Cocotte @ Wanderlust Hotel, Dickson Road

Alright, I ought to apologize for lumping all occidental food under one category, with exception of italian, tapas and mexican food.....

I would say western food could be : French ( since many british chefs are trained in the French fashion), american food, fusion 'El Bulli' type of food, british/aussie/NZ food?

For me, Cocotte is like provincial French food...but only ingredients not as fresh and the taste not as rustic. The taste is pretty alright, but what is awesome is the interior and the setting.....very very good to be there with some chic friends.....I have to say that the desserts are pretty good too!

Writing Pad Menu - which utterly charmed some of my dinner mates.

Decor is very nice lah.....ambience is good too....actually quite good for dates....

Heirloom tomato salad - quite refreshing and fairly yummy with the sea salt seasoning, but this ain't very good heirloom tomatoes.....they taste a bit old,

Pork pate with bread sticks and a dash of mustard sauce - this is really good. The pork pate is very well done and fresh.

Pan seared Salmon with potato, grilled garlic and lardon! Anything with Lardon taste good!! They did overcook the lardon a bit though......the fish is well done, and the grilled garlic was divine. not too bad lah.....

By the end of the meal, I was sooo stuffed that I could only finish half of my creme brulee....thank god, my calorie count did not burst over the roof...

Its very tasty, but not amazing orgasmic type of creme brulee....but definately a good end to a nice meal. Best done with wine.

Ippudo Tao @ Mohemmed Sultan Road

Ramen is always a good place to go if you are having dinner with younger men, it fills them up and keeps them fairly entertained.

Ippudo Tao have great soup base and very chewy noodles....the noodles are flatter - a bit like mee pok but with a ramen chewiness.

a place I would definately go again, with or without a younger man!

Beautiful restaurant setting though I am not sure the semi-outdoor concept is conducive for ramen in Singapore. I can imagine that its great to have a hot steaming bowl of ramen in winter Japan......but in SG, you need AC to create that same feeling...

The one with normal Tonkotsu Broth - yummy

Black Sauce Ramen - broth so delicious...and see the noodles in the flatter mee pok fashion....love it. And not too much frills in their ingredients - some black fungus, scallions, egg & char siew.....Yum!

Putien Restaurant @ City Square Mall

I have eaten at Putien restaurant at various occasions, the Jalan Besar branch etc...and always kinda find it a wholesome experience, simple ingredients cooked with delicateness - which is something I enjoy in my gastronomic adventures.

My parents , on the other hand, hates it, because they felt the ingredients are far too simple to be 'restaurant grade'.

This one in City Square mall was actually the only one I decided to take photos of. And despite its 'chain restaurant' tag, it does serves up a very yummy meal....the only peeve - the portions are too small, and not really for big family dining events.

In case for readers who did not know what restaurant I am talking about....

The restaurants usually have a clean nice setting - i like!

Appetizer 1 - chilled chicken with sesame oil. Its supposed to be the chilled and the meat is therefore crispy kinda of taste. Some in the table loved it, some hated it. Me for one, quite enjoy the chilled chicken...as opposed to the ubiquitous tendered poached chicken. 

Appetizer 2: Fried Century Egg in sweet vinegar sauce - this is a absolutely innovative dish....really love the texture and taste. Great for the century egg first timers.

Appetizer 3:Salt and pepper deep fried pork knuckles - other than being extremely fatty, the skin is crispy...with a layer of fats below....very well done.

Appetizer 4: Chilled bittergourd - This is absolutely divine, you dip the bittergourd slice in honey. The chilling process reduces the bitterness significantly, and leaves behind a 'gan' taste. Great dish to order.

White pork with cucumbers and dark sauce - the white slice pork here is pretty average. The ones that I ate in HK is usually mind blowing, and  the sauce is garlic which blends well the taste of pork. This dish is the only mediocre one.

Braised Tofu : Not the most attractive picture - but this tofu rocks! I love the braised sauce and the tofu itself. I say : order this!

Spinach in 3 egg broth : This is one of my most ordered dish in chinese restaurants. This is quite well done in Putien. though I thought that the egg part was quite little. The broth is rich and seemed to be thickened with some sort of pumpkin paste.

Fried Mee Sua: This is one of the defining dishes in Putien. Light, savoury, wholesome ( taste like Grandma's cooking) and overall very enjoyable.....except that the portions are so small that I got only a mouthful.....:(

Cafe Gray Deluxe @ Upper House, HK

Back to my 2nd Home where my best fav friends lived.....its always nice to be back there for visits....Hong Kong is really a wine and dine haven...and you will never lack any wine and dine friends..

So for the 'glam' night..its off to Cafe Gray at Upper House...very sophiscated interiors by Andre Fu, food was nice but really not great and not worth the prices they are charging.

Wines are expensive , but alright, since it was 'glamour puss' night with the girls...

Predominantly French Food menu.

Restaurant Baked Bread - with a very very nice aioli sauce

Appetizer - Scallop Ceviche with julienne cucumbers with Salmon roe.

This dish really rocks and really up the expectation for the plat principal.

Main Dish - Duck Breast with Dark Cherry Glazing. I always loved the french way of cooking duck. But the texture of this duck turned out to be a bit too tough, and not as succulent as a typical French duck should be....disappointed... :(