The Hungry Bunny

Jai Thai , together with its Thai counterparts E-Sarn and Thai Noodle House , belong to a breed of small, family-run, Thai eateries hidden deep within private residential enclaves. These eateries don't cater to the mass market, because of their inaccessible locales, but they do well enough by catering to its immediate hinterland. Jai Thai, like E-Sarn, has a chain of 4 eateries. However, it does distinguish itself from E-Sarn in 2 aspects. The prices are a notch cheaper, and the ambience is consequently a lot more basic and rustic. In fact, it's even cheaper than Thai Noodle House, even though both eateries are equally rustic. Prices here at Jai Thai are ridiculously cheap, which explains the prevalence of cash-strapped school-going boys from the nearby Raffles Institution. One of the most value-for-money Thai restaurants ever. The restaurant is starkly decorated (if you can even call it decorating) with harsh fluorescent lighting, white-washed walls and coffee shop-styled f...

This is a mini rant. Friends know that my one guilty indulgence is reading food blogs ("flogs"). ("guilty" because I read them at work...yes, my boss reads this flog too) And Singapore, despite its little size, has a very developed food blogging scene. A quick surf on the internet will prove that there is an inordinate number of flogs for a country as tiny as ours. I suppose it's really due to the connectivity of our island, its technologically savvy netizens and their insatiable appetite and love for food. But lately, I've noticed a worrying trend. There is a growing number of flogs that I've stopped reading entirely, simply because almost 90% of their posts are all based on invited tastings. Don't these cheapos ever pay for their meals anymore?!? I've always thought that the ( one of the primary ) purpose( s ) of writing a flog is to introduce to the good people of Singapore the various culinary treasures on our little island. An invited ...

Peach Garden at Thomson Plaza is one of those places that uses metal pushcart trolleys to serve their dim sum. Save for dishes such as roasted meats, rice rolls and porridge, all other dim sum are served the old-fashioned method, on these pushcarts. It's a kitschy idea but not enough to distract from the fact that the dim sum was fairly unimpressive. This is surprising, seeing that the restaurant was operating at an overflowing capacity over the weekend. I'd expected more, as I'd really good meals at their CBD and Sichuan branches. The main problem I had was that the dim sum were just so very lackluster, and generally ho-hum. They were below par with the stuff served at the mass marketed Crystal Jade Kitchen branches, which have lower price points than Peach Garden. I just felt that you just don't get your money's worth here. There was one good thing though, service was warm and friendly, without compromising on efficiency and professionalism. Plus, Thomson Pla...

Rubato has been making waves amongst the Northerners since it was established deep in the Jalan Pemimpin residential estate, off Upper Thomson Road sometime around mid-2011. Rubato is one of those small, hole-in-the-wall, cosy, family-run restaurants that's casual but still chic at the same time. Soft candlelight and rustic wooden furniture give this place a down-to-earth, countryside and romantic vibe. I think, this is the north's answer to the west's Valentino's (it's probably not as authentic as Valentino's, which is run by actual Italians, but Rubato's probably the best the north has for Italian food). If you're dining over the weekends or during the peak meal hours, be sure to make reservations to avoid disappointment, because the restaurant's so small. Also, a word of caution to those driving there, parking is a pain in the a*s, so be sure to go early to avoid the crowd. Or car-pool. Stepping into the restaurant on a Tuesday evening at abo...

The shophouse-lined row that is Thomson Ridge is choc-a-bloc with eateries. Every other shophouse unit is some kind of restaurant. As with many in the very-fickle F&B industry, a number of these restaurants close up shop as quickly as they open, but there are a few mainstays that prove hardy, like Liquid Kitchen, Nam Kee Chicken Rice, Fatboys and La Petit Cuisine. E-Sarn Thai Corner , a chain of casual Thai eateries, looks to be another mainstay in this highly competitive food enclave. In an area where the turnover of restaurants is so high, E-Sarn Thai Corner has proven to be hardy since it was opened back in late 2010. Where there was no air-conditioning previously (a complaint of most of their regulars), it's now a comfortable air-conditioned restaurant. Since E-Sarn 's move from a hawker stall at Farrer Road to the little condominium enclave of Ridgewood back in 2010, it's successfully spawned 3 more outlets, all set up in similar locales - private housing reside...

We're house-sitting for Pops, who's away in Italy with my brothers for a 2 week jaunt. Whenever we house-sit, we always take the opportunity to explore eating places in the central and northern parts of Singapore. The entire stretch of Upper Thomson Road is littered with notable eating spots, if you look hard enough and ask the Northerners (that's what we locals call the people who stay in the North, which includes the Upper Thomson area). Upper Thomson isn't just known for roti prata, you know? Ngee Fou Ampang Yong Tau Foo , a family-run stalwart that's fed the masses since the 70's, is one of those notable eating spots. It's admittedly quite ulu-fied, and we would never go there unless we were around the area, which is to say, never. It's on the far north stretch of the seemingly endless Upper Thomson Road (it extends from the city-fringed Novena area all the way north to the very forested Mandai area). The best way to describe its location is near...

We needed a respite from the sweltering heat at Fengshan so we'd thought we'll go get dessert somewhere air-conditioned. And what better way to cool off than indulging in a bit of ice-cream? Pat had heard about some ice-cream parlor along Tanjong Katong Road, so we headed there. While we're on the topic of ice-cream shops, I've noticed a sudden sprouting of ice-cream shops all over the island. Along the short 200 meters stretch of Upper Thomson where The Roti Prata House is, there are not just 1, not 2 but 3 ice-cream shops! (btw, it's Salted Caramel, Udders and Scoopz) And what's it with jaded, burnt out bankers and lawyers that every disillusioned one of them seems to want to open up an ice-cream parlor? (The Hubs says that it's because they need to chill...geddit??) I suppose ice-cream shops are now the food fad du jour, and I'm really curious as to how long it lasts and which one actually outlasts them all. Anyway, Ice Cream Gallery , like mos...

Whenever we have overseas friends visiting Singapore and asking to go to Newton for barbecued seafood (because they've all heard about Newton Hawker Centre), we always tell them to scrap that (coz it's such a tourist trap) and head to either Chomp Chomp at Serangoon Gardens or Fengshan Food Centre at Bedok North (also colloquially known as "Bedok Blk 85"). Both hawker centres serve food that you'd find at Newton, but with much much MUCH better food and are a lot more value-for-money. Thing is, while Newton's right smack in the middle of the town area, Chomp Chomp is far north, and Bedok Blk 85 is far east of the island. You'll just have to travel for good food I guess. Parking at both places is also quite a pain, especially at Chomp Chomp, so if I'd have to choose, I'd say that Bedok Blk 85 is the place to go. The unique thing that sets Bedok Blk 85 apart from any other hawker centre is the 2 stalls serving soupy minced pork noodles. You can...

It's been a year since we last dined at this Imperial Treasure outlet. I've realised that I always dine here whenever I utilise my birthday discount at Ferragamo @ Paragon every year. Every year, after opening my notification-of-birthday-discount letter, the "standard operating procedure" is to inform all of my girlfriends about the birthday discount (because it's good to share!), arrange for a day, after work, to meet up at the boutique, and then buy up half the store. Because everyone turns up at different times, and also because everyone takes forever to decide on their purchases, it's usually past 9.30 pm that everyone's finally done with their shopping. By that time, only  Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck and Crystal Jade Golden Palace , both on the 5th floor, remain as viable dinner options. Despite the timing (9.30pm on a Friday night), the restaurant was still a full house and we had to settle for a coffee table at the bar area outside the r...

I've long regarded Ichiban Boshi to be one of the better mass-market conveyor belt-style Japanese restaurant chains around, like Sushi Tei. However, with the closure of its Esplanade branch, which arguably was one of its better outlets, I've discovered that the quality of its food has definitely dropped a few notches. I was at the Novena Square branch for a light bite, and it was quite the lackluster meal, with the sushi not being very fresh and the dishes tasting like they came out of a novice chef's kitchen. I couldn't understand how the restaurant was still bustling with business. Maybe the chefs were having an off day, or maybe their best chefs aren't posted to this outlet. In any case, the meal was utterly unsatisfactory. In my view, Ichiban Boshi has relegated to becoming Sakae Sushi's competitor, which mostly caters to the cash-poor and not-very-fussy-about-food types, as opposed to Sushi Tei's value-for-money quality Japanese fare. This is highly ir...