I enjoyed Prata Alley’s bee hoon goreng Ikan bilis and kway teow goreng seafood so thought I would try the other dishes on its menu. But my latest encounter with Prata Alley proved to be rather uneventful. I ordered the mutton chop and sardine murtabak this time. The murtabak looked rather unappealing when I opened the packet as it lacked the golden brown colour normally seen on murtabak. I had hoped the flavours would make up for the lack of aesthetics. Unfortunately the sardine filling was completely bland to the point of I could hardly even taste the sardine. All I could taste was the thick doughy texture of the murtabak. They should have added sliced red chili to the sardine filling to make it more palatable. Maybe they should take a leaf out the sardine epok epok’s book where the sardine filling is usually moist and spicy with onions and red chili. The mutton chop in the pic looked a mess because it was completely concealed by the blanket of fries and I had to dredge up the mutton for the purpose of this pic haha. The fries were obviously piled on top to retain its crispness. The dish also came with a sunny side up egg, cucumber and tomato slices. This was my first time trying mutton chop and I found it too gamey for my tastebuds. This was rather surprising to me as I love western style lamb chops. Maybe I should stick to the rice and noodle dishes at Prata Alley next time.

Had wanted to try the Ootoya Gozen but they ran out of one ingredient (which they didn’t specify) so I ordered the Fish & Chicken Combo Set which was essentially charcoal grilled saba and deep fried chicken and vegetables in black vinegar sauce. It came with two pieces of the deep fried chicken and one piece each of carrot, baby potato, pumpkin, lotus root, eggplant. I really enjoyed the lotus root which was deep fried first. It was really crunchy and would like to suggest they include this as an appetiser on the menu. The chicken was as usual thoroughly enjoyable and I can’t get enough of its crispy batter haha. The saba had much fewer bones than the hokke so it was a relief. The former was also well marinated and the skin was grilled to a slight crisp albeit rather oily though it was expected. Let’s hope they have all the ingredients available for the Ootoya Gozen next time.

Was craving for grilled fish after watching a K-drama where the character always had a craving for the dish. Thus decided to order the Hokke Set (charcoal grilled atka mackerel) at Ootoya near my place to satisfy my craving. Not quite Korean grilled fish but this will do haha. Also ordered the Tori Kurozu (vegetable medley and fried chicken in black vinegar sauce) as an appetiser. I selected the Gokoku rice (5 grain rice) for the Hokke Set. I kinda regretted ordering Hokke after my first bite cos man, I found myself picking out bones throughout my meal. There were just way toooo many bones. The fish also became rather salty towards the end. The Tori Kurozu was also a slight disappointment as the picture in the menu showed there were lotus root, eggplant, long beans, baby potatoes, carrots. But my order only had baby potatoes and broccoli. At least the fried chicken came in big chunky juicy pieces and retained its crispy coat despite being slathered in the black vinegar sauce. This sauce would not taste out of place on any decent Korean fried chicken.

Le Shrimp Ramen has been my go to place for comfort food nowadays. Recently I ordered the Ebiko Prawn Paste With Chili Vinaigrette Hor Fun, Braised Beancurd in Tonkotsu Broth, Poached Lettuce With Supreme Soya Sauce and Chilled Crunchy Cucumber. I was a bit disappointed they gave me ramen instead of hor fun as I had really wanted to try the other noodle options other than ramen. Oh well. The slightly oval mounds of prawn paste with crunchy pops of ebiko never fail to satisfy and were absolutely delightful to bite into. I really like the chili vinaigrette with the mala undertones. The poached lettuce was crunchy though it got rather salty towards the end as it was practically drowning in the supreme soya sauce haha. The cucumber tasted firm and fresh while the braised beancurd was rather pedestrian. Let’s hope they get my noodle option right the next time.

I am a fan of Gordon Ramsay due to US MasterChef so of course I had to visit Bread Street Kitchen when it arrived on our shores. I had high hopes for the dishes and ordered crowd pleasers such as traditional British fish & chips served with crushed peas and tartare sauce, slow roasted Dingley Dell pork belly with apple purée and whole grain mustard jus and butternut squash risotto topped with crispy sage and parmesan. The dishes were tasty enough but none really took me by surprise. Could be due to the fact that I had such sky high expectations or just that British fare wasn’t my cup of tea.

One of my girlfriends wanted to try Pizza Express so we went to the outlet at Holland V for lunch on a Sunday. Of course we had to order the famous Dough Balls. We were spoilt for choice with the pizzas and pastas and in the end, settled on Calabrese and the Lobster & Crabmeat Ravioli. The dough balls had a delightful crispy exterior and chewy and warm on the inside. The garlic butter only served to enhance the overall experience. These are carbs definitely worth the calories haha. I particularly enjoyed the Calabrese which was essentially a rectangular pizza topped with Calabria-style sausage, spicy Italian sausage, mozzarella, parmesan, jalapeño peppers, chili, roasted peppers, pesto and rocket leaves. The ingredients all came together very well, resulting in a pizza that was full of flavour. The lobster and crabmeat ravioli was smothered in a mushroom and pomodoro sauce. I enjoyed the little pockets of stuffed pasta but I would order the Calabrese anytime.

My birthday spread at Tim Ho Wan consisted of the signature baked bbq pork buns, pan-fried radish cake, pig liver rice roll, wasabi salad deep fried prawn dumplings, steamed sponge cake, dumplings in a laksa broth (seasonal item) and a noodle dish that I can’t recall the actual name. Can never go wrong with dim sum at Tim Ho Wan.

Ordered the signature dishes Traditional Popiah ($7.80), Stir Fried Hor Fun with Omelette and Prawns ($22) and Roasted Chicken Stuffed With Minced Prawns ($24 for half). The popiah is a thick fat roll busting with fresh ingredients and is amongst the best I have tasted. The popiah is freshly prepared at a kiosk near the cashier. The hor fun is a unique rendition of the traditional stir fried flat rice noodle dish with the omelette piled atop and served with crunchy prawns. I thoroughly relished the chicken dish which was flattened and roasted till it is crispy. The minced prawns at the bottom of the chicken added to the flavour quotient of the entire dish. I would definitely order this dish again at Spring Court. Oh and the popiah too.

Pizzas at Spizza are hearty affairs and Xandra is no exception. Loaded with tomato, mozzarella, minced beef, pineapple, red onions and bell peppers, Xandra is a natural choice for me. I usually try to avoid processed meat such as bacon and ham in my pizzas as much as possible. And I try to order pizzas that meet my antioxidants quota so Xandra with its red onions, bell peppers and pineapple tick all the boxes.

I was craving for hamburg steak after watching Korean hit drama Reply 1988. It was the favourite food of one of the characters and I couldn’t resist ordering this after a visit at the gym. The Wafu-drenched double hamburgs were served with melted cheese and were so flavourful I could understand why the Reply 1988 character liked it so much haha.

The Daily Cut became my fave spot to get my healthy dose of greens and proteins outside after The Salad Shop discontinued their create your own salad option. This time, I selected the teriyaki chicken, potato mash, cherry tomatoes, edamame, grilled mushrooms and salad leaves. It was extremely filling and didn’t feel like I was eating tasteless rabbit food. And I didn’t even add any dressing myself.

It’s rare to find tungsuyuk, commonly known as Korea’s interpretation of sweet and sour pork in Singapore. So of course I had to order this when I chanced upon it at JoAH Korean Restaurant right in the heart of Raffles Place. The strips of pork were sinfully crispy and slathered in a tasty sauce and topped with shredded purple cabbage and carrot and black sesame seeds. I had also ordered seafood soondubu but I almost managed to polish off the entire plate of tungsuyuk... on my own. That’s how good this tungsuyuk is.