Breakfast / Brunch

A quintessential breakfast or snack that can be found at our local hawkers would be chwee kueh. These little rice cakes are soft, light and somewhat pillow-y & is usually tasteless. However, with the addition of the savoury & oily chai poh (salted preserved vegetables) & a spoonful of chilli on the side, the dish is elevated. There's no replacement for Chwee kueh as it's second to none.

name aside, this sandwich was not small at all. Crispy potato buns hold together layers of crispy spam, arugula, cheddar & American cheese, perfectly fried egg & hot Mayo. This big breakfast-esque sandwich gets levelled up with that hot mayo which adds a gentle punch to what seems like a heavy bite.

Overall, the portions are great for the price point! As a small store, they have limited seats along the walkway, so first come first serve!

The Yuzu Cruffin ($5.50) was naturally my top choice as I love cruffins! The perfect combination of a croissant in a muffin shape gives you the layers you enjoy from a buttery croissant in a convenient shape of a muffin. Each layer was filled with yuzu jam & topped with pistachio bits, giving you that nutty crunch.

Next, the Yuzu Royal Milk Tea Loaf ($5.80) came in gorgeous rolls which I felt that I wouldn't be able to finish, but alas, the greedy side of me was triumphant 😂 the rolls were soft & fluffy, with bits of yuzu in it, giving you that tangy burst of surprise as you bite into it.

The classic Karuizawa Yuzu Summer ($3.50) was a lighter alternative which could be eaten by itself, or paired with slices of creamy avocado. The subtle hint of yuzu added a nice aroma & tanginess to each bite without overpowering the ingredients that we topped it with.

Lastly, the Yuzu Cream Cheese Danish ($5.00) was the savoury option of the lot with cream cheese. While it seemed puzzling, the flavours balanced out pretty well after giving it a light toast in the oven. The Yuzu jam that sat on top helped to cut through the creaminess.

Which camp are you on? Team Crispy or Team Doughy?

Personally, I love crispy prata & my go-to is Sin Ming Prata! Located within the industrial estate & tucked within a coffee shop of an old HDB, expect snaking long queues when you visit this little store.

However, your queueing will be worth the wait as piping hot, freshly flipped crispy prata will be served to you, alongside hot, spicy, flavourful curry of your choice! We usually go for the fish or vegetable curry, which are both of the lighter / less oily side, giving you that extra kick that you need without overpowering any flavour.

As simple as it goes, having the kosong (aka plain prata) by itself is all you need to test if the prata's good 😌

If you're in the area, I urge you to give this a go! It trumps the one that's situated along the main road #iykyk

🍴From Our Pockets
🛑 👫🏻👨‍👩‍👧‍👦👯
💲 $
⭐️ ☆☆☆☆☆
📍24 Sin Ming Road, #01-51, Gim Huat Coffeeshop
🚇 Marymount / Thomson

On the savoury front, we got the Warung Pork Ribs ($27) which brought us right back to Bali. The glaze was a Balinese bbq inspiration, served with a side of pickled cauliflower & lime. Although simple-looking, the execution was great, with fall off the bone meat & you licking your fingers after each rib is done.

Taking over the space that used to be Kilo, this first floor outdoor space at Kampong Bahru is tucked in an old building along the Kallang River & Kallang Park.

On the menu, a weekend brunch menu is curated to serve up comforting, hearty dishes that are full of flavour, ranging from classics to all time brunch favourites.

We got a brunch staple of Banana French Toast ($19)-fluffy thick toast coated with cinnamon sugar, paired with raspberry, coconut crumble, caramelised bananas & maple syrup. Top up $4 for a generous scoop of coconut sorbet to complete the dish & you've got yourself a sweet, refreshing dish that you won't say no to.

Tucked away within the many medical / office buildings of Biopolis, Runes serves up the much needed boost that you require & simple toasts for the working crowd in the area.

Opening daily from 8am to 4pm, except on weekends, this spot seems like a good space to work-from-cafe if home is not suitable as they have comfortable seats, wifi, power plugs (although limited) & coffee to fuel you through the day.

I ordered the Ham & Cheese toasties for my morning meet up & albeit simple, this was pretty satisfying. It reminds me of breakfast I used to have on the go when I was heading to school back in the day--perfectly crispy toasted bread, gooey cheese, salty ham; simple yet nostalgic.

Pair it with your choice of coffee & you've got your day sorted!

While the travel restrictions are loosening up, if travelling is not on your list just yet, you can still get a taste of HK at Tim Ho Wan!

If you're looking for something unique, this option of HK Curry Beef Brisket Rice Rolls aka Chee Cheong Fun is just for you! This creation seemed strange at first, but it surprisingly worked so well! The CCF acted as noodles, absorbing every bit of curry & bursting with flavour as you bite into it. The brisket was fall-off-the-fork tender that you'd need a spoon to wipe up the whole plate.

Definitely something to try as this HK curry signature option will only be valid for a limited time only!

Recently having moved into Hillv2, Spruce took the corner unit on the first floor facing the main roundabout.

This corner unit sits about 30 pax (I think) and comes with floor to ceiling glass panels, allowing maximum light in, which makes it a perfect brunch spot!

The Spruce Hash was something unique apart from the usual brunch items and comes with diced up pork sausages, chorizo, stir-fried celery, onion & potatoes. It's usually topped with an organic poached egg, which I switched out for scrabbled eggs instead (at no additional charge). Served on the side are home-baked ciabatta toasts which were crispy and warm upon arrival.

The combination was a warm Sunday hug to the belly, which surprisingly ended up being pretty filling. The saltiness was well-balanced but could have had some acidity to it as it got a lil' monotonous after awhile. Nonetheless, still a pretty brunch item!

Was introduced to this new spot for prawn mee in the West after my in-laws raved so much about it!

Under the Astons umbrella, East Treasure Specialty Prawn Mee 東寶 has opened another outlet in the west serving up hearty bowls of prawn noodles. They range from $5.80 for a Classic version up to $12.50 for a Supreme Big Prawn version.

For the former, at $5.80, you get 2 generous & juicy tiger prawns, perfectly thinly sliced pork belly, generous cubes of pork lard & a thick prawn-y broth on the side. For the dry version, I ordered kway teow with chilli with looked harmless when I set my eyes upon it, but the chilli was a stunner, packing quite a bit of a punch. Each spoonful was flavourful & tasty with loads of ingredients. Only downside was that the kway teow was slightly over cooked (since they used the thin kinds) so it got clumpy after awhile. Other than that, the dish was perfect. Soup wise, the thick pork & prawn broth was rich and decadent! It got a little salty towards the end but helped washed down all the chilli & oil from the noods.

Defo an alternative to prawn mee if I'm craving for it & need a quick fix!

🍴From Our Pockets
🛑 👫🏻👨‍👩‍👧‍👦👯
💲 $$
⭐️ ☆☆☆☆
📍East Treasure Speciality Prawn Mee, 233 Bukit Batok East Ave 5, Block 233, Singapore 650233
🚇 Bukit Batok

This was featured as the chef's recommendation & I can see why! Unlike its siblings, this version of CCF 猪肠粉 has an additional layer of a crispy shell which gives you an added texture to the usual silky rolls.

The shrimp is first wrapped in a thin crispy layer, deep fried, then rolled into the silky rolls. The best part, although it's been steamed, the crispy layer remains crisp throughout even after being doused in the soy sauce.

This is my next go-to when I visit again! It's so so good.

I was introduced to Mee Sua Kueh at another dim sum store (just down the road) many moons ago & have not tried any other stores that sold it till I came to Dim Sum Haus.

If you've not had MSK, it's basically deep fried mee sua with shredded carrots & in this case, chinese sausage aka lap cheong. The Dim Sum Haus version is surprisingly much better with its soft interior & crunchy exterior. The lap cheong also added a nice savoury twist to it, which allowed for another dimension!

Another option to get if you're using #burpplebeyond!