1-caramel at one rochester, buona vista

average brunch food at rochestor park. if you’re looking for brunch options in this area – I’m going to have to point you to graze. this place was really rather meh, with uninspiring food and an ambience that made nothing of its gorgeous surroundings. if the other places around here are packed up, then perhaps you could come here – but otherwise I’m not sure there’s any point.

on hindsight (which this is, of course), there was nothing really wrong with the place so much as it was pretty boring. it isn’t very expensive, the food wasn’t bad – serviceable, really – and the place wasn’t run down. it just felt like it had so much more potential to be fantastic! but alas.

jones the grocer, town

disappointing expensive dessert at this town outpost of the australian delicatessen newly opened on the top floor of the ion orchard mall. here’s another looks-pretty-but-doesn’t-deserve-to dessert that rather had a lot of potential but turned out rather dismal, though nowhere near the fiasco that was dean and deluca. I wish this place actually served good food – orchard really is lacking in nice places you can sit down for a break between shopping – but I think I’ll be sticking with the marmalade pantry for now.

I haven’t tried their savory items, so while I can’t give you a full low-down on the cafe, the desserts sure don’t provide any impetus to return.

marmalade pantry, town

good, better-than-average bistro food at this branch of the yummy-mummy chain in the ion shopping mall. this is a long post, because I came here twice in barely a week – and I’ll tell you why: the food is pretty decent, the prices competitive for the area, and there aren’t much better options around for a place to sit down and have some cake and tea.

it’s pretty flabbergasting to realize that though the orchard road precinct is hangout-de-rigueur for most people on the weekends, and so ought to (and does) have a slew of eateries, there really isn’t much to eat around there, just a whole lot of overly expensive sit-down places or trendy takeaway options. this place remains my fall-back option when I’m out with the girlfriends, and has been since I first visited their palais renaissance outlet nearly five years ago.

the fat cat bistro, serangoon

good thai-indian-europeanish food at this hidden open-air cafe in serangoon. I’ve heard of this place quite a bit – but I never knew it was quite this close to me – and it’s now become a regular friday-dinner haunt (especially since there’s the prospect of dessert just a few doors down).

it’s a baffling prospect to go to a place that serves up three cuisine options all at once – and rather a relief to find that this isn’t some madcap venture, and that the food is genuinely all good. I put this down to the fact that it’s done up food-court-style, with the cafe basically serving as a communal dining area for three different stalls (and therefore three kitchens): thai yai, masala mantra and the french onion.

the retrospective, chinatown

decent european-american-westernish food in the hipster part of chinatown. I say western in the colloquial way it’s used in singapore to refer to any sort of food belonging to those regions – fusion just doesn’t nearly have the same ring –  the menu is rather typical of a modern bistro. I was drawn to this restaurant by their rather lovely graphic logo – and the way the place was done up, all retroesque (obviously) and bistro-like.

it’s pretty decent food, and I’ll give it a lukewarm recommendation if you’re in the area – but given the other offerings there, and the fact that chinatown is a veritable treasure box of food findings, I don’t think I’ll return anytime soon.

wimbly lu chocolates, serangoon

really good desserts at this small store in a surprisingly hipster part of serangoon – I live near the area and never knew this place even existed (except for all the posts floating about the blogosphere on this place and its cajun neighbour). I didn’t really know what to expect, actually – I tried to come with tempered expectations in case it didn’t actually live up to the hype – but came away liking it quite a bit.

warning: giant photos up ahead as I’ve been playing with a square crop with my photos – more on that later.

dean & deluca singapore, town

incredibly disappointing and wholly vapid food – even after tempered expectations – at the dean & deluca cafe in orchard central. I’ve been to their pretty shop – with highly magnified prices – before, read the dismal reviews everywhere on the blogosphere – and I still went because I was drawn to an image I saw online of their pancakes. it was a regrettable experience, and one that’s made me feel quite a bit foolish.

I feel like I should apologize for the fact that their food made gorgeous photos – take it from me that it’s akin to finally meeting that beautiful person from across the room, only for them to open their mouths to some sort of inaneness. a bimbo experience in all – don’t fall for it yourself.

novus restaurant & bar, town

great european brunch food at this cosy – and very classy – restaurant hidden away in the singapore national museum. I popped by this place for a brunch with friends and the food is rather innovative, and service very prompt – the menu sounds rather typical, with eggs, french toast and common european fare, but it’s the small details and their interpretation of these dishes that made it such a good meal. it’s become one of my current favorites.

of breakfasts, and a hot whole-grain cereal porridge

it’s coming to nearly ten months now that I’ve left london – and I try very hard not to think about it: there were fantastic memories during fantastic years, with people who’ve made a big difference in my life. I came across this photo – below – in my archives, taken during one of my visits to le pain quotidien (my absolute favourite breakfast hangout in london) and it made me think very hard.

breakfast is my favourite meal – it dictates how the rest of the day is going to go – and though I head out to brunch regularly with friends, it’s my day-to-day breakfast of hot grain that helps remind me of the times in that glorious city. I’ve had this same breakfast every day since coming back, with variations in grain and stir-ins, but the recipe, and the idea is built upon mornings – and anytime, really – of hot oatmeal in gloomy (but so lovely) london.

whole meyer lemon cake

I used the last of my lovely meyer lemons in this cake – a damp, hearty but fluffy cake of almond meal barely bound together. it’s a simple, fragrant cake – and good for tea time. you whizz up meyer lemons with a bit of egg and almond, throw it all into a pan – and bare moments later, there’s a delicious waft of citrus in the kitchen.