The House of Robert Timms

<Pavlova with Strawberry Ice-Cream >

This has to be the first Pavlova I had in my life. After watching numerous Australian and New Zealand gourmet shows and the debate over who actually invented it first, there was no way I was going to pass this up. Robert Timms actually serves up quite a hefty amount of hearty authentic Australian dishes even though they are better known for their coffee. However, my wife and I were there, just for this sweet little thing. Haha! Okayz, the Pavlova was not too bad. The crust was perfectly crispy, but I wished the centre was a little more chewy. The macerated cherries were a good complement for the decently sweet sugary goodness. However, the letdown had to be the strawberry icecream. It paled in comparison to the quality of its larger cousin beside it. Overall, YUMS!

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Good
Cost - $10 to $25
Overall - Try it!

Address
Orchard Shopping Centre, Ground Floor. (Beside 313 Somerset)

Opening Hours
11am to 11pm

Haato & Co

<Royal Chocolate and Durian Ice Cream>

Heard from my wife whose friend told her this was as good as U.D.D.E.R.S, so I just had to try it. Ordered the good old chocolate and durian flavours so that I could compare them to my favourites from U.D.D.E.R.S. I must say that although the ice cream was nice, I was disappointed with the taste. The chocolate wasn't intense enough, it was pretty bland and quick to dissipate from my mouth. The durian was alright, quite similar to the D24 flavour from U.D.D.E.R.S but paled in comparison to their Mao Shan Wang. There is however, one bright spark. Haato's ice cream has a chewy gelato-ness to it, really really nice.

Verdict
Ambience - Average
Food - Good
Cost - $5 to $8
Overall - Worth a try.

Address
Ion Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn Unit B4-81/82/83
http://www.haato.com.sg

Opening Hours
11am to 10pm

Bali Thai

 <Young Coconut Drink>

Fresh, sweet and refreshing! A really good drink to douse the fiery Thai food we had, haha.

 <Tahu Telur>

Not a bad rendition of the traditional Malay/Indonesian dish. The toufu was generous and tasty. The accompanying sauce was also decent. Best to have at least 3 to 4 people sharing it.

 <Minced Pork with Basil>

A traditional Thai dish available in all Thai restaurants. If you can't take the heat, this dish could be one that you might want to try. It is probably considered one of the mildest versions I've tried. Overall, the dish was fragrant. Didn't disappoint at all.

<Thai Fish Cakes>

Tasty, fragrant and full of spice. One of my favourite Thai dishes of all time. Bali Thai serves up a decent version of it.

Verdict
Ambience - Average
Food - Good
Cost - $10 to $20
Overall - Worth a try.

Address
Tampines Mall
4 Tampines Central 5
#04-01
Singapore 529510
http://www.katrinahldgs.com/restaurants.html

Opening Hours
11.30am to 10pm

Gurney Drive

<Cheese Tofu>

This must be my 4th or 5th time at Gurney Drive since it opened its doors in Century Square, Tampines. Had been wanting to try this dish for quite a long time and I finally got to taste it. Well, I was quite disappointed to be honest. It is quite hard to put words to it, but it felt like it came right out from a supermarket's frozen section.

<Char Koay Teow>

This is probably one of the poorest dishes I've had so far. It was bland and devoid of ingredients. Only 2 prawns and a few pieces of fishcake. (I've requested to remove the cockles.) Please do not try it at all!

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

King Louis Grill and Bar

 <Potato Wedges>

Enough to serve at least 3 hungry adults. The wedges came in a huge amount for a decent price. Generally it was okay, nothing much to rave about except that it was good.

<Queen's Meat and Seafood Banquet>

Hohoho! The serving was humongous! There were steak, ribs, king prawns, snapper fillet, scallops and a bed of roasted potatoes. A dish befitting of its name, it definitely can fill up the stomach of 5 ravaging adults. The highlight of the dish was the ribs. Although they are not as moist as I would like them to be, they were really flavourful. You can taste the smokey goodness and the BBQ sauce was great! The downside was the snapper fillet. Seriously over-done to the extent that it could probably bounce up if thrown, coupled with the fact that it tasted fishy. Overall, a good dish to share with friends.

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Average
Cost - $10 to $25
Overall - Worth a try.

Address
1 HarbourFront Walk, #03-07A VivoCity

Opening Hours
12pm to 10pm