The signboard at Annie 1 Kopitiam claims that they serve Menglembu's famous wantan mee. I've been to Menglembu many times during my university days, but have never come across a really good wantan mee there.

Evidently, I have been eating at the wrong places in Menglembu. The wantan mee at Annie 1 is perhaps one of the best I ever had. Well, the noodles were typically sweet and salty with the soy-based sauce and were slightly springy; but it's the char siew that really takes this dish home.The char siew was ultra tender and melty, with loads of melted pork fat goodness. Okay, not the healthiest of meals but can't say I didn't thoroughly enjoy it. Even the sui kaos were big and juicy.

I like that they have a service bell you can press - no having to endure the frustration of not being able to get quick service. That's good, because it can get very crowded here, even at 2.30pm on a weekend afternoon... and I can see why now!

Most of my experiences with pesto is where pesto is like a watery sauce that's used to line a pizza base or drench some pasta; but Topshelf redefined what I expect of pesto.

Rich in consistency, it holds its own shape, much like peanut butter except not quite so sticky-gooey. Rich in herby flavours and creamy in texture, the pesto is an aromatic and indulgent sauce and feels almost like an independent dish.

Toasted pine nuts give a lot of nutty aroma to the dish, despite being small in quantity; and the shaved parmesan gives a mild sharpness and heavy mouthfeel to the dish.

The serving size isn't very big, but the richness makes it good enough for one. Unfortunately, I shared this and it wasn't enough for me.

I usually don't take coffee on weekdays, because I'm very sensitive to caffeine. It usually triggers my insomnia and causes heart palpitations and other bodily discomfort. Somehow, the coffee at RAW doesn't have much negative impact on me, but the other positive effects of the caffeine can be felt. I'd like to think this to be my body's natural mechanism for detecting good coffee.

My favourite coffee at RAW is their latte. You should watch them make it - such care and attention and intolerance for imperfection. The result is a smooth, evenly frothy coffee with plenty of creaminess and flavour from the milk, yet without drowning out the natural flavour of coffee. I like that their coffee is bold but not too acidic - very easy to drink.

I also like that Fitness First members get 10% off the bill! Also good to note is that they roast their coffee every Tuesday.

When it comes salads, Ben's General Food Store doesn't comply to expectations of boring greens. My absolute favourite salad here is the soba eggplant salad with soy paste. Cold soba in itself is already a hit with me, but add in soy paste for that salted, slightly fermented taste, and super soft eggplant that soaks up all that flavour, and I'm completely sold.

Bits of spring onion also add a tiny crunch here and there, with a little burst of zing in the flavour. I could just eat this on its own without a "main" dish, even though it has no meat.

I usually try to avoid eating noodles because it's very carby; furthermore the noodles at Kuala Lipis Noodles are quite oily (as Hakka noodles always are, purposefully) and the meat is (also purposefully) fatty. However, sometimes I am in a rush and the timing is right (freshest batch is served at about 11am on weekends), so I find myself making excuses that I deserve to eat extremely fattening food every once in a while (which usually turns out to be close to every single day).

I find that the noodles are better these days, with the sauce being lighter and sweeter; while the amount of minced meat is still the same (moderately sufficient). I love the way the siew yoke tends to break apart in the middle, separating the leaner half from the crispy half. Not many places can pull off a good siew yoke with the lean part being super tender, while maintaining the super-crisp texture of the skin, with all its salty goodness.

These days I find myself favouring the char siew less, because despite it being aromatic, sweet, and full of porky flavour, it just lacks the texture I seek in a good char siew. However, I still order both meats with my noodles because I think the meats balance against each other very well.

Apparently they have other nice dishes, but I just can't come by Kuala Lipis Noodles and NOT eat the Kuala Lipis noodles.