#15 Dean & DeLuca Review

Dean & DeLuca is a cafe located at Orchard Central. The layout in Orchard Central is a tad confusing, but you should be able to search for the cafe easily when you are at the fourth floor of the building.

Dean & DeLuca also has a retail section in their cafe, where they sell a wide variety of products (you name it, they've got it).

I have visited the cafe twice (once around tea-time on a weekday afternoon, another during a weekend night). The cafe wasn't too crowded on both occasions.

The Rainbow Cake ($7.50) was definitely one of their more popular products. The second time when I dropped by the cafe, it was sold out.

Upon taking my first bite of the Rainbow Cake, I realised why it was so popular. It was surely one of the best I've tasted. The layers in the cake was so well constructed and each layer consists of a different taste (the cafe uses different fruit extracts/flavourings in each individual layer).

The cream frosting doesn't taste too heavy as well.

The Red Velvet Cake ($8.00) was also an item not to be missed (even though I will choose the Rainbow Cake over any of their pastries).

The Red Velvet Cake was moist in their layers and the cream cheese frosting doesn't overpowers the taste of the cake.

The service in Dean & DeLuca was acceptable, with service crew actively clearing the tables.

Also to note, Dean & DeLuca serves main courses, side dishes and other desserts as well. So, you could drop by the cafe anytime of the day and grab yourself something good!

Dean & DeLuca
181 Orchard Road
#04-23/24
Orchard Central, Level 4
S(238896)

Opening Hours
Mon - Sun: 10:00am - 10:00pm

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Shawn 14:12  No comment

#14 Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters Review

Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters is a new cafe that opened just weeks ago at Upper Thomson Road. In fact, the brightly lit cafe had already caught my attention even before it opens it's door when the public bus service I took passed by the area somewhere around mid-October.

A wooden standing board outside the cafe

I arrived at the cafe around 12.30pm on a busy Sunday afternoon. There was already a handful of customers lingering outside the cafe for a seat and we were advised to leave a name and contact number on a waiting list.

Within the next ten minutes, the table was ready and we were told to place our order first.

Menu to die for with such nice typography

Prior to the visit, we had done some research online and found some reviews of "must-try" food dishes. That said, we went ahead and asked the waiter for recommendations.

"Truffle Benedict and Salmon Royale are the more popular choices for brunch".

So we went ahead and ordered the two items.

Fully Packed

At the same time, we were told that the wait for the food could take an hour. I looked around and saw that the cafe was totally packed! However, since we were not in a rush for time in the relaxing Sunday afternoon, we didn't mind the wait.

We were then ushered to sit at the table directly in front of the kitchen. As the seats were rather limited, we had to share the table with another group of customers. This was also the moment when we discovered the reason for the wait.

The kitchen has only 2 chefs, 1 of them even have to plate the dishes.

Truffle Benedict and Salmon Royale

So exactly after an hour of wait, with our stomach growling, the food arrived! Presentation wise, they were fabulous.

The Salmon Royale ($18) was good. There was a generous portion of smoked salmon served on top of the toast. I also loved the asparagus and spinach as they were well-cooked.

Some of the poached eggs were however slightly overdone/undercooked (keyword - "slightly"). That said, I loved the dish.

On the other hand, the truffle hollandaise sauce of the Truffle Benedict ($18) tasted really good as well. The combination of truffle and the hollandaise sauce was pretty amazing!

Service at Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters was acceptable. The handsome waiter at the cashier counter had warned all customers of the waiting time beforehand, so if you choose to wait, don't ever complain and show your displeasure to the working staff (I've witness some customers showing terrible attitude to the waiters. One of them didn't even volunteer to move the dish of pancake that was smack in between the table for sharing out of place for the waiter to place another dish when he was clearly holding onto a new plate of food and having difficulties reaching out to clear space for another plate).

So, if you are those who can't really wait too long for food, or if you plan to visit the cafe together with your family, choose a better timing or approach the staff to enquire how long it takes for the food to arrive.

Do note that the last order for brunch ends at 2:30pm.

Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters
185 Upper Thomson Road
S(574333)

Opening Hours
Tue - Sun: 11:00am - 11:00pm
(Closed on Monday)

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Shawn 14:00  1 comment

#13 NOM (No Other Meaning) - Bistro & Bakery Review

NOM (No Other Meaning) - Bistro & Bakery is a cafe located at MacPherson Community Club. In fact, if you happen to pass by the Community Club, you would have most probably caught attention of the cafe's outdoor seating area (as well as their huge signboard!).

I visited the cafe at around late afternoon during a weekend. Surprisingly, it was rather cozy and not too crowded. You can choose the dine in the indoor area or choose the outdoor area (which has more greenery and the background music that was playing was comparably softer compared to the indoor area).

NOM cafe offers quite a huge range of selections ranging from Light side dishes, Pizzas, Main Course (consisting of Burgers, Fish & Chips, Ribs and Steak) to Desserts. They also offers an 'All Day Breakfast' menu.

Drinks wise, they have coffee (duh!), a range of teas, beers and chocolate.

Oh! And before I move on, they do not charge any additional Service Charge or GST. (*Punch fist in the air*)

I ordered the Iced Mocha ($3.90) and it was rather well executed.

The top layer of whipped cream with the drizzle of chocolate syrup and cocoa powder was a perfect combination with the coffee.

The Iced Latte ($3.90) however was just alright! The coffee could have been stronger.

Introducing the main cast, Salted Caramel Rainbow Cake ($7.90)! The cake that can be seen posted by Instagrammers. They have another different variations on that day, which is the Chocolate Rainbow Cake.

Of course, judging by its looks, the rainbow cake was yummy enough already! But when I took the first bite (which I can't bear to do so even after taking tons of pictures of the cake), I literally saw a rainbow appear in front of my eyes.

It was really delicious. The salted caramel buttercream wasn't too sweet nor too thick and the rainbow sponge itself was pretty dense. Overall, an item not-to-be-missed!

The Fries ($2.90) was also worthy for a mention.

Service at NOM was really good as well. The waiters and waitresses were attentive and kept a lookout for you even though you may be seated at the outdoor area.

Last but not least, I would certainly recommend you to visit NOM if you haven't drop by the cafe yet.  Next up, I would love to try their Main Course items as well as their Pizzas.

On a side note, do check out their instagram page as they will be regularly posting updates of any private events happening in the cafe throughout the week which might lead to a closure of the cafe in the afternoon on certain days.

NOM - Bistro & Bakery
400 Paya Lebar Way
Macpherson Community Club, Level 1
S(379131)

Opening Hours
Mon - Sun: 11:00am - 11:00pm

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Shawn 01:22  No comment

[Instagrammer's Visit #3 - @shareroll] ~ Whisk Cafe

Next for the 'Instagrammer's Visit' series, we welcome Cheryl (@shareroll) to contribute her review of Whisk Cafe. 

A couple of days ago, I visited the Whisk Café with one of my girlfriends Yuting to celebrate the start of my well-deserved Recess Week Break (YIPEE!) Located at Tiong Baru, it is a relatively new family-run café that has made its appearance only a couple of months ago.

What really attracted me to pay this café a visit was its crisp, clean white interior (I have a thing for whiteness hehe!). We picked the window seat at a cozy little corner, and were welcomed with the view of the stretch of Tiong Baru shop houses.

Every table was meticulously decorated with a tiny cup of flower, which not only added to the ambiance of the café, but serves as good props for taking Instagram worthy photos (perfect for an Instagram addict like me HAHAHA!).

We ordered pastries, and according to the café owner, these pastries were all hand-made by them (WOW)! They were generally to my liking as they are not the extremely over-the-top-sweet kind of pastries.

The strawberry sponge cake ($7) was alright. Nothing particularly special or great about it.

Their carrot cake ($7) though, which was highly recommended by the café owners, was really good!! Soft and moist with bits of crunchy fruits and nuts, it surely lived up to the recommendation. (The tiny carrot on the cake is really cute too! SO YAY!) It is definitely worth a try!

Another one of my favorite will be the Lemon Meringue Tart ($5.50). It was a good balance of flavor between sweet and lemony-sour. Coupled with the smooth and creamy meringue, it is a perfect high-tea snack. (Although it could have been bigger; it was really quite small HEHE!) ONE IS DEFINITELY NOT ENOUGH!

Last on the list would be the macarons ($2.50 each). We ordered the lemon, earl grey and matcha macaron. Crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, it was pretty good! My favorite would be the earl grey and matcha macarons!

Overall, the Whisk Café is a really nice cozy place for afternoon tea and long chats with friends. They serve coffee and croissants as well, although we didn’t get to try it. Would I go back? YES! Definitely!

Whisk Café Singapore 
58 Seng Poh Road
#01-15
Singapore 160058

Tues-Thurs: 9am-8pm
Sat-Sun: 9am-10pm

Want to follow more of Cheryl's cafe hopping journey? Be sure to follow her instagram - @shareroll!

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Shawn 16:03  No comment

[RECIPE] How to Make DIY Mushroom Miso Soup Flavour Instant Noodles (Singapore Edition)

I came across the viral Facebook post by serious eats "The Food Lab: Make Your Own Just-Add-Hot-Water Instant Noodles (and Make Your Coworkers Jealous)".

The idea was oh-so-amazing, but I have found out that several items used in the recipe could not be easily found in Singapore. Hence, inspired from the post, I will post easy DIY instant noodles every now and then which consist of ingredients which can be easily purchased from Singapore's supermarkets. Which I've thus decided to label the edition as How to Make your own DIY Instant Noodles (Singapore Edition).

To kick start this edition, we start off with something really simple to prepare but yet really delicious.

How to Make DIY Mushroom Miso Soup Flavour Instant Noodles (Singapore Style)

Preparation Time:

10 Minutes

MAIN INGREDIENTS:

Ikea Glass Jug ($1.90)

Tea Tree Mushrooms ($2.00)

Instant Miso Soup (Packet of 5 from Daiso for $2.00)

Organic Udon ($3.90)

Spring Onions/Scallions

The last time I checked in October 2014, Ikea Glass Jug costs only $1.90. For the noodles, I have opted in for an healthier choice of Organic Udon which costs $3.90 in retail Giant supermarkets. Of course, you could use any other brands of noodles which you prefer. The bottled Teatree Mushroom can be purchased in most retail supermarkets as well and lastly, the miso soup base was from Daiso.

STEP BY STEP:

• Cook the noodles
• Placed them in the glass jug
• Topped it off with a handful of Teatree Mushroom
• Garnish it with Spring Onions or Scallions

Keep it in the refrigerator. If you are intending to consume it in school or at work, remember to bring along the packet of Daiso Miso Soup base, as well as the packet of dried tofu and seaweed included in the packet.

When you are ready to consume your instant noodles, open the packet of Miso Soup base as well as the dried seasonings and toss them on top of the noodles. It should look something like this:

Last but not least, add boiling water from a hot water dispenser, kettle or water cooler. Close the lid and wait for a few minutes. 

Stir it around a little after opening the lid and there you have it! Your DIY Mushroom Miso Soup Flavour Instant Noodles with items which can be easily purchased in Singapore.

Remember to share this post with your friends and keep a look out for the next How To Make Your Own DIY Instant Noodles (Singapore Edition).

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Shawn 16:39  No comment

#12 Hatter Street Review

Hatter Street is just like a gem located in the neighbourhood estate of Kovan (while some of you may challenge that it's Hougang instead). The cafe is located within a walking distance from Kovan MRT Station.

The interior of the cafe was beautifully decorated with wall decals and different themes of furnitures.

As I venture deeper into the shop, I was greeted by the sight of Frozen's Anna & her sister, Elsa.

Customers could place their order at the cashier located at the display counter which includes some specialities and pastries.

That said, the item that caught my eyes were the "waffles" that was written on the wall at the side of the shop!

The Pandan Ice Cream Waffle with Gula Melaka ($8.90) is the first option from the list of waffles and is certainly the one that sounds the most interesting.

The waffles is crispy and moist in the inside and the portion served was just right. In fact, this waffles should definitely be named as one of the top few waffles in Singapore! The Pandan Ice Cream was rich in flavour as well.

Most importantly, the pairing of Gula Melaka totally brought this dish up to another level! Even though I am not a fan of Gula Melaka, the dressing used by Hatter Street tasted rather special and complemented the waffles and ice cream really well! Amazing!

I will definitely drop by the cafe again to taste their signature pastries and desserts.

Oh yes! The service by the waitresses in the cafe deserved an incredible mention as well. Have you been to a cafe whereby the service staff greets you upon your arrival and thanked you for your visit when you leave the cafe?

Hatter Street
212 Hougang Road
#01-333
S(530212)

Opening Hours
Tues - Sun: 1:00pm - 10:00pm

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Shawn 21:29  No comment

[Instagrammer's Visit #2 - @lkkben] ~ Strictly pastry

Up next, for the 'Instagrammer's Visit' series, we have invited Ben (@lkkben) to contribute his review!

Strictly pastry, located along Joo Chiat road, opened earlier this year, is what I call a "boutique pastry shop", where no other pastry shop can compare with them in terms of the overall experience like interior design, window display and even the look of their pastries are way cooler than the others.

Their signature pastry will be "Ugly Sue", it may not look very presentable like the rest but it's taste heavenly good! I prefer not to explain what ingredients do their have but I'm sure this meringue is a crowd pleaser.

Strictly pastry also serves up some delightful cupcakes and each flavour comes with their own name, so having a chocolate cupcake or blueberry cupcake is too cliché, over in Strictly Pastry, you should order a "Gery", "Ada" or "Morita"(the friendly staff are more than willing to explain the flavours for their cupcakes to you).

And the overall experience is what I'm looking at, so for Strictly Pastry, they have just a few sewing machine turned table for customers to sit and enjoy their pastry, cupped with some local teas or even Song Fang tea from Shanghai, it works perfectly well together. 

U guess there are times you just want to have some quiet moments in the afternoon or evening to enjoy your pastry and some time. So why not check out this lovely place and who knows? You will love it? 

Strictly Pastry 
267 Joo Chiat Road 
Singapore 427521

Mon: 3:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Wed: 3:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Thu - Fri: 1:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Sat - Sun: 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Thank you Ben your contribution! Remember to follow Ben's instagram - @lkkben! 

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Shawn 11:09  No comment