Our impression of pudding would usually be sweet, but Ippudo had this Japanese Shio Pudding (S$5.90) that also carried a balanced twist of savouriness. Although it might not be silky in every scoop, it was still able to melt in the mouth.

The portion might seem small, but it was actually a sufficient size for one. Any larger might just feel too much for a dessert like this.

At S$58.00 per adult, and a minimum of 2 pax to admit, Man Fu Yuan’s Weekend Dim Sum Buffet was a 90-minute affair over two seatings (11.30am — 1.00pm and 1.30pm — 3.00pm).

The a la carte buffet featured a wide selection of Dim Sum and main dishes, and I was really excited to taste some of them as I browsed the menu. Though we arrived before the second seating, we only managed to be seated almost at 1.40pm. Thankfully, the restaurant was not rigid about sending us out, so we still had sufficient time to savour the food after the last order, so it wasn’t so bad.

Service was great, by the way. And maybe because it was not full house today, the first round of food came pretty promptly. I liked their Poached Prawns with Chinese Herbal Broth, Chinese Wine (better known as Drunken Prawns), Crispy Prawn Bean Curd Roll with Wasabi Mayonnaise, Baked Mini Egg Tart, Spinach Prawn Dumpling, Braised Cod Fish, Honey-glazed Pork Belly and Chilled Cream of Mango with Sago Pearls, just to name a few of the more impressionable items.

At S$58.00 per adult, and a minimum of 2 pax to admit, Man Fu Yuan’s Weekend Dim Sum Buffet was a 90-minute affair over two seatings (11.30am — 1.00pm and 1.30pm — 3.00pm).

The a la carte buffet featured a wide selection of Dim Sum and main dishes, and I was really excited to taste some of them as I browsed the menu. Though we arrived before the second seating, we only managed to be seated almost at 1.40pm. Thankfully, the restaurant was not rigid about sending us out, so we still had sufficient time to savour the food after the last order, so it wasn’t so bad.

Service was great, by the way. And maybe because it was not full house today, the first round of food came pretty promptly. I liked their Poached Prawns with Chinese Herbal Broth, Chinese Wine (better known as Drunken Prawns), Crispy Prawn Bean Curd Roll with Wasabi Mayonnaise, Baked Mini Egg Tart, Spinach Prawn Dumpling, Braised Cod Fish, Honey-glazed Pork Belly and Chilled Cream of Mango with Sago Pearls, just to name a few of the more impressionable items.

Not that I would usually find this in a Japanese restaurant, but the Asari Butter Ramen (S$14.90) was quite an interesting find, with a ricebowl full of clams submerged in the clear soup to give a light but flavourful broth. And I somehow appreciated the fact that it was a simple bowl of noodles that was aptly comforting, rain or shine.

One might have been looking forward to a more theatrical effect from the cakes at Starbucks, and their Chocolate Avalanche Mocha Cake (S$6.90) probably answered their prayers. Essentially, the cake was served with warm chocolate sauce poured into the plastic mould, and to enjoy the cake you could just lift the mould to allow the chocolate sauce to flush the exterior of the cake.

Conceptually, fun. But the chocolate sauce was just too sweet for the cake to be decadent. Maybe to the point of getting ready a venti-size lukewarm water to wash down that “gelak” feel.

This S$14.00 dessert had wowed me in three ways:

🍰 The cheesecake might have been more aptly classified as a tart instead of a cheesecake, because the usual cheesecake base was, instead, a large tart shell.

🍨 The “cake” was already in a melting state when served, just like how ice cream would appear when left at room temperature. However, it was not ice cream, but more like the creamy state of the dessert. And it really explained why a tart shell was used: just so to contain the runny cream.

🧀 Blue cheese was added to this cheesecake to add an extra savoury aftertaste, but because it was runny, that made me conquer it non-stop.

It wasn’t just unique; it’s also an excellent dessert to go with a bottle of wine!

Inspired by Kansai street food, the Hashimaki with Cheese & Mentaiko (S$4.80) was like a savoury pancake with fillings and blanketed by a sunny side-up on top. When eaten correctly, the runny egg yolk would break and coat the remaining part of the snack. And even the menu wrote that this was Instagrammable (i.e. not exactly worth re-ordering after the first try?).

The Japanese had always enjoyed their own local produce, and it was no surprise that a simple bowl of Japanese rice, an egg and some soy sauce would make a decent meal too.

Bringing this concept to Singapore, the Ultimate Egg Rice used imported eggs (with that distinctive orange yolk) to create this Ultimate Egg Rice. I liked to mix in the minced raw tuna (Negitoro) just for that extra nutrition, and some marinated salmon just for the chunky fish texture.

However, if S$11.80 was too pricey for this meal, then I would suggest to save the S$3.00 by not getting the salmon, since it did not exactly give me the satisfaction with those countable cubes of meat.

A new addition from their refreshed menu, Lady M introduced this Blueberry Cheesecake Mille Crepes (S$12.00). Initially, I was apprehensive as to whether this would be too sweet because of the layer of blueberry jam on top, but I guessed the flavours were mildly balanced actually.

This would definitely go well in small bites and paired with some tea, but I guessed the pairing recommendations had been removed from a large part of the menu. Anyhow, the Oolong Rose appeared to be a good choice.

Amidst the stalls selling the classic hawker fare, it was surprising to see a burger “stand” selling some gourmet burgers alongside the roasted meats and whatnot.

What appealed to me was their fish burger, otherwise known as Fish Crisp with Tropical Salsa (S$5.80), which came with a whole fillet that was almost double the size of the buns, together with some of their homemade salsa that tasted refreshing and tangy. It tasted fairly decent, and was made perfect after a S$2.00 top-up for a combo, which came with two additional sides. It was quite obvious actually that the ideal choice were the fries and the soup. By the way, croutons come free with the soup and was self-service, but I would not think that it was nice to cover the surface of the soup bowl with croutons, right?

It’s all but healthy, but the greasiness in this Breakfast Burrito (S$13.50) was what we might commonly find in our breakfast platters: hash browns, eggs and bacon, just to name a few. For those who just woke up with a splitting headache from all the booze the night before, this burrito might just work to get rid of that hangover effect.

Bringing the hands-on dining to the next level, one could order the DIY Niku Sushi Set to make customised versions of his favourite grilled boneless beef short ribs with desirable amounts of condiments provided, at a low price of S$6.80 per set.

I’d love the experience of piecing everything together, but I was not too sure if the vinegar rice tasted a little too outstanding from the juicy slice of beef to the point that it was a slight off with disharmony. And I guess if I could request, I would have really appreciated some granulated salt and black pepper, instead of having that strips of seaweed.