Chillax Time

I chanced upon this kiosk-like coffee store while I was at Ang Mo Kio Central, and I was glad that I took a second look at it. It was fascinating to see a small coffee shop (like the size of a neighbourhood bubble tea shop) right under a point block, making it a dream come true to have some good latte downstairs (as if I live upstairs).

I liked the Mocha, probably because the beans used went well with the milk and cocoa. And with the foldable furniture along the walkway, one could sit down for a quick cup of coffee before attending to the frenzy in the world out there.

Brew & Co also offered some pastries to go with the cuppa. Probably it’s just me, but I was not really a big fan on a chewy and dense Raisin Scone, so I wonder if a Pain au Chocolat would have elevated the experience altogether.

In traditional tea ceremonies in Japan, premium Matcha powder would be freshly-whisked on order and served in a tea bowl.

And that was what enjoying the ceremonial-grade Hana Matcha (S$10.80) would look like. Unlike the usual Matcha, this one had a subtle umami aftertaste and a creamy texture, suitable for those who might not like prominent bitter notes.

To fully immerse yourself into the zen state of tea, I guess it would be best to get this when the restaurant was least crowded. Despite being a three-storey shophouse, business was definitely booming here during weekends, and all the noise made by loud guests might just not bring you anywhere close to peace.

Operated by a bunch of young, talented bakers, SCRATCH Bakeshop sold a variety of sweets, from cupcakes (S$4.00), cakes and cheesecakes (S$6.50), tarts (S$5.00) to large cookies (S$3.00). They also had a couple of tables outside their shop for diners who had time to sit down and chill over some cakes and tea.

And that was exactly what I did on a Friday afternoon, while enjoying the December breeze under the shady part of the building, having a pot of tea (S$4.50) with a Choc Caramel Beschuit Cupcake and a Lemon Meringue Tart.

The cupcake was kind of cutesy-looking, with what seemed like a caramel cookie butter filling, buttercream and crushed beschuit sprinkles on the top. I would have liked more filling to for a more elevated sweetness to it. Or maybe they were secretly wishing for me not to just stop at one?

As for the Lemon Meringue Tart, I felt that they managed to grasp the right level of flavour, but it would have been nice if the tart shell was just a little thinner, so that it could hold a little more lemon curd to be proportionate with the amount of meringue piped on it. But I must say I quite liked the texture of the baked meringue — definitely a light amount of sweetness!

And one should really order their scones at any time of the day (not just for afternoon tea), because the warm buttery goodie could just go so well with their clotted cream and blueberry jam.
Thank you to @nassimhillbakery for the warm hospitality, and to @burpple for the Eatup invitation!
#food #foodphotography #foodstagram #bakery #scones #nassimhillbakery #burpple #burpplesg #burppleeatup #foreverhungry

Fancy some additional house blend liquor to go with your affogato? Just order their Tiramisu (S$20.00) to indulge in layers of mascarpone and ladyfingers, topped with a scoop of dark espresso ice cream. Alongside this beauty was a small flask of double-shot espresso and liquor mix, and the best way to enjoy this dessert was to pour over a desirable amount of liquid.

As advised by the staff, the best way to enjoy the Tiramisu was to scoop every ingredient with the dessert spoon. To be honest, the initial few spoonfuls of the Tiramisu was quite bitter, because the ladyfingers soaked in most of the espresso instantly. It appeared that the dessert might taste more balanced when it was allowed to rest after pouring in the coffee, so that the sweetness of the espresso ice cream could blend well with everything else.

In general, the Tiramisu was a decadent afternoon treat, and could be the perfect companion to reading a book or something equivalent. However, for the best experience, just make sure that if you were to sit directly below an air-conditioning vent, that you would not be in the “line of fire” when there’s dripping condensation.

One of those non-coffee signature beverages at Joe & Dough that was nothing but rich, hot chocolate. Probably just lacking of a floating piece of marshmallow candy on the top.

And it was through this drink that my food scientist friend told me that chocolate contains caffeine. What a revelation!

From 3.00pm onwards every weekday (I suppose except Public Holidays), the Coffee + Cake set sounded like a value for money option to go for, with choice of any regular coffee and a slice of cake for S$10.00 nett.

The Lemon Meringue cake would be meant for people who liked a sour dimension to their desserts, coupled with decent sponge layers in between that citric tang.

This Craftsmen branch might be pretty cosy for a lazy afternoon, as depicted by the pack of empty tables, so I was not surprised that I had to take a counter seat or a place on the communal tables.

One of the key features of the Bee Cheng Hiang Grillery was that they offered a wine pairing with a Bakkwa set menu. For those who would enjoy a more “atas” feel towards Bakkwa appreciation, the meats were grilled on the spot and delivered to the table fresh and hot, giving that tantalising touch to what seemed to be extravagant. The Bakkwa would be served by parts, so just sit back, relax and be served with the bite-size portions of the Bakkwa as they would come.

Their Classic 3-course menu (S$11.90) came with sliced pork, sliced chicken and sliced beef Bakkwa. I was most surprised with Beef Bakkwa, which was something I would never order for takeaway (thinking it would not be as tender as chicken and pork variants), because it was not tough and dry like I had imagined it to be. In small quantities, the various slices were complemented well with the recommended wine that was exclusively available in this store only. A non-alcohol option would also be available at S$5.00 upon request, but seriously if you were to pay that amount I would suggest you just buy 100g of Bakkwa and stuff yourself silly.

Those who prefer more variety could also consider their 6-course Gourmet or 9-course Pure Indulgence set, priced at S$19.90 and S$28.90 respectively.

#BurppleEatup

Guschlbauer opened their second outlet at Leisure Park Kallang, which meant that I did not have to travel all the way up to Punggol for their Original Cheese Bun.

What was unique about about this bun is that it was actually the size of a big cake, cut into quadrants and coated with milk powder. Imagine a giant mooncake that had cream cheese filling... that was how much cream there was in this slice.

S$5.80 per slice is actually considered a little bit extravagant, but if you were to buy one with a pot of tea or some coffee, and take a seat at the couch area outside the store, I think it is pretty much like enjoying some afternoon tea at a coffee house.

Not something that I will usually buy to pair with my Caffe Latte, but the Blueberry White Chocolate Scone (S$4.80) seemed to be tasty. Even without clogged cream and jam (these are not included by the way), the scone has this white chocolate “glacé” on the top to give that sweetness.

But of course, it would have been a lot nicer if the sweetness can be tasted at all parts of the scone if I did not order a hot beverage. For now, this is still pretty nice.

Not many people will really appreciate the art of brewing a good cup of Chinese tea. But the staff at Tea Chapter are more than happy to provide a step-by-step explanation of authentic tea appreciation.

I always love to visit a teahouse and make my own tea as an afternoon past-time. It kind of brings me back to my memories at Jiufen and Maokong at Taipei, where I was able to sip some good tea with a majestic and stunning view right in front of me. It’s like communicating with nature to seek that inner peace. The only difference here, to be honest, is that I have to try harder to find that tranquility, because it can get quite noisy because of the buzzing among the guests.

One of those things that I will also order, apart from the tea, is their Chapter 7 Cookies (S$5.00). It comes with seven pieces of biscuits, each made of a different type of tea flavour. They definitely do not scrimp on the ingredients to make their biscuits distinct in tea flavours. My favourite is the brownish piece, and that is a rose tea biscuit.

Whether with good company or by myself, I think I can easily spend hours here for that zen.

#food #foodphotography #foodstagram #desserts #sweets #brownie #marchemovenpick #marchesingapore #afternoontea #burpple #burpplesg #foreverhungry