Cafe-hopping with my love

my cafe-hopping partner-in-crime <3<3<3

so happy to have found this darling who loves food as much as i do! (: always have such an abundance of yummy food and good times whenever we're together. studying for exams was so much less of a chore when we could go check out new places to do work at. there are not that many places with wifi though! so we usually had to do quite a fair bit of research before venturing out. (and also because i have this thing about always wanting to try out new places :P haha so we don't usually repeat places). just FYI, besides the two i'm gonna talk about here, Toby's Estate and The Loft have wifi as well, and are great places for sitting for long hours (: 

checked out Craft Bakery & Cafe during the study week, and i've gotta say i really love it!!! definitely will be back again sometime to try out more of their lunch dishes ^^ they always have some sort of promotion going on, which makes the food really worth it :) the lunch for example, is priced at $20 for 2 items from 12pm-2pm (if i rmb correctly), which is really affordable for a cafe! we didn't go for this deal (thanks to Sam's uncooperative stomach that day ahem. hahaha) but i'll definitely come again while it's around ^^ i ordered The Craft ($11.50) which was a really interesting take on waffles - a savoury version, with crisp waffles sandwiching a delicious maple-candied bacon and green apple slaw. the bacon was one of the best i've tasted, and it went perfectly with the sweet/sour slaw. 

Sam got the usual - The Whole Nine Yards ($17.50) as they call it here ;) it was alright, felt it was a bit pricey for the quality of the dish. definitely not one of the best, and it was pretty expensive! the good thing was that they were having a promo for the month where it came with a free coffee/tea, so that was good! :) and the huge pile of scrambled eggs was a plus point too ^^ i love scrambled eggs! had fun coping his. haha.

Sam also ordered the Basil Pesto Chicken pasta ($15.50) which was really interesting. their pastas sound delish btw! this linguine bathed in a basil pesto cream sauce was super tasty, but it was a bit jerlat after awhile because we were kinda full. it was a generous portion which is really good! 

we got greedy and decided to order a dessert as well :P but i really wouldn't recommend ordering the hazelnut buttercream cake though :( it was such a disappointment and cost $7.50!!! bleah. should have known that it was bad when no one ordered it... -.- haha. the molten chocolate cake sounds awesome though!!

really love this cafe for its affordable lunch deals, and the ambience as well! i just enjoyed the quiet simplicity of this place, and it didn't get too crowded during lunch (their peak hour seems to be around tea-time), which was perfect for a whole day of studying. 

Craft Bakery & Cafe

24A Lorong Mambong

Tel.: +65 6467 7710

Mon-Sun 9am-11pm

another place we checked out was The Bravery! (: located at the jalan besar area, this is one indie cafe that fits in perfectly with the hipster vibe in this region. and it was an absolutely pain for me to get here. #nokidding. i changed FOUR buses, and it was raining. hence, please pardon the not-so-nice photos because it was kinda dark there. on a rainy day, i wouldn't really recommend studying here, because the lighting is pretty dim. and the seats aren't good for sitting too long. but if you're looking for a hole-in-a-wall cafe to chill, this is the place to be. i walked past the place twice because i couldn't spot the entrance :P haha #2 obscure entrance after chye seng huat lol.

anyway, about the food. i was hoping Sam would order the ricotta pancakes because they were quite highly recommended! (haha i don't like bananas so i wouldn't order them myself :P) but he decided to go for something savoury instead - the Brave Begedil ($17) and it turned out to be quite good! quite surprised at the rather smallish portion for the price, but it was still filling for Sam, which is what matters ^^ a really interesting twist on the Begedil (malay traditional potato patties - i learned something new!), which was mashed with corned beef and topped with bacon and two perfectly poached eggs. the breaking of the eggs was a SHIOK foodporn moment ;) 

i ordered the Beef Steak Ciabatta ($13.50) which was not bad as well! i suppose their food here isn't fantastic or anything, but it's decent++! the rump steak was wonderfully tender, and was complemented by the onion jam, melted mozzarella and tomato salsa, sandwiched between the delicious ciabatta. okay, i take back my previous statement, it was really quite yummy! :) the only thing is they seem to prepare it before hand (i saw a whole row of them at the counter). would have been better if it was fresh i guess?

aaaand we also tried the famous lavender latte ($5.50) that we heard so much about! sorry for the awful pic, i only remembered to take a photo after we nearly finished the whole drink. whoops :P it was so good though!! (: the lavender taste was quite subtle, but the smell...mmmmmm :) i felt relaxed instantly once i breathed in the aroma from the cup. haha seems like quite a contradiction eh? coffee x soothing lavender? it was a beautiful combination though. 

the menu here is quite bare-bones (no dessert! >.<) but all rather un-traditional stuff. do check it out if you're in the area!

The Bravery Cafe

66 Horne Road

Tel.: +65 6225 4387

Daily (except tues) 8am-8pm

Symmetry

finally finally FINALLY blogging about Symmetry! i think this post can win an award for being the most overdue blog post already >.< and i've been wanting to blog about this the moment i tried it, but because it was so good, and there was so much to write, i ended up p-r-o-c-r-a-s-t-i-n-a-t-i-n-g till about half a year later. see the conflict going on inside my head? whoops :p anyway, for those out there who hasn't tried Symmetry, YOU'VE GOT TO!! it's a bit on the higher end of brunch places, but i assure you it's worth your every buck ;)

starting with the drinks, i was really glad to see a super extensive menu - and there was green tea latte! i've really not seen this drink much anywhere, and i ordered it in a heartbeat (actually after cancelling my usual hot chocolate order, cos i didn't see this option before that :p). it was delicious, creamy without being too overwhelming and just right for me! 

zhen gave the hot chocolate a thumbs up as well, and i couldn't decide which drink i liked more ^^ luscious, tasty chocolate, topped with marshmallow sprinkles (:

i absolutely LOVED my Symmetry Eggs Sur Le Plat ($22). it has got to be one of the best brunch dishes invented!! beautifully baked eggs atop a scrumptious piquillo puree, paprika, pork sausage, duck confit, creamed spinach, cheese and basil base, that burst with flavour in every bite. it was a cacophony of savoury, spicy notes that went together perfectly, especially when mopped up with the crisp, yet fluffy toast.

the Flan ($23) was really interesting! it was a thin, crepe-like pastry that held an amazing amount of ingredients! the pork cheek melted in our mouths and tasted great with the sautéed wild mushroom, poached egg and mustard. 

the truffle egg mushroom ($21) was one of the most flavourful truffle-laced dishes i've ever tried! the aroma was wafting towards me from zhen's plate and its taste didn't disappoint :) the sautéed wild mushrooms were one of the best i've tried as well! 

and these waffles ($16) are my absolute favourite so far!!! (i've got to concede that i haven't tried those from strangers reunion/cremier yet, which i've heard are the best. and those from DOC are awesome as well) with all my favourite toppings like peanut butter, nutella (gosh whoever thought of having both spreads in a same dish is a genius!), berries, maple syrup and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. *slurpsssss* you can imagine this dessert was polished off in a jiffy ;)

so there you go! one of my favourite brunch spots which impressed with every dish. i would totally come back here to try their lunch/dinner some day too (:

Symmetry

9 Jalan Kubor

Tel.: +65 6291 9901 

Mon 10.30am-9pm

Tue-Thu 10.30am-11pm

Fri 10.30am-12mn

Sat 9am-12mn

Sun 9am-9pm

Antoinette

Have you heard of Antoinette? If you have yet to try it, please go!!!! :D haha it’s super awesome! :D okay, maybe girls might be more inclined to it, but still, it’s a beautiful place to go for a day out. So guys, if you wanna bring a girl for a treat, she will LOVE this place, trust me. Just looking at it from the outside, you’ll be attracted by the quaint chicness of this place. It’s so prettily victorian!

Step into the café, and you’ll be mesmerized by the array of cakes, pastries and other sweet treats awaiting you. Every single piece is practically begging to you eat it! Haha xD just look at the pictures – can you resist it?! And the decoration and furnishings in the store are so synonymous and complete with its image, even right to the washrooms which are decorated so beautifully! You have to visit it to know.

We went there for brunch and were completely spoilt for choice. Mummy was so funny! She was like…”I think I’ll have either the French toast with caramelized banana or the French thick pancakes…or maybe the egg with shaved truffle!” haha as you can see, it was a really tough time deciding. WE ARE SO GONNA COME BACK AGAIN ;) Mummy finally decided on the French toast with caramelized banana ($10.50). it was beautifully done. The bread was thick and soft, infused with a buttery sweet flavour which wasn’t too overwhelming, and had bits of banana within it, together with banana toppings and nuts. And of course, a generous amount of maple syrup to finish it off perfectly.

Papa opted for the French pastries – the hazelnut Danish ($3.50) and almond croissant ($3.50). I didn’t try the hazelnut Danish but the almond croissant was SO DELICIOUS. Really, you have got to try it! I know I’m like raving over every single product haha but it’s really really goooooooood! The croissant was crisp yet fluffy, and the almonds lent a satisfying crunch to the pastry. The flavours blended together made a wonderful combination.

For once, I didn’t order an egg. I would have loved to, but…I decided to give the rest a chance cos they always complain that I order the eggs :P anyway, there wasn’t eggs benedict this time so I decided that it was alright to give it a miss. Zhen ordered the Classic Eggs Florentine ($14) though! It was yummy! I only tried a little, but I could see how delightfully runny the poached egg was, and paired with thick hollandaise sauce, wilted spinach and Serrano ham, made for a spectacular dish.

I had the 24-hours baguette with Serrano ham, emmental cheese and French butter ($14). Doesn’t it sound like an exquisite combination! :D the baguette was toasted to a crisp and the thin strips of ham went beautifully with the sharp flavour of the cheese. And don’t get me started on the French butter!!! Haha loved it!! And the cute container that it came in just made the experience even better ;)

Finally, yi ordered the savoury blinis (French thick pancakes) with smoked salmon, French butter, sour cream and salad ($15). The huge and thick pancakes were a delight! They were wonderfully done such that they were fluffy and wholesome, and simply delicious to eat! It also went nicely with all the other elements of the dish.

Our drink was the hot Viennese chocolate ($7.50). they have three kinds of hot chocolate there! Ours was sinfully thick and rich, bittersweet, and came with a lovely sauce of crème Chantilly which was light, airy and slightly sweet. A perfect complement to the chocolate.

Are you tempted? I definitely wanna come back for round #2. Maybe tea the next time! Yeahhhh :D

Antoinette

30 Penhas Road

Tel.: +65 6293 3121

Mon–Fri 11am – 10pm

Sat 10am – 11pm

Sun 10am – 10pm