Penang A1 Chendol in Tampines.

If you are to unearth gems, obviously you'd have to dig for 'em.

Discovering the good stuff in Singapore, especially within residential townships, you'd just have to keep your eyes opened when you're in a car, riding on a bus, or taking a walk. And be brave enough to actually walk up to the store and actually try some.

There may be more than one shop along the same street, serving more or less the same desserts; but they somehow never tastes the same.

This gem of a traditional Chendol, served in a plastic takeaway bowl, can be found on Tampines St 81. http://foursquare.com/venue/3465950

This reminded me of the Chendol in Taman O.U.G, Old Klang Road, KL. And it's loaded with a massive dollop of fresh durian mash, complementing the usual serving of shaved ice with coconut milk, gula Melaka (palm sugar), the green Chendol bits and kidney beans. All for the price of S$3.50 only.

This is will have you, or anyone, coming back for more. Especially on a hot, scorching Singaporean day.

(For the anti-durian people, you get the option of Avocado puree topping. Or go without either.)

Honestly, it's to die for.

(Think I'm gonna walk over and get some now...)

Prawn Mee a.k.a. Har Meen.

Just when you're about to lose hope on hawker food in Singapore, something special always turns up around the corner.

Like this Har Meen, at Tampines St 82, for example.

Honestly, it's not great. But the broth and the 'sambal' are nostalgically – KL. And that means the world to me.

The prawns are fresh. And the egg, hard-boiled and sliced.

The pork ribs. Ah, the pork ribs. You can be 100% sure they're higher quality than any pork ribs across Malaysia. If you don't believe me, you can just drop by most wet markets across Singapore, and tastes the difference.

But back to Har Meen - the Singaporean bowl of prawn broth noodles laced with spicy chili-based sauce reminded me of a similar bowl of Har Meen I had in Taman Yulek, Cheras, back in good old Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

It looks the same, and tastes almost the same.

But the elusive bowl of Har Meen I truly miss, is the one by Ah Keong, at Lorong Jugra, off Old Klang Road. And it looks a little like this:

See the difference? http://foursquare.com/venue/9808096

Alice in Sugarloaf.

"Why is a raven like the writing desk?"

You will ask for a hilarious solution to this riddle, but in all honesty, I do not have one.

However, the answer that I have for all the skeptics: There is no truth in saying that eating in Singapore is a total disaster compared to eating in Kuala Lumpur or Petaling Jaya, or Cheras for the matter. We have just got to get past that myth and begin discovering the different flavours, tastes, blends of spices, and more so, the unique experiences across this Lion City we know so little of.

To get ahead in Singapore on where to eat, what to eat, you'd have to always keep your ear to the ground, and your nose to the grindstone, for special places that satisfy beyond hunger. And Sugarloaf Cafe may just be one of those places where you can discover exciting experiences, every now and then, at truly value-for-money prices.

Located within the Culinary Academy of Temasek Polytechnic, Blk 31, Level 1, 21, Tampines Avenue 1, you'd find special one-day-only events like, on 17 February 2011, where the

graduating students of the Culinary & Catering Management course put together a themed event: Alice in Sugarloaf.

Here, the Mad Hatter greets you as you wait in line to make your orders. And gets a snapshot off you for their Facebook page: facebook.com/alice.in.sugarloaf

Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee, serves you at the start of the counter. With smiles as cheerful as the spoonfuls of sugar, baked into muffins and cakes.

The choices are quality, not quantity. Just enough for one to enjoy picking out their preferred dessert and main course.

The Cheshire Cat, I believe, was behind the ice-cream stall. And I chose decisively – Vanilla ice-cream and Raspberry sorbet, a single scoop each, which I asked to serve only at the end, and you can all guess why.

There was also the White Queen at the cashbox recommending the 'Alice's Potion', and dared her customers to add a dash of 'poison' - which was really raspberry juice – to give that refreshing Drink of the Day that extra 'Zing!'

Next to the White Queen was who else but the Red Queen herself... she was neither formal nor strict, and definitely not unkindly.

As I have mentioned about the pricing earlier, it was simply fabulous. My plate of Bratwurst costs only S$4, or was it S$5, (who cares!). And that blue coloured drink is Alice's Potion, laced in full glory, with 'poison'.

My Raspberry Trifle - S$2.50 at worst!

Then the Mad Hatter returned midway through, and seated himself calmly at our table. The red haired clown with white creamed face was persistent in entertaining my little boy, who was simply terrified.

You may watch this video and have a laugh.

The Mad Hatter, however, had better luck in capturing some laughter at another table. So I'd say, a hearty congratulations to all the latest diploma graduates of Temasek Culinary Academy.

You can all be proud of a totally memorable afternoon.