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Saizeriya @ Eastpoint Mall

Went to Saizeriya for lunch a few weeks back with the fam and I was surprised at how affordable and delicious the food was. I remember visiting the outlet at Liang Court when I was much much younger and how I refused to eat the Escargots because I was afraid. Haha but I'm so glad I tried it this time round and I really have no regrets. In fact, I think it was the best dish out of all!

Seafood Chowder ($3.40)

Creamy soup with shrimp, clam, squid, carrot and celery

One of the best seafood chowder I've had in a long long time. Comparable to the clam chowder served at Mos Burger which I really love. Texture of the soup was just right and they were generous with the ingredients as well. Definitely must try!!

Northern Shrimp Cocktail Salad ($4.90) - Best Seller

Not a fan of salads AT ALL. I usually wouldn't even touch them whenever my parents order it. But because I was so hungry I decided to try a mouth of it and I ended up eating non-stop! The prawns were really fresh and the sauce was yummy as well. I even ate the vegetables and they were really crunchy. Another great starter to your meal!

Chicken Doria ($4.90)

Rice in chicken meat sauce

Upon taking my first bite into this dish, I thought it was really good because of all the cheese which I love. However, after taking more mouths of it and after my parents tried it as well, we realized that the chicken had a really perculiar taste... It tasted a bit sour and smelled a little weird so I didn't continue eating it. We told the chef about it and he apologized profusely for not checking if the chicken was fresh before serving it. He also took the item off the bill so we didn't have to pay for it. Thankfully we didn't get a stomach ache or anything so all's well.

Spicy Tomato Asari Soup ($5.90)

Soup-based spicy sauce with clam

My mum had this and she really enjoyed it. Haha she couldn't stop praising this dish. Furthermore, they were quite generous with the clams as well! 

Focaccia with garlic butter ($2.20)

This is my second favorite dish, after the escargots. The garlic butter taste was fragrant and we ordered another one after this because it was so good. I would recommend you to dip it in the "sauce" from the escargots if you do order that as well because it really enhances the taste of the focaccia.

Oven-grilled Escargots ($5.90) - Best Seller

Escargot in garlic butter

Was super reluctant to try this because the thought of them being snails completely turns me off. But please, even if you're like me, even if you're scared of trying exotic food just try this!! The taste of the garlic butter was so fragrant and delicious that you completely forget you're eating a snail... And actually eating one is not as bad as you think... It isn't slimy or chewy or gross like what you're imagining right now. It just tastes like another ordinary type of meat. Trust me on this, because I didn't like frog legs when I tried it so escargots compared to it really isn't so bad!

Grilled salmon ($8.90)

Grilled salmon with spicy tomato sauce

This dish tastes as unappetizing as it looks. Despite the huge serving of tomato sauce you can see from the picture above, the salmon itself was actually really dry. The wedges looked like they were cooked a long time ago.... The corn was alright though. But I think you should give this dish a miss if you do visit Saizeriya. Meh.

On another note, I just realized we have hit 2000 views on this blog. It isn't a lot but thank you to our viewers for reading our posts even though they are nothing as special or interesting compared to other more famous blogs. Whatever it is, we hope we have helped you in making some decisions on where to/not to eat or what dishes to/not to try when you visit various cafes/restaurants.

On ANOTHER note, I'll be heading to Bangkok on the 12th of this month for 4 days so do check back in a few weeks if you are a fan of Thai food as well!! :) (or even if you're not hahaha)

World Street Food Congress 2015

Managed to attend the World Street Food Congress today (last day!!!) Didn't want to give this event a miss because it's not everyday that you get vendors from overseas coming down to Singapore just to sell their food so I dragged one of my friend along with me hehe. The food were VERY expensive in our opinion (taking into consideration the small portion), but I guess they had to cover up for the costs spent on flying over?

The World Street Food Congress or wsfc15 in short was held from the 8th to 12th of April at the grassland next to Tan Quee Lan Street, a stone's throw away from Bugis Junction.

Reached about 4pm and to my surprise there weren't a lot of people! Didn't have to queue for more than 5 minutes at any stall and some stalls didn't even have a queue! I guess it's due to the timing I went because I heard that people had to queue for about an hour plus for just one stall in the evening.

We tried the food from 3 stalls, the German, Malaysian and Thai stall.

From the German Stall we bought the Original Currywurst combo ($12) and Potato salad ala carte ($4). 

The Original Currywurst
Regarded as the national street food of Germany, the currywurst sausage which is blended with masala is commonly found along the streets of Germany. It is served sliced and doused with the Original Curry Tomato Ketchup Sauce and ambrosial curry powder. (wsfcongress.com)

I found both the potato salad and Currywurst really good. First time trying sausages with curry powder and I thought that it was something really unique!

From the Malaysian stall we got the Apom (Indian style rice flour pancakes) ($4.50)

Didn't get an individual photo of the Apom but it's at the bottom left of the above picture.

Found nothing special about this. It's supposed to be thin and crispy on the outside while the centre is soft but I think we got too much of the crispy part and too little of the soft part :( There wasn't much taste in it as well :(

Lastly, from the Thai stall we got the Talay Tord (seafood omelette) ($10)

The omelette consisted of squid, crab meat prawns and beansprouts. Really appetizing and enjoyed the chili that was served with it. However, it's very similar to Singapore's "orh lua" (oyster omelette) so I don't think it's a very wise idea to pay 10 bucks for something you can get for half the price and at a much bigger portion.

Albeit the cost of these food, this event was an interesting experience! Would definitely go for it again in future (with more money lol) and try more food from the other countries :)

Dutch Colony

First visit to Dutch Colony was an impromptu one. Had dinner at Pepperoni Pizzeria which is just a few shops beside it and decided to drop by Dutch Colony for some desserts.

Of course as a Thai milk tea lover, I had my eyes set on the Thai milk tea loaf the moment I saw it!

Thai milk tea loaf ($5)

The taste of the milk tea was very apparent with every bite I took and the texture of the cake was just right. Super good! Every bite got me craving for more!

Since I only had the Thai milk tea loaf on my first visit, of course I wasn't satisfied and had to return to try their other food and drinks!

So I returned 2 days later in the afternoon...

Reached around 12pm and there were very few people initially (but more and more started to fill the cafe as time passed)

The place looked much prettier in the afternoon due to the sunlight shining in from the glass ceilings (though it may have been a bit glaring as seen from the girl wearing her shades). I love the layout of the cafe and how spacious it is. 

Some pictures of the interior...

And now for the food...

Banana peanut butter loaf ($5)

Like the Thai milk tea loaf, the texture was just right. The banana taste was strong which is what I hoped it'd be. The peanut butter was only at the top as you can see so don't expect any peanut butter taste from the rest of the loaf.

Earl grey citrus loaf ($5)

The texture of this wasn't as moist as the banana peanut butter loaf but it was still good! The earl grey taste was distinct but thankfully not overpowering. The citrus icing really complemented the earl grey well. Definitely worth a try just like the others.

Iced chai latte

First time trying chai latte so I'm not exactly sure how it's supposed to taste like. Nevertheless, it had a unique taste which I did enjoy but I think I would still stick to my matcha latte :P (sadly Dutch Colony doesn't serve that)

Malabar Baked Eggs (can't rmb the price)

Baked eggs on spicy Indian-inspired tomato based sauce topped with cheddar cheese, served with rockets and multigrain

Wonderful dish! The eggs were baked to perfection and the sauce was wonderful! Although it would have been much better if more bread was given because there was not enough bread to dip into the eggs :(

Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich ($14)

The chicken was well marinated with the teriyaki sauce and the bread was nicely toasted. Not a fan of sweet potatoes so the fries didn't really appeal to me.

This might be my new favorite cafe due to its convenient location (for me hehe), yummy food and fantastic ambience! I highly recommend this to the rest of you as well! Even if you don't stay in the east, this place is worth the distance.

**Opening hours**

Sun-Thurs: 8am to 8pm

Fri & Sat: 8am to 10pm

(The kitchen closes at an earlier time though, I think about 3pm? So they only serve desserts and drinks after that time)

Location: 113 Frankel Avenue

Singapore 458230

 How to get here?

Bus 32 (alight at bus stop 93109 "Bef Frankel Pl")

Alternatively,

You can also take buses 10,12,14,40,155 and alight along East Coast Road then walk all the way in (<5 mins walk)

Sin Lee Foods

Visited Sin Lee Foods in December last year but only tried their truffle fries at that time so headed down again to try their mains with 2 of my friends. 

Located at Jalan Bukit Ho Swee, it's about an 8 minute walk from Tiong Bahru MRT Station.

The shop consists of both indoor and outdoor seating and it was much more crowded when I went down this time as compared to the previous time which was a weekday. In fact, this time it was actually full and tables were even reserved.

Exterior of Sin Lee Foods:

Malted Pie Crust Shake ($9)

Although pricey, I think this was worth both the money and the calories. Loved the thick texture and the crunch given from the crust. Taste is somewhat similar to that of Horlicks except in a much more creamier texture. So if you like Horlicks, you must definitely try this!

Truffle chips ($10)

Felt like this was really a waste of money. Tasted like chips you could buy at the supermarket with cheese sprinkled on top....

Smoke Salmon Hash ($19)

Nothing special about this dish, the portion of salmon was quite small and although I do like potatoes, I felt they didn't go well with each other..

Mentaiko Crab Mantou ($21)

Interesting dish, liked the idea of introducing mantou into it. However, the crab was really pathetic in my opinion. Hardly any meat in the crab and I felt like I was just biting into batter. Moreover, the serving was very small, not worth the price which my friends agreed on as well.

Though the dishes served here are unique and not what you can find in the other cafes, it wasn't to my liking and definitely not worth it's high prices.

**Opening hours**

Tues- Fri: 11am to 9pm

Sat: 9.30am to 9pm

Sun: 9.30am to 6pm

Closed on Mondays (except public holidays: 11am to 9pm)

Location: 4 Jalan Bukit Ho Swee

#01-164

Singapore 162004

Nearest MRT station: Tiong Bahru

Rookery

Headed down to Rookery with a few of my friends 2 weeks back. Alighted at Raffles Place MRT station and took about 7 mins to walk to the place (Thanks to Google maps!!) It was rather crowded when we reached, I guess due to the office lunch crowd? 

Exterior of Rookery:

Benedict's Eggs ($15)

Sous vide eggs, crispy bacon, grilled sourdough, hollandaise, rocket leaves & smoked salmon

Didn't get to try this dish but my friend had no complaints about it and finished everything up!

12hr Pulled Pork Wrap ($15)

12hr pulled pork and signature BBQ sauce, greens and a wholemeal wrap

Amazing dish! Pork was tender and the BBQ sauce went well with it, not too overwhelming.

Grilled cheese sandwich ($11) with grilled ham as an add on ($4)

3 types of melted cheese between crispy buttered bread done the Rookery way!

Simple yet such a great dish! Loved the cheese and how the sandwich was grilled perfectly :)

Rookery Wagyu Burger ($26)

Thick wagyu patty, melted cheese, sliced tomatoes, pickles, greens (20mins waiting time)

Like the Eggs Benedict, I didn't get to try this dish but my friend had no complaints about it. He seemed to enjoy the burger.

In my opinion, this is one of the better cafes out there. Really loved the atmosphere and of course, the food! The grilled cheese sandwich and pulled pork wrap is definitely something I would go back for. Highly recommend this place! However, it is advised to avoid the lunch hour (12-2pm) so you wouldn't have to wait too long for your food.

Location: 

ROOKERY

16 Raffles Quay, #01-02A

Hong Leong Building

Singapore 048581

Nearest MRT station: Raffles place (5-7mins walk)

**Opening hours**

Mon-Fri: 8am to 10pm

Saturday: 9am to 3pm

Rider's Cafe

Been wanting to try Rider's Cafe since 2 years back but never got a chance to because it was too far and I had no idea how to get there. However, few weeks back my mum asked me to suggest a place for lunch and I decided to choose Rider's (since she's paying why not hahaha) (ps: she doesn't drive so we still had to get there by public transport)

Took a train to Botanic Gardens MRT and then bus 151 (directions given by the very friendly staff at Rider's Cafe when we called up). Alighted at "Sixth Ave Ctr" wanting to take the shuttle bus in but we couldn't find the pick up point so we just took a cab in (which was a really good idea because the journey in is quite long or should I say very long)

Some pictures of the exterior + interior

Pacific Benedict ($18)

Two poached eggs, crab cake, smoked salmon, hollandaise 

I'm a big fan of eggs benedict but for some reason I only found this dish average..... Not sure what's missing or perhaps I just couldn't appreciate the pairing with the crab cake? :( Was quite disappointed :(

Riders Burger ($18)

200gm Angus Beef, Smokey cheddar, Branston pickle, House sauce and Fries.

This was not bad, beef was tender and I really liked the smokey cheddar. However, I feel that a much better burger can be found for the same price or even lower...

Death by chocolate cake (with vanilla ice cream) ($13) 

And this right here, was the BIGGEST disappointment of the day :'(

After looking at all the pictures on Instagram, reading all the great reviews and craving for this at ungodly hours, this was really a let down. 

The cake didn't have the chewy texture and even though I'm a chocolate lover perhaps this was just too rich for me :( Personal preference though, I wouldn't recommend it but since it has so many good reviews I guess I just couldn't appreciate it..

My only consolation from the disappointment I had was seeing these horses on our way out :)

We decided not to cab out and took a super long walk...

In my opinion, I don't think it was worth the travel unless you have a car or perhaps are willing to walk all the way in. But even so, I feel that there are many other better cafes to visit before this. 

**Opening Hours**

Sun-Thurs: 8am to 9pm

Fri & Sat: 8am to 10pm

Closed on Mondays.

Location: 51 Fairways Drive.

Singapore 286965

Bukit Timah Saddle Club