What fitting way to post on a Sunday after realizing that the conception of these unnecessarily convoluted anecdotes regarding my previous consumption of food and such takes at least 32 hours to craft and as such, once every two days. Also because it’s Sunday and I thought it’d be a clever move to post a picture taken on Tuesday to subliminally provide a witty introduction paragraph to start with. Sunday Folks. Sunday. Get it? A quaint and charming dessert café serving up freshly churned ice cream and other intricate cakes and desserts, Sunday Folks’ philosophy to “help make everyday feel like a Sunday” is definitely apparent in its relaxed and cozy abode alongside comforting sweet treats. Their Roasted Pistachio ice cream ($8.60) comes dusted with toppings including roasted pistachio nuts with apricot and topped with a delightful almond biscotti. Nutty and absolutely indulgent. Their Dark Chocolate Ferroro ice cream ($8.60) came with even more luxurious toppings including roasted hazelnuts, pillowy caramel marshmallows and a smooth chocolate hazelnut sauce. Definitely a place to be when you’re looking to cool down on a Sunday. Or any other day of the week for that matter.

On the topic of comfort foods, it is indisputable that every one of us has an subconscious inclination towards the orient, be it expressing it through loud slurps of noodles with soup, or simply a humble bowl of rice with familiar condiments just as tens of generations before us came to honor. These days of course, with globalisation and access to a kaleidoscopic array of cultures at one’s grasp, the humility of rice bowls have become an elevated culture in its own right. A quiet little diner situated in the basement of Raffles Xchange, Gochi-So Shokudo serves their rice bowls topped with generous portions of Ibérico pork, onsen (water bath) egg, shavings of nori (seaweed), and spring onions. In layman terms, Ibérico pork meat could be compared in similarity to Wagyu beef, both of course, possessing a higher fat content and fat that actually runs within the very muscle of the animal itself. Gochi-So Shokudo serves their rice bowls topped with Ibérico pork at a rather generous price, giving you your money’s worth for a solid bowl of donburi. Their Pork Belly Don ($10) is nothing but goodness, with thin but flavourful strips of Ibérico pork belly. Finally, top it up with their condiments and sauces on-the-house such as Japanese BBQ sauce or their Stamina Garlic Sauce (highly recommend this if you’re looking for that flavour punch and something to refresh you for the remainder of the day).

A quiet and inconspicuous hole in the wall with a minimalistic but warm setting that showcases a beautiful bouquet of lanterns looming over you as you dine, Umi Nami serves affordable Japanese rice bowls with no GST nor service charge, perfect if you’re in the mood for some chirashi dons without breaking the bank. After numerous times walking past the establishment thinking it was simply under renovation, there was of course, a clear sense of excitement as to the food that the place whipped up. However, the excitement was eventually short-lived and anti-climatic. A quiet lunch at the retreat underneath the scorching hot weather included an appetizer of their Ankimo Monkfish Liver ($7). Traditionally, Ankimo features monkfish liver that is first cured with salt, before being rinsed off with sake and finally steamed. The liver served at Umi Nami came soaked in a citrus soy marinade, which did little to enhance the creaminess of the liver itself. I had their Aburi Scallop Salmon Don ($17), which came with a fairly generous portion of cubed salmon and lightly seared scallops. The redeeming factor of the dish all-in-all has to be the scallops, which had a small but effective dollop of truffle paste on each of the sweet and tender morsels. Not outstanding, but definitely a nice place to top up on your donburi levels.

As it goes without saying, it is safe to assume that every Singaporean has seen and walked past a familiar green and white cow in the middle of a shopping mall, sometimes without even knowing it. Marché Mövenpick prides itself on its open kitchen(s) concept whilst using fresh ingredients and cooking only upon order, bringing guests that nostalgic feeling of waking on a warm weekend to walk through the farmer’s market for the day’s produce. Serving up hand-pressed juices, crisp garden salads and of course, their wonderfully sublime rösti that everybody comes here for. Hand-grated, freshly fried around the clock and garnished with the toppings of your choice, their Swiss rösti ($6.90++) is solid comfort food with potato done right in every right. Pair it with one of their juicy fresh-off-the-grill sausages and some sour cream and you’re in business. Aside from the bustling queues at their rösti kitchen, they happen to serve up a certainly underrated Seafood Paella ($19.90++), with generous portions of calamari, prawns, mussels and chunky tomatoes for that burst of freshness. Comfort food done right.

Anyone who recalls me from my secondary school days would know that I loved cheeseburgers. Scratch that, I was obsessed with them. I was also fascinated by the components that came together to make the perfect bite from the texture of the buns to the crunchiness of the pickles within. As Aristotle said (fun fact: he didn’t exactly say it, but rather implied a similar idea in his Metaphysics journal as I discovered while writing a paper on Gestalt psychology about four months ago desperately attempting to source the saying but anyways), “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. One could say that the parts of the cheeseburger served at Hammee’s came together to create a much greater whole in the form of a delicious, no-frills cheeseburger. Their Signature Beef Cheeseburger ($6 for single, $8 for double) comes with a set of fries, with the burger being the star of the show, of course. Using a handmade beef patty that consists of a blend of beef chuck tender and beef brisket and fried using in-house rendered beef tallow (essentially beef fat), every bite of the burger is a delight alongside the buttery toasted buns, sweet and savoury caramelized onions, gooey melted American Cheese and briny bursts of pickled jalapeños to keep things interesting. If you’re looking for a cheap, consistent and overall honest-to-God burger with all the works, head down to Hammee’s and satisfy your cravings just as I had.

Located on the fifth storey of the east-side mall that is Century Square, The MeatHöuse is a Halal-certified casual steakhouse conceived by none other than Chef Benny Se Teo and his team from Eighteen Chefs. Unlike most steakhouses, The MeatHöuse provides diners with a modern casual setting similar to that of a café, perfect for a laid-back afternoon sirloin. Their French Fries with Truffles ($10++) were served with a generous mound of shaved parmesan cheese and discernible bits of truffle. While the anticipated punch of the familiar scent and taste of the occasionally-overused truffle oil was not there, the fries were on a whole new level of flavoursome, maintaining a crisp exterior with warmth and fluff on the inside. I had the Josper Oven-Grilled Striploin Steak with Pasta ($16++), which came with a simply grilled slab of striploin, a salad almost overly-dressed with sesame oil and aglio olio which I requested to be served with linguine rather than spaghetti. Certainly a joint to check out if you’re in the east and looking for a meat feast.

An almost inconspicuous restaurant located in the basement level of Raffles Xchange, Wheat Baumkuchen (or simply WHEAT) gives the ever-demanding CBD lunch crowd a customisable, affordable and healthy food option to perk up the rest of their day in the immutably obsolete 40-hour work week that started as a result of the United States Congress getting in bed with the Fair Labor Standards Act on October 24, 1940. With Burpple Beyond, I decided to get their Beef Foie Gras Bowl ($18.90) with the option of their Bhutanese red rice instead of jasmine rice, which has a nuttier and almost starchier flavour than its white rice counterpart. The beef was unfortunately served at a doneness that I have stood against since the dawn of time: Well Done. There was also a sizeable portion of foie gras, which in my opinion could’ve been cooked a little more than it was, served alongside some greens, kimchi and a poached egg.

Spicy, creamy and luscious, curry has been challenging fond diners all over the world with its warm and fiery embrace that just keeps you on your toes as you take bite after bite whilst trying to resist going for the nearest glass of water. The term “curry” was actually coined by the British during its colonial rule of India and with a much debatable controversy, does not exist as any more than a categorical term that eventually came to be used by countries all across the world. That being said, Singapore, with its distant colonial roots and its bustling cultural landscape holds various curry dishes from Japanese curries to Jamaican curries in her bosom. Amongst these curries, the popularity in traditional Hainanese curry does not fail to show itself in the many dishes of economic rice ordered, or a wholesome bowl of curry chicken at a typical zi char (煮炒) table.

One place in particular that holds their family’s curry recipes and nails it down to serving flavours that are symbolic of Singapore’s rich heritage is Fu Xiang Signatures. A second-generation business helmed by twins Edric and Edwin, Fu Xiang Signatures is not just your everyday food stall making curry rice and serving it with accompaniments, but rather an establishment that is rich in its heritage and dishes that are representative of the story it tells. Originally a coffee shop stall owned by their parents in the 1990s, the fitting inception of the Fu Xiang Signatures stall in VivoCity’s Food Republic serves up their delicious curry that is painstakingly and precisely made with 9 hours of crafting the recipe with 21 herbs & spices that are kept secret to the family’s trade. Their Signature Chicken Biscuit Curry Rice ($6.80) features a succulent piece of chicken breaded with biscuit crumbs rather than breadcrumbs. Deliciously comforting and reminiscent of the humility of a simple dish like curry poured over rice. Their Emperor Cream Sauce Chicken ($6.90) is rich and creamy with a subtle foreground of spice. However, as insisted by the owners of Fu Xiang Signatures, although it bears similarity to the more popular salted egg sauce, their Emperor Cream Sauce does not in fact, contain a single trace of salted egg. Truly outstanding.

Phad Thai, Mango Sticky Rice and Tom Yum Goong, all dishes of a particular culture that is known far and wide across our tiny little interconnected planet. Thai food has always been a part of my life in more ways than one, be it having my mother’s rendition of Thai Basil Pork for a weekend dinner, or simply taking out from a little Thai place from the food court just a stone’s throw away. That little Thai place is Hansa Thai. Boasting a menu with traditional Thai dishes such as their Green Curry Soup ($6) and Phad Thai ($6) amongst other sharing plates, this place has never disappointed in the many years I’ve frequented it when it comes to cheap and delicious Thai food. One dish that I’ve come to have over dozens, if not hundreds of times is their Tom Yum Seafood Fried Rice ($5). Most Thai places fail to achieve a refined balance in their attempts to combine the exoticism of Thai flavours with the familiarity of simple dishes like fried rice, but Hansa Thai proves otherwise. Served with sizeable morsels of seafood such as cuttlefish, prawns and crab sticks, every spoonful of their Tom Yum Seafood Fried Rice is sweet, sour, spicy and of course, delicious.

A quaint and rustic little Italian restaurant nestled in the quiet estate that is Chip Bee Gardens, Madrinaa Italiano presents classic Italian cuisine done nothing less than proper. Spanish for “god-mother”, Madrinaa provides a namesake dining experience with humble and pastoral dishes that are reminiscent of a home-cooked meal in Italy. Dinner was a lovely experience with its homely interior and a beautiful table setting, perfect if you are looking to impress. I had the Risotto Con Maiale ($28), a delightfully creamy risotto served with generous chunks of confit pork belly, sautéed forest mushrooms in a white wine cream sauce and parmesan with truffle oil. Earthy, rich and subtle, this dish was sophisticated in its charming presentation and a simply delicious plate of risotto. My partner had the Harsha’s Pasta ($28), with al dente linguine, chicken sausage and beef pepperoni coated in a beautifully tangy and spicy marinara sauce.

Barrio (Spanish for “quarter” or “neighbourhood”) serves up classic Mexican street food flavours all over the little melting pot of cultures that is Singapore. Universally and generally speaking, Mexican cuisine has to be loved for its use of hearty and zingy ingredients, but while this is true, the replication of authentic Mexican street food does not cease to be a challenge for most chain restaurants such as Barrio. While some may argue, one has to remember that just like the unique styles of ramen available over different regions of Japan, no two regions of the vibrant country of Mexico will have the same tacos, or the same quesadillas in their own respect. Dinner at the colourful sideshow-esque restaurant featured dishes like their Pork Carnitas Rice Bowl ($15) and a rich sharing portion of Beef Barbacoa ($26), which had a wonderfully tender slow-cooked beef brisket. Should be a fun fact to note that like every other food and beverages establishments, they do not allow Krispy Kreme doughnuts to be passed around the table as an additional sharing dish.

d’Good Café at Holland Village is nothing short of a humble establishment serving up simple yet satisfying plates, alongside pleasant service from the friendly staff and a warm, comfortable setting that makes you feel right at home. My previous visits to the establishment always included a plate of Forest Mushroom and Striploin Beef pasta ($16), served with a rich Rosé sauce that I can only describe as one of the best pasta accompaniments I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. This time round, the Bacon Cabonara ($16) would come as a contender to simplicity, served with pork bacon, a somewhat disappointing poached-turned-soft-boiled egg and coated in Parmigiano cheese cream sauce. The pasta itself was rich with its unmistakably eggy flavour, and the crisp shards of bacon gave a burst of welcome salinity and savouriness to the dish.