If you love your tarts crumbly, buttery and comforting, give the handcrafted tarts here a try!

We found that the taste and texture of the tart was great on its own, but the buttery taste got a bit too heaty/jelak after a while, even though we were sharing it between two.

Luckily, we decided to go for the Earl Grey Tie Guan Yin (+$0.70 for this premium flavour) gelato, which was refreshing and helped to cut through the 'heatiness' of the tart and balance it out. Though the Tie Guan Yin flavor wasn't very prominent, the gelato still had a light tea flavor that cleansed the palate very nicely.

The tart and gelato was served with a cloud of cotton-candy like sugar crystals and a smear of white chocolate, which didn't actually add to the flavor, but it made the dish really pretty.

This ice cream cafe is tucked away in a housing estate, but located pretty near the main road and bus stop, so it wasn't too difficult to find. The cafe has power outlets, spacious tables and benches (no spindly tiny tables or chairs, hallelujah), comfortable lighting and great ventilation - a really comfortable place to chill out for the afternoon.

2 Scoops for $6.70, Premium Flavors +$0.80

Back here again to try their new Dark Chocolate Sorbet flavor. Did you know that 'sorbet' means made without milk?

I usually prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate, so the chocolate flavors offered at most ice cream places are usually too sweet for my liking. This however, hit the right spot. It was rich and chocolatey, with a bitter edge, but there was enough sweetness to balance things out.

The Earl Grey Lavender had a strong tea fragrance, and was delightfully creamy. None of that 'siap' aftertaste that some earl grey desserts have. Just pure bliss.

Ice Cream Shack often has really innovative flavors, and what I appreciate most is how their ice creams truly taste like the flavors that they claim to be. (Their Mai Pian flavour from a while back seriously tasted like the cereal from Cereal Prawns, and it was awesome.) The texture is also always on point - creamy, thick and smooth, never icy.

Catch the flavors while they're still available!

If iSteaks had more outlets all over Singapore, I think I'd stop patronising Astons forever. Though slightly pricier, the quality of food and the variety of sides that iSteaks offers is way better than Astons. Between the two, I had a much more satisfying meal at iSteaks.

This place serves a great variety of meats in different serving sizes, and each main comes with a choice of 2 sides (you select from a long list).

NZ Striploin Steak 250g $19
This was so very juicy. Once you bite in, the juices come flowing out, and the meat lover in me did a happy dance. The meat was flavourful, well-marinated and not too chewy (we got medium rare). The small bits of fat that trim the slab just melt in the mouth. The 250g was just nice for a boy with a big appetite.

NZ Ribeye Steak 200g $18
While less thoroughly marinated than the Striploin, this was still very tasty, and the meat was tender. Great serving size for the average girl with a healthy appetite. Best part of the steaks was that there weren't excessive bits of ligament or fats that you sometimes get, which shrink your serving size to depressing amounts.

Each of the sides were enjoyable. I was pleased to see Sauteed Brussels on the list. It isn't very common in Singapore to see places serving up brussel sprouts, but iSteaks definitely does theirs well-enough to encourage more diners to eat this overlooked vegetable. The Creamy Spinach was oh so very creamy and cheesy - awesome for cheese-lovers, but others might find it slightly jelak. The Mac & Cheese was pretty normal, but good enough for a side dish. Now the best of our choices had to be the Spinach & Sesame Salad. The sesame dressing was so fragrant, I wanted to run into the kitchen and beg them to tell me what brand it was just so I can cart bottles of that stuff home.

The diner's a great spacious place and well-ventilated, and service was quick. We visited slightly before dinner hours, and it was already decently full. There was a long queue outside just as we were leaving, so do try to avoid the dinner crowd if you can!

This is most definitely one of the best chocolate bun I've had from any bakery in Singapore. And it's only $1.80!!

As someone who champions a minimum of 1:2 bread to filling ratio, trust me when I say that the filling in this is SO generous.

And the best thing is, the taste of chocolate in this bun is legit. You know how some chocolate fillings have that artificial flavouring taste that crushes a chocolate-lover's hopes and dreams? None of that bullshit here. While the taste isn't so rich and decadent that you'd henceforth announce a boycott of Awfully Chocolate or Chocolate Origins, it still is pretty awesome flavour you're getting for less than $2.

Not too sure if this is the same as the Chocolate Lava Bun that their posters advertised, but this was labelled on the shelves as Belgium Chocolate Bun.

MK Levure Naturelle is probably my absolute favourite bakery in Singapore, for the low price, awesome quality, and great variety of breads it offers. There are just so many flavours that I enjoy immensely. Do try the Teriyaki Chicken, Cinnamon Raisin and Nutella Crunch loaves if you happen to pass by. You know what, try ALL the flavours - and you can do that for free because they put out baskets of free samples for all their loaves. So much awesomeness. Can I just live here already?

This monster of a plate comes with a huge mound of rice, two big bowls of curry, 1 pork katsu, 1 chicken katsu, chicken karaage, tempura ebi, 1 hard boiled egg and 1 potato croquette, all for a price of $19.80.

While the karaage was pretty decent, it was the katsu that I enjoyed more - the breading soaks up the curry for that super shiok mouthful.

The croquette was surprisingly tasty, and I wished that we could have swapped out the ebi for that instead.

The serving size was pretty big and even when shared amongst two, by the end of the meal we were stuffed (and we still had a big pile of rice left over!).

Also, because all of the toppings were fried, it got a little too jelak by the end of the meal. There is only so much fried food one can take in a single sitting! I'd say that this plate could even be shared amongst 3 people.

Overall a plate of decent quality curry rice for that price point.

The Bronx Burger ($9.90) -
Touted as a 'South Bronx original', with a 'signature sauce', entire flavour of this burger was woefully commonplace. The flavour was actually strongly reminiscent of the beef and sauces serves at Pepper Lunch. For a burger place, I would have expected their 'original' to be more, well, original.

The patty was also dry as hell - an unforgivable sin considering this was supposed to be a burger place. The buns were also dry, and had none of that delectable bread scent we all love to smell at bakeries. I was so disappointed, I threw the buns away. The bacon and cheese were like those team mates you add to your soccer team just to make up the numbers - their only merit were in being present. Frankly, a turkey bacon burger from Burger King would have been just as, if not more, satisfying.

Mac and Cheese Fritters w Tomato Relish Dip ($8) -
Now this, this was awesome. Lightly fried so there's none of that greasy film that deep fried foods often leave on the tongue, the exterior falls apart easily to reveal a still moist interior of macaroni, jalapenos and melty cheese.

The fritter itself was pretty good, but what shot this dish to OMG-I'm-Coming-Back-For-This status was the tomato relish dip. It delivered both a sour bite and a spicy kick, and I soon found myself drowning my fritters in the dip.

I'm guessing they use the same batch of jalapeno mac and cheese that they serve with the Mac Daddy and Montana's mac and cheese waffles. Not complaining, it tastes great, but it's something to consider if you're thinking of ordering those other dishes in the same meal.

Look at that ice cream. Look at that sauce drizzle. Now tell me that isn't friggin' gorgeous.

After having tried the Red Velvet Waffle from Montana, I was curious to see how their Black Velvet would compare.

Verdict: Forget about the ordinary Red Velvet and just go for this black beauty!

Instead of the usual charcoal waffle you get from other cafes, Montana serves a black sesame waffle (choose to have it crispy or fluffy), with a scoop of ice cream (choose from black sesame and green tea), drizzled in miso caramel sauce.

This was perfection to me. The sesame scent and taste was well present, the slight salty edge of the miso caramel drizzle gave the sweetness of this dessert greater dimension, and the crunch of the nut flakes (not sure if it was almond??) added texture. Though I went for the fluffy option with my waffle, I was pleased to find that the waffle was fluffy on the inside but slightly crispy on the outside. 外酥内软, that's how every waffle should be!!

Ice cream on waffles are so common these days that it was great to see a place do a less common flavour, and succeed at blending flavours and textures so well. This is a combination that has been created with thought and effort, and it shows. No average ice cream slapped on average waffles here. 5/5! Would love to go back and try it again, with the green tea ice cream!

Hopped onto the Salted Egg craze and gave the Golden Lava Cheese Tart a try. The golden lava filling inside, unfortunately, was a huge disappointment. It was 20% salted yolk and 80% oil! At first bite, the oil came pouring out. I thought it was a dud, but friend's tart had the same issue. Not too sure if something simply went wrong with that particular batch. The tart crust was also a forgettable generic tart with little flavour. It's sole merit was that it was decently sturdy and held its structure as we bit into the tart.

The saving grace came in the cheese filling, which was creamy and flavourful without being overpowering. Customers are advised to try the tarts at various different temperatures for different texture experiences. I had mine at room temperature, so the cheese was delightfully smooth, somewhat similar to a custard like consistency.

At $2 a pop, and given its smaller size, I'd say that the Prima Deli version would be a much more satisfying deal.

However, I wouldn't mind giving the original cheese flavour a try - their golden lava filling was terrible, but the cheese won me over.

This dinner at Elemen was so good, it didn't matter at all to the meat-lover in me that I was eating vegetarian cuisine.

We had the 8-course set (the 5-course set is only available on weekdays) for $32.80++, which is a great deal for the quality of food that you're getting. For each course, you get to pick from nearly the full range of dishes they have available in that category, so it's a great deal if you're looking to give a few different dishes a try.

The set my partner and I tried consisted of:

1. Appetiser Platter
- The black sesame tofu in sesame dressing was my favourite. So fragrant and great fusion of flavors.

2. Breadsticks served with a dip

3. Salad
- I selected the Mushroom Salad, which wasn't so much a conventional salad, but rather a generous serving of juicy, delicious chunks of braised mushrooms, served with a slightly out-of-place side of mixed greens, sitting in the same mushroom sauce. It felt odd to me, eating raw veggies with an Asian gravy, and I frankly preferred to have it with the breadstick dip.

4. Soup
- Their Tomato Bisque was hearty and made for a nice change of flavours.
- The Truffle Mushroom Soup had a stronger truffle fragrance than I expected, perhaps due to the generous lashings of truffle oil. Mushroom flavour was rather muted in comparison.

5. Apple Cider Vinegar shot
- Loved that they served this refreshing shot as a palate cleanser after that hearty soup.

6. Main (approx $15.80 if you order it ala carte)
- The Truffle Mushroom Pizza is a definite must-try! The cream, cheese, mushrooms and rocket leaves on the thin crust pizza base came together so well. When the dish first came i first worried I wouldn't like it because it looked plain compared to the toppings-heavy pizzas I tend to prefer, but this turned out to be more than enough. The toppings are few but super flavourful. The pizza crust texture was beautifully done as well - the edges were crispy, while the centre was soft. The portion size is also definitely more than enough - I was 'donating' slices away and still felt that I had more than enough for myself!
- I loved their Mushroom Risotto as well. Maybe because they use more unrefined grains, but the texture of the risotto was a lot more complex and wholesome. None of that mushy porridge-like consistency I expected, which was a lovely surprise. The mushroom flavour in this was strong without being overpowering, and the mix of flavours and textures came together excellently.

7. Dessert
- The osmanthus jelly was fragrant but frankly a little forgettable.
- The star dessert has got to be the Chocolate Lava Cake with Vanilla Gelato. The lava flowed beautifully, and the chocolate flavour was slightly muted, which I liked, but those expecting a decadent rich chocolate flavour might be disappointed.

8. Drink
- I had their Sea Salt Coffee, which was well balanced. The foam was thick and creamy, and the coffee was strong and fragrant.
- Their teas smelled great but were comparatively lacking in flavour.

Overall, it was a really enjoyable meal. I loved nearly every course, and deeply enjoyed how the ingredients of each dish were thoughtfully selected, demonstrating Elemen's focus on serving healthy and nutritious food.

The only area of improvement I would have liked to see would perhaps be a greater variety in the dishes offered - there were a number of mushroom and truffle dishes, and I would have liked to have my interest piqued by a wider range of foods and flavours. I'll definitely be back to try out the other mains soon!

Wanted to try the Bulgogi Beef Waffles ($16.80++) from Montana for a long while, and it didn't disappoint.

Good portion of fluffy waffles and beef slices served stacked with kimchi slaw and an egg that flowed nicely when cut, drizzled in a sauce reminiscent of the sort you'd find on bibimbap.

Food was good (boyfriend gave it 4.8/5), but I thought it was a little overpriced - bill came up to $19.80 including service charge and gst. I would have been more willing to pay closer to $14 for this.

We ordered the All Time American $16.50 and Roasted Beef Croissant $16.50 as sets (comes with a drink) and topped up to change our drinks to a Cappucino +$1 and Dirty Little Iced Latte +$2.

The croissants were deliciously buttery and flaky, and the portions were decently sized. The roasted beef tasted very similar to Quiznos's roasted beef sandwich.

The cappucino was decent, and came served with a Lotus biscuit, which was a nice touch. The Dirty Little Iced Latte, Coffee Daily's take on the recent trend of milk with espresso cubes, was unfortunately slightly lacking. The flavours didn't seem to go as well together as compared to Bev C's version, perhaps due to choice of brew and milk product.

The Speculoos Waffle $6.50 was rather disappointing - the speculoos flavor in the speculoos sauce wasn't strong enough, and mostly overwhelmed by the taste of the chocolate ice cream scoop that it was served with. However, the waffle texture was pretty good, veering towards crispy more than fluffy.

The Coffee Daily is located in a nice quiet neighbourhood and isn't too crowded, but the furniture (high chairs, incompatible chair and table height, small tables), frequent power outages and lack of decor makes it a place that isn't too comfortable for chilling. It's more of a eat-and-go kind of place, rather than a comfy place to while away the afternoon.

In all, a place with good food, but for the price paid, I had hoped for a better dining environment.

We ordered a feast of Zha Jiang Mian, Pumpkin Pancake, Red Bean Pancake, Pot Stickers, Steamed Dumplings and Xiao Long Bao (炸酱面，南瓜饼，红豆饼，锅贴，蒸水饺，小笼包) and it only cost us $32 in total!
The dumplings were great - juicy with loads of filling, moist skin that wasn't too thick. The red bean pancake had a good amount of filling and the sesame seeds on it was a great touch. the zha jiang mian noodles had a good texture, and the sauce was balanced and flavourful.
The only disappointing dish was the pumpkin pancake, which was too gelatinous for our liking. Its texture and taste was very similar to nian gao (年糕) and it was unfortunately lacking in pumpkin flavour.