goes at $35++. So, I got to say it was really quite disappointing. You can check out our reviews on Irodori and Senki. I would still recommend Irodori over Ikoi.

Here are some of the dishes we ordered...The thing that is a must order is the mixed Sashimi Platter. Having heard that the sashimi is one of the freshest, I was disappointed. The meat of the fish was rather dry and was pretty rough in texture. The best thing would probably be the swordfish sashimi. But really, even the Salmon Sashimi did not taste fresh enough to make me crave for another plate. The tuna was really bad, it was quite fishy and tough.

Ikoi really lack variety. It's hard to pick which is my favorite dish from all the ones we tried. (Yes, we even ordered cherry tomatoes.) It's hard to pick because the food really tasted mediocre. If given a choice, I would choose Irodori anytime.

Overall, I really think it's not worth the money to dine there. Really can't figure out how Ikoi gained its popularity because the standard now really isn't impressive.

For full review and photos, please visit http://thumbsforfood.blogspot.sg/2013/03/ps-cafe-palais-renaissance-thumbsforfood.html

Stepping into P.S. Cafe Palais Renaissance makes one feel away from the hustle and bustle of Orchard and into a chic, classy cafe in the Colonial era.
Having heard so much about P.S. Cafe and its truffle fries, we decided to visit it during teatime on a weekend.

As you can see from the photos, P.S. Cafe at Renaissance has high ceilings and drawdown windows. The whole ambience is consistent to its theme from flooring to furniture.

As you step into the restaurant, you will be invited by a row of cakes on display. The display of cakes totally whet our appetites and make us want to try every cake that is on sale.

The highlight was the Shoestring Truffle Fries ($15). Being a huge fan of truffle fries, we were delighted to see a huge pile of fries atop the plate. It is best eaten immediately after it's served. The fries are golden brown and topped with cheese. I would prefer a little more cheese with it though. The truffle taste is not consistent throughout the whole dish as some parts had more truffle oil while others were rather bland. This is recommended for sharing! Not the best we tasted, but, reasonably priced we feel.

Sticky Lemon and Chewy Florentine Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream (about $10) was our choice for cake. The lemon flavor we felt, was not very strong. The sticky walnut and some preserved fruits was sweet and thus went well with the cake. The vanilla ice-cream accompanied the cake well. For those who want to try something different from P.S. Cafe, this cake would be a good choice! It goes well with some coffee and tea.

Overall, we really enjoyed the time in P.S. Cafe as we could really enjoy our teatime amidst a fairly nice and peaceful ambience. I guess when there's a crowd, the ambience might be different. We will be back to have tea sessions and try their other desserts!

Do take note that our rating is based on our food on the day and ambience.

For full review and photos, please visit http://thumbsforfood.blogspot.sg/2013/03/chef-d-table-chijmes-thumbsforfood.html

Chef D' Table is located in Chijmes. Chef D' Table offers modern European cuisine with Asian flavors infused in them. Having heard much positive reviews of the place, we were excited to try it out.

Dinner at Chef D'table was $35++ for restaurant week. You can upgrade your appetizer to Lobster Bisque at additional cost of $6++ as well as your main course for Angus beef rib-eye at additional $12++.

We ordered a Wasabi and soy marinated salmon. The salmon was marinated as we could taste the soy-sauce-like touch to the salmon. It was really nothing special. The whole dish lacked uniqueness and I was just quite disappointed.

For main courses, first up - the beef loin fillet. It was served with mash potato, topped with some crispy sweet potato slices and some asparagus. The sauce is thyme-scented red wine sauce. My friend like the beef as it was cooked quite well and not too tough. The red wine sauce went well with it. It's just that like any French food, the portion is small. I think this is probably the best main course amongst the 3 we tried.

The chocolate trio mousse cake has three layers of which the first is dark chocolate, then milk chocolate and finally white chocolate. Taste wise, nothing special about the cake. Being a dessert lover, I guess I was expecting more surprises and uniqueness. Sadly, it just wasn't there yet for me.

Overall, the food was mediocre. I guess I was expecting much more since there were many positive reviews online as well. Guess I would not be returning to Chef D' Table anytime soon.

For full review and photos, please visit http://thumbsforfood.blogspot.sg/2012/12/flock-cafe-tiong-bahru.html

Flock cafe is in the midst of Tiong Bahru. They serve up All-Day Breakfasts, salads and sandwiches. As they are still pretty new, I would recommend that you head over soon before the crowd gets there! I like the minimalist decor of the cafe although it would not fit the cosy criteria.

French Toast $8.9. My first reaction to ordering French Toast was: "What?! I can do it myself!" Yes, I am also a believer of eating what I can't do up at home. I was pleasantly surprised when it came! It was really nice and even with all the strawberries and bananas, it wasn't too sweet at all. Please try this when you are there [:

I was there for a short tea break and only managed to try these items! But, I would definitely be back again for more. Most importantly, I feel that they serve up food and coffee at pretty reasonable prices!

For full review and more photos, please visit http://thumbsforfood.blogspot.sg/2013/01/maccha-house-orchard-central.html

I guess the thing really is the price! Maccha House's green tea drinks and dishes are affordably priced. Also, there is no service charge since you need to place your order at the counter personally. It is indoors, open-concept, totally fuss-free environment. Besides green tea drink and desserts, they do serve ramen. Perhaps, I would try it next time.

We ordered a traditional green tea drink ($3.90) which came in a set with Shiratama. So, look at the table tag on top for the instructions on how to make traditional green tea. I got to say the green tea is really thick and have a bitter and dry after-taste due to it's thickness. If you're a green tea lover and would appreciate a cup of pure green tea, then this is the set you should try!

We tried the green tea ice-cream with Kanten Jelly and Shiratama ($6.80). It came with fruits and Azuki Red bean as well as a cup of Jasmine Green Tea. If you like your dessert to be sweeter, they have sweet sauce for you to add as well. The green tea ice-cream is nice and the combination with red bean was good. However, I did not feel that it was very different and unique. For the price, I guess it's really affordable.

For the price, I think I would be back to Maccha house!