Foodography: A Singapore Food Blog

Hoshino Coffee. How time flies. It has been two years since my last visit to their then one and only branch in Plaza Singapura. Since then, they’ve expanded over to Suntec City with their second branch and now they’re running a third branch over at Capitol Piazza.

Located in the basement, the new branch occupies a space just as large as the first. The décor here, however, seems a notch classier. The ambience is more laid-back, making the dining space feel somewhat like a post-retail therapy zone to chill. I later also found out that you can make a private room reservation here as well.

The items exclusive to this newly opened branch include their pie pizzas and mille feuilles. Out of the Mushroom and Chicken Pie Pizza and Mixed Pie Pizza (both $15), I tried the former. The base of the pizza, being crispy and puff pastry-like, does make the pizza less heavy on the palate. The pizza also comes with some minestrone soup at the side to keep you going.

They call this the Mille Feuille ($15), but it’s actually more of a mille feuille inspired pastry. We guessed that the strawberry version would be better than the banana version (as with most Japanese desserts) so we went for it. Sandwiched in between two thick and flaky puff pastries are strawberries with cream surrounding a scoop of ice cream right in the middle. Unfortunately there was way too much cream compared to the ice cream and strawberries and the cream was too thick to be enjoyed with the pastry.

If there are less satisfactory dishes, you can always look forward to their soufflé pancakes which have always been raved about. From now till September, you can get their Soufflé Pancake with Peach ($17.80 for two pancakes, $14.50 for one pancake), part of the seasonal menu. I’m glad the standard of their pancakes have not dropped – it’s of the same consistency as 2 years ago and it was not too dry. This seasonal version is definitely more refreshing than having the pancakes plain.

My advice: Skip the mains, go straight into their soufflés and soufflé pancakes. You may also have to rush the service staff a little for your orders.

13 Stamford Road

Capitol Piazza

#B2-55

10.30am – 10.30pm daily

This is a Crystal Wee X WAttention collaboration.

This is kind of a late post since my first visit to Paddy Hills was about 6 weeks ago but I thought I should visit a couple more times since I was pretty impressed by the initial dining experience here. I was getting bored of the other new cafes that opened so much so that I started to appreciate the old places I frequent a lot, but this new café that opened this year was surprisingly very promising.

The café occupies a relatively huge space with a bar counter dividing the place into two halves. There are blue walls, wooden tables, green tiles and gold counter tops which seem like a mismatch of colors and textures but eventually gave rise to a pleasant aesthetic and ambiance. Stellar effort put into the décor for sure.

The menu splits into Daytime Eats (9.30am to 5pm) and Nightime Nosh (6pm onwards) and is packed with a variety of interesting eats. You’ll probably take some time to browse through the entire menu and pick the items. Word of advice: Order your items quickly as waiting times can be pretty long especially on the weekends.

I’ve skipped the coffee here since reviews were not too impressed with it, and went ahead with their more popular fruit-based drinks. Taste like purple ($7) is made from cold pressed grapes. Albeit a little sweet, the basil taste kept the drink refreshing enough to go with the heavy main courses and sides here. It’s probably a wise choice to skip the caffeine here and go for their truly thirst-quenching drinks. Others include the Yuzu effervescence ($7), Rise and Grind ($7) and Pinkish Lemonade ($7). Otherwise there are also milkshakes like the Hawaii ($11) – a smooth coconut milkshake but came with an acquired taste.

The fluffiest pancakes award definitely goes to the Orange ricotta pillows ($18). The stack of 3 came with a generous pool of orange caramel sauce along with a scoop of coconut ice cream. The caramel sauce which came with a mix of citrus, coconut and custard is possibly the X factor of this dish as well.

Though not as soft and chewy as the traditional Korean version, the Toasted spicy rice cakes ($15) was oddly addictive as well, especially with the gochujang mayo which came on the side and added some spice to it.

Who knew that mantou could be used for sliders? The Golden man tou sliders ($23) features beef patties with a great consistency in between sliced mantous. They came with an equally good sweet potato fries on the side. Well I’ve had a couple of versions of sweet potato fries recently and I must say that their thin, crispy purple sweet potato fries is one to beat. They tasted even better when dipped in their homemade BBQ sauce.

Possibly the most popular item on the menu would be the Berry ricotta hotcake ($19), what with its rave reviews and photogenic aesthetic. I like how the edges of the hotcake come with a slight crisp to it, while the insides are fluffy as ever. Strangers’ Reunion has a similar hotcake which I happened to try as well but this alternative seems a lot better. Some has even compared it to the famous ones from Top Paddock in Melbourne. I just wish they could give extra maple syrup on the side to pour over it.

Some other items I’ve tried:

Small breakfast ($12) – toasted bread, truffle polenta mash, sous vide egg, double roasted mushrooms. I thought that the truffle-infused polenta, or cornmeal, was pretty good. This dish is good for small eaters.

Salmon carpaccio ($18) – the portion was a tad small but I was impressed by the freshness of the house cured salmon.

Kimchi fried rice ($20) – the addition of a salted hangar steak and sous vide egg made this simple Korean dish a lot more exquisite, hearty and flavourful. I wish that there could be more traces of kimchi in the fried rice though.

Chicken in a bag ($15) – these pieces of fried chicken came in a paper bag on a plate. “So does fried chicken tastes better in a paper bag?” I asked. These came with the homemade bbq sauce which comes along with the golden man tou sliders as well. The fried chicken was decent but nothing to shout about.

Unlike other cafes, Paddy Hills whips up dishes with each dish having its own uniqueness. This is one place you should never tire of. Its location in an ulu area near Haw Par Villa means that it might not be the most accessible café around, but I assure you that the venture will be worth it.

38 South Buona Vista Road
9.30am – 10pm daily

The original plan was to head to Carpenter and Cook (haven’t been to the main store at Lorong Kilat for ages), or to the newly-opened Revelry which seems to serve up some decent waffles. Alas, both were closed. You would think that after years of food hunting I’ll do my research beforehand all the time…

Next to Udders along Lorong Kilat is its new born sister, The Udder Pancake. Udders does have some pancake dishes on their menu but now this outpost which is directly connected to Udders instore has larger range of pancakes on the menu, from sweet to savoury. Oh, there’s truffle fries too. You can also get ice cream and waffles from Udders next door and chill at this larger space. The cushion seats are a lot more comfortable than those wooden stools at Udders.

Sadly and oddly enough, we didn’t get their pancakes. I’ve been eyeing their mille crepes and I was previously disappointed by Udders’ pancakes. Between the two of us, we shared a Geisha Matcha ($7.90), Brandied Chocolate ($11.90) and a Baileys Tiramisu ($11.90).

They tasted as good as they looked. My personal favourite is the Baileys Tiramisu, which came with a shot of baileys in a syringe. It’s pretty therapeutic to inject it in and watch the liquid flow in between and out of the layers of the crepe. Tiramisus were made to be a lighter, fluffier, mousse-like cake but I thought this denser crepe version could give the original a run for its money. The cream might put off some people though.

Green tea lovers would be a fan of the matcha crepe. It is hardly (artificially) sweet at all and the essence of green tea is great. On the other hand for the brandied chocolate crepe I felt that the brandy was overpowering the chocolate crepe. Wouldn’t recommend it if you’re not accustomed to alcohol.

The mille crepes are a tad pricey but I say go for it if you’re looking to try something different. Maybe I should’ve got some ice cream next door to go along with the cakes…

17 Lorong Kilat

#01-09

Kilat Court

Mon – Thurs 12pm – 11pm

Fri 12pm – 12am

Sat 11am – 12am

Sun 11am – 11pm

A Sunday morning spent at my favorite bakery with the bestie is always precious. This time, I realised that the back of the bakery has undergone a slight change and all I can say is that I’m loving it. The tables at this area at the back (near the toilets) used to be in partial darkness but now it seems that the area has brightened up. This shelf which used to be next to the entrance was also removed, allowing more light to enter. It feels as if the entire cafe has been livened up.

This is a little late, but Tiong Bahru Bakery has launched some new festive treats in lieu of the Chinese New Year – the Chocolate and Hazelnut Kouign Amann ($4.5), Pineapple and Coconut Tart ($8.5) and Orange and Chocolate Marble Cake ($4.5 per slice/$18 whole cake). We only tried the former 2 though and they were great. The newly flavored kouign amann in particular was very memorable. Instead of the usual, fully caramelized signature pastry, this one’s fully chocolate flavored with traces of nuts on the inner layers. A little less crunchy than the original kouign amann’s caramelized layers, but the dense chocolate flavor more than made up for that. If only this could be a permanent item… Meanwhile, the pineapple and coconut tart was lighter on the palate. It featured a pineapple mousse on a sugar biscuit crust topped with coconut cream and then a white chocolate disc. This was not too sweet at all, perfect for all to enjoy.

This is not part of the new items, but rather an old favorite – the Vanilla Millefeuille ($8). Apart from the kouign amann, this is a must-have for me whenever I’m here. The vanilla cream in between the flaky layers may be a tad too sweet for some to handle, but I love how it is thick and substantial. Watching the cream spill out whenever you attempt to cut into this pastry has also gotten fun for me. The Chocolate Brownie ($5.5) left the least impression on us though it was decent.

You can head down and get the special festive items which are available till 3rd march (not much time left!)

P.S. Thanks F for the lovely day out and for the advanced birthday “surprise”!

56 Eng Hoon Street

#01-70

Sun to Thurs 8am – 8pm

Fri to Sat 8am – 10pm

The infiltration of cafes into HDB estates never stops. This time, an ice cream bar serving up exquisite flavors of ice cream, waffles and plated desserts has opened under a block of flats in Bedok. They dedicate themselves to using fresh ingredients and creating their own unique flavors with modern cooking techniques – the concept turned out quite refreshing indeed.

You might gasp at the small serving of the Lime Mojito Sphere ($4.5) as it is only a mouthful but you probably won’t regret it. Put it entirely in your mouth and let the liquid mojito burst out completely. A moment of silence, please.

And here I present to you the most beautifully plated dessert here, the Deconstructed Strawberry Cheesecake ($15) – comprising cinnamon shortbread crumble, strawberries, cinnamon cream cheese mousse and a scoop of raspberry sorbet. Every component came in together nicely, in terms of both visual appeal and taste. We were literally trying to scrape every inch of the plate for more. There’s also a pre-dessert for this –  carbonated strawberries and amuse-gueule.

Of course, any dessert cafe now can’t do without the staple of cafe goers- the waffle.

Their Gourmet Waffles ($6), aka charcoal waffles, are slowly becoming the talk of the town. Not just because they are black and different from the usual buttermilk waffles, but also because they come with salted egg yolk custard sauce for you to drizzle on the waffles.  The first bite taken of the waffles together with the egg yolk sauce may seem strange since it’s savory but as you continue on it becomes oddly addictive. I have been very compelled to request for more sauce each time. They also come with salted caramel sauce drizzled round the dish, and the bits of lavender in the caramel sauce gives it a refreshing edge. The original buttermilk waffles drizzled with chocolate sauce are also served here, but those are just so passé.

I had two scoops of ice cream on top of the waffles – Banana Hazelnut Sorbet ($3.9) and Butterscotch ($3.9). The former contained traces of mashed bananas (which explains the heavy taste) which kind of overpowered the hazelnut but I’m not complaining. The texture of the sorbet was surprisingly smooth to my liking. The latter, on the other hand, was mildly sweet.

On another occasion, I had Cherry Brandy Sorbet ($4.5) and Butter Beer ice cream ($4.5) to go along with my waffles. The cherry brandy was refreshing while the butter beer was sweet with a bitter beer aftertaste. Something interesting to note – they make all their ice cream from scratch.

My least favorite was the Banana Nutella ($9) which came with Hay & Honey ice cream and Nutella soil on caramelized bananas. Could be better if the bananas were more caramelized and the nutella soil didn’t make the dish seem dry.

As for their drinks here, the coffee is pretty decent and I’ve yet to order their signature hot chocolate but I heard it’s worth the try. I really like that they have my favorite Moscato as well since you can hardly find any cafes offering them.

If you’re planning on visiting (and you should), I suggest you to head down quick. There was only a one week gap between my first and second visit yet the number of patrons have gone up by a fair bit. Another piece of advice – go early. There are limited quantities of the desserts and generally their plated desserts (excluding waffles) are only limited to 20 servings a day! The plated desserts are also rotated on a daily basis so it’s not a guarantee that all that you want to try is there. Hipster enough, eh?

Blk 416 Bedok North Avenue 2

#01-25

Mon, Wed, Thu, Sun 12pm – 10pm

Fri, Sat 12pm – 11pm

Another (not so new) addition to the Tiong Bahru cafe scene has got to be Sin Lee Foods. Unlike the other hipster cafes in Tiong Bahru, Sin Lee Foods is located at a much quieter, less well-known area underneath a HDB flat at Jalan Bukit Ho Swee. Yet you will be surprised to find a crowd of people almost filling all the tables indoors, each table bearing their signature items that keep the hipsters visiting.

Not a fan of broccoli at all (I know I know…), so I skipped the Aburi Broccoli Salad ($12) that my friend had. So I’m relating her words over here: “Best broccoli I’ve ever eaten.” With their unique way of preparing this dish – the florets are smoky torched and tossed with white balsamic and papadum – I can somewhat imagine how good it must be for a broccoli lover. It smells nothing like the usual broccoli too.

You might notice that they offer truffle fries on the menu… skip that, and opt for the Salted Egg Sweet Potato Fries ($12) instead. As if sweet potato fries aren’t tasty enough on their own already, these are served with their house made salted duck’s egg sauce. The sauce tends to be heavy and on the salty side, but the combination of it with the sweet from the potato fries is fantastic. This is equally, if not more addictive than truffle fries. If only I can have a second helping.

As for my own main course, I had the beautifully plated Beef & Grains ($24) after fighting the dilemma between it and the fried chicken on waffles. Accompanied by a fried and runny sunny side up was no doubt the star of the dish – the 180gm marbled striploin. I was amazed at how it was seared to a nice pink. Texture-wise, it may be a little touch to chew it completely. Underneath the beef and egg was wet orzo “rice”, which is actually a type of pasta shaped like large rice grains. On top of it all is furikake, a dry Japanese seasoning, which is sprinkled all over the dish. I just thought that they may have used too much sauce for the orzo which made it soggy and overly salty.

Overall, the food served here is not without room for improvement but it’s impressive how they handle the fusion of ingredients from various sources such that the dish turns out unique and palatable at the same time. I also liked how the cafe has retained a nostalgic feel – you’ll know it when you see it.

Blk 4 Jalan Bukit Ho Swee

#01-164

Tues to Fri 10am – 9pm

This year, we have seen a fair share of New York and Aussie inspired cafes opening every now and then. It’s finally time for a England inspired cafe, or a tea room. Hyde and Co. lies in the vibrant Kampong Glam which is no longer housing merely traditional or Malay restaurants. Take the stroll down from Bugis along North Bridge Road and you’ll understand. Setting foot into this English style cafe almost makes you feel like you’ve been transported to another setting. The aesthetic won me over with the white, clean and minimalistic look.

My advice – skip the coffee, go for the tea. You can always get your daily dose of caffeine at every other cafe. The tea selection here is huge, with each pot of tea at $6.50 each. Choose from a total of 45 tea flavors under the categories of black tea, flavored black tea, green tea, white tea, herb blend, fruit tea and rooibos. I tried both the Sencha Honey and Rooibos Vanilla and I enjoyed the lingering, light aftertaste of honey and vanilla respectively.

Food wise, Hyde & Co. is best known for their crumpets, which originate from the United Kingdom. They seem like mini pancakes but are griddle cakes to be exact. Unlike pancakes, they are rather thick and chewy. There are two options for either savory or sweet crumpets and I decided to go for the staff’s recommendation, the Gula Gula ($10.90). I liked how the Singaporean twist on the original crumpets which are usually eaten with butter or jam spread worked out well. The stack of 3 crumpets topped with gula melaka and coconut flakes was not overly sweet, making it a pleasant delight.

We also checked out some mains such as Lady Hyde ($12.90) – a twist on the classic Croque Madame featuring brioche with honey baked ham, pineapple, cheddar, hebi hiam sandwiched in between and ultimately topped with a sunny side up. Good Morning Glory’s ($14.90) highlight is the very creamy scrambled eggs, which is paired with Norwegian smoked salmon on sourdough rye bread. Sadly I didn’t get to try this other popular item on the menu – Hyde’s S’more Toast ($11.90), a brioche french toast with melted marshmallows, dark chocolate, biscuit crumbs and berries.

Overall, I felt that the theme of this cafe should be applauded for. It’s not cliche, overrated or tacky at all. I can also feel the sincerity of the staff in providing warm service to welcome you. Unlike some other overcrowded cafes, there is no pressure to eat and leave quickly. It almost feels like a leisurely afternoon tea in Britain.

785 North Bridge Road

Mondays, Wednesdays – Sundays 10am to 6pm

Everyone around me probably knows how much procrastination I’ve done for this post. After countless of visits with and without my camera, I think it is finally time for me to get down amd launch wordpress for the first time in 3 weeks. So two years ago I reviewed the then go-to place for ice cream and waffles, Creamier. It grew in popularity over the years and still remains packed as hell especially throughout the weekends (Read more about Creamier here). Two years later, a sister outlet of Creamier is born. Welcome Sunday Folks, into the more “atas” Chip Bee Gardens.

Compared to that of Creamier, the space taken over by Sunday Folks is easily 2 to 3 times as large. Though more tables have been lined side by side over time, it still feels more spacious and comfortable to have your ice cream and waffles here. My very first visit was actually just a short while after they’ve just opened. Then, the place was barely filled with patrons. It only took about a couple of weeks for people to find out about them, despite the little effort in publicity by the owners. Instagram pretty much became their PR.

The largest difference between Creamier and Sunday Folks lies in the ice cream which goes on top of their signature, Belgian waffles. Instead of the usual scooped ice cream, they have started the trend of serving soft serve ice cream on waffles. Initially, the sight of a tall and slim soft serve was odd, but after all my visits to Sunday Folks this year, the other version of ice cream on waffles now looks weird to me (sigh). Choose from 6 standard flavors: Summer Strawberries, Roasted Pistachio, Earl Grey Lavender, Madagascar Vanilla, Sea Salt Gula Melaka, Dark Chocolate. Having a soft serve stacked on two square waffles costs $11.80 and recently the option to have just one waffle beneath the soft serve ($8.80) is made available as well. Note: the waffles also come with strawberries, blueberries, maple syrup and hazelnut sauce.

Who knew that soft serve on waffles can be that satisfying? The only complaint that I have is that it melts way too quickly. Among all the flavors, my favorite has got to be the sea salt gula melaka which has a brilliant combination of sweet and salty. The dark chocolate was overpowering and somehow didn’t quite go well with waffles. A safe choice would be the madagascar vanilla, which is truly made with vanilla beans. Otherwise, the refreshing pistachio flavor is good too.

Another highlight of Sunday Folks is the option of customization by choosing from a variety of toppings to decorate your waffles with. I’m fond of getting the Nama Chocolate ($1.90) and Nama Green Tea ($1.90), both coming from Royce Chocolate, simply because they are quality. And perhaps because you can’t just get a few pieces from a Royce store.

Between the Lemon Cheesecake ($1.90) and Souffle Cheesecake ($1.90), I can’t decide which is better. The former has a stronger taste while the latter is light on the tastebuds. I also love going for the White Chocolate Coconut Mikado ($1.90) and Popping Candy Chocolate Mikado ($1.90) since I don’t see these pocky sticks elsewhere. Some toppings like the Sea Salt Chocolate Honeycomb ($1.90) and Caramel Popcorn ($1.50) were too sweet to go along with the waffles though.

If you’re feeling less contentious, or just want something to take away with, go for the cone or cup ($7.20). The display counter also boasts a selection of cakes, with the most popular one being the Japanese Matcha Cake ($7.90). Surprisingly, it’s a rather good slice of matcha cake – soft and creamy while having a substantial taste of matcha.

My advice – go for the regular soft serve on two waffles. Yes, it can be that satisfying.

44 Jalan Merah Saga

#01-52

Chip Bee Gardens

Tuesdays to Fridays 1pm – 10pm

Saturdays & Sundays 12pm – 10pm

You may have some inkling of the now-defunct OZ Specialty Coffee, or even visited it before. Though I didn’t get to do a blog post on OZ, I had a pretty good brunch there earlier in the year, featuring their signature waffles done Belgian style. Coffee was excellent as well. Sadly, we had to bid this tiny coffee hole farewell before I could visit it again with my camera.

But it was all for the better, as OZ Specialty Coffee has collaborated with Pacamara Coffee Roasters to bring to us cafe hoppers the newly opened Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters. It occupies a much bigger space than OZ, where Liquid Kitchen used to be at. Yet another joy to the Upper Thomson area. The cafe’s interior is gorgeous. It is based on a minimal, white theme coupled with wooden furnishings. I really felt like I was stepping into a cafe in Melbourne or New York, so kudos to the designer. If only that bare concrete floor had some nice white patterned flooring…

Essential thing first – coffee. Opt for either black or white coffee here. Their White coffee comes in 3 sizes: 3oz ($4.5), 5oz ($5) and 7oz ($5.5). On both occasions that I had the White, it was smooth and came with a nutty aftertaste.

The brunch menu offered up to 2.30pm sounds promising, despite the no return of their popular waffles from OZ Specialty Coffee. It has been a long time since my last unforgettable eggs benedict, and the Truffle Benedict ($18) here rewrites that record. Blanketing over brioche, smoked ham, spinach and two poached eggs is a savory truffle hollandaise sauce. I was impressed at how well-infused the truffle was into the sauce as well as how it complemented the eggs benedict so well (I once had pretty bad truffle eggs from a restaurant I shall not name).

As mainstream as it might sound, the Salted Caramel Banana French Toast ($16) was above average. I liked how moist it was without the brioche french toast being soggy. The salt crystals from the salted caramel might be an overload though.

Served with greek yogurt, fresh berries and mango, the simple Granola ($10) was elegantly presented in that deconstructed style. However, I felt the greek yogurt and granola were lacking in quality.

I love how consistent the food here is. It is always neither too dry or moist, just like the Red Velvet Pancakes ($16) which has a golden touch of mascarpone to it. The mascarpone does add an interesting dimension to the otherwise dry, boring pancake stack.

The full menu is up from 12pm onwards. Expect main courses such as Wagyu Burger ($25), Shellfish Risotto ($23), Miso Glazed Salmon ($22) and Hanger Steak ($25) and salads like Buffalo Caprese ($16) and Rocket & Pear Salad ($15) to whet your appetite. I might just return here soon to pamper myself. If you’re far from being famished, the glass counter has a range of bread and pastries from The Bread Table which you can settle for.

I’m not sure about you, but I’m totally digging this new cafe. It is not just about the large, clean space or warm service from the service staff. Unlike the dozens of new cafes out there, Pacamara has a truly comprehensive food menu to go along with their specialty coffees. The prices are steep but I’m not hesitant to pay for the experience of having both quality coffee and food. Go quickly before the noise gets unbearable.

185 Upper Thomson Road

Tuesdays to Sundays 9am – 11pm