City Hall - Bugis - Suntec - Millennia

If you, just like me, feel absolutely ashamed of the holiday gluttony, then get your guilt-free snack at Suntec’s Just Dough.

I must say that typically I am not a mantou consumer, however the creative twist on flavours, colors and textures that Just Dough has brought to the steamed bun game is notable and crave-worthy. From delicious charcoal to pumpkin seeds, coconut and wolfberries, each bun is uniquely crafted to fit most palates and deliver soft velvety dough with a light texture and delicate flavor. Either plain, or dunked in coffee / tea, I’ve enjoyed their mantou buns since Just Dough opened shop a few years back, and I must say that their increasing popularity is not surprising.

I have seen many customers purchase buns to steam later at home, however I’ve never tried this. Perhaps for next post..

YTF is one of those chameleonic dishes that can vary so widely it can please any audience with its many versions.

Today I stopped by Suntec for lunch to indulge in the Fu Lin version, one I'm well acquainted with from its Telok Ayer sister restaurant (YTF by day, bar by night).

There are two big reasons to have FuLin:

1. Deep Fried YTF.
Everything is deep fried to a golden crunchy perfection in the sizzling wok, making even the most unspectacular bits a real treat. ( fyi: the veggies will be steamed. You wouldn't want that deep-fried..)

2. The sauce.
Thick sweet and savory brown sauce with bits of mince. This gels the entire meal together, generously topping both the YTF plate, and the bowl of carbs.

For carbs you can choose among rice, kway teow, yellow noodle or the house special - a thicker bee hoon rice noodle, which is my favorite.

From my own experience, this dish is best kept for a post-jog weekend treat. If consumed during a weekday lunch, it may have side effects like desk napping or extreme slacking by the photocopier.

It's next to a Popeye's, it's a franchise restaurant, I walked in with the most snobbish of looks on my face and walked out blown away.

"Taste of Sarawak" seems to be the selling line for their special. Now, I don't know what Sarawak tastes like, but if it tastes like this, then Sarawak tastes really good!

The toppings are ordinary, the presentation is ordinary, the service is ordinary, but please do take those bouncy noodles for a spin in the salty fatty sauce at the bottom and you'll know what I'm talking about. You'll be quiet the entire meal because it's not nice to speak with your mouth full and believe me, you'll keep your mouth full at all times.

I'm yet to find a more intelligent way of describing the food other than "really good", but perhaps that's all it needs to be: unpretentious, unapologetic get your noodle fix shop.

Awesome.

The perfect desert. Why bother with heavy creams and buttery guilt when there's smooth, silky, cooling beancurd?

Ji De Chi is a perfect spot for all sorts of local desserts. Although my favorite (shown here) is their beancurd, they have a remarkable selection of shaved ice, puddings, cold cakes and other perfect cures against hot weather or heavy meals.

The place is super lively late at night adding to the really great experience of hanging out there with friends.

We decided to give the Palette at Capitol Piazza a try on a sluggish Sunday afternoon, and good thing we did.

Tucked in the basement level, Palette is reminiscent of the typical atas indoor hawker food courts (something like a food republic). However the selection is quite good and we were chuffed to find an Ah Koong.

Although not spectacular, the food really hit the spot in a secret guilty way only crack cocaine can match. Flavourful slightly greasy noodles with salty crunchy bits and the spiced fishball soup were the perfect hungry man's teatime snack.

We arrived grumpy, we left happy. So consider it a cheaper alternative to your weekly therapy session. Enjoy!