Hanabi Japanese Restaurant @ Odeon Towers is a buffet a-la-carte joint which scores high on first impressions. A stone path lined with bamboo shrubs leads you into the well-lit and crowded establishment — always a good sign that a restaurant is doing well.

Service right from the start was excellent — we were greeted at the door and may have been shown to a corner table at first, but were soon ‘upgraded’ to a larger table in the heart of the restaurant when the manager noticed our discomfort. Being a true Singaporean, I loved this unexpected upgrade.

Even more promising was the menu variety, which boasts almost 100 items of all-time Japanese favourites ranging from sushi to udon to teppanyaki. Needless to say, we were spoilt for choice.

One Rochester is not new to most. Everyone has probably heard about it in some way or another. As I stepped into the tranquil surroundings, I felt calm and relaxed almost immediately. And that is perhaps the greatest strength of One Rochester.

My companion and I were instantly greeted with a smile and ushered to our reserved table. We were duly warned about the slippery wooden floor boards, and presented with a menu shortly after we sat down. We were fussy that evening, and decided to change seats. We were allowed to do so without a fuss. I was rather impressed when the staff barely batted an eyelid when we started shifting the tables and chairs around, so that we were in the most comfortable seating possible. That scored a couple extra points.

Sitting amongst a row of quaint shophouses in Chinatown, Magma is a new-ish bistro which opened August last year and is run by an expatriate couple, serving up authentic German nosh at decent prices. Essentially modern in design, the exterior does make strange bedfellows with a Chinese music association at first sight, but this actually adds to the charm of the place. Once inside the cool, dimly-lit interior, you can either choose to go straight into the main dining area, or make a slight detour to check out the retail store next door, which pretty much stocks up on the same kinds of foodstuff that you would expect from a German version of Ikea. One wouldn’t be surprised to see homesick Germans acting like it’s Christmas in here, with interesting products such as pickles, preserves, organic juices as well as a large selection of German beers and wines up for retail.

My personal pig candy story is probably not too far from yours (if you’ve had the pleasure): I stumbled upon it on the net, sometime, somewhere, shook my head in disbelief and moved on. The term pig candy got cached somewhere in my mind next to thoughts around re-painting our living room and calling an old friend. Until Sebastian surprised us at an offbeat cook yourself business dinner with these nibbles. They are the incarnation of concentrated bacon flavor and anything but easy to swallow, you will either love or hate them! Some might say: “hm hm hm - wow” after the first bite and a second later “ok! been there done that“, but I’ve also witnessed someone diving head first into these - well, you tell me.

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We were greeted by the reception, where we spied a cosy and elegant private dining area, then led past the al-fresco dining area, which is highly not recommended for afternoon dining and then into a large comfortable dining room.

Senso has built its name on the concept of ‘home from home’; in short it has built itself to be familiar and friendly. The lunch hour packed a good crowd that filled the large dining hall and its guest was everyone from suits to children to a local celebrity. There was a cheerful and relaxed buzz in the room, and a sommelier who glides around the room, usually with a bottle of wine or wine glasses in hand, that is happy to accommodate and make sure lunch goes down with some extra good spirits.

The service staff was, despite being helpful and warm, rather appalled that I, a relatively small sized female, wanted to order three starters to split with my dining partner, and so stopped me in my tracks and limited me to two, which were the Pan-Fried Duck Liver Served With Red Chicory And A Sweet Passito Di Pantelleria Wine Relish and the Pan-Fried Buffalo Mozzarella Wrapped In Parma Ham, With Marinated Raisins And Pine Kernels In Balsamico. The duck liver was cleverly crusted with polenta, which gave it a very crisp cover and utterly creamy centre, the combination of the taste together involved ideas of a suckling pig that is rich and creamy. The second and lighter of the two appetisers was the house signature that was a delightful balance of sweet, tart and smoky tasting chewy and squishy cheese. And if you inform them that you would be sharing starters, they will split your appetisers into two small portions and plate them together for you.
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Breads are always a bad way to start off your meals as they fill you up really fast, but I couldn’t help stuffing myself with the complementary Onion Bread that was served. Served with smooth butter, it was really quite good. However, we ate it after it had turned cold as we were busy taking photos, so my guess would be that it would taste much better if it had been taken fresh from the oven.

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Started at the end of 2005, Wicked Chocs aims to produce 100% made in Singapore chocolates using state of the art tempering equipment and ingredients from all over the world. The designs come from Italy and France, the fillings from Belgium, Mexico and Japan, and the nuts from Australia and USA. It is clear a lot of effort goes into the manufacture of these sweet treats.

Among the more popular is the Coco Crown, a delectable dark chocolate praline shaped like a King’s crown with a coconut ganache centre. Complementing each other exquisitely, the chocolate and coconut blend together to create a taste so magnificent and inimitable it will make your tastebuds tingle. The taste of coconut is also not too overwhelming, a mistake oft-made by chocolatiers.

Equally outstanding in terms of aesthetics is Lovers Paradise and Mayflower. A heart-shaped praline so detailed the words “I Love You” are inscribed on it, Lovers Paradise makes a unique and yummy gift for a loved one. The Mayflower, a white chocolate praline that demands attention with its colourful floral design, is not overly sweet but satisfies that chocolate craving nicely.

Nuts about nuts? You will certainly enjoy the crunchy Macachips praline with its macadamia and white chocolate filling. Alternatively, caffeine junkies will take pleasure in the Toraja, consisting of a coffee bean ganache encased within a dark chocolate shell. Beans from Ecuador and Venezuela give this praline a somewhat earthy flavour which is pleasing to the tongue.
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