Tuesday's Waffle Treat

Nothing spells Tuesdays better than half-priced waffles, wouldn’t you think so?

Yup, Tuesday marks a very special day for the sweet adventurer. At Gelare, signs scream of waffles going at half the original price… which of course means, being able to enjoy good food without having to worry about ripping a hole in your pocket.

Really, who could resist freshly-baked waffles with a friendly price tag? By George, have yourself 2 shares while you’re at it, 2-for-1 special okay! Yes, you can tell I was born and bred here.

Why stop there? Top your purchase with a selection of ice-cream of your whim & fancy, and you’re set to have a utensil-licking good time.

But be warned, only attempt to tackle giganormous waffle on empty stomach because chances are, you won’t have much space for the whole thing and end up stuffing in half, which is really, no difference from buying it on any other day.

Bite into my chocolate volcano… an eruption of chocolatey goodness!

Or keep it plain and simple… with coffee and syrup of maple.

I don’t know about you, but waffles to me are the kind of comfort food you’d retreat to for a quick pick-me-up or just that boost of cheer you needed. The aroma of freshly-baked lot sets you in wistful daydream as you cozy up in its warmth and comfort, only to find yourself reminiscing on yesteryears.

When the closest you can get to A&W waffles here is by mere daydream, Gelare might just be the next best place to put an end to that pining for waffles… on Tuesdays at least.

Of Cakes, Cream & Cheese

Milk & dark chocolate are undeniable favourites to many, evidence being the myriad of such cakes available in whole sorts of varieties. But white chocolate lovers, lest not. Although this cake came off rather sweet for my liking, I'm sure true fans would savour each bite with sweet, sweet satisfaction :)



White chocolate macadamia: This one’s a looker! Vanilla cream filling with enjoyable surprises of macadamia nuts, modishly finished with a chic coat of white chocolate. Sweet, white, and everything nice.





While busily entering yet another post, my lil' cousin happily slipped onto my lap for a looksie. When asked on which cake she liked the most, her answer had me giggling over amusement, because I immediately knew what she was referring too.

Me: So which one do you like?
Her: Teeth cake.


And by that, I knew it was this:

Kids say the darnest things, don't they?

Secret Crush (part I)

Secret’s out… Secret Recipe is one place you oughta try. Known for its wide array of delectable cakes from the signature chocolate banana to the award-winning marble cheesecake, it’s a wonder then why most people have yet to get acquainted with the café/restaurant located in several major malls.

Apparently, recommendation is through word of mouth. First introduced by a relative, I was soon frequenting the place to appease yet another sweet craving. A secret this pleasurable should be shared, no?

Just a list of cakes I’ve happily indulged on...

Chocolate marshmallow: The name says it all. You’re in for a sweet treat.

Royal chocolate cake: Premium chocolate cream decked over a cookie base.

Chocolate mud cake: Nicely proportioned compared to other giganormous cream cakes. Thick in taste but can come off a tad dry.

Chocolate chip walnut: Loads of walnut & chocolate chips chunks in heaps of cream.

Chocolate indulgence: Elegant mix of milk & white chocolate within a blanket of semi-sweet fudge.

Chocolate banana: Pretty much similar to chocolate indulgence, of chunky bananas instead.

Apple Crumble: Another lovely harmony of taste & texture.





Marble Cheese: Base of oats and graham crackers. Award-winning.







Oreo Cheese: Maybe it’s just me, but I prefer mine dunked in milk.








Cappuccino Cheese: Only if you’re a coffee junkie who likes cheese just as much.







Lemon cheese: Lovely combination of tangy and thick. Cream cheese swimming with lemon peel, over a ginger-lemon biscuit base & lady finger biscuit in the middle. You gotta love it.






Cheeze choc: Smooth chocolate layer over cheese cake. Trust me, this is one smooth operator.

Classic cheese: Especially like the substantial chunks of biscuits. Very reminiscent of Tiramisu.

Expresso cheese: Triple-whammy shots with cheese. Sorry, I just can't handle that much caffeine in one cake.

And the winner is...

Chocolate Moist Cake: The cake for the true chocolate lover. Moist cake enveloped with semi-sweet chocolate fudge, with a layer of mocha in the middle. Because it’s served warm, the chocolate melts oh-so lusciously, making each bite just so heavenly…

Other picks: Lemon cheese, Marble cheese, Classic cheese,

Apple Crumble cheese, Chocolate marshmallow, Royal Chocolate


Pictures taken from Secret Recipe homepage

Secret Crush (part II)

The eatery also serves some appetizing western cuisine alongside a menu of Asian fusion dishes such as the Tom Yam spaghetti and Japanese noodles. The former sounds questionable, so kudos to the bold one who dares to take up that challenge!

Despite the ample choice of eats, I never fail to fall on yet again (and again) on regular fish n’ chips, all 2 of them on a plate (why have one slab-o-fish when you can have 2?). I reckon it lies in the golden batter that gives it that uniquely fresh and firm bite, accompanied with sweet tartar unlike the rest. Either that or I totally dig fish :p

That would mean that Mardiana really loves her chicken too, fried that is. Moi is to fish, Mardi is to chicken - And at SR, her staple is none other that Cordon Bleu, chicken ham wrapped within chicken chop stuffed with cheesy goodness… all hot-melting fromage. There, I just said the magic word.

Unfortunately pictures were not taken on one too many occasions, and the pictures you see were taken from a recent unplanned linner (lunch + dinner) with Mardiana and her guy, Eddie, after braving the crowds at the PC show. A very much indulgent and well-deserved dinner – I mean linner.

Paris Brest - Excuse my French!

Bossoms from the Eiffel Tower?? Naw, it's just an embarassingly-sounding pastry from Delifrance (but i'm sure the guys wouldn't mind the former, no?)

As usual my sweet tooth craved for some sweet bites so I headed down to Delifrance for some needed pastry lovin'. A new item on the menu (so I presume), I decided to give my curious tastebuds a try at it.

I know it's kinda childish and immature to blush over such silly things but just imagine asking for women's assets... not just any kind, the ones from Parrris while you're at it! I did however managed to mumble it out, although rather sheepishly.

One Paris brest, madame. Oh gaw did she just laugh at moi??

So basically, it’s hazelnut cream with a hint of coffee, sandwiched between 2 puff pastries, sprinkled with icing and finely-chopped almonds. Think kinder bueno, in a cream puff sorta way.

Next time round, I’ll just stick to point-and-order.

Surf's up!: Aussie Reefs on S'pore shores

I got to know of this place when it was featured on the first season of Suria Segar. The owner was said to have flown all the way to the land of Down Under to learn the skills of serving up some awesome fish n’ chips. If you gotta sell good fish n’ chips, might as well learn from the best right?

At $5.80, you get a regular size fish fillet (picture) with straight-cut fries & a side serving of coleslaw. Upgrade to a larger portion at an additional $1++ (almost 40% more fish).

Didn't really fancy the coleslaw but the fish was really something! You can tell they use fresh fish and not those packed-for-days-chucked-into-the-freezer kind that’ll just turn out fishy (du-uh their fishies aren’t they?). The fish fillet was thick and tender, and it’s batter nicely crisp, & that’s because they only throw it in the fry up upon order. Complementing it is the tangy yet sweet tartar sauce that got me digging for more from mom’s :) Fries could be less soggy but I ain’t complainin’.

Besides this all-time favourite, the menu also offers calamari rings and other fried seafood critters.

Considering that I finished my fries for the first time, this dish is worth the try. If you have to have just one card in your wallet, let it be banquet's. At $3 per annum, you get 10% off of any purchase (unless otherwise stated) which is so worth it if you’re a regular diner. You can’t go wrong at banquet – good food at hawker rates at the comfort of air-conditioned setting!

Aussie Reefs @ Banquet, Raffles Hospital
585 North Bridge Road
#01-02/03
Singapore 188770

Vinco, The (D'oh!)nut Parlour: They shop, we chomp.

A shopping bliss for shoppers, a great food stop for me and girlfriends. Having gone to vivocity a couple of times, we came to a conclusion that since there’s not much shopping for us to do there (Dorothy Perkins, Gap, whatzissname? Fuhgedabouddit.), we decided to make it our destination for good bites with Bianco/Bianca, Ben & his friend Jerry.



Along the row of restaurants and eats, stands a small humble donut parlour tucked neatly between flanking stores, that if you happen to blink for a second, you might just miss it (ok so it’s not that tiny).

Vinco queues are pretty decent compared to rival store Donut Factory, so there’s no need to sport comfy wear and good sturdy shoes to stand the long waiting hours (so i heard) as that at Donut Factory.

Despite the low customer count, the donuts are actually quite good. Unlike the typical dense doughnuts like the ones you get from Dunkin Donuts, Vinco offers rather light and soft, chewy donuts that almost taste, dare I say, healthy! (all the more to gobble down hehe). It came across as really good soft fried (whaddaya expect?) bread with an assortment of toppings slapped on top. Maybe, just maybe, it’s this signature taste that makes Vinco lovers (us included) come back for more.

Especially so when their doughnuts come straight right out of the fry & onto the serving trays, steaming hot.

First impression got us buying Mont Cherie, chocolate delight, Mochiatto (white chocolate mocha), Sweety Cheese & Sweet Sensation (dark chocolate with coconuts shavings).

Chocolate delight was an absolute delight! Hey, anything with chocolate is good enough for me :) Mon cherie tasted like typical bread with jam, mochiatto came off too powerful with the mocha and sweety cheese was a tad too sweet and cheesy for me. Mardiana however swears by it, claiming it as the best taste she’s ever, well.. tasted. I know that because she actually got high while stuffing 2 down. I kid not.

We came back for more, and as you can see one was craving for choc and the other cheese :p gosh. I settled for a different taste this time round, trying my hands on Mighty almond (white choc with duh, almonds). Pretty good, a wise choice for white choc fans.

There’s another doughnut shop within the vicinity but for now, these donuts have captured our hearts (or tummies rather), long enough for us to patron Vinco for a while. Or rather, Bianco as someone puts it :p This ain’t no character from some Spanish novella, sista.

Wanna have a glimpse of more fergilicious flavours? Check out the website.

You know you wanna!

Best brownies

Brownies have always sat on top of my list of comfort foods, although I must admit, a really good one is hard to come by. Not surprisingly, its moist and dark exterior is often misleading – anything that looks that drop-dead gorgeous to the eyes should translate pretty well on the palette. Or does it..?

So, what makes a good brownie? In my dictionary of best brownies, texture is everything. It’s gotta be 3 things – dense, moist & fudgy. Anything 'open' is chocolate moist cake, anything lighter is chocolate sponge cake, anything crumbly is uh... something else other than.

But with myriad variations spawning off the original recipe, one can never be to sure how a real brownie should taste like. Which is why I’m pretty skeptical when it comes to sinking my teeth into store-bought brownies.

So what’s a hungry gal to do when her sweet tooth craves for a sweet bite?
Search for the best in town of course!

> > >

Breeks: 2 words – Aye Caramba! This joint’s brownie sure packs one helluva punch! It’s so dense, more so chocolatey, it’s good.

You can ask for it be served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (which in my opinion, is a MUST) to sit perfectly on your warm American brownie. Also an option is the sauce, with a choice of chocolate or expresso (with coffee beans). For moi, expresso’s the way to go. The bitter tang just adds another pow! to the already tantalized tastebuds.

(Anybody knows whether they do delivery??)

Mac café: Surprisingly good, although awfully sinful! Rather generous with the ganache topping above a light yet moist chocolate cake layer. Actually quite delightful and best eaten hot. I’m lovin’ it already!

Café Galilee: Not the worst, neither the best. Rather cakey and dry for my liking. But what the hey, that’s just me. You might just like it. Although I have to commend their presentation, it was top class ya’ll!

(p/s: It’s the brownie in the header. To the left, to the left. Pretty neat, aye?)

Coffee Bean: Yaoza! Have you seen a brownie that hee-yuge before? It is even legal? That’s one hunka chunky brownie, and a lip-smacking one too! This one’s all the way from Boston, packed with chewy walnuts. Pop it into the microwave, slap on some-o-dat ice cream and wala! One damp and dark killer brownie. Is this what I’ve been missing out on all these years? I think so!

Secret recipe: It should definitely not be a secret because this brownie is delish! I said it once, I’ll say it again. Brownie and vanilla ice cream, a match made in brownie heaven. They’re like 2 and 2! Oprah & Gayle! Brad & Jen! ... wait a second, Brad & Jen?

Yes, like Brad and Jen, it didn't quite work out due to irreconcilable differences (whatever. Jen, you're still my favourite, sweetheart). This brownie is comparable to that of Mac’s (good btw) but sadly takes a backseat in the ice cream department. The less-than premium ice cream melts too fast, becomes vanilla shake before I can say *treat me to a brownie!* -- hmm where did that come from ;p

Until they do decide to splurge on better vanilla ice-cream, I won’t be screamin’ for their ice-cream. Just kidding. I still would actually. I love the combo that much :)

* * *

Well there you have it, my personal faves from Breeks and Coffee Bean. For now that’s the end of settling brownie points (pun very intended) but definitely not the search for it.

MNFD? Brownie Factory, Starbucks perhaps? No, DEFINITELY.

For the love of food

After much anticipation (mostly from myself), my blog – dedicated to my love (or rather weakness) of food – is finally up & running! Never did I think I’d start a blog, but witnessing the huge phenomenon it has become and its power in reaching the masses has convinced me to jump into the bandwagon myself (and also because all my friends are doing it :p). Oh well, if you can’t beat em, join em!

If I had to have one, why not totally devote it on food? Sweet.

You know you have a soft spot for food when you take note of shows like coffee talks and hawker woks, sweets for my sweets, makan places lost and found, and you find yourself salivating uncontrollably while tuning into Nigella Lawson – her cooks and desserts people! Tsk tsk. And it totally bums you out when you miss a segment of food-gorging pleasure, let alone an entire episode! I can even admit to watching Suria Segar on Sunday mornings just waiting anxiously for that one segment. You guessed it.

In the quest to hunt down good food to satisfy my gastronomic senses, wouldn’t it be just swell if I could share my food ventures on a much wider platform beyond my circle of close friends -- whom by the way, may just have had handled enough of me recommending and proposing and bugging on the next dining places to hit.

And so my food blog (technologically speaking?) is born. Yes I’m always thinking of that next stop, that next bite, My Next Food Destination. I’m pretty sure there’s much more than just Swensons for that occasional splurge, or even really good hawker fare and cheap eats than the usuals. And don’t get me started on the sweet stuff.

Better yet, if you know of a place worth trying out, tell me about it! I’d be more than happy to try it out (depending on cash-on-hand). Even better if sponsored :D

So here’s embarking on many pleasurably food-tasting adventures to come. Cheers!



Feel the need to indulge?
No "pampering spa treatments", just chocopots for me & Nigella.