tesss

I had my eyes set on Serene's for a supper club session but with the restriction of her minimum 8 pax per meal, I had trouble filling those seats so I hopped onto the bandwagon when she offered us seats with a guest chef, Chef Toshio Tanahashi. Also known as a vegetable whisperer, he brings to table Shojin Ryori cuisine, Buddhist Vegetarian to be specific and I was really curious. Religion aside, I love my vegetables but to take on a full course of vegetables...had to be an experience of its own It was a full turn out of at least 20 people that night. We were all allocated seats and given menus. Sesame cake flavoured with gocujang and wolfberrt topped with fig These are from the husks of sesame seeds used to make the next dish on the menu. Without wasting anything, these husks are then made into cakes like those above. I would never have guessed these were sesame husks even with the nutty aromatic fragrance that came with it. Hand ground sesame tofu topped with smoked eggpla

I love checking out food complexes and sometimes you'd be surprised what the extra walk brings you, like it brought me to Meruto. Specialising in Japanese cheesecakes and swiss rolls, this small shop can be easily mistaken for a hole in wall blink and you miss eatery. Classic Original Cheesecake ($10) I took the gamble on their original - what can go wrong with the original right? The chances of it failing me would be alot less lower than the other flavoured options. If you are a Fiesta cheesecake fan, this would totally be up your alley. Spongey, eggy and moderately sweet. I love how fluffy this is, perfect for those who are not fans of the dense cheesecakes. Also, I love how pocket friendly this is. Japanese recipe by a local chef - Meruto Cheesecake Hong Lim Complex #02-57

~Invited Session~ Siri House is right smack in between an art museum and a showroom gallery and it was an experience making my way through all the concepts. These days restaurants are no longer just restaurants, it becomes an experiential journey altogether. We were immediately served beef fat popcorn and these had to be the best ones eaten piping hot. Crisp and well popped (I have a pet peeve with popcorn with kernels still embedded within), beef fat had a hand in ensuring these were sinful yet so addictively delightful. They are served as and when the kitchen serves them so I guess I was lucky that night. Chicken in a Biscuit ($12) Chicken fat cookie, spiced cream cheese, crispy chicken skin My childhood definitely had a place for Chicken in a Biskit, the blue packaging with its signature font and rooster mascot rings such a familiar bell. I'm not sure how many boxes of this overly savoury crumbly biscuit I've consumed but it definitely ranks tops as a favourite snack.

Since Ember days, I have been missing Chef Sebastian's dishes and for good reason really, he offered one of the best value set lunches in town and we always have such a swell time I was sorely disappointed when he left, standards dropped and subsequently Ember pulled its shutters. VENUE by Sebastian showcases the prowess of both Chef Sebastian and Chef Jonathan formerly from Artichoke (another personal favourite). We headed for the sharing menu just to taste everything and not be overly stuffed. Housemade sundried tomato bread  An Ember classic, except no refills and portions seemed to have shrunk. Foie gras mousse, toast Our toasts were first served burnt and we were told to flip them over - and thankfully they did entertain another batch of garlic toasts which were really tasty with the smooth as velvet foie gras mousse. Silken tofu, le jardin de robelais tomatoes, mesclun, sesame dressing So far no salad has gone wrong with sesame dressing and neither did this. White bait, chill

This peanut pancake garners as long queues as SLTwo Muffins does deserve a mention of its own. Called Granny's and comes in four different flavours - peanut, coconut, red bean and peanut butter. It's fluffy, it's moist but the filling was way too sweet so I guess for $1.20 it is a-okay priced but I'm not sure if I'd be queueing again for this. Maybe another flavour. The downside of this is, there is no closing hour because they close when they sell out - damn! Granny's Pancake #02-39 Hong Lim Food Centre

The queues outside Dumpling Darlings definitely fueled this visit and even with an opening hour of 1130am and us arriving at 12noon, we still had a queue to beat. First you take a queue number and loiter for your turn though the staff will give you a tinkle when it is your turn. Complimentary appetisers served and probably from the long wait, these were really good! Sichuan Pork Noodles Spicy minced meat, sichuan tare, bacon sofrito, fried shallot, spring onions Sichuan pork spelt spicy to me on description but the spice levels were non existent for me. I did enjoy the texture of the noodles especially and the flavours of sichuan pork. While they were not al dente, the noodles were so slurpworthy and delicious enough for me to clean out the bowl. The great thing about their lunch sets is for $16 I get a bowl of noodles, 4 of one type of dumpling and a drink! Going in a group may mean longer waiting time but I get to try more than one flavour of dumpling at once! The Original Minced por