Finally decided to try something else other than their lobster risotto, pomelo and prawn salad and Indonesian fried rice (which are all really good) 😂

The lobster submarine roll is definitely one item that should be eaten at the restaurant itself rather than delivered or taken away. The brioche roll is lightly toasted and warm to the touch, with enough firmness to hold the generous chunks of lobster meat.

Ordered this via Deliveroo (they no longer have islandwide delivery but some places in west coast might fall in the delivery radius!)

The mane was a little bit squashed during delivery, but most of the cake arrived safely nonetheless.

Cut for a real surprise - beautiful rainbow cake layers hidden in such a mini cake was a true treat. The layers were all moist and fluffy, so this wasn’t just aesthetic but actually tasty! The frosting layer was a bit too thick around the sides but thankfully it wasn’t too sweet. It also helped that the sweetness was cut by zesty and refreshing flavours of lemon. Good for 2-4 pax for a mini celebration especially if no one wants to eat THAT much cake. Would definitely buy this again for small celebrations or get the other cakelet flavours for myself 😂

Perhaps a new item on the menu based on my friend’s experiences here. The Hainanese curry rice comes with crispy pork cutlet slathered in curry, and an equally sinful braised pork belly served with a side of chap chye.

Overall, a very aesthetic plate of curry rice. Not as ugly delicious as hawker stalls selling scissor cut curry rice, and maybe doesn’t quite hit the spot in the same way. I don’t mean this isn’t a good plate of Hainanese curry rice, it’s just different. The curry here isn’t as starchy, but it is more aromatic though not super spicy. The pork belly was super tender and really melts in your mouth. My favourite was the chap chye, which was well braised - and I’d probably order that as a side on its own to go with the oxtail stew on my next visit!

Tried British Hainan with friends who live around the area. They recommended the place for its oxtail stew, ambience and friendly owners and I’m really glad we went! Interestingly enough, this corner unit with its bright signboard caught my eye as I was on the way to their place so it was really coincidental when they suggested having dinner here!!

We ordered the fried tofu (crisp enough, wasn’t too greasy, and went great with the spicy chilli), and 3 mains to share - oxtail stew, hainanese pork chop and Hainanese curry rice.

The oxtail stew was truly the star of the show. The broth was rich and savoury-sweet. The baguette slices were lightly toasted and made a great vehicle for mopping up as much of the stew as possible. The oxtail meat was really tender and fall off the bone, while the vegetables (celery, carrots, potatoes) were fork tender, infused with the beef aroma, and overall just delicious.

Must order if you visit British Hainan! With a bottle of beer or the Hainan Cooler to chase it all down.

If you’re still schooling, don’t forget to bring and present your student ID to claim 10% off your single or double scoops!

The ambience and decor at HAC is really cosy and the service is impeccable.
I personally love the cones at HAC and would recommend those over the waffles. Personal picks: coconut ice cream, Vietnamese coffee ice cream, coconut affogato.

Forget the waffles, the rosemary cones at HAC are where the goodness is at. The cones aren’t as fragrant as certain local ice cream parlours but they hold up really well (none of that nonsense where you’ve queued soooo long for your delicious herby cone and ice cream only to have it crumble in your hands - literally). I love that these cones are thick and soooo crunchy.

On to the ice cream - Vietnamese coffee flavoured ice cream isn’t that common yet, and it’s definitely one of my top picks from the flavours I’ve tried here. It is really aromatic, and hits all the right notes of bitterness, sweetness, milkiness, plus the texture is soooo creamy and good. Plus points that the ice creams here don’t melt in the blink of an eye. My favourite flavour here still remains as coconut (I’ll always go for the coconut affogato), so this comes as my top pick for scoops, before pistachio (shockingly) or the blue pea nori white chocolate. Can’t wait to try the bacio and other flavours!

Visited OFC a couple of times but never tried their jeon before! Pleasantly surprised by their kimchi pancake - it’s not the crispiest, as the middle is chewy, with a decent amount of tangy kimchi. I almost thought it was too thick and soft, until I reached the edges which were thin, crisp and lightly browned! Overall the textural contrast was pretty appealing although I’m the sort that loves really crisp pancakes. I wouldn’t mind giving this another order or trying their other pancakes along with the chicken.

One of the three new ice creameries that opened at Sunset Way, but perhaps the most underrated. Hundred Acre Creamery is located along a more quiet stretch facing the carpark, and occupies a smaller unit than the other new offerings in this neighbourhood. Surprisingly, they were empty on a Tuesday night (while BC was packed on Monday night). Service here is impeccable, the staff are all cheerful, welcoming and friendly. They’re extremely patient and attentive as well.

First of what we tried - the Dalat. If you love coconut and avocado, you’ll love this. The coconut ice cream at HAC is amazing. It’s packed full of coconut flavour and is super smooth, I made sure to get myself a pint ($12) to bring home. There wasn’t any strange artificial taste or an overwhelming smell of coconut oil. While I wasn’t such a fan of the avocado mousse (I’m more team savoury avo-toast rather than avo-dessert), it had a pleasant mouthfeel that complemented the creamy coconut ice cream really well. The dessert was topped off with a slice of nuts florentine and crushed nuts for some crunchiness too.

Not my personal favourite but if you like coconut-avocado, this should be a must-try.

If you’re looking for a place to have dessert with friends after a night along Tanjong Pagar, I would highly recommend 5 The Moments over the more wildly popular joints Apiary or Hvala especially on Friday and Saturday nights. There were long queues snaking out the doors of Apiary, and Hvala had a 30 min wait time - plus they close at 9.30.

5 The Moments, on the other hand, was crowded but had a few tables available. They also open till late.

The waffles here really took me by surprise! There were a few options available but we went for the charcoal one, and the wait time wasn’t very long (<5mins). The waffles were truly crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside - really good! We chose the Honey Chrysanthemum and Valrhona Manjari ice cream to share and I really enjoyed both these flavours. The chocolate definitely stole the show in my opinion as it was rich, bittersweet, and a true chocolate lovers dream. The honey chrysanthemum wasn’t my choice, but it had a lovely hint of floral fragrance balanced with a light hand of honey. This served well as a palate cleanser when you’ve had too much chocolate (if that’s possible 😂).

Been a while since we visited The Populus and today I finally decided to get something other than The Populus Scramble 😂

I love greens and this was a really really lovely breakfast with tons of superfoods - broccoli, kale, avocado, baby spinach. All the veggies were extremely fresh and crisp! Very impressed. I added on crab meat for $5, which was a good protein addition to an otherwise carb and fat oriented dish. The mix of greens is tossed in a slight citrus and mild vinaigrette, which was super refreshing! Love the addition of brown rice and puffed rice that added some crunch distinct from the crunch of fresh broccoli. All these were arranged beautifully atop a piece of toasted multigrain, but I didn’t quite enjoy the bread. The multigrain-studded crust was tasty but the bread itself felt doughy in my opinion. Not a deal breaker since I loved the mixed greens though!

I admit I would be hard pressed to pick between this or the Populus Scramble next time I visit. Worth a try for sure if you love greens or are looking for a healthier option!

Decided to try a new coffee place since we were in the city, and this had 5 stars on Google. Not impressed with the selection of bakes (muffins, scones and bagels) as they looked like they were from a mass supplier, plus some of the bagels were misshapen.

Service is almost non-existent, as the barista we encountered was curt, and bordered on unfriendly and unhelpful. You also just collect your own drinks from the counter although the place is just a tiny joint. I read another review commenting that SOMA Coffee was comfy and cozy but I beg to differ. Unlike the rustic Indonesian coffee joints which exude warmth and pride in their local crafts, this local Indonesian coffee joint seems devoid of personality and drab.

I did not enjoy their coffee, although a plus point is the choice of non-dairy options for soy and almond milk. Guess it still does appeal to many of the office crowd as this place has persisted in the CBD for years.

I would not be back.

I was disappointed with the signature BBrulee Kopi Latte and iced teh latte, but thankfully the food here wasn’t a letdown!

Loving the food puns - the curry on sunshine was a delicious take on curry rice with a crispy chicken cutlet. The thin omelette layer atop the rice with fragrant curry leaves was bomb too! I would’ve preferred the curry to be thicker and spicier, but as it was, it went well with the rice, egg and chicken. The potato bits inside are pretty soft and thoroughly soaked up the curry. The fried chicken was quite impressive, the batter is crisp and really tasty.

Apart from that, the savoury sandwiches all look really tasty. Was gonna go for the CFC (crispy fried chicken) but I thought of trying the fish instead since the chicken might be the same as the curry on sunshine’s. I chose the black pepper sauce to go with the BFF fried fish (only saw later on than the recommended sauce was thousand island), but I think it was quite a good match! The black pepper sauce wasn’t particular peppery, but it rounded off the omelette and sandwich well. This wasn’t really Eggdrop / Eggstop -like, as the toast wasn’t as thick and I really like that! The pre-sliced bread was further sliced in half and toasted before the fillings were loaded in. This provided a better proportion of fillings to bread, unlike the korean style egg toasts which tend to have more bread to filling ratio. My only gripe is that the sandwich isn’t that big, and for $6+, that’s pretty expensive compared to the mains being offered!