I considered myself a skeptic towards new milk tea establishments because there was a sudden spike in numbers lately, but Taro Green Tea Latte (S$5.80), I like!

It would be one of the few places that used mashed taro as the base, as seen with the “orh nee” at the bottom. Taking it down with green tea and milk balanced the sweetness really well, though it might be a bit difficult to see the greenish side of green tea in the drink.

However, I later realised that the best way to enjoy the drink was to shake thoroughly before poking in the straw. This was because I spent a long time trying to scoop the remaining yam paste from the cup after the liquids were gone, and much of them had to be wasted because there was no provision of a spoon to scrape the last bits of the ingredients.

There was nothing much to rave about as far as their Apple Crumble is concerned, but for S$12.00 in comparison with the rest of their menu, this fared on the average side. I could really have it with a little more of the “crumble” just for the texture.

In the end, I found myself finishing the ice cream faster than the apple crumble itself. I wonder what would have happened if I went for cream instead of vanilla ice cream, but I will probably not risk it.

Costing S$12.50 for just the Donburi, I was quite happy with the warm bowl of rice with pieces of grilled eel, egg and sauce, because given the fact that I had this post-dinner, I was happy that the portion or rice was not big, and the Toji was done such that every grain of rice was sufficiently covered with the sauce. And having this at 8.45pm on a weekday night implied that there’s ample seats for dining in.

One of the items in the Small Bites menu that was recommended was this Chili Sea Salt Wings (S$14.00 for 6 pieces), which was marinated in coconut milk and seasoned by Sichuan pepper and sea salt, before coated with tapioca flour and deep fried till crispy.

I quite liked this dish because the flavour was neither bland nor intense, which made it score a little better than the typical “har cheong gai” from the Zi Char stalls.

The only drawback about this dish was its price. It was only after appearing in front of my eyes that I realised that the 6 pieces referred to 3 whole wings. Given such a price point of about S$5.00 per wing, I would settle for a burger or pasta anytime, just to be certain that I had indeed eaten something substantial.

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Being seated indoors might be a little less cooling than the al fresco setting, but the excitement came every time the staff served the food, especially this Pork Lovers (S$19.00) main course that could also double up as a sharing platter. In this dish, I got to taste pork belly done two ways: braised and roasted.

The braised pork (“lor bak”) was marinated in Coca Cola before braising, so that rather than being flavoured by soy sauce and spices, the meat from here was still fragrant without losing the original flavours of pork belly. While staying substantial, I was hoping for the meat to be slow-cooked a while longer, perhaps to reach a point where the braised pork could achieve that “melt in the mouth” effect.

On the other side of the plate, their roasted pork (“sio bak”) fared equally well. This time, the meat was juicy with the thin layer of crackling pig skin, which was marinated with Sichuan pepper. Having that with some of the chilli sauce dip made every chew so delightful, I hoped that I had some fragrant rice and soy sauce to go with the meal, just like what we would have from coffee shops.

Too much protein in a meal? No worries, for this would also be available as a Main Course deal that could be redeemed by Burpple Beyond, so one could just order another main course and some ginger rice, and that would be a hearty dinner before browsing their drinks menu.

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The experience at Alley on 25 for a buffet dinner on a Friday night was a little confusing because of the different islands of food counters located at various parts of the dining area, but the food was decently affordable given the price point of S$49.00 per person.

If you were like me, who would typically skip the salad bar (featuring some superfoods there), go straight to the fresh seafood and grab some Fine de Claire Oysters with lemon wedges and be awed by their freshness.

Among all the food options here, the next most impressionable section would be their desserts, with a self-service soft serve machine with lots of chocolate decorations available, and I also somehow liked how they did their bread pudding.

Not forgetting the far end of the restaurant where the grilled meats were found. I enjoyed having their sausages and the slow-cooked Sticky Pork Ribs, but thought that their Australian Angus Beef Short Ribs were sliced too thinly for my liking, as they also tasted a little dry.

Additional fees would apply (from S$40 onwards) if you would like some alcoholic beverages to go with the dinner, and if coffee or tea were something that you tend to order during a hotel buffet dinner, they do not serve them as complimentary.

Possibly one of the best Burpple Beyond deals around that paired the Korean-inspired Mexican street food with alcoholic beverages, this combo was actually a perfect deal for my own Happy Hour.

The Korean Pork Belly (S$17.00 for 3 Tacos) was juicy and complemented with Korean soy paste, ssamjang aioli and two styles of onion — pickled and original. I enjoyed having the pickled onions to give a little sourish touch to the tacos, but because the tortilla were homemade, they turned out to be a little limp, thus unable to hold all the fillings in place especially after a bite of it. Get your plates ready to rescue whichever pork belly that was accidentally ejected.

And perhaps I was spoiled by fresh fruit blended Frozen Margaritas from elsewhere, this one here at S$23.00 tasted underwhelming because of the somewhat artificial sweetness, so perhaps not a Margarita next time if I would come back again.

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Margaritas and Sangria might appear to be popular alcoholic beverage options here, but when El Salvador (S$18.00) was served to me, I was actually taken aback by its fruit punch colours. At the back of my mind, I wondered if I was really given fruit punch with little alcohol content.

Well it might really taste far from potent, but I liked the cocktail for the fact that there was a little sourness coming from the fresh lime juice and grenadine, but the confusing part was contributed by the Frangelico, an Italian hazelnut liquor, hidden behind the bright red colour. And yes, there was rum in this drink too.

While it might be a nice, exotic cocktail, I thought I might just save this for nights that I felt like going for something fancy, and stick to the more mainstream wine or cocktail where dining is concerned.

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I was much delighted with the range of tacos offered here, not because there were many variations, but for the fact that there was quality in each piece of taco. Whether it was Carne Asada (S$9.00), Baja (S$9.00), Al Pastor (S$8.00) or Vegetables (S$6.00), each piece was special in their own ways and one of each made the meal pretty wholesome.

Personally, I enjoyed the Vegetables Taco for a good healthy crunch amidst the grilled flavours, and the best part about it all was that the soft corn tortilla did not break apart even though the snack was quite packed with ingredients. And if I would recommend something to go along, I actually liked the Al Pastor which was BBQ Pork covered with generous diced salsa.

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Fresh ingredients in a tortilla wrap had always been a pleasure to enjoy, and that made the Meatball Fajitas (S$38.00) so endearing. Handmade meatballs were baked and served on a hotplate, with all the sauces, caramelised onions and that coat of melted mozzarella cheese. Before putting these sizzling hot items on to the toasted wrap, the essential step was also to spread the guacamole and salsa dip on the inner side of the wrap. Fold it, eat it, and you will not regret it.

Better still, if there were any Acompañantes (side dishes) or Antojitos (entrees) that you could dip it to the fresh guacamole and salsa dip, by all means try not to waste them. And because the Fajitas would be an ideal portion for two persons, the entree would likely bring the fullness level to a sweet spot.

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The drink might not be in time for summer, but I was really elated that their bursting pearl Frappuccino beverage made its return at this time of the year, because the sourness of the pomegranate juice from the pearls was a very “shiok” sensation amidst all that blended ice.

Sadly, if only they could make it a yoghurt blend, the summer berry goodness would have stood out a lot more. Because the mixed berry concentrate was quite flat when teamed up with milk, it did not achieve that perfect “15-minute vacation” effect from the slogan.

Some hits, and some misses. All I would say was that I would not be inclined to ordering this drink, on account that they had a Yuzu Honey Jelly Yoghurt Frappuccino, which definitely fared much better than this.

Perhaps appealing more to the lunch crowd in the vicinity, the dinner service on a weekday seemed to be quieter than I would expect. But I knew of Jai Thai as a restaurant serving authentic Thai food at affordable prices, so no surprise to how I would walk down Purvis Street to have this.

And so their Tom Yum Soup (S$8.00 for Small portion) had sufficient sour and spicy flavours to go with the relatively decent portion of seafood, including prawn, dory and squid, coupled with an assortment of mushrooms. Honestly, just one of this with a bowl of brown rice would be a satisfying dinner for me, only that I would subconsciously compare this with that from their Clover Avenue outlet...