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

MOF My Izakaya

 

<Matcha Tea with Ice Cream>

<Hot Chocolate>

<Char Siew Tonkotsu Ramen> 

 <Tempura Bento>

Not going to comment much since almost everyone should/might know about MOF already. But this is a newly opened outlet at Tampines One Shopping Mall! Yea! Another Jap food around the corner for the dwellers in Tampines. Haha.. Overall, food was alright. Nothing fantastic. A great place to chill out with friends though as the ambience is good!

Verdict

Ambience - Good

Food - Average

Cost - $10 to $25

Overall - Worth a try.

Address

#03-K1/K2 Tampines One

Opening Hours

11.30am - 10.00pm (Mon - Thurs)
11.30am - 11.00pm (Fri - Sun)

Gurney Drive

<Ampla Juice>

Ampla is a fruit high in Vitamin C and antioxidants. It has a slightly sour and plumy taste to it. Quite refreshing  in fact. However, I don't think everyone will be accustomed to its taste. It has a slightly peculiar taste that tastes like well, hm... some sort of preserved fruit which I have no idea how to describe. Haha...

 <Penang Malay Mee Goreng>

Okay, this is not bad at all! The ingredients were fresh, noodles full of flavours and cooked just nice. However, for friends out there who love their noodles spicy, be disappointed. This Mee Goreng has a slightly sweet taste to it, not quite spicy at all.

<Gurney Nasi Lemak> 

Probably Penang's own rendition of Nasi Lemak? Quite different from our typical Singapore ones. Its belacan chilli is not as fragrant as ours. Probably lacks the ikan bilis and the kick of the onion. But overall, tastes not too bad.

<Penang Hokkien Prawn Noodles>

Not the best prawn noodles out there. The soup wasn't robust enough and the pork ribs were missing from which shown in the menu. A die hard prawn noodle fan should give this a miss, seriously.

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

Prata Wala

<Chicken Biryani> 

If you are craving for good indian food with a limited budget, look no further. Prata Wala serves good Roti Pratas and Biryani Rice. The chicken is tender, the curry is robust and the rice fragrant. If there was a flaw, I suppose it would be that sometimes the rice contains lumps of it, not fluffy enough. But overall, good!

Verdict
Ambience - Average
Food - Good
Cost - $5 to $10
Overall - Try it!

Address
Tampines Mall
#B1-K19 (Just opposite Pu Tien)

Opening Hours
10.30am to 10pm

Bakerzin

 <Mushroom Soup>

Pretty ordinary, nothing much to rave about. Lacks the flavour of true mushrooms. However, at least it doesn't taste too creamy and the portion was just right.

<Pulled Pork Sandwich> 

Overall, it was a well balanced dish. With savory tangy-ness, fresh rocket, salsa and chips. What could go wrong? The only bad point was probably the bread. It a little over crispy/hard, realy tough to bite through it.

<Arrabiata Penne>

Tasted alright. Wasn't fantastic. Pasta was well cook to al-dente and the ingredients were fresh. Worth a try.

<Ice cream brownie>

Served with liquored cherries at the bottom, it was a decent dessert to finish a meal off with if you are craving for some indulgence. 

Verdict
Ambience - Average
Food - Average
Cost - $15 to $25
Overall - Average

Address
10 Tampines Central 1 (Tampines One)
#01-39

Opening Hours
10.30am to 10pm

Old Hong Kong Kitchen

Treated my mum to Old Hong Kong Kitchen for her birthday yesterday. It was my first time trying as well, so it was kind of risky even though it had some decent reviews. I'll be posting straight to the point as there are quite a few pictures and I wouldn't want it to be too lengthy. Let the food speak for itself! ^^

<Chicken Fillet with Szechuan Sauce> 

While not very spicy, it really numbs your senses. The chicken is chilled, smooth, still succulent and served with century eggs. It isn't exactly my kind of dish, but it was okay I guess.

<Pan Fried Carrot Cake with Bean Sauce> 

Decent at best. The carrot cake wasn't as soft and smooth as I hoped it would be. The overall dish lacked a bit of "Oomph!". I totally preferred the rendition at Zhou's Kitchen.

<Flaming Kurobuta Pork with Danggui Sauce>

Absolutely a MUST TRY! The pork was extremely tender and the danggui sauce was just right. It didn't overpower the taste of the pork. And if you want to start off your dinner in fashion, this would be the dish to order. It is literally served flaming!

<Steamed Pating Fish>

A type of catfish with a lovely fattiness to it. The fish was fresh and the seasoning was spot-on. We totally enjoyed it!

<Chinese Spinach in Superior Stock> 

The stock was robust and full of flavour. You could tell that they took hours to obtain the stock. A healthy dish suitable for all ages!

<Braised Homemade Beancurd with Mushrooms and Scallops> 

This dish was okay. I felt that the tofu could have been a little more silky and the scallops chopped less finely. I prefer the one from Imperial Treasure Nan Bei though.

<Chilled Aloe Vera with Lime Jelly>

What better way to end the dinner than with a superbly refreshing dessert? And it comes smoking with dry ice too! The sweetness and sourness of this dish was quite balanced. A must try!

<Mashed Taro with Almond Cream>

Well, decent at best. I ain't a big fan of almond cream but I certainly had much better mashed taro elsewhere. Try it only if you are still hungry.

Verdict

Ambience - Average

Food - Good

Cost - $30 to $40

Overall - Try it!

Address

10 Sinaran Drive,

#02-80 Novena Square 2

Opening Hours

10.30am to 11pm (They serve dim sum too, in the afternoon)