Cafe Hop!

The Asakawa-en Matcha is also decent, but we felt that the earthy matcha flavour was a tad subtle. We figured it might be due to the matcha being overpowered by the milk. Slightly underwhelming considering the bright green hue and that ceremonial grade matcha was being used. 🍵

You can enjoy the warabimochi in a 2-piece cup, or share a box of 5 or 10 with your friends! Every piece is so soft and chonky while generously dusted with kinako powder. Would recommend drizzling the kuromitsu syrup for an extra malty sweetness! (P.S.: Try to avoid eating this in windy weather unless you don't mind the mess 😆)

Good to know Hundred Acre Creamery @hundredacre.sg now have a 3rd outlet at Westgate, slightly nearer to the Sunset Way branch!

Their outlet-exclusive Truffle Cheese Waffles waffles have a slightly dense but soft base underneath a crispy exterior, just like our favourite Pandan Mochi Waffles. Surprisingly, the distinct truffle oil fragrance paired well with the sweet-savoury combo of baked cheese and maple syrup! Recommend getting gelato with a similar taste profile so they won't get overpowered by the waffle, so Roasted Pistachio Ice Cream or Sea Salt Butter Caramel Biscotti would work here.
.
📍 Address (Westgate outlet): 3 Gateway Dr, #04-07 Westgate, Singapore 608532

The Crispy Fried Chicken was decent, lightly salted and not too oily so it’s perfect for sharing with your dining kakis. You can choose between spicy or non-spicy.

There's also nothing more comforting & satisfying than slurping up the silky smooth Oyster & Intestine Mee Sua with the rich & gloopy bonito-flavoured gravy. The decently sized oysters were plump and fresh (though I wish the portion was more generous), and the intestines were cleaned and braised well!

Happy to know there's a 呷三碗 [ Eat 3 Bowls ] @eat3bowls outlet with a retro-style night market theme at Bendemeer where I can satisfy my Taiwanese street food cravings! I might not have enough tummy space to eat 3 bowls, but I would absolutely wipe this bowl of authentic Lu Rou Fan clean! 🍚🍚🍚 As far as the OG goes, their braised pork rice never disappoints with their meat-to-rice ratio. The braised meat leans towards the chunkier and fattier side, but its melt-in-the-mouth texture goes super well with the short-grain rice. The portion size might seem small, but I felt it was just right after sharing some side dishes with friends.

Also enjoyed the Oriental Signature Nasi Lemak, which came with fragrant pandan-infused rice and a well-seasoned deep-fried chicken thigh. Interestingly, the nasi lemak comes with a poached egg atop the rice instead of the usual hard-boiled egg, so you can get the perfect yolk ooze when u slice it down with your fork! The sambal wasn't too spicy but flavourful enough to amp up the wholesome flavours on the plate. 🔥🍗

Spent half the day shopping at Mid Valley South Key in JB & it felt like there wasn't enough time cos it's so HUGE! 😆 But at least we had time to pop by Oriental Kopi 华阳 @orientalkopi.asia for their highly raved Original Egg Tart! TL;DR: they are an absolute 10/10 for us! 🙌🏻 For RM4.90 a pop, you get everything you want in the perfect Portuguese Egg Tart style - with super flaky and buttery pastry layers (apparently 128 layers, but we were too hungry to count🤭) enveloping the eggy, creamy custard that was lightly caramelised on the top. That said, it did get a bit jelak after the 1st tart cos of the overwhelming eggy flavour, guess you can't have too much of a good thing in one sitting.

One thing I love about Taman Austin Heights is that I would never run out of cafe-hopping options! Decided upon this minimalist space at The Blue Door Coffee House @thebluedoorcoffee, hidden on the 2nd floor above Bloomami.

You will be spoilt for choices with the range of house-made pastries and cakes. Sink your teeth into the overflowing and lightly sweetened purple taro cream under the flaky & buttery pastry of the Taro Croissant 🍠 It's also topped with crushed almonds and even more yam cream — in case you didn’t get enough.💜

Can’t really go wrong with their Matcha Latte, which met expectations considering that their matcha powder was sourced from Niko Neko Matcha. The matcha profile was intense enough without being vegetal or overly milky, and like the doughnut latte, the sweetness was just right to pair with the desserts.

We enjoyed our cup of Doughnut Mocha! No actual doughnut involved (the name comes from the hole you create from pouring the hot milk foam in the center), but the warm espresso and chocolate overtones are super comforting. Liked that it wasn't too sweet which paired well with the desserts!

Friend N got the Melty Beef Curry Rice. While drenched in the robust curry gravy, the Black Angus beef chunks were not gamey while retaining its melt-in-the-mouth tender mouthfeel!