Ice Cream Cakes @ Island Creamery, King Albert Park

I think this was the Chocolate Mudpie? The only chocolate cake that comes with ice cream, according to my sister. Can't remember much cause I was too distracted by the gorgeous display of cakes. 

Can you see all three layers of ice cream? 

Milky goodness in a cake. And you have your Oreo bits to complete it.

Bombe Alaska!

Man, I can't remember when's the last time I had this dessert. I think a long, long time ago when I was still a kid, at the Penang Club. Those were the days. Anyway, this beauty came with ice cream! Think it was some blueberry and vanilla flavour. Really, really good. Droolworthy as it may be, I totally forgot to snap a picture of what's inside. Sorry guys. 

Will be back to try the rest soon. 

Grandma's Restaurant @ Raffles City

Honey Chicken

Belacan Mixed Vegetables - Had petai, long beans, eggplant; all my favourite veggies! Tasted great.

Claypot Tofu - This was as good as any good ol' tze char place.

And for dessert, Chendol! There's a promotion for 60 cents chendol with any main dish ordered. Really worth it. They even gave a tiny jug of gula melaka. Which was too much for the three of us, honestly. But still good though. Two thumbs up. 

Hi-Tea @ Heart Bistro, Palais Renaissance

I love my Hi-Tea.

Heart Bistro just gets it right, every single time.

They were having a POSB/DBS credit card promotion - 1-for-1 Hi-Tea! 

My diet instantly went down the drain.

Above: Banana cake and brownie (front).

Mushroom and Spinach Quiche.

Indulgent to the max.

Tuna and grilled chicken sandwiches.

Heavenly, trust me.

What I love about this place is that they swear by healthy eating; meaning no deep frying or too much oil.

Just take a look at that.

The Handburger @ Raffles City

Who says food porn isn't good for you?

The Handburger at Raffles City has always been a favourite among shoppers, filled to the brim especially during peak hours. It takes forever to get a seat unless you're patient or like me, you decide to go early to beat the 'traffic'. I remember there were very few patrons during the time I visited, around half the restaurant was occupied then. The queue buster: Indulge by 630. 

My sister ordered the set, which came with a choice of appetizer. Most places would simply offer the usual mushroom soup as their so called 'Soup of the Day', but not here. You get a fresh variety of soups to spoil your taste buds, ranging from the Corny Chicken Soup (pictured previously) to the Pumpkin and Crab Bisque. Exotic, eh?

Anyways, sister wanted a beef burger, and the waitress recommended the Original. 

Well whenever you're in doubt, always go for the Original, folks. Works for us everytime.

And lo and behold, my Portobello Mushroom Burger. Move aside, Delicious. Here's the read deal. Look at the size of that gloriously delightful mushroom 'patty'! One slice into it and you're in mushroom heaven. No kidding. Filled with lots and lots spinach (enough to compete with Popeye), walnuts, parmesan cheese and tofu bits, it's so tasty you forget that it's vegetarian. And that's the amazing effect of the humble portobello mushroom. 

New York, New York @ Citylink Mall, Singapore

This is one of those places which you can't find in little Penang. Love the ambience of the restaurant, from the cute retro booths to the graffiti filled walls, everything just screams Big Apple. There's even a pool table and a foosball table if you're into those kinda games. 

I ordered the Salmon Toast. Very, very cheesy. A little too much for my liking, to be honest. Not really a cheese enthusiast. Heh. There was plenty of salmon though, which was a big plus for me as I didn't expect there to be much salmon. I like that they use thick cut fries, a rarity nowadays. The side salad's pretty good too, they're very generous with the dressing. Love it. 

Sister's beef burger. With the works: cheese, pickles, onions, your magic sauces, and a heap of fries. Thick cut again! Forget Macdonalds. Just come here for their amazing fries! Haha.

And finally, though we were extremely full by the end, we just couldn't leave without dessert! Come on, waffles! My happy food. We ordered the one with ice cream, bananas and chocolate sauce. Oh my, what a wonderful way to end our meal. Calories were definitely not on my mind. Who in their right mind would even give up these heavenly waffles for that? ;)

The Pasta Shop @ Changi Airport T3, Singapore

We initially planned to get our fix of Popeye's at the other terminal, but were sad to find out it was closed! Bummer. So we hopped on the skytrain that took us to Terminal 3. 

Choosing a place was not easy. So we settled with a few criterion which this Sakae spinoff managed to fulfill. A place with fewer customers? Check. A place which can satisfy my picky sister? Check. Something new that hasn't arrived on Penang shores yet? Check. 

Mom's Fisherman Pasta. Not too bad, according to her. The tomato-based sauce looked a little diluted to me, though. I'd personally prefer it thicker, just sayin'. 

And here's another look at the pasta.

The little sister's Carbonara. Now this was the exact opposite of the previous dish. Thick and creamy, the sauce could be smelled from the kitchen even before the dish came out. Excellent choice for those carbonara lovers. Be warned though. The sauce may taste good during the first few bites, but after finishing half a plate you will feel gravity pulling you down.

Sister's soft shell crab pasta. I guess for this one the sauce would be a cross between creamy and dilute. Crabs were fresh, so that's a plus. The sauce's something unconventional, so more for the adventurous.

Thought the crabs here look like a crown. Heh.

And this was mine. I've been crazy for pesto ever since my mom started cooking her own version of pesto pasta. I ordered the pasta with salmon and tomatoes. Very nice, the dish was filled with pesto, giving it the most wonderful aroma. The salmon was alright, didn't taste very fishy.

And here's my last shot. Overall, the food was okay, but I think my impression worsened because of the extremely slow service. I swear I waited almost half an hour for my food to arrive. What about those who were in a hurry to catch their flight?! Jeez. Honestly, if you're looking for a Pasta de Waraku type of place, I suggest you just go to Terminal 2 and enjoy the real deal over there.

Gelare @ Orchard Central, Singapore

 Vo-la-re, whoa-oh! Can-ta-re, whoa-oh-oh-oh!

Mom's gotten the song into my head, jeez. She couldn't stop singing it after coming here because of the uncanny (wait are there even any?) similarities to GELARE. 

Gelare, the place most famed for its Tuesdays. Also known as Waffle Tuesdays, when you get all their waffles (even the special ones) half price! You are induced to drool once you step into the cafe, with pictures of its many yummy sundaes adorning the walls.

We came on a Friday afternoon, wanting to avoid the crazy lunch hour pandemonium happening at the upper east side of Orchard Road. Don't ever go there during these times, it's friggin' chaotic, having to look all over for a nice place to eat but finding out that everywhere just happens to be fully occupied to the brim. So Orchard Central it is. I don't understand why most locals do not patronise the place, it's a really swanky mall! Cool layout, vintage shops, toilets are high tech, food's aplenty. And oh yeah, did I mention robotoilets? 

Okay, enough nonsense. Back to lunch.

BLT sandwich with foccacia bread. The little sister ordered this. What a surprise for us to hear the waiter say, 'yes, it's available'. A particular coffee outlet here in Penang, cough'rhymeswithtoffeebean'cough, would always make up some excuse for not being able to serve this. I mean, the first few times are acceptable, but not if it happens every single time?! Ish. So you can imagine how my sister felt when she had her first bite. Pure joy.

By the way, if you're wondering what the BLT stands for, it's Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato.

Mom and I shared the Grilled Chicken sandwich with multigrain bread. The bread tasted just as good as the one we order from Rainforest Bakery. Not bad, for a humble sandwich.

And then came the desserts. Swoon...

And more swooning...

BTW, it's a Cookie Craze Sundae. Perfect for the Oreo-Mcflurry lover little sister.

And although it wasn't even close to a Tuesday, we couldn't resist the lovely waffles.

Heaven on earth. Look, you can even see the clouds! - lame : \

Screw diets. Every bite of this crispy, sinful delight is definitely worth it.

Popeye's Biscuits

Whenever I see this, I hear the jingle. 

'It's Popeye the sailorman, choochoo!'

Behold, the most awesome biscuits ever. 

Buttery, fluffy, chewy goodness!

Will purposely buy a box back to Penang from Changi Airport everytime :)

Yep, they're that good.

Out of The Pan @ Raffles City

I love this place. The food, the location, the concept. Everything.

Though it may get really packed during the peak hours, 

so I suggest you go early or later to avoid crowds and late orders.

Well, they specialise in crepes. There were so many to choose from so we just ended up with the recommended choices. Just to be safe. Had the Yum Yum Mushroom above. As my mom commented, 'Mushrooms have never tasted better until now' 

And sister had the BLT. Was it good? 

Judging from the way she wolfed down both crepes, they must have been!

And for dessert, waffles with custard, ice cream and strawberries. 

Need I say more?

I love my Starbucks.

'Nuff said. :)

Clockwise, from left: Belgian waffles, Choc Chip Muffin, Signature Blueberry Muffin

Marvelous Cream @ 313Somerset

I've only been here once and I still couldn't stop thinking about it. Yes, that is how marvelous the ice cream was. Well, to be specific, they serve French style parfait. They have an amazing selection of toppings to choose from. Okay, not toppings but mix-ins, as they call it. You can pick from their many creations, or even make your own. There were too many to choose from, so I just went with something called Dulce de Leche (above). Sister had the droolworthy Rocky Road. Sorry no picture of that, my bad. :P

Trust me, they taste as heavenly as they look. I can't wait to go back for more! 5/5