Dessert Hut 甜品小屋 - Traditional Tong Shui

I used to think of Chinese traditional desserts as plain sugary soups with (possibly) miserable portions of ingredients (I'm not kidding - have you ever tried red bean or green bean soup that's full of water but so little beans?) until I chanced upon Dessert Hut in Chinatown one day while out shopping with my husband and I have been savouring desserts that I never used to like since then.

Eggcurd ($1.80)

This is served cold and is extremely refreshing just like a chilled pudding. It is so light and smooth that it just slips down your throat. Don't even need to chew or bite into it. It doesn't taste very eggy even though its main ingredient is supposedly egg. It just reminds me of a Chinese version of custard pudding or creme brulee with sugar syrup. Bring on some caramel! It makes a great dessert on a hot day.

 Ah Boling with Peanut Soup ($2.50)

These chewy glutinous rice balls are filled with fragrant creamy black sesame. Though the peanuts are cooked soft and tender (and not mushy at all), they still maintain their original form.

Yam with Black Glutinous Rice ($2.80)

This is probably my top favourite on their menu. The yam is more liquefied (like a thick creamy soup) as compared to yam paste served in most Chinese restaurants. It is very smooth and I love how you can just slurp it down your throat. The thing I like best is its original flavour - that natural sweetness and fragrance. Surprisingly the black glutinous rice further brings out the flavour of the yam because it's chewy so it lends a different texture to this dessert. Perfect match indeed.

With numerous desserts to choose from, I'm sure you can find one you like!

Dessert Hut

101 Upper Cross Street

#02-48/58 People's Park Centre

Tel: 6533 1137

Website: http://www.desserthut.com.sg

Opens: 11.00am to 7.30pm daily

Banana Leaf Apolo - North & South Indian Food

One of my favourite places for fish head curry in Singapore will have to be The Banana Leaf Apolo at Race Course Road. This was recommended by my college mate almost a decade ago when we then brought one of our American lecturers here for dinner and since then I have fallen in love with its fish head curry and papadum (of which I didn't manage to take any pictures because we finished them off too quick!).

Restaurant interior

Specializing in both South & North Indian Cuisine

Basmati Briyani Rice

Rice (briyani or white rice) is free flow here so you can have as much as you want. Side veggie dishes are also provided. The thing I like about eating here is that you get a banana leaf on your plate and they will serve the rice and appetizers on top of the leaf. I do like the smell of banana leaf and somehow I feel the leaf lends this alluring fragrance to your food just like what it does for banana leaf nasi lemak. Anyway, forget about white rice and just go for the biryani rice. Very fragrant indeed and not soggy at all.

Mutton Masala

Definitely not for anyone who doesn't like oily, greasy stuffs because this dish is super oily. Probably that's what makes this so tasty. The gravy which you can pour over your rice is very good. The mutton pieces are tender and moist and do not have any strong gamey smell at all.

Tandoori Chicken

I have eaten better Tandoori Chicken at Shahi Maharani but I do like the strong charred taste of this. Unfortunately, I thought the meat was a little dry (mostly breast meat) and there was a lack of spices flavour.

Apolo Fish Head Curry

The leading dish of the entire meal. That's what we are here for. The gravy is spicy hot - shiok! Plenty of meat (despite being a middle size head - for 2-3 persons to share). Nicely cooked, not overdone at all. If I'm not wrong, this should be a red snapper fish. Whatever it is, it doesn't taste fishy at all which is good.

The Banana Leaf Apolo

54 Race Course Road

Tel: 6293 8682/5054

Website: http://www.thebananaleafapolo.com/

Opens: 12.00pm to 4.30pm, 6.30pm to 10.30pm daily

Gyoza no Ohsho 餃子の王将 @ Cuppage Plaza

One of my corporate gift vendors recently recommended me to a Japanese restaurant at Cuppage Plaza and I decided to head over to check out the restaurant until I spotted this small Japanese style Chinese food eatery at the side entrance area that was full house. While stealing a glance at the dishes that these customers had ordered, the smell of good old fried rice, gyozas and ramen in the air had deeply captivated me.

Salad $3

It looks like a very normal home-made type of salad but this is much better than I expected. There is a tinge of shoyu taste in the thousand island dressing, making it sweet, sour and salty at the same time. The potato mash is lovely; greens are crunchy. Definitely a good appetizer to start your meal with.

Gyoza $4 (6 pcs)

This is the pan-fried version. Plenty of juicy meat filling in them. Dip them in the chilli-vinegar dressing that the shop provides - simply yummy!

Age Gyoza $4 (6 pcs)

This deep fried version strongly surpasses the pan-fried ones in taste. I thought these would taste super oily and greasy but they turned out to be light and really crispy. A must-order!

Chahan (fried rice with pork) $8

This has become my all-time favourite fried rice now. Nothing fanciful - just fried rice with pork, egg and spring onions. Surprising thing is that the dish is so full of flavours. It reminds me of my granny's fried rice when she used to cook for me when I was little so this dish definitely brought back some childhood memories.

Stamina Ramen $14

A very standard bowl of ramen with plenty of cabbage and a few slices of chashu. Ramen is not their forte for sure as the broth doesn't taste natural like RamenPlay's one that is simmered with pork bones, etc.

Chukahan $11

This is similar to our local mui fan i.e. seafood and vegetables with gravy poured over rice. Very hearty portion I must say and it was served piping hot which I like. Taste wise, it's similar to what you get from most tze-char stalls so nothing amazing to rave about.

To enjoy wholesome Jap-style Chinese food at a lower fraction of the price in the heart of Orchard Road, this could be the next big thing in town. Try their gyozas, salad and fried rice. Simply yummy!

Gyoza no Ohsho

5 Koek Road

#01-10 Cuppage Plaza

Tel: 6735 7068

Website: http://www.sential.com.sg/ohsho.htm

Opens: 11.30am to 1.30am Mon to Sat, 12.30pm to 11.30pm Sun & PH

Lao Ban Soya Beancurd 老伴豆花

Original flavour ($1.50 each)

A colleague recently recommended me to Lao Ban Soya Beancurd when we headed to Old Airport Road Market and one taste of the beancurd completely changed my mindset about what this dessert is all about. Needless to say, I had been thinking of this since the last time I had it so my husband and I decided to just head down to Old Airport Road to get this. As always, the queue was super long and the more we should buy to make the half hour wait worthwhile. Of course we didn't regret making the long journey despite a rainy day. I had 4 bowls in a go - that's how good this is. And all worth every penny, every hassle.

Silky, smooth pudding. This is one beancurd you can't get elsewhere. There have been online debates going around saying that Lao Ban uses powder mix instead of authentic soya bean. Whether this is true or not, it really doesn't matter so long this is a tasty dessert and from the crowds and queues 24/7, does it even bother consumers? Even if it's powder mix, I must take my hat off to Lao Ban for coming up with such an innovative recipe and recreating it into something sensational.

The unique thing about this beancurd is the layer of 'skin' on top that somehow adds texture and flavour to the dessert. It reminds me of the steamed milk pudding from Yee Shun in Hong Kong. I did some reading and found out that the milk skin is created by heating up milk or in this instance, soy milk.

Just look at how smooth the texture is. Makes me want to gulp down a few more bowls. It isn't overly sweetened so you don't get sick easily from eating too much of it. My family enjoys this dessert as much as I do and you just have to try it to find out.

Lao Ban Soya Beancurd

51 Old Airport Road

#01-127 Old Airport Road Food Centre

Tel: 8181 0021

Website: https://www.facebook.com/Laobansoya

Opens: 11.30am to 8.00pm Tue to Sat, 1.00pm to 8.00pm on Sun

Spruce Restaurant | Bar | Bakery

Sunday is best spent with a good brunch coupled with a laid-back and tranquil setting. Given Singapore is such a concrete jungle, it is rather rare to find a place that fits the bill. I first heard of Spruce from a colleague and decided to head over for a lazy weekend brunch with my good friend.

Waiting area

A restaurant in the midst of greenery

Spruce is located at Phoenix Park, Tanglin Road where Ministry of Home Affairs and the Police Headquarters used to be. It makes me feel like I was somewhere else (out of Singapore) when I was in the restaurant. The area is serene and you can even hear the sounds of crickets in the quiet peace. Very relaxing and makes you feel close to nature. That's what makes dining here so special.

Spruce Eggs Benny $15

Corn Waffle, Back Bacon and Hollandaise Sauce. A perfect match in heaven. This would have to be my favourite dish for all that I have tried. The eggs are perfectly poached with the yolk still runny. The bacon is nicely pan fried and you can still chew the meat texture (unlike some places that serve overly fried and crispy bacon) - exactly how I like my bacon to be. The waffle is very fluffy and light and is even tasty on its own. Of course, the Hollandaise Sauce is also creamy and rich and goes perfectly well with the egg. Best way to eat this dish would be to combine all ingredients in one spoonful and chow that down. Yummy.

The Spruce Big Brekkie $18

A huge portion of scrambled eggs, bacon, German sausage, roasted tomato, roasted potato, mushrooms and Foccacia Toast. I'm a die hard fan of Foccacia bread so I'm extremely happy to see this being served on this big plate. The scrambled egg is a little too dry unfortunately but the sausage, bacon and mushrooms are delicious. For the eggs, you can choose scrambled, poached or sunny side up - I do appreciate these options given so you can mix and match your breakfast.

The Spruce British Brekkie $18

Again, another huge portion of 2 sunny side ups, bacon, Cumberland Sausage, baked beans, roasted tomato, mushrooms and Foccacia Toast. It is pretty similar to the Big Brekkie except that the sausage is different. I like the German one better than this though because it is crunchier and juicier.

Spruce Mac and Cheese $9

Probably the best Mac and Cheese I've ever had. The cheese sauce is extremely wet and creamy (more like beige colour than yellow) and is very different from the usual mac and cheese that is served in sticky golden yellow cheese sauce. This is like a casserole dish where breadcrumbs are sprinkled on top and then baked in oven. I like the crispy bits on top. Thumbs up!

Brioche French Toast $14

Another winning dish served with mascarpone cheese and peach jam. The toast is thick, fluffy and moist on the inside. The combination of the mascarpone and jam is delicious. Perfect ending to the entire meal.

Spent just under $120 for 3 persons including beverages - we had tea, latte and fresh grapefruit juice. I love how big the portions are so when these dishes are served, our whole table is filled with a variety of lip smacking breakfast foods. Very happy brunch indeed.

Note: Advanced reservations are recommended. This place can be packed!

Spruce Restaurant | Bar | Bakery

320 Tanglin Road

Phoenix Park

Tel: 6836 5528

Website: http://www.spruce.com.sg

Opens: 10.30am to 10.30pm Mon to Fri

8.30am to 4.00pm and 4.00pm to 10.30pm Sat to Sun

Garrett Gourmet Popcorn

Macadamia CaramelCrisp ($9.00 for small bag)

Who would ever expected popcorn to be that exquisite that this gourmet outlet would just spruce all over town in a flash? Every time I walk by a Garrett popcorn shop, I'd marvel at the long queue of people who are willing to pay a substantial amount of money for some corn kernels. Until one day, I couldn't resist the smell of popped corn, caramel and butter in the air that I told my husband, "We just have to grab one bag to try". We picked the macadamia one.

And the verdict? It is worth every penny we spent. Every freshly popped corn was well coated with the sweet caramel and coupled with a generous serving of macadamia nuts. The nuts came in halves and wholes, not just bits and pieces. This popcorn wasn't anything like what we could get at movie theatres. They came in chunks (stuck together due to the thick sticky caramel) and tasted really crispy and fresh. It's a addictive snack! Do note the caramel is very sweet and you can get a little sickly from eating too much but still, it's a must-try. Best snack for movie goers!

Garrett Popcorn Shop Locations

D'Rubinah South Indian/Thai Muslim Restaurant

My husband and I headed to Sembawang Shopping Centre for some late night shopping and was scouting the area for a supper fix when we came across this corner coffeeshop along a row of shophouses along Sembawang Road. It looked pretty busy and the fragrance of prata and briyani in the air was super enticing.

Bandung (rose syrup + water + evaporated milk, chilled with ice)

Mutton Briyani

Firstly, I must highly recommend the papadum crisp that was fried to perfection. Light and not greasy. The way to eat papadum with a briyani is to crack it into small bits and mix with the rice. The mutton was tender (no gamey smell at all - perfect!) and the gravy was so yummy - the spice, the curry and chilli powder/paste were all done nicely. The basmati rice grains remained separate, definitely not soggy and was full of spices fragrance. And of course the tangy achar was very appetizing as well.

If you happen to be in the North or living in the North, you know where to go when you're hungry in the middle of the night. Good news is, this place opens 24-hour, 24/7.

D'Rubinah Restaurant

592 Sembawang Road

Tel: 6752 9947

Opens: 24 hour daily