Tao Kuro Special It’s been awhile since my last visit to Ippudo for their ramen. Was at River Valley area and decided to come here for some ramen craving. The Tao Kuro features a thick, chewy noodle; which you could choose the hardness. It is served in their original tonkotsu broth, topped with slices of pork belly chashu, flavoured black fungus, lots of spring onion and umami-dama (a special blend of miso paste and garlic oil).

Akamaru Shinaji ($16) Bought a chope voucher to try this at $9.90 nett. For tamago you would have to top up $3. Abit pricey. The noodle texture is great, but the soup is a bit salty. I would still prefer Santouka Shio for soup and Ichiran for best overall ramen.

Garlic-ky Yums!!! Taste: Garlic Pork Broth Ramen. The meat melted in my mouth and the wobbly egg just taste sooo good. Broth was rich and palatable. Simply yummy. Noodles were cooked to the right texture and hardness. Great combination of all the ingredients. Atmosphere: Clean and well-maintained store. Simple furnishing and soothing to the eyes. Service: Staff was very friendly and prompt to response. Food was served within 10 minutes. Great service! Price: ~$16 Where to find this place: Near UE Square

Just eat I personally don't support this outlet of the brand, but this was a treat so I won't grumble lol.

Pistachio - Rich nuttiness with a savoury earthiness although could be a bit dry, quite pricey and would prefer a little more sweetness to enhance its natural fragrance. [7.5/10]

Peanut - Very fragrant and densely packed with grounded nuts though I would have liked them to be less crushed for more crunchiness. [8/10]

Old School Dim Sum Old School Restaurant in Singapore with Pushcarte Dim Sum Location: Red Star Restaurant, 54 Chin Swee Rd, #07-23, Singapore 160054

Dim Sum Get teleported to Hong Kong when you visit Red Star Restaurant. Enjoy the 1980s push cart dim sum dining experience, which is uncommon nowadays. The food quality of the dim sum items was somewhat inconsistent. There were some hits and misses. However, the roasted duck ($16 for half) is unexpectedly delicious - crispy skin on the tender and moist meat that has almost no gamey taste. It was so good that we had to request a bowl of white rice. 😘 Ultimately, the fun was trying to catch the push cart auntie's attention or learn to "zap sang" (Cantonese term) - if she doesn't come to you, just go to her and get your dim sum! 🤣

Dim Sum Get teleported to Hong Kong when you visit Red Star Restaurant. Enjoy the 1980s push cart dim sum dining experience, which is uncommon nowadays. The food quality of the dim sum items was somewhat inconsistent. There were some hits and misses. However, the roasted duck ($16 for half) is unexpectedly delicious - crispy skin on the tender and moist meat that has almost no gamey taste. It was so good that we had to request a bowl of white rice. 😘 Ultimately, the fun was trying to catch the push cart auntie's attention or learn to "zap sang" (Cantonese term) - if she doesn't come to you, just go to her and get your dim sum! 🤣

Savoury waffles Stack of waffles with candied bacon 🥓 and a scoop of ice cream. Extremely indulgent start to the day. The waffles were crisp yet fluffy (thankfully) and therefore eased off some of the heaviness which would have came along with the candied bacon and ice cream (a lil’ too sweet for the morning!) Nevertheless, a good meal of savoury and sweet delights!

Ondeh ondeh hotcake [$15] After the descent of Earl grey charcoal hotcake, ondeh ondeh hotcake is back on the menu once again! ✨ Pandan flavoured hotcake embedded with salted coconut ricotta creme, topped with Pandan coconut gelato, sprinkled with toasted coconut flakes and served with a side of gula melaka sauce. A deconstructed and revamped version of the Peranakan kueh that we are all familiar with, the hotcake was soft, fluffy with a slightly crisp surface layer that carries off a lingering aromatic pandan essence and fragrance. The texture was done to an ideal perfection- soft, light and sufficiently moist 💖. Unfortunately the salted ricotta creme got outshone by the distinct Pandan essence, harbouring a negligible effect to the overall flavour unless you were to consume it in silo. The colour of the Pandan coconut gelato got me turned off initially with an artificial shade of neon green but fortunately the taste did not disappoint, a pleasant sweetness of coconut that was also refreshing though the texture could have been better if it was smoother and less icy. The toasted coconut flakes added a crisp, fibrous mouthfeel to the hotcake, a complimentary and perfect pairing to the hotcake, where the resemblance to ondeh ondeh kicks in. Unfortunately, this would not be available anymore, with the cease of operations at @artistrycafesg 👋🏻 . . . #burpple #smitteneats #smittenchoice

Peanut butter & Jelly French Toast [$15] . And so... today marks the end of @artistrycafesg ‘s service and operations 👋🏻😭. Apart from the brunch, one thing I would miss most is this French Toast that surprisingly far exceeded my expectations, officially one of the best I have ever had (apart from @sarabethsofficial that I tried in Taiwan). Had initially wanted to try it last weekend, but it was already sold out by 12pm😭. Came back on a Friday afternoon (and reserved this just in case) which certainly did not disappoint, to which both my dining and I enjoyed it truly, polishing it off in no time, although she doesn’t even have a sweet tooth in the first place, unlike me. The brioche toast soaked in spiced custard was soft, fluffy with a pillowy texture that is filled with peanut butter and raspberry jam. A nutty, roasted flavour and aroma coupled with a subtle tartness from the fruity jam, it was clearly a winning combination that surprisingly didn’t turn out to be overwhelming or saccharine as expected! 💖 Served with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream that was smooth, creamy with a fragrant milky flavour, the addition of the mixed berry coulis provided a tinge of acidity; a good counter balance to the other sweeter elements. Wouldn’t mind giving this a 2nd try... but unfortunately its extinction prohibited me from doing so 😭 . . . . #burpple #smitteneats #smittenchoice

Spaghetti with San Marzano Tomatoes and Oregano ($32++) Each portion of spaghetti is dressed with tomato extraction and olive oil and finished with confit tomato powder that uses at least 500g of San Marzano and Datterini tomatoes.

Silver Cod with Peperone Crusco and Mussels Velouté Tender Chilean sea bass sandwiching peperone crusco purée, and serves it with delicately sweet yellow capsicum cream and a mini red capsicum filled with creamy cod and potato. Finished with a luscious mussel pepata velouté. Location: Ocean Financial Centre, 10 Collyer Quay, Level 43, Singapore 049315

Zafferano, mark 10 years as an Italian restaurant for events ranging from corporate lunches to romantic dinners, weddings to champagne brunches, unveiled a fresh concept with a new name and interiors – Welcoming Altro Zafferano – ‘the other Zafferano’, Helmed by Executive Chef Andrea De Paolo diners can look forward for a new a la carte menu or a 4-course exploration for dinner (148++ per person ) and A 3-course weekday set lunch ($78++ per person) Feature : My choice of 4 course Exploration 💕Starters Oscietra Caviar, Sea Urchin Ice Cream, and Red Prawn Waffle. Yes, it’s an ice cream for starter, Umami sweet saltiness sea urchin served with Oscietra caviar from Poland and Mazara red prawn waffle filled with red prawn tartare. Garnished with fennel frond Supplement of $20 (with 15g caviar) 💕Pastas House-made Ravioli with Wagyu Beef Genovese and Anchovy Colatura thin and perfect Chewiness of House-made ravioli is filled with finely minced wagyu beef and served with onion molasses, Grana Padano fondue, and beef and onion consommé. Finished with Chitarra anchovy slices and microherbs. 💕Main Courses MBS 8-9 Yugo Wagyu Beef Striploin with Pizzaiola, Blue Foot Mushrooms, and Pink Garlic. Tender juicy Yugo wagyu beef striploin served with pizzaiola sauce, blue foot mushrooms, and garlic cream. Finished with beluga capers and beef jus. Supplement of $20 💕Dessert Amalfi Lemon, Pink Pepper, and Limoncello Perfect dessert for Lemon lovers, Amalfi lemon sponge cake with Amalfi lemon curd, Amalfi lemon pulp, and white chocolate chantilly. Served with limoncello granita. 💰$148++ 📍Altro Zafferano Ocean Financial Centre. 10 Collyer Quay Level 43 Singapore 049315

Satisfying Grub Kampong Pizza, 20++. BBQ chicken, mozzarella, peppers. Make sure you arrive with an appetite as you’ll be leaving with a full belly! Good service also. Truffle fries also hit the right spot.

Combo 36 Smoked salmon with poached eggs topped with hollandaise sauce served with hash brown, sauteed mushrooms, mix salad and a english muffin I really enjoyed what we ordered, and felt that everything went really well together. I especially liked the hash brown & sauteed mushrooms! The poached eggs were cooked really well too. They're running inside as you can see which I suppose is how poached eggs are supposed to be hahaha.

Truffle Fries @ The Tuckshop Price: S$10 Truffle fries are The One Ring to my Gollum. It's unarguably precious, and I get violent when people try to take it from me. Tuckshop's truffle fries are glorious - one of the best I've had so far.

Salted Egg Sweet Potato Fried sweet potato coated with salted egg mix! A must try!

Old School All The Way. Perhaps it’s the start of a new year but I was hit by a wave of nostalgia and thought of Oasis Taiwan Porridge, a Chinese restaurant TH and I used to frequent very regularly for suppers about two decades ago. This was during the time when it was located in Kallang - also in a round building and surrounded by water, just like it is now at Toa Payoh Gardens (and if you know what I’m talking about, I guess we’re about the same age 😂). Since there were just us two yesterday, I could only order most of our old favourites: Stirfried Szechuan Vegetable with Pork, Chye Por Omelette, Cold Silken Tofu in Soya Sauce with Century Egg and Pork Floss, Stirfried Beansprouts with Salted Fish, and Braised Pork. The highlight for me though, has always been their porridge which is cooked to the perfect consistency with sweet potato. And because it is served in a thermos container wheeled over on a trolley which stays by your table, it is still nice and warm when you help yourself to more later. Aside from the rather dry braised pork we encountered yesterday, the rest of the dishes were fine. Flavours tasted as old-school and robust as I recall. The food was still on the oily side (it’s like they never got the government’s memo to go healthier 😂) but it’s exactly why the clean-tasting porridge paired well with them I guess.

Cereal Chicken You know what is the best part of this dish? Which is you can eat without getting your hands dirty! Chicken was deep fried before stir frying in a pot with the cereal toppings.

Lovely Lamb-shoulder ($24) This dish was a really pleasant one and all the elements came together really well. The lamb was perfectly cooked; it was really tender. While there was a slight gamey-ness (only a tinge) to the lamb, we like this aspect of it. The pomegrenate really gave a nice pop to this dish and an added brightness. Finally, the quinoa nestled at the bottom of the plate soaked up all the juices from the lamb, and made for a great mouthful altogether. MUST ORDER💯

Satisfying Scotch-eggs ($12) We don’t believe this is a dish that’s served that commonly in Singapore, hence we decided to order it. While not perfect, it was a pretty satisfying dish overall. The sausage did not have too intense a flavor to it, and was thankfully not overdone. The chutney seemed to be the star of the show, with its acidity and bite giving good contrast to the dish. However, we don’t think a scotch egg can be called as such without a molten interior. Also, these were only warm when they arrived at our table, rather than being served piping hot. Can Order👍

Terrific Truffled croque monsieur ($20) Serving this on a slightly sweeter slice of bread (Pilsner loaf it seems) turned out to be an amazing decision by the Chef as it paired perfectly with the myriad of savoury toppings packed within. The gems inside the sandwich included pulled pork, prosciutto as well as tallegio cheese. This was our first time trying this cheese but it’s intense flavor and saltiness really went well with the bread. MUST ORDER💯

One for one dessert Around $20 for two desserts which can feed quite a lot of people. The desserts weren’t special but I guess worth coming by for the coffee and vibes of the place. A good place to chill if you had dinner nearby!

One for one coldbrew Am a fan of their white cold brew. One for one deal for this is pretty nice! Was able to use this coupon on a Sunday too.

Voucher limitation 1-1 cakes cannot be used on weekends. This rule is not found in T&C though.

Cosy corner along Lorong Kilat Patronised c&c thanks to Burpple 1 for 1 beverages. Undeniably the cups are huge but not something I would pay full price for. Pictured above are the hojicha and matcha lattes at approx $8 each at regular price. However, it’s worth considering if you are looking for a place to hang out as it is really peaceful.

nice ambience a cafe with good vibes! got an apple pie and some sausage roll. wasn’t anything spectacular but it’s good for its price point

Ok, with 1-for-1 Ordered 1-for-1 brunch, Big Breakfast and Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict. Big Breakfast: expected it to be better for the price, the toast was kinda hard to cut, bacon was slightly over fried and hard, the egg mushrooms and sausage were okay Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict: this was good, but sadly they ran out of brioche bread and I had to top up $3 for croissant