This afternoon's perk me up - fluffy Gula Melaka Pandan Chiffon and a cup of fragrant tea.

🗒 Tea Break Set ($8.90)

How long would you wait for a good bowl of topped rice? An hour? More? We waited thirty minutes on a Tuesday lunchtime in the queue that snaked outside this tendon specialist and another twenty minutes to be served. The reason for the almost holy devotion is clear once your tendon (tempura on rice) arrives. It’s tempura perfection: light batter, golden and crisp, encases precisely and perfectly cooked seafood and vegetables. Two jumbo shrimps, sliced squid, crab stick, pumpkin, mushroom, baby corn, long bean and a remarkably large chicken, all dressed with a specially made sauce just before serving. The rice is also perfectly textured and delicately aromatic. In all, it's a mound so huge you’ll be grateful for the appetite you built up waiting. The standard-sized portion costs $15; only ask for the set that comes with an additional bowl of udon if you’re really hungry.

🗒 Signature Kohaku Tendon ($15)

Remember those days when you just want fried foods but feel a little bit guilty and try to incorporate some greens with it so your conscience wouldn’t torment you that bad? That’s what happened to me today.

🗒 Salad ($8.90), Buddy Meal which includes 10 pcs Chicken Wings & Drumlets with Sweet Corns and Chilled Mashed Potatoes ($16.90)

Simply can't resist the crumbly pastries here - whether it's the pies or tarts.

Totally bewitched by the sultry magic of this superbly rich Double Chocolate Tart. Deep, dark, and yes, somewhat decadent. Another tasty treat - the Lemon Meringue Tart. With a buttery pastry case and thick lemon curd centre, topped with peak of billowy meringue, it is comforting, zesty and light.

🗒 Double Chocolate Tart ($8), Lemon Meringue Tart ($7), Caffe Latte ($4.80)

Tea takes place at the Lobby Lounge of The Westin all the way up on the 32th floor, so you can be sure that this afternoon tea experience is as delicious as it is scenic with the floor-to-ceiling panorama. The setting, a light-filled, relaxing lounge with comfy sofas and easy chairs, along with coffee tables.

Tea begins with a glass of champagne - before we plundered a three-tier platter including highlights such as the Alaskan King Crab Tempura and Butter-Fried Oysters, and tucked into a whole Lobster Thermidor and Freshly-Shucked Oysters; pastries include petite cakes and chocolates. Plates are changed with each course - a nice touch.

Service was assured and seamless if occasionally a touch perfunctory. Details counts so perhaps it may be a good idea to weigh in on the type of serving plate used – the “tea service” sized cutlery is too small and ungainly for the lobster. And personally, I'd prefer some of the savouries to be served warm.

🗒 SGD85++ for two persons inclusive of two glasses of champagne.

An offshoot of my favourite Outram Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh at Keppel Road, Tuan Yuan Pork Ribs Soup has all the hallmarks of the original. But call me nostalgic or sentimental, the former will always have a special place in my heart (and stomach) for its time-honoured flavours.

🗒 Pork Ribs Soup ($7), Pig Stomach Soup ($7), Tang Oh Soup ($5), Braised Peanuts ($2.50)

A dingy stall in a kopitiam which has been around since 1964 with time-worn mosaic flooring and old-fashioned baby blue wall tiles. Tick.

More than a dozen mouth-watering dishes with various gravies of different brown hue. Tick.

Three types of gravy (curry, lor and chap chye gravy) packed full of flavours that tempt you to load your plate with the inevitably oversized mound of gravy. Tick.

Give me a plate of rice now! Wait, no. Make it two.

#oldisgold

🗒 Crispy Fried Pork, Steamed Minced Meat Ball, Braised Taupok, Battered Fried Prawns, Fried Egg, Rice ($11.90)

There's something so perfect about a one-bowl meal. Equal parts comforting and efficient - and this is especially true when you're in the middle of a busy day, you need all the time-saving power that a meal in a bowl can provide. Dropped in at Tanuki Raw for a late lunch and was bowled over by all the tantalizing bowl options. Settled for the two crowd favourites.

The standout for me is the Foie Gras Truffle Yakiniku Rice Bowl. While it contained only a handful of ingredients (rice, foie gras US black angus short rib and an onsen egg), this bowl was incredibly tasty, and I can't help make “mmm” noises with every bite. True to form, this bowl was moist with truffle soy and black garlic brown butter but not mushy, and boasts delicious flavour tones.

As for the Tanuki Kaisen Chirashi Rice Bowl, think I'll pass on this one next time. The rice was too dry. It was definitely inferior to the shiny and bitey rice served at some of the better local Japanese places but thankfully the generous chunks of fresh fish toppings saved the dish.

🗒 Foie Gras Truffle Yakiniku Rice Bowl ($19.90), Tanuki Kaisen Chirashi Rice Bowl ($22.90), Spam Fries ($10.90)

​Beefy, bloody and bizarrely hard to get right, steak has an appeal far beyond the average piece of meat for me. The best steak I ever ate was my first Wagyu steak. The year was 2007, and it was served at a little-known diner called Astons Specialties at East Coast Road that would soon become a household name synonymous with quality and affordability steaks. Weighing 250g and priced at $150, the Grade 11 Wagyu striploin steak arrived perfectly pink in the middle, and it delivered flavour, tenderness and juiciness in a combination. Nearly a decade after eating it, I'm still moved by the memories of the experience.

So when I heard about the wallet-friendly ribeye steaks of quality at The Betterfield, I couldn't help but be reminded of Aston and its humble beginnings. And I knew I had to check this place out.

Recently relocated from Waterloo Street to High Street, the down-to-earth joint is sparse-to-brutal, with plain walls done in white, the service counter is canteen-ish, the square table on a single pole with four chairs around it just isn't the inviting place to spend time. In restaurant terms, it leaves something to be desired.

I ordered the MBS 4 Australian Wagyu Ribeye, and was surprised when told the dish would be finished by the chef at the tableside - a service often reserved for fine dining. The hefty piece that arrived at the table was carved into thick slices and torch-flamed. Trust me, there's nothing quite like a meal and a show. But here's the thing - it was pulled off with a feeble presentation on a metal trolley. To make matter worse, instead of enjoying the delightful aroma wafting from the torched meat, I had to suffer the stink of cigarette smoke from the server. Anyone can put on a suit but wearing it well is another story.

And the taste of this ribeye? Unctuously tender but lacking in flavour. Typically a ribeye would pack a 'beef-y' flavour because it's marbled with fat. And we know fat is flavour. Is it why the truffle mustard and sea salt were offered to complement the meat, I wonder.

🗒 MBS 4 Australian Wagyu Ribeye - 200g, ($42)

The familiar orangey red curry with chicken and potatoes is comfort food to me. It is the kind of food that I grew up eating. I called it the Singapore Chinese Chicken Curry because it is one of the 家常菜 found in many Chinese households here. Because it is a common household dish, I have never really considered eating this outside of home.

But lately I've been craving taste of home cooked food. And this chicken curry here does it for me. Deliciously tender chicken cuts simmered in an aromatic, slightly sweet curry sauce thickened with coconut milk. It is also a version made by my mother and grandmother, that I love the most.

The Chicken Rendang and Coffee Chendol pictured here are good too!

🗒 Chicken Curry with Rice ($8.50), Chicken Rendang with Rice & Coffee Chendol ($10.90)

My first visit to this establishment was years ago, and I’ve gone back many times since, and have recommended it to anyone who’s asked, “Where's a good tonkatsu place in Singapore?"

The menu has a variety of items, but the most popular are the set menus, featuring hire katsu (pork fillet) and rosu katsu (pork loin). Needless to say, they are my personal faves.

When it comes to the Tonkatsu here, there's something divinely satisfying about biting through the crisp and feathery light golden breading into the tender juicy pork while the sweet-tangy flavour of the Tonkatsu sauce swirled around in the mouth. Yum.

Not to mention the thinly shredded fresh, crunchy cabbage served with a citrusy dressing and spicy mustard, and the white pearly grains with great texture and beautiful luster.

🗒 Hire Katsu Set ($22.00), Rosu Katsu Set ($24.00)

Tried two types of ramen at the Kanshoku Ramen Bar - the Truffle Ramen and Signature Kanshoku Ramen.

While I think truffle is one of the best things to come out of the hipster food craze and I can't get enough of it, I'm not sure if I like the Truffle Ramen at Kanshoku Ramen Bar well enough to return for a second. Served dry and cold and dressed with truffle oil and truffle shavings, a whiff of it sent me tingling with excitement but it didn't work magic in my mouth. The only consolation was the two aburi-torched slices of tender chashu with a delightful smoky edge.

The Signature Kanshoku Ramen seemed to fall short too. There's no question that the soul of a Hakata-styled ramen bowl is in the broth, and there's nothing like the intensely porky, lip-coating stickiness of a properly made tonkotsu broth. The best kind has tiny nubbins of pork fat floating around the surface to add extra flavor (and calories) to the mix. But the Signature Kanshoku Ramen was devoid of this deep richness.

🗒 Truffle Ramen ($16.90), Signature Kanshoku Ramen ($13.90)