Maybe you’re thinking: “Carrot cake? Boring. How good can it be?”

Well, shoot those thoughts down and have a go at Kafe Utu’s Lush Carrot Cake ($8). This modest-looking cake is nutty and moist, with a dash of finesse that comes in the form of tangy citrus cream cheese frosting. Spices lurk in the background; you know they’re somewhere there.

Since we’re talking dessert, why not pair it with their Soft Serve Ice Cream ($4)? Flavours rotate occasionally, but if you happen to visit when bittersweet dark chocolate with cacao bits is on the menu, you know what to do.

I’ve had my fair share of satisfying Korean stews. This Pork and Kimchi Stew ($25) was no exception, for it wasn’t too light or overly sweet. Sitting in a crowded restaurant abuzz with chatter (mostly in Korean!) and tucking into a spicy, boiling hot stew packed with pork, tofu and vegetables wasn’t a bad way to spend my Saturday night.

You can use Burpple Beyond for BBQ meats, bulgogi, sharing-portion stews, pancakes and some ala-carte items. Unless you prefer chewy Korean pancakes with a higher ratio of batter to ingredients, I wouldn’t recommend them. I like mine crispy-edged and a little more charred.

The Firebake bread board ($10) deserves a spot on every table. A selection of assorted breads, including the likes of house made woodfired sourdough and fruit loaf, is served with salted Norwegian butter and Greek olive oil. Adding on a side of their delectable tangerine-hued house made kaya ($1), with fragrant floral notes, is a must.

There’s also the toasted sourdough milk bun with kaya (and butter, of course) at $3.50 - breakfast for one, sorted.

After noticing several enticing photos of this Pumpkin Kale ($18) salad on social media, I didn't have to think twice whilst ordering.

Roasted butternut pumpkin and crunchy, charred onions sit at the forefront, atop a base of crisp kale that was a little too finely chopped for my liking. They are joined by a scattering of spiced pumpkin seeds and marinated goat cheese. I'm personally an advocate of feta as pairing best with pumpkin, but it doesn't hurt to occasionally switch things up. Clearly, this isn't a salad that's delicate or mild in flavour. The hit of sour and salty, along with those sporadic bursts of mellow sweetness, is unmistakable.

Fun flavours and textures aside, I get that it's not the most affordable salad around. You are perfectly capable of recreating it at home if you put in the effort to source for quality ingredients.

Do I know anything about African cuisine, let alone their curries? Not at all.

Despite being relatively unfamiliar with most of the curries and stews under "From Mama Africa", the one that caught my eye was the Swahili Fish Curry ($29). Red snapper features in what appears to be the priciest dish on the menu.

The concoction of tamarind, coconut milk, home curry paste and habanero yields a curry that's sour and spicy, without being overbearingly rich. Savouring this with some of that refreshing tomato salsa (served on the side) is non-negotiable; let those contrasting temperatures collide.

Maybe it's just me but there was a certain idyllic quality to this dish: doesn't it look like an island of fragrant coconut rice surrounded by a "sea" of curry?

The Shabsouka & Soft-Boiled Egg Toast ($11) won't give you the same pleasure as dipping crusty bread in a skillet of shakshouka, but it'll do.

Spiced beef in a tomato-based sauce, feta cheese (lacking), green chilli, cherry tomatoes and shiso sprout on toasted rye - could it possibly pass off as spicy spag bol on toast, minus the pasta? The portion size was just right, and with it being hearty, I was filled up rather quickly.

The eggs, though, were a sight to behold. All it took was a soft prod, and out came oozing a stream of liquid gold.

Now, I'm not one to turn to for coffee recommendations. I do, however, urge you to try the Utu-style mocha, Bidi Bado "Abracadabra" ($7).

You’ve encountered mochas that are all talk and no action - sweet, overly milky, lacklustre. Not only is this fine, full-bodied specimen dark and handsome; it even greets you with a rim of peanut butter, almonds and pink peppercorns.

Give this a try, please. Even if you’re a fellow black coffee drinker.

Menus are changed frequently at TCC without warning, but I felt like mentioning this new pasta on the Isetan Scotts branch's revamped menu.

The "locally-inspired" Prawn Laksa Pasta ($23) is one exotic looker of a dish, but then again, what do you define as "exotic"? For one, the flavours were certainly familiar. Al dente squid ink spaghetti in a mildly spiced coconut sauce that left us wanting more, with laksa herb crumble and otah-stuffed prawns. They appeared to be "otah-crusted", rather than "otah-stuffed", and could use some fine-tuning. If so, I'd be glad to see it land a spot in TCC's permanent pasta repertoire, joining the ranks of classics like the Seafood Aglio Olio.

Being late to the (dumpling) party's no fun, but thanks to the many enthusiastic reviews online, knowing what to order was as easy as can be. Let's get straight to the point.

The Miso Mushroom Noodles is more than just a "bak chor mee wannabe", and beats its braised pork counterpart, hands down. As for the dumplings, the heavyweights of Smoked Duck and Fried Pierogi took the cake. The latter, or what I call "fast food dumplings", rightfully deserves all the attention it's been getting - everyone seems to enjoy the foolproof (and deep-fried!) combination of potato, bacon, cheese and sriracha.

I suppose everyone already knows that the $16 Lunch Set is available on Burpple Beyond, so no more needs to be said.

Both the Express and Long Lunch sets offer the option of coffee or a dessert, De Chocolate. Upon asking, we were told that it was a brownie. And a fine brownie it was.

It arrived with cream and little morsels of what resembled granola (these had the texture of coffee beans, tasting of corn and chocolate, but I haven’t the slightest clue).

The brownie itself was moist, dense and fudgy, with a crisp exterior. Interestingly enough, there was a spice that lingered after every bite. Instead of clarifying (like a sociable human), I googled “Mexican brownie”, finding brownie recipes containing cinnamon, and cayenne or chilli, maybe even all three.

This may be a tad too rich to enjoy on your own, unless you are in the mood to indulge and/or have the liberty of an extra-long lunch.

For the second course, the $28 Express Lunch Set calls for a choice of Tostada de Atun or Tostada de Res. The former seemed like the more popular (and lighter) choice of the two. Just as well, but the carnivore in me was enticed by the charming Tostada de Res.

Unlike regular shredded or minced beef, the grass-fed Angus sirloin served in this dish reminded me of seared beef tartare – tender yet pleasantly chewy. One bite, and I was hooked.

This was topped with red onions, crispy leek and a chipotle mayo that went exceptionally (but unsurprisingly) well with everything. I wouldn’t recommend this to those who abstain from raw/partially cooked beef; it’s best to check with the waitstaff.

In the background: De Pescado taco

I was welcoming towards the addition of crabmeat to the (some might say) already perfect trio of English muffin, poached eggs and hollandaise in FOCR’s Crab Benedict ($21). As much as I enjoyed the golden-brown soft-shell crab with mentaiko sauce, although it being deep-fried didn’t help, this dish was just way too creamy and cloying.

It got jelak and a little “one-dimensional” halfway through. The crab meat was sweet and fresh, but that was that. Even the ebiko did little to liven things up (ikura would’ve been a better but also pricier alternative). There simply wasn’t much going on. My taste buds were craving for something more, waiting to be perked up.

Don’t have this all to yourself; your best bet would be to order a bunch of other dishes to share. That’s what I’ll be doing on my next visit – I already have my eye on the Beef Tartare and Baked Eggs.