Neighbourhood Cafes

Neighbourhood Cafes

Featuring Paddy Hills, Tiong Bahru Bakery (Tiong Bahru), Fuel Plus+, The Laneway Market, Burp Kitchen & Bar (Bedok Reservoir)
Amanda Jayne
Amanda Jayne

Also on the menu at @paddyhills.sg, the drunken pig ($15). Fragrant pork collar fillets covered in crispy batter were unceremoniously chucked onto a pretty ceramic plate and served with a dish of nam Jim sauce. Now, the pork wasn't the most tender of meats, but it was a good starter. Chewy, crunchy and a heady meat flavour that was cut into by the sour, fish-sauce like nam jim dip. Very enjoyable and very generous portion for a cafe like this!

6 Likes

Man oh man, was @paddyhills.sg a delight! I decided to treat myself to a soothing meal today, and tucked into a plate of Pink Rigatoni ($25). The snowy shavings of mild Parmesan brought a soft, cloud-like texture to the cacio e pepe - basically a fancy way to describe the creamy cheese and peppery sauce that coated the al dante rigatoni (those tube-like pasta bits). You'd expect something heavy and tiresome, but the plateful of rigatoni was instead comforting and lip-smacking good. The cheese and pepper sauce was just thick enough to generously coat each tube of pasta, and the surprise burst of pepper, caught the attention of each diner from the first bite. Here, the flavour in this pasta dish comes from slivers of chewy, sinful lardo. Now, what is lardo? That's basically cured strips of fatback - literally the fat off a pig's back. Think... Thick, chewy slices of bacon with an enhanced salami-like flavour. I adored how beautifully they were plated, the pale tubes artfully dressed upon a thin layer of tasty Mentaiko, that sadly was just decor, was only just thick enough for me to scrap.

1 Like

The hubs is down with a shitty cough. He's been hacking out pieces of his throat the past few days. So I insisted he get something light. So I brought him to @thelanewaymarket for their Dashi Mushroom Risotto ($20). Like the cafe, it appeared rustic, country-chic and oh-so-homely. The kind of dish an Italian grandma would make for you in the morning, except this had a delicate glob of onsen egg in the Centre. Glistening, just waiting to be prodded, it slumbered amongst a murky swamp of al dente grains of risotto rice - the floral, opulent oyster mushrooms scattered amongst smaller, crisper shimeji mushrooms. Served with a small wooden spoon, the dish called for delicate bites, and more chances to Savour its flavour. Gloriously wet and goopy, each tasty bite left an echo of dashi stock resounding in my mouth. As you breathed, the delicate aroma held your attention as you anticipated another bite of the dish. Unfortunately, the portions are small, and this experience lasted for mere minutes. #gimmemore

Always love this place. It never disappoints with its array of fresh baked, good coffee and tea. These little hot-dog style croissant bites don't disappoint either. I was a little dismayed by its minute size, but it became inconsequential after a few bites, they were generous stuffed and made a great snack. Two of these, and a drink went for $12. I had the pork one, like a giant minced pork meatball sat under a helping of (was it sour cream? Not sure) and the salmon one, smoked salmon sat on a bed of the same cream and plenty of spinach. The stand out was the croissant though. The flaky, butter pastry just made all the ingredients pop.

4 Likes

The sister cafe of Refuel Cafe, this one has more food options and is surrounded by heavy foliage and wandering chickens. It is also very quiet and peaceful - just how I like my cafes. The curry was a thing of beauty though. Two rather dry slices of bread accompanied this heady mix of minced onions, Indian spices and a burst of freshness from cumin and coriander seeds. Not heavy like some coconut cream heavy curries, but more fresh and bursting full of flavour, this was made exceptional by the large soft shell crab sitting like an island in a muddy sea. The crunchy and lightness of the crab is a welcome balance to the sloppy curry! Delicious!

Who says Bedok doesn't have any nice cafes? @vanschua and I popped by @burpkitchenbar at Bedok Reservoir to try their Crabby Patty. It wasn't bad, a whole soft shell crab made up the "patty" sandwiched between two soft charcoal buns and slathered with a copious amount of salted egg sauce. But it wasn't GREAT. You know? Charcoal really served to simply add colour, the salted egg sauce was a little too diluted and more sweet than salty, the shell (or skin) of the crab couldn't be bitten through properly. But I must say, it was nicely breaded and fried. The bar grub was a little too pricey and this burger was an eye-watering $18 with a sauce plate sized amount of potato salad. Yes, that means no fries. Well then. Humph. I would say drop by for a coffee, and share some bar grub. But don't go expecting a hearty meal here.

Food maketh me write good.

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