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  The Husband has clearly joined me in this quest for the best mala snack in town and he scored these on one of his business trips - thanks to the really enthusiastic sales promoter who kept stuffing him with samples.      I love how these are individually packed - actually only the potato wedges. The fish skins are in the regular resealable bags.     So how do these fare against the other mala snack competitors? It stings like a bee in terms of heat, whacks really hard and is really close to the mala stir frys that has taken the city by storm. Between the fish skins and potato wedges, I prefer the fish skins. The potato wedges have an amazing texture though - these would really rival Hokkaido Potato sticks! 

Headed out with the gang for some kid friendly szechuan food - actually, more because the restaurant itself was family friendly rather than the szechuan food itself and there are non spicy dishes.   Instead of their signature saliva fish slices, we chose beef this time and the change in protein brings about a different experience altogether. Somehow fish slices and chilli oil is way spicier than the beef. No complaints here and I do prefer fish too for this dish! This feels just like CNY with sea cucumber, mushrooms and seasonal vegetables and I was completely right because it tasted just like that! Single portion steamed sea perch in superior soy sauce for the children and it was so well received, the littlest was scraping the plate for more! So much win here, considering perch has a lovely oily after taste and no bones! Cereal prawns is usually a crowd pleaser and their version comes with a sprinkling of chilli padi - yummy! Sweet and sour pork is my weakness and their co

Hand in Hand came up as one of the top recommendations when I was searching for a good Xiao Long Bao place and prices were definitely friendlier than Din Tai Feng. Fried French Beans with Minced Pork ($10.80) A tad oily but packed enough wok hei. Egg White with Scallop and Fish Meat in Broccoli ($15.80) Highly recommended but I'm not sure what I make of the scallop and fish meat combination that tasted more like beancurd. Xiao Long Bao ($7.80) As good as DTF's without the 18 folds, yet equally delicate in workmanship. Tasty morsels and for this price point, I'm actually loving their version more. Deep Fried Pork Chop with Salted Pepper ($15.80) I found this average and on the pricey side since these had a porky after taste too. Fried Dumplings with Leek and Shrimp ($7.80) Resembling Japanese gyozas, these crispy dumplings are really delicious. The thin skin enveloping a flavourful blob of shrimp and leek. Fried Leek Dumplings with 3 Delicacies ($7.80) Mo

Vespetta at Boat Quay probably stands out with its red vespa at the entrance and later we realised sitting indoor was not the best with the ventilation situation and we were sweating over the meal. Head outside if needed. Flat Garlic Pizza Focaccia Bread with Rosemary ($10) Pizza base with a sprinkle of garlic and rosemary made this so fragrant and delicious. We were sold on the density of this. Authentic Puglia Creamy Burrata Cheese with Grilled Vegetables ($34) 300 grams of creamy goodness and this trumped alot of other burrata cheeses I have eaten locally. So addictive, I am so glad I went ahead with 300 grams instead of the original 150 grams. Mediterranean Octopus Salad with Wild Rocket and Lemon Dressing ($24) Chopped salad with marinated octopus and we were all sold on the appetisers. Delicious and we had high expectations of the mains already. Authentic Orecchiette Pasta with San Marzano Tomato Sauce and Burrata Cheese ($28) I was already pampered by Bar Cicheti's version

~Invited Session~ The English House is Celebrity Chef, Marco White's latest venture in Singapore and since it's opening, they tweaked their menu a number of times to perfect it. Sunday Roast it is to check out their signatures and also squirrel into the bushes. Quite literally.   Previously guarded by two Raffles Hotel's burly bell men, they have been retired due to health issues and I guess their absence takes some mystique away from the place. Finding The English House is not difficult, except there are no clear signages.  Head up their stone tiled steps and enter into a mystical world of artifacts. All of which are from Chef White's personal collection - we are talking about comics, display collectibles and even photo portraits. Simply WOW. This bench at their drinks section is set amidst Chef White's favourite poster - Dolly Dimples. The restaurant tour brought us to their exclusive private room, sits 14 with a bit of a squeeze els