Smoothie House has been in SG for awhile now, but I've never gotten around to trying it so far. It happened that they had a branch right outside Shih Lin Night Market; an inviting respite to just chill and hide from the masses.

Described as the "Nostalgic" on the menu, the Peanut combination was a refreshing departure from the norm, with ingredients like Panna Cotta, sweet kidney beans, fragrant taro cubes. The "peanut" here refers to the smattering of chopped peanut candy, instead of the peanut-flavoured shaved ice which I thought to be. While the shaved ice itself wasn't as fine & snowy as Korean bingsus, it does fit the bill when you're in need of a satisfying sweet treat.

Arguably Nantou County's most famous dish of all. Smokingly good, tender, with crackly crisp skin. They even provide you with gloves to tear the chook apart with your hands. Defo a must-try when in #Cingjing.

Wasn't quite feeling "meaty" that day, so I went for the Yellowtail Fish with Preserved Vegetable Noodles ($10.80), also available in pickled cabbage instead of preserved vegetables. Pretty tasty stuff. Served in their signature pork bone soup, it's like having tonkotsu ramen but with chunks of succulent fish instead. What's different is the addition of preserved vegetable (梅干菜), which gave the flavourful soup a complex, savoury depth.

If you need more to fill up that tummy, there are many tempting appetisers to choose from, such as Pork Wanton in Chilli Vinaigrette ($5.80), Long Jing Tea Lava Egg ($1.80) and Chilled Silken Tofu with Century Egg ($2.80). The latter two were refreshing appetite openers; the lava egg a molten version of Taiwan's signature tea leaves egg (茶叶蛋).

Saving the best for the last. These babies are practically brunch & dessert rolled into one. Slathered onto the deliciously tart rhubarb conserve, Lolla's homemade hazelnut butter was a refined and less sweet version of Nutella, yet no less full-flavoured. The slightly tangy ricotta refreshed the combination, and the stellar sourdough deserves yet another mention for its amazing flavour and crustiness; it held up all that goodness without turning soggy. I'm definitely having this again on my next visit.

I didn't snap a photo of it, but the Steamed Dark Chocolate Pudding ($15) is fantabulous—a must-try for chocolate lovers. Imagine the cool vanilla bean ice-cream melting against warm, luscious semi-molten chocolate in your mouth. So good.

Because who says no to bacon STEAK, right? Thickly cut and grilled to melty perfection, this is bacon in its full glory. Not wildly in love with the creamed peas on top, but they did help to ease the saltiness so that you can have MORE 😎

Wish I'd gotten a photo of the intersection to show how the lasagna pocket bulged with luscious crab meat, which kinda tasted like chilli crab sans the chilli. Paired with a delectable bechamel sauce, it is bound to leave you sighing with contentment—rightly indulgent for a Sunday brunch. Although it looks deceivingly small, the portion would be sufficient for 3-4 pax considering the other delicious plates you'd be tempted to order as well.

The thought of blue cheese in your virtuous omelette may raise a few eyebrows and wrinkle some noses, but if you are a lover of stinky cheeses, I urge you not to miss this. It's not so simple as merely mixing in the cheese—no, you don't get chunks of it in the fluffy omelette, but that distinct "aroma" does come through as you dig deeper into its juicy, molten layers. Remarkable dish, but do share as it does get overwhelming after one bite too many.

PS.Cafe's best-seller is now available in half portion! Or at least I've only just discovered so ☺️ Its winning formula: Evenly-truffled on every crisp spud, and that mountain of Parmesan. I highly recommend complementing this with fragrant Tom Yum Aioli (additional $2) to amp up the experience.

A dish that had us at 'wow' from the very first bite. The smoked-kissed chargrilled squid rings were firm, yet tender, and pregnant with fillings so yummy I just had to find out.

Here's when the oft-quoted cliche 'Ignorance is bliss' became relevant—when the answer that came back was, "Prawns and squid head." I managed an "Oh", and proceeded to devour the plates head-on. Whether you're intrepid or inquisitive, this is something you wouldn't wanna miss at Lolla's Sunday Brunch.

Hidden away in the basement of Liang Court is this longtime gem—a little izakaya-like joint that has been quietly pleasing diners with its comforting cuisine and variety of Japanese liquor. I went with what seemed to be the crowd favourite, the Simmered Pork Belly Set Meal ($17), also available a la carte.

The layer of fat on top may frighten dieters, but that's exactly what brings out the flavour of the braised pork. It goes together with the meaty flesh like butter on bread, melting deliciously in the mouth. It also comes with a perfectly molten ajitama tamago (ramen-style egg), which I enjoyed with the deliciously addictive braising sauce. The set came with pickles, creamy peanut beancurd (amazingly smooth texture, like panna cotta), and fried meat miso (an interesting Okinawan pork miso seasoned with sake and mirin). I swopped the white rice with seasoned rice (+$1) instead, and it was super worth it. Studded with seaweed, pork, and carrots, it was moist and flavourful.

Also ordered a small portion of Champloo (Bitter gourd, egg, and pork stir-fried with tofu, $6.80 for small, $8.80 for regular) because I just had to try it. It's easily the best bitter gourd dish I've had. Its bitterness balanced out by the sweetness of miso, the egg & tofu added great texture, even the pork was delightfully tender. While it was too much for a solo diner like myself, the generous portion could very well feed 2-3pax nicely. Definitely worth a try if comfort is what you're seeking, or just a change from the usual Japanese stuff.

Lolla's Kombu Butter ($7) is the kind you'll want to slather onto everything, in copious amounts. You can never have too much umami, can you? 'Cos that seems to appear in most dishes here.

I suspect lardo also played a part in imparting that irresistible je ne sais quoi, which makes you want to order more of that crusty, rustic-tasting Chargrilled Sourdough ($4) to polish it off. For more variety, you can also choose from other spreads such as duck rilette and hazelnut butter—mad love for the latter.

Now I get it—the hype that surrounds this bea-uni-tiful creation—it is totally justified. There are no words to describe that savoury sensation when the jet black squid ink pudding dissolves in your mouth. Covered with a blanket of creamy and super fresh uni (sea urchin), it is enough to send any foodie to umami heaven.

At $42 for the full portion ($22 for half), it is worth every dime, even when the full portion barely fills the palm. It's meant to be savoured slowly and is good to be shared among 2-3 pax, if you haven't polished it all up, that is.