Gotta say that the pies are Kemono’s strongest suit. The buttery, flaky pie crust is something that makes it stand out. I prefer the Wagyu Beef Shabu Shabu Pie for its tender, flavourful beef cubes and the shimeji mushrooms in a flavourful sauce.

Using hormone-free and antibiotic-free chicken that’s boiled for 12 hours, it results in a rich and nutritious soup that has gotten the consistency right. Although there’s no MSG, I wished they could add a little more salt and flavouring as it was a little bland for my palette.

500 grammes of goodness. Not for the faint hearted as lamb has a gamey flavour. But I say this is still within the flavour threshold for many. The ribs are well-seasoned with a blend of herbs and spices, and are perfectly cooked that the beautifully falls off the bone. So soft, tender and tasty.

If you aren’t a fan of fried chicken, then get some roasted chicken from @kemonochicken - a healthy Japanese chicken joint. Treat yourself to big, tender pieces of roast chicken leg or have a whole chicken if you have a village to feed. 🍗 Trust me, you gotta get the pies and lamb ribs when you’re ordering this. 🥧🐑

Huge pieces of fresh chicken leg that’s roasted to perfection. It’s tender, juicy and flavourful. While he cooking of the meat is on point, the seasoning could’ve been stronger. More herbs and spices would’ve made this a perfect this.

[Verdict: Terryfic 👍🏻] My obsession with yam is probably well documented. Naturally the Orh Blanc Tart ($8) from @patisserie.cle has piqued my curiosity for a very long time. It’s a cross breed between the traditional orh nee (yam paste) and French Mont Blanc.

Instead of chestnut paste, yam paste takes centerstage in this creation. Beneath the yam paste lies a light coconut cream, vanilla chantilly and candied gingko nuts.

All of these are encased in a buttery, crisp sable tart shell. It’s recommended to eat this on the day of purchase to fully enjoy the tart. Keep it for the next day and it becomes a little soft and dry.

What I enjoy about this is how smooth and fragrant the yam paste is. And being a recreation of the Teochew classic, there is neither that layer of oil that can be off putting to some nor the copious amount of sugar.

The absence of that off-putting bitter taste in the candied gingko is another plus point.

The end result is a tart that’s enjoyable and not cloying. A perfectly curated dessert for any occasion. It’s well-executed and I’m sure it’ll impress traditionalists too.

[Verdict: Terryfic 👍🏻] I love eating egg tarts. When I saw @microbakerykitchen Sourdough Egg Tart ($3.50), I told myself I’d get some to try since I can’t go to Hong Kong to try @bakehousehk ones any time soon. They are only available on the weekends in limited quantities. So get it if you see it.

At first glance it looks like any other Portuguese egg tart with that scorched top and puff pastry. But you’ll notice the difference once you bite into that thin, flaky, crispy crust. That mellow tang of sourdough in the pastry is just so welcoming that you’ll be so eager for a second bite.

They got it right with the egg custard. It’s smooth and supple that will get you yearning for more. So eggy yet not too cloying and sweet.

Nothing can beat the legendary Pasteis de Belem in Lisbon as that’s a class on its own. Nevertheless, I’ll have this again.

It’s been quite some time since I posted a review of our beloved national dish, chicken rice. Decided to go off the beaten track and give Lam Bee Restaurant chicken rice in MacPherson a try.

We had both the steamed chicken and roasted chicken (half and half) to share. The meal was about $31 for 3.

CHICKEN 🐓

Chickens here are relatively plump and each bird weighs about 2kg.

Roast chicken was relatively succulent and the meat pretty tender. This was better than the steamed chicken.

Steamed chicken had a beautiful exterior with the velvety looking skin. I felt the meat could’ve been a little more tender as it was on the dry side.

Had an egg cause I like boiled eggs with chicken rice.

RICE 🍚

While the rice was fluffy, it was unfortunately a little bland for my liking. The fragrance from the ginger and garlic were lacking, so was the rich flavour profile of the chicken stock.

CHILLI 🌶

Chilli was slightly spicy and tangy. Nothing to shout about.

SOUP 🍲

Soup lovers will enjoy their selection of Cantonese double boiled soups. We had the watercress and pork bone soup.

If you happen to be in MacPherson, you can give this a try but I won’t make my way out for it again.

One of the stalls that has the longest queue at Maxwell Food Centre is Fu Shun Shao La Mian Jia (01-71). Be enticed by the hanging display of roasted meat from the likes of char siew, roast duck, roasted pork and spare ribs. Have it with rice or noodles.

Char Siew - Thick, meaty cuts of char siew that are irresistible from afar. How can you not notice the glistening, caramelised char siew glaze that gives it that sweet savoury taste. A fairly good balance of fat and meat as I like fatty char siew.

The edges are slightly charred but not blackened that makes it great for those who dislike the burnt flavour. One good thing about this stall is that you can opt for either lean or fatty cuts of char siew.

Roasted Pork - For hawker standards, expect thicker than average slices of tender roasted pork belly. The crackling is super crispy and you can hear the crunch while chewing on it. Meat is fairly juicy but don’t expect it to be as good as Imperial Treasure’s. Pretty good for a weekday lunch if you’re back in office.

Roasted Duck - Beneath its slightly crispy skin lies a thin layer of fat and tender pieces of duck meat. A fairly good roasted duck that serves as a motivation for you to work harder in the afternoon.

Price - Starts from $3 a plate. A three meat combination (三拼饭) sets you aside $7.

The uncle is quite friendly and will make an effort to make some small talk with you. That may be why the queue moves rather slowly. But if you go at an off-peak timing, you wouldn’t need to wait too long.

Haven’t tried the wanton noodles before. Will make a mental note to try them next time.

One of the stalls that has the longest queue at Maxwell Food Centre is Fu Shun Shao La Mian Jia (01-71). Be enticed by the hanging display of roasted meat from the likes of char siew, roast duck, roasted pork and spare ribs. Have it with rice or noodles.

Char Siew - Thick, meaty cuts of char siew that are irresistible from afar. How can you not notice the glistening, caramelised char siew glaze that gives it that sweet savoury taste. A fairly good balance of fat and meat as I like fatty char siew.

The edges are slightly charred but not blackened that makes it great for those who dislike the burnt flavour. One good thing about this stall is that you can opt for either lean or fatty cuts of char siew.

Roasted Pork - For hawker standards, expect thicker than average slices of tender roasted pork belly. The crackling is super crispy and you can hear the crunch while chewing on it. Meat is fairly juicy but don’t expect it to be as good as Imperial Treasure’s. Pretty good for a weekday lunch if you’re back in office.

Roasted Duck - Beneath its slightly crispy skin lies a thin layer of fat and tender pieces of duck meat. A fairly good roasted duck that serves as a motivation for you to work harder in the afternoon.

Price - Starts from $3 a plate. A three meat combination (三拼饭) sets you aside $7.

The uncle is quite friendly and will make an effort to make some small talk with you. That may be why the queue moves rather slowly. But if you go at an off-peak timing, you wouldn’t need to wait too long.

Haven’t tried the wanton noodles before. Will make a mental note to try them next time.

Last December, Apiary collaborated with Bailey’s to offer ice cream flavours infused with Bailey’s Original Irish cream.

Charcoal Waffle ($6.50). Although I’ve been to Apiary on multiple occasions, this is my first time having their waffles. Surrounding the waffles, is homemade chocolate sauce and maple syrup.

Personally, I prefer my waffles to be more crispy than what’s served here. It was lacking in Apiary’s version. That aside, the waffles were soft and fluffy.

Bailey’s and Brownies (Premium Scoop). A great pairing of flavours theoretically. Bailey’s original Irish cream ice cream with homemade brownies. Love how they are so generous with the little soft, moist brownie bits that was prominently in every scoop.

However, the Irish cream taste was very faint. It’d be great if they were more generous with the amount of Bailey’s in the ice cream.

Bailey’s Cherry Cupcake (Premium Scoop). Bailey’s Red Velvet Cupcake with morello cherries and chocolate cupcakes. The fruity sweetness from the morello cherries were more prominent than the Bailey’s cream unfortunately.

Bailey’s Iced Chocolate ($7). At least I could taste the Bailey’s shot in this iced chocolate. Would’ve done it with coffee if we went earlier in the day.

So with every scoop of ice cream purchased, they are supposed to give you a Bailey’s drizzle cream. Unfortunately, it wasn’t served to me.

Have y’all gone to PIVOT for their desserts and tamago sando? Decided to drop by one day for a quick coffee and cake. And I ordered their bestseller OH! Gee Cha ($8.50) since it’s my first time here.

A houjicha mousse cake that’s light on taste. Beneath the mousse is a rather fluffy houjicha genoise. In the middle lies an Apple compote that adds a fruity element to the cake. It’s decorated with houjicha leaves and houjicha crumble.

I’m not a diehard houjicha fan but this wasn’t great. The roasted, earthy taste that’s typically associated with the roasted green tea was at best faint in the mousse and the genoise. The essence of vanilla from the light and sweet houjicha mousse was much more prominent.

Unfortunately, it’s the chunky apple cubes and added sweetness of the compote that stood out here. If they could make the houjicha flavour stronger, I would rate it a few notches higher.

How many of you love banh mi? The Vietnamese variant of the ubiquitous baguette, it’s usually filled with meat and vegetables of your choice. The humble Banh Mi Thit by Star Baguette in Geylang is one of the better places for banh mi in Singapore. And you can tell as it’s frequented by the local Vietnamese community.

A good banh mi is one that’s crispy and crusty on the outside while the inside is light, soft and airy. Banh Mi Thit hits all the right notes. When I took my first bite, I could feel the crunchy texture.

They make their banh mi from scratch and it’s evident as you’re greeted by the delicious aroma as you walk into the shop.

Choose from pork, ham, egg, beef and chicken. I had the ham banh mi which contained slices of ham and sliced pork belly. It’s slathered with a layer of pork liver pate (yum) and filled with coriander, pickled carrots and daikon, onions and chilli. A special seasoning sauce is drizzled on the ingredients to finish off.

My friend had the chicken banh mi.

Any variety sets you back $4.50. It’s extremely affordable for a pretty gourmet sandwich by Singapore standards. Top up $1 and you’ll get a drink including Vietnamese coffee.