Foodography: A Singapore Food Blog

News of 174bingo, a new bakery-café in Joo Chiat, popped up on my feed just before I went to Denmark and Sweden, and I decided to visit after coming back from my travels. As per my preference and habit, I targeted to reach at opening hour but I was minutes’ late and there were already several patrons in the café.

The interior of a humble size is furnished with moody lighting and wooden furniture, featuring a communal table and benches in the middle. There are also small and low stools along the walls which may be slightly uncomfortable for some. Note that only the outdoor seating area is pet friendly.

Coffee here is made with beans roasted by Maxi Coffee Bar and served out of disposable cups, I had the Hot White ($5, +$1 for oat milk). Non-coffee drinkers can opt for Chocolate ($5.50) or their Iced Seasonal Shrub Soda ($7.50).

The humble selection of bakes is displayed behind a glass counter next to the register. Having just came back from Denmark and Sweden, my interest was piqued by 2 Scandinavian inspired pastries.  

The first was the Cardamom Bun ($6), which originated from Sweden and which I had tried 6 different ones on my vacation. The one here was decent with an adequate amount of sugar and cardamom, but lacked the softness and fluffiness of the ones I had in Scandinavia.

“Memory of Osterbrograde” ($9) was the other Scandinavian inspired bake – Osterbrograde is one of the main streets within the Osterbro district in Copenhagen. The laminated layers of the pastry, topped with a piping of very subtly sweet vanilla cream, were crispy and flaky. Upon cutting through them, I found that the core was filled with raspberry jam that was more tangy than sweet. This is a good choice for those who do not have a sweet tooth.

I had only stomach space left for 1 more item, which was the Iranian Pistachio Tart ($14) – arguably the most premium pastry served here. The base is made with Iranian pistachio praline and pistachio frangipane, while the top layer is made from vanilla and pistachio cream. This was on the sweeter side, though I loved the sweet nutty flavours of the praline which was reminiscent of baklava.

Other than the sweet pastries, a tempting range of savoury items were also available, namely the Garlic and Herb Knot ($6), Four Cheese (Brie, Mozzarela, Cheddar, Cream Cheese) with Honey and Ol’ Fashioned Chicken Pie ($10.5). I guess it will require a second trip to satiate my curiosity.

Love this new addition to the Joo Chiat enclave.

174 Joo Chiat Road, Singapore

Wed to Sun 8.30am – 4.30pm (last order at 4pm)

On my past trip to Bangkok, I was continuously impressed by the cafés’ interior and high standard of coffee. In particular, the Sukhumvit area has been booming with such cafes and is now as busy as it gets on weekends. My café of choice when I visited the area was A Keen House, just a few minutes’ walk away from Ekkamai BTS station. They have another outlet at EmSphere but I highly recommend this outlet at Sukhumvit 40 for the interior.

Originally a three-storey townhouse, it was then redesigned into a café while maintaining the old structure. Additionally, a new glass house, that was inserted on the side of the first floor became the main aesthetic feature and seating space of the café. The interior reminded me of a cross between Scandinavian minimal + Japanese wabi-sabi – an inspiration I would like to take for my future abode.

The menu offers a wide range of coffee, non-coffee, pastries and artisanal goods such as breads, biscotti and truffle aioli. Many items are also seasonal in nature.  

While the café is popular for their signature flavoured coffees with Instagram-worthy toppings such as the Burnt Caramel Latte, I opted for the boring Matcha Latte (THB160, SGD 5.9) as I just had coffee from the previous café stop. It was decent, though slightly grainy with a flavour profile on the sweeter side.

Along with my drink, I had the seasonal Double Chocolate Cherry Brownie (THB320, SGD11.8) which came in a glass jar. Rather than a brownie, it felt more like a jar cake with several layers including a cacao almond crumble base. I loved exploring the different textures and layers. Despite it being a double chocolate cake, it was not cloyingly sweet and felt more like a blackforest cake thanks to the use of cherry.

In between sips and bites, I also explored the second floor which serves as an art gallery with exhibits. The third floor is reserved for workshops only.

It was an interesting concept and use of space for various purposes – something I wish that we could have in Singapore, despite being aware of the impracticalities from a financial standpoint.

4 Soi Sukjai Sukhumvit 40, Phra Khanong, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110

Nearest BTS station: Ekkamai

9am – 5.30pm daily

Serving single origin coffee from Glitch Coffee Roasters out of a traditional Japanese house is Nadoya no Katte, located conveniently from Yoyogi-Uehara subway station.

The house was in fact a vacant 60-year-old house which was refurbished into the existing café. Entering the gate, I went up a short flight of stone steps which led me to the façade of a corner of the house.

From there, I was led by stepping gravel stones straight into a tranquil garden with a myriad of greenery – cherry blossom trees, plum trees, peach trees, hydrangeas, trees which bear autumn leaves. As the café is only opened 3 days a week from Friday to Sunday, I missed the previous weekend when the cherry blossoms were still blooming fully on the trees. The remaining blossoms had already fallen to the ground.

On one end of the garden is the coffee counter where at least 8-10 different beans were available to choose from. The beans’ lineup changes depending on the season, and are all light roasted as intended for patrons to enjoy the original taste of the beans. Though it is possible to opt for coffee with milk, it is recommended to drink it as black coffee.

I had a hard time choosing the beans I wanted but thanks to the barista who was very friendly and helpful in explaining the different profiles of the beans in fluent English, I could make a more well-informed choice. She was also the first barista I met in Japan who made light conversation with me, which gave a personal touch to the overall experience.

The beans were split into 3 different categories, the Traditional (800-900JPY, SGD6.9-7.8), Innovation (800-1100JPY, SGD6.9-9.5) and Hard to Find (1200-2000JPY, SGD10.3-17.2). I had the Colombia Huila Monteblanco (1000JPY, SGD8.6) with tasting notes of vanilla, milk tea, white chocolate, fresh mango, mint and smooth. I enjoyed the natural sweetness and aroma of the coffee. Glitch coffee was no doubt more expensive than average but of high quality.

While there were proper seats and tables within the house (when there are no ongoing exhibitions), the other café goers and I all went for the outdoor garden benches, where one can feel at ease with nature under the sunlight in moderate temperatures.

This is the one coffee stand in Tokyo for filter coffee enthusiasts to put on their list. While there are other Glitch Coffee outlets in Tokyo, the environment here has a lovely touch of nature, allowing you to feel different moods across the seasons.

3 Chome-19-3 Nishihara, Shibuya City, Tokyo 151-0066, Japan

Fri to Sun and Holidays 9am – 6pm

Nearest station: Yoyogi-Uehara Station North Exit 2 (2 mins walk)

After having a great experience at the Edition Denmark store in Seochon in my spring trip to Seoul, I decided to check out their other physical location in the hip Seongsu-dong in autumn, which offers a full-fledged food and drinks menu.

“Mitbord” translates to “my dining table”, and the Danish café was established to bring happiness and enjoyment through seasonal plant-based dishes served on the table.

With the Scandinavian-inspired interior highlights such as the herringbone wooden flooring, white and brown colour theme and effortless displays of small props, I could not help but imagine I was in Denmark (though I have not been there before). In the day, the café received plenty of natural sunlight which created a warm and cozy environment amidst the transition from fall to winter.

I ordered 2 of their signatures. The first was the Danish Bread Plate (KRW13,000), comprising Danish Rye Bread 3pcs, Spring Honey Butter, Soft-boiled Free Range Egg, Comte Cheese, and Salt. This is in fact the most common type of breakfast dish served in cafes in Denmark, and I enjoyed how simple and clean tasting it was.

My other pick was the Sourdough Pancake with Fig (KRW14,000) served with Mascarpone, Maple Syrup and Berries. Unlike the usual buttermilk pancake which is light and fluffy, the sourdough pancake was more dense and substantial.

Since I already tried the tea (sourced from A.C Perch Tea, the oldest teashop in Europe) and I had the Latte (KRW6500) with Plant-based Milk (Sproud). The coffee (sourced from Coffee Collective in Denmark) was of high quality – a light roast with a smooth finish.

There were also a range of desserts and dishes that rotate with the seasons which I wished I had more stomach space for.

The café was strategically located near the Seoul Forest Park entrance, so I took a stroll around the park grounds after a satisfying Danish brunch experience.

1 Seongsuil-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea 서울 성동구 성수일로 1

Nearest subway station: Seoul Forest Station Exit 2

Tue to Fri 11am – 6pm

Sat to Sun 8am – 6pm

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