51 Fiveone Degrees @ Toa Payoh North

There was this particular day where I felt terribly lousy at work and so I went around TPY area in search of this 51 degrees bakery. Turns out that it’s located right opposite SPH and beside my favourite nasi padang stall!

I saw the raving reviews of the pandan chiffon cake from their facebook page and decided to give it a try. Me being the glutton, could not resist the tempting cupcakes on display and I ordered 2 cupcakes and a tart to share with my colleagues.

 

Salted caramel (left) & Dark Grey cupcakes – $3.50 each

The salted caramel cupcake is light, fluffy and the moist level is just right. A pity I forgot to take a picture of the caramel filling but it’s  darn good! The caramel is thick and gooey and it’s sinful to the max with the cupcake. Topped with the buttercream drizzled with caramel… So satisfying!

The Dark grey cupcake is chocolate based which is more moist and dense than the caramel cupcake. I actually prefer this because the earl grey core, which is not too sweet, was a refreshing change from the usual favourites. I like the crunchy chocolate topping and there’s this subtle sexy appeal with the gold powder at the top of the cupcakes.

 

Lemon Meringue Tart – $2.80

Oh I love love love this!! The sweetness of the meringue plus the zesty creamy lemon custard with the crusty tart is an awesome combination. So perfect for a midday snack. You must try it when you are there! The only drawback about this is the size. 😦 Wished it would be more generous!

Pandan Chiffon cake – $12+

I heard that the pandan chiffon cakes (which I’m eating as i am typing now) are always sold out before end of the day! And true enough, when I went during lunchtime, there’s only left with 1. I could understand the hype for this cake because you can literally taste the lurrrve as you savour each mouthful of the soft and moist and fluffy pandan cake. 1 slice was definitely not enough for me! I would say that it’s quite worth it for $12+ as the portion is very big and could serve my family of 4 for a few days’ of breakfast. 😉

Turns out the baker is only 22 years old and she opened the bakery about 2 years ago. I really admire her passion in baking awesome cakes and tarts and the courage to open a shop at such a young age! I hope more people will get to know about this bakery and support her!

I think i shall be doing a post of comparison of the different cupcakes in Singapore next time. 😉

51 Fiveone Degrees
Blk 203 Toa Payoh North #01-1113 S(310203)
Tel : 6526 9328
51 Degrees FB page
51 Degrees website
Operating hours:
Mon-Fri : 11.55am – 8.55pm
Sat – Sun : Closed

Sun Ray Cafe @ Serangoon Gardens

I got to know about Sun Ray Cafe from Instagram! Haha, the wonders of social media. I posted a picture of a latte and the admin person of Sun Ray Cafe liked the pic and that’s how I decided to give this Cafe a visit to give their coffee a try!

Mocha – $5.00

Latte – $4.00

I must say that I was very impressed with their coffee! Good thing that this quaint lil cafe, which is pet-friendly too, was not busy on a lazy Sunday afternoon. The head barista came over to chat with us and it was interesting to learn about the different coffee and the art of coffee from her evident passion in making good coffee. She shared with us about the different types of coffee and the logic for the different terminology, like what goes into a latte, a cappuccino, a macchiato, etc etc. In the end we had a total of 4 cups of coffee at the cafe! The other two – cold drip coffee and americano were not featured above.

 American breakfast – $14.90

Fresh scones – $2.50 each (come with Butter)

I am quite glad they served pretty decent food too! They served all day brunch items and I ordered an American breakfast, which came with sausages, cheese croquette, scrambled eggs (or sunny side-up), rocket salad and fresh scones. I must say that the scrambled eggs were not done to my expectation as they were tasteless and not as “milky” as I like. The other condiments were average but the SCONES were DA BOMB! In fact, we loved the scones so much, we ordered extra serving and as you can see, they were HUGE! They were crumbly and slightly cakey, fragrant and went very well with Americano. Can’t wait to have it again! They serve dessert and other main dishes too.

I’m glad I made the trip down because it was really nice chatting with the staff and seeing cute dogs. I would definitely come back for the good coffee and nice ambience. Customer service was superb, the waiters were friendly, attentive, and very courteous. It’s really hard to find good local service staff nowadays! Do visit the cafe if you happen to be around the area! 🙂 UOB card holders get to enjoy 12% off.

****

Sun Ray Cafe
79 Brighton Crescent (Off Serangoon Gardens way)
Singapore, Singapore 559218

Tel: 62838700

Sun Ray Cafe Website
Sun Ray Cafe FB page

Loola’s by Awfully Chocolate @ Esplanade

Happened to be around Esplanade area to standby for Chingay’s on a Saturday afternoon and chanced upon this cafe for some sweet treats. Warning: Please read this after your meal!

We were at a loss of what to choose cos all looked really awesome especially the cupcakes. So in the end we minimainiminimo and…

We chose Hazel Crumble that came with a scoop of Awfully Chocolate’s signature chocolate ice cream. I like the mixture of the slight saltiness of the hazel crumble on top of the dense and moist chocolate cake! Even though it seems like an overkill, but the mixture of the cake plus the chocolate ice cream was so good!

The only gripe I had was the price of this dessert. Even though it’s located at a tourist attraction, $12 (without GST & service charge) for this is quite overpriced to me.

Moreover, the latte was a huge disappointment. It was scalding hot and the latteart looked so halfhearted! We had to wait for a while for it to be drinkable and the coffee was not as kickass as we expected it to be. Even after we hinted to the waitress that the temperature of the coffee is not acceptable, the only solution she came back with was to add cold milk. I heard “Aiyo aiyo ai ai yo…” in my head at her lacklustre service. But luckily the dessert saved the day, really.

As much as I would love to recommend the dessert to my friends to try at Loola’s, I feel that the money can be better spent elsewhere for equally awesome dessert at a more affordable price. However it is a nice place to chill at Esplanade while waiting for a concert or gig to start. Maybe you can try the iced drinks instead! 😉

*****

Loola’s by Awfully Chocolate
8 Raffles Avenue #02-14
Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
Operation Hours:
Sun to Thu: 1200 – 2200
Fri – Sat: 1200 – 0000

Jamaica Blue & Blackball @ Star Vista

There are quite a few cafes at Star Vista that I’ve been wanting to try and Jamaica Blue’s one of them. The cafe gave me the suburban Aussie feel and it seems like the perfect cafe to chill on a Sunday afternoon. We had our lunch somewhere and was itching for small bites and coffee.

The coffee pecan bread loaf was light and quite fluffy, not too dense so it went well with the latte. However, I would have liked the coffee taste to be slightly stronger for the bread loaf.

I started my love for scones when I was in Penang working few years back and my colleagues and I went for this awesome high-tea session at the oldest hotel and the scones were ahhhmazinggg. So since then, I’ve been wanting to find back the kind of perfect scone I had back at that hotel but sadly, none had quite matched up.

However, the scones here at Jamaica Blue were not too bad, crumbly and not too sweet. Do share if you have tried some scones in some cafes that were great ok!

I liked the ambience and simple decor of the cafe. The good thing is that the place doesn’t get too crowded during the weekends so it’s quite perfect for long catch-ups.

 Gave this Taiwanese dessert a try, which was opened by a Mediacorp artiste. We asked for recommendation and this seemed to be the most popular dessert- Blackball Signature. You can even choose the level of “coldness” of the dessert and we chose the Icy option. I like the chewy texture of the sweet potato balls, taro balls and black pearls! I would say that its a good mash-up of all the chewy stuff and the grass jelly and red bean.

*****

Jamaicablue
1, Vista Exchange Green
#01-32, The Star Vista
Jamaicablue Website

Blackball Singapore
1, Vista Exchange Green
#02-14, The Star Vista
Blackball Website

Salads salads salads

Since I’m currently on a craze for good salads, I shall dedicate an entry for salads- the salad joints I’ve been to and also the salads I whipped up myself!

So first up, is a salad and soup bar at one of the most atas shopping centres in Singapore, Orchard Ion. I chanced upon this while looking for something for a light lunch with my partner. This salad bar is perfect because despite being opened by Cedele, the prices are quite reasonable and it’s located at Orchard!

 

I had the regular-sized salad which included fresh & crispy romaine lettuce, fragrant brown rice, cranberries, edamame beans, sesame, beef pastrami and chicken breast. Together with a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice, the simple meal cost $12.90. Not exactly cheap.. but considering the fresh and nutritious ingredients that is healthy on the waistline… SOLD! There are tons of toppings for you to mix and match to your liking.

Toss & Turn Salad and Soup Bar
Orchard Ion Basement 4

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I was craving for salad last weekend and was scratching my brain to whip up something different with chicken. Just so happened that I was looking at a blogger’s blog post on Katsu Don and I suddenly craved for crispy and light chicken cutlet covered with bread crumbs! Even though I have no recipe at all and basically just mashed up everything together, I think my chicken turned out pretty decent!

Chicken cutlet (serves 3-4 pax)

You’ll need:
– 300g Chicken thigh
– 2 tablespoon worchester sauce (my secret ingredient)
– pinch of salt
– 1 tsp lemon juice
– Corn flour
– Bread crumbs
– 1 egg
– 3 tablespoon olive oil

1. Marinate chicken with the worchester sauce, salt and lemon juice. (Lemon juice helps to tenderize the chicken or even beef)
2. Leave in frige for about 3-4 hours.
3. Heat up pan and pour in the olive oil. (MAKE SURE IT’S HOT HOT!)
4. Beat up the egg into a small bowl, mix the chicken with flour and dip into the egg and bread crumbs before sliding into a frying pan. I made sure the entire slab of chicken is covered with tons and heaps of bread crumbs!
5. Let it cool on kitchen towel (to soak up the oil) before serving.

I mixed in romaine lettuce, brown rice, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, cranberries, carrots with balsamic vinaigrette to compliment the chicken cutlet and voila! A healthy (yet sinful) meal. 🙂

Poteato @ Yong Siak St

If there is one particular day in a year which I hate the most, it’d have to be V-day. Overpriced roses, chocolates and the restaurants are fully booked with kiasu couples who seem to bank on 1 day to shower their loved ones with love and flowers. Quite frustrated that most of the cool cafes did not take in any walk-in customers along Yong Siak Street. There’s this new kid on the block that was different- Poteato and BOY, were we glad to patronize this quaint cafe opposite Open Door Policy because the Eggless Chocolate Cake was DA BOMB. Shall go to that in a bit.

This cafe had red petals scattered across the reserved table – a very nice and sweet touch for a supposedly lomantic day. Although the special menu could be improved in my humble opinion.

I’m no coffee connoisseur, but the latte served here was medium-bodied with slight bittersweet aftertaste. Definitely not as bitter as Blackbird Cafe’s coffee but I liked the subtle bitterness that lingered in my taste bud after each sip.

My partner ordered the Pulled Chicken Sandwich that came with salsa dip and potato chips. The chicken strips were tender and tasty but the herbed focaccia bun could be toasted last before serving because I guess they wanted to serve both dishes together and the bun was prepared first perhaps. The bun was a lil too dense and oily after a few mouthfuls, which affected the overall taste with the chicken.

I enjoyed the Aglio Olio with mushrooms very much though! It was light yet flavourful, spicy and the sautéed mushrooms were soft and delectable. Even the boyfriend urged me to cook something like that the next time. Heh.

We had wanted to try the lemon meringue tart but it was sold out so we changed to the Eggless Chocolate Cake instead and that was actually the BEST choice made. Ever. The chocolate cake was dense, not too sweet and it was such a sinful gooey chocolatey mess! Definitely one of the best chocolate cake we had ever tasted and I could cry with happiness after taking the first mouthful. “The uglier the cake, the nicer it will taste!” was what the positive boyfriend said after it was served to us. It is true. Please try and let me know if you had the same sentiment as us!

Although the cafe does not charge service fee and GST, we need to order directly from the counter and help ourselves to free-flow ice water & cutlery. I welcome such arrangement because I do feel a bit paiseh at times if I kept asking the waitress to refill our water.

I like the simplistic yet rustic decor of the cafe and the affordable tasty food served here. A nice place to chill out with friends/loved ones over comfort food and drinks.

My first in posting a picture of us but today’s dinner really was one of the best so far, despite us being anti-vday advocates. A great day that ended with an awesome meal at a quaint little cafe along the hippy street. Good for us! 😉

Ending off with a ‘paparazzi-like’ shot of the Monocle event that happened at Books Actually. Pretty apt for Monocle, though I think the guests may have preferred a bigger venue.

Poteato
78 Yong Siak Street
Singapore 163078
Poteato FB page
Call 6221 2488 for reservations

Blackbird Cafe @ Cathay

Due to the 3 days of non-stop Chinese food, I decided to have something non-Chinese on the 3rd day of CNY. Chanced upon this cafe, which was not crowded and serves brunch items! (Most cafes don’t serve brunch items on weekdays even though it’s PH) Shall let the pictures do the talking!

I quite like the ambience of the cafe as it’s cosy and conducive for catchups and the service staff did not chase us away despite us ordering just 2 cup of coffee and pancakes. The decor was done up quite tastefully and fits well with the museum concept. *thumbs up*

Flat White, $5.50

Ever since I got hooked onto Papa Palheta’s coffee, I’ve stopped adding sugar to my lattes and would just soak in the aroma of the pure espresso + milk combi. Most lattes’ bitterness were acceptable to me and I relish in the slight bittersweet taste of the coffee. But I must comment that Blackbird’s latte was one of the most bitter one I’ve tasted. It’s not a bad thing, but I prefer a not-so-bitter coffee. A lil sugar does the trick though, so it’s all good.

Buttermilk Pancakes, $10.00

I was a little skeptical about ordering buttermilk pancakes because I had a horrible experience at Five & Dime. However, I haven’t had pancakes for a while, so decided to go ahead to try. It wasn’t dry, which was my consolation because I hate hate dry and flaky pancakes. However, the pancakes lack taste and were a bit flat. You can choose either bacon, caramelized bananas or strawberries with the pancakes but I opt for fresh strawberries as it’s more healthy. For just $10, I believe it’s quite affordable for brunch items in town area!

Rating: 3/5

Although the food we tried were so-so, I would still want to go back to give other brunch items as try! The steak sandwich that the couple next to ours ordered looked divine though, so I’ll definitely make a mental note to order it the next time I’m there. A good location to chill before catching a blockbuster if you happen to be around Cathay area!

Blackbird Cafe
6 Handy Road
The Luxe
Blackbird Cafe FB

Chinese New Year Goodies

Happy Chinese New Year Everybody! Feast and be merry and Huat ah!

Flam’s @ Orchard Central

Even though we were a little skeptical about the standard of food here at Flam’s, I was tempted for a light meal and the thin crust pizza looked pretty harmless for my tummy. The menu was not local-friendly at all with the french names, but thank god for English description!

For starters, we had Salade Bressane, which is salad with roasted chicken and I love the sweet honey mustard dressing that goes very well with the tender chicken and greens. Good appetizer alright!

For our mains to share, we had The Charolaise – minced beef thin-crust pizza with loads of rocket salad and drizzled with whole grain mustard sauce. Really tasty and light! It’s really perfect for a light meal if you are trying to keep your calories in check or not wanna over-indulge.

Even though we had our dinner at 6+, the place was still quite empty and I hope more people will wanna give it a try cos the food here is really quite affordable and yummy!

 

Flam’s
Orchard Central
#02-30
Flam’s FB page
Flam’s website
Tel: 6884 4242

Tanuki Raw oysters @ Orchard Central

 

All hail the OYSTERS!

 

Tanuki Raw Oysters – $12/dozen (promo price)

I must say that it’s an exquisite type of cuisine really, it’s slimy, juicy and you taste the SEA, literally. Here’s how I think people should enjoy oysters – Squeeze a little lemon and squirt a little tobasco sauce… there, feel the oysters mingle with your tastebuds and smell the ocean within your soul… quite a nice feeling actually.

 

 

 

American Roll – $10

We gave American Roll a try too, with thin beef slices sandwiched between the rice and mayo. Not too bad though the beef can be a tad more generous! I would definitely try other sushi rolls when I’m there the next time.

Tanuki is opened by Standing Sushi Bar’s Howard Lo and I guess the raw food are the must-try items like the fresh sashimi, steak tartare and oysters! They also serve a fushion of western-meet-eastern kind of cuisine if you want something more interesting to try.

 

Oh btw, skip the drinks, not worth the tummy space. 😉

 

Tanuki Raw
Orchard Central
#02-03
Tanuki Raw FB page
Tanuki website
Tel: 6636 5949