cute little cafe in little india, with decent food. I know its particular unique selling point is the fact that the food is halal – status of which I suppose indicates a dearth of suitable cafes for the muslim community, and deserves recognition – but the flavours are pretty alright, which is to say it wouldn’t lose out to many cafes in this genre (an expansive one crowded with competitors, with only a few truly stellar stand-outs ), halal or not.
back-to-basics eggs and toast at this small cafe at the basement of chinatown point. it gets surprisingly crowded, considering its rather obscure location and rather basic decor – but there’s nothing like a traditional breakfast.
it’s a deceptively simple meal hinged at two points: the soft, oozy, just-nice doneness of your bouncy, still-slightly-translucent eggs, and the traditionally-styled crustless bread (none of that new-fangled gardenia or sunshine, thank you very much) that’s crisp but not biscuit-like. this place does it decently – my eggs were jiggly, and the two peanut butter sandwiches were crusty without being crumbling (and the PB was generous, too).
we’re losing our traditional kopitiams and breakfast places, and in their place, new, sanitised (some may say clinical) places like this are popping up – and I’m not complaining. eat your two eggs and toast – and go with the tide.
Hill Street Coffee Shop
#B1-52 Chinatown Point
133 New Bridge Road
Singapore 059413
tel +65 6702 0192
$: 4-6 a person
p.s. hope you’re easing all good into the work day after all that new year feasting!
(crazy) overpriced, yuppie fruit-and-plant blends in the second story of this shop house above an equally (slightly) overpriced, yuppie spin cycle studio in telok ayer.
I think that’s possibly the fairest, and most accurate description I can give the place – it’s truly yuppie in a young, promising, financially-able persons interested in a holistic, take-care-of-yourself routine that includes overpriced vegetation mushed into a liquid-enough form that fits into a WHAT-THAT’S-ALL-?! bottle stacked prettily amongst its breathren on the shelves of a chiller.
I’m going to cap off this year with what must be my favorite cafe chain in singapore – it’s an oldie, but a goodie. the cakes are consistent, the places are modern-cool and casual, and you never have to deal with too many teenagers at the joints.
last one of the cartoony shots! (until I change my mind, that is).
just a short one, to say HELLO I’M ALIVE AND WELL, but I’m traveling in China and eating so much that this blogging thing is taking pause.
if you’re doing your own sort of traveling in my part of the world – the singapore zoo is a lovely, lovely whole-day attraction that I managed to return to just a couple weeks ago.
I have old memories of school trips here – but it’s just as overwhelming and just as amazing as an adult (and it makes for fantastic photos, too).
there’s good eating to be had at the zoo too, and not too expensive if you’re already prepared for it. we had good nasi lemak – fragrant rice cooked with coconut milk, with a slightly dry chicken (though plenty tasty) and very good sweet chilli (really the point of the dish) – and a good, thick rendition of laksa redolent with more coconut milk and tender noodles.
surprisingly good food, and a even more surprisingly fantastic visit in all – a definite must visit.
The Singapore Zoo
80 Mandai Lake Road
Singapore 729826
tel + +65 6269 3411
http://www.zoo.com.sg/
eh-alright brunch food at this newish brunch place at bukit pasoh. it’s a menu of rather typical cafe-style food, as well as an assemble-your-own-breakfast section of breakfast meats. I can’t say I was impressed – service was rather spotty, even though the place is small – and the food was pretty normal-going.
if you’re in the neighborhood, and there are seats – then it’s an option for a meal. but if there’s a queue – well, I can’t say I’d be bothered.
baker and cook is this chain of bakery-cafe that’s been around for ages – my first time finally at one, and I think it’s an easy choice for breakfast or brunch on the weekends, if you’re not into trying too hard. this particular outlet – as would suit the demographic in this locale – is packed with expatriates and their kids, and gets a little manic (service is both harried and difficult to get). but the food is decent, and good for a meal if you can score a seat.
it’s a simple menu of morning goods like scrambled eggs and breakfast meats – bulked up with an array of baked goodies like croissants and bagels (they also bake cakes and breads, if you’re so inclined). it all looks pretty much as-you’d-expect, which is to say it’s appealing in a homey, familiar way – and I expect most of it to be good eating.
my granola was a generous portion served up with a berry compote and greek-ish yogurt, with milk on the side. mashed up and left to sit, it softens into a nice, not-too-sweet bowl of wholesomeness.
the price points are reasonable (though really, this expensive climate means even reasonable is probably too much), and the cafe is casual, comfortable seating. if only it weren’t quite so packed – but then again, that’s the price you pay for good food.
just a quick head’s up this morning that this tiny hole-in-the-wall cafe at millenia walk does a decent set lunch – you get a permutation of one main course with soup and/or drink and dessert for very good prices (getting all four hits you barely twenty) – very good value in an otherwise rather pricey bit of town.
I suspect the cafe’s name comes from its very white walls and the rows of tarts in their counter – it’s quite a small (seats maybe 8), clinical space juxtaposed with cheerfully colorful tarts and cakes. I didn’t know what to expect of its savories – but my sandwich of mushroom and beef was surprisingly filling, with wholemeal bread holding in a rather generous mass of cheese and shroom and meat (I took half of it away).
there’s also a tiny dressed salad on the side, which was a nice touch, and my ice-cold earl grey capped it off nicely. it’s a homely little space, and good for sitting down with a book for lunch (or a friend, if you must).
I’ll be back to try the sweet stuff.
tart blanc
#01-102 Millenia Walk
9 Raffles Boulevard
Singapore 039596
tel +65 6238 6893
$$: 10-20 per person, depending on how greedy your order is
so-so brunch at this small cafe-bar-bistro in tiong bahru. this place is kind of meh – the food is just about alright – in that I would visit if I were living just a block away – but otherwise, it’s not entirely worth the trip.
and, such a deliberately provocative, scandal-inciting sort of name. almost definitely thought up by men – if the joy had by my male dining companions were anything to go by.
n.b. that is a photo of literal twiddling thumbs because I had confiscated the coffee to photograph. the camera eats first!
great tiny little cafe just on the edge of the trendy haji lane vicinity – guys, you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to come here. out of the slew of cafes that popped up in the initial mushrooming (now it’s like a never-ending landslide of such spaces), this one caught my eye with all the positive reviews.
but I had to wait until the hype ended (and then some) before I managed to swing by, and it, well, is decent. the food is decent, the portions are decent, and there’s a chocolate peanut butter cake. definitely visit-able.
andmorefood 