The Dark Gallery Cafe - Discover the Dark @ Ngee Ann City [Orchard, Singapore]

Despite having a full lunch at The Sushi Bar, there would always be room for desserts, and conveniently located just a few floors below the Japanese restaurant was The Dark Gallery! The name didn't register in my mind even though I frequently passed by its original store whenever I was at Millenia Walk! 

Although famed for its chocolate selection, I am actually not that obsessed with chocolates. Most importantly, we just needed a space to sit, relax and mingle while having a slice of cake, waffle for sharing, and hot drinks. 

Delish looking cakes; now that I do bake every now and then, I think it's about time for me to go through some official training for cake decoration and piping so that I can save on buying cakes in the future! 

Ice cream and yes, we did see some dark-coloured shades there that consisted of chocolate ice cream with cocoa level that went as high as an intense 88%! Non chocolate lovers would be assured to know there were other types like sweet strawberry, red velvet, caramel latte, Japanese macha etc. 

Available toppings for your ice cream as above! 

Got a table and seats! For a cafe called the dark gallery, the atmosphere was not sinister and darkness didn't seem be the mainstay or focus in the interior design. Maybe I expected too much from a name. Whatever the case, let's now draw your attention to the desserts.

Signature Dark Chocolate Cake - covered with a 66% dark chocolate mousse, it didn't taste as strong of bitter chocolate as anticipated even though I was more disappointed with the dense texture of the sponge cake. Was it bad? No, it wasn't. Would I order again in the future? Nope.

Single Origin Mocha - forgot about the drinks! Even though I am a huge fan of local coffee like kopi gao, I would usually go for mocha when I am at westernized cafes. This cup of mocha was one of the better ones I have had with a rich, creamy texture. Pity it was my friend's order; oh well, I managed to steal a sip and love what went into my mouth! 

Hazelnut Hot Chocolate - of course we need to have a glass of hot chocolate for a place renowned for its chocolate right?! Sadly, it wasn't wholesome chocolatey and there's a spiced tinge to it which I didn't enjoy. My amateurish taste buds also didn't catch much of a hazelnut whiff; to be fair, my friend did. 

Waffle with Ice Cream - can't resist ordering the waffle (original) which was priced a bit high at S$18.00 although you would be given two scoop of ice cream with two servings of toppings! 

Obviously, we had to have one scoop of dark chocolate ice cream with the highest cocoa level; the sur del lago (88%). Another would be the genmaicha ice cream. 

To be fair, I am in reality not a chocolate person although I do like the occasional bitter sweetness from amazing dark chocolate. This sur del lago, sadly, didn't appeal to me; maybe I am better off with cheapo chocolates. Genmaicha was comparatively better. Waffle wise, didn't impress; texture wasn't crispy enough and inside was gummy. Saving grace; the caramelised almonds! 

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Address

391 Orchard Road, 

Takashimaya Shopping Centre, 

Ngee Ann City,  #B2-29,

Singapore 238873

Website

https://thedarkgallery.com/

Menu (not comprehensive)

As above.

Pricing

Signature Dark Chocolate Cake - S$9.00

Single Origin Mocha - S$8.00

Hazelnut Hot Chocolate - S$9.00

Waffle with Ice Cream - S$18.00

(Inclusive of GST)

Zhou Ji Wanton Noodle @ 724 AMK Central Food Centre [Singapore] #amkcenrtalhawkercentre

It's once again my monthly visit to Ang Mo Kio for my hair treatment and while there are quite a number of hawker centres in the ageing town; 724 AMK Central Food Centre is always preferred due to its proximity!

I decided to try something new and opted for Zhou Ji Wanton Noodle, which appeared quite popular. And don't you think there's that simple, traditional vibe to that red signboard?! 

My simple wanton noodle; when it comes to old school wanton noodle, one iconic ingredient would be the pieces of visually unappetizing char siew! Trust me, they just don't taste as delicious as those with fats in the middle and glistened with charred, saccharine bits

Soup had four wantons; small as they should be although taste wise, pretty decent. At the very least, there was still a bit of taste to the miniscule meat filling within.

Now the noodle, after a mix to ensure the strands of noodle were covered in the ketchup and chilli sauce. When I was young, it's only ketchup and I only started going for chilli in my 20s; late considering that my elder sister started in her early teens! 

Thin and springy with a touch of tangy spiciness, this was the old school taste I enjoyed back in the good old days when a nice meal was all that matters, plus the option to get some sweets from the mamak shop.

Burp! 

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Address

Block 724, Ang Mo Kio Ave 6, 

724 AMK Food Centre,#01-14, 

Singapore 560724

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Price

Wanton Noodle - S$3.00

Dim Sum in Empire Fine Chinese Cuisine @ Ngee Ann City [Orchard, Singapore] #dimsum

When I exited from The Sushi Bar a few weeks ago after the farewell lunch for my colleague cum friend, I walked past the nearby the East Ocean Teochew Restaurant and guess what sparked a craving? The display of dim sum outside the popular eatery! 

I returned to the same floor at Ngee Ann City a week later but the number of hungry diners clamoring to get into the restaurant was too large and I knew it would likely be a while before I can even step in! That's when we noticed Empire Fine Chinese Cuisine, an eatery that opened for business after circuit breaker. 

Dim sum was available as an option and the moment we stepped in; we were surprised by how small the place was and the opulence of the interior design. Needless to say, the captivating ceiling would be the first thing drawing your attention! 

Comfortable, velvety chairs and crockeries with designs that seemed to tell a story of a man fishing in one of the many beautiful lakes in China. Anyway, I was famished and ordering the dim sum would be way more important than anything else.

Our orders! 

Steamed Crispy Rice Roll with Shrimps and Foie Gras - wrapped with crunchy Chinese fritters and further wrapped with the smooth rice roll, this dim sum would be suitable for people looking for contrasting texture.

It didn't disappoint, especially with the fresh prawns hidden within that complemented well with the foie gras, that's likely the key determinant for the higher pricing. 

Steamed Prawn with Bamboo Shoots Dumpling - typically known as har gow, they included, interestingly, bamboo shoots which I don't enjoy. Not sure what they would taste like as whole, we ordered simply because we were curious.

Usually, I would remove a large part of the dumpling skin as they were too thick for my liking. These were thinner than the norm and boy were the prawns big and *crunchy*! p.s. strangely, no taste of the bamboo shoot! 

Deep Fried Beancurd Skin Roll with Prawn
- relatively normal with a rich mushroom flavour; I do wonder if a saucer of mayonnaise would help elevate the flavour. 

Steamed Pork with Black Truffle Dumpling - on its own, the siew mail was delicious and I seriously think that the addition of black truffle was unnecessary as it didn't result in an OMG, SO GOOD expression. 

Steamed Barbecued Kurobuta Pork Bun - I was a bit hesitant to order this as Alex isn't a steamed bun person and if they turned out to be not of his expectation; I would have to finish all of them myself! 

Pillowy soft with sweet, savoury filling chock-filled with yummy pieces of char siew that's not cloyingly sweet; the problem is that I had to share with Alex as they were so good! 

Steamed Dumpling with Black Truffle in Superior Soup - I would always make it a pot to order this one dumpling soup whenever I see it on the dim sum menu. Reason being it's like a one gigantic xiao long bao surrounded by the delicious meat broth.

Took a sip of the soup; quite bland. Don't be so quick to discount as breaking the dumpling skin would be key to release the aromatic truffle and transforming the soup into one that's unforgettably awesome! What's inside the filling? You can find minced meat, prawns, sea cucumber, mushrooms and I guess some strands of shark's fins. 

Mashed Taro with Ginkgo - another item I find it hard to resist not ordering in a dim sum restaurant is orh nee! My favourite is from the now-closed Mong Hing Teochew restaurant and it's always the benchmark when I had orh nee from other eateries. 

Alex loved it as it was nicely flavoured with a light sweetness that didn't overwhelm the palate. I thought the texture was a bit too watery and while it's nice; it's still not comparable to Mong Hing. 

Soup with White Fungus and Red Dates - in reality, it's our typical cheng tng which I would count as my favourite local dessert here in Singapore. The taste appealed to me and I like how it was chilled perfectly without the need for additional ice. 

Only issue; serving size was tiny and I could literally count the one piece of snow fungus, singular red date, two dried longans, two lotus seeds and two ginkgo nuts. Given the size of my mouth, they were gone in no time! How I wish the the soup was refillable. :(   

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The dim sum we had were generally better than expected, with an interesting twist that came with a higher price premium. While I wouldn't be able to afford a monthly visit, this would be nice as an occasional treat. Shall bring my parents next time to indulge! 

Address

391 Orchard Road, #05-30,

Ngee Ann City, Singapore 238872

Operating Hours

Mondays to Fridays Lunch - 11.30 am to 2.45 pm 

Saturdays Lunch - 11.00 am to 2.45 pm

Sundays Lunch - 10.30 am to 2.45 pm

Dinner - 6.00 pm to 9.45 pm

Website

https://www.empirefinechinesecuisine.com/

Ordering List

As above.

Pricing

Steamed Crispy Rice Roll with Shrimps and Foie Gras - S$9.80 

Steamed Prawn with Bamboo Shoots Dumpling - S$6.80

Deep Fried Beancurd Skin Roll with Prawn - S$6.80

Steamed Pork with Black Truffle Dumpling - S$7.80

Steamed Barbecued Kurobuta Pork Bun - S$5.80

Steamed Dumpling with Black Truffle in Superior Soup - S$9.80

Mashed Taro with Ginkgo - S$6.00

Soup with White Fungus and Red Dates - S$5.50

Tea - S$3.00 per person

(Subject to GST and Service Charge)

The Really Good Auntie Kim's Popiah @ Yishun Block 848 (Opposite Khatib Sheng Siong Supermarket) [Singapore]

It was a craving for claypot rice that motivated me to arrange for a meet-up with my parents and sister at Yishun Block 848, after work. Of course having just claypot rice was insufficient and my sister suggested getting a few rolled popiahs from a stall within the same coffee shop.

Queue was surprisingly not short and I thought it was because the lady was slow. Turned out she's actually quite fast although it did seem her popiahs had more ingredients than I remember, except for missing out on prawns. There's no signboard at the stall but a search on the web revealed that this would likely be Auntie Kim's Popiah. 

Our two rolls were ready! 

I took one bite and totally loved what went into my mouth! It's a been a while since I last had rolled popiah which was from Qiji and this, to me, was a notch better than the famous chain. Unlike most rolled popiah, the ingredients were packed snugly and it was an amalgamation of flavours that was sweet (even though not as sweet as Qiji), spicy (we asked for chilli), eggy and nutty! 

There was also this fresh crunch that I initially assumed were a combination from the fresh lettuce, peanuts and pork lard bits but on second thought, I doubt the latter was included. The turnips (known as pangguang) were not overly wet and proportion of turnips, as can be seen from the above photo, was slightly less than 50% which turned out to be a good thing in my opinion. 

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Address 

848 Yishun Ring Road, 

Coffee Shop Opposite Sheng Siong Supermarket, 

Khatib, Yishun, Singapore 768688 

Pricing 

Popiah - S$1.70 a roll

Ayam Penyet (Boneless) from Zoul's Corner @ Ayer Rajah Hawker Centre [Singapore] #ayerrajahhawkercentre #ayampenyet

Ayer Rajah Food Centre is one of those hawker centres frequented so often; I would likely go back to my usual few stalls like the Fried Cockles Kway Teow. However, it was different yesterday.

Something on the menu of Zoul's Corner caught my attention and I decided to try it out. I guess many of you are well acquainted with Ayam Penyet and for me, one thing I dislike from the Indonesian dish is digging the meat from the bones! 

There were a few ayam penyet options from Zoul's Corner and the above is the ayam penyet (boneless)! Aside from me, I bet Alex would be happy to hear of this as he likes his meat in chicken rice, duck rice etc, to be deboned, where possible. 

You get your crispy piece of deep fried chicken, smashed yet retaining the juiciness within, without the frustrating need to separate the meat from the bone! I must say that this revelation is so convenient; eateries should consider having this version as an option to all their customers! 

Some would kill for the chilli from ayam penyet but it's usually too spicy for my liking and I would always opt for the sweeter kind. The chilli from Zoul's Corner combined both kinds; hot yet sweet! It's shiok to have although peals of sweat continuously rolled down from my scalp to my face and neck during the meal. 

To be honest, I did enjoy this ayam penyet, including even the soup which turned out pretty tasty and not bland like many of its competitors. It's definitely not the best but if you are lazy like Alex, yet still want a more than decent ayam penyet, this would be it. 

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Address

503 West Coast Drive, 

Ayer Rajah Hawker Centre,

Stall 25, Singapore 120503

Map 

As above.

Pricing

Ayam Penyet (Boneless) - S$6.50