Gurney Drive

 <Penang Lor Bak>

Otherwise more commonly known as Ngoh Hiang in Singapore. This dish basically consists of chicken wrapped in beancurd sheet. It was decent. The chicken was succulent, marinade tasty and the beancurd sheet fried to crispy perfection. A good way to start off a meal.

<Penang Koay Teow Soup>

Wanted something light on my many visits to Gurney Drive. And thus, I ordered this bowl of soup noodles. The soup was light but tasty. Fish balls and fish cakes were fresh and springy. What bothered me were the pieces of chicken. There were so little of it that it seemed redundant to the dish.

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Good
Cost - $7 to $15
Overall - Worth a try.

Address
Century square
2 Tampines Central 5, #04-11/12, Singapore 529509
http://www.gurneydrive.com.sg/

Opening Hours
11am to 10pm

Ah Loy Thai

 <Tom Yum Seafood Soup>

At only $6.90, the portion was enough for 3 servings. The soup had a great balance of spiciness and sourness to it. You know how some Tom Yum soup literally chokes you out of your breath? This one doesn't! Unless you are a crazed lover of  chilli, this one is perfect! On top of that, the ingredients were quite generous and fresh.

 <Fried Calamari>

For me, the calamari could have been swimming in the oil for a little longer to make it more crispy. But I must say the texture of the calamari was chewy but yet not tough. They could have made a little more effort on the dipping sauce even though the good old mayo provided is well...alright I guess.

 <Stir Fried Red Basil Beef>

Seriously spicy! One mouth of it, my scalp was itching. Haha! But the taste was great. Really goes well with a plate of steamy hot rice. *Yums!*

<Glutinous Rice with Mango>

Though a traditional Thai dessert, I must say this dish was a big letdown. The rice was kind of overdone and the mango not exactly sweet. Skip this if you do not want to waste your calories.

Verdict
Ambience - Average
Food - Good
Cost - $6 to $15
Overall - Must try!

Address
Tampines Mall basement, #B1-K17

Opening Hours
11am to 9pm

Chocolate Origin

<Dark Chocolate Cake>

I know many people rave about their chocolate cakes while some others prefer the one from Awfully Chocolate. I have not tried the one from Awfully Chocolate yet so I cannot really make a comparison here. However, the smell of this cake when you first open its box is simply alluring. The looks of it is really simple yet elegant. However, I wouldn't say it is divine or to-die-for. My first bite into it was nice, but not what I had expected it to be. The cake really did fall short of my expectation (maybe it was too high), contrary to the hype in my office. It wasn't that moist - quite dry in fact. The chocolate mousse was alright. Not too sweet, but lacked the taste of real cocoa beans. At $36 for a 6-inch cake, I probably wouldn't buy it again. But it is really up to you guys to decide!

Verdict
Ambience - N.A
Food - Average
Cost - $29 onwards
Overall - Try it

Address
313 Orchard Road
#B3-10A Singapore 238895
http://www.chocolate-origin.com/

Opening Hours
10am to 9.30pm

O'nya Sayang

<Buah Keluak Ramen>

A newly-opened restaurant at the basement of Tampines Mall, O'nya Sayang whips up some unconventional Peranakan fare. Who would have thought that the restaurant used ramen noodles at all? O.o But to be honest, I wouldn't visit it again. The taste of the food is good. BUT, it looks seriously unhealthy. Halfway through my noodles, I found a HUGE puddle of oil at the bottom. It was probably enough to soak up 3 pieces of tissue! My friend's rice dish with chicken was almost the same. Full of oil.... >.<

Verdict
Ambience - Average
Food - Average
Cost - $5 to $15
Overall - Try it at your own risk

Address
Tampines Mall, #B1-K3

Opening Hours
11am to 9pm

Jones The Grocer

Jones The Grocer, a concept stall selling quite a few varieties of artisan grocery as well as gourmet meals that are sure to satisfy your cravings! My family and I went to the outlet at Dempsey Road. They have another one at Mandarin Gallery too. The above pictures are just some of the groceries that you can find there. The Amedei chocolate hazelnut spread costs a whopping S$32.90! Well, Amedei is one of the top chocolates in the world. ^^ However, the stand out is the balsamic vinegar. With a 12 year fermentation process, it is simply divine. They have a section whereby you can try dipping some artisan bread into it. Yum yums! Now, on to the food!

<Ice Mudslide Mocha & Ice Hazelnut Mocha>

Good and tasty drinks, wasn't blown away by them though. The mocha was nice, coffee was robust and it came in a hefty size as well! Each cup came with their home-made chocolate ice-cream as well. Talk about sinful...haha...

<Jones Club Sandwich>

Didn't really take a bite off Mum's sandwich, but it looked good and healthy! Packed with avocado, sunny side up, bacon and more!

<Jones Traditional English Breakfast>

This was what Dad had. The portion is huge! But he complained that the toast was a little too hard for his liking. But the rest was good. Order it if you are really hungry.

<Eggs Benedict>

Originally served with smoked salmon, my wife requested for a change to ham instead as she does not really like salmon much, and they acceded to her request. Everything was good except that the Hollandaise sauce wasn't enough.

<Croque Madame>

Took a little bite off my brother's sandwich. Not bad I guess. It had ham, Serrano ham, sunny side up and cheddar cheese. Pure pleasure? You bet! ^^ This was also one of their newer sandwiches on the menu.

<Organic OBE Burger with Tarago Blue Cheese>

This was what I had. Beef burger served in between a brioche bun with balsamic onion jam, beetroot pickle and wild rocket. It also came with wafer thin criss-cut fries. Everything was so balanced in this burger, the patty was moist, the balsamic onion jam had a nice kick to it, the beetroot was eye-catching and sweet! Last but not least, the Tarago blue cheese was good. Not too pungent. Definitely one of the more acceptable blue cheeses for me. Haha!

<Spicy Wings>

Totally forgettable... slight Indian spice, otherwise tasteless. The yogurt served was equally bland. Do NOT order this!

<Baked Cannoli>

Baked Cannoli with ricotta cream cheese and amarena cherries and crushed pistachios. It was okay. The pastry of the cannoli was a bit too thick for my liking though. Overall, an okay dessert.

<Beignet>

This was the first time I tried beignet and I must say it was quite nice. Served with pastry cream, blue berry marmalade and sea salt & caramel ice-cream (add-on). It provided a good fluffy-sweet ending to our meal. Will definitely order this again.

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Good
Cost - $10 to $25
Overall - Must try!

Address
Block 9 #01-12 Dempsey Road or Level 4 #21-23 Mandarin Gallery
http://www.jonesthegrocer.com/

Opening Hours
9am to 11pm