All posts filed under: Café Hopping

Food Review: La Ristrettos

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This hidden café is located on the 8th floor of Novena Medical Centre. Wait what??? Medical centre?? Yes, you read that right! It was pretty difficult to find but after you’ve found its location, it is pretty easy to get there. It has a nice, cosy and homely feel to the place. Although the place looks small, there are ample seats outside. Having browsed through their menu, which didn’t have too big of a selection, I decided to try the Breakfast Crab Cakes (S$15). The crab cakes itself was nicely seasoned and fried perfectly; a nice crunch on the outside and soft on the inside. They served it with a very rustic mash potato, wild rocket, bacon, a poached egg, and drizzled with it with balsamic vinegar. All the flavours blended well with each other. The only downside was that the poached egg was overcooked. We also ordered the Panni Cotoletta (S$13). The chicken was nicely seasoned and fried and the bread was toasted nicely. It had a good bread to meat ratio so nothing was overpowering …

Food Review: Gordon St Garage

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Gordon St Garage was the place where I had my first proper Perth cuppa and so you can imagine that it holds a special place in my heart. However over the past few years, apart from occasional quick stops to get some takeaway coffees before heading to Watertown, I’ve not stepped foot in here to try the food. So on this hot summery day, and with the spur of the moment decision, it was finally time to head back to the first gorgeous place that I fell in love with in Perth. Admittedly, it was daunting at first… Staring at that menu and trying to figure out what to eat. (I usually do a bit of research of the place I’m heading to before I go.) But after that initial setback, I finally selected my meal and waited in anticipation. I ordered the BBQ Salmon with quinoa, fennel and orange salad. When it arrived, I was pleasantly surprised at dish that sat before me. The presentation was definitely different from what I had in mind. …

Food Review: GRUB cafe @ Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park

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Grub is nicely located in the middle of the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. It has a nice brick-wall interior blended with the glass planes. It boasts its responsible ingredients-inspired menus and delicious food. For dinner, they have slightly more items compared to lunch. They mainly serve western food, with a few fusion dishes. Their Chilli Crab Pasta(S$18) had a good balance between the sweet and the spiciness. The linguine absorbed the flavour from the sauce nicely, making it very tasty. The soft shell crab was well seasoned and gave the pasta a bit more texture to it. The GRUB Cheeseburger(S$13) was nicely done. The meat was well seasoned, and flavourful. The proportions were balanced so that none of the ingredients overpowered the other. My only complain is that the bun was too sweet for my taste. The fries on the side was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Lastly we ordered a Truffle Bacon Baked Eggs(S$9). The mushrooms absorbed the truffle and bacon flavour nicely; but still able to taste the mushroom …

Food Review: Word. @ Upper Thomson Road

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Located behind the upcoming Springleaf MRT station of the Thomson-East Coast Line is a newly opened cafe called Word. It has an industrial, rustic theme going on. Their menu focuses mainly on Asian fusion-ed with western cuisine, and quite punnily-named menu items as well. Cut the Crab (S$15) which is their homemade crab cakes was nicely breaded and pretty salty on its own. The sauce tastes like a combination of a Thousand Island Dressing and a lemon vinaigrette. The pairing went perfectly with each other, toning down the saltiness from the crab cakes. The Vongole Le Cream (S$14) was kind of bland and a tad bit more salt would have been nice. It has quite a large portion, pretty creamy and has a similar taste to a carbonara. However it lacks some sort of meat, so this dish is kinda pricey. We also ordered the chix lollipop (S$14). The chicken was cooked perfectly. The meat comes off the bone nicely and was tender. It is quite an interesting fusion dish, using the Chinese stir-fry black pepper sauce …

Quick Coffee: Habitat Coffee

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One of the well known cafes at Upper Thomson Road is Habitat Coffee. It has a very simplistic interior with minimal decor. Habitat coffee has a sizeable menu; consisting of breakfast items, pastas and various sandwiches. They also have a limited choice of cakes and waffles as well. We tried their Tiramisu; it had a very strong alcohol taste, soft and creamy but the coffee sponge was at the bottom. Overall it was quite well balanced. Now moving onto the coffee. We had a cappuccino(Regular – S$4.9, Large – S$5.9), piccolo latte(S$4.2) and a normal latte(Regular – S$4.9, Large – S$5.9) as well. The cappuccino was strong, bitter and smooth. The piccolo gave quite a strong kick and was smooth as well. The latte however tasted kind of tangy, the coffee taste sticks to the tongue and actually tasted stronger than the cappuccino. We really enjoyed Habitat’s coffee a lot and it is a must try! Coffee Rating: 7.5/10 Located at: 223 Upper Thomson Rd, Singapore 574355 For more information visit their website: http://www.habitatcoffee.com.sg/

Review: The Cat Cafe @ Bugis Village, Singapore

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When I was in Singapore for the holidays, my friends Sam and Don brought me to the Cat Cafe. Located in the heart of the ever-busy Bugis, is this accessible cafe where you can chill and enjoy the company of the resident cats. To be honest, I was kind of reluctant when Don suggested that we hang out here as I am a dog-person (and forever will be. I shall not be swayed!) But I figured it’ll be an interesting experience and so I braved on. The entry fee is $15 for unlimited minutes of cat time and a complimentary first drink. You can always have your meal there by ordering from their decent array of food items. 🙂 What I really enjoyed about the Cat Cafe is the relaxed atmosphere; with the cats lazing about/sleeping and the pitter-patter of the rain outside, it was a purr-fect little escape from hustling and bustling Singapore. Unfortunately, we got there during the cats’ nap times, so most of them were sleeping there instead of walking around the cafe. Looking at them …

Quick Coffee: Five By Five

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At Upper Thomson Road, lies this cafe hidden behind the main street. Walking in, you can feel a very chill, relaxed atmosphere. The menu has a variety of breakfast/brunch items. If you are looking for an array of desserts, this place is not for you. Now for the main part; the COFFEE. We ordered a latte(S$4.5) and a cappuccino(S$4.5). The latte had a hint of sourness, light and not too milky. The cappuccino was quite bitter, light but rough. For both cups of coffee, the art was the same, just in case you are into that. Not to mention if you like the smell of coffee, the aroma is not really there at all. Overall the coffee is not the best, nor the worst. It seats nicely somewhere in the middle. Coffee Rating: 6/10 Located at: #01-03, Thomson V One, 9 Sin Ming Rd, 575630 For more information check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/fivebyfive.sg