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

d'Good Cafe

finally, finally i had the opportunity to visit d'Good Cafe!! ^^ i'd been wanting to come here since last year, and it was always a potential study cafe for me because it is pretty easy to get here from where i stay and there is free wifi! but there was always some other place to go (zzz) and so we never came here - till now! and i've gotta say that it's not a very fantastic study location after all (haha) because it's so popular. BUT there is a good reason why it's so popular!! i'll definitely want to come back again for the good food, pretty cosy ambience and free wifi of course! (: i didn't take a picture of the swing, but it's soooo cute. permanently occupied, naturally. we were there on a weekday afternoon and almost all the tables were occupied all the time! the good thing is that they have quite a lot of seating space (hidden all over the place :p)

okay, enough blabbering - here's the food! ^^

two of the items i had at this cafe are MUST-TRIES, and this is one of them! :) i really didn't expect much from the chicken tikka masala ($12.50) but it turned out to be really awesome!! :D it was deliciously creamy with a tinge of butter, without being overly rich. in fact, it was super addictive and i mopped up every bit of the sauce eagerly. the jasmine rice that came with it was fluffy and subtly fragrant, and was the perfect complement to the curry.

sam ordered the eggs benedict ($13.50) and it was pretty standard i guess. the egg yolk didn't flow as nicely as he wanted it too, so it wasn't that fantastic. 

but hey, we were sure satisfied with our dessert!!!!! ***drumrolls***

the Maple Sea Salt Cheesecake ($9, if i remember correctly) was SO SO SO good!!! Sam was absolutely blown away, and it was pretty amazing to see ;) it had a wonderful combination of maple syrup, with just a smidgen of sea salt to balance out the sweetness. luscious, but not cloyingly so, and the texture was just right - it was pretty light, but totally satisfying. such a perfectly balanced cheesecake! (: and plus i had the most epic experience trying to get hold of this cheesecake. you can check out my instagram for the full story if you're interested. haha.

i can't wait to come back to try their chilli crab pie and different types of pastas! everything here just sounds SO GOOD. and how about another cheesecake? ;) yep, i would definitely love to have one.

d'Good Cafe

273 Holland Avenue #02-01

Tel.: +65 6219 9807

Sun-Thu 10am-10pm

Fri-Sat 10am-11pm

Yoshimaru Ramen Bar

this was a really surprise find that i thoroughly enjoyed!! was searching for a place to have ramen, and i came across this place which was recommended on some other blog. lo and behold, i realize it had been on my foodie radar list for quite some time but i completely forgot about it. anyway, super glad to have visited it, because it can be considered one of my favourite ramen places now! for some quirky flavours (which i absolutely love) and for its really affordable pricing (: i preferred this way more than the hokkaido ramen at santouka (though that was good too!) and it's so much cheaper!

the key is always in the details, and we had so much fun with this little bowls of sesame seeds which we were given to grind as we waited for our ramen to arrive. this is a really small shop tucked away in a corner of the holland village enclave, and i don't think reservations are allowed, so do take note of that!

i was at a dilemma between choosing the mini burgers and going for their ramen. ended up kinda forcing sam to share both with me :p so that we could get the best of both worlds!! and that was really the perfect combination. we had everyone salivating over the burgers ;) there are three flavours of burgers: spicy cha shu, teriyaki chicken ($2.80 each) and the mentaiko ebi mayo ($3.80). i ordered the combi of all three flavours which cost $8.80. and all of them were soooo good! first up was the ebi burger which came with a light crisp-battered ebi tempura encased in pillowy mini patties. i liked how all the burgers came with a generous serving of fresh lettuce within them, which deftly drew out the flavours of the other ingredients by cleansing our palate. the spicy cha shu was tender and yielded easily as it released its innate juices with a bite. the teriyaki chicken was delicious as well! 

shared the original karamiso tonkotsu ramen ($12) with Sam. this was a flavourful medly which hit all the right notes with its punchy broth, soft cha shu and delish flavoured egg! i always love the egg! 

if i could choose though, i'd go for the spicy version of the above (also $12). this delivered a beautifully hearty essence with the underlying spiciness, which livened up the entire bowl of ramen. not too spicy, just perfect.

Yoshimaru Ramen Bar specializes in Hakata ramen, and so we definitely had to order it! the Traditional Hakata Ramen ($11) was a simple, heartwarming dish with all the necessities (: it didn't make much of an impression with me though, because (*points below*)

saving the best for the last...the Karaka Men ($13) aka the spicy yuzu ramen!!! *squeals!* give me anything with yuzu and i'll fall for it ^^ LOVED THIS. i was really amazed at how the tangy notes of the yuzu went so harmoniously in this savoury dish. who knew that such a combination worked? the zesty flavour kept me addicted right from the start, and i couldn't help but reach for more spoonfuls of soup even though the bowl didn't belong to me. whoops! :P but it was REALLY awesome. i will definitely come back for this, and order a whole bowl for myself. yumms!  

Yoshimaru Ramen Bar
31 Lorong Liput, Holland Village
Tel.: +65 6463 3132
Mon-Fri 11am-3pm, 6pm-11pm
Sat, Sun & PH 11am-11pm 

Hansang Korean Charcoal Barbecue

i was walking around holland village one day deciding where to go for dinner. it's one of the rare times that i start off a post without saying 'i've been wanting to go to xxx forever!' :P hahaha. it was quite early on a saturday evening (before 5pm), but most places open at 6pm! :( wanted to go to chip bee gardens but it was dead quiet there. oh wells. but when i walked past this korean restaurant, it looked pretty enticing! :)

just a teaser of our crowded table halfway through the meal :)

this was the setup of our bbq and each of us got a refreshing bowl of salad, plus three types of sauces. can't rmb what they were. i think there was sesame oil, bean paste and one more. and we got a massive basket of leaves to wrap our bbq meat in! :) to neutralize the oiliness.

the various korean appetizers - i especially loved the slightly spicy tofu! it had a nice firm bite, and the sauce that went with it was delicious. the pickled radish was very refreshing, not particularly something i liked, but it felt healthy in comparison to our relatively meat-y dinner. loved the kimchi as well, and the spicy rice cakes were really interesting! it had the texture of fishcake, and a wonderful flavour.

we had four types of meat - clockwise from top left: pork, marinated chicken, marinated beef, wagyu beef. OMG i absolutely adored the marinated meats!!!! they were super flavourful (very good marinating there! the sauce was infused into every morsel of the meat) and very very tender. super yummy! on the other hand, i was kind of disappointed with the wagyu! :( really nothing special i felt. you might want to just opt for the non-wagyu option (it's $2++ cheaper). there is only one serving of wagyu, while the other three are unlimited.

it's cooking time! the ventilation system here was pretty good i think! most of the fumes were sucked into the side of the pot, so it was not too smokey.

the jabchae (sweet potato noodle) was delicious! it totally reminded me of fried tanghoon - very fragrant, and the noodles were bouncy. we had three types of pancakes: seafood spring onion, kimchi and fish fillet. loved the spring onion and kimchi ones! the fish fillet was a tad fishy though :/ the assorted mushroom (to be grilled) were lovely as well! encased in an aluminium foil with the sauces and juices, they blended together perfectly in a wonderful combination.

each diner also gets a choice from the main menu (4 choices). since we had four people, we each chose one! :) bibimbap, kimchi soup, spicy tofu soup and mushroom soup. i felt the bibimbap was sorely lacking in sauce, so it was a little bland. the soups were delicious though! food for the soul :)

you also get a choice of drinks. i got cheated by the 'korean barley'!!! :( it's the rice tea or whatever. i thought it was really barley -.- oh well. anyway i swapped with mummy and got the green tea instead.

we had this very interesting cinnamon punch that was ultra refreshing! :) i think it helps in food digestion if i'm not wrong. not overly sweet, and with the fragrance of cinnamon, it was a wonderful way to end the meal.

and we had fruits too! plus cute lil mochi :D

our buffet was $36.80++ per person.

Hansang Korean Charcoal Barbeque

20 Lorong Mambong

Tel.: +65 6464 5238

Daily 11.30am–2.30pm

5.30pm–10pm

The Daily Scoop

this place looks sooo adorable! :) i was captivated by the wallpaper the moment i stepped into the store. tucked away in chip bee gardens (there are actually so many food places to explore there!), i've been wanting to try this place forever. but i couldnt bring myself to travel to sunset way or wherever the other outlet is.

my friends went absolutely gaga over the kahlua flavour. all of them ordered it! if you like coffee, take their word and try it. yup i tried it too, but then i wasnt sure whether the COFFEE or LIQUER would be the one overwhelming me, and since it was at night already, i didnt want to risk not being able to sleep. yep, i am that sensitive to coffee :/

instead, i opted for the butterscotch pecan, and topped up for a brownie ($5.50). absolutely lovely! :) their ice cream is smooth, creamy and flavourful, and the brownie was SO DELICIOUS. lightly crisp on the outside, it revealed a moist soft interior that was richly chocolate-y. wonderful :)) try it!

The Daily Scoop

#01-78 Chip Bee Gardens

Tel.: +65 6475 3128

Mon-Thu: 11am-10pm

Fri & Sat: 11am-10.30pm

Sun: 2pm-10pm

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao

XIAO LONG BAO BUFFET! :D haha sorry to all my other posts but they'll just have to wait. i have to post this first. like seriously. whee! look at that! we ordered a total of 17 baskets = 85 xiao long baos altogether for 11 people. i've never eaten so many xlbs in my whole life haha. it was awesomeeee! and we were like a bunch of ravishing lunatics grabbing and gobbling our food :P must be the after-exam syndrome. yup i just went there right on the last day of my exams and the day summer started (: whee! if i could i would be doing backflips around my house haha :D :D :D

this was before we started eating. look how civilized we were then (: haha. anyway, i realised i didn't really explain what this whole thing is about. it's a Steamboat Xiao Long Bao buffet at Crystal Jade (Holland Village). i can't remember what the exact price was, but i think i paid about $27 after GST & service charge. and it was really yummy! (: as you can see from the first picture, an unlimited supply of xiao long baos....

...a complimentary serving of 100g of tiger prawns per guest. not that i ate it, cos firstly i couldnt wait for it to be cooked, and secondly i was too lazy to peel it :P okay yes, bottom line is that im a lazy pig. anyway, my friends who ate it said it was good! (:

instead i chose to eat my favourite MEATS which were beautiful thin slices pork and beef, which cooked really fast and were wonderfully fresh and yummy. they were full of fats though, but that was what made them so yummy i guess? anyway the xlbs are supposed to be full of fat already, so a little more wouldn't hurt? :P first day of summer is for INDULGENCE. now is time to start thinking about exercise, yes? ;)

other stuff we had were a whole lot of mushrooms, different kinds of balls (like fishballs and salmon balls - loved the salmon balls!), dumplings (the guo tie kind, not xlb), and just lots and lots of meat xD i really loved it! apparently the chicken is not so good though. so we didn't order it. there are also the intestines and pig skin kind of stuff which we didn't really order. we also tried a couple of the appetizers - the cucumber with garlic tasted like something you would have with chicken rice, and we also had the preserved egg with japanese tofu which i thought was not bad!

the XLBs were absolutely yummy of course (: beautifully folded with a delectable broth inside. and because the sauce was self-service and came in bowls, i had an awesome amount of vinegar to dip my XLB in. i practically drowned it in vinegar :P and i discovered that meats and lots of other stuff go really well with peanut sauce! i would have never imagined. but knowing how i love peanut butter soooo much (yes i do!) i can't believe i discovered this sauce only now :O

the desserts were really awfully disappointing though! O.O it's really quite sad when desserts are bad cos its always nice to end of the meal on a sweet note! but bad desserts just somehow make the rest of the meal less enjoyable. we tried two kinds of jelly, im not sure what the names are but it's something along the lines of a 'crystal jelly' and 'red bean jelly'. i didn't try the crystal jelly - the looks on my friends' faces after they ate the jelly was enough to deter me. the red bean jelly was not that bad, it tasted like jellyfied potong ice cream. but the 'tauhuay' was really really, erm, weird. it was not tauhuay. more like....tofu? it was just plain. with a thicker texture than tauhuay. it wasn't even the silken tofu kind! more like somewhere in between toufu and taukwa. O.O err? not good.

oops this came a little late. but here's the soup that we had! you have up to two choices - we chose the Pork Bone Soup and something else (which just tasted the same to me haha). initially we wanted the dan dan soup, but apparently its really oily, so keep this in mind if you want to order it? and there are the other spicy soups as well. yum! (: the pictures show the progression from our empty steamboat, to getting filled with meat and veggies, and finally, the remains. haha. don't judge! :P

happy day with my friends! (:

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao

241 Holland Avenue

Holland Village

Tel.: +65 6463 0968

Mon-Fri: 11am-10.45pm

Sat & Sun: 10.30am-10.45pm