The Hungry Bunny

Kang had been wanting to try B @ Rochester for some time, so when the time came to deciding the dinner venue for our monthly meet-ups, we let him take the lead and followed him out west to Rochester Park. Rochester is no longer the crazy and overcrowded dining enclave that it used to be. The hoards have diminished and instead, descended on the Dempsey, and Duxton dining clusters. Where parking used to be a bitch, it's now relatively easy to find available lots. (A tip is to park at Rochester Mall, it's free in the evenings!) I much prefer it this way, less crowds, less congestion and a much more intimate dining experience. B @ Rochester , a 1-year young restaurant that serves up French-Japanese fusion cuisine, is celebrating its 1st anniversary with a specially crafted 6-course Set Dinner at $88 per person. In all, the meal was good, and in fact, more than decent, but there was just something lacking. Comparing it to heavyweights such as Ember , Bistro Soori  (but only fo

Cupcakes have never really been my thing. I'll admit, I've always preferred the savoury to the sweet. But I do like the occasional sweet treat. And I like my cheesecakes, lava cakes, and ice-cream. But, curiously enough, I've never really been too fond of cupcakes. Until my colleague brought a dozen of those sweet little things in their signature fuchsia box to the office. She's totally made me a convert. Twelve Cupcakes , famously owned by local celebrity husband-and-wife duo Daniel Ong and Jamie Teo, and infamously known as the shop that got into a copyright tussle with SPH for using SPH's copyrighted articles, has proven fairly successful in the local market. In a short span of a couple of years, they've opened 3 shops, all of which seem to be doing a roaring trade. Having gotten a taste of their yummy cupcakes, I got the Hubs to buy half a dozen of their cupcakes to sample further. I can totally understand why they are doing so well. Their cupcakes are

You may have noticed that I hardly review Mexican restaurants. It could be due to the lack of Mexican restaurants in Singapore. Unlike Japanese, Italian, French, or Thai cuisines, which have won the hearts of Singaporeans, Mexican fare doesn't really seem to have taken off in Singapore. I have to confess as well, that I'm really not a fan of Mexican cuisine. Sure, I like their signature margaritas, sizzling platters of grilled meat and fish, accompanied by flour tortillas, black beans and spiced rice, but it's just that they love putting cilantro in everything! I really hate that herb, you see. Of the few Mexican restaurants in Singapore, Cafe Iguana is one of the more notable purveyors of Mexican cuisine. It's the name you immediately think of whenever someone mentions Mexican fare. Located along the Clarke Quay waterfront, Cafe Iguana has got a pretty view and a breezy, relaxed vibe. But, I really dislike the restaurant's open-air concept. Seriously, when wil

I'm so loving August. 2 long weekends, 2 whole 4-day work weeks, it's just awesome! I've always thought we should just mandate 4-day work weeks, with 3-day weekends for all to savour and enjoy. We'd all be much happier that way. Of course, this is just an idealistic dream, because the economics of it all don't allow for such a work-life structure. Oh well, we'll just have to make do with that elusive public holiday-assisted long weekend! We took advantage of the long weekend to sleep in late, and took some time out of our comfy bed to enjoy a leisurely brunch at The Marmalade Pantry at Ion Orchard . It's a bit of a pretentious poser place, but so long as you don't let that bother you, you'll find that the food here is pretty alright. The Egg White Omelette ($18) stuffed with feta cheese, accompanied by spinach and tomato concasse is a dieter's dream. Salty feta imparted just enough flavour to cut through the plainness of the fluffy egg white

We've recently developed a very expensive habit. It's an insatiable taste for kaiseki meals at ultra-posh Japanese restaurants. Our go-to place for comfort eating whenever we need a little de-stressing and pampering. The Hubs says that I've forever spoilt him for Sushi Tei (which used to be our go-to Japanese restaurant for affordable, value-for-money Japanese fare). I've previously brought the Hubs to Nadaman and Hide Yamamoto , and thought it was time to introduce him to one of my all-time favourite Japanese restaurants, Tatsuya . Tatsuya is the grand-daddy of Japanese cuisine in Singapore. The pinnacle of luxury dining. Where freshness is unparalleled and attention to detail is unrivaled. The one place you bring someone you're trying to impress. The place where rich towkays go to for their regular meals. It was very telling that they were fully booked on a typical Monday night for dinner. Luckily for us, we were early. So, with the promise to vacate our c

I'd heard good stuff about Bangkok Jam , and thought I'd get reasonably decent stuff. Like Thai Express, which serves similar stuff at the same price points, I'd expected simple Thai fare, no-fuss and homestyled. I thought it was a good sign that it was a full-house on a Friday night, with a seemingly never-ending queue outside. But that turned out to be a fake-out. The food was lackluster, with very few barely passable dishes, and the price tag not commiserate commensurate with the quality and value. Maybe we ordered the wrong dishes. Maybe the chef was having a very off day, but it was one of the most unforgettable meals I've ever had. Because it was just so bad.  Service that night was also frantic and frazzled. The staff were clearly stressed to their limits and unable to handle the full-house. They were nice enough, once they stopped zipping around to take orders, but their ragged harried mannerisms made it obvious that they were so understaffed. In comparis

We've recently learnt why Fatboy's is so popular. They serve all-American comfort food at teenager-friendly prices. Seriously, with such generous portions (you can totally expect to get totally stuffed here) and amazing food (they do really delicious burgers with the most mouthwateringly juicy beef patties), it's astounding how they keep prices so low!  We first "discovered" this place while house-sitting for Pops a while back. They're open till late, so we've gone back multiple times whenever the late-night munchies hit.  Oh, Fatboy's caters to you as well if you're the picky and fussy type. You can to customise your very own burger! Like The Professor, who wants 3 beef patties stacked together for his personalised burger sans vegetables, you can get that too! You're guaranteed no judgment here. The Fat Basterd ($18) is perfect for big eaters. Double beef chuck patties are layered with chewy bacon, cheddar cheese, and a fried egg, whil