noms.

was in the area and my friend wanted some cafe food, so i did some googling and realised that shrove tuesday was pretty close to where we were. wasn't in the mood to be picky (because i was starving- it was three in the afternoon and we'd come from the gym) so we took the ten minute stroll over. 

their menu was compact- couple of mains, with the main focus on dessert. i needed something savoury, so we shared the beef lasagne ($8.50) and the chicken pie ($6.50). 

to be honest, i wasn't expecting much, since it was a cafe after all, and cafes aren't exactly known for their savoury dishes. but surprisingly enough the lasagne was a passable rendition, and we easily finished it. i didn't quite like the chicken pie though. too much cream and the crust wasn't nearly flaky and buttery enough, but we were hungry enough to finish it, too. 

my friend was also tempted by the array of cakes on display, particularly the 7 flavour rainbow cheesecake ($7.50) and the thai milk tea cheesecake. really pretty, but i've never been a fan of rainbow cakes, because the logical part of me knows that it's just colouring. but while we were at the counter and deciding what to order, the girl at the counter told us that the different layers were not just colouring- each layer was a different flavour. that kind of sealed the deal for us. 

their waffle was the light and crisp type. not my favourite type (creamier still takes the top spot) but it was alright. 

we were still feeling greedy (and tempted by the display of desserts) after finishing the cake and the waffle, we decided to try another one. it was a tossup between the profiteroles ($10) and the matcha tiramisu ($8)- the matcha won in the end. 

not a very big cafe. quite liked the decor- all whimsical, with pretty prints. we were the only customers when we reached at three on a monday afternoon, but at about four, groups of people started streaming in. 

spent a leisurely afternoon with my friend, chatting away and just enjoying the food. prices were also quite reasonable. will probably be back if i'm in the area. too bad it's not near the train station, though. 

came by specially for the cakes. despite lady m having been opened for a couple of years now, it's my first time trying it, for some strange reason. i've bought their cakes as gifts, but somehow, just never got around to trying it on my own. 

my friend was aiming for the chocolate mille crepe, but then we realised that it was exclusive to the orchard central outlet. so he settled for the signature mille crepe ($8.50), while i got the green tea one ($9). 

i loved the combination of the infinite-looking layers of pastry cream and crepe. the green tea powder was strong enough, yet not too overpowering. especially liked that it was only subtly sweet. it was no difficult task for me to finish the cake in its entirety. 

the cakes are on the expensive side (and this is coming from a person who's used to paying a fair bit for desserts) but they are worth it. i want to try the checkers cake next. will probably pop by for a takeaway when i next have a cake craving. 

lady m

#01-10 one fullerton

http://www.ladym.com.sg

my striploin fared better. wasn't mindblowing, but it was a passable steak. would've liked a bit more char on the exterior, though. it came with pomme puree, roasted cauliflower and salsa verde- i know they're meant to be sides, but they really could've given more of it. 

decided to add on another main, because we got tempted by the mee sua after googling what was good at gastrosmiths. we got the fisherman's mee sua ($25.50), which came topped with a delicious tumble of prawns, scallops and crabmeat. but the kicker was the bisque that the mee sua was soaked in- it was rich and full of seafood flavour. it reminded us somewhat of chili crab, but in a good way. so glad we decided to be greedy and order this- really good. i would come back just for this. 

of course we had desserts. we got the valrhona lava cake ($15.50) and the beet & cheese ($14). 

my sister was saying that $15.50 for a lava cake was really expensive, but then it came beautifully plated. we cut into it and it was perfectly oozy. it was a pretty good rendition of lava cake. even the vanilla bean ice cream that came with it wasn't an afterthought.