Cliff(y) Goes Dining

Oh-so-good spinach cannelloni, and aromatic wood-fired pizza! There was a time when I frequented VivoCity, noticing Modesto's located on the first floor of the largest shopping mall here in Singapore. It has since relocated to the third floor at the sky park, which is a popular hang out spot. The brand has been serving many customers for more than a decade at the point of writing.

A huge variety of omu rice with free flow salad bar! UPDATE (13/01/2020):  The eatery has closed down. Liang Court Shopping Centre is home to Japanese restaurants. Affordable ones are available, such as Pecori Japanese Egg Restaurant that allows you to dig into their free flow salad bar with every purchase of a main course per person. Be awed by their wide selections of omelette rice.

Zesty Sichuan style noodle, but disappointing steamed rice... As one walks around Bugis Village that comprises restored pre-war shophouses, he's bound to be treated to the sights of not only stalls selling paraphernalia, but also eateries. Yesterday, I found myself in front of Noodle Star that's managed by Gao Ji Food that has been around since 1954.

Awesome mint chocolate chip ice cream to beat the hot weather! Today's short and sweet (pun intended) review is on an ice cream brand that many people often jokingly refer to as my own establishment, even though my surname isn't spelled that way. I'm not going to bore you with its history, but Andersen's Ice Cream first came to the shores of Singapore in 1989.

Mouth-watering duck leg with addictively crispy skin! If you're looking for affordable, honest-to-goodness French food, you may want to consider La Petite Cuisine at Serene Centre, a place close to my heart due to the fact that I used to buy my secondary school uniform at the nearby Coronation Plaza. I remember that it used to be a small, al fresco eatery, but now it has indoor seats with air-conditioning.

Not worth it, except for the coolly-named dessert: Blancmange! Issho Izakaya is a Japanese restaurant in Kallang Wave near the Singapore Sports Hub. As the name of the restaurant suggests, it has a vision of "creating a casual dining place that brings friends and family together". On top of the usual tables and chairs, it offers traditional tatami seating, as well as seating by the sushi bar.

Sweet, sour and savoury stir-fried shrimps with tamarind! UPDATE (22/12/2017):  The restaurant has closed down. After visiting Hanoi, Vietnam in November last year for the first time in my life, I've started to have a craving for good Vietnamese food every now and then. I did an online research, landing on Hanoi Vietnamese Restaurant that's conveniently located at 100AM in Tanjong Pagar. Again, it's walkable from where I'm living.

Dirty Ronin~ Iced Ero Tea~  UPDATE (08/01/2020):  The eatery has closed down, but "[their] spirit and DNA live on" at Gather, one of the eateries at Raffles Hotel Arcade. When your stomach starts to grumble and you happen to be somewhere near Clarke Quay MRT station, do try to find this particular all-day brunch eatery that doesn't have a signboard. Of course you can take a look at the address given at the end of this review, but adventurers may want to have their own little hunting down game.  Rōnin  (浪人) means a samurai with no lord or master, essentially a wanderer.

Sweet spinach soup, but I felt bitter because of a particular waiter... The good thing about living in the Chinatown area is that many areas of high concentrations of food establishments are within walking distance. One fine evening, I walked down to Anson Road at Tanjong Pagar to find this uniquely named 3+1 Restaurant. In view of the Chinese name of the restaurant, 三菜一汤, my friends and I ordered three main dishes and a soup dish to go along with our bowls of piping hot steamed rice.

One of the best ramen in Singapore with black pork slices? UPDATE (26/05/2020):  With the closure of Liang Court, the restaurant has moved to #B2-33 Ngee Ann City at 391B Orchard Road. I've been hearing for quite some time that Tampopo (lit. dandelion) at Liang Court Shopping Centre serves not only one of the best ramen dishes in Singapore, but also over 200 items for its patrons. Not knowing where to go on a Sunday evening, my BFF and I decided to hunt it down. 

Crispy rosti that's still up to standard! It's been ages since I last dined at Marché Restaurant, which I used to frequent with my friends during our secondary school days. To those who're familiar with the restaurant, it's a buffet style restaurant where customers get up off their seats to look for food they fancy, but with individual price tag attached to each dish. Everything is recorded on a card that should be kept carefully for payment.

Green, pink and brown on top of a waffle! Marble Slab Creamery was founded in 1983 in Houston, the USA. Ever since its first arrival in 2009 in Singapore, I've always wanted to give it a try. It was only yesterday that I finally had the chance to visit one of the outlets at The Central, which is within walking distance from where I live.

Delectable smoked duck aglio olio! UPDATE (08/05/2020):  The café has closed down. Has anyone heard of Criollo cocoa before? What the fine Arabica bean is to coffee, the noble and rare Criollo bean is to chocolate. Although I don't think this particular café at Orchard Gateway actually prepares its beverages from such expensive beans, it offers a range of food options as well, including all-day breakfast items.

Nice five spices cheese fries and rose milk tea! Known to be a good place for supper within walking distance from Serangoon MRT station, 8 Degrees Taiwanese Bistro has been offering authentic Taiwanese street food, classic dishes and bubble tea since 2001. Fans of Jay Chou should be able to immediately identify with the name of the bistro, especially the Chinese version: 八度空間.

Delightful mushroom ravioli, but it was a wrong order... UPDATE (11/03/2016):  The restaurant has moved to Westgate at 3 Gateway Drive, which is linked to Jurong East MRT station. One fine evening after a fulfilling day at work, my BFF and I went to have a quiet dinner at UE Square, which isn't that far away from where I live. As we chanced upon an Italian restaurant with a nice ambience, we decided to give it a try, not knowing that there'd be a turn of the tide to my feelings.