Singaporean's Guide To Ulu Café Hopping
Price Range: $35-$45
Nearest MRT: Aljunied/Paya Lebar
Instagrammability: Very High -
Top-of-the-line plating for a casual café setting. It's rather depressing to know that after these amazing iPhone shots, it's all downhill from here. #canttopthis
Food:
1) Chilli Scrambled Eggs & Fresh Crab [$20.00]
One of the better corn cream croquettes you can find. Eggs are fine. The single fried mantou may just be there to jog cognitive association to the beloved local dish, but slather on some scrumptious house-made Blueberry Butter and it becomes divine.
2) Eggs En Cocotte [$19.00]
Slightly unmemorable.
The scent of truffle mash probably wafted away after sitting. The Serrano-wrapped soldiers are almost certainly meant for yolk-dipping, being very anhydrous on their own.
3) Breakfast of Champions [$24.00]
Everyone wanted to love this, but tough, medium-well Wagyu is quite unlovable. If the kitchen can consistently pull off a beautiful pink, then this platter for two can very well be a Breakfast for itself.
4) Breakfast Combo #1 [$16.00]
Apart from the nice mushrooms & fermented bean paste Hollandaise, this dish stands out like a white girl in a Starbucks.
5) Torched Salmon [$20.00]
I had the last helping of this dish, and I could see why. Everyone else loved the partially-cooked fish, but I received a piece that was rather hard, and in no way as soft as my most recent memory of Aburi Salmon from DSTLLRY. Of course, pictures from other servings on the table paint a much more supple salmon, so I wouldn't write this off yet.
6) Breakfast Combo #2 [$16.00]
Avocado, House-cured Salmon, Croissant. There's more creativity in its name than this rather cookie-cutter brunch item on a relatively inventive menu.
7) Vegetable Omelette [$16.00]
Excellent airline food. Served with asparagus & buns which look strangely poached from a McDonald's Big Breakfast.
With such a sprawling menu of dishes, the brunch market along Guillemard is almost certainly spoilt for the near future. 10 points to The Tuckshop.
This was a hosted Burpple meal, courtesy of The Tuckshop.
Come Here: Maybe?
Singaporean's Guide To Ulu Café Hopping
Price Range: $35-$45
Nearest MRT: Aljunied/Paya Lebar
Instagrammability: Very High -
The Tuckshop's main area may look like a run-of-the-mill pub in Holland Village, but their social event space The Recess is a lighting dream come true, complete with 80's school paraphernalia to revive nostalgia.
Food:
1) Carrot Cake [$6.00]
Simple, crisp, fragrant & very delicious. Accompanied by fried shallots and a hidden sambal paste.
Ironically, my favourite dish of the day, in an overwhelming sea of brunch items.
2) Truffle Fries [$10.00]
Always a crowd-pleaser to open a meal. Crisp & generous with truffle oil, with a palatable dip.
3) Healthy Eggs Ben [$16.00]
Protein & Toast replaced by Pumpkin & Barley. It's hard to find something healthy yet delicious.
The search continues...
4) Salmon Fried Rice [$14.00]
Highly normal. Skip.
5) Fruit, Grains & Yoghurt [$14.00]
As if someone gave a MasterChef contestant ingredients from a yoghurt bar. Excellently plated, but an ordinary fruit salad nonetheless.
6) Truffle Scrambled Eggs [$16.00]
A competent rendition of the dish.
Mushrooms on the side are good.
7) Chicken Chop Gnocchi [$16.00]
Unfortunately, it was attacked before I could sample it. You snooze, you lose.
If Char can't satisfy your inner brunch cravings when you're in the area, this should suffice.
This was a hosted Burpple meal, courtesy of The Tuckshop.
Come Here: Maybe?
Singaporean's Guide To Ulu Café Hopping
Price Range: $15-$28
Nearest MRT: Harbourfront
Instagrammability: Moderate -
Not the bestly lit of places, but it is brighter than the average joint in RWS. Overlooks USS's iconic globe.
Food:
1) Beef Burrito [$8.00++]
A less satisfying rendition of a grilled cheese sandwich. Expected to arrive as a roll, so its triangular appearance surprised us.
2) Quesadillas [$12.00++]
Both of us enjoyed this more than the Burrito, though perhaps including meat as an optional add-on would've elevated this rather empty KFC Meltz.
3) Albondigas [$12.00++]
Tender beef meatballs that were a joy to slice through, smothered in a chunky tomato sauce. Enjoyable dish, though it works out steeply to be about $3.50 a meatball.
Selected Pisco from a very limited range of RWS offerings on the Entertainer, since we were in the area. Otherwise, there's no salient need to specially make your way down.
Come Here: Maybe?
Singaporean's Guide To Ulu Café Hopping
Price Range: $5-$8
Nearest MRT: one-north
Instagrammability: High -
Great lighting to snap its interior fittings & order numbers made of marble. If DSTLLRY's darkness holds weeping & gnashing of teeth, Hoopla is a piercing light strike array.
Food:
1) Lemon Tart [$4.50]
Impressively thin, but dry & unfresh.
Not a big fan of sunflower seeds but they did add a bit of crunch.
2) Red Velvet Tim Tam Cheesecake [$7.00]
Another case of looking better than it tastes. Cheesecake was rather one-note & lacked acidity to brighten it up. Also pretty dry & unfresh.
I have much love for Hoopla, with a prior pleasant experience, but perhaps come on a Monday when the cakes are hopefully closer to their production date?
Come Here: Never (for cakes).
The Short Review
Price Range: $19-$27
Nearest MRT: one-north
Instagrammability: Low -
Outside opening hours, you might fall for its guise as an art gallery. Dimly but tastefully decorated underground pub feel.
Food:
1) Aburi Salmon Don [$16.90+]
Wonderfully oily, the torched salmon slides into visible layers like butter. Sits atop umami-fied rice & plump ikura.
2) Unagi Don [$16.90+]
Sidelined like a grey Moray Eel swimming next to a spectacular Norwegian Salmon. Still okay though.
Comes with a side of mentaiko scrambled eggs & clear broth.
No reservations outside omakase allowed, so try to arrive before 1pm on a shuttle from Fusionopolis for some of the best Japanese Dons near NUS.
Come Here: Definitely!
Singaporean's Guide To Ulu Café Hopping
Price Range: $30-$45
Nearest MRT: Lavender
Instagrammability: Moderate -
Quirky, poorly-lit interior, with fittings similar to Revolution Coffee.
Food:
1) Prawn Laksa Pasta [$16.90]
One of the better versions of this fast-popularizing fusion. Laksa cream was thick & flavourful.
2) Truffle Scrambled Eggs [$15.50]
Wet, scrambled eggs with a faint aroma of truffle, accompanied by 3 wedges of crisp bread and mushroom hash. Decent brunch fare.
3) Cheesy Sausage Rösti [$14.90]
Cured my phobia, which arose from Drury Lane, with slices of golden-fried potato. Dish gets pretty greasy though.
4) Banana Pancakes [$9.00]
Think Revolution's pancakes without Gula Melaka sauce. One-side-brûléed bananas & humble whipped cream keep its price wallet-friendly.
5) Vanilla Milkshake [$5.90]
Shake's cheap for a café; tastes alright.
As usual, Entertainer-compatible.
Come Here: Again.
A glorious meld of fluffy McGriddles, grilled cheese, sunny side up, maple syrup & caramelized bacon can convert even the most ardent non-believer of sweet-savoury mashups. Easy on the eye, tongue & wallet; available only till 6pm.
Singaporean's Guide To Ulu Café Hopping
Price Range: $30-$45
Nearest MRT: City Hall
Instagrammability: Moderate -
Murals by local artist Tan Zi Xi liven up the small storefront & large seating area.
Food:
1) Warm Spinach Salad [$18.00++]
Luxuries like actual shaved truffle, slices of Serrano Jamon & Cheddar, and even a poached egg seem squandered in a salad, rather than nestled in something more savoury.
Ironically renders the salad non-vegan.
2) Avocado on Toast [$14.00++]
Rich, creamy avocado at a steep price for just a pimped-out bruschetta.
3) Portobello Confit [$17.00++]
A unanimous crowd favourite.
The combination of basil pesto, portobello, baby spinach, sun-dried tomatoes & buffalo cheese is really delicious. Paired with Cajun fries.
4) Espresso Hotcakes [$12.00++]
A watered-down rendition of Hyde's Affogato version. Pancakes were functional, while the espresso sauce was a bit too mild on coffee taste.
5) Bottled Coffee
Taisho Black [$6.00++]
Taisho White [$7.00++]
Taisho M.A.D. [$8.00++]
M.A.D Milk [$10.00++]
Kopi "O", Kopi, Kopi with MAD Milk.
MAD Milk meanwhile is a soy-like, lactose-free concoction of pressed Macadamias, Almonds & Dates.
This was a hosted Burpple meal, courtesy of Oriole Coffee.
Come Here: Again.
The Short Review
Price Range: $35-$50
Nearest MRT: Buona Vista
Instagrammability: High -
Contemporary Italian sensibilities on an alfresco backdrop. Air-conditioned seating also available.
Food:
1) Foie Gras Tagliatelle [$32.00++]
Foie was visually overcooked, without its familiar, divine buttery texture, but the pasta was nicely al dente, offering bite yet without labour.
2) Braised Beef Cheek [$34.00++]
The cheek's texture was almost spot-on; flavourful yet soft enough to be torn apart with just a fork.
The truffled mash was a little too wet for my liking, and the brussels sprouts were actually quite good with its paired jus.
Da Paolo isn't exactly known as the pinnacle of culinary greatness, but sampling its various branches have proven that the consistency levels across are very good for a casual bistro franchise. Tasted like heaven coming fresh out of Drury Lane, that's for sure.
Use the Entertainer App to minimize fiscal damage!
Come Here: Again.
Singaporean's Guide To Ulu Café Hopping
Price Range: $40-$50
Nearest MRT: Orchard
Instagrammability: Low -
Cramped interior & snaking queues conceal its facade.
Food:
1) Seafood Aglio Olio [$23.00++]
Dishes out heat in spades, with generous helpings of chilli oil & garlic.
2) Sizzling Beef Cubes [$25.00++]
Ironically, I liked everything else on the hotpan EXCEPT the beef.
Loved the earthy mushrooms, charred peppers and potatoes.
Beef smelt good but was as tough as wood.
3) Nutella Banana Milkshake [$16.00++]
Peering past the spectacular novelty, the real milkshake's probably worth $8. So in essence, you're paying $10 for smears of Nutella, a quarter slice of a cake, some biscuits, pretzels, banana slices, cream, a wafer & a wafer roll. Tasted nice, but definitely not a repeat order.
Would've been a hefty bill without the Entertainer. Do be prepared to wait up to 40mins for your food, as the kitchen seems rather overwhelmed.
Come Here: Maybe?
Singaporean's Guide To Ulu Café Hopping
Price Range: $20-$25
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar
Instagrammability: Moderate -
Cool store facade and nothing else.
It's hard to see during sporadic blackouts.
Food:
1) Salted Egg Eggs Benedict [$17.00]
The main protein was barely sufficient, and felt like it spent a tad more than it needed on the pan.
2) Tandoori Chicken Olive Oil Rice [$16.00]
Not something I would've ordered, and not something you should order. Chicken was functional; rice was meh.
3) Grilled Prawn Tom Yum Pasta [$16.00]
Switched to this as they ran out of duck confit at 1pm.
Pasta cream was not bad, and the dish was more palatable due to the selfless contrast provided by the Olive Rice and Rösti.
4) Truffle Mushroom Rösti [$14.00]
Switched to this tragedy as they ran out of Beef Quinoa at 1pm, and got served with a one-two punch of soggy saltiness.
There's not enough avocado to take the edge off, and the uncrisp rösti's sodium overload can't be salvaged by the appropriately-seasoned mushrooms or eggs.
The taste of truffle is almost completely masked by the salt's heavy-handedness.
A very unenjoyable way for your kidney to get rekt.
5) Hot Chocolate [$4.50]
Decently "gao" but small.
6) Strawberry Lychee Cake [$6.00]
Very light sponge and well-balanced, with both flavours coming strong but neither overpowering each other.
One of the meal's winners.
Plagued with infrequent power cuts that day and the disappointing mains didn't help. Without 1-for-1, don't Entertain this lane.
Come Here: Never.
Singaporean's Guide To Ulu Café Hopping
Price Range: $30-$40
Nearest MRT: Outram
Instagrammability: Moderate -
Not particularly interesting ambience.
Nice tiled floor though.
Food:
1) Lobster Roll [$22.00++]
The sourish mayo dressing in the coleslaw was quite off-putting and heavily distracts the natural sweetness of the lobster. Bread roll could've also been cut thinner.
Couldn't help but recall The Naked Finn's superior, albeit pricier offering.
2) Kaya Toast [$4.95++]
We speculated that a large portion of the price went into the creamy yet light kaya, which emphatically screams coconut & Gula Melaka. Really tasty at the beginning, but gets slightly jelat towards the end.
3) Sticky Date Pudding [$10.00++]
Vehemently endorsed by Burpplers. The Huat Kueh-esque flavours balance well against the meld of delicious toffee sauce & vanilla ice-cream.
4) Banana Bread [$12.00++]
Another Burpple-anointed entree,
Is it as good as they say?
Bread's underwhelming to me,
(Hype is a food's greatest enemy),
but I know what can wash that sad away...
All you have to do is, put a scrumptious caramelized banana in your mouth
(a banana in my mouth?)
Met a couple of schoolmates while on our way here. "You're going to the LoKal uh? That place's quite expensive right?"
Made easier with the Entertainer App, on mains without 'of the Day' attached.
Come Here: Again.
