PS. Cafe, Harding Road

We decided to stop by at PS cafe for some dessert after our dinner. We had to wait about 20 minutes for a seat at around 10pm on a Saturday night, which was understandable as we did not make prior reservations.

Double Chocolate Blackout Cake
$14.90

 

The Double Chocolate Blackout Cake was a wonderfully intensive dark chocolate cake drenched in rich chocolate sauce and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The only thing is that the cake was so rich that it became a little too overwhelming when we were a third through the cake.



PS Profiteroles
$16

 

PS Profiteroles, choux pastry puffs filled with balls of vanilla bean ice cream and topped with chocolate sauce. The profiteroles were rather average, the pastry was rather soggy and the vanilla ice cream was definitely below standards.

The dessert portions are huge, but not worth the price tag, if you ask me. The ambience is wonderful though. I'd say, stick to the dinner menu.


PS. Cafe
28B Harding Road, Singapore
T:(+65) 6479 3343

Real Food, The Central

Real Food is a healthy lifestyle cafe, located at the Basement of The Central Mall at Clarke Quay. A heaven for health enthusiasts and vegetarians, the cafe prides itself as being free from processed food, additives, unnatural preservatives and Trans-fat.  

Entrance of Real Food



Food counter

Stocked with healthy food products

Spacious interior



Health magazines available for browsing



Stuffed Veggie Salad

$12.80

Stuffed Veggie ($12.80) is a wheat/gluten free salad with organic capsicum stuffed with a homemade patty made from grated beetroot, carrots, mashed potatoes, onions, millet and fresh parsley. The salad comprises of fresh greens, lemon slices, tomatoes, baby radishes and avocado slices. The star of the dish is really the stuffed capsicum, with the excellent filling that was savory and offered pure delight. Portion was large for the salad and the greens were fresh.



Dumping Noodles Dry
$8.80

The Dumping Noodles Dry ($8.80) comprises of unique handmade dumplings, organic brown rice Udon with green leafy vegetables and cherry tomatoes. The handmade dumplings contained at least ten ingredients and the various textures and flavours of the vegetables made the dumpling an excellent one. The noodles were simple but splendid and went very well with the garlic chilli sauce. A healthy and wonderful dish that leaves you feeling satisfied at the end of the meal.



Blueberries and Banana French Toast
$7.80

The Blueberries and Banana French Toast ($7.80) is an artisan egg toast with bananas and blueberries topped with a drizzle of organic raw honey. You can choose to top it with homemade organic lemon curd at an additional cost (+$1.50). You could find bananas sandwiched between the two slabs of nicely buttered egg toast. Probably a healthier rendition of a French Toast, this dish would make a great breakfast option.



Freshly brewed Organic Coffee
$4.00

Freshly brewed Organic Coffee ($4.00), made with fair trade organic coffee beans.



Banana + Berries
$7.80

Banana + Berries ($7.80) was a blend of organic bananas, fresh berries, organic soymilk, agave and chia seeds. While we liked the fact that the smoothie contained soley the fresh ingredients with no additional addictives or sugar, we wished the portion was larger. We loved the additional crunch that the Chia Seeds offered to the drink. A lovely drink to finish off the meal.

I really enjoyed dining at Real Food, the dishes were interesting and in fact, it did not occur to me that the menu was meat free. I love the food concept and the healthy approach to their dishes, while maintaining the dishes at affordable prices. We'd be back!

Real Food
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
The Central #B1-52/53
Singapore 059817
T: +65 62244492

110 Killiney Road
Singapore 239549
T: +65 67379516 

Little Diner, Bukit Timah

 

The newly opened New York style restaurant was bustling with diners when we arrived at around 7pm on a Saturday night. We were thankful that we made reservations as most of the seats were taken up or reserved by the time we arrived.

 



 

 The restaurant's interior is very basic with plain walls and basic furniture, but the lively chatter around the place offered a rather relaxing ambience for good night's out with friends.



Rosario's Fried Risotto Balls
$10.50

For starters, we had one of Little Diner's chef's specials, the Rosario's Fried Risotto Balls, served with Mozzarella, tomato coulis and basil pesto. 

 

The Risotto balls were fried to a golden crisp exterior, revealing beads of fragrant grains on the inside. The tomato coulis was almost non existent but it was not an issue as the risotto balls were good on thier own.



Coney Island Flash Fried Calamari
$13.50

The Coney Island Flash Fried Calamari was light on the palate and I like the fact that the golden rings were not dripping in oil or overly greasy. I would have appreciated a little more seasoning to the batter but I suppose that could be rectified by dipping the rings into the mayo sauce provided.



350g Beef Tenderloin with mushroom crust wrapped with bacon
$30

 The 350g Beef Tenderloin with mushroom curst wrapped with bacon was nicely prepared to medium doneness and the dish was excellent. The beef was juicy and succulent and went well with the sliced bacon and savory mushroom crust. This dish was a daily special and is not currently on the menu.



 Baked Salmon Fillet$22.50

Another daily special on the menu is the Baked Salmon Fillet was served with crabmeat polenta, and saffron beurre blanc sauce. Unlike the previous dish, this dish was ordinary and hardly outstanding. The polenta was quite a letdown with the crabmeat being almost non-existent.



The Midtown Beef Burger
$18

The Midtown Beef Burger was served with caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and handcut fries. Another Chef's special on the menu, you could add bacon ($2) and fried egg ($1.50) to your burger to additional goodness. The serving is huge and would make a good hearty meal.



Chocolate pots de creme
$8

The Chocolate pots de creme was served with whipped cream and served cold. The dish resembled very much like strong milo chocolate mousse and I would imagine it being a hit with chocolate lovers.

Service was wonderful, the staff were friendly and it's pretty much a good place to chill out for dinner.

Little Diner
789 Bukit Tmah Road, Singapore

Tel: +65 6466 4088

Dean & Deluca, Orchard Central

A well known America-based gourmey groccery and artisan bakery, Dean & Deluca opened end June this year to much fanfare and hype. Given its fairly limited seating, we put off visiting the place until two months later, hoping that the initial hype and interest has more or less died.

Entrance of Dean & Deluca at Orchard Central



Bread counter at the entrance



Grocceries

Upon entering the premises, we were greeted by rows of interesting groccery products including Dean & Deluca house brand products like jam, olive oil and coffee.


Food counter



Bread counter

Some of their bread selection is sourced from some of the popular bakeries like Bread Project, Bakers & Co., Maison Kyser.

It was fairly crowded when we arrived and understandably so, as it was noon on a Saturday afternoon. Fortunately, we manage to secure a seat almost immediately and proceded with our orders over at the counter.

Popular items on the menu are the Berries and Flap Jacks, oat and honey buttermilk pancakes with fresh berries ($18), Eggs Iberico, two poached eggs with sauteed mushrooms, iberico ham and hollandaise sauce on tomato bread ($25), and The Belgian Stack, comprising of home made waffles with berries and creme ($21).

We were in the mood for some non-breakfast items and we opted for the items over at the food counter.


Do take note of your table number as you would need it when you place your order.





The Pan-seared Salmon
 $12

The Pan-seared Salmon ($12) was accompanied with a small mesclun salad. The fish was nicely seared to a crisp and moist fish that was good on it's own without additional sauce. I thought the dish was rather value for money and we spotted a number of patrons ordering this dish as well.

Haricot Vert Almondine
$8.50/kg

We opted for the Haricot Vert Almondine ($8.50/kg) as a side. What you see in the picture was about 300g, which was sufficient for two people. The french beans were delish and we enjoyed it.



Prawn, Avocado and Mango salad
$22.50/whole, $11.25/half portion

The Prawn, Avocado and Mango salad ($22.50/whole, $11.25/half portion) was quite a visual feast with its wonderful composition of colours. Comprising of fresh Crystal bay prawns with mesclun salad leaves, sweet mango, avocado, zucchini ribbons, vine ripened cherry tomatoes, citrus cilantro vinaigrette, it was a light and refreshing salad. We found the mangoes delectably sweet, the prawns were fresh and the portion was quite substantial. The dressing of the salad could be improved though, it didn't seem to go very well with the greens.

 

Grilled Ancho Chicken Breast
$8

Grilled Ancho Chicken Breast ($8) was fairly large in portion. The chicken did not come across as being particularly fresh and the sides of the chicken were rather tough, probably through the re-heating process. Not the best grilled chicken, but it's pretty value for money, if you ask me.



Mango Yoghurt Drink

 The Mango drink had a strong Yakault taste, but I thought it was rather refreshing as the sweetness of the mango was subtle and not too overwhelming.



Coffee

No better way to end off the meal with a cup of coffee in the afternoon.

Not the best ambience with its budget looking tables and chairs that resembled a food court setting, but probably a good place for casual Brunch. We'd go for the breakfast items the next time round.

Dean & Deluca
181 Orchard Road, #04-23/24 Orchard Central, Singapore
Tel: +65 6509 7708 

Lei Garden Restaurant, Chijmes

We were scouting for value for money set lunches on a weekday when we took the day off, and we finally settled for Lei Garden Resturant at Chijmes for the sole purposes of its solid air conditioning and grand interior compared to its outdoor fan-based counterparts.

Spacious interior that makes a good relaxing place to go for lunch



Table set up



Cucumber with Mince Garlic and Vinegar

The first starter that came up was the Cucumber with Mince Garlic and Vinegar. I would have liked it to be a little more sour or spicy as an appetiser, the dish was passable.


Crispy Silver Fish

The Crispy Silver Fish was hardly impressive as it was rather bland as a fried dish, and the taste of oil stood out starkly as the batter to fish ratio was disproportionate, tipping more towards the former.


Classic Boiled Daily Soup

The Classic Boiled Daily Soup was the Lotus with Pork Ribs soup. We were surprised to find generous chunks of pork ribs and slices of lotus in the soup. The broth was rich and very flavoursome, definitely a thumbs up for this one.


Steamed Live Bamboo Clam with XO Chilli Sauce

The Steamed Live Bamboo Clam with XO Chilli Sauce was another winner as the XO chili sauce complemented the bamboo clam succinctly.


Panfried Cod Fish with White Sauce

The panfried Cod fish was coated with a layer of batter and then panfried and drizzled with white sauce. The fish was crisp on the outside and its flesh was fresh and moist on the inside. I thought the dish was pretty well executed.



Panfried Kurobuta pork in special sauce, served with seasonal vegetable

The Panfried Kurobuta pork was splendid with its full-flavoured special sauce and the meat was moist and tender.


Seasonal Vegetables

The dish was served with seasonal vegetables that complemented the Kurobuta pork with its light preparation methods. The vegetables were blanched and aid to cleanse the palatte after the heavy pork dish.



Mini Minced Pork Dumpling in Hot and Spicy Sauce

The Mini Minced Pork Dumpling in Hot and Spicy Sauce was served with the sauce separate. I would have liked the sauce to be more spicy, but I found the dumplings very well made. The skin was smooth with tasty pork fillings, and I finished them despite almost bursting from a very full stomach.


                                                              Double Boiled Dry Apricot and Sea Coconut

After a heavy meal, we were delighted to finish our meal with the Double Boiled Dry Apricot and Sea Coconut. A light yet satisfying dessert, the sweetness of the soup was derived from boiling the apricots and it was wonderfully refreshing.

I'd say, a good place to bring your family or business counterparts for meals.

Lei Garden Restaurant
Address: 30 Victoria Street, #01-24 Chijmes, Singapore

Tel: +65 6339 3822

La Petite Cuisine, Upper Thomson

I wouldn't have decided on this place if not for the many favourable reviews on the affordable and good French fare at La Petite Cuisine. At first glance, it seems hardly impressive with its barely lit interior and shoddy furniture.

We also read about the bad service but we did not expect to experience it first hand. The service staff was rude and snapped at us when we were asking for recommendations. In fact, she blatantly ignored us when we signaled to ask her for a piece of cutlery. It didn't bother us much, but I could see why people were complaining about the apalling service - it definitely was not an exaggeration.

The menu was limited to 8 choices for mains so it didn't take long for us to place our orders.



Additional mains could also be found written on the glass panel.

Complementary warmed bread rolls

 We were served warmed bread rolls before our mains and I appreciate the fact that they were warmed.


The Sirloin steak with french frites and salad
$16.50

The Sirloin steak with french frites and salad turned up to be a disappointing small slab of meat. Portions aside, the steak was quite good and done the way we liked it- medium well.

Dory with white wine butter and rice
$12.50

Most of us had the Dory with white wine butter and rice. The fish was nicely pan-fried and soaked in savory butter sauce. I thought it complemented the buttered rice rather well. I thought this dish was pretty good. You can change the rice to fries, salad, pasta or gratin for an additional $1.

Assorted fresh sausages (lamb, beef & pork) with frites and salad
$14

The assorted fresh sausages (lamb, beef & pork) with frites and salad were decent but I would go for the other mains. 

Pear chocolate mousse 'Belle Helene' layer cake
$4
or $3.50 with every main course

The pear chocolate mousse 'Belle Helene' layer cake is definitely worth mentioning. It stands as one of its kind with the different layers of sponge cake, vanilla ice cream and pear chocolate mousse topping, creating a wonderful soft blend of flavors- I loved it! I would come back for this cake.
Other desserts of the day include items like Opera cake with chocolate sauce, Mango passion cake with coulis of Passion fruit, and Creme caramel.

Probably a decent place to go for affordable French fare, if you don't care about the service.

La Petite Cuisine
227 Upper Thomson Road, Singapore

Tel: +65 6459 0553
No GST or Service charge