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

Singapore Food Blog - High Tea @ Holiday Inn Orchard Lounge

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

Note: This post is written base on experience in Holiday Inn Orchard City Center, not Holiday Inn Express, which is also around the same vicinity.

On a fine Sunday after a sumptuous lunch, we decided that we want to try out the voucher we bought for a high tea treat in Holiday Inn Orchard, seeing that we were in the vicinity. No, actually that Sunday was not fine at all because it was hot as hell. Nevertheless the thought of chilling off in an air-conditioned hotel lobby for high tea would beat the horrors of throng filled malls.

True to the fame of Holiday Inn chain of hotels, its high-ceiling lobby beckoned us welcome and we immediately saw the vast lounge off to its side, its glass walls separating the cool interior from the scorching streets. Occupants were sparsely seated and with such a spacious lounge, we were spoiled for choice when it came to deciding where to relax. We finally decided to occupy one of the sofas in oppose to table and chair seating that seemed to gear towards comfortable business discussions in hushed tones.

Spacious lounge

Singapore Food Blog - Tart Blanc

Location: Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Updated: This business is permanently closed.

Recommended: Various tarts, Mint Cucumber tea

I have to confess that Millenia Walk is not my usual haunt - in fact I have never been there before if it wasn't for a Groupon voucher which we purchased to try out this store named Tart Blanc. For SGD11.80, we get to enjoy a tea set worth SGD24 for 2 that include 2 tarts and 2 hot beverages. With such an irresistible offer, how could we not give it a try?

Tart Blanc fits the description of "hole in the wall" literally by fitting into a small space, accommodating at most 5 - 6 couples, its counter occupying the other half of the store. With an unassuming exterior, we almost missed it if we were not looking for it. However my limited French allowed me to appreciate this artisan cafe's choice of various shades of white as its main theme, from the Chinese lantern styled lamps to the paint on the wall, for "blanc" is "white" in French.

Tart Blanc - it is French for "tart white", an apt description of their main selling pastry and the color of choice for interior decor.

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 - Paul @ Takashimaya

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

Note: This post is written base on the dining experience in Takashimaya Shopping Center's branch. Experience may vary from that of other outlets.

Recommended: Chocolat Frappé à la Menthe (SGD6.50), Mint Cucumber (SGD8.90), Roulade de Poulet (SGD23.90), Piece de Boeuf (SGD28.90), Cabillaud Royal de Méditerranée (SGD29.90), Millefeuille nature (SGD6.80), Tarlette Chocolate (SGD6.30)

Paul should be quite well known to most in Singapore. If you are not familiar with one, just visit the one in Takashimaya like I did – you will not miss the snaking queue of diners waiting impatiently for a spot to sample their patisserie. They have set up branches in various spots but my favorite haunt remains the one in Takashimaya.

I usually prefer to patronize Paul before noon for a hearty brunch, a time when the crowd is thinner and the queue more acceptable. I prefer a seat within, admiring the interior decor reminiscent of European styles but sometimes I can only get a seat outside of the cafe, staring at patrons of the mall and get stared back in return.

Paul, and a certain somebody behind...

Starbucks® Bottled Frappuccino® Coffee Drink

My familiarity with Starbucks is limited to two things: there is a mermaid and there is our favorite Green Tea Latte. It wasn’t until my recent exposure to its chilled bottled variant that I even realize existence of such a convenient packaging. So I thought that maybe I can share my experience here. 

I first encountered it in a nearby 7-11 store and out of curiosity I bought one to try. At a whooping SGD4.10, it was truly a heartache for me. That was a high price to pay for just 9.5 fluid ounce (close to 281 ml) of beverage despite the fact that it came in a glass bottle, a rarity these days if you are not purchasing alcoholic drinks. My first choice of heartache was a Mocha. 

It is rare nowadays to see bottled drinks still sold in glass bottle in Singapore. Still the weight on your hands lend you the premium feel the brand is suppose to deliver. The price is hefty but I like the beverage, especially this Mocha drink where the rich chocolaty taste is very fulfilling.

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.

2014 Germany Trip - Eiscafé Mauro @ Rothenburg

Location: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

German: Eis is German for ice-cream (yes, fooled you didn't it)
               Eiscafé is German for ice-cream parlor, a place which sells ice-cream (not really a café)

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

2014 - Germany trip

Have you ever considered eating ice-cream when the weather around you is lower than 10°C? I had. It was quite fun and contrary to my initial belief, it didn't make me colder. With the environment being so cold, consuming scoops of ice-cream had little effect on my body temperature.

Good weather for an ice-cream

Singapore Food Blog - Café Gavroche

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

I have no knowledge of this cafe tucked in Tras Street if not for my friend's recommendation, who in turn heard of it from his friend. He did warn me that the food was exorbitant relative to its meal but patrons usually visited for its ambiance that was famed for trying to duplicate the Parisian atmosphere.

Cafe Gavroche was its name, but it wasn't easy for us to locate it in our fist visit. Instead of a large signage declaring its name to everyone, the cafe was satisfied with a small one that was easily missed. For those returning patrons however, its front would be hard to miss - potted plants flanked its entrance which could easily convinced that you were about to enter another world 14 hours away.

The sign of the cafe is not easily located, but once you recognized the front of the cafe with its potted plants then locating it along Tras Street would be a breeze. The bar is right across the street from this cafe and opens in the evening.

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.

2013 Hanoi Trip - Thu Nga - Kem Xôi & Chè Thái Lan

Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

Full experience of my visit to Hanoi can be accessed through the list below:

Attractions:   St Joseph's Cathedral | One Pillar Pagoda | Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum | Thang Long Water Puppet Theater | Lý Thái Tổ Garden

Dining:          New Day Restaurant | Sketch Coffee | Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền | Dương Hoa Kem Caramen

More about Hanoi can be read through the list below:
Vietnamese Dong


I wouldn't have expected that Hanoi has a delicious and less well known dish which involved ice-cream. After getting our fair share of bún, phở and bánh cuốn in our 8 day trip, to find respite from the more conventional everyday meals was welcoming. We had our pleasant surprise at the successful food hunt for Kem Caramen at the Northern end of the Old Quarters, and our subsequent adventure to the south bagged us an encounter with Kem Xôi, an ice cream dessert with stick pandan rice and roasted coconut.

Introducing another Vietnamese treasure - a dessert known locally as Kem Xôi, where vanilla ice-cream complements the pandan sticky rice covered underneath. A heaven sent after a hot walk under the sun.

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 - O' Coffee Club @ Raffles City

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

Note: This piece was written base on the dining experience in Raffles City Shopping Center's outlet. Experience may differ from those in another branch.

This opinion will be an affront to most people - Starbucks and Coffee Bean are highly overrated. For fans whose taste buds are attuned to their offers, they may depend their preferences, a point which I would not contest upon. I praise their loyalty to the brand and applause their choice. However for one who hold no loyalty to any particular brand and who is on the lookout for novel beverage offerings, O' Coffee Club seemed to be a particularly good choice to me. Which is why I am dedicating this post to one of their outlet, the one located on Level 3 of Raffles City Shopping Center.

O' Coffee Club of Raffles City enjoyed a corner of the shopping center next to Swiss Cafe.

2013 Hanoi Trip - Sketch Coffee (Sketch Cà Phê)

Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

Full experience of my visit to Hanoi can be accessed through the list below:

Attractions:   St Joseph's Cathedral | One Pillar Pagoda | Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum | Thang Long Water Puppet Theater | Lý Thái Tổ Garden

Dining:          New Day Restaurant | Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền | Dương Hoa Kem Caramen | Thu Nga Kem Xôi & Chè Thái Lan

More about Hanoi can be read through the list below:
Vietnamese Dong

Sometimes stumbling blindly around during a backpack trip can be a bad idea, but there lies an equal chance of being pleasantly surprised as well. In the hours before our session of water puppet show began on the first day of our trip, we were tired from a day long walk around the Old Quarter. A cursory glance above our heads revealed a cafe in one of the neighboring buildings of Thang Long Water Puppet, except that we couldn't find the way to go up.

Sketch Coffee, a cafe located on the second floor on a neighboring building around Thang Long Water Puppet

Singapore Food Blog - McCafe's Green Tea Latte

Location: Singapore

Some craved for their daily dose of Starbucks, others for a shot from Coffee Bean, and even others from a variety of coffee chain stores. The coffee stalls and shops catered to the office tribes sauntering past in the morning or the retired elders loitering for a chat. For me, nothing beats the offer from McCafe.

Once again, a new offer caught my attention and I immediately ordered a cup to addict myself to it. Here is McCafe's latest "invention" - a cup of Green Tea Latte. The foamy not-really-coffee for the not-really-true-coffee-lover is a caffeine fix for me without getting an insomniac night.

Green Tea Latte (SGD4.50) - one of the latest offerings from McCafe. A combination of green tea flavor and latte, it was intended to marry Japanese green tea and caffeine lovers. It may have done the opposite.

Singapore Food Blog - McCafe's Toffee Nut Latte

Location: Singapore

After my experience with McCafe’s special promotion, Hot Choco Banana, I tried going back for another frothy cup of it. Just so it happens, a new series of promotional beverages took over and it was not offered anymore.

The swirls of syrup over frothed milk is a good way to make your day even before you tasted the first sip.

Singapore Food Blog - McCafe's Hot Choco Banana

Location: Singapore

I was introduced to the concept of a McDonald's operated cafe in Changi International Airport a year ago when I first stepped onto the island republic's famous airport. The naive me back then thought that it was a concept store operating only in the airport to cater for international customers, but I realized later that McCafe was everywhere in Singapore, with one in almost every branch of the fast food restaurant chain.

A cup of Hot Choco Banana is an alternative to caffeine for a rainy evening.

Self-made Flavored Coffee

My personal cup of Hazelnut coffee,
with strawberry UHT milk added to
grant a strawberry flavor.

Ever went to your neighborhood café to fancy yourself a sip of smooth flavored latte, took one look at the price, and wished that you could whip one back home without leaving the comfort of your room and spending RMs just to satisfy your desire for flavored caffeine? Well, why don't you do so?

Flavored coffee usually get its flavor either from the roasted beans treated with chemical flavorings or from syrup added into the cup; find out more from About.com. Die-hard coffee drinkers may not find this notion acceptable, with the additional flavor "contaminating" the smell and taste of a bitter cup. Well, I am not really a faithful drinker and I find that strong taste a little unpleasant, so I prefer my cup to be blessed with some sweetness and flavor. I have tried some flavored coffee from different cafés, and sad to say that not all are up to my expectation, including those from the famous ones (your favorite neighborhood 'S' and 'C', pick one).