noms.

was in the area and my friend wanted some cafe food, so i did some googling and realised that shrove tuesday was pretty close to where we were. wasn't in the mood to be picky (because i was starving- it was three in the afternoon and we'd come from the gym) so we took the ten minute stroll over. 

their menu was compact- couple of mains, with the main focus on dessert. i needed something savoury, so we shared the beef lasagne ($8.50) and the chicken pie ($6.50). 

to be honest, i wasn't expecting much, since it was a cafe after all, and cafes aren't exactly known for their savoury dishes. but surprisingly enough the lasagne was a passable rendition, and we easily finished it. i didn't quite like the chicken pie though. too much cream and the crust wasn't nearly flaky and buttery enough, but we were hungry enough to finish it, too. 

my friend was also tempted by the array of cakes on display, particularly the 7 flavour rainbow cheesecake ($7.50) and the thai milk tea cheesecake. really pretty, but i've never been a fan of rainbow cakes, because the logical part of me knows that it's just colouring. but while we were at the counter and deciding what to order, the girl at the counter told us that the different layers were not just colouring- each layer was a different flavour. that kind of sealed the deal for us. 

their waffle was the light and crisp type. not my favourite type (creamier still takes the top spot) but it was alright. 

we were still feeling greedy (and tempted by the display of desserts) after finishing the cake and the waffle, we decided to try another one. it was a tossup between the profiteroles ($10) and the matcha tiramisu ($8)- the matcha won in the end. 

not a very big cafe. quite liked the decor- all whimsical, with pretty prints. we were the only customers when we reached at three on a monday afternoon, but at about four, groups of people started streaming in. 

spent a leisurely afternoon with my friend, chatting away and just enjoying the food. prices were also quite reasonable. will probably be back if i'm in the area. too bad it's not near the train station, though. 

came by specially for the cakes. despite lady m having been opened for a couple of years now, it's my first time trying it, for some strange reason. i've bought their cakes as gifts, but somehow, just never got around to trying it on my own. 

my friend was aiming for the chocolate mille crepe, but then we realised that it was exclusive to the orchard central outlet. so he settled for the signature mille crepe ($8.50), while i got the green tea one ($9). 

i loved the combination of the infinite-looking layers of pastry cream and crepe. the green tea powder was strong enough, yet not too overpowering. especially liked that it was only subtly sweet. it was no difficult task for me to finish the cake in its entirety. 

the cakes are on the expensive side (and this is coming from a person who's used to paying a fair bit for desserts) but they are worth it. i want to try the checkers cake next. will probably pop by for a takeaway when i next have a cake craving. 

lady m

#01-10 one fullerton

http://www.ladym.com.sg

my striploin fared better. wasn't mindblowing, but it was a passable steak. would've liked a bit more char on the exterior, though. it came with pomme puree, roasted cauliflower and salsa verde- i know they're meant to be sides, but they really could've given more of it. 

decided to add on another main, because we got tempted by the mee sua after googling what was good at gastrosmiths. we got the fisherman's mee sua ($25.50), which came topped with a delicious tumble of prawns, scallops and crabmeat. but the kicker was the bisque that the mee sua was soaked in- it was rich and full of seafood flavour. it reminded us somewhat of chili crab, but in a good way. so glad we decided to be greedy and order this- really good. i would come back just for this. 

of course we had desserts. we got the valrhona lava cake ($15.50) and the beet & cheese ($14). 

my sister was saying that $15.50 for a lava cake was really expensive, but then it came beautifully plated. we cut into it and it was perfectly oozy. it was a pretty good rendition of lava cake. even the vanilla bean ice cream that came with it wasn't an afterthought. 

dulcet & studio

#01-41/42 liang court 

we were initially tempted by the jar of tiramisu that we saw in the chiller, but then we found out it was $19.90 (!). so we settled for the chocolate mille crepe ($9) instead. i also got a champagne truffle ($1.80) while L got a classic dark chocolate ($8) to drink. the dark chocolate, surprisingly enough, came with a truffle, which was a nice touch. 

so this was the chocolate mille crepe that we shared, and my champagne truffle. 

the chocolate mille crepe was a sizeable portion- we didn't manage to finish it in the end as it got a bit too much. but it was a pretty good mille crepe; i liked its more solid texture- i felt that it gave it more bite as opposed if it was more fluffy. it was also chocolatey enough and not too sweet. the plate that it came in was a bit too small though, making it awkward for consumption. we kept trying to navigate so that the cake wouldn't fall onto the table. 

the champagne truffle reminded me of royce's champagne nama chocolate, but a more solid version. too much chocolate though- but that was probably my fault for being greedy. 

nine thirty by awfully chocolate

131 east coast road

http://www.ac9thirty.com

changed my impression of pandan cakes. this was worth the price, though steep for the portion. 

pure pandan

chinatown point #b2-05

http://www.purepandan.com

finally finally managed to eat at department of caffeine- their opening hours are way too short! only until 730 on weekdays, which makes it impossible to go to for dinner. ironic that we didn't actually plan to go there. the original plan was to go to the lokal, but their service was so atrocious that we got angry and left despite managing to get a table. still quite annoyed- i've wanted to try the lokal for so long because i've heard such good things, and now it's ruined for me. service is important. 

anyway, after leaving the lokal, we were at a loss as to where to eat at. after wandering around, we realized that we were near department of caffeine, and so, decided to pop by. it was crowded- it was labour day after all, but we managed to get a table within ten minutes. plus, we received our orders pretty quickly, probably in less than fifteen minutes. 

this was their menu-

of course we had to have the waffle! chose the apple pie waffle ($17.50) which came with vanilla bean ice cream, baked apples and walnut crumble. it was one of those fluffy waffles. pretty good but not enough to become one of my favourite waffles. still, after hearing so much about it, i'm glad to finally try it. wish they were more generous with the walnut crumble, though. 

couldn't decide between the bacon waffle and the beef sandwich at first. after some pondering i finally chose the roast wagyu beef sandwich ($19.50) since we were already sharing the waffle. i promptly got food envy after seeing other tables getting their bacon waffle- it looked fabulous, topped with fluffy sunny scrambled eggs and bacon. and my food envy only intensified after receiving my roast beef sandwich; it looked sad and barely had any beef. it was alright tasting, but i would've much preferred the waffle. should have continued my usual practice of spying on what other people had ordered and following them (i didn't see anyone ordering the sandwich so that should've been a sign). definitely not worth $19.50.

they don't seem to be very good at their savory items. the lobster club ($21.50) was a miss as well, though it looked good (#eggporn!). for the price, i would think they could be slightly more generous with the filling, especially when i compare the sandwich to sarnies'. 

after finishing our food, we were still hungry (i blame this on the gym) so went to pick one of the pastries at the glass counter. also because i saw the pastry counter while queuing to place our orders, and it looked promising. (i also sneaked a peek at other tables, where they had a towering slice of cake.)

got the dark chocolate and banana cake ($8).

chocolate cream layered with bananas and a moist dark chocolate cake- it was full of contrasting textures and was delicious. best part was that it wasn't cloyingly sweet, letting the original flavours come through. we finished it easily. 

sweet items are much better than savory ones. if i do come back it'll be for the waffles and the pastries, which are quite reasonably priced. the menu items are on the steep side, but at least there's no service charge. 

department of caffeine

15 duxton road 

http://www.deptofcaffeine.com