i love the al fresco mood Kichn has created for their cafe. it is situated in a quiet area, tucked away from the bustling streets outside, and is opened only after 5.30PM, when the air is cool and windy. the minimalistic white and pale wood decorations gave the cafe a very carefree vibe, and the smallness of the cafe made the dining experience very exclusive and private.

also, food eaten out of a box always seem much tastier, doesn't it?

i was here once a year ago and liked it very much but never found the opportunity to revisit until now. i wasn't very impressed with the food back then, i thought it was good, but not fantastic, but this time round, i loved everything i ordered! these were out of this world! the batter was light, and the squid fresh and just nicely cooked inside and out. the seasoning also gave the calamari a slight, not too overwhelming herby, salty taste. it's perfect eaten just on its own. i had the chicken roll with ham and cheese on my first visit, but still couldn't resist it this time round. the imagery from reading "chicken roll with ham and cheese" is too delicious and thankfully, it did not disappoint. the ham and chicken was just very slightly almost uncooked, just the way i like it, and the cheese was melty and oozy.

the pasta was cooked just right, and the cream sauce not too heavy, yet flavorful, unlike the 'campbell mushroom soup' kind of sauce that many restaurants serve. this combination was Lethal though, i was *so* stuffed.boyfriend had the portobello mushrooms with japanese rice and chili crab sauce. he thought it was pretty good, except that the mushrooms might be slightly over-grilled, and the japanese rice seemed to just be normal rice.

i'm really picky and unadventurous with my drinks so we went for the oreo blend, which was surprisingly really good. our bill came up to only $29, which i thought was very reasonable and value for money.

i remembered there used to be really bright, cheery little potted plants on each table though, which freshened up the entire cafe. they were a no-show this trip round. the ordering system has also turned entirely "self-service" with no clear indications what you should do once seated. however, the Kichn staff remains very sweet and compromising

i've been hankering to pop by for the longest time thanks to the numerous ravings on food blogs but was deterred by our lack of transport. i don't like to plan ahead either, and Riders Cafe only take reservations 2 days in advance.

i'm not sure why either, but so many places aren't open on Sundays and i had a major craving for brunch on this particular Sunday. thank god for Riders Cafe and for boyfriends with cars

although we didn't make any reservation and was SO hungry by 2PM and was running a risk of missing brunch completely(ends at 3PM), we decided to try our luck. as it turns out, luck was on our side and the wait didn't take more than 5 minutes.

imagine my utter dismay though, when i couldn't find pancakes on the menu! i love pancakes and their pancakes is one of the main reasons i'm here. we were told pancakes are only served during brunch on weekdays. well at least it hasn't been taken off the menu completely...

Riders Cafe definitely did not disappoint though! the place had this certain quietness, even with the place almost filled up with patrons and the many wait staff milling around(there's at least 10 or more...). the mood was really slow and calming, like you could just sit there with your companions whiling away your day off and not feel the city's stress. we really liked the food too. i went for the brioche french toast with burnt bananas and bacon while the very hungry boyfriend went for one of the lunch main options of almond fried chicken thingy lying on a bed of... cheesy mashy stuff.this wasn't so great. it just tasted like milo. plus points for attempting to decorate the sides of the glass with chocolate syrup though! although the french toast couldn't match up to those my grandmother used to make(who could!?), which was soft, eggy, but with crispy sides, Riders Cafe's version did well too. it was soft and chewy and went well with the maple syrup. the bacon was also how i liked mine cooked, just slightly crispy and not too burnt. the caramelized bananas were a tad too sweet though. boyfriend liked his dish very much, however it came in such a huge portion that even he couldn't finish it all off.

it was a pity we didn't manage to try their very raved about poached eggs and pancakes, but we are definitely coming back for more, on a weekday this time!

i was *really* excited to visit after chancing upon Antoinette's facebook page - i wanted to eat those cakes with those dainty little forks and plates, and i wanted to sit in those velvety soft armchairs and absorb all those pretty!it was a last minute decision to eat there (i'm insanely fickle...) for 'date night' with boyfriend, and after spending 1.5hours sitting in rush hour traffic, the most dreaded thing i wanted to hear was that they were 'fully reserved'. i wanted to burst out crying. ::: peers forlornly into the windows of restaurant:::

we did manage to take away a bit of Antoinette away with us though, in a gorgeous little box and paper bag. we got the Antoinette cake and the new Mango/Passionfruit cake. Both of them were mousse cakes, with a little layer of biscuit at the bottom for the chocolate cake, and a layer of cake at the bottom for the Mango/Passionfruit.a sort of 'sauce' (i think it's cherry) spills out when the red blob atop the Antoinette was poked apart. we could also taste a tinge of cherry in the thick chocolaty mousse. there was a darker, thicker chocolate mousse in the center of the cake. similarly, the mango/passionfruit cake had a very thick, refreshingly sour taste, and there was coconut mousse in the center. i would actually compare the cakes we had to those at K Ki. i'm not sure which *i* prefer, but boyfriend really likes those from Antoinette. guess we'll be heading back aplenty!

and if you, like me, have also always wondered how meringue tastes like - it tastes like cotton candy.

plus, i guess sharing some cakes together in the car is *sort of* really romantic =D

aside from the usual (and very delish) xiao long baos that are my absolute must-haves at din tai fung, i tried a bunch of other new and old dishes for the first time on a recent visit.

new and only available till 31st aug - steamed chili crab xiao long baosvery much like the original xiao long baos, except with a spicier, sweeter broth, but still as bursty, still with the thinnest of dough skin, and with an extra fat layer of thinly shredded spicy crab meat stacked on top of the pork meat.

this was at $6 per basket of 4. there's also a 15% discount with your dbs/posb card. very well worth it methinks.

new and also only available till 31st aug is this 'wu xia' man tou in anticipation of the upcoming movie. i was expecting a lot from this man tou the moment i glimpsed the promo on their website. there are 2 flavours - the black sesame, and the sweet potato - and you can't mix them, so we got the sweet potato. in my mind the man tou should ideally be really really soft and chewy, but it's just really plain and you can barely taste the sweet potato. it's not horrible, per se. just not fantastic. i really wouldn't recommend this. we've been having century eggs everywhere after tasting them on its own at hong kong on a recent trip. these were really good - the sauce was just nicely salty, the yolks were really thick and creamy, the ginger slices added a really nice tangy flavour to the dish - all that makes a century egg dish good.i didn't like these glutinous dumplings much. these were really thick and filling, and pretty bland as well.

apart from the queue at din tai fung which usually warrants at least a 20 minutes wait, the food, service and value are pretty ace. however, the shops nearby should serve as a pretty good time filler/distraction while waiting.

this is what i have for lunch on most work days - egg noodles with fried fish slices in milky based soup plus lots of their chili swirled in.

i don't really take milk so i was skeptical for a really long time, and never understood the appeal of condensed milk mixed in soup. then one day i was so sick of choosing what to eat so i told my boyfriend to just get me 'whatever'. first mouthful, and i was quickly sold.

we usually tapau this back to the office because it's suicide having soup in an unairconditioned kopitiam in Singapore's killer weather. and one of the best feelings in life is feeling the warmth of some hot and spicy soup spread through your whole body while sitting in the cold office, but especially so after it's just been raining out.

this is the best of all the fish head noodles i've tried so far. it's really really good - the fish slices are lightly fried outside, but very smooth and thick inside. i think the egg noodles plays a part in making the taste of the soup come out even better, because it just doesn't taste as good when i once replaced it with plain old beehoon. and i don't know what's in the chili, but it's pretty spicy (and it makes your breath stink), and it makes for a really nice complement to the dish.

the most unhealthy food really are the most delicious, for this must be the most unhealthy variation for a very healthy 'fish slice noodle' dish