Singapore Food Blog - Antoinette @ Penhas Road

Location:  Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Recommended: various cheese tarts (~SGD3)

Antoinette has appeared in the scene for quite some time but despite the fact that my place is relatively close to it, I never get to visit its main branch in Penhas Road until quite recent. Even though the Lavender scene is packed with novelty hipster cafes (such as Chye Seng Huat Hardware) and great dining spots (such as Lighthouse Bistro), Antoinette still manage to secure itself as not just another cafe but an original entity.

The pristine white exterior and its name are clear giveaways that this is a place with a focus on French food and pastries. Upon entering, I immediately succumbed to the rows of colorful macarons and cakes demanding the attention of my sweet tooth. Recently one of the owner chef's offer that grabbed foodie's attention is their own lineup of cheese tarts to ride on the sudden craze, so naturally I had to grab some for myself.

A pristine white front

Malaysia Food Blog - Citrus Wine and Dine @ Ipoh

Location: Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

I am pleasantly surprised by how many nice dining spots there are in Ipoh (apart from the usual delicious hawker fares) despite being born here. Citrus Wine and Dine is not a hipster cafe that sprouts from the craze in recent years but a cozy restaurant for families and groups who look for a secret nice spot only known to the locals. I have passed by the location quite often and yet I never knew of its existence until my wife brought me for a birthday celebration.

They have an extensive menu that could cater for any celebration whims, including high grade beef. However for our first visit we contended ourselves with their set lunch of the day, at a price of RM26.50 per set. Each set came with the soup of the day (we got cream of mushroom), coffee or tea, a main course and a slice of cake for dessert (we had a delicious piece of chocolate cake). Each of us got ourselves a different main course - a BBQ Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and an Aglio Olio spaghetti.

Each set comes with an appetizer in the form of a soup (ours were cream of mushroom) and a cup of coffee or tea. The dreamily creamy soup is delightfully delicious, its thick yet smooth texture perked up our appetite, getting it ready in anticipation of the main course.

Singapore Food Blog - Outback Steakhouse @ Orchard Gateway

Location: Orchard, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Note: This post is written base on the dining experience in Orchard Gateway branch. Experience may vary from that of other outlets.

We came across Outback Steakhouse's offer while surfing Groupon, which was how we were introduced to its existence. Its branch in Orchard Gateway is out of the usual foot traffic but at a corner of the building which affords a great view across the Orchard area if you choose to be seated near the windows.

The service we received in Outback Steakhouse was not bad although it can be difficult to wave a waiter over. Being a steakhouse, their signature dish is naturally steaks of all types, but our Groupon voucher limits our choices to 3: Toowoomba Chicken (SGD24.90), ribs and chicken combo (SGD34.90), and Black Pepper Steak Bites (SGD24.90). We had enough vouchers for 3 persons so naturally we chose all 3 to try them out.

Entrance

Singapore Food Blog - Lighthouse Bistro and Bar

Location: Lavender, Singapore

Lighthouse Bistro is a surprisingly good find in the Lavender MRT region, a location where numerous good joints stay hidden from plain sight. Occupying a corner lot, it stood out like the lighthouse it is named for, a beacon that draw diners in for a good meal.

Its interior is quite limited despite occupying the corner lot, and one has a choice to dine outside rather than within its air-conditioned interior. The ambiance in Lighthouse Bistro is suitable for group chitchat and romantic duos alike, so long as one does not suddenly look for space to kneel for a proposal. Despite its corner lot occupancy, space is still limited within the joint.

A sketch to accompany the name of Lighthouse Bistro and Bar.

Singapore Food Blog - Oriole Coffee & Bar

Location: Orchard, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Note: There are a number of food spots under the same name but with different focus. This post is written base on the dining experience in Oriole Coffee and Bar in 313 Somerset branch. Experience may vary from that of other outlets.

Recommended: Fully Loaded (SGD20), Capelinni Crabmeat (SGD26), St Louis Pork Ribs (SGD26), Oriole spiced ships (available with Fish and Chips, or St Louis Pork Ribs)

There are few food spots or cafe in Orchard Road where we would enjoy a lovely brunch and Oriole is one of those. Although the cafe cum bar opens until late night, we almost always patronize for brunch or lunch, not dinner. It has a hip kind of feel to its decor and I like the way they attend to the details, from the simple but stylish menu to the fonts on the table numbers.

There is an outback look to things in Oriole on the exterior with its wooden tables. The similarity to an outback is distinctly less so in the mostly ocher interior. Seated at the planked tables outside enhanced that feel but fortunately the interior is air conditioned, so we can still choose to enjoy a less outback setting in a comfortable atmosphere. Sometimes the interior is fully seated and we have to take a seat outside, which could be quite comfortable if it is not too hot.

Oriole's stylish menu

Singapore Food Blog - Five and Dime Eatery

Location: Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Updated 2-Aug-2016: This business is permanently closed.

Recommended: Golden Custard Lava Cake (SGD12), Mentaiko Pasta (SGD18)

Sometimes reading “Lists of… to Die For” could be rather rewarding. At least it brings you to places you wouldn’t necessarily wander to. Take Five and Dime for example, its location a hideout among the affluent along River Valley Road, a modern shop nestled between some residential houses which architecture was frozen in time. Of course their location is not the focus here and yet I couldn’t help but to marvel upon how an eatery got itself into such a quaint spot.

Welcome to Five and Dime!

Singapore Food Blog - Ronin Cafe (a.k.a. 17 Hong Kong Street)

Location: Clarke Quay, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Recommended: Matcha Toning (SGD5.50), The Wicked (SGD5.50)

The initial impression I received when seeking this café out in Hong Kong Street was that it was hard to find unless you remembered its number due to its lack of signage. However it was quickly obvious that it stood out among the rest of the buildings, being the one with a chic dark marble outlook among the various aging neighbors. If it wasn’t for its online popularity, I guess I would not even notice its name as Ronin Café although many start to recognize the café as “17 Hong Kong Street” instead.

The only place in the whole cafe to inform diners of the establishment's name - the cashier.

Singapore Food Blog - Department of Caffeine

Location: Duxton Road, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Updated 1-Jan-2017: This outlet is permanently closed.

I have read enough of "Top 10 cafes to visit in Singapore" that has been shared in the internet and I saw that Department of Caffeine has been on most of those list. Most probably they all copied from the same source and duplicate it as their own list of top 10, but the name itself is quite catchy. You definitely will look for a "department" of caffeine when you are looking for a cuppa joe.

Caffe Mocha (SGD5.50) - thick, good mix of espresso and chocolate, and topped with a nice latte art. What more could you ask for? The cuppa joe would get more acidic at the bottom, most probably due to the choice of coffee bean and method of roasting, so be prepared for that.

Singapore Food Blog - Bakerzin @ Orchard Paragon

Location: Orchard, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Updated 29-Nov-2015: This outlet in Orchard Paragon is permanently closed. Outlets of Bakerzin can still be located in other locations through here: outlet locations.

Note: This post is written base on the dining experience in Orchard Paragon branch. Experience may vary from that of other outlets.

Every once in a while I would walk past a Bakerzin cafe, its colorful confectioneries attracting my interest now and then but rarely did I stop for a break there. That was until once when I spied this one in Orchard Paragon and thought that I could get a break there, what with the cafes overflowing nearly everywhere on a busy weekend packed full of shoppers.

My impression of Bakerzin as a confectionery store and coffee serving cafe was challenged when I flipped through their menu and saw that they offered several main dishes as well. They served drinks, both caffeine laced and caffeine free, delivering enough to suit diners with different taste.

Bakerzin's menu is like a recipe book. Each section of the menu start off with an introduction of some ingredient highlights , some of which pointed to their nutritious values in the dishes in subsequent pages.

Singapore Food Blog - Brunch @ DOME, Plaza Singapura

Location: Dhoby Ghaut, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Updated: This branch has ceased operation.

I am not unfamiliar with DOME cafe, having tried it in Malaysia a few times. Lingering memory of good food and fragrant coffee offered by the cafe originating from Western Australia left me with longing. And on a few fine mornings, I just had to quench my insatiable thirst for its coffee by visiting the branch tucked in the middle of Plaza Singapura. After all, it did promote its coffee as "World's Finest Coffee".

Once in DOME Cafe, it is essential not to miss out on your coffee. 

Singapore Food Blog - PODI (Pure. Offbeat. Delicious. Infusions.) @ Raffles City

Location: City Hall, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Updated: This business is permanently closed.

Pure. Offbeat. Delicious. Infusions. Not sure why these were chosen to form the acronym of the recently opened business in the basement fountain area of Raffles City Shopping Center, but there it was. Gone was the previous establishment occupying the spot, Out of the Pan, a cafe known for its crepes. And out it did. I was rather intrigued as to what The Bakery Depot, the parent company behind the popular Cedele chain of bakeries and cafes, would want to offer with PODI. My experience with Cedele was very positive, and being a frequent patron of its cafes, I decided to give this new establishment a try. To intrigue me more, very little information was available of this restaurant online, leaving a few blog posts and my own imagination to predict what I would get out of this.

PODI's location is rather strategic. The fountain area is one of those popular areas in Raffles City Shopping Center frequented by patrons and shoppers. To be able to dine beside the dancing waters under lighting styled after streetlights would be priceless.

Singapore Food Blog - Breakfast for Dinner @ Wild Honey

Location: Orchard, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Note: This piece was written base on the dining experience in Scotts Square's outlet. Experience may differ from those in another branch.

It would be odd for me to admit this, but having breakfast for dinner feels real good. Let me get the picture clearer by sharing how I came to be in this situation. I did not oversleep nor did I missed breakfast all the way until dinnertime. What I did do was to drop by Wild Honey after a day's work for their all day breakfast. After all, breakfast was the only main course they offered.

Wild Honey's storefront in Scotts Square, a mall which oddly sees less visitors and shoppers than most of Orchard's contemporaries.

Singapore Food Blog - Hatched @ Holland Village

Location: Holland Village, Singapore

Note: This piece was written base on the dining experience in Holland Village branch. Experience may differ from those in another branch.

Egg - one of the food items which removes the boundary of nations and cultures, catering vegetarians (some consider egg as a vegetarian food) and carnivores alike. Wherever you go, you can be sure that there will be at least a kind of food made from this universal food. You could fry it, bake it, boil it, half-boil it, scramble it or poach it. You can have it as a custard, omelette, tart or salad, even pickled or salted. The possibilities are endless. And it makes sense to have a cafe opened with a main theme based on eggs. You just couldn't go wrong with that. Thus was born one named Hatched.

Even salt and pepper are served through egg-shaped shakers! Something may hatch out of it... Salt and peppers perhaps?

Singapore Food Blog - Fish and Co @ Changi Airport T2

Location: Changi Airport, Singapore

Every time we disembark from our flight in Changi Airport's T2, it would be right around dinner time. Nobody to blame on that but the fact that there was but 2 flights per day from our hometown to Singapore, and we picked the later flight so that we can spend a little more time at home. Home sweet home, as they say.

The thought of the 3 changes in public transit and hour long journey ahead was not helping, so our growling stomachs demanded sacrifices be made to accommodate their churning wrath. There were a wide range of choices of restaurants and cafes in Changi Airport, so to choose from such myriad choices and still have money left in our purses will required careful considerations.

I had eyed Fish and Co for a long time since I set foot in Singapore, but my impression of the restaurant chain was a seafood establishment with a not-so-impressive price tag. Still, sooner or later I would try it, what with fish and chips being one of my favorite. With that thought in mind, I asked myself, why not sooner rather than later?

Dining in Fish and Co means seeing fish everywhere. A fish shaped hard pad for your dish, a metal fishing bucket mimicking the one used to store catches for your utensils, and a fishing magazine-like menu for your orders. The store even has fishy facts on its wallpaper. All in all, a good day to fish (and co).

Singapore Food Blog - Ambush @ Jurong Point

Location: Jurong West, Singapore

Passing by this small and cramped area in Jurong Point shopping mall, I always wondered what it was to dine within such a confined area, with crowds able to see what it was which you ordered, as well as the look on your face when you sampled a bite off the steak you sawed through.

The catchy name of Ambush was quite intriguing, as well as the range of choices it offered off its menu. The dining joint had a well-deserved boast of offering a taste from Europe, as it was one of the few restaurants which offered truly something from different corners of the continent at a price affordable to us poor middle-class workers. Its slogan said it all - A piece of Europe on your plates.

Seated within the open restaurant allowed one to look around at the frenzy of shoppers, but you will need to learn to ignore the open stares directed to your dish. Otherwise, the small place with its chic design does seem to bring a piece of Europe with it.

Singapore Food Blog - Element buffet dinner @ Amara Hotel

Location: Tanjong Pagar, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore.

I guess that any search online for Amara Hotel's buffet dinner will result in numerous reviews sharing individual experience of dining there after purchasing online discounted coupons which were available just recently. So here's another piece to add to that growing list.

Welcome to 165 Tanjong Pagar Road!

Malaysia Food Blog - International Buffet Dinner @ Café Laurel, Evergreen Laurel Hotel Part 2

Location: Gurney Drive, Georgetown, Penang Isle

Truth is, I was slightly disappointed with the food there. Not to say that the food was not nice, but the selection of food could do with some improvement. Since this was supposed to be an international buffet, with Italian as a the main choice of theme, the choices were the usual you would expect from any locally planned 'international buffet'.

A dish of yummies, all deep fried to golden crispiness! Maybe I should take back my word on nothing special here... deep fried vegetables were indeed different (it was labeled as 'tempura vegetable').

And what were these...?

Malaysia Food Blog - International Buffet Dinner @ Café Laurel, Evergreen Laurel Hotel Part 1

Location: Gurney Drive, Georgetown, Penang Isle

When I was in Evergreen Laurel Hotel a few months ago (read here for my previous article), I noticed the nicely decorated Café Laurel, but never paid it any thoughts. Now after a few months later, I got my paws on some discounted vouchers and here I am, visiting the hotel in Gurney Drive for a second time.

A dazzling central area of the café where a variety of seafood awaits.

Malaysia Food Blog - MichelangelO's Pizzeria - Home of Authentic American Woodfired Pizza

Location: Ipoh Garden East, Ipoh, Perak.

Pizza - I know I will go for Pizza Hut when I am in Ipoh, but knowing a Michelangelo's Pizzeria in Ipoh is quite a surprise to me, more so that it is operated by a Westerner. Still, much thanks to my friends for introducing me to this superb establishment which offered me an alternative to the famous neighborhood pizza franchise, which started to bore me anyway.

Welcome to MichelangelO's Pizzeria! Even without the effects I overlaid  on the photo, the sign does look faded, so you will have to keep an eye open for the shop.

I remember that when we arrived, the owner of the pizzeria was trying to joke with us. Well, I was not quite sure it was a joke then, until he grinned widely at us and ushered us in. That was quite a change of way in greeting customers from the well accustomed Malaysian style. Still, I presume that there may be some who may be confused by his joke, so just be patient and enjoy the moment with him.

By the way, did I also mentioned that if you are asking for a table for multiple persons, you will need to have everyone present before he lets you all in? So no more booking a few tables when only 2 persons are there. Hmm...

The establishment that is Michelangelo's Pizzeria was featured in the papers before, as was evidence in the framed articles outside the pizzeria, the pride of the establishment. 

Malaysia Food Blog - Hidden Recipe café

Location: Sungai Dua, Penang Isle

A shop which unabashedly copy the famous brand of Secret Recipe? That was my first thought, but a visit to the shop shows that it is anything but. Although it shares a word in its name with your favorite neighborhood confectionery shop, a taste of its food does give credit to its namesake.

The shop has a tropical outlook, and the interior is lined with wallpapers of bricks with photos of happy visiting diners decorating a portion of a wall. Glow of yellow light beckons lovers to spend a romantic dinner or the occasional passer-by to spend a relaxing night, although the interior is a little packed from the cramped arrangement of tables and chairs. Since it is strategically located just a few blocks from USM and with its offer of 10% discount off of set dishes for students of USM and INTI college who can show his student pass, you can expect this spot to be frequented by students.



Welcome to Hidden Recipe! Greetings from a tropical outlook and well-lit interior...