Ah Chew Desserts

Lapping up a bowl of tong shui is the asian style of ending the day. A bowl of papaya in milk would do just fine for me, good and soothing to drink. Soft papaya chunks in sweet milk broth... hmmmm.


Hot Stewed Milk with Hawaiian Papaya


Barley, Gingko & Beancurd


Herbal jelly with Water Chestnuts

Marutama Ramen

A new ramen legend?

The small shop yet popular shop with its perpetually long queue meant a 20 minute wait before we got seated. But fluent japanese language from their chefs and waitresses set me on high expectations.


Dashimaki Tamago ($8)

This side dish which kick-started our meal was sure a promising one. 6 warm steaming cubes of rolled egg omelette came neatly presented, amazingly moist and packed with a sweetness from the dashi stock. Such delicacy didn't require much time for dad and i to finish.



Gyoza ($5)

On the other hand, the dumplings was less impressive probably due to the first outstanding one. I also preferred my gyozas pan-fried.



Marutama Ramen ($12)

I went for their classic Marutama Ra-men with the staple accompaniments- charsiew, aosa seaweed, spring onions- all except that seasoned egg i was hoping for. What struck me most was how the noodles here differed from others.

Cooked soft and smooth, i would say it was edible ramen not too bad but neither impressive. The thin strands in chicken stock was oddly akin to La Mian, highly subjective in my view so i wold avoid being too critical. If only there was a tamago egg.



Charsiew Ramen ($16)

Mum's meaty choice of 4 charsiew slabs came unevenly marinated with a high proportion of fats lined in between. Very tender meat though.


Aka Ramen ($15)

Dad sampled their Limited edition item. An exclusive broth concoction made based on five types of nuts, served with chicken meatballs a lemon wedge to excite things up.


To be honest i am not of praise for their ramen. With many other more worthy competitors around, a revisit would definitely not come too soon- especially with the current mad queues. It would be more worthwhile to attack better food in the surrounding area instead.

Ramen Marutama
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#03-90/91 The Central

The CaffeBar 3

One visit, two salmon dishes. A usual Cuisine Set for me while Dad went for an ala carte soup and main.


Cream of Broccoli Soup ($6.80)

My favourite veggie whipped into a healthy and inspiring broth.



Walnut Bread

We both enjoyed this crusty brown bread off the bread bar. Bit of walnuts were delightful.


Medallion of Salmon with Soy-Honey & Wasabi Sauce

My same old boring order. Clearly more generous cuts of salmon this time, holds to its firm shape and pleasantly less greasy. Even that bright green wasabi sauce was doubly potent to thrill into the nostrils. Yum.



Roulade of Salmon with Wild Rice ($19.80)

Dad's thick salmon chunk served over steaming hot wild rice. Looked more like black grains in a soupy broth to me.

I shall make it a point to try their other dishes the next time. Time for some change (:

Sizzling Pasta @ Pepper Lunch

A random decision of the Animal Family to lunch in here. Clarissa, Huiling & i took the chance to try their new item.


Salmon Cream Pasta ($9.80, with a drink)

Pasta on a hotplate sounds kind of bizarre. Only at Pepper Lunch you get spaghetti laced with raw salmon slices in the middle of bubbling cream. The pasta came soft with its sauce tasting like some cream soup out of the can.

But as long as salmon and black pepper is involved, everything would go fine for my tastebuds. Just to note: this is a periodical promotion.



Steak Sandwich ($4.80)

The dieting Sarah's lighter choice.

Pepper Lunch
391 Orchard Road
#B2-33 Ngee Ann City

Tea Cosy

After much anticipation, i finally stepped in with Xinya.




Every seating here was exclusive, from round to rectangles tables to cushioned or non-cushioned chairs... you pick what you like. We nonchalantly headed for the most eye-catching spot where i had the privilege to dine in a wagon carriage.

Talk about service. For such an exquisite place like this, i would certainly expect something good (especially where taitais make up most of their patrons). Initally skeptical of that aged indian man and young chap waiter, i was convinciingly proven wrong. We received friendly smiles, affable attitudes and initiative water re-filling.

Now for the food. The menu featured a variety of ala carte dishes (even foie gras), all promising but highly-priced. A sensible choice was the set lunch menu at $15.95 for a starter, main (pasta/sandwich) and dessert.


Homemade Creamy Mushroom Soup

Watery and diluted soup tasting of mushrooms with some garlic. Made it through tastewise but failed in texture.


Garden Greens with "Vietnamese" Dressing

Had a wonderful bunch of toasted almond bits hidden beneath and a sourish dressing packed with asian feel. A hard parmesan toast with clingy cheese came along.


Smoked Salmon Open Sandwich

I loved everything on this plate. Literally hamburger buns below sliced cucumbers, generous portions of smoked salmon and a sprinkle of dill. The coleslaw unusually consisted of broccoli and carrots bits tossed in a cocktail dressing. So hearty and appetising!



Pasta Arrabiatta with Fresh Prawns

If you are not the scandivanian tea time person, opt for the pasta. Fusilli accompanied with a generous serving of 5 deveined prawns.

The waiter then approached with two plates of mini cake sqaures, and meticulously he introduced each one to us.


Carrot Cake & Chocolate Marble Cake


Chocolate Fudge Cake & Peach Cheesecake

Particularly memorable was the carrot cake, a surprisingly addictive rendition of something never on my to-eat-list. I loved how the carrots, spices, sweet cheese topping and chunky walnuts fitted into a whole wonderful combination.

Also relished off the lovely chocolate marble and velvety cheesecake with much ease. Only that dryly burnt chocolate fudge failed to impress.


All in all, their cakes are really worth returning for!

Tea Cosy By Eclectic Attic
68 Orchard Road
#05-10 Plaza Singapura

Sun with Moon @ Central

A typical Sushi Tei setting. So much for paying astronomical prices without the exquisite ambience we get at Wheelock Place.

For dinner today both Dad & i had our rice fix.

They call it a Kamameshi. Their signature dish features seasoned rice in a heated pot, similar to claypot rice in our local context. An hour glass is turned upon serving and after a minute-countdown, you may remove the wooden lid and enjoy hot piping hot rice with rice crisps at the bottom. What a comforting dish.


Kani Dashi Tamago ($9)

We picked a starter off their special Hokkaido menu. Served warm over a mild gravy, this merely fared as an average tamago. Those tiny crab additions were costly yet redundantly untastable.



Salmon Kamameshi ($14.80)

Featuring salmon & salmon roe topped over a bed of savoury sticky rice. What a joy to savour these with a handful of broad bean, chestnut chunks & shredded egg mixed in. We happily scraped up to the very last delicious grain.



Tofu Cheesecake ($5)

Not to forget my classic dessert pick here. Although now a rampant find in a many Japanese restaurants, i would still trust them as the real McCoy. Its got a texture so exclusive... moist, light and citrusy. Close enough to a real tofu.


Sun with Moon Japanese Dining & Cafe
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#01-70/71/72
The Central @ Clarke Quay

Friends @ Chomp Chomp

No, not the food centre but down at Maju estate.

It was an unbelivable discovery made. Cassandra & i came to slurp the $11.90 Classic Set Lunch deal at this fine-dining restaurant. We entered into a cool black interior draped with classy cushioned seats, nice quiet ambience.

The set menu allows you to choose from a salad/soup, 3 mains choices, gourmet coffee/tea with a dessert of the day and complimentary lime juice. I was thrilled to hear the dessert was bread and butter pudding.


Tomato Soup

They first served us toasted baguette slices with butter and butter knives provided. Cassandra had soup which was ultra smooth with a slight sourish tang. Felt just like sipping on pasta sauce.


Australian Mesclun Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette


Glazed Pommery Honey Mustard Boneless Chicken Thigh

Eeks the meat showed reddish hints of an uncooked middle and was breaming with fats all over. Only enjoyable part for me had to be the mustard cause i loved those pleasant bits of pommery seeds. Garlic mash was tasty with a sauteed zucchini and onion slice.



Friends Fish & Chips

Nothing to rave, just a breaded thin piece of fish with some homemade tartar.

Then i had an awful disappointment when desserts were served. They ran out of bread & butter pudding!


Lemon & Rosemary Pudding

To worsen my mood, this wet and sticky replacement was far from appealing to me. The lemon taste was overkilling the rosemary and its gooey texture was pure displeasing.


Hot drinks came in standard cups. Tea for me and Cuppuccino for her.

Friends @ Chomp Chomp
1 Maju Ave
#01-01A Serangoon Garden Village
Sinagpore 556679

Cafe Swiss

Ever tried Swiss sandwiches? Well, at least i haven't.



At dinner here i stared into a menu full of unfamiliar breads... Rye "Buerli", White "Tessinerli", Zurcher Loaf. erm, hello mr strangers? Only after some assistance from the waiter did we manage to make our choices.

Dad grabbed a pre-designed sandwich off the list for convenience while i chose to assemble my own. Approrately picked my classic smoked salmon to go with Rye "Buerli" bread, rocket salad and tomatoes. Grain mustard as condiment, nothing too gimmicky.

The final product did surprise.


Rye "Buerli" with smoked salmon, rocket salad & tomatoes ($17)

I'll first pinpoint on the bread. Considering this is my first rye attempt, their rustic version sure gave me a fairly good impression. It was interestingly dense and hard with charred edges all-round.

Then for the salmon, they threw in a reasonable portion of shaved mild tasting ones. These probable home-smoked stuffs were well-sufficient to justify its hefty pricetag. Mustard was yums and those fresh corn chips with baby potato salad made suitable sides.



Honey-glazed Farmer Ham with tomato & gherkins on Rye "Buerli" and Fruit Chutney ($17)

Dad's chef selection sandwich (supposedly safer) took him aback as well. His version of rye came as three dainty balls connected together instead of typical flat slices. But because he prefers it crusty like that, it was conclusively an unregretted choice.


Warm Bitter Chocolate Fondant with Berries Compote ($11)

Our dessert took 15 minutes- a sign of it being freshly baked but with a slight letdown by the portion. This flat paltry thing was obviously insufficent to share but we still did so anyways. Surface was crusty with a tinge of molten middle and it passably beared the gist of bittersweetness.

And there was more to that vanilla-looking scoop. It offered little bits of granola-like crunch with a sharp harmonious sugar rushes tasting like nougat.


The total amount for our sandwiches and dessert hit just right for our feed at raffles voucher. I must say this was a good experience for us, having the most special sandwiches eaten. swiss style!

Cafe Swiss
2 Stamford Road
2F Swissotel the Stamford