Palate Pleasers N Tummy Teasers
Makan Post-it (11) – Gelato come-back?
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It’s been some time since we were taken by a wave of Gelato craze and all seems quiet in the scene now. Along comes Gusttimo Di Roma, in a brave attempt to orchestrate a revival of the gelato craze 
We’re such suckers for new stuff, any shrewd business person knows “New + Foreign name (preferably French/Italian sounding to up the atas quotient) = winning formula for long queues”. Throw in a freebie or two and you’ll even have people queuing at your doorstep before you’re open for business. Darn. I should be a marketing guru 
Gusttimo sure got that part right, down to explaining the meaning behind their name…
Plus points for the minimalist chic interior decor of shiny white tables and plush leather seats/bar-top stools. Even the water served at the premise reflected the attention paid to creating the ultimate gelato eating experience!
Orange and apple slices to add flavour to your water? That’s definitely a one-up from the usual lemon slices or metallic tasting tap water.
A pity then, that their key item failed to impress 
Sold in your choice of cup/cone, the minimum order’s for 3 flavours. Or you could simply make that a huge serving of 1 flavour, though Papilles would discourage such blatant overdose.
We settled for Stracciatella (chocolate chip), Macedonia (mixed tropical fruits) and some flavour made from rice. Nothing stood out in particular though nothing was bad either; save for the sorbet-like Macedonia which was a tad lip-puckeringly sour for my liking. For the curious, you can check out their range of gelato flavours here.
Makan Post-it (9) – Time to get Tarty!
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Unless you’ve been living under a rock all this while, you’d have known/noticed two spanking new malls in town (which, going by papilles definition, equates to that stretch of road from Palais Renaissance to Prego’s). Sure, new shops excite me, but what mattered most were the eateries these malls hosted; new foodie ventures are always welcome 
Papilles have been wanting to give this cafe a try since it hit our shores in the early part of the year, but were deterred by its location (i.e. at a far corner of our island, where there’s nothing much else to entice). Good thing the people behind this cafe had the business sense to plonk an outlet smack in the heart of town (though the same can’t be said of its location in the mall 
).
Enough with the mystery, here’s what I’m talking about:
Possibly the priciest fruit tarts ($7.80 per slice) papilles ever had:
As you can tell, these are bad stuff for weight watchers (I’ll dare say whipped cream makes up a good 70% of their tarts 
) Definitely yummy, loved the tart base and how their tarts weren’t cloyingly sweet; they could be a bit more generous with the fruits though. Afterall, they’re supposed to be the Fruit Paradise 
P.S. Do try their range of Gryphon Teas ($3 a pot with every tart purchased)! Light, floral or fruity (depending on your choice of tea), the subtle waft of fragrance every time you lift the cup to your lips, is reason enough to pop by 
Fruit Paradise
#05-51/52 Orchard Central
Call 6509 9920 for reservation of whole tarts.
5-Course Seafood Set Lunch for 2 at $40!
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Sounds too good to be true? Well, experience has taught papilles that in the world of marketing gimmicks, it most certainly IS too good to be true!
Perhaps just not in a way one would traditionally come to expect. The Seafood Set Lunch at Long Beach King Seafood in Kallang was going at $39.80++ per pax, with a 1-for-1 promo daily, weekends inclusive. No fine prints, though they pegged it to a Citibank/Amex card promotion (i.e. you gotta make payment using the aforementioned cards).
The catch to this “good deal” came in the form of its food. Nothing one can detect visually (as you’ll soon discover looking at the pictures); quality taste-wise was seriously compromised, ironically, with their seafood dishes
What papilles thought was to be a good start to the entire 5-course:
Starter (left to right): Jellyfish wrapped in Zucchini & Scallop encased in Yam (Deep-fried)
One of the few dishes in the course that scored both on presentation, as well as taste. I liked the scallop-yam combination – soft and mushy on the inside, crisp on the outside; kinda like a mini yam-basket dish
But it all went downhill from here…
Butter-Cereal Lobster (Halved)
From the tasteless, soggy butter-cereal garnish to the stale flesh of the crustacean (there wasn’t even much of that hidden within that shell), nothing went well for this dish. Papilles swore we could taste the freshness of the ocean murkiness of the fish tank in each bite 
A stir-fry dish of vegetable stems? ‘Nuff said
Crab Vermicelli in Claypot
Once again, the crab meat tasted stale and came off the shell easily in tiny shreds (a telling sign of how long this crab’s been alive before it went into that claypot). Appears they don’t handle crustaceans very well here; so much for being a “King Seafood” restaurant.
Dessert did do something to lift papilles’ mood at the end of the meal, if only barely:
Nothing remarkable, but at least they didn’t mess this up The total bill came up to $53.44 for 2 (inclusive of 2 drinks and 2 wet towels). A value-for-money dining experience? We’ll leave it to you guys to be the judge.
Long Beach King Seafood Pte Ltd
Next to Kallang Park McDonald
Have your cheesecake and eat it too!
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Finally got around to satisfying yet another of my random cravings (this time, for cheesecake) after what seemed like the longest time Credit goes to X for being ever patient and sweetly pandering to my food whims and fancies, which I have to admit occur more often than not 
Guess that’s what makes each foodie experience that much more enjoyable.
The venue of choice (and aptly named too):
What better way to enjoy a cheesecake than with a nice cup of tea Preferably iced, given the current heatwave that has hit our shores.
(Iced Camomile Honey – $6.90; Iced Mango Tea – $6.50)
What got Papilles interested to drop by this cafe was their flavours of cheesecakes, many of which were ‘not-your-average’ cafe next-door varieties – think Peach Jelly Cheesecake, Walnut Cheesecake, Peanut Butter Cheesecake and even Creme Brulee Cheesecake (which unfortunately wasn’t available during our visit ).
A peek at the selection in their display counter and we each made our choice almost instantly
X’s weakness for vanilla revealed
(Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cheesecake – $7.50)
“Always veering toward the unconventional” – a personality reflected in my choice of cheesecake…
(Strawberry Oreo Cheesecake – $6.90)
Both cheesecakes were pleasantly yummy, though I felt the Strawberry Oreo stood out with its slight tartness which nicely complemented the cocoa, creamy oreo bits
Foodwise, Papilles was definitely satisfied and the ambience held a calming, serene aura from the eclectic collection of Victorian frames, miniature statues and chandeliers. My only grouse lies with their house-rule which insists that all customers order at least one item each; just make sure your dining companion(s) loves cheesecake as much as you do
It’s Recess(ion) Time and no one’s rushing to The Canteen
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And understandably so too. Given that a bowl of Bak Kut Teh can set you back by close to $14 and a bowl of Mee Pok by $16.50, it’s no wonder The Canteen isn’t the venue of choice for most people in the current economic climate Who would pay such ‘exorbitant’ prices for local fare that is easily available for at least half the price in hawker centres, you ask. Lest you think that this is another one of those eateries targeted at tourists, the people behind this mid-market cafe/restaurant of the famed Les Amis group pride themselves on the eatery’s use of quality ingredients and serving local fare with a twist; Factors, they are confident, would be the selling point in attracting local patrons.
What do typical foodies do when they hear of such proclaimations? Head down to check out what the hype is all about, of course
Inrtoducing their duo-of-bestsellers:
(Canteen’s Crab Mee Pok – $16.50)
Innovative pairing of soft shell crab, boiled crabmeat shreds and “homemade crab oil” with the humble mee pok. A pity the noodles were a tad soggy and overcooked Being a huge fan of mee pok, their version of it failed to impress the foodie in me.
(X.O. Sauce Lo Shi Fun – $16.50)
This dish of Lo Shi Fun (aka Bee Tai Mak), though simple in presentation and ingredients, fared much better in taste than their Mee Pok. The amalgam of flavours from the green beans, century egg and minced pork complemented each other quite nicely Comfort food this is, though I believe the price tagged to it wouldn’t go down comfortably with most.
Don’t expect much variety at The Canteen; their menu is split into 4 main sections – Nibbles, Rice, Noodles and Dessert/Sweet Bites, with just a handful of (mostly local) offerings under each section. Access their menu here.
1 Scotts Road, Shaw Centre
#01-01 A1/A2