Setting me back by $58, their Fremantle Octopus Zanzibar, Pumpkin, Fresh Tandoor Bread was a sizeable plate. Though it wouldn’t be my first choice for mains, the octopus was pretty well executed - plump, decently succulent and delightfully smoky as each bite seemed to be kissed by smoke. The pumpkin and tomatoes were gloriously sweet but while the Tandoor Bread was perfect to mop up all the savoury gravy, the dough came off as a tad too dry for me.

Moving to the Small Plates, the Kokoda Ceviche, Coconut, Passionfruit ($26) was a refreshing hit at the table. Wonderfully marinated, the raw fish cubes were served in a zingy, zesty salad (ft. cute cucamelons) and crispies on the side (not too sure if they were rice wafers or sago papad). The kinda Thai-style flavour with the mix of lime juice, lemongrass and coconut milk was amazing as the acidity of the lime was nicely balanced by the sweetness of the coconut as well as the aroma of the uniquely fruity passion fruit pulp.

Full house on a weekday afternoon; Magpie is drawing quite the buzzing lunch crowd with their playful, fresh menu in my opinion.

Starting strong with their snacks, their golden-brown Prawn Tostada, Tomato Fresca ($23) was a moreish combo made with generous plump prawns, ginger flower, prawn head mayo, and a house-fermented tomato salsa. A fun, Mexican-esque dish which resembles a perfectly fried spiced, tangy and umami prawn cake; best with a good squeeze of lime.

Turning up the heat was their Pugliese Burrata, Curried Brinjal Pickle ($34) topped with lots of fried onions. Bold flavours all around, the creamy burrata played second fiddle to the tender and tangy eggplant-based curried pickle, in my opinion. The punchy flavours of the Indian-style relish giving that oomph to the soft Italian cheese; creating a strangely familiar yet strikingly exotic dish.

Coffee Break with the colleagues, complete with Big Short Coffee’s current Spring 2025 menu!

No points for guessing what I got, because matcha items would always get my attention first. Hence, their Crema al Matcha ($9) was it for me. A decadent dessert in a cup with the slushie-like texture and balanced flavour of earthy matcha, sweet vanilla bean fragrance and delicate milky aroma. The crunchy coffee honeycomb toppings are the icing on the cake.

As a non-coffee drinker, I really enjoyed the Happy Harry ($8) as well. Love the gentle floral notes with the use of wildflowers rare honey, yummy red osmanthus jelly, layered with smooth blue pea flower cream and refreshing fresh coconut water as base. A thirst quencher to beat the heat~

Strawberry Souffle ($16) - Light and not overly eggy or sweet, the stack of soufflé pancakes was wonderfully fluffy. The cream was airy too and matched nicely with the sweet fresh strawberries and sauce. The popping bobas/toppings offered a fun touch as well with the added textures and flavour.

Slow Weekday Tea Break at Lantine!

[Yay, there was no queue on a late Thursday afternoon]

Rock Tea Roasted Milk Tea ($13.90) - Aromatic and deliciously balanced, the classic concoction came highly recommended and understandably so. And as one that usually orders hot milk tea, I enjoyed that their blend was none too sweet or milky. The signature roasted drink was also smooth and belly-warming.

Spring is upon us.

Back again for the second time; I am still amazed by their impeccable service and thoughtful menu. Na Oh’s latest 4-course prix fixe ($78) was a beautifully refined line-up. Still loving their signature starters, I enjoyed the silky Homemade Tofu with Aged Soy Sauce as well as the yummy (even better than I remembered) Buckwheat and Mugunji Jeon with their Salad of Today’s Harvested Lettuces immensely.

However, the final appetiser, which was the Ginseng Chicken Naengchae with Fresh Bamboo Shoot, and Minari was incredibly done. Think amazingly succulent poached chicken with savoury chilled pine nut sauce, crunchy sweet bamboo shoots. Charming, creamy and clean.

After which, diners can choose between three main courses from the ‘Jinjitsang’, each paired with delightful banchan (side dishes). I got the Spring Vegetable Bibimbap Cooked in Gamasot with Soup of Assorted Sprouts, served alongside Salted Pollock Roe and Sesame Leaf. And my mom got the Chilled Homemade Wheat Noodles with Crab and Brisket Beef Broth enriched with Soy Milk plated together Charcoal-Grilled Deodeok, Chonggak Kimchi.

A week’s worth of greens, the Bibimbap was so surprisingly good. Lots of textures and the spicy-sweet umami gochujang-based sauce tied everything together nicely. [Tau geh haters will not enjoy the soup with the set though.] As for the banchan, the marinated cucumber and lotus root coated in a blend of tofu, cashew nut and ‘ssuk’ Mugwort was lovely.

For dessert, the Misugaru and Cherry Ice Cream Sandwich was fragrant, nutty and tangy.

Starting at 8 am, their La Mananera ($10) was a satisfying number too. The breakfast arepa (flatbread/ cornmeal cake) made with sweet corn was so filling and superbly fragrant~ Layered with a soft omelette, sliced avocado and drizzled with a spicy sauce (like a sriracha mayo?). All in all, resembling a savoury-sweet corn pancake. You can also top-up $4 for a cuppa Colombian drip coffee.

Ah, I would want to try their Pan y Fiesta (Colombian-inspired pulled pork sandwich) next; available at lunch from 11 am.

I love myself a good bread and butter course at any restaurant so I knew I had to go to Boronas, a rather new Colombian bakery-kiosk at Asia Square Tower 1 which is helmed by @cheffernandoarevalo (also behind @latido.sg)!

And so I bagged the signature Pan de la Casa ($8/ pc, $22/ 3 pc) in the morning. Glazed and infused with fermented mushrooms, bacon fat and maple syrup; the famous rye bread was deliciously umami and soft. Even better when slapped with their butter.

And for the classic icy dessert, the Traditional Brown Sugar Boba & Taro Ball Snow ($5.90) was a safe choice with yam cubes, red beans, glass jelly, chewy sweet potato balls and fragrant brown sugar tapioca pearls. The ice is the coarse kind, but the ingredients were generally pretty yummy. Love the slight osmanthus flavour (perhaps it is from the syrup?) as well as the varying fun textures.

Despite the rather mixed reviews for their fairly viral Pistachio Paste ($8.60), Yuen Yeung’s vibrantly nutty bowl was enjoyable on a whole. Like what most have said, the consistency is not very paste-like and is a tad thin. However, moving past that and the price, the flavour was spot-on and the lighter viscosity made it less cloying as well as more palatable in my opinion. Warm, smooth, aromatic and rich. The salty crunch topping was a nice touch too.