Can you believe that my first ever visit to "The Populus Coffee & Food Co." only took place earlier this week? Unlike how it is on weekends, the cafe was not crowded at all when I strolled in at 10am on a Tuesday.
Deciding what to have was tough as I was tempted by quite a number of items on their menu. Eventually, it was "The Populus Scramble" that won.
I have to say, this signature dish deserves its popularity and must-try status. The scrambled eggs, executed to slightly runny creaminess, was chockfull of marinated feta cheese, fresh herbs and even a few small slices of red chilli. It's served attractively piled on a large, very crispy, buttery croissant and topped with a few slices of bacon.
In terms of portion, "hearty" would be the word I'd use. The fact is, I struggled to finish all of it.
Rice was very well cooked and you can still eat the rice bit by bit.
Personally I think the curry rice was the most worth it at $7, but the most popular dish is still their mentai salmon don ($10 for a really small bowl and $13 for a normal bowl). You'll be drooling just by sitting there and waiting for your food to be served cos the smell of mentai smoked salmon would fill up the place.
The mango ebi sushi was really yummy, the mango and ebi paired surprisingly well! Definitely a highly recommended dish to order the next time you head to Japanese Curry Express.
For a satisfying steak lunch in the CBD, look no further. Argentinian restaurant boCHINche serves up what we reckon is one of the most value-for-money set lunches. The Prix Fixe Menu offers a choice of two or three courses ($28; $33, includes dessert) with weekly changes to their dish offerings. boCHINche is known for their meats, so we're glad that their ribeye steak is a mainstay. Expect a hearty piece (180g) of tender Argentinian beef seasoned and grilled perfectly, served with wedges and chimichurri mayo on the side. Portions are generous so bring your favourite colleague and get dessert to share. Pro tip: Before you reserve your seat, check their Instagram account (@bochinchesg) for the week's menu.
Avg Price: $30 per person
Photo by Burppler Jayne Tan
Though price is alittle steep, for a quality Unagi, this place is definitely a place to go. But not for any friends outing, cuz u can't get seat and order first even if its ur turn and your friend are coming in 2min. So after 2 min, they arrange you to sit separately. Not willing to help u arrange the seats. Service wise, i would rate negative. You paid restaurant price and get Cha chaan teng service? 👍🏻2/5 (wanted to rate 5 for the food, but thinking of the poor service we got for the price we paid, we probably wouldnt like to return back)
📍1 Keong Saik Road, #01-01, Singapore 089109 #yybffoutrampark
The skill of frying does not lose out to others, but the rice could do with more tendon sauce. I also love the veggies selection (The Seaweed...) here more than the others. And there is no queue. Pro tip : 10% off for IG followers.
Added $1 for an onsen egg with tobiko. Super yummy. Soft, perfectly cooked salmon topped with punchy ponzu marinated garlic and mentaiko. Rice had great texture too. I want this place to succeed but the question is whether it will survive in the long run, what with the (probably killer) rent, the fact that the shop wasn't full when we went, and the relatively high prices of the bowls ($16.90 and above)...
I lingered outside this restaurant for quite a bit because I wasn't sure whether this was going to be REALLY good ramen or one of those overrated ramen places. And I am sooooooo glad I took the risk! The place was filled with army boys (strangely), maybe because it's a good movie + dinner place. I ordered one of their best-selling ramen which was in garlic Tonkotsu soup and the bowl of ramen was HEAVENLY and so FLAVORFUL! You know how sometimes you crave for a certain thing and a long list of requirements come along with it. This bowl of ramen ticked all of my boxes and I really cannot wait to return again. I ordered a side dish Gyoza too but meh....so expensive and it didn't taste fresh.
My boyfriend and I visit Itacho on such a regular basis that we can almost remember the item number of the long list of things we order on a typical day. If the entire Itacho menu ever revamps, I will petition for them to keep the Roasted Salmon with cod fish caviar because it is the best item ever!!! But one thing I noticed about Itacho is that it used to be my #1 sushi place but nowadays I feel like it's quality and portion is very inconsistent. You know that annoying feeling when the sushi is so soft and it crumbles when you pick it up? Well, it needs to really get back into the game and attain the same high standard as it was years ago. Genki, Sushi Tei and even Sakae Sushi are all catching up!
And so.....I returned for the 5th time in 2 weeks and got myself a free toast because I have been religiously collecting stamps during my visits. I expected only condensed milk to be drizzled over a small serving of toast, (well, considering it's free) BUT TO MY SURPRISE.... There was such a generous amount of milo powder *screams* on top of the crispy, fluffy, piping hot toast! The texture of the toast was perfect. Crispy yet fluffy and light. I LOVE IT. Tuk Tuk Cha, I'm this close to relocating my house right next to your store.
In my humble opinion, two of the best places for a good sinful portion of carbonara would either be at Prive Cafe or Peperoni. Celebrated Dad's birthday at my favourite Binjai Park outlet because it feels so much like a homely family space tucked away in Bukit Timah ✨ I remember when I first saw the menu years ago I was horrified at the price. $24 for a plate of pasta...it was and still is pretty steep for a broke and unemployed student like yours truly. But I still return over and over again because of the HUGE serving portion which can be shared with a few others. Dad ordered one with spaghetti while I had mine in the same OL' penne but I really think the cream sauce tastes better with penne. They are pretty generous with the sauce and bacon too! They say it's in "light cream sauce" but I say it's so flavorful yet sinful yet I don't really have the time think about how many rounds I have to run. Three words - This is LEGIT. This applies to the wood fired pizza (of course), pasta, desserts and everything else off the menu. Hands down my favourite Italian family dining place.
Can Tuk Tuk Cha start a VIP program already? Ever since it opened in Junction 8, I probably visited this place for a good 3 times within this week. Opening in J8 is probably the best decision made by anyone ever. I couldn't get enough of the beef boat noodles, but we'll leave that for another time. I rarely give in to sweets and desserts but when it comes to waffles..... Nothing else really matters. I really enjoyed the red velvet waffle topped with the vanilla ice cream and maple syrup. I think it was pretty good item on the dessert menu especially for those who feel peckish after their noodles cuz the portion isn't THAT huge to make you feel bloated. The plain waffles can take the backseat though, because it wasn't even thoroughly cooked I could almost taste the batter... I saw many people ordering it together with the Milk Tea ice cream but I already had a huge cup of Milk Tea in my tumtum (which btw, is rly good) Living in Thailand for half a year has raised my standards of a simple cup of Cha Yen and some are either too milky, too sweet or a diluted tea taste. I'm glad Tuk Tuk Cha managed to strike a good balance :) But then again, for the price tag of $3+.....it OUGHT to strike a good balance 😜
Sunday Folks revamped their menu and I was a little sad to see that their strawberry flavored ice cream was replaced by passion fruit. Their waffles and pistachio flavored ice cream is still one of the best I've tried and Sunday Folks is always going to be my go-to place cuz it's such a good cosy place to catch up with old friends! I had the matcha cake as well, but maybe I shouldn't be so adventurous next time :P