I always wondered why the 2 most awesome meals like brunch and tea are mostly only available on weekends. Shouldn't we get options for these awesome meals like everyday? Well well, the folks at Pan Pacific Singapore certainly has gotten it right with their Weekday Dim Sum Lunch Buffet at Hai Tien Lo!

The special weekday a la carte dim sum lunch menu is created by new Dim Sum Chef Lee Siaw Cheen and diners get to feast on an extensive selection of 35 soups, signature dishes, dim sum and desserts at $48.

There are 4 new enhanced signature dim sum creations which include Deep-fried Yam Puff with Foie Gras, Baked Egg Tart with Imperial Swiflet’s Nest and White Fungus, Steamed Berkshire Pork “Char Siu” Buns and Crispy Carrot Cake with Hai Tien Lo’s Signature XO Sauce. These are limited to one serving each per guest.

Of the lot, the Berkshire Pork “Char Siu” Buns was absolutely heavenly. Juicy and succulent meat in a delicious barbecue sauce lovingly wrapped by a fluffy sweet bun. But why only 1 serving?? :( I also liked the carrot cake which has nice chunks of radish and chinese sausage. This is best paired with the spicy XO sauce.

Diners also get unlimited servings of the classic dim sum. The Wok-seared Spinach Dumplings may look really green on the outside but it's also packed with juicy minced pork inside. Delicious!

There's also the giant version of a xiao long bao but this is the steamed bun version, and it also has a baby abalone hidden in it.

First time trying the Deep-fried Pork Dumpling “Ham Shui Gok”. It's really crispy on the outside and it remained so after 5 minutes of photo taking. It looks really plain but once you bite into it, you'd be surprised by the flavors.

The skin has a mochi-like texture and it is filled with juicy pork with mushrooms. When eaten all at once, it tastes like a Hakka Abacus Seed  算盘子.

Another delicious pork filled dish but flavored with five spices and wrapped in bean gluten. This is like a baby ngoh hiang but crispier and juicier.

If dimsum alone doesn't fill you up, there are also 9 Hai Tien Lo Signatures to pick from which includes hearty dishes like Szechuan Spicy chicken, Grouper fish fillet and Cantonese Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs.. Each table is limited to one serving of any three items.

The Homemade Bean Curd with Crab Meat and Eggplant in Supreme Stock comes highly recommended. Absolutely silky and fragrant tofu in a carrot, radish and chicken supreme stock. Slurps!

If you like something fried (who doesn't), the Deep-fried Soft Shell Crab with Pepper Sauce is rather delightful. Just work it off later really.

What is a Cantonese meal without soup right? Pick from either the Traditional Double-Boiled Soup or the Lobster with Shredded Abalone and Vegetables in Thick Broth (one serving of any one item per person). The little green puffs are made of vegetables. Now you can drink your greens too!

For desserts, i went with the Double-boiled Osmanthus Tea with Pear and White Fungus which is light and refreshing. I liked that it's not too sweet.

The Mango Sago with Pomelo was a hot favorite. This drinks like a mango smoothie and is surprisingly light as well. If there's more space in your dessert tummy, you could go with the Black Sesame Paste with Glutinous Rice Dumpling.

So here you go, Hai Tien Lo's Weekday Dim Sum Buffet. It's perfect for business lunches and definitely for times when you simply just need to treat yourself.

Hai Tien Lo 
Pan Pacific Singapore
Level 3, 7 Raffles Boulevard, Singapore 039595
Tel: +65 6826 8240
Weekday Dimsum Buffet (except PH): 11.30am - 2.30pm
Price: $48 per adult or $28 per child (five to 11 years old)

The latest rave on the cafe scene has got to be My Awesome Café 真棒堂. Housed in the old Chung Hwa Free Clinic, My Awesome Cafe not only has a much talked/Instagrammed about entrance, the interior is another designer playground with vintage, restored and remade furniture carefully curated by its owners and i had the pleasure of chatting with Franck, the uber friendly owner, when i visited them for lunch.

If you found the tables and fans a little familiar, well, you probably have seen them in school. I love how the industrious space is lit by natural light and christmas trees in bulbs (because everyday should be Christmas).

According to Franck, the menu has expanded 3 times in their 1st month of opening, thanks to suggestions by their loyal regulars. The famed My Awesome Salad ($15) was suggested by the fitness instructors from the nearby gyms and you can be guaranteed a protein packed and healthy meal.

And it was really Awesome. Generous portion of mesclun with smoked salmon, tender herbed chicken breast, oh-so-decadent duck rillettes, avocado and tomatoes. The duck rillettes come from a small farm in France and it has that perfect buttery texture with the right touch of saltiness. The crusty bread was irresistible with freshly ground basil pesto.

The secret to such awesomeness is fresh produce. The leaves are flown in 3 times a week from Australia, and other produce like tomatoes and avocados are hand picked from Tiong Bahru market by Franck! Most of their ingredients are all carefully sourced from small producers so it's not just fresh but also really exclusive.

I had a Latte ($4.50) to go with my meal. The coffee is made from a blend of Colombian, Brazilian and Ethiopian (or is it Sumatran) beans and are roasted in Singapore by a small time roaster (secret is still in the bag). The robust flavors were complemented by the New Zealand grass fed cow milk. 

If you want something more substantial, well there are sandwich options ($12-$15) with fillings like Spicy Beef, Duck Rillettes (a must eat), Grilled Eggplant Hummus Dip & Tomato and more. The breads and pastries are baked fresh daily so you can be guaranteed of its freshness. I love their breads! If you are for something smaller, there are breakfast croissants (with runny scrambled eggs) along with other toppings.

As we were chatting, the fresh-out-of-the-oven desserts were making their way around the cafe and Franck offered me a taste of 2 of them, the Bread & Butter Pudding and Upside Down Pineapple Cake ($4.50 each).

I was surprised by how light and refreshing the Pineapple Cake was (only because i had this impression that it would be really cloying). Love the buttery cake base with the naturally sweet juicy pineapples.

The Bread and Butter pudding is certainly different from the usual rich moist and spongy suspect. This came served with a liquid whipping cream which is the more milky version of evaporated milk. The top layer is actually a croissant, which tended on the dry side from the baking but i enjoyed the bread bottom.

Come night time, My Awesome Cafe transforms into a bar serving happy drinks with their Happy Hour. There are some special beers too. Have them with the Cold Cuts Platter with home-made spreads for only $20/pax and comes with free flow of bread. I'd be damned if i don't finish them all. Vegetarians can feast on some really delicious vegetarian cold cuts too. Franck will also be introducing a Goats Cheese platter starting next week so look out for that!

So yes, My Awesome Cafe is really awesome. Great food, great vibe, great service. Kudos to Mr Awesome here for bringing us such good stuff. 

My Awesome Café 真棒堂
202 Telok Ayer, Singapore 068630
Weekdays: 7am – 7pm 

Weekends: 10am – 3pm

A good love story always begins with fresh, rustic bread. That's how The Missing Pan was started by by artisan bakers and husband-and-wife team Bernard Toh and Grace Chia in November 2013. I couldn't help but fall in love with this all-day bakery/brasserie that serves up freshly baked organic breads in their little shophouse along Bukit Timah Road.  

The first level is the bakery that spills out to the small alfresco area along the sidewalk. But hidden on the upper floor is a cosy brasserie where diners get to enjoy more elaborate meals. 

We started with the Bircher Muesli ($10), my go to when I want something healthier. TMP's version is smoother but you could still get the great taste of Granny Smith, muesli, puffed brown rice, oats, maple syrup, nuts, cinnamon in a yogurt mix. I love how tangy the dish was and it's a great starter to share but it certainly will fill you up if you have it as a main.

The French Toast Salpicon ($19) is a delightful plate with the many colorful fruits. It may look like an ordinary sweet french toast but it hides a huge secret within it.

Cut through that fluffy brioche and out spills a savory combination of chicken, spinach and mushrooms. Weird it is not, in fact I thought the gravy could be more creamy and savory. It's really a go-bold-or-go-home dish. The strawberry-smoked maple syrup was delightful with the toast though.

The 62 Degree Eggs Benedict with Smoked salmon ($22) is another favorite with diners. TMP got all the ingredients right; perfect salmon, creamy avocado, seaweed crumbs on crunchy sourdough but the somewhat weak in-house hollandaise sauce didn't managed to lift the dish. The overall taste was a lil blah.

I would love to have the Beetroot and Quinoa Salad ($12) but they ran out of the ingredients sadly. 

The Guinness Pot Pie ($24) got most of the things right. Hearty beef stew with Guinness topped with a buttery flaky puffed pastry. This is the perfect cold weather dish!

If you remember Uppercrust, well TMP's owners were behind that. They kept some of their best sellers such as the Pulled Pork Burger ($19).

There is quite a selection of desserts from the bakery and great with the coffee.

For desserts, the Mela Con Formaggi ($14) is a sweet-savoury combination of granny smith, banana caramel sauce, chocolate soil, citrus mascarpone, homemade honeycomb and parmigiano reggiano chips. I couldn't stop eating this one.

The Chewy Brownie Coffee Cheesecake ($7.20) will satisfy your coffee addiction. I loves the creamy cheesecake on top and the chewy chocolate brownie base. Delicious!

My mean cup of coffee complemented the sweets well. TMP uses a special blend customised by a local coffee roaster. The coffee is smooth with slight chocolatey undertones. If coffee is not your thang, there are milkshakes, ciders and a good selection of craft beers from Belgium and the United Kingdom.

The Missing Pan also offers hearty dinners such as Pan-Fried Red Snapper ($24) and roasted chicken. Or if you're like me, you can always have toast for dinner!

The Missing Pan

619D Bukit Timah Road, #01/02-01 Singapore 269724

Tel: +65 6466 4377 

Tue - Fri: 9am - 2.30pm, 6pm – 9pm 

Weekends: 9am – 4pm, 6pm – 9pm

Man Fu Yuan is one of Singapore’s finest Chinese restaurants, serving classic Cantonese cuisine created especially for the restaurant by a Hong Kong Master Chef. From now till 31 May 2014, Man Fu Yuan is serving some glorious dishes from the good old days, made using good quality ingredients and special and laborious techniques. 

Now here are some favorites from the Nostalgic Menu. 

This is the dish that had @thehungrycow devour 2 bowls of rice with it and also people going back for seconds and thirds (me included). The flavourful Mixed Beef Stew with handmade beef balls 牛什牛丸煲 ($28 per portion). I love how the meat is tender and savory. The beef balls were succulent and had nice chunks of water chestnut in them. This is the perfect comfort food.

As a nod to Man Fu Yuan’s tea-infused menu and focus on premium tea selection, chef’s new creation Tea-smoked Pork Belly Char Siew 脆皮叉烧 ($24 per portion) takes centre stage, featuring pork belly marinated in a combination of Chinese rose wine and barbecue sauce. Combining Cantonese roasting methods with Szechuan technique of smoking the char siew, this results in a deeply flavourful and succulent meat with the smoky aroma of Royal Red Robe tea, finished off with a maltose glaze.

It's fatty and decadent but hey YOLO. 

The char siew goes perfectly with the crunchy duck-egg noodles 猪油渣捞全蛋面 ($6 per person) served with first-press soy sauce and topped with crisp-fried lard. Yes you heard me. There were a lot of fried lard in this meal and is certainly not for the health conscious. I avoided the lard but i have to admit that it does add depth to the flavor of the dish.

I loved the Hong Kong Style Steamed Pork Belly in Shrimp Paste 港式咸虾酱蒸花肉 ($28 per portion). This is another comfort dish and i can fully identify with the flavors though i've never had this dish before. A simple dish of “Hong Kong” style pork belly is elevated to delicious new heights as it is slathered in fermented shrimp paste from Tai-O in Hong Kong, home to high quality shrimp pastes and then steamed to perfection. Salty, stinky and oh damn delicious. Give me another 2 bowls of rice.

Nostalgic flavors are really all about familiar and heartwarming home cooked flavors. I loved the Steamed Chicken with Chinese Sausage and Mushroom 风流天子(腊肠香菇蒸鸡球) ($26 per portion) with the soy gravy that has absorbed all the sweetness of the lup cheong and smokiness of the mushrooms. The meat was also really tender. 

Other menu highlights include the following.

Pig Trotters with Vinegar 猪脚醋  ($28 per portion). The meat was well braised in plum vinegar and you can smell the sour perfume from far. The dish is on the oily side though. 

Steamed Fish Head in Black Bean Sauce 豉汁蒸鱼头 ($28 per piece), studded generously with morsels of lard. 

The Six Treasures Seafood 龙王夜宴 ($88 per portion) a ‘60s banquet classic. The seafood in the basket was mostly bland but I enjoyed the salted egg yolk prawns which had a fluffy and crispy egg skin.

As with any decent Cantonese meal, there needs to be a good double-boiled soup. We had the Winter Melon with Seafood Soup 原只东瓜炖海中宝  ($58 for 4 persons). It's light on the palate but still savory. The soup comprises prawns, scallops, crab meat, conpoy and duck steamed and served in a whole winter melon.

Ended dinner with some Hashima. It typically comes served in a coconut but Chef wasn't too pleased with the coconut that day.

If you find these flavors familiar and are craving for it now, Man Fu Yuan's A Taste of Nostalgia Menu will be available as part of a rotating a la carte menu available daily till 31 May 2014. Do call the restaurant to find out if they'll be serving your favorite dish before heading down! 

Man Fu Yuan
80 Middle Rd Singapore 188966
Level 2, InterContinental Singapore
Tel: +65 6338 7600
Daily: 11.45am - 3.30pm, 6.30 - 10.30pm 

Chope-ing tables is a uniquely Singaporean thing. Nowhere else can you find tables being reserved by packets of tissue paper, umbrellas or random personal items that aren't too expensive to be stolen or easily mistaken as garbage. Well well, you can now chope tables in a more glamorous and convenient way with Chope.
Chope is Singaporeʼs favourite online reservations provider for diners seeking a curated selection of the cityʼs best and hottest restaurants. There are currently over 250 restaurants that span nearly every cuisine and corner of Singapore and Chope keeps adding more and more awesome restaurants to the mix! They have quite a number of my favorites e.g. Disgruntled Chef, Esquina, Pollen, Fordham and Grand.. and also a long list of restaurants that i wanna visit! Hello Black Swan, dB Bistro, Kaixo and more!

Making a reservation cannot get easier with Chope. All you need is the app, which is downloadable from iTunes or the Google Play Store and you are ready to make a booking anytime and anywhere. I'm sure you have been in situations when you need a last minute reservation but can't get away to make the call. Or sometimes even when you do, nobody picks up the phone! Or if you are like me, i would have sudden cravings in the middle of the night and the Type A in me simply need to make a reservation immediately. Well all these problems are solved with Chope. :)

Simply select a restaurant, enter your details, click Book, and you will instantly receive email confirmation! If you need to make a change or cancel, simply use the links in the confirmation email.

With the crazy number of F&B outlets opening every month, it is helpful that Chope features the new restaurants they add to their plate on their main page. An easy A-Z list and a Search Nearby function also come in handy. I found their new Search function extremely useful because it provides me with all the reservations available at my preferred time and party size!

To narrow the search, go with Cuisine and Area and wala!

I don't even have to call the restaurant to negotiate my reservation anymore. Perfect for planning a gathering with friends. It's also great because Chope provides me with options that i may not have thought of before. 

You can find more information on the Chope website but the app is such a life saver for busy diners like me. Oh what's cool is that Chope has also expanded into Hong Kong! I'll definitely be using this app when i'm there! 

Hungry? Book a table using Chope.com.sg now!