Paris Baguette

 <Paris Baguette>

Hailing all the way from Korea, this bakery opened its first outlet in Singapore's Wisma Atria just a few months ago. It is one of the top Korean bakery chains and can be seen from street to street in Korea. With that many top-notch artisan brunch/bakery cafes popping up since recent years, you can only imagine the lifestyle of Singaporeans nowadays. Hahaha.

(From Top left clockwise to centre)

<Coffee Temptation, Maple Pecan Scone, Milky Almond Cube, Walnut Cream Cheese & Sucre Brioche>

The above is what I bought back home. The pastries and bread are generally good and tasty. Soft, fluffy and fresh. However, I still prefer the ones from Maison Kayser. They taste a notch better than these from Paris Baguette.

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Good
Cost - $10+
Overall - Worth a try

Address
435 Orchard Road #02-48/53 Wisma Atria
http://parisbaguetteusa.com/parisbaguette/Home.asp

Opening Hours
Unknown

Magosaburou

Magosaburou, an exquisite and luxurious Japanese BBQ restaurant that opened in ION Orchard about a year ago. The hefty price was always a stumbling block for me to try it, but I got lucky when my wife decided to treat me to it on my birthday! ^^

 <Mangalican Pork Boston Butt>

If you do a search on Google, the Mangalica pig looks almost like a sheep in some ways. The meat is tender and tasty but I suppose I expected much more from it.

 <Rib Eye Steak>

Here they use Kurohana Beef - look at the marbling. You'd know it's the main reason why we came. The meat when cooked was simply divine. It melts in your mouth and the flavour of it was absolutely heavenly.

<Spicy Tofu Soup> 

With just tofu and clams as its main ingredients, the soup is surprisingly tasty. The spiciness is also just right. Perfect for a cold day.

 <Mongou Squid and Hokkaido King Scallop>

The squid was awesome! Really fresh and chewy. It's no wonder many diners rated it a must-try. The king scallop was somewhat common. You can probably get the same taste at any other good restaurants.

 <Kurobuta Pork Jowl>

If I am not wrong, this belongs to the cheek of the pig. Even though it was slightly tougher and chewy, the taste of it was not too bad. Personally, I think the taste of it was slightly on the stronger side.

 <Outside Skirt in a Pot>

This is basically beef. Chunkier and tougher, it provided something a little more filling for our stomachs. The taste was really good though! It was almost like the marinated meat you'd get from a typical Korean BBQ restaurant.

 <Panna Cotta>

This is the first time I've came across a Panna Cotta served with condensed milk. It was not bad considering the Panna Cotta was light and needed a boost of flavour. But I preferred to eat the Panna Cotta on its own as it accentuates its basic vanilla fragrance.

<Tiramisu>

The coffee flavour in this wasn't robust enough. Totally overpowered by the cheese and the cocoa, it was a little disappointing.

Verdict
Ambience - Great
Food - Good
Cost - $100+
Overall - Try it!

Address
2 Orchard Turn #04-11A & 05-01 ION Orchard Singapore 238801
http://www.magosaburou.sg/

Opening Hours
11.30am to 11pm

Au Chocolat

Au Chocolat opened recently 3 months ago in Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. It is a French-inspired concept store that not only sells retail goodies, but also decadent meals and desserts. Guess what? The owners are Singaporeans!

 <Strawberry Tart>

A special only available on weekends and I'm glad I was there. The tart was fabulous! The buttery pastry, the sourness of the strawberries, the lightly-sweetened Chantilly cream with vanilla beans that can be seen in it, the fragrance of the toasted nuts and there is even a layer of sponge cake at the bottom of the cream. Total experience of flavours and textures. Thumbs up!

<Lemon Meringue Tart>

I've always loved Lemon Meringue tarts for their balance of sweetness and sourness. This one totally did not disappoint. It is definitely better than the one I had from Delicious in Malaysia. The consistency and taste of the lemon curd was perfectly velvety, slightly sweet with a good kick of sourness. The meringue was also torched with utmost care and skill with no hint of burnt smell. To top it off, the candied lemon added a much-needed change of texture to the dessert. I'll definitely be back there to try their main courses.

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Good
Cost - $8+
Overall - Try it!

Address
Bay Level L1-03, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 2 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956
http://www.auchocolat.com/

Opening Hours
10am to 12midnight

The Shepherd's Pie

<Classic Beef Shepherd's Pie>

Decided to call for delivery on a lazy Saturday evening. My wife came across this yummy looking pie and we just went for it. For beef, the pie also comes in flavours such as black pepper, rendang or other fillings such as chicken, lamb etc. Upon delivery, the pie was still warm and we couldn't wait to sink our teeth into it. First bite was quite tasty although it could use a little more seasoning. But the mash was a little too much for my liking. My idea of a Shepherd's Pie is one that is about 1/4 mash and 3/4 filling at the bottom. Last but not least, the beef filling contained quite a fair bit of veins making it hard to chew. I will most probably give this a second shot but will likely choose something with more kick and less veins like black pepper chicken.

Verdict
Ambience - N.A
Food - Average
Cost - $25+
Overall - Worth a try

Address
Block 3015, Bedok North Street 5, Shimei East Kitchen, #06-05, Singapore 486350
http://www.theshepherdspie.com/

Opening Hours
11am to 9pm

Tims Restaurant & Cafe

 <Salmon and Chicken Pasta>

And so, we went back for a 2nd time after a pleasant 1st experience. This was my bro's dish. He said it was good and the pasta was cooked al-dente.

<Ribeye Steak> 

Well, my dad went back for his usual - Ribeye Steak. However, this time it was slightly overcooked as the steak he received was medium-well instead of medium.

<Sirloin Steak> 

My mum's dish. Generally tasty according to her, but it had a tad too much veins in it. She had a little trouble cutting through some parts.

<Crabmeat Aglio Olio> 

My wife ordered crabmeat aglio olio. Pasta was cooked al-dente, but the taste was so-so. Wasn't spicy or garlicky enough to wet anyone's taste buds I'd bet. And they could have been more generous with the crabmeat.

 <Braised Lamb Shank>

Well, this was what I ordered. One of their signature dishes. It was really tender and moist, but more importantly, it didn't reek of the smell of lamb that so many hate.

<Nepalese Momo> 

You could say this was their version of "xiao long bao". But don't be mistaken, it is nothing like it at all. First up, it was filled with chicken that was well seasoned with Indian-like spice, also, it didn't possess the soup "xiao long bao" has enclosed within its skin. It was much more firm and filling. Overall, it was tasty. Oh, did I mention that it came with a tangy tasting dip as well?

<Raisin Cake>

It was tasty, light and fluffy. But it paled in comparison to the previous prune cake we had. But it was part of the set meal, what more could we ask for? ^^

Verdict
Ambience - Average
Food - Good
Cost - $12+
Overall - Try it!
Previous visit - http://pleasemytummy.blogspot.sg/2012/01/tims-restaurant-cafe.html

Address
Block 95 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh #01-52 Singapore 310095

Opening Hours
11.30am to 10.30pm