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~Sponsored Post~ October is an important month for foodies – next to celebrating Halloween over gory looking food and going for fright fests, we can all look forward to Healthy Lifestyle Festival SG! It is a refreshed version of the Health Promotion Board’s National Healthy Lifestyle Campaign (NHLC). The annual event organised by the Health Promotion Board carries the theme of “Live Healthy. Get more from life” and aims to promote the importance of a healthy lifestyle among the general public. The entire festival adopts a multi-pronged approach to create and foster a supportive environment for Singaporeans to practise healthy behaviour in terms of eating well, physical, social and mental well-being. Over October and November, the Healthy Lifestyle Festival brings 4 exciting roadshows in the heartlands! Expect a ton of free activities and many more! Activities vary from event to event.  #dontsaybojio More deets on their roadshows are found below! Admission is free and participants will

Telok Blangah Estate is another of those heartlander areas that has seen the invasion of cafes. Unlike the other more well known estates like Tiong Bahru and even Bedok, Old Habits is one of the few that up the hip factor of the estate. Infact, when I visited at almost 10pm, I was half suspecting the shutters were mid way down. These toys were spotted at the entrance and don't they bring back childhood memories? The parents remember seeing these in their early working days and good grief, thank god for laptops and keyboards these days, the days of liquid paper and noisy typing are thankfully a thing of the past. Let the pictures bring you on a tour around the  really cosy retro cafe, one that would bring back memories for so many generations. I spied these gold smith reciepts on the wall and though they were not dated too long ago - in the 1980's only! I definitely do not belong to the age where Carlsberg Beer was red! Heaps of knick knacks that would make any hoarder so happy.

Gastrosmiths had been running promotions on Groupon for a reasonable amount of time and this resulted in us facing difficulty securing a table over Sunday brunch. Each rejection was on the basis of over subscription but when we visited, it was not even full house at 12noon. The first visit left me questioning if the pricier concept could work. Kabocha and Beet Salad ($12) Honey Vinaigrette Arugula, Nuts Kabocha, a type of Japanese pumpkin teased and tempted our tastebuds to no end. I loved the sweetness of this pumpkin and the way that the parmesan, arugula and pistachios pulled off a stunning salad I would order again in a heartbeat. Beautifully plated too! Live European Mussels ($22.50) Jamon Dashi, White Wine, Chilli, Bread This was subject to availability and they only had limited stock weekly. I can totally understand why. There has to be some sorcery surrounding dashi stock and mussels. These were cooked just nice, a delicate balance between under and overcooked! Their mussels we

Yummy Viet stands out in a row of most local and chinese restaurants and located just next to a backpacker's hostel, it is no wonder that a number of foreigners were spotted dining rather than locals. Yummy or not, I shall decide after the meal. These lamp shades reminded me of the traditional vietnamese hats. Deep Fried Chicken and Rice ($7.90) Apart from the two-toned rice, there was nothing Vietnamese about it - and I could be wrong since my knowledge has been limited to broken rice, pho and bahn mi. BBQ Pork Noodle Dry ($7.90) BBQ Marinated Pork, Fried Spring Roll, Lettuce, Raw Bean Sprouts, Basil Leaf, Coriander, Shallot, Peanut, Spring Onion and Rice Noodle, Sweet and Sour Sauce Now we were finally talking Vietnamese with the colours captured in a single bowl. I was thankful they served the sweet and sour sauce separately. Tuck in by tossing in the ingredients and drizzling generously with sauce, I particularly enjoyed their well seasoned BBQ pork and spring rolls. Lots of f

Ippudo was one the talk of town for its neverending queues - well come to think of it, I have not heard of a Japanese ramen place without a queue. Except, Ippudo's was exceptional. Queues could have waned today but they have other dining options for those who prefer a fussfree experience. Ippudo Express finds home at Shaw Center and located so near the carpark, I am sure this solves the problem of deciding what to eat for many drivers. At slightly past 2pm on a weekend, this was relatively empty and we scored seats almost immediately. No visit is complete without ordering their ramen, stringy and almost tasting just like wanton mee. I lose my case against handmade noodle - it is hard to draw the line between handmade wanton noodle and ramen noodle that tastes just like that. Liked the pork bone broth to slurp it up without being nudged and in its simplicity, this cloudy broth actually tasted really good on its own. Nevermind if it did not come with the side of braised pork, bamboo

TungLok has so many spin offs that I have lost track how many restaurants there are and Groupon brought us together again with an irresistible 40% off dinner time. Reservations are highly required because they are horribly short handed and even with 2 dinner seatings I had to wait for my table to be cleared before more waiting continued throughout our dinner. Too crowded for comfort, I am pretty sure everyone was enabled by Groupon! Walnuts ($4) I have a bad habit of nibbling on nuts before dinner commences and more so if they are not the usual peanuts. Sesame walnuts came at a hefty price of $4 before taxes and I really could have gotten a whole bag from the wholesalers! Fish Skin with Golden Suace ($9) I love the salted egg sauce on this crispy delight, another of those appetizers that gets me weak on resistence. Fish Noodle with Spicy Sauce ($18) Fish noodles has spoilt me with the chewy consistency and I would give up eating fishballs just for these. Peppered with a mouthwatering s