The Hungry Bunny

Sunil and Subhas first introduced this nasi padang stalwart to me when I was still doing my pupillage. It's one of their all-time favourite spots for nasi padang, and really, the snaking lunchtime queue speaks volumes of its popularity. However, having recently revisited it, I really don't see the fuss with this particular nasi padang eatery. Of all the many nasi padang restaurants littered along Kandahar Street, Pariaman is my least favourite. The variety of dishes is limited, dishes tend towards the delicate, and for all the rave reviews this place gets, their food is quite underwhelming. Mind you, I'm not saying that the food's bad. I'm just saying that the food just doesn't tickle my fancy. In my opinion, Rumah Makan Minang , Sabar Menanti and Hjh Maimunah serve up much better food. Of course, as I've said before, Minang is still the best for nasi padang. Unless you can't take spice and prefer your nasi padang very mild. You'll do well eatin

We passed on dessert at Michelangelo's because we were all hot, sweaty and bothered, being given a table at the outdoor terrace.But, we still wanted dessert, and so, we walked across to NYDC at Holland Village for a sweet treat in comfortable air-conditioned surroundings. Or so we thought. The air-conditioning at NYDC was obviously wonky that day, and it was later confirmed by the staff, so we still ended up hot and bothered. Ah well, that's Murphy's Law isn't it? We got a couple of desserts to share amongst ourselves so we could spread the consequential guilt around. The Pick Me Up ($7.20), which is really just a creative name for what we know as tiramisu, is a layered creation of mascarpone,  Kahlua-soaked lady's fingers drenched with espresso and chocolate. This is loaded with cocoa powder, which contains caffeine, so I guess it does "pick you up". NYDC's version wasn't as moist or as fluffy as we'd like, the liberal dusting of cocoa p

Shiraishi is one of those places that towkays and bankers with fat expense accounts love to dine at. Every meal here is unfailingly impressive, with the quintessential Japanese hospitality of their wait staff upping the ante of the dining experience. Shiraishi is, to those in the know, renown for its extremely refined and elegant Japanese cuisine. And, for a fine-dining restaurant, this is a surprisingly "unstuffy" place. The restaurant may be understated and fly below the radar, especially in light of the celebrity restaurant bigwigs that have sprouted up in the IRs, but this old-timer can certainly hold its own. The restaurant consistently serve up the most exquisite flavours by rotating its menu regularly and focusing on the seasonal's best. We had dinner here one night to celebrate Beeps birthday, she wanted Japanese food and this is one of my favourite places for special occasions. We got a table at the counter, which I love, because you usually get entertained by

With the Marina Bay area being developed into the next prime business district, there have been a slew of new food options. Asia Square Tower , a new-ish office building with retail and F&B outlets, has just launched a novel-concept food court. Instead of the usual food court stalls, they've managed to convince big-ish-name restaurants to set up stall fronts here. The loft-like food court, located on the second floor, boasts an airy, roof-garden feel, and notable names like Imperial Treasure Windows on HK, western franchises like Canadian burger chain Triple O's and Astons Specialties, Asian favourites like Toastbox and Manna Korea, and for those looking to eat light and healthy, Fresh+ Salads and The Soup Spoon. Because of its proximity to the office, I'll definitely be back in this food court.  I've always liked the food at Imperial Treasure , so I was delighted to find that they've got a stall serving cha chan teng cuisine here. With the North-East m

Aerin's is like a peaceful tranquil oasis in the middle of the very bustling and noisy Raffles City Shopping Centre food basement.  A place for a nice quiet meal that's also reasonably priced. This is a rare find, especially since Aerins' got an open atrium concept. It's funny that I've dined at Raffles City countless times and yet, never bothered to step into this long-time food tenant of the mall. The food basement has definitely gone through major changes, but Aerin's is one of the pioneers amongst the restaurant outlets here. Having eaten here recently, I was very impressed with the standard of the Australian cuisine. I'll definitely be back to sample the other items on their fairly extensive menu. The Surf & Turf ($28) with fall-off-the-bone-tender beef short ribs that were braised to a sticky sweet and savoury goodness was paired with a salmon fillet that's fresh, seared well on the outside but still moist on the inside and well-salted. The

Siang Hee is our current go-to spot for cheapo but deliciously satisfying meals. We have at least half our meals here. What's not to like? Easy-on-the-wallet prices (which, with today's alarming inflation rates, is such a rare find), check. Yummy, honest-to-goodness food that isn't loaded with MSG or salt, check. Value-for-money proportions, check. Central convenient location at Zion Road (until after Chinese New Year 2012, that is. They're moving to Commonwealth Food Centre then), check. The Hotplate Beancurd ($8) arrived with the loosely scrambled egg sizzling on the griddle is one of the best versions around. I hate it when a supposedly hotplate dish is served on a cast-iron plate that isn't pre-heated, what's the point then of serving it on a "hotplate" or calling it a "hotplate" dish? This was very good, and we loved pricking the half-done unbroken egg yolk and smearing it over the rest of the ingredients. Good flavours and textures

Michelangelo's is one of the longest-standing Italian restaurants in Singapore. The last time I was there was when I was still in my teens, which is to say, a very long time ago. I remember the food being very elegant and refined, but hearty. While the food is still hearty, I didn't quite think the refinement was maintained as before. The meal started off badly. I'd made reservations mid-week for 3 persons indoors over the long weekend, but when we arrived, we were told that there was no such reservation. Only after I'd made noise (and a small scene) that they provided us a table (out on the terrace with the humidity, no less, so we were left sweating mid-way through the dinner). They may have served us spittle, and that may have contributed to the less-than-glowing review of the restaurant, but I didn't think I was wrong in insisting that they provide a table for us. Someone on their staff definitely screwed up. And I'm certainly not one to lie my way to get

After a fantastic experience at Sabai along the waterfront , I wanted to see how the original at Ngee Ann City stacked up. It's funny, that I've walked past this strikingly fire-engine red hued restaurant countless times but never ventured in, until I tried the sister branch at Customs House. Maybe it's just that the completely-decked-out-in-red-carpet Thai restaurant just looked incongruent with its concept of Thai fine dining. The decor just didn't come across as appealingly classy or particularly chic. In fact, it just seems more like a garishly gilded and mis-matched living room. Which is weird, because they serve up one of the most refined Thai menus ever. Methinks they just need to overhaul the entire design of the restaurant for a more inviting and elegant feel. I was there with Lips for our monthly meet-ups on a Thursday evening for dinner, and the restaurant was barely occupied. I suppose that's a good thing (for us, and not the business), we enjoyed the

Surprisingly, The Professor was too full to eat dessert after lunch at HK Kim Gary, and so, Mr J, CC and I had a waffle all to ourselves. Which works out just well for me. Yay, more for us then! Gelare 's waffles are THE PLACE to go to whenever a waffle craving strikes. And you'll do well if the craving hits on a Tuesday, because that's when they have the 1-for-1 waffle promotion. The Australian import does waffles well, they are always fresh out of the oven, fragrant and such a complement to their delish in-house ice-creams. We had the double chocolate ice-cream paired with the Waffle with Single Scoop Ice-Cream ($10.60). Such a lovely way to round off a good lunch. Gelare No 1 Harbourfront Walk #01-114 Tel: 6376 9664 Open Sundays to Thursdays from 10.30am to 10pm Fridays, Saturdays and PH from 10.30am to 10.30pm

I bumped into CC, The Professor and Mr J, who were on their way to lunch at Vivocity, and I, of course, shamelessly tagged along. There's only one place at Vivocity that they'll have lunch at, and where else but The Professor's "happy place" - HK Kim Gary . Besides, Mr J had a groupon voucher for a Gelare waffle that he wanted to use, so we were all going to indulge in a bit of dessert after lunch. I know I'm supposed to refrain from carbs and sweet things and all things sinful, but I do allow myself "cheat meals", so I don't end up going on a binge after the wedding. And so, you will still see carbs and decadent stuff making their appearance on the blog. Do you ever notice that you get hungry whenever it's rainy? I think it's got something to do with the whole piping hot bowl of savoury that's so comforting during a rainy day.This was my "cheat meal" of the week...and such a treat especially since it was all rainy outsi