The Wagyu Short Rib ($65) is probably one of the dishes that passes the eye test for luxury prices with flying colors, with a sleek glistening black facade that parts to show a gentle pink. Alas, it was tender but not as succulent as the hue would suggest, though it was beautifully punctuated with fatty parts to make it even more decadent along with magical rain of truffles and black sauce adding a strong depth of flavour.

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Seafood can be one of the trickiest ingredients to deal with, but this Swordtip Squid & Mussel ($27) was done perfectly.
It bounces back firmly but still retains a gentle bite but Rosemead’s use of green chilli harissa added a very distinct pep that complemented the seafood flavours deftly.

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The first cold dish for the night — a cold King Crab ($42) dish that’s sharply dressed in a finger lime and fermented chilli concoction.

Enjoyably luscious crab, though a bit more richness would help, that’s gently nudged flavour-wise by a creeping heat and gentle zest. A piquant introduction to the night at Rosemead but slightly pricey for the portion.

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The remainder of the spotlight fell squarely on the glistening surface of the 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘀 ($19). I couldn't be more besotted with the umami glaze made with mushroom, bacon, and kelp. However, the moist brioche is best esten when given a liberal smear of the stupidly flavour-loaded shiitake cultured butter that comes with it — simply a flavour bomb.

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We be California Dreamin' at this unique new modern restaurant opened by the Jigger & Pony group. We're not sure what California tastes like but Head Chef David Tang brings the warm embrace of his hometown in California to life using a behemothic wood-fired oven specially procured from the States.

Utilising the fiery embers of the oven, they managed to create some spectacular sharing plates such as the 𝗪𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗻 ($80) that's blanketed in a layer of velvety winter black truffles, while a stellar char embraced its soft, succulent flesh. The piece de resistance impresses you with with a gratuituous richness, which was then also elegantly dressed up by an aroma parade of opulent fungii laid atop, elevating the entire ensemble.

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The noodles, on the other hand, were very much just passable. You've got the most generic sauces and a decent noodle texture that wasn't particularly springy or soggy.

Don't be mistaken, they are simply a stall of soup savants masquerading as noodle peddlers.

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One of my favourite hawker gems closer to the north of SG — Ding Ji is a famous teochew noodle stall where the noodles aren't the actual star. Yep that's right, the real showstopper at this hawker is actually the soup that comes with their 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗹𝗲 ($5, $8 with fish maw)

Each bowl is an ocean of richness, a treasure trove of ingredients, and running your spoon through it is like churning up tidal waves brimming with indulgence. One moment there're sightings of soft gelatinous fish maw chunks. The next, wisps of umami seaweed swim onto your spoon. Eventually, you'd be slowly fishing out more and more well-cooked parts, like meatballs and pork liver, to never ending bewilderment.

But really, the essence of the soup is in itself — there's no greater warmth than slurping down the wholesome elixir, enriched from being clouded with porky particles while tinged with the vibrant sweetness of Goji berries.

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I've passed by the incessant queues at this ramen shop multiple times but didn't want to brave the crowd. But after biting the bullet, I've gotta say the sardine-loaded 𝗡𝗶𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘆𝘂 𝗥𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻 ($15) was well worth the wait.

While they're perhaps more known for their Tsukemen, I can't resist a piping hot Shoyu broth, which I generally prefer over the ubiquitous Tonkotsu. The massive flavour easily did justice to the myriad of sardines distilled as the essence of their signature concoction.

This had punch, complexity, and a nice clean richness that comfortingly warmed up the belly. More importantly, the chashu was the most tender I've found around SG — the adjective "melt-in-mouth" isn't an exaggeration because the fats simply dissolved blissfully when it touched the tongue.

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That said, the 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗻𝘁 ($3.50) wasn't to my exacting standards when it came to the iconic classic. While there was ample butteriness and a decent amount of flake, the dough was too chewy. However, I was told they're looking into increasing the number of folds — possibly yielding flakier batches in the future.

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French pastries galore at the bakery section of this new French bistro. You're in for a world of Pain with viennoiseries, baguettes, and all the carbs you'd need to satiate your lust for dough.

There are still some kinks since they're in their soft launch phase but the treats were decently enjoyable for the most part. For example, the 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 ($7.50) was a solid rendition that provided rich creamy bites, peppered with bacon and caramelized onions.

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To many, this stall at Golden Mile serves the best dry 𝗛𝗼𝗸𝗸𝗶𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝗲 ($5) in Singapore. Yes, they can be inconsistent but these retro flower-adorned plates have the potential to floor you with an astounding home run.

For starters, it's not easy to locate a good plate of dry-style Hokkien Mee. It's a different experience with how sapid seafood flavours are locked into each strand of moist, bouncy noodle — not gratuituously sloppy or borderline slimy, which the ubiquitous wet variety can be guilty of.

You won't find many plates rivalling this in satiating your appetite for rich, bold seafood flavours. The unbridled umami, the tasteful whiffs of smoke, the medley of chilli heat, and the complementary citrus twist — simply chef's kiss.

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I got a bigger surprise after a successful request for a swap where they strongly pushed for their 𝗣𝗶𝗻𝗮-𝗣𝗶𝗻𝗮 ($27). Let's forget the fact that it's a Hawaiian Pizza, I'm not a purist — the underlying problem here was much worse, it was with the lifeblood of pizza, the dough. When it's this flat, dense, and tediously chewy, it probably has about as many redeeming qualities as a Hawaiian Pizza bun from any random neighbourhood bakery. Simply a disaster class and I've got photographic evidence of how abysmal the dough is too.

I was informed by the front of house that the kitchen acknowledged both issues but the cooks' best measured response was "we don't know why it's like that either." That's without so much as taking a peek at the crust for themselves or to ask and understand more. I'd also been told by friends I was a victim of inconsistency, a recurring issue here. Alas, this level of outrageously undisciplined quality control is plain unacceptable for a place charging $30 a pop for pizza. It's not easy to draw out my inner Karen but the combination of atrocious dough and insipid hospitality left a horrid taste in my mouth.

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