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Alfero Artisan Gelato has always been my favourite gelato spot and having won a spot to learn how to make gelato and a free flow gelato buffet got us all exhilarated!

Conducted by Marco Alfero himself, the man behind those flavourful smooth gelato, the workshop focused on the traditional fuss-free way of making gelato at home, without the use of any machines. Oh yes, and we've realised that making gelato can be a form of workout too! :p







Second part of the workshop, we were given the free reign to design our own flavours! With the row of flavours available, it was only then that we'd realise some of the more premium ones like nutella, baccio, almond etc were in fact flown over from Italy! While of course, the essences could be gotten from Phoon Huat. The mint concentrate was one of the most refreshing one I've smelt and Marco then told us that it had in fact been brought back by his mother via plane ride from Italy. Such conviction to using such premium ingredients even for workshops had been impressive for us!

I went to the cashier without knowing how much the food and drinks were, and we were actually asked by the staff about our orders. I can't imagine how the cafe would survive during its peak hours as it would be super labour intensive when the staffs have to repeatedly explain their menu and forget what the customers have ordered which I think this is not cost efficient at all. They seriously need to look into this issue. Nevertheless, Ronin is a cafe worth visiting in terms of food and drink quality, especially for the working adults who work around the area to treat as a little getaway from the hustle and bustle of their work stations.

Tóng Lè Private Dining is one of the only two restaurants in Singapore that offers a dining experience in a revolving tower. With its offering of a panoramic tour of the Marina Bay area while seated in the comfort of chic, dark wood furniture, expect glimpses of the Marina Bay waterfront and possibly your office if you work around Raffles Place, all from your table! We even had the luxury of watching the Marina Bay Laser Show from our table at 8pm which featured spectacular light and water displays!

It was quite an unconventional way to celebrate Valentine's Day at a Chinese restaurant but 14 February this year coincides with the last day of Chinese New Year, also known as 元宵节. While it is typically a day for reunion with families, this particular day is celebrated as the Chinese Valentine's Day in Hong Kong.

The overall dining experience in a revolving restaurant and the fine quality food served complemented with dedicated service made this meal especially memorable as we celebrated our sixth Valentine's Day together!


On the restaurant, if you are wondering about the speed the restaurant revolves, fret not because one complete oscillation would take approximately two hours which gives you ample quality time with your dining companions!

Photo credit: Tóng Lè Private Dining

The restaurant is divided into two separate levels, 8 and 10 with the former having karaoke facilities for diners. We were given a table on level 10 and you could experience the exclusivity right from the moment we stepped in as we were warmly greeted and ushered into a private lift to the 10th floor. This reminds us of our dining experience at Fook Lam Moon in Hong Kong. While Fook Lam Moon accepts walk-in customers, having a meal at Tóng Lè Private Dining requires advance reservations.

Stepping out from the lift, we were welcomed by a designated butler for our table who greeted me by my name. While there was a master butler who attended to our needs, there were two other younger servers who assisted him. That surely added a layer of personal touch and we were ushered to a cosy area that exuded sophistication and elegance. Our table was partitioned away from the neighbouring two tables so we were given that desired level of privacy.

Offering only set menus, each had a really meaningful and traditional meaning from 惜春, 锦绣 to 长乐.

Prosperity yellow tail and tuna 'Yu Sheng'

We had countless yusheng this year but seeing that this was the last lohei for the year, could it be the best?

The serving of yellowtail and tuna was generous and thickly sliced too, which suited my preference. The designated butler who served the dish recited the words of blessing in a seasoned fashion and with when he was done, it was the usual messy affair for us!

While sweet plum sauce remained the base sweetener for this classic dish, the homemade sauce was well balanced with the acidity of the fresh passion fruit which paired the lime juice to give the tang. The texture was largely similar to the one tried at Park Palace, which ingeniously introduced crispy vermicelli to give a nice crispy crunch to each mouthful. We particularly loved the glazed cashews that made all the difference. The fresh vegetables were finely sliced and with overall it was presented elegantly against the backdrop of a beautiful sunset.

Braised cave bird's nest with crab meat and chicken broth topped with black truffle


Before the chef introduced the mains, we were presented with this homemade sorbet which was intended to cleanse our palate. The sorbet was made from roselle, which is a type of flower and interestingly, there were popping candies drizzled on top which would sizzle in your mouth! In terms of taste, it actually reminded me of sour plum which was a balance of mild sourness complemented by a satisfying level of sweetness that pleased our palates.

While the flavours and the popping candies were brilliant, it was not as smooth as desired and for the lady's portion, there was a frozen chunk of ice. I felt that while the culinary concept was refreshing, the preparation technique could be further refined.



Braised dried seafood, chicken and venison tendon

I am a huge fan of geoduck clams so this was a must-try and quite frankly, I was looking forward to it right from the beginning! The slices of geoduck clam were sliced to an uniform thickness and I loved that the selected cut was the more crunchy portion with a blend of the tender cut. Served sashimi style, the server poured in the hot seafood broth before us, allowing minimal but sufficient cook time for the prized geoduck clam which was the star of the dish.

The dough fritters were deep-fried to a beautiful golden brown crispness that gave a nice texture which complemented the al dente handmade rice vermicelli which had the bounciness of a classic egg wanton noodles but thickness of ramen. Let your imagination run wild.

While the respective ingredients impressed, I found that the seafood broth lacked depth and flavour. Quite frankly, I was quite disappointed as it tasted very pedestrian and personally I found the broth for geoduck clam at flagship Crystal Jade Palace Restaurant fared a notch better.


Yam paste with pumpkin topped with coconut ice cream served in young coconut