Foodography: A Singapore Food Blog

On my birthday this year, I was blessed to be treated by my close friends to a lunch at Fico, one of the restaurants that has been very high on my list of places to try in Singapore.

Admittedly, the obscure location along East Coast Park was one of the hardest to get to – with public transport, I took 3 buses and walked about 15mins thereafter. However, the sunny clear weather and views of the beach from the masseria-inspired beachfront restaurant made up for it.

My friend (thanks Emily!) made the reservation about 2 months in advance since this was a highly sought after venue and I chose the al fresco section for the vibes. Later I found out that the cheese wheel (for cacio e pepe) and dessert trolley could only be experienced if you dine indoors, so that was a real bummer for me.

Unanimously, we picked the San Marzano Tomatoes ($23) to be one of our favorites of the meal. It was a type of Focaccina offered in the menu – an 8” focaccia-based pizza made with 80% semola dough. The dough was light and airy and topped with creamy bufala mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and EVOO.

I could not skip burrata whenever I see it on a menu, so we got the Burrata Di Puglia ($22) served on a bed of escarole, pine nuts and olives.  

Amongst the 4 fresh pastas we had – Denti Del Drago ($27), Tagliolini ($38), Linguine ($32), Cacio e Pepe ($26, min order of 2) – the Denti Del Drago was the most memorable. It came in an unexpected shade of green, and I later found out that the pasta was naturally coloured with spinach! It was served tossed with white ragu and a generous portion of ricotta cheese which I loved.  

Thankfully, the staff allowed us to enter the indoors section and admire the mixing, tossing, and serving of Cacio e Pepe from the pecorino wheel. Would recommend it if you are a fan of cacio e pepe.

There were few mains on the menu, from which we picked the Charcoal Grilled Octopus ($36) and Pork Loin ($43). My pick would be the Octopus which I felt was tender and more flavourful than its red meat counterpart.

The desserts (choice of 2 for $15, for every third dessert +$7) also came in very small portions (I could probably have 2-3 entire items on my own), so I would propose to try every item if you go in a big group.

We had the Burrata Gelato, Souffle Tart, Cannoli and Zeppole (Italian donut).

The interesting pick was the Burrata Gelato which had an acquired taste as the gelato was savoury with a slight sweetness and tartness from the strawberry and tomato jam. It was a yes for me.

Meanwhile, the Souffle Tart would be the safest bet as what could go wrong with a 70% dark chocolate tart with sea salt right?

The Cannoli was also good, with a crisp and light shell balanced with the substantial ricotta and pistachio filling.

We were the last group to leave the restaurant at the end of lunch service and had the luxury to roam about for photos. Kudos to one of the staff who voluntarily helped us with many photos, even directing the backdrop and poses!

Even though I’ve heard mixed reviews, I honestly had a good experience with the ambiance, quality of food and service. However, beware that the price point was high for very small portions so I would save the experience for a special occasion. Make your reservation early.

1300 East Coast Parkway, Carpark F2, Singapore 468964

Mon to Wed 5.30pm – 10.30pm

Thu to Fri 11.30am – 3pm, 5.30pm – 10.30pm

 Sat to Sun 11.30am – 10.30pm

Tucked away in an unassuming alley, away from the main street in Joo Chiat, is Pelle and Pepe Bakery. Characterized by the bright green frames of its doors, one might pass by and not even notice that it is a bakery if they miss the modest sign.

I was there with my friend at 8.30am on a Saturday at opening hour, and there were already a few people waiting to get in.

Stepping into the quaint unit, I realised that a corner of the store is operated by Narrative Coffee Stand, serving drinks, while the other bigger corner is the baking space for Pelle and Pepe. I ordered a Matcha Latte ($5.5, +$0.70 with Oat Milk) from the coffee stand, but regretted not getting coffee instead.

Pelle and Pepe bakery prides itself as a sourdough bakery space focusing on plant-based, wholegrain forward, and zero yeast bakes – a point of attraction for those who are into nutritional bakes. There is a range of naturally leavened bread, sourdonuts (sourdough donuts), wholegrain croissants, other baked goods and pastries and a hot menu that changes on a weekly basis. You can check their Instagram for the weekly menu.

We had a total of 4 items – the Apple Pie Sourdonut, Cardamom Bun, Pain Perdu and Croque Madame.

The Apple Pie Sourdonut ($7.50) was light and fluffy and I enjoyed the chunks of apples which were not overly sweetened.

Somehow, it’s not common to find bakeries offering Cardamom Bun ($6.50) in Singapore, so I was satisfied to find one here that was of good quality.

If I visited again, I would skip the Croque Madame from the hot menu. Unfortunately, we found parts of the overly crisp toast that were blackened, and the dish felt more like an egg, tomato and cheese toastie rather than a Croque Madame.

Thankfully, we liked the Pain Perdu (French Toast). The spiced pear was slightly too ripe and mushy, but the fluffy sourdough brioche, soaked in the mildly sweet and spiced cardamom syrup and crème anglaise, made a sweet finish to our breakfast, without filling too heavy on the stomach.

Don’t miss this bakery especially if you are living or traveling around the area.

83 Joo Chiat Place, #01-01, Singapore 427800

8.30am – 4pm Thurs to Sun

Returning to Bangkok after 7 years, I was happily surprised to see that the café scene has been booming with many new cafes. One of my café picks on my recent trip was Stockroom, which was tucked away in an old alley of shophouses – somewhere you would not expect to find a modern F&B establishment.

When I was there at the Ratchatewi outlet (there was another outlet at Thonglor), the café had a collaboration with a local artist so the exterior and interiors were decorated with cute cartoon illustrations. There was even a Fotoautomat booth in the café.

The café interior felt homely, with the use of various pastel colours and wooden furniture – there were both locals and foreigners, some just having casual conversations with their friends and some who were comfortably working remotely with laptops. There were 2 floors but unfortunately the 2^nd floor was not opened for diners despite being fully and cleanly furnished. The indoor patio with the sun-roof made an aesthetic spot for photo shoots but not quite a functional dining area when the sun was blazing through.

A variety of Signature Drinks was on the menu, with some interesting-sounding ones like Sangria Coffee (140THB) and Darci (150THB, SGD5.60). However I played it safe and got a Hot Mocha with Oat Milk (150THB, SGD5.60). The coffee was decent, and I noted that the prices of coffee have increased significantly, coming close to that in Singapore.

From the All Day Brunch menu, my first choice – the Smoked Salmon & Egg Avocado Toast (270THB, SGD10.11) was unfortunately sold out, so I opted for the Tuna Melt Sandwich (250THB, SGD9.36) instead. The combination of toasted and crispy sourdough, tuna in a housemade sauce akin to tartar sauce, mozzarella and sunny side up was simple yet hearty.

As I was café hopping throughout that day, I skipped the desserts – some of the more promising and popular items I saw were the Blueberry Almond Tart (180THB, SGD6.70) and French Toast with Ice Cream (190THB, SGD7.12).

This was a lovely respite in the heart of Bangkok, away from the heat and crowd of the huge nearby shopping malls and hotels.

119 80 Phetchaburi 18 Alley, Thanon Phetchaburi, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400

Nearest Station: Ratchathewi BTS Exit 2

Weekdays 8.30am – 5pm, closed on Mon

Weekends 9am – 5.30pm

D’RIM is one of the newest Korean restaurants in town that I’ve been invited to try recently, located at the upscale Mandarin Gallery. I initially thought that D’RIM was a wordplay on “dream”, but it was actually the short romanized version of 드림 (deu-rim), which means the act of giving with respect and sincerity. It’s normally used as a sign off on emails/letters, something akin to “Yours Sincerely”.  

The restaurant has multiple dining areas, including private rooms for gatherings. We were seated at the counter seats where we got to view most of the action.   

There were a la carte and set lunch menus, an all day Korean barbecue grilled meat menu, and even a dinner omakase menu.

From the lunch set menu, we had 2 lunch “Bansang” sets. These sets came with a choice of main dish and fixed side dishes of Korean steamed egg, kohlrabi kkakdugi, pine nut salad, sungchae dumplings, yukjeon and Korean pickle. The sungchae dumplings were the interesting and not so commonly found side dish that I was hooked on – unlike the usual dumpling, the filling is wrapped with Chinese cabbage leaves.  

We also had some healthy teas to pair with our sets. I got the Mandarin Peel Tea which tasted very medicinal and healthy.

Moving on to the mains, the D’RIM Signature Noodle (A la carte $26, Set $38) is one of their signature dishes which I highly recommend. It featured 100% buckwheat noodles with a fragrant perilla seed sauce, beef heel muscle, handmade soy sauce, perilla oil, garlic chives, spinach, sesame seeds, perilla leaves and perilla leaf sprouts. The noodles here are freshly made daily with special Jeju buckwheat flour, which even within Korea is sold as a premium item with a higher cost. I loved the springiness of the noodles, and particularly the fragrance of the entire dish after pouring in the perilla oil and mixing all the ingredients.

The other main I tried was the Jeju Yukgaejang (A la carte $32, Set $44), which was a spicy beef and vegetable soup made with Jeju rock fern, brisket, buckwheat flour, green onions, sesame seeds and red pepper powder. The rock fern and brisket combination had an interesting texture, and together with the soup, this dish felt earthy.

The premium ingredients used in the dishes was the highlight for me – the dishes all tasted wholesome as a result.

Would love to try their K-BBQ menu at the next opportunity.

333A Orchard Road, #02-14, Mandarin Gallery, Singapore 238897

Weekdays 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm

Weekends 11am – 10pm