håakon superfoods and juice, 313 somerset.

realised that håakon has taken over soup stock tokyo over at 313 somerset, and decided to try it for dinner (the menu was tempting enough- they have all-day breakfast!).

we got three mains to share- the lean protein platter ($15.90), salmon & zoodles ($12.90) and the avocado vegan bowl ($10.90). strangely enough, we actually waited for quite a while before our food was ready for collection. i thought that the items were pre-prepared, and they would only need to assemble them.



it's a good thing i wasn't hungry, because the portions leant towards the small side (can they be more generous with the proteins?). thankfully the flavour, though light tasting, more than made up for it. i was quite happy with all the food that we got. my favourite was definitely the zoodles, especially with the miso sauce. the food was really clean tasting, which made it right up my alley.





i'd also got an organic acai soy latte ($6.50), because it sounded really interesting. i've never seen it on other menus! it was more milky than anything else, though there was a faint acai taste. i did like it, but J found it weird.



we were feeling greedy, so we also got an acai bowl to share (i think acai bowls are my new obsession). we got a large cacao bliss bowl ($12.90), which came topped with coconut flakes, granola and fruits, with a chia seed parfait right at the bottom. it being cacao bliss, it tasted more chocolatey than anything else (not that i'm complaining). i loved how generous they'd been with the crunch elements (that's the thing that makes or breaks acai bowls for me).

yum. i can see myself coming back for the acai bowl.


haåkon superfoods and juice
313 somerset
#b2-14
https://www.haakon.com.sg

thrive kitchen, west coast drive.

i'll be honest here- i had high expectations for this place, given that it's a) out of the way; b) hipster-ish; and c) clean food. J and i arrived separately, and we were both startled by how empty the entire mall was. thrive kitchen was perhaps the only thing open, save for another japanese restaurant.

i was drawn to the all-day brunch menu first, and i made J share the wholegrain crepes ($9.90), adding on house made coconut yogurt for an additional $3.50. i was hungry and so decided on the teriyaki chicken brown rice bowl ($17.90) as my main (i was tempted by the 63 degree egg).



the wholegrain crepes came first. it came presented as three different crepes, each folded with different fillings- red bean, banana jam and chocolate ganache. the best part of it turned out to be... the coconut yogurt. maybe because they'd used wholegrain flour instead of plain flour, the texture of the crepe itself was off- dry, and broken at the edges where they'd folded it.



our mains came while we were halfway through the crepes. J's grilled salmon ($20.90) came as a pretty sizeable portion, while my chicken looked kind of sad. maybe i should've gotten the grilled chicken breast off the mains menu instead of one of the rice bowls. i was expecting a heartier portion of edamame and kale salad than i was given. the rice was probably the most generous part of the bowl, but i didn't quite like it as well- i like my brown rice with a bit more bite.



i have to say that i was quite disappointed with the food, especially given the prices they were charging. doubt i'll be back in a hurry.


thrive kitchen
1 west coast drive
#01-73
http://www.thrivesg.com/

fat prince, peck seah street.

i've been eyeing fat prince's brunch for the longest time, but because their last order timing is pretty early at 2.30 p.m., it's been hard.

we finally managed to make our way over one rainy saturday afternoon. liked the vibe of the place- it was laidback and chill; the perfect place for a rainy saturday brunch.

i had my eye on the lamb kofte menemen ($26) from the start. never had menemen before and had no idea what it was, but the menu description of scrambled egg, roasted eggplant, crispy potato (!) and zaatar yogurt sounded really good. i was also briefly tempted by the falafel scotch egg ($22), because it's a combination of everything i like, but i wanted something more substantial. J decided on the roasted mushroom menemen ($23).



our food came after a brief wait, and in short, it was good. portions were, happily enough, on the generous side, especially the scrambled eggs. they'd added some sort of middle eastern spice to the scrambled eggs, so they tasted a bit different from the usual. i liked how they'd also included a small side salad of cucumber, cherry tomatoes and olives, as the other items were pretty heavy on the palate. what i didn't get, though, was the bread- it was crispy, sure, but i felt i needed something to dip it into, and the scrambled eggs weren't quite runny enough.



the food was good, but it leant towards the expensive side, and it's not somewhere i can go back regularly to. i was also slightly miffed that they'd added $1 per person to our bill for water, listing it as a donation (?!) for sustainable water. i don't mind donating, but i wish they'd at least informed us beforehand before just charging us. still, i'm glad to have checked it off my to-try list, and the food was good enough that we left satisfied.


fat prince
48 peck seah street
http://www.fatprincesg.com

curious palette, prinsep street, 2.0.

came by for a weekday brunch with L sometime earlier this year, and really liked their brunch food. too bad, though, that they only offer brunch up to 6pm, thus eliminating it as an option for dinner (their dinner menu doesn't tempt me quite as much). had some time to myself on a rainy saturday afternoon, and decided to head over for a late lunch.

even at that hour, the café was crowded. it had a much different vibe from when i was there previously (okay, it was just noisier). plus, the tables were pretty close together, so i was (unfortunately) privy to the conversation of the couple next to me.

as usual, i debated internally for a while what to get (i'm really bad at deciding). i was torn between having the scotch egg i had previously and trying something new. novelty won out in the end, and i ordered the hand-pulled pork on sourdough ($18.90) that i'd spotted on another table my previous visit. besides, i really can't say no to pork crackling.



and it was just as glorious as i'd envisioned. they'd been really generous with the pulled pork, and given my love for protein, this was right up my alley. plus, the pork crackling came in the form of a crumble, sprinkled generously all over the pulled pork- genius. i loved the caramelised onion jam as well (and i really hate onions)- it added a sweet note to the dish that really tied everything together. i remember thinking, during my previous visit, that the food at curious palette felt disjointed- everything worked separately but just didn't come together as a whole, but that wasn't true for the pulled pork dish. i ate everything together (yum poached egg; yum hollandaise sauce) and it worked.



i'd also added on the gammon ham and cheese croquettes ($2.50), which came piping hot and oozing with cheese. (though, where was the ham? hmm.)

curious palette has just cemented its status as one of my favourite cafés. yup, i'm heading back.


curious palette
64 prinsep street
https://www.facebook.com/curiouspalette/

strangers' reunion, kampong bahru.

wanted some café food for brunch with L, and strangers' reunion came to mind, because of how much i enjoyed the food at their sister café curious palette. we came over on a late friday morning, and were surprised to see that while the café was not full, it was buzzing with activity. (i guess that's how strangers' reunion has managed to survive through the years.)

it's not my first time to strangers' reunion. i went once, when they were still considered new, to try the buttermilk waffles that everyone was raving about. long story short: wasn't impressed, and that took them off my radar since then.

so this time, back again, i was interested in trying their savoury brunch offerings. the brunch menu was compact, but there were still several items i was interested in. i flip flopped between a few before finally settling on the salmon & kale ($19.90). L got the crabcake reunion ($18.90). having seen photos of the avocado smoothie bowl ($11.90) on instagram and upon seeing its menu description, i really wanted to try it (and managed to convince L to share it with me, even though she wasn't too enthusiastic- i love my friends). however, when we were ordering, the waiter told us that it wasn't available because they were running low on avocados, though they were expecting a delivery soon. he also recommended the acai smoothie bowl instead, but i already had my mind set on the avocado one. service was good, though- he told us that he would let us know if the avocado smoothie bowl became available again.

it turned out to be our lucky day, because ten minutes later he returned and told us that the avocados had been delivered. yay! (sometimes stubbornness does pay off, then.) it was a good thing we managed to have the avocado bowl, because it turned out to be really, really good.



we had it after our mains, so it was kind of like a dessert, but a healthier one. i loved all the toppings- the crunchy bits went together really well with the creamy avocado smoothie on the bottom. best of all, they'd been light handed with the sugar, so it turned out to be refreshing. even L who wasn't that interested in the bowl at first, enjoyed it.

but i digress. our mains were pretty good, too! and surprisingly, we were served our food within ten minutes or so of ordering.



i'd asked for the hollandaise sauce to be served separate, but they'd forgotten. thankfully the food was good enough that i decided not to make a fuss. the kale salad, along with japanese seaweed, was tangy and refreshing- the perfect offset to the creamy hollandaise and crispy skinned salmon.



i didn't quite get the addition of the poached eggs (though they were poached to perfection)- they didn't quite go with the other elements of the dish, and i wished i had some sort of carbs to have the eggs with. that aside, i did like the dish.



L liked her crabcake, too. i managed to steal some of it; and while i would've liked it to have less potato and more crab, i guess at that price point, it was a pretty good rendition. plus, portions were good. her only complaint was the wilted looking asparagus ribbons.

so yes, i'd come back to strangers' reunion for the savoury brunch options. there are a number of items i have my eye on, and i'll love to come back to get my hands on those.


strangers' reunion
33/35/37 kampong bahru road
https://www.facebook.com/StrangersReunion/

murugan idli shop, syed alwi road.

i have this ongoing thing about dosai- random cravings would suddenly surface, and i'd have to go eat some to soothe it. i needed a quick lunch in between classes on a sunday afternoon, and murugan idli shop happened to be (somewhat) on the way. since i've been meaning to try it for a while, i headed over.

as with most indian places, the place was sparsely furnished. and of course, i was the only chinese there (but after several such experiences i've gotten somewhat used to it). order chits were placed at each table, so i just had to check off whatever i wanted to eat and hand it over, saving myself the hassle of trying to pronounce stuff. of course i got the masala dosai ($4.70).



after i'd ordered, a huge banana leaf with four different types of chutney was placed in front of me. i had to wait quite a while after that before my dosai was served though (so much for a quick meal). my dosai was brought to me and placed onto the banana leaf.



as with most dosai, it was so long that its edges hung off the side of the plate. its texture was crisp, light and yet chewy, which made it a pretty good eat, though not mindblowingly so. the almost-creamy masala potato stuffed within was one of the better ones i've eaten, though.



what i really liked was actually the chutneys on the plate, especially the coconut chutney. i cleaned off all of it. i didn't know what the rest were, exactly, but i finished off another one entirely as well. yum!

might not make any great effort to come back again, but i wouldn't mind if i was in the area.


murugan idli shop
81 syed alwi road
http://muruganidlishop.com

paper crane, waterloo street.

made a reservation and swung by on a saturday night for dinner; turned out that the reservation was utterly unnecessary. the place was empty when we got there (and remained so throughout the meal). i was surprised by how tiny the place was. it was mostly outside seating, with just a row of three bar seats inside. there was only one person manning the entire place- he was the chef, waiter and cashier all rolled into one. not exactly confidence inspiring, but we stayed to eat anyway.

the menu was written on a chalkboard near the cashier, so ordering and payment was all done at the same time. i didn't need to think much- settled on the pearl barley and mushroom salad ($10), adding on grilled chicken for $4. we also got mussels ($20) to share.

the mussels came first, and even came with bread to soak up the white wine and herb broth. no photo because we were hungry, but the mussels were fresh and cooked just right. the white wine broth was delicious as well, especially paired with the bread. i dunked my bread into the broth to soak it up. yum!



our food came a while after we finished up the mussels. best of all, all our plates came at the same time! given that he was working alone, that was a feat in itself. my pearl barley salad was pretty good, if a little on the oily side. didn't quite take to the chicken though- it was cut too thinly, and leant towards the dry side. should probably have gone for the sea bass, but it was an additional $10 (!) and i was feeling stingy.



it was an interesting place for a quiet dinner. most places are crowded on saturday nights, so it was nice to have the entire place to ourselves. the food was decent, though i found prices to be on the high side given the portions.


paper crane
96 waterloo street
https://www.facebook.com/papercranesg/

curious palette, prinsep street.

i've been meaning to go to curious palette for ages it seems; and then it got struck off my to-try list when someone told me that it was quite meh. and then i saw that they had scotch eggs on their brunch menu- that sealed the deal for me. i'm a sucker for scotch eggs. sadly, the scotch egg only exists on their brunch menu, which happens to be not all-day, so it's been hard to head there to eat it. i finally got my chance when L suggested meeting for brunch on a friday morning- away from the weekend crowd!

the drizzle made the walk from the train station seem to be quite a long one; it also made us doubly glad to finally reach the café. it was my first time there, so i was surprised to note that it was spacious inside despite the nondescript shopfront. it being a rainy friday morning, there were only a few other tables occupied, and we got our pick of tables.

upon being handed the menu, i zeroed in on the corned beef scotch egg ($18.50) straightaway. L was more indecisive, but eventually went with the house citrus-cured ocean trout ($18.90). i was tempted by the gammon ham and cheese croquettes in L's main, saw that it was offered as a add-on for just $2.50, so of course i went for it.

i was expecting to have to wait for our food for a while, as is the case with most cafés, but was pleasantly surprised when our food got served promptly.



the first thing i ate off my plate was the gammon ham and cheese croquette- it oozed cheese the moment i cut into it. best of all, it was piping hot, super crisp and yet, not greasy. i was expecting only one croquette, but i was surprised with two. it was a good start to the meal.



my scotch egg came with the requisite gloriously runny yolk. i found the corned beef to be leaning towards the salty side- i preferred crackerjack's vegetarian version of scotch egg in comparison. still, a scotch egg is a scotch egg, and curious palette's wasn't too shabby. the accompanying sides were really pretty interesting, though- green mango salsa, grilled brussels sprouts, cauliflower cous cous as well as guacamole. not sure how they worked together as a whole, especially the guacamole; they seemed more like separate entities. that being said, the sides were enjoyable separately eaten- i especially liked the tangy green mango salsa.



L's house citrus-cured ocean trout also suffered the same somewhat schizophrenic fate. hers came with the croquettes, poached egg, cauliflower hummus and lemon-infused yogurt, which sounds okay on paper, but in actuality, they didn't seem to come together as a whole, though the separate elements, like mine, were good. L was commenting that she didn't know how to eat the poached egg, since there weren't any other things to match with it.

despite the somewhat haphazard throwing together of sides, i really quite enjoyed the meal. spied another table having the hand-pulled pork on sourdough, which looked really tempting as well. i'm definitely coming back for their other brunch items.


curious palette
64 prinsep street
https://www.facebook.com/curiouspalette/

the bravery, horne road.

i got tempted into buying a groupon for the bravery, reasoning that since it's been around for quite a number of years, the food would be alright.

the shopfront was so nondescript that i walked right past it, before doing a double take. the café was quiet, with only two other tables occupied (both its occupants doing work on laptops). we grabbed menus and pondered over it for a bit. there weren't many choices for mains, especially when items like pizzas and pastas are eliminated. i went with a steak ($19.90) that came with peppercorn sauce and roasted vegetables; J, of course, went with scrambled eggs on toast ($8), adding on mushrooms and smoked salmon. we wanted to share the S.A.M. salad, but upon ordering, we were told that they were out (!) because the supplier hadn't been in yet (!!). hmph, okay. ended up ordering an additional set of scrambled eggs and smoked salmon (without toast) to share, to make up the cost of the voucher.



our food was served shortly after we ordered. surprisingly enough, my steak actually came first. and while it wasn't of the best quality, it was reasonably tender and actually cooked to the requested medium rare. the steak had been laid on a bed of roasted vegetables, mainly made up of red and green peppers and a whole load of garlic (which i proceeded to pick out). i actually quite liked the accompanying peppercorn sauce- i found myself dipping my steak into it. that in itself wouldn't have been a complete meal though- for the price, there just seemed to be something missing. i guess it was good that we'd ordered an extra set of eggs and salmon to share, else i would've been hungry.



the scrambled eggs were really quite ordinary- nothing like the creamy, buttery ones i've come to expect from cafés.

so while i didn't have much to complain about regarding the food, i didn't have much to commend as well. it was all pretty average, and i wouldn't bother making a special trip down if not for the groupon. without the groupon, the prices would be on par with other cafés, and honestly, i've had much better café fare elsewhere. nah, just not my kind of café.


the bravery
66 horne road
http://www.thebravery.sg

xiao ya tou, duxton hill.

we were in the tanjong pagar area, searching for brunch options, and decided to head over to duxton. i was intent on trying thirteen duxton hill, but they weren't open (though they should've been). in a rare show of decisiveness we settled on xiao ya tou, which was (almost) just next door.

i decided on the XYT breakfast ($21), because scrambled eggs! beef! potatoes! sounded right up my alley. J wanted the kimchi scrambled eggs but not the cheese sausage that came with it, so she asked if they could replace it with anything else, but they flatly refused. she then asked if they offered chicken as an add-on (the chawanmushi & asian salad main that she wanted was a purely vegetarian meal, and protein is important to us) but they were also equally inflexible about that. (or maybe we're just the picky ones who always need some sort of special order.) in the end she went with the chicken salad ($17) off the starters and snacks column, which i was eyeing as well.



my main came with a complimentary starter- a fried mantou, served (in true hipster style) skewered, hanging over a bowl of tau suan. the fried mantou was hot and delicious, but the tau suan was a letdown. having more water than actual mung beans, its only saving grace was that it was not too sweet. i left it largely untouched. i'm of the opinion that if something is to be served (even complimentary) it should be cooked with heart; or else why even bother? i know it's free and all that, but if the item is subpar, i really don't mind not having it.

our food came after quite a long wait. we were craning our necks trying to spy for our food. J's came first, and for a starter, it was quite a good portion (then again it was $17). i stole bites of the pearl barley and charred sweet corn salad, and liked it.



my main came a while later. the scrambled eggs was the best part of the dish- it was perfectly cooked; buttery, creamy and smooth. the corned beef and potato preserved turnip (?) was buried underneath the eggs. for all its "asian fusion" label, it was really a glorified hash, and i actually would prefer a regular hash. they were too stingy with the corned beef and too heavy handed with the chili jam coating the hash. the corned beef and potatoes were sticky with the chili jam, which was too sweet, throwing everything off balance. i found myself scraping off the chili jam to my best ability just so i could get at the beef and potatoes.



the concept is a good idea, but execution was lacking. i found the food to be quite meh for the price. highly unlikely that i'd make a return. there are much better brunch options in the duxton area.


xiao ya tou
6 duxton hill
http://www.xyt.sg

pacamara boutique coffee roasters, upper thomson, 3.0.

every time we make a trip here for brunch, i end up having the duck confit hash, because it's the item that tempts me the most off the brunch menu. this time, however, i was forced to not have it, because they didn't have any of the duck items. one good thing about their service, however, was that the waitress actually bothered to tell me even before i'd placed my order, saving me the hassle of rethinking. after some consideration, i settled for the steak & eggs ($19.90).

strangely enough, they didn't ask me for the doneness of my steak- that in itself should've been an indication. i only remembered after we'd placed our orders, so i went back to the counter to tell them that i wanted mine medium-rare. i was told that they do the steak medium-rare by default. hmm.



we waited a while for our food. mine came exactly as i'd ordered- they'd separated all the sauces like i'd asked. the only thing... was the steak was way overdone. i took a bite and pondered whether i should return it; i did in the end because it was way too tough. they were nice enough to replace it without much fuss. the second one was much better, though leaning towards the rare side. one thing though- they'd barely salted it, and i had to go grab a salt shaker.



note to self: steak is definitely not their strong suit. the accompaniments were thankfully really good, especially the potatoes which had been roasted till they were golden. the skin was deliciously salty and crisp, while the inside was fluffy. best of all, they were all piping hot. it was supposed to be topped with sour cream, but i found myself dipping it into the creamy chive hollandaise instead. perfection. i didn't expect the plate to come with a slice of sourdough, since it wasn't stated in the menu. not complaining though, because the sourdough was pretty good.

definitely prefer the duck confit hash, even though the roasted potatoes tip the scale slightly.


pacamara boutique coffee roasters
185 upper thomson road
http://pacamara.sg/#home

privé, wheelock.

i was uncharacteristically confused about what to eat that night- i wanted all-day brunch, but we were both lazy to move far from orchard. J suggested trying privé, and while i wasn't too excited by the menu, i didn't mind giving it a try since it was nearby.

i was surprised by how wallet-friendly their menu is, compared to the other privé outlets. most mains were below $20. they do also offer all-day breakfast items, but... up till 5 p.m. (how is it all-day if it's up till 5 p.m.?) and so, i got the braised lamb shank ($18) off the mains menu instead.



i wasn't expecting much, so i was surprised by how much i ended up liking my food. they'd braised the lamb shank till it was fall-off-the-bone tender; i barely had to prod it with my fork to get it to come off the bone. i found myself really liking the rosemary sauce as well- i mopped it up with the lamb shank and the accompanying mash. even the carrots were cooked till they were tender, going well with the entire dish. now that i look back at the menu, it had mentioned balsamic onions, but i don't remember seeing any sign of it. hmm. 



portions were generous as well. i was decently full after my food. one thing, though, was the service. not sure if it was because they're new... J wanted to know if the peppermint tea was caffeine-free, but the waitress misunderstood her question, so J ended up not ordering it after all. the wait for food was also pretty long. plus... after we'd passed them a credit card for the bill, our bill took what seemed like forever to process. we were wondering what happened to it, and even had to go to the extent of waving the waitress over to ask. it turned out that the bill was just sitting on the counter waiting for someone to process it- but no one was doing it, and they only got around to doing it after we asked.

aside from the strange service, i quite enjoyed our experience there. even J's baked halibut in parchment ($19) was good, too. might be worth coming back.


privé, orchard
wheelock place
#01-k1
http://www.theprivegroup.com.sg/prive-orchard

crackerjack, tanjong pagar.

the scotch egg was what put crackerjack on my radar, but upon walking in and seeing their menu, i got a teeny bit distracted by the other items. and because ordering was done at the counter, which was placed right at the entrance, i stood there for quite a while, trying to make up my mind- chicken or egg? 

in the end, the lentil mushroom scotch egg ($18) won out. i made my order and paid at the cashier. no service charge, but they still brought the food over to me.



once i saw the scotch egg on another table, i knew i'd made the correct choice. the yolk was gloriously runny- and so was mine, when mine was served. all the other scotch eggs i've had were meat-based versions, so it was refreshing to have a vegetarian one this time. i'm totally a meat person, and all my meals revolve around meat-based protein, but i was surprised to note that i didn't miss meat at all. the lentil-mushroom coating around the egg was tasty and surprisingly filling. i hate it when lentils are cooked till they've become mushy, but there was no such issue with this one, which was perfectly al dente. the scotch egg's crust was a thin, golden crisp- just enough to give a textural contrast to the other components. best of all, it wasn't greasy, and i could almost pretend i wasn't eating something fried.



the scotch egg came presented on a bed of mixed greens, which added a pop of freshness to the dish, balancing everything out. it also came with preserved lemon hummus and flatbread. when i saw flatbread on the menu, i was already envisioning something dense and heavy. that was what almost steered me to ordering the chicken instead. glad i stuck to the scotch egg, because the flatbread was light and crisp- the perfect vehicle for the hummus. i hoovered everything up (and even wished for more of the flatbread).



the meal even came with a cookie, which was a nice touch. i was determined not to eat it, because self control; besides which i'm not a cookie person. i took a bite anyway, since they'd already served it- and then found myself eating the entire thing.

crackerjack might've just opened, but i found myself impressed by how much care and thought they'd put into the food. when they said a balanced meal on their lunch menu, they really meant it. i'm definitely coming back.


crackerjack
43 tanjong pagar road
http://crackerjack.sg

epicurious, ue square.

i was tempted into going to epicurious because of the voucher they were offering on groupon ($24 for $40 worth of food seemed like a good deal). finally made my way over with J on a weekday afternoon. it was pretty late for lunch by the time we reached, so the place was almost empty. i zeroed in on the steak and mushroom don ($20.60) almost immediately, because golden poached egg - how good does that sound?! J decided on the ratatouille omelette ($15.60). while placing my order, i was told that they were out of the golden poached egg (WHAT?!) and they'd replace it with a regular poached egg instead, if i was okay with it. i should've taken it as a warning and changed my order, but i went ahead anyway.

tiong bahru bakery, raffles city.

admittedly i've never been a big fan of tiong bahru bakery (or even eaten their pastries enough to be a fan), but their new hot eats menu, only available at the raffles city branch, sounded interesting. (basically any place that offers an intriguing spin on brunch staples catches my attention.)

went over with J for a saturday night dinner, and was happy to note that there were tables readily available. i pondered over the menu for a bit; the waiter came over wanting to take our orders, and i was still not ready. the breakfast pancake burger ($18), savoury bread pudding ($16) and polenta pop ($16) were all vying for my attention, but in the end i saw that they had a chicken and roasted cauliflower salad ($16)- that sealed the deal. i'm a sucker for roasted cauliflower.



it's rare to have someone who likes salad just as much as i do, and who also orders it in the exact same way. we both got the salad and requested for dressing on the side. interestingly enough, when our salads came, we were served not one dressing, but two. the menu had stated that it was a creamy tahini dressing, so the first container held tahini (which was pasty and not at all dressing-like in consistency), while the other tasted like honey mustard. i ended up mixing up the two (not sure if it was meant to be like that) but it made a pretty good dressing.



what i was slightly peeved about was that the portion of cauliflower and chicken- they really could've been more generous. it was a good thing that we'd snacked on some tamagoyaki over at koki earlier, so i wasn't that hungry. still, i did quite like the salad, which came with sprinkles of middle eastern spices- they'd put some thought into its construction.

i had some serious food envy looking over at the neighbouring table, who'd ordered the polenta pop and breakfast pancake burger. so yes, i'd come back to soothe the food envy, but i doubt i'll get the salad again.


tiong bahru bakery
raffles city
#b1-11
http://www.tiongbahrubakery.com

wild honey, scotts square.

wild honey's almost an institution for brunch in singapore, but strangely enough, i've never been until december last year. it seemed way too overpriced and overhyped for what it was serving, so i dismissed it. motivated by chope's voucher sale, i finally decided to go, with J (one of the few people i know who likes brunch for dinner as much as i do, if not more) in tow.

it was hard to decide what to have- i wanted the spinach hash ($24), boulevard st. michel ($24) and scadinavian ($28) almost equally much. after some pingpong-ing around, i decided on the boulevard st, michel, since it was something i'd never seen on other brunch menus.



our food came after a brief wait, at almost the same time, which is always a bonus. the menu had described mine as a savoury french toast (which was the thing that tempted me) but it was more like a regular slice of brioche. still, i liked my food; in particular the double baked cheese and spinach soufflé, which was quite unlike any other soufflés i've ever had, in that it was more dense (in a good way). the parmesan crumbed poached egg was also perfectly cooked (i wanted another!). everything in the dish worked together, which was why i enjoyed it so much.



when the dish first arrived, it looked small, but it packed a punch, portion-wise. i was surprisingly stuffed at the end of the meal. didn't manage to finish the french toast, actually.

with the voucher, i think we paid about $10 per person, which made it an excellent deal. still, food was good enough that i'd consider coming back at regular prices.


wild honey
scotts square
#03-02
http://wildhoney.com.sg

vxx cooperative, foch road.

it was rare that both R and C were free for lunch on a weekday afternoon (usually only *i* am available for such leisurely activities), so we took the chance to meet. i happened to be in the lavender area, which is chock full of cafés, so i suggested we meet there for lunch. decided on vxx cooperative as i was intrigued by instagram posts.

the place was super hipster- narrow doorway (i could barely get through it with my bag), tiny rickety stools... which was why we took a while to pick seats. in the end, we discovered a long table at the back under a skylight (kind of reminded me of dutch colony over at frankel avenue) and settled down there.

the small breakfast plates (tapas?) sounded quite intriguing (i was sold at potato hash + onsen egg). the breakfast plates went for about $7-$8 individually, but they also offered it at 3 for $20. i really wanted a main, too, though... so... we decided to get a breakfast plate and a main each. i think the waitress who took our order was impressed.



our food took quite a while to come, actually. we got a bit antsy. my beef chorizo/potato hash/honey-roasted tomatoes ($7 on its own) was the first to arrive on the table. we were initially waiting for the rest of the plates, figuring that they would appear sooner or later, but we got a bit impatient (and hungry) and started eating bits of it. the hash was pretty good, actually! simple, but flavourful.



R's salmon scrambled eggs/croissant ($8) came a little after mine, and it was impressive looking. i stole (more than a few) bites of it, and liked how the creamy the scrambled eggs were. yum! R really wanted a photo of her breakfast plate and her main together, though, so we waited around for what seemed like ages (i was almost done with my beef chorizo) before it finally appeared. by then the scrambled eggs were cold, but okay, still pretty good it has to be said.



C got the portobello burger/cheddar cheese/roma tomatoes/kale chips/house dressing ($8) as her breakfast plate. it was really tapas sized compared to R's and my plates- it was more of a slider than a burger. i tried a bite and found it alright, but not as impressive as the rest of our plates. and also, now that i look back at the menu, what kale chips? hmm.

as mentioned, we waited for what seemed like forever before our mains were served. we were assuming that everything was going to be served at the same time, but they were probably waiting for us to finish up our plates before serving our mains. i think they realised after a while that we were waiting for our mains, but we probably still waited close to half an hour before they were served. that was probably the only thing that marred the experience- i hate it when i have to wait ages for food. thank goodness, then, the service was pretty good and the food was, too.



my cauliflower couscous/stewed chicken/pomegranate seeds & zucchini ($13) was light and clean tasting. interestingly enough the stewed chicken was buried underneath the cauliflower couscous- i had to go digging to find it. can't really make up my mind whether i liked the dish or not. it was clean eating, and i'm always fond of that, but it was just a little too bland for my liking.



of course, i also stole bits of C's mac & cheese ($14) which came with mixed mushrooms, chicken chunks and... crispy chicken skin! the portion looked small, but it packed a punch; probably because of the cheese. i was particularly enamoured with the chicken skin. mm.



R's sloppy joe on toast/mozzarella/mixed mushrooms ($13) arrived the last. it was a hearty portion, what with all the bread and cheese.

the food was pretty good and pricing was decent as well. it was nice to spend an afternoon there just chatting. i'd probably return for the breakfast plates (particularly the salmon scrambled eggs) if i have some time to spare.


vxx cooperative
20 foch road
https://www.facebook.com/vxxcooperative/

fynn's, south beach.

we actually visited fynn's when they'd first opened in december last year, so this is slightly backdated. wanted somewhere quiet to have a christmas eve dinner, away from the buzz of orchard, and south beach seemed like the perfect locale. didn't bother making any reservations, but got a table for four pretty easily, as the café was buzzing but not packed.

i zeroed in on the grilled chicken bowl ($19.50) almost immediately (kind of helped that it was in bold on the menu too). it sounded like it came accompanied with a variety of different vegetables, which was exactly my kind of thing. the menu described it as grilled chicken, fried wild rice (!), edamame, snow peas, egg and pickled vegetables; upon seeing the egg, S decided to change her order to the chicken as well.



the food took a while to be served, but it was well worth the wait. mine came prettily presented in a porcelain bowl. i was surprised, however, to note that what they actually meant when they said fried wild rice... was that all the vegetables and egg would be combined with the wild rice and fried together, much like a regular fried rice. the grilled chicken and pickled vegetables were served atop the rice. S and i were honestly envisioning a separate sunny side up- perhaps the menu could've been clearer. that being said, i really enjoyed the bowl. the fried wild rice actually had wok hei, and maybe because they'd used wild rice instead of regular rice, the grains were pearly and separate- exactly how i like my rice to be. bonus: they were generous with the rice.

the grilled chicken was pretty good too, with a thin, crispy skin that was slightly charred from the grill- yum! i basically liked every component of the dish, right down to the pickled vegetables that added a pop of acidity to the bowl.

it was a pretty good meal, all in all. i did spy on my friends' food but found that portions for the other mains weren't quite as generous as for the grilled chicken bowl, though. however, no complaints from them regarding the food, so i assume all was well. i'd come back for the wild rice.


fynn's
south beach avenue
#b1-21
http://fynnsrestaurant.com

meet, city square mall.

i really wanted to like this place. i happened to walk by, took a look at the menu and liked what i saw, so i suggested that we head over for dinner later that week.

C and i got the honey spiced chicken ($18) to share, since it was supposed to be their signature item. the menu stated that it serves two, but i we were greedy and ordered beef rump ($38) as well, since it was just 250g. the caramelised broccoli with sea salt ($4) sounded tempting as well, so i ordered it. R decided on the 400g US prime ribeye ($55).

i knew they were new; perhaps about two weeks old when we went for dinner, but it didn't occur to me that it would be a concern. well... right up until after we placed our orders and... kept waiting for our food. when we were placing our orders, the waitress informed us that the chicken would take about 20-25 minutes, which was fair enough.



but does steak really take that long? it took about half an hour before our steaks were served- we were antsy and irritable by then. it didn't help that the steaks arrived way overcooked. we'd ordered it medium rare, but it came well done. when i cut into the beef rump, there was no hint of pink in it at all- i couldn't even close one eye and classify it as medium; it was well done. we were joking that the reason why it came well done was because they took half an hour to serve it (who takes HALF AN HOUR to cook steak?!). of course, we returned the steaks- i, having lost my confidence, decided to just cut our losses and cancel the beef rump, while R decided to just stick to it.



the chicken arrived a while after we returned the steaks. i have to say that the chicken was pretty good... at least until we cut close to the bone and realised that it was slightly bloody on the inside, which meant that certain parts of it couldn't be eaten. we didn't return it because that would mean another wait, and we were ready to leave (cut our losses and have pancakes next door).



the sides (sautéed mushrooms and mashed potato) accompanying the chicken were alright. didn't quite get why they served the chicken with lemon cream on the side though- i tried a bit and left it largely untouched. the broccoli that i was excited about came slightly later, and... what caramelised?! it looked (and tasted) like it'd been boiled and sautéed in a pan after- the only hint of caramelisation was perhaps at the bottom of the broccoli, which was slightly blackened. no photos because i was annoyed. i felt like i'd been lied to.

R's second ribeye finally arrived at the table probably forty-five minutes after we placed our first order. this time, it was medium rare, though slightly unevenly so. i took a little bit but couldn't quite understand why they'd priced it at $55. i mean, it was an okay steak, but it was way too expensive for what it was. lucky the truffle fries that came with it was passable.

as i said, i really wanted to like the place, but they made it hard. for one, service was spotty as well. the waitstaff were harried even though the place wasn't that packed; rushing around but not really getting anything done. we had to wave several times just to get their attention, and even when we managed to get their attention, they were dismissive. well- save for the manager, who we gave feedback to at the end of the meal. they didn't charge us for the chicken in the end, which was a good save on their part, but i would've gladly paid for it if it meant we could have a good meal. they really have quite a few kinks to work out in their kitchen as well as service. until then, i doubt i'll make a trip back; i'd much rather have pancakes next door.


meet
city square
#02-37/38
http://www.meetdining.com