Food Attack

Pleasantly surprised by their Hakka Sauce Pan Mee with Century Egg ($11.90), the signature mee was loaded with umami flavour - super shiok. Topped with fried shallots, coriander, spring onion, crunchy fried anchovies, black fungus, well-seasoned minced pork and oozy (rather mild tasting) century egg, the plate had so much going on but everything worked out perfectly. Giving it all a good mix, I love how the aromatic and crisp fried pork lard on the side kicked things up a notch (though I usually avoid pork lard); making it that much more sinful. The thin slurpy noodles were also silky smooth but QQ and well-coated in all the savoury goodness.

Off their small selection of hot soba noodles, LILYAN’s Kamonan ($23) was uber savoury. A rich broth made with dashi, duck and a refreshing dose of zestiness from the use of yuzu; the traditional duck soup was lovely and not too salty for me. However, the freshly made 100% buckwheat soba noodles were a little soft in my opinion as it was probably still cooking in the hot broth as you eat. The succulent duck slices, while not plenty, were well-executed.

I really enjoyed the cold soba dish we ordered, the Toriten ($21) which was served with a side of grated daikon, tsuyu(soy-based dipping sauce), and chicken tempura. Texture-wise, the cold buckwheat noodles had more of a distinctive chewy yet delicate silky bite as compared to the hot variation. Love the cool punchy daikon-soy dip which added that oomph! The fresh-tasting chicken tempura was wonderfully fried as well, crispy on the outside, and soft-tender on the inside (wish there were more). But note to eat it quickly as the thin batter at the base turned a little soggy towards the end.

With quite the line-up out on display for a quiet Friday afternoon, I simply couldn’t resist and also got the Two Best Friends Go To NYC ($9). The interesting and yummy pairing of smooth popcorn custard, whipped cream, fragrant fresh buttered corn off the cob, and corn cake crumble on a lovely viennoiserie. The lamination was beautiful and the exterior of the sugar-covered bake was crisp-flakey. Distinct in flavour but not overly rich, perfect custard-to-pastry ratio for me.

A place that I have been meaning to visit, especially for their much raved-about Iranian Pistachio Tart ($14/ slice); 174bingo was pretty aesthetic with the rustic industrial vibe. And the signature takeaway cup is just so cute.

Certainly a pricey tart; the dollops of vanilla and pistachio cream, crowned on the buttery tart shell layered with Iranian pistachio praline and pistachio frangipane, was deliciously nutty. The soft creamy textures balanced wonderfully with the crunch of the crushed pistachio scattered at the very top. None too sweet, the slight savouriness helped cut the heaviness of the pastry.

The buttery, warm, crisp and savoury Mini Shio Pans by themselves were delectable. But the accompanying luxe cream and dip certainly added that oomph as the matcha dip was exquisitely rich and the pleasantly milky cream was gloriously silky.

Been meaning to try the Hvala x Butter Town menu and so just in time for Christmas I got the seasonal Vegan Matcha Macchiato ($8.50) along with the Mini Shio Pans with Azuki-Matcha Dip ($12.90).

The mildly earthy Yuki matcha was yum with the silky savoury vegan cream. The cute matcha gingerbread man was toothsome too - wonderfully spiced with a fragrant matcha flavour and held a crispy, moreish snappy texture.

A quick bread run to Petit Pain last month (still soft-opening) was pretty fruitful as I managed to bag more than their Classic Croissant ($3.80). Still as good as I remembered them to be since it has been a hot minute, the immensely buttery lamination and the flaky crispy crust were great~

- Soft opening at their new location -

I love myself some savoury bakes these days so the slightly herbaceous Pomodori ($5.20) was my favourite of the lot. Deliciously similar to pizza bread with tangy tomatoes, onions and aromatic basil sauce embellished on the lightly charred dough. Love the addition of potato as well. A well-executed and crowd-pleasing pairing with the crusty textured edges.

Capped with a savoury Sea Salt Soy Foam and layered with nutty kinako powder at the very top, their Iced Kinako Matcha ($8) was yummy too. The unsweetened matcha with fresh milk itself was sufficiently earthy and smooth as well.

Impressed with June Coffee’s surprisingly lip-smacking Rose Rigatoni ($19). The Gochujang Cream was chef’s kisses - spicy, sweet, savoury, and just so deliciously good. The heat is mild and the umami notes kind of lingers. Texture-wise, the fresh pasta was nice and al dente, catching the vibrant sauce wonderfully. Really toothsome with the luscious burrata (I wish there was more) and sweet juicy cherry tomatoes. Satisfying; but if you need added protein and that extra oomph, Grilled Shrimp goes for an additional $6 and Thick-cut Pancetta (+$5).

Brunched at Odem over the weekends!

Starting strong, the glistening Brioche & premium Gamtae Seaweed Butter ($20) was so good. Warm, pillowy-soft and sticky delicious with the savoury soy glaze! The umami seaweed butter was also intense and immensely fragrant with a lingering briny-sweet flavour. Much love for the fluffy (cloud-like) inside of the bake!