Whilst it is not unknown that there has been quite a fair bit of works going on at Mandai Wildlife East that seen the addition of quite a number of new dining options within the area around Mandai Wildlife Reserves closer to Singapore Zoo, River Wonders and Night Safari such as that of Roberta’s, an outlet of Song Fa Bak Kut Teh and Sushiro’s Digiro outlet, it is only in the past week that the area has seen its very first food court open in the non-ticketed zone of the area. Having visited Singapore Zoo (and also worked there at some point of time), this is definitely a significant development as part of Mandai Wildlife Reserves’ attempt to make the area not just one to visit for the paid attractions, but also one that feels integrated as an alternative destination for locals on weekends as well as tourists looking for an experience in Singapore outside of the city especially with Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree also located in the Mandai Wildlife East zone.

The Food Republic here covers quite a wide area that seats a good number of patrons — the outlet is being themed after the typical street scene of Singapore in the 1970s; do check out the many props with details seems to draw reference from some familiar sights left from the past, as well as the witty puns on the posters indoors. This outlet boasts 20 stalls in operation since its grand opening highlighting various local favourites and other cuisine forms to appeal to the wider audiences; notable ones that we had tried includes the following:-

- Nya Nya (Nonya Laksa & Snacks; also located at Food Republic Wisma Atria and by the third-generation owners of Nonya Delicatessen at Bukit Timah Plaza)
- Uncle Lee’s Confectionery (Traditional Singapore Cakes; most notable for their Kaya Cake and Peanut Cake sold through several vending machines in Singapore — available in slices as well as in whole cakes)
- Weld Quay Chili Pan Mee (Malaysian-style Chili Pan Mee; similar to what is offered in the Penang Jiak sub-zone in Food Republic Shaw House and seemingly affiliated to the i Mum Mum brand in Penang)
- Tanjong Rhu Pau (Traditional Steamed Pau; think Yuan Yang Pau, as well as classic dim sum items such as Fan Choy, Chwee Kueh, Chee Cheong Fun, Siew Mai, and Glutinous Chicken Rice — originated from Guillemard Road)

It hasn’t been too long since the first outlet of Berempah Bros had opened at Beauty World Food Centre, but it does seem like these folks are definitely quite enthusiastic about the venture to open second outlet — this time at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre that is within walking distance from Sembawang MRT Station. These folks should be relatively easy to find considering how they are quite in the view of those walking in to the hawker centre from the main road; they occupy the stall unit that is located beside Twenty6 Gusto House that serves up western fare there. Berempah Bros had pretty much stuck with the formula behind the workings of their first store at Beauty World Food Centre with this new location; the menu surrounding around fried meat / fish options that comes with their signature typhoon shelter (i.e. Hong Kong-style Bi Feng Tang) crumbs and served with fragrant coconut rice, housemade achar and Sambal Belachan.

Having tried their Pork Berempah previously when we had went to their Beauty World Food Centre outlet, we found ourselves going for the Unagi Berempah this time round to give another dish a go this time round at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre — we are pretty surprised that our order did come with Begedil by default especially since we did note that it wasn’t the case with the Pork Berempah previously. One notable improvement we did notice about the Unagi Berempah against the Pork Berempah that we have had previously would be in the fragrant coconut rice — whilst the flavours are still pretty light especially when had with the other elements on the plate, it did carry a more Nasi Lemak-like fragrance with a light whiff of coconut milk aroma that was more evident than it was previously. The Unagi is interestingly deep-fried here much like the other meat options — the batter comes rather similar to that of beer-battered fish & chips with a darker hue. Whilst the Unagi is actually pretty moist and fresh (also pretty plump and meaty in terms of portion size), we didn’t really like the soggy batter on the underside; we were also not too sure if the moisture of the Unagi did affect the flavours of the signature typhoon shelter crumbs to pull through — the crumbs did feel less flavoursome than before. The Sambal Belachan carried a hint of savouriness and a tang; the level of spice being pretty manageable for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness, while the inclusion of housemade achar gave a tang and a crunch that helps resets the tastebuds from the meat and carbs on the plate.

Was going around International Plaza and got to know about the opening of a new outlet of Han N Han Nanyang Coffeehouse that is located at the ground floor of the building — for those whom might find the name “Han n Han” familiar; yes, this would be the very same folks behind the Han n Han Peanut Pancake brand name that one would be able to find in some coffeeshops around the island, though the Han N Han Nanyang Coffeehouse concept was pretty specific to the independently-run location at Blk 252 Jurong East Street 24 that has been around for quite a while. Unlike the Blk 252 Jurong East Street 24 location, their International Plaza outlet is being run more alike a takeaway kiosk; the space only being big enough for the counter, food preparation area and a dining table good for two (2) pax — it also feature a more limited food menu as compared to the outlet in Jurong East as such. Apart from their standard Traditional / Crispy / Mini Pancake offerings, patrons looking for more substantial fare can also opt for their line-up of Organic Millet Porridge; they also do have Curry Puffs and Herbal Tea Eggs with a wide variety of beverages to go along.

The Mini Pancakes at Han N Han Nanyang Coffeehouse are sold individually or in sets of four (4) pieces; just like their Traditional / Crispy Pancakes, they do offer quite a variety of different fillings together with their Mini Pancakes — the prices of the pancakes would be dependant on the fillings that one opts for. For our order of the Mini Pancakes, we went with the Biscoff, Black Sesame, Gula Melaka and Cheese for the set of four (4) pieces. Comparing the consistency of the mini pancakes to what one would expect out of the typical Min Jiang Kueh, the consistency of the Mini Pancakes were more consistent to that of western Pancakes that are soft and fluffy. The various fillings did hit the spot for us; the Biscoff one coming with a good spread of cookie butter spread and cookie butter crumbs, while the Gula Melaka version comes with desiccated coconut drenched in Gula Melaka — the more predictable ones would be the Cheese Mini Pancake coming with a slice of processed cheese, though we liked how the Black Sesame Mini Pancake came with runny black sesame spread that is all smooth yet coming with a roasty fragrance.

It is probably no secret that Yuen Kee Dumpling has quite an aggressive expansion plan in Singapore given how there are new outlets sprouting all across the island almost every month — that being said, it does seem that the brand is reaching out into areas that are slightly unconventional and far out for some. Whilst one of their newest outlets is situated within the Food Republic food court at Mandai Wildlife East, Yuen Kee Dumpling is one of the more significant tenants that are situated within the Gourmet Paradise food court within Parc Point in Tengah. Yuen Kee Dumpling takes quite a substantially-sized stall unit within the food court — they are located at the end of the food court that is close towards the exit doors of Tengah Polyclinic which is also integrated to the complex. Yuen Kee Dumpling’s menu at their Parc Point location is the same as the menu that the brand offers at their other food court stalls which includes side dishes, wantons, dumplings and noodle dishes featuring their wanton and dumpling offerings.

We have written about various offerings that Yuen Kee Dumpling had been serving up whilst visiting several of their outlets around the island — it has also been a while since we had last visited Yuen Kee Dumpling as a whole as well. One of our go-tos at Yuen Kee Dumpling would be the Shrimp & Crab Roe Pork Wanton — patrons do get a choice to pick and choose a sauce offering to go along with their wanton / dumpling dishes at Yuen Kee Dumpling; our choice of sauce would be the Viral Mixed Sauce w/ Chilli Oil which is also our go-to. Thought that the Viral Mixed Sauce w/ Chilli Oil at their Parc Point location seemed to come with a higher proportion of chili oil than peanut sauce as compared to their other outlets — whilst the chili oil that also features crispy bits of chili does give a smoky crunch and a note of fragrance and numbness from Sichuan chili peppers, it felt a little short on the creaminess and nuttiness that we experienced at their other outlets prior. That being said, the wantons were still plump; well-filled with pork, shrimp and crab roe with the shrimp giving it a bit of a bite whilst carrying its natural sweetness, while the inclusion of crab roe adds a popping sensation to the wanton — the skin of the wanton also being silky smooth, whilst catching on the sauces and oil for flavour.

The opening of the very first outpost of Lotteria in Jewel Changi Airport has been something that is widely mentioned on social media ever since their intentions of launching in Singapore has been announced. For those whom are unaware, Lotteria is a South Korean fast food chain that was first established in 1979 — the brand has since expanded its operations with outlets situated within Laos, Mongolia, United States of America, Myanmar, Vietnam and Malaysia. The brand’s very first outpost in Jewel Changi Airport is situated in Basement 1 of the shopping gallery; these folks are neighbours with the outlet of Hoshino Coffee there. Lotteria is perhaps best known for their burger and fried chicken offerings — its menu in Singapore is segmented into sections dedicated to Burgers, Fried Chicken, Side, and Ice Snow and Others. Choices of beverages at Lotteria will include Soft Drinks and Coffee.

Thought our choice of burger at Lotteria wasn’t the best but if there is anything to look forward to having whilst making a visit here, it would probably be their Ganjung Chicken. The Ganjung Chicken is available as an ala-carte order or as a set; the former coming with options of either portion sizes of 2pcs of 4pcs, while the latter comes in a set of 2pcs or 4pcs with the addition of a side and drinks. Being fried chicken that is being coated with a sweet and spicy sauce, the Ganjung Chicken hits the spot especially when it comes to the flavour and the consistency of the sauce; there is sufficient sauce that coats the entire piece of fried chicken, while the sauce does carry that note of sweetness of Korean soy sauce and that spiciness that one is looking for — all that whilst the level of spiciness should be pretty comfortable for those whom are tolerable to slightly lesser than moderate levels of spiciness. The fried chicken also does come with a crusty exterior; the meat within being juicy and tender as well — definitely one of the more well-executed items that we have had during our visit to Lotteria.

For those that frequently pass by AlibabaR Hawker Bar situated at the junction of East Coast Road and Joo Chiat Road, one might likely have noticed a relatively new stall that takes up a stall unit in the corner of the coffeeshop just right beside a stall named CurryKimchi — Dim Sum-More 点心么 is the latest addition to AlibabaR Hawker Bar in the past couple of months; its existence also presents a wider variety of food options that can be paired with the extensive list of beverages that the coffeeshop offers. As the namesake of the stall suggests, Dim Sum-More is a stall that primarily serves up Dim Sum offerings; the menu here is being separated into sections dedicated to Steamed Dim Sum, Rice, Fried Dim Sum, Steamed Pau Basket, Hand-made Cheung Fun, Sum-More Congee, Sum-More Charcoal Grilled Satay, Charcoal Grilled Sausage, Sea Salted Steamed and Sum-More Dessert.

The Prawn Cheung Fun was one of the items that left a more memorable impression on us as compared to the other items that we had tried during our visit to Dim Sum-More; this would be one of the items that is found in the Hand-made Cheung Fun section of the menu; apart from the Prawn Cheung Fun, other fillings that come with the Hand-made Cheung Fun would include the likes of Shredded Chicken, Char Siew and Jap Crab Stick — just to name a few. Going straight for the Prawn Cheung Fun, one thing we did like quite a fair bit about the Prawn Cheung Fun at Dim Sum-More is how they did not scrimp on the Hong Kong-style soy sauce that was drenched onto the Cheung Fun itself — there was ample soy sauce to go around the entire portion which gave the dish its sweet-savoury note that one would typically be looking for. The Cheung Fun itself did feel well-executed here with its slippery and smooth texture that is somewhat chewy without sticking to the teeth. While the prawns used in the Prawn Cheung Fun seemed more like smaller shrimp, they did carry a hint of crustacean sweetness that came with a good bite for a contrast of textures against the Cheung Fun.

There has been some talk going on recently about a new breakfast bar that had opened its doors around Crane Road — Touchwood Breakfast Bar is a fairly new addition to the line of shophouses along Crane Road which is slightly off from the main thoroughfare of Joo Chiat Road; one can find them not too far away from the outlet of Tiong Bahru Bakery which had replaced the coffeeshop that was once home to Mr & Mrs Mohgan Super Crispy Roti Prata prior to its relocation to Tin Yang Restaurant. Conceptualised as a weekend-only breakfast bar, much of its operations does seem to be intended for takeaways only , though there is the availability of camping chairs and tables that allows one to dine-in within and outside of its premises as well. It is well noted that Touchwood Breakfast Bar’s social media account is repurposed from one that used to belong to Brotherbird Coffeehouse which seems to suggest an affiliation between the two. Offering both Noms and Breakfast Sandwiches, Noms refers to the various bakes available on display in the display cases around the windows at the shopfront, while Breakfast Sandwiches refers to the line-up of English muffin-style sandwiches that they offer.

It was a pity that we weren’t able to give the Breakfast Sandwiches at Touchwood Breakfast Bar a go during our visit on a Sunday afternoon as they were out of stock by the time we made our visit there — given the circumstances, we found ourselves ending up with the Maple Malted Scone; one of the items of which that Touchwood Breakfast Bar claims as a specialty given the bio per their social media accounts. Based on the description placed on the display shelf pertaining to the Maple Malted Scone, the items featured elements such as Buttermilk, Maple and Butter. The Maple Malted Scone at Touchwood Breakfast Bar felt lesser like a typical scone and perhaps is something that is even tuned towards that of the taste preferences of the locals; whilst the scone still features a somewhat crumbly exterior, we liked how the batter wasn’t overly dense — this does create a light, fluffy and slightly airy texture in which we found it to be pretty easy to have without feeling clumpy. There is also a slight hint of maple fragrance that runs through at the back of the tongue whilst it also did not feel particularly sweet, making it a scone that can be enjoyed as-is.

Krapow Thai Street Food has been an establishment that we had been following for quite a while — these folks had first entered the local F&B scene some time ago with their very first outlet being situated at Far East Plaza; they had since expanded their operations with an outlet at Chinatown Point. Whilst the brand has seen a bit of revamp especially at the Chinatown Point outlet to align themselves as a bit of a more upmarket dining establishment in recent times, they had also opened a new outlet at 55 Zion Road within walking distance from both Zion Riverside Food Centre and Great World MRT Station along the Thomson-East Coast Line. They had taken over the former premises of the now-defunct Uptown — the food menu at their Zion Road location does feature a few dishes that seem to be exclusive to this location; the categories in the menu here includes Krapow, Drunkkard Noodle, House Pad Thai, Fried Rice, Soi Hero, Side, Salad, Tom Yum, Curry, From The Wok and Main, Eggs & Vegetables and Dessert. Beverage options include Thai Tea & Coffee, Matcha & Coconut, Herbal & Fruit Drinks, Other Drinks and Beer.

The Samran’s Beef Boat Noodles is an item that is being listed in the Soi Hero section of the menu — the menu describes the dish to come with elements such as braised beef, beef balls, herbal broth, rice noodles and morning glory; the dish does also seemed to be one of those items that are exclusively available at Krapow Thai Street Food’s outlet at Zion Road. Priced at $15.90, the Samran’s Beef Boat Noodles might not be the cheapest rendition of Thai Boat Noodles being served up by Thai establishment across the island; that being said, this does come across as one that left quite an impression on us nonetheless. Going for the herbal broth, we already loved how the herbal broth is especially flavourful and savoury; the herbal broth was also particularly thick and strangely does also work very well when mopped up with a bowl of rice on the side too. The rice noodles does come with a bit of chewy consistency, while the beef balls added a springy, meaty bite without being gamey, but it was the consistency of the braised beef of the beef golden coin cut that was truly impressive having absorbed the flavours of the braising liquid whilst being tender and not gamey as well. The morning glory does add an element of crunch and keeps things balanced here from the savoury flavours and the meatiness going on in the dish.

For those whom had been following us for a while, Brawn & Brains Coffee had been one of those cafes that is pretty much a staple for us — whilst these folks had been around for quite a while with outlets situated at the back alley of 673 Geylang Road, the lobby of Pico Design Centre and also at Hamilton Road, they had recently also made their return back to Guillemard Road. This does feel somewhat like a homecoming for the brand especially since Guillemard Road was the address of their first and second locations — both within the building currently known as Singapore Badminton Stadium; their latest outlet is however situated within Grandlink Square with a frontage that faces the back alley of the shophouses along Geylang Road. The Grandlink Square location sits between their Geylang Road location and Hamilton Road outlet in terms of size; seating is available around a communal table that sits in the middle of the entire space, while there are also plastic chairs lined up along the shopfront which doubles up as outdoor seating as well. Currently in its soft launch phase, the Grandlink Square outlet offers the same line-up of tea cakes, brownies, quiches, donuts, and Korvapuusti (i.e. Cinnamon Rolls) as their other locations — beverages available are split into categories dedicated to Coffee, Kombucha & Fizzies, and Matcha & Choc.

The Kaya Donut has been something which we had found ourselves having during some of our visits to their other locations over the years — the Donuts being an offering that is made in-house with the Kaya jam filled within being similarly made from scratch. Coming in the form of a Bombolone, the Kaya Donut features a soft and fluffy consistency that isn’t too dense; all that whilst being dusted in sugar on the exterior. The Kaya itself comes with a more runny consistency than that of commercially-made Kaya; the Kaya coming with a green hue typical of that of Nonya-style Kaya that makes use of Pandan as one of the ingredients involved. There is definitely a prominent hint of Pandan fragrance coming through — pretty much the element emphasised here whilst the Kaya was not overly sweet; definitely still familiar and comforting, and works well to be paired with a Long Black on the side!

Villa Creamery might be a name that Ang Mo Kio residents might be quite familiar with — these folks had been operating at the foot of Blk 123 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 for quite a while; with that being said, they had been in a phase of expansion and they have recently found new digs for their second outlet at Blk 42 Holland Drive; a location within the same neighbourhood as Holland Drive Market & Food Centre where one can find notable stalls such as New Lucky Claypot Rice and Butter Town. Villa Creamery’s space at Holland Drive is a bit on the smaller side; the space is indeed smaller than that of their Ang Mo Kio location where dine-in seating is pretty much restricted to two benches within the shop; there is also one dine-in table catered for a group of four (4) situated outside as well. While its focus would be on their gelato offerings, patrons are able to opt for their gelato to come in cups, cones or with Waffle Bites (more on that later). Beverages available at this outlet will include offerings segmented into categories such as Coolers, Coffee, Matcha and Seasonal.

There are a few renditions of Waffle Bites that Villa Creamery offers — these are essentially the same line-up of the different variants of waffles that are available at their Ang Mo Kio location. Whilst named Waffle Bites which seems to suggest that these might be cut-up pieces of waffles, it seems that Villa Creamery differentiates the waffles that they serve up at Ang Mo Kio as circular waffles, while the Waffle Bites at Holland Drive comes in the form of rectangular waffles instead. We found ourselves going for the Nian Gao Waffle Bites — we liked how the batter here wasn’t too dense; airy, light and wafts of a buttermilk fragrance whilst coming with chewy Nian Gao that comes with a slight hint of earthy sweetness within. We paired it up with the Strawberry Matcha Gelato which is inspired by that of the Matcha Strawberry Latte that has been pretty trendy of the late — coming with a pretty swirl of green and pink hues, there is that hint of a sweet, sour zing that is typical to that of macerated strawberries matched against that bitter undertones that one would expect out of the Japanese tea.

So it does seem like the folks behind Meelo Pancakes hadn’t just opened another concept named Meelo Mini Bowls in the Food Junction food court at Westgate recently; they had also introduced a new concept named 大时代 by Meelo which is described to serve up Hotpot and Min Jiang Kueh as well that is located right beside the pushcart stall allocated to Meelo Mini Bowls within the same food court. With all that being said, it does seem that full operations for the stall has yet to kick in however — the area presumably made for hotpot operations seems to have been used for that of Meelo Mini Bowls’ selection of dishes, though the stall is serving up a variety of pancakes that is similar to what is being offered by Meelo Pancakes at their Lot One location. As with their Meelo Pancakes location at Lot One, all of the variants of pancakes available at the time are prominently displayed at the counter; much like other modern Min Jiang Kueh specialty stalls like Munchi Pancakes and Ottie Pancakes, the Min Jiang Kueh at 大时代 by Meelo comes with a good variety of flavours and pancake skin options as well.

One of the more unique pancake skins that are exclusively available at Meelo Pancakes / 大时代 by Meelo would be the Strawberry skin — something which we have not noted other similar brands doing and also did not manage to try why we had made our visit to their Lot One outlet previously. The rendition of the pancake being served up with the strawberry skin during our visit to 大时代 by Meelo was the Strawberry Japanese Red Bean Pancake. Whilst most pancake skins of other flavour variations apart from the Original being served up at other similar establishments does seem to be more for the colour than the flavour, we did note that the Strawberry skin does carry a very light hint of a sweet zing similar to that of strawberry jam that tickles the tastebuds apart from creating a red hue for the pancake. The consistency of the pancake is pretty similar to that of the ones served up at more modern establishments whereby the pancake itself is a little bit on the slightly thicker, denser and more substantial side; still came with crisp ends that carry a crunch. Meanwhile, the Japanese Red Bean filling here seemed to emphasise on the earthiness of the red beans rather than sweetness; makes the pancake pretty easy to finish.

Just when Meelo Pancakes had just opened their first outlet at Lot One in Choa Chu Kang not too long ago, these folks had since expanded their operations to Jurong East. Apart from running a kiosk that is dedicated to their Min Jiang Kueh offerings, the folks behind the Meelo brand had also introduced a new concept named Meelo Mini Bowls. The introduction of Meelo Mini Bowls adds on to the variety of concepts serving up mainland Chinese-style mini bowl offerings around the Jurong East area — this would include establishments such as 百味小碗菜GO! Bai Wei Mini Bowl GO! at IMM and SteamLiu’s 浏阳蒸菜 at Westgate. Meelo Mini Bowls does serve up a variety of hot and cold dishes that are prominently displayed at the counter — all available for the patrons to easily pick up and place on their trays as they make their payment at the cashier.

One of the dishes that we had picked up during our visit to Meelo Mini Bowls would be that of the Dry-Fried Green Beans — this would be one of the few Hot Dishes that these folks have to offer out of the variety of mini bowls that are made available. Meelo Mini Bowls does not describe the elements that are being featured within their dishes; that being said, we did notice that the Dry-Fried Green Beans does come with elements such as green beans, minced pork and dried chilies. Thought that this was a dish that would work great with a bowl of rice on the side; the green beans does come dry-fried to a point in which it carries a soft crunch. The scraps of minced pork which had been dry-fried alongside the green beans does add a slight meatiness and saltish-ness that provides much flavour for the dish, all that whilst the inclusion of chili peppers does help in providing a slight hint of spiciness that tickles the tastebuds — a level that should be comfortable for those whom are tolerable to lesser than moderate levels of spiciness.