Boufe: Boutique + Cafe

My tummy has been rather well-fed recently with lots of good food, and it's so satisfying! I've gotta try to lose some weight before Krabi though :P haha don't wanna be lugging a pet tummy over to the beach, yikes! It's been a series of cafe hopping over the weekends, which is something we haven't done in a long while! Gosh, how I've missed this. Paddy Hills a couple of weeks ago, and this time we checked out Boufe (: Seems like a trend to be visiting out-of-the-way cafes though. Maybe the next one would be somewhere in the far east...? Haha. 

The first thing I really liked about Boufe was its clean, white interior and natural lighting. It was such a gorgeous space! I love decor like this, and I'm so tempted to have it for my house, although I don't think I ever will because it's so difficult to keep clean! With my OCDness it'll probably drive me (and Sam) nuts. Hahaha. Anyway, below is a peak of how pretty and bright the cafe looks! The drinks here were rather decently priced, or perhaps it just seems this way in contrast to the $8.90 hot chocolate I drank at Awfully Chocolate the other day. Goodness! The iced chocolate ($6.50) piqued our interest by being served in a mason jar (love!!). Unfortunately, flavour-wise it was a letdown as it seemed to taste more like milo than chocolate. 

I didn't do the food justice with these photos (what's with my camera these days!), but they looked pretty darn good, and lived up to expectations taste-wise as well.

We started with Triple B ($21), which is Boufe's idea of a big breakfast. And I've got to say it's one of the most impressive ones I've had in awhile! It's one of my pet peeves to have to pay for a so-called big breakfast which is a letdown, but this was fantastic - milky scrambled eggs, caramelised bacon (which tasted like bak kwa!!), assorted sausages (we all liked the pork sausage more than the chicken), sautéed mushrooms and buttery mini croissant.

The Classic Croque Madame ($19) was a hearty dish with ham sandwiched between a thick fluffy brioche topped with gratin cheese and a sunny side up egg. 

I got such a poor shot of this Brioche French Toast ($14) but it was so delicious! The brioche was so fluffy, it tasted like a cake! The ultra moist bread absorbed the essence of the maple syrup and cream Chantilly and oozed with goodness. Special mention for the cream Chantilly that was super light and yummy.

My Truffle House Baked Baguette ($17) was one of the most novel items on the menu. Always looking out for dishes like these that reflect some creativity in the cafe's offerings, rather than simply serving the usual (read: boring) brunch items. The truffle mushroom ragout was very tasty, and had a distinctive aroma of truffle. The eating was a rather messy affair though, because baguette was a tad hard and difficult to cut through.

Overall, it was a good meal and ambience was fantastic. It's super difficult to get to this place, though if you're lucky, I've heard that you can get a ride out in the buggy xD

Boufe Boutique + Cafe
308 Tanglin Road, Phoenix Park #01-01
Tel.: +65 6734 7656
Tue-Fri 8am-10pm
Sat-Sun 10am-10pm

Paddy Hills

There is no lack of cafes popping up in every corner in Singapore, and rarely do I feel compelled to go back to one that I've visited more than once. Occasionally though, there are a few, and Paddy Hills is one of those that stole my heart. If only it wasn't so inaccessible!!!!! :"( I've got to come back though.

Barely a month old, but it was pretty crowded on a Saturday noon, packed with families and groups of friends who no doubt saw this cafe on social media and braved a trek to the far west to check it out. The breakfast menu is served throughout the day from 9.30am-5pm, while the lunch menu is served from 11.30am-5pm. We went during this period to get the best of both worlds ^^

If you've read other reviews about this cafe, you've probably heard of the long waiting time for the food. It's true. Possibly the only niggle about this cafe which they'll hopefully fix once they get their processes in place. Thankfully our drinks arrived fast enough to keep us somewhat occupied during the wait. Tea is from 1872 Cipper Tea & Co! :) I immediately perked up when I saw this, and while most of the selection seemed pretty typical, we ordered the Bed of Roses ($9) which was a really fragrant blend of pink rose buds. The perfume of the rose tea was infused into the flavour of the tea as well, and was definitely one of the strongest rose teas I've ever tried. Why wasn't the tea pink though??? I was hoping it would be. Haha.

The Iced Chocolate ($7.50) was fantastic. Nothing I've ever tasted before, it's made from artisanal chocolate from Chocolate Naïve, handcrafted in Lithuania. The flavour was robust, and the drink was thick without being overly creamy. It was, simply put, very chocolatey - exactly the way hot chocolate should be. And it came with a yummy piece of dark chocolate on top too. This was SO GOOD.

After half an hour or so, our food finally arrived. And it was absolutely worth waiting for!!! I was so glad :') First up was the Asian Brick ($18). My first thought was, "Where's the french toast?" (at least that was what was mentioned in the description). Turns out the brûlée brioche french toast came in those yummy bite sized buns that were crispy and fluffy all at once. They went wonderfully with the yam ice cream (!!!) on the side, and so did the goreng pisang (fried banana). There was a rather random addition of purple sweet potato on the side, but it was roasted to perfection and I loved it. We used the buns to mop up every bit of the ice cream and butternut squash puree and I was almost purring with happiness at the end of this dish. 

Next up was the Hash Hash ($24) which as a stew of roasted baby potatoes, chorizo, sautéed mushrooms and beef shank. There was a decent portion of beef in it, which was tender and easy to eat. Our favourite part of it had to be the sous vide egg which we burst with delight and mixed into the stew to be mopped up by the toasted bread.

From the lunch menu, we ordered the Golden Man Tou Sliders ($23) and I really liked this dish!! A twist on the fried man tou with chilli crab that is typical Singaporean, this dish featured a beef patty and trio of cheese sandwiched between two halves of a crispy man tou. This surprising combination was divine! Dipped in the homemade bbq sauce, it is definitely an east-west fusion done right. And did I mention how incredible those purple sweet potato fries were??!! We couldn't get enough of them. Deliciously crisp with barely a hint of oiliness - can I order a whole bowl of this pleaseee?

And finally, the prettiest item on the menu - the Berry Ricotta Hotcake ($19). Nothing like McDonald's hotcake (though I actually quite like it), this brings pancakes to a whole new level. A single hotcake, thick and fluffy in the middle, crackly on the edges, dressed in a stunning bouquet of edible flowers and berries, with a dollop of ricotta cheese in the middle. The hotcake was lightly sweet, and the berries added a tangy acidity while the creamy ricotta pulled the contrasting tastes into a harmonious blend. 

I loved every single item we ordered, and there's more that I would like to try! Also liked how the cafe seemed spacious, despite the crowd and its obvious popularity. The vibe (and perhaps the location played a part here) gave me a fleeting feeling as though I was in a cafe in Melbourne, with a steady buzz that is reminiscent of aussie cafe culture. 

Paddy Hills

38 South Buona Vista Road

Tel.: +65 6479 0080

Daily 9.30am-10pm

Jewel Cafe & Bar

It's been awhile since I last went for a food tasting session, and boy, I'd forgotten how generous these restaurant owners can be :) Not that I'm complaining though. I'm perfectly happy to stretch my stomach in occasions like these to stuff myself with any food that is placed in front of me. I often surprise people with the amount of food I can ingest if I'm in the mood to do so, and tastings are usually the time where I just EAT, no holds barred. Anyways, big thanks to Wan Swen from Cafehoppingsg for inviting me along this time! (: 

The owner of Jewel Cafe, Adrian, was too kind, really! He had a menu planned for us, with a total of 3 appetisers, 4 mains and 3 desserts :O For three people. We were literally exploding by the end of it. Let's get on with the food, shall we? 

First up was the French Onion Soup ($8). It came topped with a crust of three cheeses - Swiss Cheese, Parmesan and Emmental - which I absolutely loved. I was evidently in the mood for cheese that night, and there were several dishes that were in place to satisfy my craving. The soup was a beef broth that was filled with a generous serving of croutons, which was flavourful, but perhaps not onion-y enough. 

Next two dishes were salads that impressed me thoroughly. Being a salad girl, I'm always looking for ways to spruce up my homemade salads. Not that I would typically put parma ham into my salad, but that's why I would have it in a cafe, I suppose ;) The Butter Poached Asparagus ($14) was one of the tastiest salads I've ever eaten. It had a base of asparagus and mesclun that was piled with a good portion of parma ham. The asparagus, having been poached in butter was tasty on its own, unlike its usual raw flavour, though that would be a healthier option. This was drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette, and I do mean drizzled...because I felt that the sauce was too little. Apparently Adrian got feedback previously that there was too much sauce though, which could be why the amount was reduced. Unfortunately for me, I like my salads DRENCHED in vinegar hahaha.

The Red Mullet ($15) was a mesclun salad topped with fresh mullet fillets, which was a really interesting dish! I hesitate preparing salads with fish because I wonder whether it would give my salads a fishy flavour. This dish proved me wrong though, as it was well executed! The mullet fillets were lightly grilled, I believe, and paired with an egg vinaigrette dressing. I liked how the chef incorporated oranges into the dish (really sweet ones too!) with a tanginess that helped to liven up the fish.

And that was just the appetisers. Whoa. I was probably 30% full by then? Still going strong haha, but wait till the mains came. First up were the tacos - Fish Taco with Sour Cream and Beef Taco. I've been a fan of spaghetti bolognese since I was a kid, and I'm someone who can never resist a hearty beef bolognese, especially when it comes with some gooey cheese on top. The beef tacos hit the spot with me easily, and I polished it off promptly. What came as a surprise was how tasty the fish tacos were!!! I was quite sceptical about it because the combination sounded a tad strange to me. But this dish was executed fabulously and is something that I would return for, because of how uniquely awesome it is. The golden fried fish was light and fluffy, dressed with sour cream and given a zing with a squeeze of lemon juice and jalepeno shallots. LOVED the jalepeno - it immediately took away any heaviness of the dish, and was the perfect match to the crunchy tacos.

Following that, we had the dish that tipped the scales towards the point of fullness. The Foie Gras Mushrooms Medley Risotto ($23) sounds unimaginably filling, simply by looking at its name. It's creamy, it's sinful, it's for someone who wants a huge, heavy meal. I thoroughly enjoyed it in a tasting portion, but I wouldn't be able to get past a quarter of that dish by myself. Fresh mushrooms blended to a smooth puree, in which the risotto was cooked to a lovely creaminess. It was thick and gooey, and came with a slab of pan seared foie gras to increase the level of decadence.

The OMG! ($21) is a whopping burger that has graced many instagram feeds due to its appearance. Taste wise, I found it lacking, though guys would probably enjoy guzzling the meat. Bacon, luncheon meat and a beef patty, with cheddar, lettuce, tomato and a beautiful sunny side up on top. I felt the beef patty was a tad dry and didn't have much flavour to it, but it could have been to balance the other processed meats, otherwise the dish would be too salty. Overall, I found it average though. The fries that came with it, on the other hand, were one of the best fries I've eaten!!! According to Adrian, these fries are one of the best available, and they didn't disappoint! Crisp on the outside thanks to a sprinkling of potato powder, and delectably fluffy inside - and this incredible texture was sustained even after they'd turned cold after half an hour!

It's ironic that I found I liked the cafe's crowd favourites the least. The Chilli Crab Pasta ($20) was an interesting twist on our local dish, with linguine tossed in a homemade spicy chilli crab sauce. Adrian placed a strong emphasis on having ginger in the sauce, as this is apparently a key ingredient in chilli crab. I found the ginger too overwhelming though, such that it took away the "chilli" in the chilli crab, flavour-wise, despite the fact that it was really spicy. I liked the crispy mantou that came with it though! But sadly the sauce wasn't something that I wanted to mop up.

Pardon the really long write-up :P But when the time came for desserts, I was already 99% full!!!! OMG. I couldn't resist though. I'm so greedy like that. Jewel's Homemade Apple Crumble ($12) is one of the best I've ever tasted! And I've got to caution you on the portions of the desserts, because they are almost the size of a main course :O Save a large space in your stomach for it if you're interested. You have been warned....Haha. And you should! Because it was really great. The cafe does a deconstructed version of apple crumble, with crumbles and piping hot caramelised apples mixed together as a base, and topped with a massive scoop of New Zealand premium vanilla ice cream. The pairing is impeccable, and the flavours came together beautifully.

I can't comment much on the Orange Chocolate Creme Brûlée ($10) because I'm not a fan of it. But it was a nice idea having the orange within it to balance out the heaviness of the cream. Would have been even better if the flavour of the orange was infused into the dessert, rather than just having orange slices though. Also, the texture of the cream was rather watery, which is a kink they are still trying to work out.

And finally, the most indulgent dessert was the Chocolate Brownie ($12), which was so super duper moist it was almost unbelievable!!!! Not sure whether I'm allowed to share the secret here, but you just wouldn't want to know the amount of sugar that went into that. I didn't even dare to think :P It was so rich, and incredibly tasty, and again, loved the combination with the vanilla ice cream.

I was full to bursting at the end of the meal! But it was satisfying, and such great fun (: Check out cafehoppingsg for a second opinion if you're interested ^^

Jewel Cafe & Bar
129 Rangoon Road
Tel.: +65 6298 9216
Tue-Thu & Sun 9am-10pm
Fri-Sat 9am-11pm

Little Diner

This is one place I would have never known of, if I hadn't gotten a recommendation from Jiayee who lives in the neighbourhood ;) The bukit timah area does have many hidden gems which are almost impossible to uncover because the area is just too difficult to get to! Glad we ventured to this place though (: Haven't had a hearty brunch in awhile, and I liked how this place had items that stood out from the typical brunch selection. There were quite a number of chef's specials, and we ordered most of them to try :D

Jiayee was raving about the Delancey Red Velvet Pancakes ($13.50), and we were pretty excited about them!! Ended up being a tad let down though, because the portion was really tiny. The pancakes were rather flat and thin, rather unlike the fluffy version we like. The colour, while a beautiful velvet, didn't translate into much flavour, and couldn't stand alone without the maple syrup.

The Stuffed Super Cereal-Crusted French Toast ($16.50) was awesome though!!!! If I were to come back to this place for a dish, THIS would be it. I must have really grown out of eggs ben into french toast now, cos I'm absolutely in love with all versions of it ^^ Cranking up their average french toast by a few notches, this version was stuffed with nutella (could've had more!), topped with fried bananas and drizzled with chocolate sauce. Loved how fluffy the brioche toast was, and the fried bananas complemented it perfectly!

Because mummy wanted the french toast, I ordered the "Krusty Krab" Benedict ($19.50). It sounded really interesting - a twist on the ubiquitous eggs ben with the addition of a golden crabcake pillow. Loved the crab cake, couldn't find any fault with that! But it was kinda sad that there was only one egg!!!!! >:( I'm sorry, but I really think that eggs benedict that comes with only one egg deserves to be boycotted. Hmph. Just like Hatched (which I condemn for being overpriced and not very tasty). Okay, enough of that short bout of angst :P The flavour of the dish in general was good! Fluffy brioche (only half a slice whuttt...), perfectly flowy egg, crispy bacon, grilled asparagus, and the juice of a zesty lemon gave a zing to the dish which I liked.

Papa got the Steak & Eggs ($27), which was termed 'Breakfast of Champions'! We were impressed by the thick strip of chargrilled steak - a generous portion by most measures. It came with two eggs sunny side up, a really delish pile of potatoes, toast and baby green salad.

The last, but not least, was a really pleasant surprise to us! It was hilarious how papa was saying how he detested "deconstructed" dishes, and yet Zhen opted for the Croque Madame ($13.50) nonetheless. While deconstruction often seems to imply an inability of the chef to put the dish together properly, the description of this "gussied-up" ham and cheese sandwich was really apt in this case! An impressive tower of ham and cheese sat in a pool of truffle-scented béchamel sauce that absolutely irresistible!!! This is definitely one of the best truffle-flavoured dishes I've ever eaten, and I'm not sure whether it would be too rich after awhile, but I loved it. Topped with a beautiful fried egg, this was one hearty dish!

Special mention for the coffee although it was not made in-house. Toby's Estate hot chocolate ($4.90) was delightfully chocolate-y without being too rich. Yummy!!!

Little Diner

789 Bukit Timah Road

Tel.: +65 6466 4088

Lunch 11.30am-3pm (Tue-Fri)

Dinner 6pm-10pm (Tue-Thu, Sun)

6pm-10.30pm (Fri & Sat)

Brunch 11am-3pm (Sat, Sun & PH)

Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters

So...OZ Specialty Coffee closed down, and there's a new kid on the block at Upper Thomson road! And gosh. I absolutely love it. Though there are many cafes along the entire stretch and there are no lack of choices, I hadn't really found one that I had a calling to....till now. I liked One Man Coffee, but it's a tad too small to stay for long. And I just never really got what the hype was about for Habitat Coffee. Of course, I do still feel very privileged to have all these options around me, but Pacamara Boutique just stole my heart (: 

I rarely take photographs of restaurant/cafe interiors but this place is gorgeous!!! I'm selfishly quite reluctant to share this place with all of you but...ah well. Good things are better shared I guess ^^ 

I was spoilt for choice there, and I really wished we could have ordered more. But that's just more reasons for me to go back hehe. We chose the Miso glazed Salmon ($22) for our main. Though it's rather on the pricey side, it made up for it in leaps and bounds in terms of quality. The salmon was beautifully cooked, with a crispy charred skin. It came with an apple fennel salad that was really tasty, and I loved the flavourful miso seasoning for the fish. That smear of pumpkin (at least that's what I think it is) on the side, perfect!

We couldn't resist the Salted Caramel Banana French Toast ($16) which sounded so sinfully good. I'm really not a fan of bananas, but in desserts like these, I do think they go together pretty well. The french toast was fluffy, and though not spectacular, was saved by the creamy, gooey salted caramel sauce. The bits of crispy oats added a welcomed crunch to this dish which I really liked too! 

Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters

185 Upper Thomson Road

Tue-Sun 9am-11pm

Sunday Folks

Ever since I tried Creamier, I've been dying to visit it's sister cafe in the Holland Village neighbourhood. A more spacious setting compared to the hole-in-wall premises of Creamier, Sunday Folks is a great place for dates, albeit the fact that it gets pretty crowded. The electronic queue management system is pretty darn awesome though. I got a shock when my name popped up when I typed in my phone number :O Apparently I'd used it before and so my number was recorded in the system. Cool stuff! Thankfully we didn't have to wait too long for a table for two. I guess we came at the right time too! It was like a madhouse after 8pm.

We were ushered to our seats and we pored over the menu, trying to decide on what flavour to get for our ice cream. Unfortunately, as the ice cream here is soft-serve, testing of flavours is not allowed. Which means you have to sorta take a chance. The sea salt gula melaka sounded really interesting and begged for our attention, and we just had to get it! And of course, a waffle was in order as well, because I remembered how fabulous it was from my previous experience at Creamier. Prices are much steeper here though, at $11.80 for a waffle+ice cream, and we added on a Nama Green Tea topping for $1.90. I was soooo tempted to get an extra scoop of ice cream, but since it was going to be served in a cup rather than on top of the waffle, I decided to forgo it.

Disappointingly, the ice cream flavour we chose turned out to be rather strange. One bite into it, and we looked hesitantly at each other with pursed lips trying to figure out what the other was thinking. Conclusion: it tasted weird. Which was really unfortunate, because I tasted this flavour at Creamier (the normal ice cream, not soft serve) and it was great! The waffle was as fab as I remembered, and the Nama Green Tea was yummy, though perhaps not really value-for-money. Not too sure whether I would want to give the rest of the soft serves a chance now, or simply stick to the regular ice cream.

Sunday Folks
44 Jalan Merah Saga,
Chip Bee Gardens #01-52
Tel.: +65 6479 9166
Tue-Fri 4pm-9.30pm
Sat & Sun 12pm-10pm

PARK

Yet another "Finally I've tried this place!!" eatery that I fell in love with ^^ So glad that it's just steps away from where I work. Haha I suppose you can guess where I work now, and I'm super happy to be working in such a foodie area. It's exactly suited for me! Sam tried out this place even before I did, and he seemed pretty satisfied with the food! Glad that I had the chance to try it out one of the days after work, and I was really impressed! 

Sam ordered the same dish he had the previous time - shows how much he like it :P That was good for me because I was really curious to find out what the draw of this place was! He had the Linguine pesto alls Genovese with sundried tomato and mushrooms ($15.90). I really liked how the generous shreds of cheese atop the pasta gave it a sharpness that pulled the creamy flavours of the pesto together. Alone, the pesto was a tad mild in my opinion (would have liked it to be stronger!!), but the addition of the cheese gave it sufficient punch. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my Thai Thigh Burger ($16.50). Actually had quite a hard time deciding what to order because quite a number of dishes sounded really awesome!! But I'm really glad that I chose this ^^ The honeyoat bun was a surprise with its really crisp texture - very different from fluffy burger patties that I typically prefer, but it was good in another way! I really liked how it added a crunchiness to the dish, which complemented the tender and juicy chicken thigh. With a tomato salsa and sweet thai chilli dressing, the burger was super flavourful! It comes with a choice of two sides and I decided to go for the healthier choice of mesclun salad and pesto tomato salad. The tomato salad was refreshing and had a rather interesting taste! 

Definitely would like to come back sometime since it's so convenient :) It was surprisingly crowded early on a Friday evening! Guess everyone was there because....TGIF ;) 

PARK

281 Holland Avenue 

Tel.: +65 9721 3815

Next Door Deli

Aptly named since this cafe was set up right next to its parent company, Pine Garden Bakery, I can't believe I took such a long time to check out this hidden gem. I actually wondered whether it'd closed down because I couldn't believe that a cafe could survive for such a long time in the heartlands. I was proved wrong. Next Door Deli serves up a mix of local nosh at wallet-friendly prices, and the food is really quite decent! The menu isn't extensive, but there were a number of items that caught my attention.

I was wavering between the Wok-fried Mee Siam and Wok-fried Laksa ($6.50) and opted for the latter in the end, since it's something I've never heard of before. For the price, the portion was really generous (I couldn't finish the noodles!!) with a bunch of prawns, a whole fishcake and a fried chicken wing on the side. The laksa had a spicy kick to it, but could have been more flavourful. It's a pity that the cafe didn't have green chilli! But the samba chilli did the trick for me as well, adding the final touch to this dish.

Sam ordered the healthiest item on the menu. I feel so ashamed when I eat with him now :P Haha. The Tomato Basil Fish Fillet ($7.90) was really tasty though!! The sauce was lightly tangy, which made the fish appetising, and together with the potatoes and vegetables on the side, made for a rather filling combination. 

The great thing about being located next to the bakery is that you can just get desserts from next door! (: We were greedy after dinner and popped over to get a couple of slices of the highly raved-about alcoholic cakes. We tried the Lychee Martini and Moscato Soursop. Pine Garden is really the place to go for affordable, yummy cakes. While they weren't the decadent, dense cakes that we're used to, but they're delicious in their simplicity. Much lighter, and wonderfully fluffy, the flavour is more like a wisp, rather than in-your-face-tasty. I wished the alcohol aroma could have been stronger, but while it was barely perceptible in the cake, I was pleasantly surprised to find the flavour lingering long after I'd finished the cake. 

Decent food, and very reasonable prices :) Now that I've discovered this place, I'm definitely coming back.

Next Door Deli

Blk 529 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 #01-2369

Tel.: +65 6458 6180

Mon-Sun 11am-10pm

Dean & Deluca

I had a rather 'productive' foodie weekend a couple of weeks back, ticking off a bunch of items on my eating list which have been there for the longest time!! (: Always happy when I go around eating good food. Yay! 

Finally tried Dean & Deluca, which has been in Singapore since forever. I'd actually been wanting to come here since it first set foot on our sunny shores, and yet I didn't. There are just way to many restaurants/cafes in Singapore to keep up with. Thankful for my accommodating boyfriend & family who get dragged around by me to check out my new foodie craze ;) Wouldn't life be so boring without food? Hehe. Anyway, so excited about Dean & Deluca, which turned out really spectacular! The prices are pretty steep though :/ But I felt that the portions justified it. 

I'll start with my Brioche French Toast ($18) first because it took the cake for me! At $18, it's probably one of the pricier french toasts around, but when you see the size of it, it's definitely WORTH IT. Two people could share it comfortably and have enough to eat. I certainly couldn't finish it myself. Cue three thick, fluffy slices of brioche, lightly toasted to produce crisp edges, drowned (literally) in a gooey, sweet salted caramel sauce, topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, salted caramel bananas and an assortment of berries. This was a food coma, sugar rush-inducing, recipe-for-diabetes concoction that killed me afterwards, but it was so so good. I recommend sharing like I did though, because the sweetness can get overwhelming.

The American Country Breakfast ($22) was a hearty spread of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, greens, grilled cherry tomatoes, hash brown and a slice of multigrain toast. I really liked how the scrambled eggs were done, or perhaps I've just missed eating it.

The Eggs Iberico ($22) were a tad disappointing appearance-wise, since there was a really appetising photograph of it on the menu. The taste was fab, nevertheless - I guess it couldn't go too wrong with the smooth jamon iberico which was the perfect complement to the poached eggs and sautéed mushrooms.

Mummy ordered the Portobello Cheese burger ($20) which surprisingly turned out to be rather meaty, with a thick beef patty. It was juicy and delicious, and we especially loved the perfectly crisp fries which came laced with a generous truffle flavour.

The Marinated Salmon & Mozzarella Quiche ($12) was possibly the only let-down we had. It was a small slice and we wished they could have heated it up more as the mildly warm temperature did little to bring out the flavours of the quiche. Also felt the veggie taste was a tad too strong, which over-shadowed the salmon. 

The cakes on display looked totally drool-worthy!! We were completely stuffed that day, but we'll definitely be back to try them! 

Dean & Deluca 

Orchard Central #04-23/24

Mon-Fri 11am-10pm

Sat & Sun 10am-10pm

Creamier

How could I have waited so long to try out this place??!! Granted, it's not really in my neighbourhood, but it's near enough! And it's such a gem. I'm glad that I finally, finally, went there for some indulgent me-time. The only problem was that the waffle stack with three scoops of ice cream looked so good but....

Well of course I couldn't finish all that on my own. So I reined my greedy self in, and chose just ONE flavour. I tried a couple of flavours - earl grey lavender, sea salt gula melaka and butterscotch almond. I really liked the first two! Super unique, and absolutely delicious. I thought the sea salt gula melaka would be a tad too rich for me to finish on my own though, so I opted for the former. Which was the perfect choice to go with my waffles because it was the quintessential balance between a deep, well-infused flavour and a lightness that allowed me to finish the entire waffle+ice cream combo without feeling overly jerlat. The waffles themselves were one of the best I've tasted. Though they seemed to have lost some of the crispness, perhaps because I spent the longest time taking photos of my food :P Also liked how the scoop of ice cream was so generous!!! It was more than enough for my stack of waffles. I can't image three scoops! There wouldn't be enough waffle to go around :P 

I thought that the cafe would have lost its hype after all this time, but apparently not. Despite the fact that it's located in the heartlands, it was PACKED during lunchtime. Plus the fact that it's a really cosy space, there was a queue extending all the way out when I was leaving the place. Waffles for lunch? Apparently I'm not the only one with that idea ;)  

Creamier

Blk 128, Toa Payoh Lorong 1, #01-835

Tel.: +65 6250 1476

Tue-Thu, Sun 12pm-10pm

Fri-Sat 12pm-11pm

Closed on Monday

N.O.M. No Other Meaning

Rainbows make me happy, when skies are grey ~

Haha wheeee I finally tried an awesome rainbow cake! This craze has been going on in Singapore for the longest time but I'm really quite deprived of these pretty eye-candies! The only other rainbow cake I've bought so far is the one from The Coffee Daily, which really didn't bring out the rainbow-ness with its colours more geared towards pastel tones. I was so happy with the Rainbow Cake ($7.90) at NOM though!! :) It was gorgeous ^^ Just look at that!!! It comes in three flavours for the "cream" (or whatever you call it) - salted caramel, oreo and chocolate. Perfect excuse to go back for more, because I want to try the other flavours! We tried the oreo, and it was soooo yummy! The cake was perfectly moist, with just the right amount of cream, and it was so so tasty. We also had the Peanut Chocolate Cake ($5.90) which was really decadent. Loved this as well.

To balance out the sweetness, we ordered a serving of Sweet Potato Fries ($5.90). Hmm okay, maybe "balancing" is not really the right word to use xP hahaha. But it was still a savoury dish! Really liked it!!! The fries came piping hot, nice and crisp on the outside, and soft inside. They were addictive. And knowing how I actually like savoury food more than sweets, I couldn't help reaching for this in between mouths of rainbow cake. Hehe.

So far we were really satisfied with everything we'd ordered. And I've heard that the mains at NOM are pretty good too! Tried a bit of Linwei's NOM Orange Duck Salad ($7.90), and I'm so inspired to come up with something like this for my own salads too! It was a scrumptious salad with mixed greens, smoked duck, orange slices and a really tasty goma sauce. No idea what that means but it was delicious! (: 

This cafe is situated in MacPherson Community Centre, which is a really random place to have a cafe. Lucky easties!! It was really hard to get to though - a zig-zag 15min walk from the train station through an HDB estate. But I'm already thinking of my second visit for my fill of rainbow cake... ;) Oh yes, and prices are nett!!! Which makes this cafe really affordable :) 

N.O.M. Cafe

MacPherson Community Club Level 1 

400 Paya Lebar Way

Tel.: +65 6747 3839

Mon-Sun 11am-11pm

The Providore

Hello! :) I'm back again with one of my wayyyy overdue posts. It's embarrassing to mention how long ago my visit to The Providore was, but I think it's a place worth sharing anyway, so I shall just write about it :)

Nestled on the 2nd floor of Mandarin Gallery (simply go up the escalator on the outside of Mandarin Gallery's entrance), The Providore could give Wild Honey a run for its money. Truthfully, I do prefer it over Wild Honey, which I find is overhyped and overpriced. The Providore, while still on the slightly pricey side of brunches, serves up a selection of items which I feel are of better quality.

The Spanish Baked Eggs ($18.50) was a dish of two free range eggs served atop grilled chorizo in a spicy tomato sauce. A very tasty dish, thanks to the chorizo and smoked paprika spices.

The Open-faced Breakfast BLT ($16.50) could be considered a little gimmicky, but I loved the ingredients that went into it. The thick chewy bacon was a hearty change to the usual fried bacon, and went well with the provolone cheese and roasted tomato.

We loved the ricotta pancakes ($17.50) for their delightful fluffiness!! I'm sure you can see that for yourself from this photo ;) The pancakes were so yummy, a couple of additions (candied walnuts and caramelised banana) sufficed to complete the dish.

The English Breakfast ($19.50) was pretty standard and probably a tad too pricey! I would most definitely go for the other dishes if I had to choose :)

The Providore

Mandarin Gallery #02-05

Tel.: +65 6732 1565

Daily 9am-11pm

Sunday Market

I've been having a dearth of suggestions when it comes to dinner places. My list of cafes is never-ending, but most of them hardly seem suitable for dinner considering the recommended items are usually brunch-type foods or dessert. While I adore brunch, I can never have it as a replacement for dinner, and it's been pretty hard trying to uncover good dinner venues that are wallet-friendly. Which is why I was so excited when I found out that Sunday Market was known for its main dishes, on top of the Bangkok Toast that has been flooding my instagram feed. Haha.

I'm so proud of ourselves for ordering all the cafe's signature items without even knowing it at that point in time. There were really quite a number of dishes that caught my eye and I spent the longest time poring over the menu. Went with the Roasted Duck with Hoisin ($12.90), which was an interesting twist on pancakes! Somewhat like an east-meets-west dish, which seems quite the theme of this restaurant. Think peking duck, but housed inside a fluffy pancake, with the sweet-savoury garlic hoisin sauce drizzled over it. I wished there could have been more of the yummy sauce, but the dish was pretty tasty on its own anyway. 

I sorta convinced Sam to get the Sirloin Rendang Toast ($15.90) and yay, he did! ^^ The rendang came as a luscious bowl of tasty gravy that was the perfect dipping condiment to the buttery brioche. The both of us exclaimed with pleasure when we bit into the brioche, which was fluffy and had a beautifully creamy flavour. However, we felt that the rendang was a tad too sweet! We would have preferred if it was a bit more savoury to provide a better balance. The beef was stewed till it was almost melt-in-the-mouth tender, which is incredible by cafe standards! 

While the portions of the main dishes we had didn't look remotely big, they were surprisingly VERY filling!! Perhaps it was all the carbs that expanded in our tummies. Still, I couldn't resist ordering the Bangkok Toast ($10.90) because it looked soooooo good. And it didn't disappoint! Three elements to it, that complemented each other to great satisfaction. The toast was generously-sized, crisp on the outside and deliciously soft within. It came topped with slightly tart berries that helped to cut through the sweetness - much appreciated for a decadent dessert like this! The matcha green tea custard was creamy and light, but had an unmistakably distinct flavour, and the Thai milk tea ice cream was simply perfect!! Though I was worried about the whole dessert being too overwhelming with the cacophony of flavours, they all came together in a beautiful harmony that was pleasant to the palate. 

Overall, I was really satisfied from this meal, and despite it's rather obscure location, this is one cafe I would come back to if I've run out of ideas for dinner! 

Sunday Market

22 Lim Tua Tow Road

Tel.: +65 6287 8880

Mon-Fri 1pm-10pm

Sat-Sun 11am-11pm