Green Tea-Coffee Cake

Green Tea-Coffee Cake

This cake came in an unusual combination of flavours. Between its layers of cake mixture, there were layers of green tea stacked with layers of coffee mixture.

I love green tea and I love coffee. But to sample the two at one go was a first for me. When my spouse purchased this combo green tea and coffee cake from a temporary stall set up in the middle of White Sands Shopping Centre, I just had to overcome my initial apprenhension and have a bite.

Yes, first impressions of the green tea-coffee cake were kind of weird. The sweetness hit my palate first, followed by the strong aroma of coffee. A close second later, the bitterness of green tea set in. Somehow it tasted better than how I described. It was an unusual combination that worked well for me!

As I worked my tongue around the bits of peanuts and marzipan onthe green tea-coffee cake, the thick cream provided a smooth base to mix all the ingredients. This combination of crunchy peanut bits with cream was a revelation.

My Assessment of Green Tea-Coffee Cake:
Score = 7 out of 10.

I shall look out for this green tea-coffee cake when the temporary hawkers move in again at White Sands Shopping Centre.

Sakura Buffet Restaurant

Sakura Buffet Restaurant

For something different, we had our family reunion meal at one of the branches of Sakura International Buffet Restaurant at NTUC Downtown East in Pasir Ris recently.

Sakura Buffet Restaurant serves halal international cuisines in a mouth-watering buffet spread. We were impressed by the wide range of dishes. Some dishes looked as good as it tasted, while most were adequately tasty.

The good thing about having a buffet meal at a halal certified restaurant is that it allows all members to eat what they prefer in an air-conditioned environment.

The selection of food at Sakura Buffet Restaurant ranges from Chinese-style wok-fried cooking, to Japanese food like sashimi & sushi, to Western-styled dishes like lamb chops and beef steaks. There is also a wide choice of dim sim dishes.

The Sakura's salad bar buffet spread was also generous in its range of edibles. There's also desserts like ice-creams, durian puffs and cakes that you'll find at hotel restaurants during high-teas.

To wash down all those goodies along your gullet, there's plenty to choose at Sakura Buffet restaurant in terms of drinks -sodas, soft drinks, cappucino, tea and many more.

My personal favourites were Sakura Buffet Restaurant's shark's fin soup, roast duck skin crepe, chicken satay, lamb chop, chocolate cake, raw salmon sashimi and prawn dumpling. Plus I could help myself to second and third helpings of my favourite dishes.

The branch of Sakura Buffet Restaurant at Downtown East does not give an image of a high class restaurant. It's cafeteria-like long tables and plastic chairs on non-carpeted floor gave away its Pasir Ris neighbouthood heartlander clientele. What it lacks in ambience is more than made up by the ample selection of free flow of all dishes to fill any plus-sized stomach to satisfaction. Guaranteed.

While not all dishes at Sakura Buffet Restaurant tasted exceptionally good, most tasted average or better. For the price of $22 for an adult and $10.90 for a child at their Weekend Lunch buffet, it is definitely value for money.

Lunch is served until 2.30pm only. So don't think of paying for one meal and hanging inside the restaurant till dinner time for a free second meal!

Address: Sakura Buffet Restaurant
NTUC Downtown East, Pasir Ris