Foodography: A Singapore Food Blog

One of the most awaited openings at KADA, a newly opened creative lifestyle hub at 5 Kadayanallur St right outside Maxwell MRT station, is Alani, a Greek Mediterranean bakery-café and restaurant. I was anticipating its official opening 2 months ago since it is opened by the same team behind Proud Potato Peeler, a private dining concept which I visited and left with good reviews of the food.

In Greek, “Alani” is used to describe someone who lives life without restrictions, embodying a free and wandering way of life. The ambiance of the open-air rooftop contributes to the overall theme of the café, with potted greenery, large communal tables and rattan chairs. Plus point: the outdoor dining area is also dog-friendly.

Upon stepping into the indoor dining area (with just a few dining tables) where the ordering counter is, we were greeted by a wooden display of tantalizing bread and pastries which were mostly Greek/mediterranean-inspired. Despite the wide range of options of brunch dishes on the main menu, the visuals of the bakes made us lean towards the bakery menu.

The café also serves coffee made from beans from Morph Coffee Roasters, who partners with One Fifteenth Coffee from Jakarta. My white with oat milk was delightful.

At $18, the Fermented Pumpkin Pesto & Wagyu Beef Sourdough was easily one of the priciest items in the bakery which we still readily paid for. The chewy, slightly charred sourdough bread, together with the pumpkin pesto filling, melted cheese, wagyu beef bits, and a drizzle of homemade spiced chili oil, felt like a hearty brunch dish I would love to have for breakfast every day. Their sourdoughs are made from a 14-year-old hand carried Greek sourdough starter.

Another one of the highly raved items here is the Pistachio Cinnamon Roll ($9). This is also made with the sourdough starter and perhaps one of the most sinful items here, with a generous filling of homemade pistachio praline with crushed and candied pistachios. Not for the faint-hearted.

The only item we had from the brunch menu was the Avocado on toast with burnt sherry tomato vinaigrette, feta cheese, poached eggs and seeds ($24). Unfortunately, the 2 poached eggs were overcooked and the yolks already firm.

We ended off with the Portokalopita ($10), a Greek orange cake made with layers of custard, phyllo dough and honey-orange syrup. I loved the moist and juicy insides of the cake which has absorbed the saccharine syrup, well-balanced with the zesty, citrusy orange flavours. The dollop of bitter chocolate ganache and thin sheet of phyllo pastry topped on the cake perfected the sweet ending.

The space gets filled up quickly on the weekends, so I recommend being there early morning to grab the most comfortable seats.

KADA, Kadayanallur St, #04-095, Singapore 069183

11am – 3pm Thurs to Fri

9.30am – 2.30pm Sat to Sun

The journey to Lille Bakery from the city center of Copenhagen was an experience in itself. From Kongens Nytorv, we took the 2A bus, which travels all the way to Refshaleøen, a former industrial district that has transformed into one of the trendiest areas for food, art, and culture. Along the way, we passed through the town of Christiania (make sure to stop by Freetown Christiania for a unique tourist experience) and began to see the old industrial buildings that have been revamped into vibrant restaurants, galleries, bars, and cafes.

Lille Bakery is located right across from the last stop on the route. It occupies an airy, loft-style repurposed industrial building with floor-to-ceiling windows that invite plenty of light on sunny days. Both outdoor and indoor seating on the ground level feature communal tables, while individual tables can be found on the second floor of the loft, where you can also capture that iconic shot of the bakery.

The menu boasts a variety of offerings, including sourdough bread loaves made with Danish grains, seeds, and salts, as well as pastries and seasonal dishes for breakfast and lunch that change frequently.

From the breakfast menu, I chose the Scrambled Eggs on Rye with Ramson (DKK 90, SGD 17.1). While it appeared to be a simple dish, it was scrumptious, hearty, and healthy all at once.

I also indulged in three of their pastries: the Berliner (DKK 35, SGD 6.6), Blomster Bun (DKK 35), and Carrot Cake (DKK 40, SGD 7.6). The Berliner is traditionally a German jam-filled donut dusted with powdered sugar, but here it is filled with a light cream custard, which I found delightful due to its fluffiness.

The Blomster Bun featured buttery, flaky layers reminiscent of a kouign amann, but it was dusted with sugar instead.

The Carrot Cake was equally impressive, boasting the perfect texture and density while tasting both organic and delicious. The quality of their bread and pastries likely stems from sourcing excellent ingredients from local farmers who grow and produce crops sustainably and ethically.

To complement our meal, we also tried their Prolog Black Filter Coffee with Homemade Oat Milk (DKK 32, SGD 6.1) and Homemade Iced Tea (DKK 30, SGD 5.7). Surprisingly, the iced tea was very refreshing without being overly sweet or bitter.

Lille Bakery is like every other bakery I’ve visited in Copenhagen—it has its own unique identity while offering high-quality bread and dishes.

Wed to Sun 8am – 5pm

213B Refshalevej, 1432 Kobenhavn, Copenhagen, Denmark

When I reached about 10 minutes before its opening at 7.30am on a Sunday morning, there were already several people in the line ahead of me. That is how popular Sunday Bake Shop is among both locals and foreigners. It only opens with the full line up of bakes on Wednesdays, Fridays, and of course Sundays, so you’ve got to plan your schedule carefully.

The bakes on display featured a mix of classic British-style pastries such as scones, Victoria sponge cakes, lemon drizzle cakes and pastries infused with Asian elements such as matcha, coconut, and other seasonal fruits. Given that the descriptions of the pastries were all handwritten in Japanese, and that there was a line of people behind me, I was pressured to make my choices fast based on the visuals.

Eventually, I chose the Carrot Cake (JPY450, SGD3.9), Matcha & White Sakura Cream Cake (JPY540. SGD4.7) and Strawberry & Spelt Crumble (JPY540, SGD4.7). I was also gunning for their famous pancakes but was bumped to find out that they were only available on Wednesdays.

Though there were window counter seats and a communal table for dining indoors, I decided to grab the al fresco long bench for the warm sunlight.

Right behind the quaint wooden storefront windows was the coffee counter from where I received my order of Flat White (JPY530 SGD4.6, +JPY50, SGD0.4 for oat milk). When I was there, the espresso beans used were the Honduras Caballero by Fuglen Coffee. The coffee had a gentle tone and soft mouthfeel, pairing well with the bakes.

My personal favourite was the Carrot Cake, which I later realised was a signature item. The cupcake itself was fluffy and moist, packed with large bits of organic carrots, walnuts and spices, and topped with a sweet and light cream cheese.

The Matcha Cake was a seasonal spring item. The slice of rich matcha loaf cake was topped with butter cream with bits of pink Sakura.

Lastly, the Strawberry crumble had an interesting mix of flavours – tartness and sweetness from the strawberries and a slight salty flavour from the spelt. There was also a layer of chocolate near the bottom which surprisingly complemented the crumble.

If you’ve some money to spare, you can grab their signature cat-shaped shortbread to go.

6 Chome-35-3 Honmachi, Shibuya City, Tokyo 151-0071, Japan

Sun (7.30am – 5pm), Wed & Fri (7.30am – 6pm) – normal business days with full line up of bakes

Tue (8am – 3pm), Thu (7.30am – 3pm), Sat (7.30am – 3pm) – only coffee, no indoor dining

Closed on Mon

With its first store established in Everton Park some years back, Dearborn has recently opened its flagship within the hippy red blocks of New Bahru. Dearborn prides itself as a breakfast club, microbakery and breakfast provision shop, serving not just its signature granola flavours and baked loaves of bread but also a range of breakfast dishes.

It is nearly impossible to get a seat on the weekends without waiting in line if you do not come right at the opening time – so I opted for the outdoor table, which I don’t recommend if you’re sensitive to heat.

On both occasions I was here, I started off with the Piccolo ($5, +$1 for oat milk), a single shot with 4oz of milk. I loved how it did not bear the strong, distinctive bitter taste that piccolos normally do.

If there was one dish you need to try here, it would be their signature Potato and Egg ($15), which is also vegetarian friendly. It features a 63-degree sous vide egg buried underneath potato puree, topped with sourdough croutons, chive oil, silky potato espuma and puffed grains. It was the smooth, creamy and savoury potato puree that elevated the dish, and it felt like a fine dining course.

The Advanced Granola Bowl ($15) was another favourite of mine. This was a combination of locally-made Annie’s coffee yogurt, house-made hazelnut & maple butter and cherry compote with their best-selling dark chocolate hazelnut and sea salt granola, resulting in a mixture of sweet, nutty and tart flavours complemented with the crunchy texture of the granola.

It was a mistake to order the Basic Granola Bowl ($9) after having tried the advanced bowl, because the basic bowl now felt extremely basic… I chose the strawberry macadamia granola for this, and I have to say that the dark chocolate hazelnut granola was still superior.

The Peanut Butter and Jelly ($7) was one of the best I’ve had. The salted praline peanut butter with feuilletine was crunchy, a good balance of sweet and salty, and doesn’t stick to your teeth like commercial peanut butters. The buckwheat English muffin it was spread on was just as good.

I was really craving some meat so I had the Dearborn Breakfast Sandwich ($17). The highlight for me were the fluffy sweet potato rolls used as the top and bottom bun. The homemade pork sausage, American cheddar, egg and spicy pepper relish sandwiched between the buns were however just alright, nothing much to shout about.

Apart from the inconveniences of a strict 1-hour limit for both indoor and outdoor dining (I was still eating but got reminded that I had to leave within a few minutes), strict seating arrangements (3 pax table is strictly for 3 pax) and the small portions, I honestly liked Dearborn for the quality of the breakfast items, standing out from the other cafes.

My top picks? The Potato and Egg, PBJ, and Advanced Granola Bowl.

46 Kim Yam Road #03-04, New Bahru, Singapore 239351
Wed to Mon 9am – 3pm