Dinner at Cafeteria IL Lido @ Suntec

(Above) Interior of Cafeteria IL Lido

Over the weekend, we had dinner at Cafeteria IL Lido located at Suntec city since it was recommended by 8 days. We found the menu quite limited in it's choices and well, while the food was not bad, it didn't strike us as something to die for or to return to. Just try once for the the experience. Maybe expectations from us were high since it was a casual offshoot of the fine dining IL Lido Italian restaurant at Sentosa. We shared the smoked duck pizza which is thin crusted with gooey cheese and slices of smoked duck meat and the Scallopine Mushroom which is a filling beef course served with a sumptuous wine-based sauce, with ratatouille on the side.


(Above and Below - Smoked Duck pizza )



(Above - Scallopine Mushroom )

As we went at five plus, there wasn't really anyone around other than a couple at another table. Hence, service was prompt as expected since there weren't many people. It cost about nearly $30 for our orders and we left feeling somehow not quite satisfied. To be fair, just treat it as a fast food Italian food joint and you won't have your expectations let down but still we felt it could have been better.

Having fresh sashimi at Sakuraya Fish Mart

We usually go to Sakuraya Fish Mart at Parkway Parade basement #B-183D for value for money and fresh sashimi and just fail to understand why there are crowds at places like Sakae Sushi hankering after expensive, small pieces of not really good grade sashimi. Sakuraya also stocks many Japanese food items and is just a little non pretentious place that offers good food.


(Above) Our platter of sashimi


(Above) Sashimi prawns - succulent and juicy


(Above) Sashimi scallops - natural sweetness and tender to the bite

Usually, a very full and good meal at Sakuraya ranges between $30 - $40. The quality and quantity beats any reasonably or even higher priced establishments hands down in our honest opinion. You just go to the glass counter, pick your sashimi based on your liking and budget and the chef will slice for you the sashimi and prepare it with shredded turnip. Do give it a try if you have not. Don't forget to try their miso soup(below) which is much more worth than the green tea.

Past and Present - The C Class Coupe and the CLC Coupe

(Left) Our new CLC coupe and (Right) the older C Class Coupe

So happened that we saw a Merc C Class Coupe which for the non car buff is a previous incarnation of our CLC coupe parked beside us. Being the car buff that I am, I couldn't resist a photo shot to just compare the past and present. We can see that the CLC is a gradual evolution of the C Class coupe, rather than a radical change with similar bodylines but updated with 1100 new parts including a redesigned front with new projector headlights and rear to update with the new W204 C Class plus updated engine with higher output and lower fuel consumption,LED side mirror winkers, direct steer and suspension and updated Audio 20 stereo and communications set and new speed sensitive SLK based steering wheel and chrome lined dash meters plus multi function information console.7 years separate both models with the C Class Coupe launched in 2001 and the CLC launched in 2008.

At One Caramel

Over the weekend, we celebrated mom's birthday with slurrpy and delicious bowls of Hakata ramen at Yoshimaru Ramen Bar at Playground @ East Coast. Mom and brother enjoyed the ramen as did we. Highlight was finding another opportunity to try more cakes haha at One Caramel @ The Luxe off Handy Road, beside the Cathay cinema. We were wondering if we should check our weigh this month, what with our cake binge.

The cakes we tried were D'Avocat comprising of avocado and fruity connoction layed with sponge cake and topped with blueberry: the Red Velvet which is layered moist velvet sponge dressed with layers of rich dark chocolate and cherry ganache ; and the Mango Mascarpone ( which is recommended as a must try) featuring oh so sinfully rich mascarpone cheese cream coupled with coconut crumble topped with a refreshing mango compote.




(Above and below) Red Velvet coupled with a macaron at the side.



(Above and below) D'Avocat



(Above and below)Mango Mascarpone

Cakes from Rive Gauche at Takashimaya

On the next part of our cake escapades this week, we happen to pass by Takashimaya and bought cakes from a Japanese styled patisserie - Rive Gauche. We bought two slices -





Pistachio Cherry (above) which features two layers of soft melt in the mouth chocolate sponge sandwiched with sweet pistachio and chery mousse;

Caramel nut(below) which features pudding like caramel sandwiched between two layers of light chocolate. The caramel nut was a unique cake that tasted more like a chocolate pudding and had no sponge within.



Service was good with the staff putting in extra care in placing the cake slices within the cake box and putting in dry ice to keep the cakes cool for the trip home.

Cakes at Patisserie Glace and Obolo

We have been indulging in alot of cakes over this year and recently, we went for some cakes again at Patisserie Glace at the Icon and Obolo in Joo Chiat. Patisserie Glace cakes while having bigger slices follows the Japanese style cakes with light fluffy, soft sponge and cream such that you don't feel overwhelmed despite the bigger serving. Obolo features heavier tasting cakes in a smaller slice. Our personal opinion was that Obolo is still the standard to beat in terms of taste and aesthetics, presentation which proves that the best things in life do come in smaller packages. Obolo cakes features many intricate ingredients fused that add to the rich and multi faceted experience that you get when you taste the different layers of each cake slice. Every slice of cake at Obolo is a fusion of different layers that are distinct in flavor, yet complement to make the cake slice as a complete tentalising experience.


(Above) Fruits Crepe featuring fresh juicy sweet strawberry set in Chef Yamashita's Baravian cream layered with crepe, a unique connoction.


(Above) Double Cheese Rare Mango comprising of mango cubes, puree and melt in your mouth cheese.




(Above) Patisserie treats from Obolo


(Above and Below) Nikita Cheesecake from Obolo - Dark chocolate ganache mousse layered with refreshing dark cherry and raspberry compote jelly and smooth pistachio ivoire mousse paired with layers of almond and chocolate biscuit bathed in cherry and kirsch syrup in between.




(Above) Macarons - Ruby featuring raspberry infusion coupled with dark chocolate ganache and Salted Caramel Chocolate with salted butter and caramel ganache.



(Above and below) Yuzu - a refreshing treat featuring lemon mascarpone mousse, japanese yuzu- citrus cremeux with moist vanilla genoise and mango passion gelee on a base of ivoire crunchy feuillitine.





(Above and Below) Verrine Caprice - apricot mango gelee layered by hazelnt milk chocoloate crunch, moist choclate genoise topped with a mini bittersweet chocolate macaron.

Dining at Yoshimaru Ramen Bar

(above, Yoshimaru Ramen courtesy of Camembaru Food Blog)

This weekend, we went to have ramen at the Yoshimaru Ramen Bar at Playground @ Big Splash. Yoshimaru Ramen Bar is an established ramen bar in japan brough to Singapore by the Jumbo Seafood people. It serves Hakata ramen that originated from Hakata, Kyushu. The most distinctive difference about Hakata ramen from others is that the noodles are much thinner and firmer in texture but which adds up to a very fuifilling meal. While the menu is limited in it's offerings, the prices are reasonable and the ramen offering reasonably good.


The soup base(above) has a rich stock being boiled with collagen extracted from pork bones but yet has a mellowed flavour so the array of condiments on each table is there for a purpose for each one to individually spice up their soup.Personally, me and Gayle felt that health conscious people may like it as it was not salty but for us, condiments are needed to give the soup some kick and salt.

A novel way to keep the diners occupied is to provide each with a bowl of sesame seeds and a pounder so that diners can throw in some condiments and mix and pound it with the sesame seeds and then throw it into the soup when the ramen arrives. Yoshimaru Ramen Bar's design provides for a chic and cool place to slurp japanese noodles in comfort although we felt that the music video being played was a little too loud as a background music.

As this was our second visit there, we could use the discount coupons given on our first trip which entitles you to $10 off every $25 spent which is quite worth it. I ordered the Shabu Shabu beef ramen while Gayle ordered the traditional Hakata ramen.


My shabu shabu beef ramen(above) had strips of soft and really juicy and tender beef slices which helped to add to the sweetness of the soup.


The ni tamago- seasoned egg(above) was so soft, tender with the yolk literally melting in the mouth. Gayle's Hakata ramen(below) has thin tender and juicy slices of pork slices.



There are side dishes available but personally, we felt that the richness and good texture of the ramen and soup made for a substantial meal.2 Full bowls of ramen cost us $29 with GST but we paid only $19 after the $10 discount. It is worth a visit there or two if you want to have a reasonably good bowl of Hakata ramen.