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

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

Jai Thai @Purvis Street

Whenever I feel like having comfort food when I’m at Cityhall/Dhoby/Bugis area, Jai Thai restaurant will immediately be my top choice. For $6.80+ a set with main course plus drink plus a small dessert, I would say it’s one of the most affordable Thai food in town area.

Tom yam (clear soup) glass noodles

Don’t be deceived by the clear, innocent-looking clear soup. The spiciness kicked in after a few spoonfuls but the spice and zest is just right! I still wonder how the Thais make clear tom yum soup without the chili paste. Hmm, shall explore it one day.

Beef noodles

I love love love Jai Thai’s beef noodles. The beef broth is sweet, flavourful and not too salty – perfect with the glass noodles. And the beef is oh-so-tender that doesn’t give you a toothache which really leaves me wanting more and more!

Deep-fried sample platter (fried beancurd, fish cakes and spring rolls), $7

Due to the chilly weather, we decided to order this sinful plate of goodness to keep warm (excuses, I know). Everything here were fried to perfection, fresh and crisp. But nothing that will blow your mind lah.

The only thing I don’t really like is the non-thai servers in the restaurant. The way they talk and answer your questions just make me feel like they couldn’t be bothered to retain customers. However, for the price and just-right portions of the food, it’s definitely a place I’ll go again and again. Just hope that they will up their service level.

Jai Thai
27 Purvis Street
#01-01 An Chuan Building
Singapore 188604
http://www.jai-thai.com/

(It’s opposite National Library, walk towards the alley when you spot Maybank)