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)

The Assembly Ground

When Yi first told me that she visited the Assembly Ground at The Cathay, I thought she was referring to a more accessible branch of Assembly Coffee at Bukit Timah. I've been wanting to try out that cafe, but it's just too out of the way! The Assembly Ground is not related to the former, but it's actually an extension of the Assembly Store in The Cathay. Spacious premises that don't get too crowded even on a weekday lunch hour, it was a great place to chill! :) Food was not bad too! 

Okay, actually Rachel's Eggs Zoey ($17) could have done better. A fancy name for Eggs Royale, we felt that the eggs were a tad too small, and was served atop a muffin that looked rather unimpressive. I felt the flavour of the hollandaise sauce was pretty yummy though! But there are definitely better eggs elsewhere. 

On the other hand, I really liked my Beef Chilli Fettucine ($16)! Lovely thick strands of parpardelle slathered with a delicious beef chilli sauce that was reminiscent of Mexican flavours, with a generous amount of braised beef and an added kick of sharp parmesan cheese. I loved the contrasting flavours that were married together in this dish, which gave it an interesting, yet harmonious element. 

Overall, I was quite satisfied with this cafe, and I think it's a lovely place to relax if you're in the area.

The Assembly Ground

The Cathay #01-21

Tel.: +65 6733 3375

Tue-Fri 12pm-10pm

Sat-Sun 10am-10pm

Becasse

It's been awhile since i had brunch. as in a good ol' western brunch on a sunday morning. With all the travelling that i was doing in the past two months, I really missed Singapore food and actually gravitated to Asian food with the family quite a bit. And haven't been cafe-hopping with Sam since work started. So i was really excited when papa suggested brunch at Bécasse last Sunday! Bécasse is one of the latest concepts at the Dempsey area, having expanded from its casual takeaway outlet in ION. 

I didn't manage to capture a picture of the restaurant, but I really loved how spacious and airy it was. Definitely a welcome change from the small, cosy cafes - which we do love, but are sometimes a tad claustrophobic when they get crowded on weekends. 

The first item that caught our eye on the menu was the Sticky Date Pancakes ($13). Pancakes are such a common brunch item, and it's nice when restaurants do a twist on this ubiquitous dish. They came in a stack of three, with a huge scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top, which was a wonderful touch. I loved how the pancakes lived up to their name, with the syrupy essence of sticky date infused within it. The butterscotch sauce drizzled onto it was the perfect finisher to this dish, which would satisfy any sweet tooth. Perhaps a little too sweet for some, but I enjoyed it immensely.

Zhen ordered the Pulled Chicken Crepe ($16), which was filled with roast chicken slices, oyster mushrooms, spinach and gruyere cheese. It was decent, but nothing fantastic.

It's been awhile since I had Eggs Benedict ($18), but I didn't order this by the way! Papa did. It was pretty standard too.

The following two dishes we had were interesting, because they seemed to be the savoury and sweet twin of each other!

I ordered the Croque Madame ($16), which was brioche sandwiched with smoked leg ham and gruyere cheese, with a truffle baked egg on the side. Kopitiam breakfast, anyone? It sure looked like it, haha! The truffled baked eggs impressed with their fragrant aroma though. I certainly can't bear to compare it to the the half-boiled eggs we eat. The generous amount of truffle oil used was evident in each mouth we took as well. Definitely go for this option, even though there is an option of a Croque Monsieur ($14) without the egg. I am so in love with brioche - it has got to be my favourite bread ever! It can never go wrong with its fluffy texture, and I honestly think I could eat it plain. While the cheese got a bit too much after awhile, I still enjoyed this dish quite a lot (:

The Berry French Toast ($15) was the sweet twin of my dish. Lightly fried in a batter and topped with   some mixed berries, poached pear and ricotta, this was quite a nice dish. The thing is, it was missing maple syrup. Plus, the limited amount of toppings resulted in it having a lack of flavour. While the texture of the brioche was a saving grace for the dish, I felt this was one of the more disappointing french toasts I've had. 

Overall, I felt that the food was decent, but apart from a couple of dishes, nothing to shout about. I will be back though, for the spacious ambience (hopefully it doesn't start getting too crowded), and affordable prices. Honestly, it is rare to see such reasonable prices in the Dempsey area. Consider yourself warned. ;) 

Bécasse

Blk 10, Dempsey Hill #01-21

Tel.: +65 6479 8119

Daily 8am-11pm

Rokeby

hiya! (: if you saw my previous post on Wimbly Lu, you'll have heard of this really ulu little street called Jalan Riang in a neighbourhood in Serangoon. well, guess what, i went there again! haha, but this time by car so it was way more convenient. and i'm so glad that we checked out this brunch gem, Rokeby! i read about the dinner served here previously, but not much about brunch, and we were all really impressed at what we found! (: this Australian diner takes pride in their breakfast as evident from thoughtful touches in each dish on the menu, and we enjoyed every single item we ordered.

there is always someone in need of a big breakfast - and the Rokeby Full Monty Brekkie ($18.90) would immediately quash any morning hunger pangs. a sumptuous spread which you see above, that was well balanced with eggs (done according to your choice!), meat, bread & hash and veggies.

everyone was drooling over my dish. hehe. see that thick slab on top? it's FOIE GRAS. two thumbs up for their extremely generous serving of the prized goose liver. my Foie Gras Benedict ($21.90) came at a comparatively hefty price tag, but with such ingredients in it, it's absolutely worth it, if you compare it to other places where even a normal eggs benny would cost you the same price. the foie gras was a delicious melt-in-your-mouth goodness, and whoever thought of this combination is a genius. 

zhen got the Portobello Benedict ($13.90) - the number of egg items on their menu is mind-blowing - and it was great too! the brioche toast by the way, is absolutely lovely. just lightly crisp and super fluffy inside, it goes so well with the oozy goodness from the egg.

and for some sweets, we had a tough time choosing between the Fruits & Nutella ($11.90) vs Peanut Butter & Banana ($11.90). we opted for the former, though the latter sounds SO GOOD (and sinful too) that i might just come back for it next time. except that i'm not a big fan of bananas. argh. anyway, the waffle was wonderfully done, with a great texture.

besides the first two items, the rest of the brunch items are actually really affordable! i'll definitely come by again next time....when someone drives again ;)

Rokeby Bistro Cafe

15 Jalan Riang

Tel.: +65 9106 0437

Tue-Sun 9am-10pm

The Missing Pan

hihi! :) i've been wanting to blog about The Missing Pan for really long. this is so overdue! but i've really gotta get down to it because IT'S AWESOME. one of the newest places for brunch (i think it's only a few months old), it serves up quite a comprehensive plethora that leaves you spoilt for choice. in fact, we had a huge dilemma trying to decide what to order when we were here. their dishes aren't just the typical brunch items you find in most other cafes. you can see that they've put in effort to make it just that bit more special :)

i really wanted to stay away from eggs benedict. i've been eating it too much. and i really tried my best. but....

62 Degree Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon ($22)

who could resist this?????? 

i succumbed :P WHOOPS. and no regrets at all haha. check out my instagram for the drama unfolding over that perfectly flowy yolk. ahh ^^ it's making my stomach growl at this strange hour. 

Zhen ordered the Rosemary Rosti Stack ($16) which came with lots of bacon (maple-glazed if i rmb correctly! ^^), two huge sunny side up eggs, tomato and grilled zucchini salad. i apologise because this was awhile ago so (again) i can't really remember how the food tastes. but it was YUMS :D

we thoroughly enjoyed the Pulled Pork Burger ($19). though i believe most recommendations would tell you to try the steak burger (which we didn't), i consider this a worthy contender! :) we loved every bit of it, from the pulled pork that was marinated in a lovely sauce, gooey cheese and that bun! one thing i've gotta mention is that The Missing Pan comes in two "parts" - the bakery and the brasserie. brunch is served at the brasserie which is upstairs, and they use artisanal breads from the bakery downstairs. so good :') the dining space is really small though! so reservations are highly recommended.

mummy's French Toast Salpicon ($19) was one huge fascinating, and confusing dish. haha. a humongous slab of bread (the BIGGEST i've even seen!!) topped with banana nuggets (so delicious - like goreng pisang!), mixed berries and strawberry-smoked syrup. lift up the bread and voila! we found that the interior of the bread had actually been removed, and replaced with chicken, spinach and mushroom. like i said - fascinating, but confusing for the tastebuds with the blend of sweet and savoury flavours. it was pretty nice, but i would still have preferred the whole thing to be sweet. the thought of all that fluffy bread inside wasted....sigh. it was still delicious though :) 

oh yes, and just a warning, their portions here are pretty massive btw. hahaha. take their chicken schnitzel is probably bigger than the size of my face #notkidding. we were stuffed by the end of our meal! plus...we were greedy and decided to order MILKSHAKES. overkill ttm. hahahaa.

but these were SO GOOD. i would totally order them again xD 

YOU HAVE GOT TO ORDER THE NUTELLA MILKSHAKE ($9). it was a orgasmically good!!!!! it practically feels like you're eating nutella out of the tub. icy cold and soooo luscious. absolutely sinful, but #yolo okay. it is totally worth your calories. the chocolate milkshake ($9) was good too! but if you have to choose one, NUTELLA FTW.

i've added this to my list of favourite brunch places!! :) it is too awesome. i love every single thing about it. 

The Missing Pan

619D Bukit Timah Road

Tel.: +65 6466 4377

Tue-Sun 9am-10pm

Common Man Coffee Roasters

why, hello there! (: 

Common Man Coffee Roasters has got to be one of the hottest brunch spots since it opened a couple of months back, and i'm glad to have snagged a seat here. perks of being an early bird - this cafe opens its doors from 8am daily, so there's a good reason for you to get up early for a hearty breakfast! the prices, as you may have heard, are probably beyond what you'd think a "common man" should pay, but being a collaboration between 40 hands' owner/barista, Australia's Five Senses Coffee and under the Spa Esprit Group's management, you can be sure of the quality of food, and of course, top-notch coffee. okay, i have to concede that i'm not a coffee drinker (i do feel it's a pity sometimes, with all these fantastic coffee joints popping up all over the place, but i still prefer my sleep more :p), but i can guarantee that i felt the food was awesome. and it's not everywhere that you can get a Middle-Eastern brunch (the other would be Artichoke, and i apologise that this post will only be posted in a couple of months time! :X but good things are worth waiting for right?), so i would say the premium you pay is well worth your buck.

there are several must-tries at CMCR, and the Turkish Common Man Breakfast ($25) is one of them. a hearty serving of goodness on a plate, and i hardly know where to start! the pyllo-wrapped soft boiled organic egg was the pièce de résistance with its crisp bird's nest structured art encasing a delectable egg, which spilled a gorgeous runny yolk. the fresh cucumber and tomatoes lived up to their claim perfectly, with the tomatoes absolutely reminding me of those i had in italy! mind you, i've hadn't had such wonderful tomatoes since i got back to singapore (i wonder where they bought these tomatoes from!! i want them too!!). the crispy feta had a sharp savoury flavour, and it came perched atop a lovely bed of hummus. with fluffy pita bread to seal the deal, this was a dish to-die-for. 

now, i'd come here not wanting to eat eggs benedict initially, because i'd been having consecutively for quite a few sundays (i'm a big fan). but when i saw the description "tender braised ox cheeks", i just had to order it. *shrugs* i'm just greedy like that :p haha. and i was rewarded with this delicious goodness of Organic Eggs Benedict, which is no doubt more pricey than many other places at a whopping $24, but so absolutely worth it :D look at that flowy yolk!!! i have a thing for flowy yolks. in eggs benedict, in ramen, in custard buns (kinda). you name it, i love it ;) the chive hollandaise was an interesting twist on the sauce, and i liked how it lent an extra herb-y aroma to this dish. i sank my teeth into the incredibly tender ox cheeks that sat on artisanal sourdough toast and...my life is complete :) haha. you must order this too!!

the Common Man Full Veggie Breakfast ($24) in no way pales in comparison to the rest. despite the lack of meat, this is a suitably substantial dish that will satisfy you immensely. two free-range eggs in any style you like, halloumi, spinach (beautifully done, i was so amazed at how they made it so tasty!), mushrooms sauteed with garlic that were super fragrant, avocados and artisanal sourdough bread. 

the Common Man Full Breakfast ($26) is for any greedy soul who wants everything on the menu! or for someone who can't make up their mind. basically it's everything on the previous dish, with chorizo hash browns (i found this to be a very interesting update of the hashbrowns one might be accustomed to), pork canneillini beans (also very tasty with the various spices infused in it), crisp bacon and sausage.

so..i don't drink coffee, but i felt their hot chocolate ($6) was very well done! with its full body and rich aroma, this is definitely one of the better chocolates i've had! (:

in conclusion, other than the prices that are slightly steeper than normal, this place is awesome for brunch!

Common Man Coffee Roasters
22 Martin Road
 Tel.: +65 6836 4695
Daily 8am-7pm

Arbite

I can’t believe I waited so long to write this!! I’ve actually got quite a few food posts that I haven’t managed to write till now xP

Really glad that I had the chance to try Arbite finally!! And it’s in one of the prettiest neighbourhoods that are quite near my house ^^ I love serangoon gardens! It’s like a little town of its own.

 

Starting with the drinks, they had such an interesting selection that I had a hard time choosing! I ordered the green tea and vanilla milkshake ($6) which was absolutely yummy!!! It was not too thick, but had enough creaminess and substance, which is why I loved it.

 

zhen ordered the iced chocolate ($5.50) which was delicious too! Super thick and chocolate-y yummmz :D

Arbite doesn’t have truffle fries on its menu, but you can request for it! can’t remember what was the price though. It was pretty good! Thick cut fries that were seasoned with the truffle essence. I still think PS café has the best truffle fries though! The seasoning is un-matchable haha.

 

Since it was brunch, so we chose stuff from the lunch menu as well :P the grilled Moroccan chicken ($15.90) was a rather interesting dish. It’s a chicken thigh marinated in Moroccan spices, giving it a lovely flavour, and is served with pilaf rice, side salad and tomato olive salsa.

 

Zhen ordered the frittata ($14.90) which is an Italian style open face omelette filled with lots of ingredients! Bacon, asparagus, onions, potato, fresh tomatoes, olives, mushrooms and parmesan cheese. It was really a smorgasbord of flavours!

The sea salt caramel banana pancakes ($14.90) was alright…I felt it was not spectacular or anything but was pretty decent. The pancakes were fluffy with caramelized bananas layered in between them and drizzled with maple syrup.

And I have to say that I LOVED my eggs benedict ($11.90)!!! haha. no #1 fan of this dish and when I have a good version of it, I definitely have to rave about it :D they use brioche at Arbite for the bread and I loved how soft and fluffy it was!! Perfect for soaking up the hollandaise sauce, which was provided in abundance which was another plus point :) yummy!

We wanted to try their desserts as well, but unfortunately it was too much for us xP I heard the wife’s chocolate cake is damn awesome though!!! Someone try it and tell me please! I wanna go back someday for it.

Arbite 

66A Serangoon Garden Way

Tel.: +65 6287 0430

Tue – Fri 11.30am-3pm, 6pm-10.30pm

Sat – Sun 11.00am-10.30pm

Closed on Monday

Five & Dime

when i stepped into five & dime, it was as if i was transported to another realm, outside of singapore. it felt like i was in a cafe in melbourne or america, and i immediately relaxed int0 the atmosphere. the aroma of freshly brewed coffee held a tinge of that holiday scent (when you're on holiday, places smell different!), the view, and the little reindeer at the door. so cute! :)

my attempt at taking a tumblr-worthy photo haha. not bad, dont you think? ;) the five & dime chocolate ($6) was really interesting! this has to be one of the most unique hot chocolates i've ever tried. there was a subtle hint of hazelnut in it that give it a whole new dimension. it was a pretty small cup though!

we ordered the calamari ($8) for our starter. yup we had a starter for brunch haha! it was covered with a thin layer of flour and fried to a crisp that shattered in your mouth to reveal fresh springy calamari within.

papa ordered the big brekkie ($22), which, true to its name, was huge. it consisted of your choice of sunny side up or scrambled eggs, pork bacon, chicken chipolata sausages, baked beans, sauteed mushrooms and thick toast. this is your safe go-to order if you want to try everything. i loved how the sunny side ups looked! :D they were done so neatly and purely :) the baked beans were really interesting, with a slightly spicy mexican-like sauce. slightly awkward was the thick toast though. it didnt come with any spread, and nothing on the plate seemed appropriate to go with it.

the buttermilk pancakes ($15) have got to be one of the best pancakes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!! maybe that's the secret - buttermilk! i should totally try this out sometime. the pancakes were super fluffy, yet dense enough that it didnt feel airy. it comes with a choice of chipolata sausage or pork bacon. i felt that the sausages were slightly on the bland side, but at least that made them feel healthier.

the corn beef hash ($16) was something different that you rarely find at other cafes! the corn beef was pretty fragrant, quite interesting! it came with two beautiful sunny side up eggs and breakfast potatoes. the potatoes were super yummy! they were beautifully seasoned, slightly mashed and just simple comfort food.

the eggs benny ($16) were balanced atop a slice of brioche toast that was so incredibly fluffy and crispy at the same time, i loved it! it came with mesclun greens, which balanced the dish wonderfully, the breakfast potatoes (yay score!) and fruit salad - a quirky combination of fruits including kiwis, grapes, strawberries and bananas.

finally, the french toast ($15) came with a choice of pork bacon or chipolata sausage and fruit salad as well! i loved the texture of the thick toast that was fluffy, with a good amount of chewiness. i felt the flavour of the french toast could be further enhanced though. but with the maple syrup that came with it, it was pretty alright :)

for an out-of-singapore escape from reality, this is the perfect brunch location!

Five & Dime

297 River Valley Road

Tel.: +65 9236 5002

Mon–Fri: 12pm – 12am

Sat: 10am – 12am

Sun: 10am – 10pm

Closed on Tue