Ronin at Hong Kong Street has said its surprise “Goodbye”, though fans may not be that sad as its owners has opened a brand-new café Gather at Raffles Hotel.

Gather is one of the more unusual French crepe specialty cafes, and also has a retail boutique section with a colour palette that is very “Kinfolk”.

While the revamped Raffles Hotel has opened for quite a while with head-lining restaurants such as BBR by Alain Ducasse, Butcher’s Block, La Dame de Pic, 藝 yì by Jereme Leung and Burger & Lobster, a coffee place like this is a much-welcomed addition.

It occupies the corner space where Ah Teng Bakery used to be.

While Ronin used to be dark and stylish, Gather has elements of both the minimalist lifestyle café and Raffles Hotel Empire Café vibes.

The focus here is on the savoury galette, sweet crepes, though you can also find ciabatta sandwiches here.

The signature to get is called “Off The Bone” ($16) included with class ham, gruyere, cheddar and egg; and Parma Ham ($18) with Italian parma ham, gruyere, cheddar and egg ($18).

On the sweet side, you get the Plain Crepe made with Bordier butter ($14), Burnt Caramel ($14) and Fig & Camembert ($16).

As I happened to head down on Day 1 (though anonymously and unannounced), the servers appeared slightly nervous though they were prompt, polite and gave apt recommendations.

I had the Bolognese ($18) included with slow-cooked minced veal, beef & pork Bolognese, gruyere, cheddar and egg.

The ‘instagrammable’ moment is when you cut across the ozzy egg in the middle, lending some of that moist texture to the crisp outer layer.

A fairly interesting rendition that makes me feel that I am having lasagne and crepe at the same time, though this would be a lot lighter and manageable compared to the whole dish of pasta.

The outer layer was beautifully thin, wrapping within savoury and flavourful fillings that wasn’t overly cheesy.

If I need to nitpick, I thought that the buckwheat taste was slightly pronounced and paprika could be brought down a notch.

The Flourless Chocolate Slice ($10) felt slightly expensive for its size, though it was indeed a good-old rich, dark and moist chocolate cake.

The blueberries help cut some of that richness. Good stuff overall.

I always thought coffee at Ronin and Punch were bold and reliable, and the Latte I had at Gather showed that they still had their game strong.

Gather
Raffles Hotel Arcade #01-12, 328 North Bridge Road Singapore 188719
Opening Hours: 8am – 10pm (Mon – Sat), 8am – 6pm (Sun)

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* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

One of the most known stalls serving Teochew-style braised duck is Heng Gi Goose and Duck Rice, operating for more than 60 years.

It is one of the former Wayang Street hawkers which opened in Hill Street Food Centre before moving to Tekka Centre.

Tekka Centre is originally named Zhujiao, this hawker place in Little India was renamed “Tekka” to make it easier for non-Chinese locals to pronounce it. As a key food landmark in the district, it offers plenty of Indian fare to locals and tourists alike. Located a 3-minute walk away from the MRT Little India station.

If you find the taste rather similar to Ah Heng Duck Rice at Hong Lim Food Centre), that is because both are helmed by “disciples” of the original owner Uncle Yang.

Both Duck Rice stalls are listed in the Singapore Michelin Guide with a Michelin Plate.

The stall sells traditional Teochew-style braised duck (meat, wings, feet) offal, pork belly, pig ears, pig head meat, tau kwa, and egg.

There is usually a queue during lunch time. It is not uncommon that they run out of duck before they close for the day, so come early.

While there is a “goose” in its stall name, geese are no longer available due to the restrictions imposed by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA).

If you are dining solo, go for the Duck Rice for 1 person ($3.50), which comes with a plate of duck meat, a bowl of steamed white rice drizzled with the braising sauce, and a bowl of herbal-flavoured soup.

The duck meat is lightly braised yet flavourful, tender and not too fat.

But what stands out is the fragrant herbal dark soy-based lor (braising sauce), thin in consistency but well-balanced in flavour.

Some may find it slightly on the salty side, so I would recommend mixing the lor with rice.

Other than the comforting herbal soup, I really enjoyed the vinegar-based chili with garlic which balanced the richness of the dish, and will make you want to eat more rice.

For bigger appetites, go for the upgraded dishes with more ingredients ($5.00 up).

Heng Gi Goose and Duck Rice
Tekka Market and Food Centre #01-335, 665 Buffalo Road, Singapore 210665
Tel: +65 6396 0969
Opening Hours: 8am – 3pm, Closed Mon

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* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

Shake Shack’s second outlet in Singapore will open soon at 89 Neil Road, right across the rather ‘happening’ Keong Saik Street which is already lined with hip restaurants and cafes.

As more burger shops have opened in Singapore since Shake Shack’s opening (such as Burger & Lobster, BurgerLabo, Burger+), competition has shaken up quite a bit.

Shake Shack is a fast-casual restaurant known for its 100% all-natural Angus beef burgers, flat-top beef hotdogs, spun-fresh frozen custard, and crinkle cut fries.

The outlet is located on the first floor of a historical building, which used to contain Eng Aun Tong factory where Tiger Balm was produced.

The menu over at Neil Road appears to be just slightly more extensive, offering items not previously available at Jewel.

Other than the ShackBurger ($9.20 for single, $12.70 for double), SmokeShack ($10.90, $14.40), ‘Shroom Burger ($10.80), Shack Stack ($14.30), and Hamburger ($7.50), also included in Neil Road’s menu is the Chick’n Shack ($9.20).

The Chick’n Shack burger contains crispy chicken breast, lettuce, pickles, and buttermilk herb mayo.

I once had this at NYC and thought that it wasn’t particularly memorable as it was a usual chicken burger and felt more worthwhile to spend the calories on the beef burgers which had a better differentiating factor.

Shall try it again when the Neil Road outlet officially opens.

For recommendations, I would usually get either the SmokeShake or the Shack Stack which contains a combination of crispy-fried portobello mushroom, the signature juicy Angus beef patty, and slice of cheese.

Having crispy mushroom and moist patty, while messy to eat, gives the overall bite a more layered contrast.

For the Concretes ($7.50 for single, $9.50 for double) which are frozen custard blended with mix-ins, the new stuff to get are are the Eye of the Tiger and Open Sesame.

The former contains vanilla custard blended with lychee, raspberry and shortbread and topped with lime zest; while the Open Sesame is included with black sesame paste and Plain Vanilla (yeah, that bakery) brownie topped with black sesame seeds and gold-dusted chocolate.

As for the Singapore-exclusive shake, it is still that Pandan Shake featuring vanilla frozen custard ice cream blended with pandan, coconut, and topped with gula melaka crumble.

Warning: This is rather on the sweet side, but drink if you haven’t had it before and curious to sample what the fuss is all about.

While the official opening date of Shake Shack Neil Road has yet to be given, the hoarding has gone down and it looks like it should open within this month or two.

Shake Shack – Neil Road
89 Neil Road #01-01, Singapore 088849
(Opening soon)

Shake Shack – Jewel Changi Airport
78 Airport Blvd, #02-256, Singapore 819666
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm

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When you’re in Serangoon Gardens, make a detour and head to Seng Kee and try their Bak Chor Mee Soup.

A long-time hawker stall, it has been running for 36 years and operated by owner Mr. Lee and daughter Melody.

If it has been awhile you last visited them, they are now at Stall #36.

While you are at Serangoon Garden Market & Food Centre, other hawker stalls to look out for include Aliff Nasi Lemak, Serangoon Garden Bakery & Confectionery, Bossi Ban Mian, Ah Seng Braised Duck Rice, Hock Kee Fried Oyster, Soon Huat Pig’s Organ Soup, and Covent Garden Kway Chap.

The Seng Kee queue can get relatively long during lunch time. As every bowl is cooked up one by one, so getting your food may take a while.

Mr Lee is quite famous for his antic of tossing his bowl up into the air whenever he prepares Bar Choe Mee, so look out for that.

The stall serves up Minced Meat Noodles Dry or Soup ($5, $6), Fish Maw Noodle Dry or Soup ($11, $13), Pork Rib Noodles ($5, $6) and Fish Maw Soup ($11, $13).

Order the Fish Maw Noodles bowl which includes slices of pork liver, minced pork and braised mushrooms. Mr. Lee himself assures you he uses premium quality fish maw in his BCM.

What’s special about Seng Kee’s version of BCM are the sliced mushrooms that come with it – braised for at least 4 hours for full flavour.

The noodles, cooked to the right texture, are tossed in a thick mushroom sauce and some chillies.

The pork-based soup is cloudy with a good chance of rain of umami and deep flavours. They boil pork bones for hours and add dried sole (ti poh) for extra flavour.

With all that said, if you had only ordered one bowl of noodles from the stall and it was the dry version, you might have been slightly disappointed and find it to be more ordinary.

Some fans also mentioned the bowl used to taste better in the past.

That could be because it lacked that rich mixture of flavours that would blend well with the noodles and vinegary kick.

Seng Kee Bak Chor Mee
49A Serangoon Garden Way, #01-36, Singapore 555945
Tel: +65 8439 0434
Opening Hours: 7:30am – 1:30pm (Tue – Sat), Closed Sun, Mon

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Ah Seng Bak Chor Mee (Albert Food Centre)

* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

Nian Nian You Yu. After my last hawker listicle on Bak Chor Mee Soup in Singapore, I thought the ‘natural progression’ would be on Fishball Noodles.

There are many Fishball Noodles stalls in Singapore, but not many serve hand-made fishballs and fishcakes anymore. So I really treasure one if I come across any. Interestingly, I came to realise that many different brands source from the same supplier, but anyway… that’s beside the point.

Fishball Noodles somehow taste better with mee pok (maybe that’s just me) – the noodles characterised by its flat and slightly broad appearance.

There are many good stalls around, and I tried up more than twenty from LiXin Teochew Fishball Noodle (ION Orchard), Fa Ji Fishball Noodles (Kovan Market and Food Centre), Chun Fu Fishball Noodle (Kovan Market and Food Centre), Thye Hong Fishball Noodles (Ghim Moh), Tom Cityzoom Mee Pok Tar (Ghim Moh) and Jalan Tua Kong Lau Lim Mee Pok.

Don’t get angry with me if your favourites are not listed lah. For example, I actually enjoy Song Kee Fishball Noodles at Toa Payoh Lor 5 – it’s my go-to on a personal basis, though I thought the final product was not so consistent of late.

Ru Ji Kitchen – Holland Drive
44 Holland Drive #02-28/29, Singapore 270044
Tel: +65 9435 0820
Opening Hours: 7am – 1pm (Tue – Sun), Closed Mon

Ru Ji Kitchen first started at Holland Drive, Blk 44 #02-28, and now 3 other outlets in Singapore – Old Airport Rd, Blk 51 #01-37, Redhill Lane, Blk 85 #01-25, and Toa Payoh Lor 7, Blk 22 #01-58.

I read that there are quite differing qualities among the 4 stalls; and I tried both the original Holland Drive and Old Airport Road outlets.

Being freshly made, the fishballs and fishcake are of great quality. The famed fishballs begin as a beaten mixture of fish paste, using only pure fish meat with no flour extenders added.

If you are not up to too much spice, order ”少辣” (Shao La, less chilli) so that the spicy, savoury sauce at the bottom of the noodles are just enough to coat the noodles once mixed. The pork lard also provides that pleasant crunch. Ru Ji Kitchen (Holland Drive)

Hock Lee Fishball Noodles
270 Queen Street, Albert Food Centre, #01-102, Singapore 180270
Opening Hours: 6:30am – 12pm (Tues – Sun), Closed Mon

You must come here early enough, or the fishballs generally get sold out early. This is a great place to stop by for breakfast as the stall opens bright and early at 6:30am.

They serve freshly made fish ball noodles with or without soup and your choice of noodle such as mee kia and mee pok.

The dry Mee Pok ($4) are cooked quite al dente with a delightful springy texture, tossed with vinegar and chilli.

But it is those fishballs that steal the show as they are quite divine – very juicy and bouncy. I also enjoy the clear soup garnished with fresh coriander and spring onions. Probably one of Singapore’s best fishballs.

Hock Seng Choon Fish Ball Kway Teow Mee
16 Bedok South Road, #01-50 Bedok South Food Centre, Singapore 460016
Tel: +65 9789 6160
Opening Hours: 12pm – 11pm (Thurs – Tues), Closed Wed

Hock Seng Choon Fish Ball Kway Teow Mee has been around for over 20 years and still a popular choice at Bedok South Food Centre.

Expect irregularly-shaped and not perfectly round ones with a texture that is tender yet firm, bouncy (not rubbery) with a good bite.

Unlike other hawker stalls which add too much flour to extend the fish paste, Hong Seng Choon is generous with the fish paste made from scratch so you can taste the subtle sweetness of the ikan parang fish.

Others find them a little saltier than most fishballs, but generally are praised for being one of the best fishballs in the Bedok area.

The seasoning sauce included some sweet tomato ketchup which makes it a little ketchup-sweet, and not everyone would like that. Hock Seng Choon Fish Ball Kway Teow Mee (Bedok South Food Centre)

Song Kee Fishball Noodles
128 Tembeling Rd, Singapore 423638
Tel: +65 9336 2745
Opening Hours: 11.30am – 9.30pm (Mon – Tues, Thurs – Sun), Closed Sun

Do not be confused with Finest Songkee’s Fishball Noodle (which took over the space once occupied by the one-and-only Song Kee Fishball Noodles), or the one at Toa Payoh, or the one in Ang Mo Kio or even at Eunos.

ALL of which are run by their relatives, and not related to the original store.

Fishball Noodles are available in Small ($4), Medium ($6) and Large ($8) where you get to choose from 6 different types of noodles: Mee Pok, Mee Kia, Yellow Noodles, Mee Tai Mak, Kuay Teow and Bee Hoon in either Dry or Soup version.

Opt for the Fishball Dumpling Soup if you crave for additional fishballs, HERH KEOW and tau pok are available at $6/$10.

Getting the herh keow is a MUST here.

The fishballs are hand-made using Malaysian yellow-tail fish and a bit of tapioca flour for the flattened fish skin, a mixture of minced pork, shallots, fried garlic and flat fish bits were folded into dumplings.

However, there are some fans who said remarked that Song Kee has somehow lost its ‘magic’ after its move here.

Eng Huat Fishball Mee
22B Havelock Road, Stall 26, Singapore 162022
Opening Hours: 6:30am – 9:30am (Mon – Thurs), 11am – 1pm (Fri)

This is a stall for all the early birds out there. The stall is a one man show, meaning that the meals are prepared by only one person, and the wait can be tediously long when the queue is long.

Plus I been there a few times (not the most convenient food centre to get to), and it has sometimes closed.

But all of it is worth it for a bowl of their fresh and delicious fishball mee pok.

Make sure to get their early, as they were already running out of fishballs (and only left with fishcake) by the time I got to the stall say like 9am.

The Fishball Mee Pok ($3, $4) comes with generous toppings, and I loved the mix of sauces with crunch pork lard which gives this old-school flavour.

The deep-fried fishcakes with a thin crisp outer layer was pretty-tasty as well.

Ah Ter Teochew Fish Ball Noodles
7 Maxwell Rd, #01-14 Amoy Street Food Centre, Singapore 069112
Opening Hours: 7am – 4pm (Mon – Thurs), 7am – 3pm (Fri – Sat), Closed Sun

The genesis of Ah Ter Teochew Fishball Noodles was a Chinese immigrant who came to Singapore in the 1950s.

He made a living making fishballs by hand, then opened a stall at Maxwell Food Centre in 1958 called 亚猪鱼圆肉脞面 (literally, “Asian Boar Fish Ball and Minced Meat Noodles”).

Now run by Ah Ter’s son Gilbert at Amoy Food Centre, the stall specialises in the same handmade fishballs that have become popular through the years.

An order consists of a bowl of soup, with your preferred noodle in a separate bowl – tossed in the signature chili sauce.

What’s special in this sauce is that it’s a blend of 7 ingredients stir-fried continuously for 6 hours.

Made-fresh-daily pork lard and fried shallots are thrown in for added flavour, plus a splash of black vinegar to add sour notes and some tomato sauce.

The medium-sized fishballs are made from fresh saury fish, bought fresh daily from the market at 3am, and have a soft, bouncy texture. Ah Ter Teochew Fishball Noodles (Amoy Street Food Centre)

Yam Mee Teochew Fishball Noodles
209 Hougang Street 21, 01-35, Kovan Market & Food Centre, Singapore 530209
Opening Hours: 7am – 9pm (Tues – Sun)

There are three popular fishball noodles in Kovan Food Centre itself – Fa Ji, Chun Fu, and Yam Mee. They all have their own fans with constant queues during the weekends, and Yam Mee seems to come most highly recommended.

Now helmed by 3rd generation hawkers, it was frequently recommended by Channel 8 variety shows and attracts many non-Hougang residents to head down.

Enjoy the best Mee Pok in town since the 1970s at this 3rd generation hawker stall.

The best thing about the Mee Pok Dry ($4) was that every strand of noodles was coated with mixture of flavours, and a wonderful balance of chili and vinegar.

The fishballs were bouncy and had a fresh taste. The noodles tasted a bit alkaline though, but overall the dish was above average.

Hup Kee Fishball Noodles
158 Ang Mo Kio Ave 4, #01-590, Singapore 560158
Tel: +65 9093 8576
Opening Hours: 7:30am – 1pm (Tues – Sun), Closed Mon

Something different. This is where you can get taste of the authentic, handmade Malaysian style fishball noodles.

Less is more – this holds true for this quaint little stall.

They have a minimalistic menu, and focus their expertise and talents towards making delicious Malaysian style fishballs every day. They don’t use the pre made type that has flour in it, but rather get the meat off fresh yellowtail fishes to have the perfect and authentic fishballs, with best flavors and no added preservatives or store bought taste.

The Fishball noodles with soup ($4.50) had 4 pieces of fishballs in the bowl, along with some tasty slices of fishcake.

The bowl also had fried stuffed beancurd and wanton, and topped with crunchy spring onions and fried shallot.

I loved the simple and classy flavors with sweet and fresh taste, which gelled in well with the chili and vinegar. There was this dark sauce but made it different from the usual styles.

Ming Fa Fishball Noodles
246B Upper Thomson Rd, Singapore 574370
Tel: +65 6455 4890
Opening Hours: 9:30am – 5am (Mon – Sun)

Ming Fa Fishball Noodles is a chain noodle shop with outlets at Upper Thomson, Our Tampines Hub, Admiralty Hawker Centre, Blk 529 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10, Chinatown Food Centre, New Market Road, Woodlands Link Soon Hong Eating House, Holland Road Market, Bukit Batok East Blk 279, Tekka Centre, Market Street Interim Food Centre, and Paris Ris Central Hawker Centre.

The shop at Upper Thomson seems to be the most well-known due to its occupancy of an entire shop space, and opening hours till 5am in the morning. The business has been taken over by his children, and operates on a semi-automation model.

The prices are considered quite reasonable, and the highlight of their stall include Bak Chor Mee, Fuzhou Fishball Noodles, and Curry Chicken.

The Fishball Noodles include springy meepok cooked to al dente, coated with crispy pork lard, vinegar, and chilli. The fishballs are soft, bouncy and quite consistent in taste.

Fishball Story
Timbre+ 73A Ayer Rajah Crescent, Singapore 139957
Opening Hours: 6:30am – 3:30pm (Mon – Sat), Closed Sun

The success of Fishball Story by Douglas Ng is an inspiring one, that hopefully can encourage other young Singaporeans with that passion to become ‘hawkerpreneurs’.

This stall used to be listed in the Michelin Guide with a Bib Gourmand, though it is no longer included after its move to Timbre+.

For $6.00, you get a choice of noodle tossed with homemade sambal chilli, vinegar and crispy porklard, served with handmade fishballs, fishcake, fried beancurd skin wrapped with fishmeat, and crispy fishskin.

What differentiates this bowl with the others are the sambal chilli and fishballs.

The chilli paste fried with fried shrimps added this layer of fragrance and light crunchiness to the base, also adding a lift to the noodles. Perhaps it was better during Golden Mile days, though it still has its fans at Timbre+.

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* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

When we talk about local dessert shops in Singapore, Ah Chew Desserts, Mei Heong Yuen, Ji De Chi and Dessert First are some of the front-runners.

There are also other newcomers such as Jin Yu Man Tang Dessert Shop at East Coast Road and Chow Zan Dessert worth taking note of.

(Photo credit: @stormscape)

Chow Zan Dessert is newly opened at North Bridge Road, located near Heng Long Teochew Porridge and opposite Monarchs & Milkweed Gelato. The name “Chow Zan” is a colloquial term which means “extremely good”.

The humble-looking dessert shop brings about a selection of traditional hot and cold desserts – some with modern twists, ranging from White Chendol ($4.00), Mango Sago, ($4.20), Black Sesame Paste ($3.50), and Peach Gum with Milk ($4.50).

(Peach gum is the resin from peach and Chinese wild peach trees, branded to be “natural and healthy” and allows collagen to be quickly absorbed into the human body.)

Looking at their menu, some of the other recommended items include Red Bean Paste with Orange Peel ($3.50), Eight Treasure Cheng Tng ($4.50), Ginger Milk Pudding ($4.00), Red Green Ruby with Sago ($4.00), Mango Sticky Rice ($6.90), and Chilled Brownie ($5.00).

Seems to be a mix of local, Thai and even some Western desserts.

I was recommended the White Chendol ($4.00), also available in Red Bean and Durian versions ($4.50, $5.50). Fairly interesting with a differentiating factor.

What you get are these white coconut strips with a firmer bite instead of the usual pandan ones. But they would also mean there won’t be that particular pandan fragrance and may not photograph as striking as the typical Chendol.

The shaved ice was quite smooth, topped coconut cream fresh-tasting with mildly-sweet red bean. Even though there was some gula melaka added, the dessert was thankfully not too sweet.

(Photo credit: @stormscape)

Another interesting item would be their Yam Paste with Pumpkin Puree and Gingko ($4.50) aka Orh Nee. As there is no pork or lard used in their menu, they use shallot oil instead to mix with the yam to make it smoother.

Could tell that they put in some effort in the presentation with the topping of bright-orange Australian pureed pumpkin.

Since they are newly opened and have an extensive menu, Chow Zan Dessert has the potential but possibly need to fine-tune some of the more average-tasting desserts, and work on offering one or two more unique specialties that would be well-received.

Chow Zan Dessert
801 North Bridge Road, Singapore 198769
Opening Hours: 12pm – 11pm (Mon – Sun)

Other Related Entries
Jin Yu Man Tang Dessert Shop (East Coast Road)

* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

Call this the ”Swee Choon” effect, but there are quite a number of dim sum restaurants that can be found along Jalan Besar Road – Dim Sum Haus, Johore Bahru Ye Zhi Mei Handmade Bao, and Sum Dim Sum. (Plus The Dim Sum Place at North Bridge Road is not too far away.)

Sum Dim Sim 心点心 is located right opposite Berseh Food Centre, of short walking distance from ‘competitor’ Swee Choon.

It is opened every day of the week till 1:30am, which is good news for those who want to find a dim sum alternative (especially on Tuesday when Swee Choon is closed.)

The restaurant takes on a more modern and pretty approach, with tiffany-blue accents with double-floors which can entertain quite a number of diners.

Its menu is extensive with steamed, pan-fried, deep-fried, baked items, noodles, porridge, rice and desserts.,

Most baskets and plates are priced ranging in the $4 – $6 region.

Slightly pricier than those in the vicinity, but the dining environment is more comfortable and cosy with friendly service (ie no fierce aunties).

The recommended items include Fresh Prawn Dumpling with Asparagus, Wolfberry with Mushroom Dumpling, Bamboo Roll with Oyster Sauce, Spare Ribs with Black Bean Sauce, Golden Custard Bun, Pan-Fried Carrot Cake, Signature Hot & Spicy Dumpling, and Deep Fried Yam Dumpling.

The very one item to get would be the Baked Crispy Pork Bun ($6) – that item which is probably Tim Ho Wan’s most iconic.

You would notice the slight green hue on Sum Dim Sum’s version, the reason being there is pandan added. Therefore, you may even smell that delicate sweet fragrance as you take small bites.

The crust was beautifully crisp and not overly flaky, with moist fillings. Probably one of the best versions I had in Singapore, but I did wish there were more meat fillings.

Another interesting feature would be the Hong Kong style noodles, such as Wanton Noodles ($6.50), Beef Noodles ($7.80), and Fresh Prawn Dumpling Noodles ($7.00).

I was surprised to receive soup versions of those, as I was half expected a dry-tossed plate (perhaps they could have indicated in the menu as it was not stated.)

Nevertheless, the Beef Brisket Noodles ($7.80) momentarily brought me back to Hong Kong with those tender and flavourful slices, springy noodles (though mildly alkaline tasting), and clear but tasty soup.

While I didn’t think that the dim sum in general were hotel quality yet (the likes of Wah Lok and Hai Tien Lo), they were certainly better than the average.

A place I do not mind returning again and again.

Expenditure per pax was about $20, more than what you may pay down the road, but in good comfort and faster waiting time – at least for now (before word gets around).

Sum Dim Sum 心点心
161 Jalan Besar Singapore 208876
Tel: +65 9005 9381
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 1:30am (Mon – Sun)

Other Related Entries
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Tim Ho Wan (Great World City)
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* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

Other than being known as ‘The Lee Hsien Loong constituency’ or ‘Westerner bridge’ area, I must say Ang Mo Kio is a rather colourful place with that kampong spirit – people are friendly and sincere, and cafes are mostly the down-to-earth types.

I have extended the previous Ang Mo Kio cafe guide to include many new entrants that are under-the-radar, such as Grillhood Café Acoustic Café.

Obsessive Chocolat Desire (OCD) Cafe
529 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10, #01-2353, Singapore 560529
Opening Hours: 12pm – 10pm (Mon – Thu), 12pm – 1am (Fri – Sat), 2pm – 10pm (Sun)

OCD Cafe Opens Till 1AM Fri & Sat
Not Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, but Obsessive Chocolat Desire – for the love of both chocolates and ice cream.

The pricing is wallet-friendly, plus their ice creams are not categorised into normal and premium flavours like many other ice cream parlours.

Ice cream is priced at $3.60 for a single scoop, $7 for double scoops, additional $1 for cone and $4 for a normal or sesame waffle.

16 flavours are available at any one time ranging from their signature chocolate flavours (as their name implies) to classic ones such as Vanilla and Strawberry Cheesecake.

The highlight is definitely their five choices of chocolate ice cream from different origins: Madagascar 33% Milk, Ecuador 40% Milk, Belgium Dark 60%, Brazil 72% Dark, Africa 85% Dark.

The Sesame Waffle ($4) was an interesting find since it is not common to find one in Singapore.

Made with a crispy exterior contrasted with fluffy interior, the sesame waffle was fragrant on its own and complemented well with the richer ice cream flavours.

Galettes
529 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 #01-2365, Singapore 560529
Opening Hours: 12pm – 10pm (Sun – Thurs), 12pm – 11pm (Fri) 10am – 11pm (Sat), 10am – 10pm (Sun)

Unique Crepe Café Serving Crepe Suzette And Crepe Cakes
The creperie serves up a comprehensive menu resolving around the French crepe, with sweet and savoury creations, and crepe cakes.

They don’t just buy or source their crepes from elsewhere. You can see their service staff make their crepe cakes LAYER by LAYER – and that is likely to take hours.

I had the Crepe Cake instead ($6.50) with flavours of Crème Brulee, Dark Chocolate, Lemon and Strawberry.

The cake was on the lighter end and not too sweet, with beautiful thin layers. I am comparing this with the other familiar brand, and I wished that the cream could have been smoother and more delicate.

While the café serves up a small repertoire of bites such as Paprika Fries ($6.50), Spam Fries ($8) and Sweet Potato Fries ($7), I thought that the Har Cheong Kai Wings ($8 for 6 pieces) were note-worthy with that distinct prawn paste taste, and juicy, well-marinated meat.

PocoLoco
408 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 #01-779 Singapore 560408
Opening Hours: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm (Mon – Fri), 12pm – 10pm (Sat – Sun)

Affordable Italian Food With Hearty Pastas
You might have just walked past this Italian restaurant at Block 408 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 with its unassuming exterior.

A quick glance of its menu, and I saw that its basic pasta dishes of Aglio Olio and Pesto were priced at $9, while the higher range of Manzo – pasta with beef in truffle cream sauce; Granchio – crabmeat in pink sauce; Zafferano – seafood pasta with saffron sauce; and Lasagna were all $12.

I had the Granchio ($12) and the pasta came al dente, with generous portion of sweet crab meat swimming within, all tossed in a cream sauce added with tomatoes.

PocoLoco managed to strike a balance for the sauce, otherwise it could have been too rich and heavy, or diluted.

For a sweet ending to the meal, the signature desserts here include Crème Brulee ($5), Tiramisu ($5), and Lava Cake ($6).

The Workbench Bistro
Blk 332 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 #01-1881 Singapore 560332
Tel: +65 6452 0810
Opening Hours: 12pm – 10pm (Mon – Thurs), 12pm – 11pm (Fri), 10am – 11pm (Sat), 10am – 10pm (Sun)

Lava Burger and Salted Egg Pasta at Ang Mo Kio
The Workbench Bistro is one of Ang Mo Kio’s ‘longest’ standing hipster café, serving some interesting dishes from Egg Lava Beef Burger, Crab Cake Burger, Salted Egg Chicken Pasta, and S’moreffles (S’more + Waffles).

The Egg Lava Beef Burger is popular for its juicy beef patty, grilled bacon and cheese. But the highlight is the lava egg in the middle of the patty.

The Workbench Bistro also offers MANY items which includes salted egg – Salted Egg Chicken Pasta ($15.90), Salted Egg Chicken Burger ($16.90), Salted Egg Wings and Salted Egg Potato Wedges.

The Salted Egg Chicken Pasta ($15.90) includes crispy chicken chop over linguine tossed in raw salted egg, curry leaves and chilli padi.

The cutlet complemented the pasta much better than the Ver 1.0 (where grilled chicken was used), and the pieces were crisp and juicy.

Grillhood
603 Ang Mo Kio Ave 5, #01-2661 Block 603, Singapore 560603
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)

Serving Mains & Pastas From $7.90 Onwards
Located at the heart of a matured estate, Grillhood Café is the place to visit if you are looking for a ‘chillout’ spot with home-recipe cafe dishes at affordable prices.

Some of the prices you are looking at: Veggie Pasta ($7.90), Classic Tuna Sandwich ($7.90), Spicy Chicken Burger ($8.90), Cajun Chicken ($9.90), and Pan-seared Barramundi ($12.90).

Maybe they are a dollar or two more expensive than the kopitiam Western food stall, but portions are good and this is an air-conditioned environment.

What was recommended included the Chicken Quesadilla ($8.90) with sautéed onions and capsicum; Pan-Seared Barramundi ($12.90) served with wedges, garden salad and salsa; and Spicy Chicken Burger ($8.90) with sides of side of tortilla chips.

In addition, you can top-up $5.90 to get a soup of the day or coffee with a single scoop of ice cream. Grillhood Café (Ang Mo Kio)

Acoustic Cafe
421 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 #01-1159 Singapore 560421
Opening Hours: 10am – 7pm (Mon, Wed – Sun), Closed Tues

Music-Centred Café At Ang Mo Kio Selling Brookie
Perhaps even residents of Ang Mo Kio may not know there is an Acoustic Café at Avenue 10. The name would suggest a café that is passionate about music as much as coffee.

At first glance, you might think the panelling on the wall in this 10-seater cozy café is merely part of the decoration.

Their recommended food and drinks include Brownie ($3.50), Brookie ($4.00, $1 more for Vanilla Ice Cream), Mocha ($4.70), Lavender Tea Latte ($4.50), and Acoustic Milk Latte ($3.00).

However, they are actually acoustic panels, manufactured from high density glass wool and coated with a special coating on the surface to absorb unnecessary noise and echoes.

The one item that caught my eye though was the Brookie ($4), a 2-in-1 combination of a classic Brownie and Cookie.

I was expecting the cookie to be crispy and hard, but it wasn’t. Slightly chewy in texture, this reminded me of the Subway cookies.

The brownie part was chocolatey and crispy on the outside, while soft on the inside. This could do with an ice-cream pairing for that extra oomph. Acoustic Café (Ang Mo Kio)

GRUB – Bishan Park
510 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 (Bishan Park 1) Singapore 569983
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Fri), 9am – 10pm (Sat – Sun)

Burger Bistro at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park
Although it seems for non-drivers, many families do not mind coming all the way here because the scenery is beautiful at this café-restaurant within Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.

After crossing a bridge from the carpark, you see families taking slow strolls, children playing with balloons, happy dogs being walked, and just an almost entire view of lush green. Very refreshing and relaxing for a weekend visit.

Opened by Cookyn’s Mervyn Phan and team, Grub’s most popular items are burgers with local twist such as the Har Cheong Gai Burger ($15), Grilled Satay Burger ($15), and Grilled Chicken Burger with terikyaki-glaze chicken thigh and enoki fritter ($15).

Also look out for the Mala Xiang Guo Burger ($17) which we created for the Toggle programme “Foodie Makeover 美食大翻新” – it has become a permanent item on the burger menu.

Essentially, it includes many ‘essential’ ingredients of Mala Xiang Guo such as luncheon meat, sliced pork, lotus root slices, and spicy Szechuan pepper corn sauce. The purplish-red bun is due to the beetroot included in the burger. Mala Xiang Guo Burger (Grub Bishan)

Denzy
506 Bishan Street 11, #01-404, Singapore 570506 (Bishan MRT)
Opening Hours: 12pm – 10.30pm (Mon – Sun)

Gelato Cafe Found At Bishan Bus Interchange Offering Unique Flavours
Located in the Bishan heartland right beside the bus interchange, Denzy offers a cozy and fuss-free space with about 20 seats.

All gelato is churned in-house, with ingredients made from scratch.

For example, the almond and macadamia nut pastes are created by stone grinding for 10 hours; while the yoghurt is sous-vide to make yoghurt based gelato.

Similar to other ice cream and gelato bars, Gelato (Single $3.60/ Double $6.40/ Premium flavour additional $1), Waffles ($5), Cone (additional $0.50) and Coffee (Black $4, White $4.50) are offered on their menu.

What makes them different from other ice cream places is the variety of flavours here, some of which are quite less-commonly-seen and interesting.

Instead of classic flavours such as Vanilla, Thai Milk Tea and Rum & Raisin, signature flavours include Persian Prince made from almond and saffron; Blondie Beach using white chocolate, lime & salt; and Elderflower Mojito Sorbet which is actually non-alcoholic.

Shamrock Café
5 Clover Way, Clover Park Singapore 579079
Tel: +65 6352 5515
Opening Hours: 9am – 6pm (Mon – Fri), 9am – 6:30pm (Sat), Closed Sun

Under The Radar Cafe At Clover Way Near Bishan
The name “Shamrock” is perhaps inspired by the road the café is on, as “shamrock” is a young sprig of clover.

Clover Way? It is a secondary road at Bishan, somewhat near Marymount MRT.

Their “Eat and Treats” menu features a small selection of bakes such as Black Pepper Chicken Pie ($3.60), Curry Chicken Pie ($3.60), Cakes ($5.80 – $6.80), Gelato ($3.80 for a scoop), Cold Pressed Juice ($5.80 – $6.50) and Waffles ($5.50, $9.00 with gelato).

They have also included other mains such as Cold Tom Yam Pasta ($8.90 a la carte, set meal with $12.50).

Bober Tea – Bishan
200 Bishan Road, #01-01, Singapore 579827 (Located at Bishan MRT Station Exit C next to 7-11)
Tel: +65 6262 0407
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)

Popular Bubble Tea Shop At Bishan MRT
Artisanal bubble tea brand Bober Tea 御波坊, though a relatively new comer in the growing bubble tea industry in Singapore, has gained quite positive reputation and reviews.

Though they are loved for their Brown Sugar Crème Brûlée Milk with boba pearls, they have a plethora of other creative drinks.

Other must-try original creations are Brown Sugar Roasted Oolong Milk, Salted Caramel Milk Tea, Hokkaido Chizu Matcha to Black Sugar Konjac Jelly Milk Tea.

These chewy bobas are freshly made at their outlets. That QQ-texture chewiness is a result of cooking at 65°C for optimal chewiness and soaking for two hours to absorb all the brown sugar goodness.

If you enjoy pearls with a texture just in between, theirs are both soft and chewy.

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Fans who were sad due to Stateland Café’s ‘closure’ need not be too disappointed, as the team has reopened with a “Brotherbird Coffeehouse” concept.

The location is the same at 32 Bali Lane, and this is an extension of the previous Brother Bird which was popular for its softserve, donuts, and hybrid mochi croissants.

The owners thought that as Stateland Cafe was established 7 years ago, it would be appropriate time for a revamp.

It is intended to branch out into two different concepts – a coffeehouse serving inexpensive coffee and croissants; and brunch and comfort food dining place.

In case you are wondering why is it call Brother Bird, one of the Stateland Café’s owners is nicknamed “bird” because he likes eating granola.

This is a two-storey space although the upper level is still under renovation. It is planned to open during late February.

The lower level contained an industrial-grey minimalist look (reminding me of Lucid at Hamilton Road) of two sections – the pastry counter and the coffee side, with a small seating area.

The display contained more than 10 different types of pastries.

There are basically four different groups you can expect – Twice-baked croissant, the regular croissants (some pumped with fillings), chocolate series, and Danish pastries.

Brother Bird continues to introduce seasonal bakes, such as the current Hae Bee Hiam & Cheese Danish ($5), “Tang Yuan” Pastry ($5) with coconut mochi and adzuki bean, “Nian Gao” & Yam ($5) with yam fillings, Mandarin Orange Meringue Croissant ($4), and Mango Sticky Rice ($5) with fresh mango fillings, coconut mochi in a croissant topped with coconut flakes.

If you are heading for the staples, available are Earl Grey Tea Croissant ($5), Churros Croissant ($4), and Double Chocolate Roll ($4) topped with cocoa powder.

The more adventurous should try the twice-baked croissant such as the “Nian Gao”, to experience the lightly-crisp exterior which contrasts with the slightly sticky and chewy mochi slab in the middle.

The inside is made with a glutinous rice flour mix, while the pastry takes a long process of 12 layer folding to create a more flaky texture.

I had the Matcha Chocolate Roll ($4.00) and felt it had a rather crunchy-crispy outer layer, while the inside was somewhat bread-like.

While the rich-chocolate flavour was appealing, I wished it was overall more fluffy in the middle for a better contrast.

As for the drinks menu, you get the usual coffee choices ($3.50 – $4.50), along with Uji Matcha Latte ($5), Tea ($5) and Cold Press Juices ($7).

Coffee beans are sourced from 2 Degree North, with raspberry and chocolaty notes.

One thing I noted that was coffee is considered comparatively affordable here, with a White priced at $4.50.

The new menu to be introduced end February would include brunch items, hearty stews, and “healthy food you can eat on a every day basis”. Looking forward.

Brotherbird Coffeehouse
32 Bali Lane Singapore 189868
Opening Hours: 12pm – 9:30pm (Wed – Mon), 6pm – 9:30pm (Tues)

Other Related Entries
Lucid (Hamilton Road)
Steeped Tea Bar (Tan Quee Lan Street)
Communal Coffee (Prinsep Street)
Monarchs & Milkweed Gelato (North Bridge Road)
PPP Coffee (Funan)

* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

Bakery cafes are gaining traction in Singapore, evident with the many openings such as Starter Lab, Kamome Bakery, Micro Bakery & Kitchen, Woodlands Sourdough, Petit Pain and Brother Bird Coffeehouse in the last couple of months.

The latest addition is Baker’s Bench Bakery at Bukit Pasoh Road (well, kind of opposite Shake Shack Neil Road), positioned as a “neighbourhood bakery” with an open-concept bakery.

Its objective is to remove the barrier between staff and customers, and therefore you feel like you walking into a home kitchen and can make conversations easily.

I liked how the interior felt cozy with Scandinavian vibes, along with a mouth-watering display of bakes.

The café is called “Baker’s Bench” as the baker’s bench is the centre-piece of an artisanal bakery (similar to a huge magnificent chandelier when you walk into a mansion), playing an integral part of the baking process.

All breads and puff pastries naturally leavened by sourdough are baked freshly in the morning, and even many of the ingredients are made in-house such as kimchi, pickles, sauces, jams and butter.

I was naturally drawn to the display of pastries of loaf cakes, scones, muffins, brownies, cookies, and quiches.

They include sourdough breads: humble ($8), milk loaf ($8), fruit ($10), multi-seeds($10), 100% rye ($9) and pumpernickel ($8).

But what first caught my eye was the Sticky Bun ($5) which was majestic-looking compared to all the rest, with all that gloss from caramel and pecan.

It turned out to be better than I expected, with a delightful contrast of sticky, brown-sugary and walnutty toppings with soft and pillowy texture. Did feel slightly guilty for finishing it all, but heck…

I am always on the constant lookout for the most-delicious-almond-croissant-in-Singapore. This looked close, but was a Twice-Baked Hazelnut Croissant ($5.50).

This was a decent rendition was I enjoyed the crustiness of the outer layer, and was fragrant with hazelnuts, but I wondered if there could be more of that moist fillings (whether frangipane or even hazelnut cream) in between.

Also available are comfort sandwiches such as Cheeky Chicken ($14) with Koji-brined chicken thigh, Croque Monsieur ($12) with gruyere cheese, and Grilled Vegetables ($12) filled with zucchini, mushrooms, leeks and cured egg yolks. Available from 11am to 3:30pm.

Not the usual stuff. The baker used to work in a renown artisanal bakery in Singapore, before spending a year in Tasmania working in a bakery that specialises in Sourdough, while their in-house Chef has a farm-to-table working background in Maine.

I had the K.Pork Belly ($14) containing sous-vibe pork belly glazed with coffee (repurposed from the coffee grinds from Allpress Espresso) and kimchi mayo.

Overall a hearty, filling treat with a lot going on. However, the abundant garlic chips could be a double-edged sword – some would like that added ‘aroma’, while it overtook the tanginess and spiciness of the kimchi sauce.

I would say the bakes are quite strong here, loaded with ingredients and providing a number of less-commonly seen rustic options. You can feel a lot of heart and effort put into what they deliver as well.

Menus will change from time to time as bakers and chefs are encouraged to be adventurous. Looking forward to more.

Baker’s Bench Bakery
6 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore 089820
Opening Hours: 8:30am – 5pm (Wed – Mon, Closed Tues)

Other Related Entries
Starter Lab (Havelock Road)
Micro Bakery & Kitchen Red House (East Coast)
Woodlands Sourdough (Upper Thomson)
Petit Pain (Joo Chiat)
Brother Bird Coffeehouse (Bali Lane)

* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

The mala trend is still going on strong as Chir Chir has introduced Mala Korean Fried Chicken that could leave some tongue-tingling and chimaek cravings satisfied.

The mala mania has hit Korea since early last year, starting with malatang and has diversified to other Korean dishes. (On that note, also check out Nipong Naepong’s Mala Pong in soup and dry versions if you are a mala fan.)

Korean fried chicken specialist Chir Chir currently has three outlets in Singapore – 313@somerset, Bugis Junction, and JEM.

Some of their favourites include the Signature Fried Chicken available in Crispy, Garlicky, Curry and Spicy; Nest Snow which features Cajun chicken tenders stacked with melted cheese and whipped cream; and Honey Butter Chicken made with boneless fried chicken mixed with Chir Chir’s proprietary honey butter seasoning and sauce.

To keep up with the trends, the chain has introduced four brand-new chicken dishes to tantalise your tongue-buds, including Mala Chicken, Nacho Chicken, Cream Onion Chicken, and Yu-Ling Chicken. Here’s more:

Mala Chicken ($25.90)
The dish contains chunky pieces of deep-fried chicken tenders wok-fried in a tongue-tingling mala sauce included with Szechuan peppercorn and dried chilli peppers.

Then served with sliced onions and creamy onion dipping sauce.

Perhaps the rendition could even remind you of the popular Szechuan dish of La Zi Ji, except that this comprises of bigger pieces of juicy chicken.

If you are the type who has ”wei la” (little spiciness) for your mala dishes, then this should be up your alley.

The house-made mala sauce has just that slight spiciness but would still create a delicate numbness as you slowly chew the pieces.

With that said, the fiery feeling only kicks in towards the end, so stand-by a glass drink like the cooling Blueberry Sparkling.

Nacho Chicken ($25.90)
This Chir Chir’s Tex-Mex fried chicken tenders and corn tortilla chips topped with chicken chilli cheese sauce, turned out the dish we swept clean.

The chicken pieces are coated with this special cheese powder that has an addictive-sweetish tinge. As you reach out to have more and more, it feels as though you are having ‘cinema food’ of Doritos. Unstoppable.

There was also this awesome crust on the outside, likely to be a kids’ favourite. (If only they had a chicken skin version.)

Cream Onion Chicken ($25.90)
Juicy fried chicken tenders marinated with Chir Chir’s secret seasoning, then topped with sweet slivers of onion and served with creamy onion dipping sauce.

Of all the new dishes introduced, this was the ‘safest’ choice and would please those who love the sour-cream type of seasoning loaded with a mountain of sweet onions.

Yu-Ling Chicken ($23.90)
Wait, what is Yu-Ling Chicken?

Apparently, this is derived from the dish of “You Lin Ji” (油淋鸡) which has a special way of deep-frying the chicken such that the meat retains both crisp and juicy at the same time.

The Chinese dish has gotten popular in Korea, typically topped with chopped scallions with a sweet-vinegary sauce.

The Chir Chir rendition of the Yu-Ling Chicken uses a onion salsa sauce that retains the essence of being sweet, sour and slightly spicy, poured over on tasty deep-fried chicken cutlet.

Served with sliced onions and salad further drizzled with Chir Chir’s hot bacon dressing.

With this as a background, this did remind me of sweet and sour chicken, except that the sauce was on the lighter side. And yes, the chicken retained its crispiness on the side, while the meat was both chunky and moist.

Other than Fried Chicken and Roast Chicken, Chir Chir also offers other side such as Spicy Topokki ($15.90), Spicy Seafood Soup ($26.90), Chir Cheese Fries ($9.90), Topokki & Cheese ($9.90) and Mac & Cheese ($9.90 for single portion, $16.90 for double portion).

Seafood Mac & Cheese ($11.90 for single portion, $18.90 for double portion)
An Asian twist on an American favourite, this ‘Korean’ Macaroni and Cheese is a hot pan containing crabstick, ham, mozzarella, cheddar and cheese sauce.

Not as heavy and rich, and pretty manageable for sharing.

Honey Grape Salad ($16.90)
If you feel like you indulged in too much fried chicken, cleanse your taste buds with the Mango Salad ($12.90), Cajun Chicken Salad ($13.90), or Honey Grape Salad ($16.90).

The Honey Grape Salad is a fruity mix of generous servings of seedless cut chilled grapes, mixed nuts, ricotta and honey. The combination of grapes and ricotta may sound unusual, but delicious and refreshing. Imagine you are having a cheese platter.

Chir Chir – Bugis Junction
#02-50 Bugis Junction, 200 Victoria Street Singapore 188021
Tel: +65 251 0598
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm Last orders 9.30pm (Sun – Thu)
11am – 11pm Last orders 10.30pm (Fri – Sat)
https://www.facebook.com/ChirChirSingapore

Chir Chir – 313@somerset
#B3-04/05/06 313@somerset, 313 Orchard Road Singapore 238895
Tel: +65 6509 8364
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm Last orders at 9.30pm (Sun – Thu)
11am – 11pm Last orders 10.30pm (Fri – Sat)

Chir Chir – JEM
#04-13/14 JEM, 50 Jurong Gateway Road Singapore 608549
Tel: +65 6262 6171
Opening Hours: 11am – 9:30pm Last orders at 9pm (Sun – Thu)
11am – 10pm Last orders 9.30pm (Fri – Sat)

* This entry is brought to you in partnership with Chir Chir.

When you head to a Zi Char restaurant in Singapore, the Cantonese dish of Sweet and Sour Pork aka “Go Lo Yok 咕嚕肉 is always one of the most frequently ordered.

So I went around many Chinese restaurants and Zi Char places particularly known for this dish and picked out the most note-worthy ones.

There are more Chinese restaurants listed here, only because those I had in the Zhi Char stalls were good, but didn’t have a strong differentiating factor. Let me know if there are any more which are out of this world.

Jiang-Nan Chun
Four Seasons Hotel Singapore, 190 Orchard Blvd, Singapore 248646
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 10:30pm (Mon – Sun)

I had quite a number of Sweet and Sour Pork dishes before, but 1-Michelin Star Jiang-Nan Chun’s rendition has a edge over the rest.

Chef Tim Lam’s Sweet and Sour Pork with Pineapple ($28) uses succulent Iberico pork cubes, fried with a tangy sauce, and topped with homemade candied ginger for a hint of spice.

When you take a bite of the bite, you would note that there is this extra thin crispy layer on the outside, enveloping juicy meat within.

The crust elevates the entire dish, and makes each piece so precious to savour slowly.

East Bistro 东小馆
1 Maju Ave, #02-01, myVillage @ Serangoon Gardens, Singapore 556679
Tel: +65 6634 2998
Opening Hours: 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm

It looks like Sweet and Sour Pork on Ice is slowly becoming a thing in Singapore, but East Bistro has actually introduced their version ($18, $27, $36) a number of years back.

After frying in high heat, the pork pieces are quickly placed on a bed of ice which results in a thin, candied layer around each surface of the pork. (Don’t wait too long or the meat may turn soggy.)

If you eat it soon enough, the outside may be slightly cold, but the inside remains warm. The sugared-layer gives the soft tender pork a light crunch on the exterior.

Sik Bao Sin (Desmond’s Creation)
592 Geylang Road, Singapore 389531 (Between Lor 34 & 36)
Tel: +65 6744 3757
Opening Hours: Lunch 11:45am – 2:30pm, Dinner 5:45pm – 9:30pm (Tue – Sun), Closed Mon

You would notice Sik Bao Sin (Desmond’s Creation) at Geylang is very different from other zi char (cooked food) places.

There are only 13 items on the menu, dishes are either wok-fried or steamed. All menu items (except 1, find out below which one) are originally from Sik Wai Sin – which should be a familiar one to zhi char lovers. Plus, no prices on the menu.

Try the classic Sweet and Sour Pork, one of the crowd-favourite. Take note that it only comes in one side, and probably good for 4 diners to share.

This version uses lean pork pieces, so those who prefer more fat in their meat may find this TOO lean to their liking. But I enjoyed the different take, as well as the light batter and tangy-sweet sauce.

Putien
127 Kitchener Road, Singapore 208514
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 3pm, 5:30pm – 10pm (Mon – Sun)

Rooted to its namesake city of Putian (a Fujian coastal suburb), PUTIEN’s menu reflects the city’s heritage – fresh, light, and invigorating. One of its must-order dishes is definitely the Sweet & Sour Pork with Lychees.

You know how you always get sweet and sour pork which is more flour and fat than meat elsewhere?

PUTIEN’s Sweet & Sour Pork with Lychees offer pieces which are deep-fried to golden brown and succulently tender, finished with the sweet taste of lychee.

The lychees add a fruity-sweetness to the sauce, while the pork is usually soft

Jade Palace Restaurant
Forum The Shopping Mall, 583 Orchard Road #B1-13 Singapore 238884
Tel: +65 6732 6628
Opening Hours: 11am – 3pm, 6pm – 11pm (Mon – Sun)

Jade Palace Seafood Restaurant established since 1998 specialises in Cantonese cuisine, and seems to be a popular venue among Chinese businessmen for corporate treats.

It took me a long while to decide to order this Sweet & Sour Pork dish due to its price – $36 for a small portion, $54 for the medium.

While this is a more expensive plate of meat, I must say that you could taste the quality of the meat and the skills of the chef. The meat was tender with a thin layer of crispiness, evenly coated with appetising sauce with pineapple-fruitiness.

Even though each piece seemed rather large and chunky, the bite was succulently-soft.

Social Place Singapore
Forum The Shopping Mall, #01-22, 583 Orchard Road, Singapore 238884
Opening Hours: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6pm – 10pm (Mon – Sun)

Founded in Hong Kong, Social Place is a retro-chic contemporary tea house imbued with nostalgic touches from olden Hong Kong days, which serves an innovative spread of Chinese fares and Dim Sum offerings.

The Sweet & Sour Pork on Ice ($24.80) was an eye-catching dish served with fuming dry ice smoke.

I think it was a relatively decent plate of sweet and sour pork with each piece of fried pork pieces lavishly coated with tangy dressing, and yet I could still taste some slight crispiness embedded within.

However, the sending time may affect the heat of the dish, and diners may feel like it is a cold fish of Gu Lou Yok.

Chef Kang’s
25 Mackenzie Road Singapore 228681
Tel: +65 6238 6263
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 2pm, 5:45pm – 10pm (Tues – Sun), Closed Mon

Chef Ang Song Kang, better known as Chef Kang, shot into further fame and limelight when he was awarded one star in the Singapore Michelin Guide.

It is almost a one-man show in the kitchen, with Chef Ang cooking up every dish that is served, with his apprentice behind busy with ingredient preparation such as chopping of the vegetables.

The Sweet & Sour Pork may be a much overlooked dish to order due to its ‘simplicity’, but it is anything about that.

Cooked during kurobuta pork (said to be the ‘wagyu’ of pork), this dish has a richer taste and soft fatty meat that may just melt in your pork. It is not as crispy as the usual, and sauce has a heavier, sweet take.

Paradise Dynasty – Paya Lebar Quarter
10 Paya Lebar, Paya Lebar Quarter Mall #03-08, Singapore 409057
Tel: +65 6971 6575
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm Last Order 9:30pm (Mon – Fri), 10:30am – 10:00pm Last Order 9:30pm (Sat, Sun & PH)

Paradise Dynasty’s Crispy Sweet and Sour Pork 菠萝咕噜肉($13.50) contains deep-fried pork pieces, stir-fried with chunks of red and green bell peppers, carrots, onions, and sliced pineapples.

Together they are slathered in sweet and sour, well-balanced mix of sugar and rice vinegar.

Chef Foong
1080 Lower Delta Rd, Singapore 169311
Tel: +65 8300 2200
Opening Hours: 10:30am – 3pm, 5pm – 10:30pm (Mon – Sun)

Hidden in a coffeeshop within industrial area near Bukit Merah (near Chuan Kee Seafood), Chef Foong serves up a fairly interesting spread in its Zi Char menu.

You may come expecting average Zi Char fare, but some of its dishes are of Chinese restaurant quality. Most dishes are priced about $10, served in a good portion.

Instead of pineapples, the Sweet and Sour Pork is served with mango (I wished there were more) which provides a different sweetness. While I would say that the crispiness is nothing to shout about, the presentation and overall flavours is a notch about the rest.

Soup Restaurant
Jewel Changi Airport, 78 Airport Boulevard, #03-201, Singapore 819666
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)

Perhaps you may not know that the home-grown Soup Restaurant has a slightly different “Samsui” concept at Jewel Changi Airport.

Located on the third floor, dinners get a stunning view of the 40-metre Rain Vortex surrounded by the lush Forest Valley.

This is a modern Chinese restaurant concept, showcasing new renditions of heirloom Cantonese dishes that have stood the test of time.

Get the pretty-looking Sweet & Sour Pork, decorated with edible flowers sourced from local farmers.

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* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

A doughnut and sandwich takeaway shop located in the CBD has slowly gained traction among the officer workers around.

Husband and wife team Myron and Shaz realised there was a lack of artisanal doughnuts in Singapore, and wanted to create something for the local market after trying many delicious doughnuts in New York.

After many, many rounds of “fanatical recipe testing”, they came up with Korio at Far East Square.

To cater to the CBD breakfast and lunch crowd, they have also included hearty sandwiches on the menu for convenient takeaways.

The inspiration for the sandwiches came from all their favourite foods they would eat growing up.

(Photo credit: @__sy_g)

Some of their signature sandwiches are the Grill Cheese ($8), Breakfast Sammy ($9), Tuna Melt ($10), Grilled Halloumi ($13), Peking Duck Sammy ($14) and Pulled Porkless ($12) – which is included with king oyster mushrooms instead.

Take note that while the Grilled Cheese ($8) is available every day (except Sun), some of the others are made only on specific days such as the Tuna Melt Sammy (Mondays) and Peking Duck Sammy (Wednesdays).

As for the doughnuts, the bakes go through an 18-hour long process, and are handmade, fried, glazed daily. Worthy to take note that glazes are also made in house.

Take note that donuts are only available after 11am on weekdays and 11:30am on Saturdays.

Be enticed with the Plain Glazed ($3.80), White Chocolate & Coconut Doughnut with Hazelnuts ($4.50), Peanut Butter & Jelly ($4.20), White Chocolate ($4.20), Mango Passionfruit ($4.20) and Caramelised Biscuit ($4.20).

In a chocolaty mood, I had the Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate Doughnut ($4.20) topped with crunchy peanuts folded into a peanut butter glaze, topped with house made chocolate sauce.

Considering I am generally not a donuts type of person, I found this particularly delicious.

The glaze was rich, but had just the right amount and balance of both chocolate and nuttiness.

But what really impressed me was the texture of the donut itself, pillowy-soft, fluffy and not too sweet at all.

Generally, I find donuts cloying and greasy, but this tasted ‘healthier’ yet tasty at the same time. Good stuff.

Korio
135 Amoy Street, Far East Square #01-03, Singapore 049964 (Telok Ayer MRT Station DT18)
Tel +65 9771 6491
Opening Hours: 8am – 4pm (Mon – Fri), 9am – 3pm (Sat), Closed Sun

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* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

When we generally talk about Bak Chor Mee soup in Singapore, the front-runners will typically be the usual suspects at Bedok 85 aka Fengshan Food Centre, such as Xing Ji Rou Cuo Mian and Seng Hiang Bak Chor Mee

If you have been hooked on the famous Bedok 85 Minced Pork Noodle, you must try 58 Minced Meat Mee. No, that’s not a typo. And do not confuse this with 58 Minced Meat Noodle at Suntec City.

Here’s a mean contender for the best minced meat mee in Bedok.

Drop by The marketplace@58 to taste its version of this well-loved noodle dish. In fact, not a few are boldly swearing this is possibly the best Bak Chor Mee soup version in Singapore.

With just one item in the menu (BCM Soup), they cook their specialty one bowl at a time. That means, be ready for a long wait especially during breakfast and lunch peak times. Weekends are just as queue-ful.

The Minced Pork Mee Soup ($3.00) includes 4 tasty dumplings and generous servings of minced meat and thin, springy egg noodles.

Those large dumplings have tender skin and a delicious filling, made from a secret recipe. Like in other stalls, they have a dedicated area where they churn out these delicious dumplings in perfect execution. You can even buy them by the piece.

Dissecting the bowl, you’ll find the pork stock with a thick, almost gelatinous texture and a garlicky taste.

Aside from the minced meat, it has pork lard crisps, preserved radish, and dried flounder.

The soup may be hearty, but some customers may find this on the saltier side with a strong alkaline taste of noodles.

As this stall only operates for breakfast, lunch and in-between, try to come early. You won’t find any if you’re craving for minced meat mee at night.

Also note that they only operate for 4 days a week – Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

58 Minced Meat Mee (New Upper Changi Road)
Block 58 New Upper Changi Rd, #01-151, New Upper Changi Road Hawker Centre, Singapore 461058
Tel: +65 8289 6826
Opening Hours: 6am – 2pm (Tue, Thurs, Sat, Sun), Closed Mon, Wed, Fri

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58 Minced Meat Noodle (Suntec City)
High Street Tai Wah Pork Noodle (Hong Lim Food Centre)

* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

[Seoul] It wasn’t that easy finding these Chinese-style dumplings shop at 214 Apgujeong-ro, a discrete eatery hidden among different shophouses.

Sandong Gyojakwan 山東餃子館 a simple shop with seats limited to four to give tables is also an entry to Michelin Guide with a “Bib Gourmand”, under the category “Chinese cuisine”.

Helmed by Chinese-Korean Chef Dan Byeong-ho, Sandong Gyojakwan specialises in Chinese-style dumplings – both boiled and steamed.

At early as age 10, he learned from his parents the art of making dumplings. To this day, he makes his dumplings fresh from scratch daily, from the filling up to the wrapper.

Take note that there isn’t an English menu, only a board with Korean words. Even though I spoke Mandarin, I had some difficulty understanding Chef Dan’s accent when he came to help with the orders.

Dumpling fans can order from one of the three styles – pan-fried, steamed and boiled, all with varying thickness of the skin. (For reference, 煎 refers to pan-fried, 蒸 steamed, and 水 boiled.)

Each basket is priced from 7,000 to 8,000 Won (SGD8.20 to SGD9.30). Some of the Koreans found it slightly on the expensive side, especially when prices were raised due to increase popularity.

Under the Chef’s recommendation, I ordered the Steamed Dumplings (as he also didn’t allow me to order the Pan-Fried, which I didn’t quite understand why.)

The dumplings were considered quite tasty, with thin skin and fresh meat and vegetables fillings that still reminded moist.

An additional bonus was the vinegary chilli-oil that you could dip the dumplings into.

Too hungry for just dumplings? Add a refreshing Chinese Fried Rice, Five-Spice Beef Salad or the XO Shrimp if you enjoy your seafood spicy.

They also have assorted stir-fried delicacies and other Korean-Chinese staples. Food was slightly on the saltier side, but considered manageable when compared to the average Chinese eatery.

Estimate dent to your wallet starts at 7000 up to 12,000 Won per dish.

Sandong Gyojakwan 산동교자관
214 Apgujeong-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 2 514 2608
Opening Hours: 12pm – 2:30pm; 5:30pm – 9pm (Mon – Sat), Sun

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Hadongkwan (Myeongdong, Jung-gu, Seoul)
Gaeseong Mandu Koong (Gwanhun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul)

Click HERE for other SEOUL Food Entries

* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

Lucky uni students. There seems to be a number of new cafés and kiosks opening up at SMU Boyle’s Coffee x Love Bites, Onalu which focuses on Acai bowls, and Canteen Bistro.

On the west side of things, NTU has Connect 71; while NUS has SG Maxx Coffee which also opened up within their campuses.

Canteen Bistro is a casual western styled restaurant right in the heart of the university.

Besides a simple lunch menu, the restaurant is also a pub at night which opens until 1am.

Great for students who looking for a place to chill and need a break from all those projects and tutorials.

I visited Canteen Bistro during lunch where they had a limited lunch menu.

The dinner menu has more variety featuring items such as the Pulled Pork Burger ($16), Fish & Chips ($13) and Creamy Salmon Linguine ($15).

The Lunch Menu is basically an Omurice as a base, with a choice of main such as crispy chicken, crispy fish, meatball, mushroom or beef stroganoff. Also offered is a soup of the day.

You can also choose from either cream, marinara or demi-glace sauce to be drizzled over your Omurice.

To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Crispy Chicken Omurice ($8) served with a generous portion of chicken.

While the chicken was juicy and lightly battered (and decent-tasting), it didn’t have that “wow” effect. But I can’t complain for this price.

I preferred the Crispy Fish Omurice ($8) but immediately regretted pairing it with the cream sauce.

The demi-glace sauce was a better choice as the cream sauce got on the heavy side towards the end of the meal.

I was expecting normal white rice beneath the layer of egg, but to my surprise it was fried rice.

There was a faint tomato fragrance, though I felt that tangy-sweetness could have been more pronounced.

Canteen Bistro is a great place for SMU students to organize gatherings over lunch or dinner, maybe even have a drink or two at night.

The lunch sets aren’t too expensive and with the amount of food you’re getting, it is not too bad of a deal.

In addition, SMU students/staff can get a $1 discount off the daily lunch sets, while alumni can get a discount $1.50 off the daily lunch sets.

Canteen Bistro
80 Stamford Road, #B1-61, Singapore 178902
Opening Hours: 11am – 3pm Last orders 2:30pm, 5pm – 1am Last Order 10pm (Mon – Sat), Closed Sun
https://www.facebook.com/anteenbistrosg

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* Written by DFD’s Café Correspondent @__sy_g. Songyu is a food and travel blogger whose hobby is uncovering hidden hipster cafes. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

Local brand PS.Cafe has launched its latest addition at River Valley’s newly refurbished Great World (previously known as Great World City).

Spanning over 4,300 sq ft, the space can accommodate up to 125 guests, offering a comfortable in the prime spot of the bustling shopping centre.

Despite current ‘circumstances’, it was relatively packed when I visited during a weekday night.

Other than well… the usual Truffle Fries, diners can look forward to a “Spice Route” special – dishes added with house-blended Indian spices and herbs.

Exclusive items to PS.Cafe at Great World include Spiced Biryani Salad ($26), Masala Roast Chicken ($33) and Impossible Bombay Koftas ($28) featuring the Impossible plant-based meat.

I had the Flame Grilled Tandoori Chicken Sandwich ($26) a toasted Turkish bread, eggplant and tomato chutney, ‘gunpowder’ mayo, cabbage and mustard slaw, with crisp green salad.

A hearty sandwich with succulent meat – I also enjoyed the tinge of spice that made a usual sandwich more exciting to the bite. Slightly on the expensive side though.

Located at the heart of the cafe is a dessert showcase offering fresh bakes and sweet treats for the perfect grab-and-go break between retail therapy.

PS.Cafe has brought back its Burnt Rum & Raisin Cheesecake ($12), comprising of the quintessential burnt cheesecake recipe topped with macerated raisins, drizzled with burnt rum sauce.

While I would have preferred it to be more molten, the cheesecake was still soft and smooth, and the topping of the alcoholic component was a welcomed addition.

PS.Cafe’s bakery also features items such as Caramelised Cinnamon Croissant Scroll ($6), Nutty Sticky Honey Bun ($6), a fluffy roll topped with honey caramel, pecans, almonds and walnuts and Giant Eclairs ($9) that come in three different flavours: lemon and passionfruit, dark chocolate & nougat, and espresso.

PS.Cafe at Great World
1 Kim Seng Promenade, #01-155, Singapore 237994
Tel: +65 6708 9288
Opening Hours: 8am – 10pm (Mon – Fri), 9:30am – 10pm (Sat, Sun, PH), Last Order 9:30pm

* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

Talking about Peranakan food in Singapore – which is quite a form of culinary art, the popular Blue Ginger has always been considered one of the well-known restaurants in the local dining scene.

It can be an ideal intro to foreign guests to Peranakan cuisine, a unique fusion of Chinese and Malay influences known for its spicy and sour flavours.

It attracted even more attention when it earned the Michelin Bib Gourmand distinction, and continue to retain it.

The restaurant was conceived by a group of friends who wanted to create an inviting and intimate restaurant where customers can partake in a convivial dining experience over quality Peranakan fare – which at the time, was mostly prepared at home and enjoyed among family.

The main outlet is a narrow yet elegant three-storey restaurant in the CBD area, located near MRT Tanjong Pagar station.

It offers cosy and spacious dining rooms for private events and gatherings, decorated with works of local artists. Ideal for a business lunch or dinner with friends in the Tanjong Pagar area.

Its second outlet – 25 years after its flagship opened in Tanjong Pagar, is located at the recently-revamped Great World.

A note that Peranakan food is generally on the pricier side in Singapore, as preparation for most of the dishes is a time-consuming affair.

For starters, highly recommended is Ngoh Hiang ($14), a Blue Ginger signature which is stuffed with minced pork and prawns.

It was moist and juicy, and fried just right, not too crispy.

The Kueh Pie Tee ($8), crisp-fried pie tee cups filled with shredded stewed bamboo shoots, turnips, half a shrimp and sambal, are another recommended.

They are juicy but not soggy, and generously stuffed.

Moving on to the mains, the Beef Rendang ($20) presents tender chunks of shin meat in a thick curry redolent with aromatics such as ginger, lemongrass, lime leaves, coriander and cumin.

Another house specialty, Ayam Panggang “Blue Ginger” ($16), is deboned chicken thigh grilled to a smoky sweet finish.

While I was expecting the usual grilled chicken closer to the Indonesian style, it arrived with thick coconut milk paste spiced with ginger and lemongrass and basted on the chicken while grilling.

A creamy tasty sauce with balance of spicy, sour, sweet and salty flavours. But I can imagine not all diners would enjoy this dish.

The Blue Ginger also serves the Peranakan staple Ayam Buah Keluak, a chicken dish with a special thick, fermented black nut paste, and Nyonya Fish Head Curry ($32, available during weekends and PH), served steaming hot in a clay pot. If you like pork, try Babi Pong Tay ($16), a gelatinous pork belly stewed in a preserved bean paste.

If you choose to dine at Great World, new on the menu are starters of Kerabu Kacang Botol ($11.50) and Kerabu Timun ($8.50).

The former showcases winged beans blanched and tossed with dried shrimps, shallots, fragrant toasted grated coconut and a zingy dressing comprising ground fresh chillies and lime juice; while the latter pairs chicken gizzards with cucumbers and tomatoes in an equally refreshing belachan chilli paste.

What I liked about the Great World outlet is the offering of lunchtime dishes – Kerabu Laksa ($15), Nonya Noodles ($15), and Buah Keluak Fried Rice ($15), making it more accessible for individual or small group diners.

The Nonya Noodles, a treat normally reserved for birthdays and special occasions, consists of springy yellow noodles cooked in a rich prawn and pork stock with bean sprouts, kang kong and garnished with omelette and cucumber julienne.

I enjoyed the Buah Keluak Fried Rice ($15) imbued with wok hei which was fragrant with earthy buah keluak rempah (paste made from Indonesian black nuts). A little surprise as it even came with a fried chicken wing.

The main weak link I thought was the Chendol ($5), the classic Peranakan dessert made with pandan-flavoured jelly and red beans in coconut milk sweetened with gula melaka. The ice could have been smoother, and green jelly more fresh-tasting and moist.

The Blue Ginger – Tanjong Pagar
97 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088518
Tel: +65 6222 3928
Opening Hours: 12pm – 3pm, 6:30pm – 10:30pm (Mon – Sun)

The Blue Ginger – Great World
Great World, #01-106, 1 Kim Seng Promenade, Singapore 237994
Tel: +65 6235 7042
Opening Hours: 11am – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm (Mon – Fri), 11am – 10pm (Sat, Sun, PH)

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* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

It is of no coincidence that three coffee places with minimalist-industrial vibes have opened within two weeks from one another – Lucid, Brother Bird Coffeehouse, and Double Up Coffee.

And they are not considered too far in terms of distance, all located in the Bugis-Lavender stretch.

(Photo credit: @stormscape)

You may just walk past Double Up Coffee at Jalan Klapa, considered quite a hole-in-the-wall. It is located right opposite Kumoya known for its character cafes. Both cafes are the opposite ends in styles anyway – one known for cutesy cartoon-themed food; the other coffee focused.

There are two halves of Double Up Coffee. Outside, you would spot three chairs of solid colours of red, yellow and blue, along with a table repurposed from a skateboard. It suggests funkiness and young vibes.

Walking in, the mood changes with light grey cement coffee counter, light wooden chairs, but most customers were sitting back facing the wall on a row of concrete seats.

It almost feels there is no little between barista and customer. Maybe that is what they are trying to achieve.

The menu is lean, divided into “business” (coffee drinks), “pleasure” (non-coffee drinks), and “chow” (rotational pastry).

You sense that element of playfulness when coffee drinks are not named the conventional latte or flat white, but Spro with Milk ($5) and Double Up ($7).

“Spro” is actually a slang term for an “espresso”. (You can use it like, ”Bro, let’s grab a Spro”); while a Double Up is a piccolo with espresso.

Beans are sourced from Bearded Bella which they call the “Kuku Bududa” with milk-chocolaty notes.

(Photo credit: @juicyfingers)

The bake here is rotational, and what is offered had included Peach & Pear Crust ($5.00) or Blueberry Crust ($5.50).

What you get is a crusty pie-like pastry with softer layered texture in the middle, topped with caramelised fruits.

I think what people would like about Double Up Coffee is that it is unpretentious and doesn’t need to try too hard.

Double Up Coffee
7 Jalan Klapa, Singapore 199319
Opening Hours: 9am – 5:30pm (Mon, Wed – Sun), Closed Tues

Lucid (Hamilton Road)
Brother Bird Coffeehouse (Bali Lane)
Bearded Bella (Craig Road)
Narrative Coffee Stand (Bras Basah Complex)
Starter Lab (Havelock Road)

* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

From the folks behind the Over-The-Top Milkshakes at Benjamin Browns and Flying Noodles at Hana restaurant, one would expect their newest venture would be another Instagram hit.

True enough, the entire space at Brown Butter is full of Instagram spots; from a wall full of pink roses to an entire pink shelf, pink fridge and a dual tone wall decked in pink and teal for the perfect #OOTD shot.

Apart from the layout in pink and teal, the food and drinks menu also consisted of pink and green food, mainly beetroot for the pink hue and avocado for the green, ensuring that healthy food looks as Instagram-worthy.

A wide selection of Toasties (15 in total), are available on the menu, such as Beet Toastie ($15) and Shine Toastie ($15) topped with hummus and a beautiful avocado “flower” on a sourdough. The difference is that red beetroot is added to the former and turmeric is added to the latter.

Drawing their Japanese influence from Hana Restaurant next door, Curry-On Toastie ($16.90) comes with 3 deep-fried ebi coated with Mentaiko mayo on top of Japanese Scrambled Egg and a slice of toast.

Even though the entire combination is well balanced with a slightly spicy and savoury punch, my friends commented that it is a little pricey for the portion.

For the pink-fanatics, the Salmon Mentaiko Cheese Toastie ($18) comes in a bright pink hue with a generous layer of Mentaiko Mayo.

Guys would probably prepare a more protein-rich option, the Avo Burger ($23) which caught me by surprise with a real avocado fruit shaped into the burger buns.

Instead of avocado flavoured buns, the buns split into 2 slices upon slicing, and comes with 105g of beef patty, tomatoes, onions and cheese.

Tortilla chips with salsa sauce were served by the side but it could do with more sauce for dipping.

Interestingly, the “Tuna”-Melon Poke Bowl ($14) is meatless, with generous amount of toppings such as avocado, watermelon instead of tuna cubes, mango, edamame, corn and sushi rice.

Drizzled with a choice of homemade shoyu, Wafu dressing aka Japanese vinegar or sesame sauce, the rice was soft and fluffy.

Their desserts menu is short and concise with avocado incorporated within it, namely Avocado Pancakes ($18), The Works ($21) served with bacon and sunny side up, Avo Waffles ($16) and Torched Avocado Cheesecake ($12).

The Avocado Pancakes ($18) came with 2 stacks of avocado pancakes with avocado slices sandwiched in between, and topped with blueberries and banana.

Even though maple syrup is served on its side, it can be a little dry as it has a denser texture instead of the common soft and fluffy pancakes.

The highlight of the meal is the Beet Smoothie topped with Avocado Ice Cream ($10.90) and Avocado Smoothie topped with Pink Avocado Ice Cream ($10.90).

True enough, the folks behind the OOT-milkshakes craze at Benjamin Browns continue to produce Instagram worthy drinks, but are healthier this time round.

The smoothie is smooth and rich, without being too “jelak”.

For an extra indulgence, dig into the creamy ice cream in the Avocado shell to satisfy your craving.

If cheesecakes are too mainstream as a dessert, check out their version which is literals shaped like a “Cheese”!

Comes in 3 different flavours: Lemon, Beetroot and Avocado at $8.90 each, each cheesecake is beautifully crafted to create the exact shape.

Apart from the space being decked in a pretty shade of pink, Brown Butter has created a healthy menu that is colouring-free and preservative-free and yet, instagrammable.

Brown Butter
583 Orchard Road, #01-18-19, Forum The Shopping Mall, Singapore 238884
Opening Hours: 10:30am – 8:30pm (Mon – Sun)

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Lucid (Hamilton Road)
Alchemist Design Orchard (Orchard Road)
Monarchs & Milkweed Gelato (North Bridge Road)

* Written by Nicholas Tan @stormscape who loves all things [NEW]. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.