The Hungry Bunny

Despite the rather underwhelming dinner I had at Sabio at Duxton Hill a while ago, I decided to give its Southern outpost a shot after my friends suggested the seaside bistro for brunch. Far from the maddening after-work crowd of the Duxton Hill branch, Sabio by the Sea is appreciatively more relaxed. Of course, the expansive view of the marina and rhythmic lapping waves were key to a leisurely enjoyable brunch. Oh, and the multitudes of the most adorable dogs walking on by with their walkers made for a very fruitful dog-watching afternoon! Be sure to make reservations though. The small-ish seafront restaurant fills up quickly on the weekends. We started off with the Paella de Pescado ($26), the classic Spanish seafood rice with squid, seabass, mussels, clams and shrimps. The saffron-infused rice was a riot of colours, moist and sumptuous with the essence of seafood. Not the prettiest of paella I've seen but the flavours were bang on. The Champinones al Ajillo ($13) wa

We'd originally wanted to hit up Takumi for one of their value-for-money set lunches but they were closed for renovations, so we popped into The Concerto Connoisseur next door. The vantage view of the Sentosa waterfront and Keppel Bay afforded by its second storey locale of the Keppel marina makes for a very calming tranquil lunch. It's one of those places that I'd be perfectly content parking my butt at, nursing a drink, and pouring over a good book. And I kind of get it now why some folks prefer to live by the water, instead of in the buzz of the city center. But, its arresting scenic view and serene ambience is where the superlatives end. The food here was pedestrian at best, and abysmal at worse. Service was sluggish too. Maybe the staff just so happened to take an early siesta. The insipid Smoked Salmon Caesar Salad ($19), laden with a way-too-soft-for-my-liking 63" egg, bacon strip, tomato confit, wild salmon roe, several strips of uninspiringly grey-ish h

After those fantastic gyozas from Gyoza Ya , we went on a little gyoza binge of sorts. I'd also heard about another gyoza specialist, the Osaka import Osaka Ohsho . The open-concept dining space in the basement food street of Raffles City Shopping Centre was teeming with diners when we arrived for dinner but turnover was high and we didn't wait very long before we were seated. Ordering is streamlined by a self-serviced iPad-based menu system, but we would have liked to be automatically served some iced water instead of having to badger the waitress repeatedly. The Gyoza ($7.80 for 12 pcs) was decent but it was a little heavy on the chives and a smidge light on the pork. Naturally, the stellar ones at Gyoza Ya trumped these hands down. Also, this seemed a tad production-lined, in that it arrived barely 5 minutes after our orders were keyed in, with them all still stuck together. BUT, the bright shining star of Osaka Ohsho was the Fuwatoro Chicken Tenshin Han ($10.90

I'd heard so much about the online venture by the founder of Bakerzin, whimsically named Cat & the Fiddle , so when we were thinking of ordering a cake for a friend's birthday, I immediately thought of this cheesecake e-retailer! Only cheesecakes are offered at Cat and the Fiddle , but its diversity is mind-boggling. From the locally-loved durian infusion to the PG-18 vodka mango cheesecake, there's a flavour catered to just about every whim and fancy. We got the Paws of Fury ($26.64), a spin off the Hongkong classic yuan-yang drink of coffee and milk tea. I loved the graphic of the cats encircled in a yin-yang position. Gorgeous swirls of heady coffee made for a marble-like facade. The cake was just divine, rich but nuanced, moist and an exquisite balance of the tea and coffee infusions. For sure, I'll be ordering from them again. Cat & the Fiddle Website: www.catandthefiddle.com

I used to wonder how any restaurant could sell just gyozas and survive in a cutthroat F&B line. To me, gyozas were merely a side dish, and not the main attraction.  Until we chanced upon Gyoza Ya in the basement of The Heeren . We were shopping for some housewares at Robinsons when we chanced upon this gyoza-centric restaurant. They had the most amazing gyozas I've ever had in my life. Gargantuan and bursting with juicy goodness, we loved them at first bite and actually went back again in the same week to dabao dinner! We loved the service here, in particular this spritely young waiter who's a bundle of sunshiny joy to be around. For the first time in my life, I actually thought that he ought to be tipped! The perennial classic, Yaki Gyoza Pork ($4.80) was a mouthful, measuring almost 2 inches long. A beautiful caramelised crisp edge, juxtaposed against the chewy sides, enveloped a wonderful textural pork mince laced with cabbage and chives. A seasonal speci

Portico has recently changed hands. Where in the past they were helmed by a Greek Hagrid-lookalike, it's now charged by a local whose experience in the kitchen of Saint Pierre mirrors that of his predecessor. Walking into the sun-drenched Portico for lunch, I'm reminded of how cool and sustainable their in-house herb and vegetable garden is. Just about every dish was garnished/comprised of their own garden produce. So how does Portico fare under the new direction? Reasonably fair, I think, with bits of tiny disappointments scattered here and there. BUT, if you take into account how unbelievably cheap their set lunch is, at only $28 for a very substantive 2-courses, the food immediately ups a notch, or two. Service has stayed pretty awesome. Warm, hospitable, and so accommodating. As usual, we name-dropped our friend's relationship with the owner, who comped our dessert and then some! The Salad-of-the-Day (ala carte price $14) was a well-balanced medley of eld

There's this part of Paragon that I try to avoid...and it's the basement quarter where Chalk Farm is at. Everytime I walk past it, I invariably walk away with a couple of their cakes in hand. I have no self-control when I'm at Chalk Farm , and it's doing terrible things for my resolution to lose weight. At this rate, I'm just gonna have to resign myself to letting out all of my pants. Of all  Chalk Farm's cakes I've had, the Salted Caramel Macadamia Cake ($8.50 per pc) is my favourite. The crumb cake was moist and dense, and smeared with oodles of indulgent salted caramel butter cream. This was just as luscious as it was dreamy. The Hubs isn't as big a fan of salted caramel as I am, so his vote goes to the Blackcurrant Cheesecake ($9), a wonderfully balanced and sumptuous confection smothered in a thick layer of berry compote. Chalk Farm 290 Orchard Road Paragon B1-K5A Tel: 6235 2872 Open daily from 10am to 10pm Website: www.thec

It'd been disappointing when Keisuke Tokyo closed down at Parco Millenia Walk because their signature crab stock ramen had been on my to-eat list since forever. So when they re-surfaced at the overhauled Suntec City Mall , I made sure a trip downtown was in order. Compared to the other Keisuke outlets , this branch is more modern, with lots of pine paneling and Japanese minimalist tendencies. Here, tables are also spaced further apart than at the other cramped Keisuke outlets , so the ambience was noticeably less buzzy. But a lot more private. You're unlikely to find yourself in the middle of other patrons' conversations. On another note, the dinner service was unusually slow for a Keisuke affiliate. Although the restaurant was barely at a 80% capacity, it was about 20 minutes after that our first bowl arrived. And where the complimentary beansprouts appetizer was usually served straight after the orders were taken, we had to specifically request them here, to quell o

il Lido is one of those restaurants that oozes class and elegance in an effortless, understated way. Of course, being perched on a hilltop replete with a magnificent view of the turquoise waters and encircled by lush greens goes some distance in making this a luxurious oasis away from the buzz of the city. Service was as you'd expect from a fine-dining establishment, impeccable and discreet but attentive. I'd casually mentioned that we were celebrating a colleague's birthday, and they'd planned a surprise birthday cake, illuminated by a single candle, for him. Even I was taken aback because the surprise was so unexpected. But appreciatively so.  To top it off, the food was fantastic; masterful and exquisite. Best of all, the portions were pleasingly hearty. So even with the upmarket prices, I thought the meal was thoroughly worthwhile.  Shortly after we were seated, we were served not one, but TWO, amuse bouche! First off was a cup of Porcini Mushroom Soup laced