Hot Tomato Cafe & Grill
68 Orchard Road
#B2-40 Plaza Singapura

3 Gateway Drive
#B1-11 Westgate

313 Orchard Road
#B3- 35 313@Somerset

23 Serangoon Central
#B1- 47 NEX

1 Woodlands Square
#02-11 Causeway Point

1 Vista Exchange Green
#01-21 The Star Vista

311 New Upper Changi Road
#B1-37 Bedok Mall

http://www.hottomato.com.sg/


Casual, Decent Grills

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 6
Ambience & Setting: 5
Food & Beverage: 7
Service: 2
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $20 per person.


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Styled as a casual Western dining cafe, the main draw at Hot Tomato Cafe & Grill is their incredible value for money prices, moreso if you're a student. Founded in January 2006, Hot Tomato Cafe & Grill oftern draws crowds, and not just students, but those looking for a decent meal. Their grills, especially their steak, is on par with, and sometimes better, than several other high end steakhouses!

Ambience at Hot Tomato Cafe & Grill is simple, with colours of white and orange red against wood panelling. Tomato decor abounds, and the overall feel is loud and garish, like a cheap diner. For me, ambience here is a low point, like a visual assualt when sitting within. Overall cleanliness is also a minor point, you tend to get fast food style cleaning, which leaves little specks on the table or floor.

Service at Hot Tomato Cafe & Grill varies from decent, to poor. Staff are welcoming and friendly, but as they're mostly young part timers, the manner in which they speak to you tends to be rather to the point. On 1 occasion, I even had staff asking me to settle the bill before I was even served my main course! When all goes well though, service is rather average, and though orders are served to your table, payment is self-service at the cashier.

Food at Hot Tomato Cafe & Grill is Western style, mostly combining pasta (spaghetti aglio olio), with grilled meat or seafood. And their grilled items do stand out, seared / grill to perfection nearly every time. I particularly like their beef steaks, and their salmon. Portions are large, and for the price you pay, about SGD $15 per person for 1 main course, it's more value for money than many other places.


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Soups here are nearly always an add-on with a Set Meal (SGD $3.50), and thus, aren't really good quality. The Tomato Soup has good flavour, bright and piquant, but too thin in texture. The Mushroom Soup is better, with a thick, creamy texture, and small bits of diced mushrooms within, though I feel it tastes better if you add a pinch of salt.

Tomato Soup

Mushroom Soup

These drinks also come with the Set Meal (SGD $3.50). The Ice Lemon Tea is rather standard, but I prefer the sharp sourness of the Lime Juice.

Ice Lemon Tea

Lime Juice

The Ribeye Steak With Spaghetti Aglio Olio (SGD $14.90) features a 200gm beef ribeye steak, grilled to your liking. I got mine medium rare, and it was grilled perfectly, with a nice sear and char marks outside, yet moist and pink inside. Good beefy meaty taste, and the cut is also quite thick. The pasta is fragrant with the use of garlic, but a little too oily, and I wish they would have added some chili for heat. I loved the lettuce on the side, dressed in a tangy, sharp, bright citrus vinaigrette. Good value for money, highly recommended!

Ribeye Steak With Spaghetti Aglio Olio 01

Ribeye Steak With Spaghetti Aglio Olio 02

The Seafood Combo With Spaghetti Aglio Olio (SGD $13.90) is like a platter on its own. The prawn, while large and meaty, was cooked till dry, and is the worst item on this dish. The pacific dory fish fillet was nice though, firm and flaky, and still moist, while having a nice freshness to the flesh. The best item for me was the salmon, a large steak size portion, firm yet still juicy, and I could taste the fatty oils of the fish! The pasta was good, but oily as usual, and I loved the lettuce dressed in citrus vinaigrette. Very good item to order if you'll like to sample all their seafood / fish!

Seafood Combo With Spaghetti Aglio Olio 01

Seafood Combo With Spaghetti Aglio Olio 02

The Pork Chop & Sausage With Spaghetti Aglio Olio (SGD $11.90) has that same tasty pasta, but what stood out for me was the perfectly grilled, thick cut of moist yet tender pork chop, which yields easily to cutting. Savoury with that tasty hint of grilling, so good. The chicken chipolata sausages was moist, savoury, and meaty, decent in taste, and well grilled. Good dish!

Pork Chop & Sausage With Spaghetti Aglio Olio

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Uniqlo
Various Outlets Islandwide
10am - 10pm Daily

http://www.uniqlo.com/sg/


Simple, Striking, Comfortable Casual Clothes

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Product Lifespan: 6 - 24 Months
Product Quality: 8
Value for Money: 9
Spent about SGD $80 per person.



Founded in 1984 in Naka-ku, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, Uniqlo, which is a contraction for "Unique Clothing", is a Japanese casual wear retail franchise. Uniqlo is known for designing and producing their own range of clothing. Founder Tadashi Yanai has a simple philosophy; his clothing must be affordable for all, functional and durable enough for daily wear, simple to wash and clean, yet stylish and vibrant in design. This simple approach has made Uniqlo one of the world's biggest apparel brands.

Uniqlo casual wear clothing designs, whether for men or women, all have design elements that are best described as clean, simple, functional, and minimalist. They often have varying shades of bold, vibrant colours for each design, which makes Uniqlo stores seem like a rainbow of colours. Because Uniqlo casual wear clothing is so simple yet essential, it has an almost universal appeal, allowing customers to mix, match, and create their own styles with very little fuss.

Aimed at the mass market, casual or urban basics shoppers, Uniqlo manages to keep their clothing prices low due to large economies of scale, and control over the manufacturing chain. Furthermore, Uniqlo clothing is rather durable, easily lasting more than 1 year, and with proper care, perhaps more than 2 years. And with each piece (top / bottom) costing about SGD $25 or thereabouts, it's incredible value for money.

Uniqlo is also known for their innovative technology, and their willingness to change and challenge conventional wisdom. The most important technological breakthrough at Uniqlo is evident in their HeatTech clothing, which is made with proprietary heat-retaining polyester-and-nylon yarn. This synthetic material has air pockets between the treads, which help retain heat, and get rid of moisture. But Uniqlo isn't satisfied, and is continually innovating, either by creating new clothing technologies, or finding cheaper, more efficient ways of manufacturing that maintains the high quality the brand is known for.

I love the extensive range of vibrant designs at Uniqlo, which are fashionable yet comfortable enough to wear on a daily basis, as well as their wallet friendly prices. I also admire Tadashi Yanai approach to doing business, and how he's grown the company internationally.

Source Credits

Source Credits

Paddington House Of Pancakes
180 Kitchener Road
#02-35 City Square Mall

http://www.paddingtonpancakes.com/


Bringing The World Of Pancakes To You

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 8
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $28 per person.





Established in 2004 in Malaysia, Paddington House Of Pancakes is a speciality pancake restaurant, named after Paddington, in London, England, where the Malaysian founders said they had the world's best pancakes. Also known as PHOP, at Paddington House Of Pancakes, you're spoilt for choice, with 100 different pancake recipes from more than 10 countries worldwide, the extensive menu makes deciding very difficult, and repeat visits are a must. For our Chinese New Year reunion dinner 2015, we decided to visit Paddington House Of Pancakes.

Ambience at Paddington House Of Pancakes is casual, resembling a modern diner. Brightly lit, with an open concept, and a simple, plain solid colour scheme. Comfy black booths line the wall, while the rest of the spacious interior is lined with functional, sleek looking modern furniture. Communal dining is highly encouraged, the majority of layout is designed for groups, as is the large portion sizes of most dishes.

Service at Paddington House Of Pancakes is very good. I like that staff are professional and welcoming, greeting diners upon entry. They're quick to seat you, and are knowledgable enough to make recommendations if the extensive menu overwhelms you. Waiting time for food is about 10 - 15 minutes, but at least all your orders are served almost together. I also like that staff came around to check on how our meal was going, and asked for feedback.

Food at Paddington House Of Pancakes incorporates pancakes into every dish. Type of pancakes varies, they offer American flapjacks, French crepes, Russian blinis, Dutch pannekoeken, and more. Freshly cooked to order, the pancakes are tasty, and rather authentic. Most of the 100 different recipes on the menu are named after a city, country, or ingredient which inspired it. Portion sizes are rather large, and more than sufficient for 1 person. Prices are comparable to other upper mid-range cafes, budget about SGD $28 per person for a meal here.





Clean, bright space and diner-like atmosphere, makes this place rather relaxing.

Paddington House Of Pancakes Signage

Paddington House Of Pancakes Seating

Paddington House Of Pancakes Serviette

The Fantasy Punch (SGD $20 / jug) is a sweet, fruity blend of apple juice and strawberries. Refreshing!

Fantasy Punch

The Full Monty (SGD $16) features savoury pastrami, chicken chipolatas, and turkey bacon strips, sandwiched between stacks of classic American flapjacks, topped with 2 sunny side up eggs. Served with mashed potatoes, baked beans, and mushroom onion gravy on the side, this is a really filling savoury breakfast dish. The flapjacks are soft and fluffy, and rather thick in size, pretty good! The rest of the ingredients are cooked properly, but somewhat average in taste. Decent dish overall.

The Full Monty 01

The Full Monty 02

The Dijon (SGD $21) is unique in that in combines both savoury and sweet in this predominantly savoury main course. Named for the sour, tangy mustard dressing, which is mixed with fruity sweet peach, plums, and passionfruit, then spread over the grilled lamb shoulders, and the thin and soft French crepes. The lamb is rather tough to cut off the bone, but carries good flavour. However, the crepes quickly go soggy when it absorbs the sweet fruity gravy.

The Dijon 01

The Dijon 02

The Brussels (SGD $13) is served like an open face pizza, with toppings of turkey bacon strips, onions, baked beans, a sunny side up egg in the middle, sliced avocado, and mozzarella cheese, on a flat Belgian breton galette. The toppings pair well, and I like the crisp, thin, savoury buckwheat breton galette.

The Brussels 01

The Brussels 02

Loved The Monaco (SGD $19) for their crisp zucchini and onion pancakes, which still retain the freshness of the zucchini in each bite. Served with mashed potatoes, and grilled lamb shoulders alongside a mint yoghurt sauce. Worth ordering for the vegetable pancakes alone!

The Monaco 01

The Monaco 02

A huge serving meant to be shared, The Big Treasure Box (SGD $15) is a bowl of piping hot, soft, fluffy American dollar pancakes, garnished with strawberries, bananas, peaches, lychees, raisins, dessicated coconut strips, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I would say this is above average, worth trying if you're in a group. I only wish they gave more fruits, as the majority of the bowl consists of the dollar pancakes.

The Big Treasure Box 01

The Big Treasure Box 02

Munch Saladsmith & Rotisserie
51 Telok Ayer Street
#01-11 China Square

10 Sinaran Drive
#02-01 Square 2

277 Orchard Road
#03-11 Orchard Gateway

60 Paya Lebar Road
#01-85 Paya Lebar Square

1 Vista Exchange Green
#01-48 The Star Vista

109 North Bridge Road
#01-14 Funan DigitaLife Mall

16 Enggor Street
#01-10 Icon Village

112 Robinson Road
#01-01 Robinsons 112

1 Raffles Place
#B1-16 One Raffles Place

15 Central Boulevard
#B1-04 Marina Bay Link Mall

http://www.munch.sg/


Decent Salad Bar & Rotisserie

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 6
Ambience & Setting: 6
Food & Beverage: 7
Service: 6
Value for Money: 6
Spent about SGD $17 per person.


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Founded in 2005, Munch Saladsmith & Rotisserie started as a small salad shop, but has since expanded islandwide, gaining a loyal following mostly amongst the young, corporate executives. Promising fresh, wholesome, healthy, yet delicious food, Munch Saladsmith & Rotisserie offers over 60 different types of salads, rotated on a daily basis such that only selected salads are available on a daily basis. Munch Saladsmith & Rotisserie also offers a decent / average brunch, and rotisserie items.

Ambience at Munch Saladsmith & Rotisserie for their Paya Lebar outlet is dark, with very low ambient lighting or natural lighting, making the place rather unwelcoming. Most people as a result, order takeaway here. The wooden furniture is modern and semi-comfortable, but the small floor space means tables are spaced tightly. Also, the self-service area lacks napkins / serviettes. Ambience is probably the worst aspect of Munch Saladsmith & Rotisserie.

Service at Munch Saladsmith & Rotisserie is half self-service, half service staff assisted. Ordering, payment and collection is done at the counter, but staff help to stack your order on the plate... and with the small size plates used by Munch Saladsmith & Rotisserie, it gives the visual illusion that your plate is piled high and overflowing. The service staff are also pretty helpful and knowledgable when it comes to the daily salad varieties available, they're able to provide basic descriptions of what it's made with.

Food at Munch Saladsmith & Rotisserie is decent / average, to above average. I particularly like the freshness and varieties of their salads, most of which are cold salads. Sauces are light, and the overall look and taste is wholesome and rather healthy. Their rotisserie meat and fish items are average to below average, and not that great. But their coffee is pretty good, as it's supplied by Dutch Colony, you get full bodied flavours. Portions are sufficient for 1 person, and prices are comparable to most mid-range cafes, budget about SGD $17 per person for a meal.


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The interior of the Paya Lebar outlet is dark and unwelcoming, but they have quirky / cute signs hung on the walls. Most customers of this outlet prefer takeaway. At the salad bar, you're able to choose 1 meat or fish, and 1 or 2 salad items.

Munch Saladsmith & Rotisserie Signage

Eat No Evil

Not Ok

The Cafe Latte (SGD $5.40) is pretty solid, with a smooth, full bodied flavour. Straight forward, not outstanding, but a decent choice of beverage.

Cafe Latte

The Hot Chocolate (SGD $4.60) had a nice chocolate flavour, but tasted like a mix of milo / hot chocolate / chocolate milk. Odd but pleasant, though the texture is a little too thin, and it wasn't as rich as I would have liked.

Hot Chocolate

The Salmon With Roasted Vegetables, Bacon & Mash (SGD $15.90) was hit and miss for me. The Salmon had nice moist fish meat and flaked off delightfully, but the skin was so tough and rubbery, it's almost impossible to cut. The Roasted Vegetables of fresh green, red, yellow bell peppers / capsicum, eggplant, and zucchini were juicy, with hints of sweet and savoury from roasting, pretty good, could be better if it was served warm. The Bacon & Mash has chunky mashed potatoes, infused with the smoky aroma of lean bacon, not too heavy, and not oily.

Salmon With Roasted Vegetables, Bacon & Mash

Salmon

Roasted Vegetables

Bacon & Mash

I liked the Roast Chicken With Chicken Caesar Salad, Young Potatoes (SGD $11.40) as a dish. The Roast Chicken was large and meaty, and more importantly, the meat was moist. But the roasting process didn't get rid of the fats, and it left the skin savoury but limp, not crisp like elsewhere. The Chicken Caesar Salad has fresh, crunchy green and red lettuce, and a generous portion of shredded chicken, in a light mayonnaise sauce. The Young Potatoes feature chunky baby potatoes mixed with a light mayonnaise sauce and diced cucumbers, served fresh and simple.

Roast Chicken With Chicken Caesar Salad, Young Potatoes

Roast Chicken

Chicken Caesar Salad

Young Potatoes

In terms of taste, the Cheesy Scrambles Shrooms (SGD $11.90) is pretty good, with a fragrant, earthy aroma from the shiitake mushrooms infused into the fluffy, creamy, eggy scrambled eggs. In terms of value though, this is the worst item to order on their menu, because for the price of SGD $12, you could order any of the other breakfast items they have, and you'll get either a larger portion, or a plate with more / different ingredients. Plus, this is something I could cook at home. Avoid this.

Cheesy Scrambles Shrooms

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PS. Cafe
28B Harding Road

45 Ann Siang Road #02-02

290 Orchard Road
#03-41 Paragon

390 Orchard Road
#02-09A Palais Renaissance

http://www.pscafe.com/


Chic, Charming, Intimate Cafe

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 9
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $55 per person.





Established in 1999 as part of the Projectshop clothing store, PS. Cafe soon gained a following of its own for its relaxing, casual, yet elegant ambience, and generous portions of food. Early on though, the quality of food and service was inconsistent, as several of my visits during the early part of the 2000s left a bad impression, and I swore off PS. Cafe for several years. This valentine's however, she decided on PS. Cafe, and I'm glad to say the experience went well.

Ambience at PS. Cafe is casual, yet elegant and relaxing. The chic look of Projectshop has carried over, with dark wooden panelling and beams overhead, comfortable wooden furniture, along with low ambient lighting, accentuated by bright spotlights at night, or natural sunlight during the day. There is a certain charming lushness of the countryside at PS. Cafe, due to the use of plants, and the spaciousness of the interior is thoughtfully crafted to still allow for private conversations and small enclaves. PS. Cafe is perfect for romantic dates!

Service at PS. Cafe is professional and friendly. Staff greet and seat you with a smile, are proactive in offering drinks or desserts, knowledgable on the menu, and able to make recommendations. I like that the service standards are close to a fine dining establishment, with staff coming around to ask for feedback and check on your meal. Food is also served rather quickly. Very good! Menu descriptions are comprehensive and apt, but I wish PS. Cafe could have included pictures in the menu as well.

Food at PS. Cafe is best described as modern European, with a mix of influences from American, British, French, Italian, and Singaporean cuisines. PS. Cafe is known for their large, generous portion sizes, and sharing is recommended. Generally, food is well prepared and tasty, and dishes are well balanced, with rustic country style plating and presentation. Prices tend to be rather high, as befits the standards here, budget about SGD $55 per person for a meal.





The PS. Chicken In The Basket (SGD $29) features lightly breaded, savoury boneless chicken tender strips, fried till the outside is crisp, but the inside remains soft, tender, and moist. Served with thick cut chips, vegetable sticks, and a duo of sauces; a tangy, refreshing kaffir lime aioli, and a slightly spicy, slightly sour, chili tamarind dip.

PS. Chicken In The Basket

The Crab Tart (SGD $32) resembles a quiche, with delicate hand deshelled blue swimmer crab meat baked in a buttery shortcrust pastry shell, along with kaffir lime and chili. The result is a light, delicate pastry, where the crust crumbles away when cut, and the generous portion of spiced crab meat within releases a fragrant aroma. Served with a fresh garden salad, a yummy prawn bisque gravy, and spicy home made harissa chili.

Crab Tart 01

Crab Tart 02

Crab Tart 03

The Vodka Cheng Teng Cocktail (SGD $19) is inspired by the classic Singaporean dessert of Cheng Teng. Featuring dried longans, white fungus, barley, red dates, and ginko nuts, infused with vodka, the initial taste is exactly the same as a cold cheng teng, followed by the stronger taste of vodka. Pleasant and refreshing.

Vodka Cheng Teng Cocktail 01

Vodka Cheng Teng Cocktail 02

Each PS. Cafe outlet has its own unique atmosphere. The main outlet at Dempsey Hill is set against an idyllic natural backdrop.

PS. Cafe Exterior

PS. Cafe Interior

PS. Cafe Sofa Seating

The PS. Truffle Shoestring Fries (SGD $15) come highly recommended, and it's no surprise. A heaping portion of hot, crisp, thin cut fries are tossed in earthy, fragrant truffle oil, and garnished with grated parmesan cheese and parsley. The aroma isn't too intense, but nicely balanced, and persists even till the end of the plate. Excellent!

PS. Truffle Shoestring Fries

The PS. Shepherd's Pie & Soup (SGD $27) is rather average. Freshly minced beef and diced carrots are topped with rustic, buttery garlic and herb mashed potatoes, then oven baked. The resulting PS. Shepherd's Pie is savoury, with the mash being light and fluffy, almost pillowy soft, but not the tastiest I've had. You get a choice of 1 soup, we settled on the Portobello Mushroom Soup, which features a roughly ground soup / stew of wild mushrooms and watercress, enhanced with truffle oil. Thick, creamy, and earthy, but again, not the tastiest I've had. Overall, an average pie and soup.

PS. Shepherd's Pie & Soup

PS. Shepherd's Pie 01

PS. Shepherd's Pie 02

Portobello Mushroom Soup

The Chicken Parmigiano (SGD $29) features a thick slab of pan seared chicken breast, topped with chunky tomato sauce, a slow roasted roma tomato, wilted spinach, garlic ciabatta croutons, gratineed cheese, and a grilled lemon. Served with a fresh, bright garden salad, the dish is fresh, full of flavour, and tasty. However, it's slightly let down by the somewhat tough texture of the chicken breast.

Chicken Parmigiano 01

Chicken Parmigiano 02

The Sticky Date Pudding (SGD $15) here is probably one of the best I've ever tasted! The actual pudding itself is warm, moist, soft, fluffy, and studded with dates, and the taste isn't too sweet. But the real winner in this dish is the excellent caramel toffee sauce, which is warm, thick, and nicely balanced, sweet with just a hint of savoury. The creamy, smooth, and rich vanilla ice cream is just the topping on this classic British English dessert.

Sticky Date Pudding 01

Sticky Date Pudding 02

The Mud Crab & Caviar Rigatoni (SGD $29) was an absolutely terrible pasta dish. While I appreciate the generous portions of al-dente rigatoni pasta, wilted spinach leaves, black caviar, and deshelled crab, the dish was swimming in oil. Worse, the crab isn't fresh, and has that slimy, swampy mud taste that is the hallmark of the mud crab. Thumbs down for me, I totally disliked it.

Mud Crab & Caviar Rigatoni