Pizz Please ~

It hadn’t been too long that ZUS Coffee had entered the Singapore market but who wouldn’t agree that their first location here is a little too far flung for most to visit — fret not; one wouldn’t be required to make a visit down all the way to Changi Airport Terminal 4 to get their ZUS Coffee fix without crossing the border to Malaysia now that their new location at Westgate has opened its doors. ZUS Coffee takes over the former premises of the now-defunct outlet of Lady M there, being located at the second level of the mall in the open-air area; other dining establishments within the vicinity would include that of the outlet of Miam Miam there. Given the larger space of its Westgate location, ZUS Coffee’s operations at its Westgate outlet would also include a dine-in seating space; this is quite unlike its Changi Airport Terminal 4 outlet that operates like a kiosk. There is a decent number of dining tables here that caters to groups of two (2) and four (4) pax; the decor theme of the space is relatively functional but tasteful in a way that is similar to most other commercially-run coffee establishments — the interior seeing the use of wooden accent in the furniture and fittings that is matched against a contrast of blue and white with the former being colour scheme that ZUS Coffee has chosen for its branding. With the inclusion of the dine-in space at the Westgate location, ZUS Coffee does not only serve beverages, but also a lineup of savoury food, pastries and cakes to go along which are prominently displayed in the display chiller at the counter. Beverages are split across categories such as Coffee (further segmented into ZUS Signature, Mocktail, Classic and Functional), Coffee+ (further segmented into Cham Latte, Frappe and Creme) and Non-Coffee (further segmented into Tea, Chocolate, Refresher and Kids-friendly).

Given the sort of establishment that ZUS Coffee is, it is no surprise that the savoury food offered here would be those that are pre-packed and microwaveable in nature. What does remain interesting at ZUS Coffee as compared to other establishments of the same category would be the inclusion of items that would appeal to the South East Asian clientele — something that has got to do with ZUS Coffee’s origins as a Malaysian brand. Case in point would be the ZUS Signature Curry Puff which is also competitively priced at $2.90 a puff. This pretty much exceeded our expectations for a curry puff given how it has been executed for a curry puff that is served up at such an establishment — whilst most establishments that do not serve curry puffs as their main offering tend to serve up very uninspiring versions of it, we already like how the ZUS Signature Curry Puff looks with its layered puff pastry that looked especially flaky. We are glad that the puff pastry is as crisp and flaky as it look; all that without being particularly greasy or doughy — filled with a potato filling, the potato comes in mashed-up form that is fluffy and moist which also makes it one of the slightly wetter curry puffs that we have come across, while one can also find some traces of hard-boiled egg inside as well. ZUS Coffee also does offer some dishes that would do well for those whom are looking for a more substantial way — whilst the availability of pasta and lasagne may be a little more commonplace in establishments with a similar operation model as ZUS Coffee, it is interesting to note that ZUS Coffee does offer the Chili Api Fried Rice and Tom Yum Fried Rice that would better cater to our Asian tastebuds. The Chili Api Fried Rice comes in the ready-to-eat, microwavable packaging that is only heated up upon order; we were quite impressed with the overall quality of the Chili Api Fried Rice considering how it came suitably saltish — something similar to what one would expect for a typical plate of salted fish fried rice outside. The grains of rice also comes lacquered with sufficient oil so that each grain is distinct from one another; coming with scraps of omelette, some chunks of long beans and a few chicken pieces, these all added a contrast of textures to the dish — the Chili Api Fried Rice also delivered quite a kick of spiciness that tickles the tastebuds even for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness.

It wouldn’t be a proper visit to ZUS Coffee if we didn’t give any of their coffee offerings a go and this time round we found ourselves settling for the Iced Buttercreme Spanish Latte listed in the Creme subsection of the Coffee+ category of the menu. This is an item that sees the standard Spanish Latte offered at ZUS Coffee topped off with a buttercream mousse layer that adds on to the smoothness of the entire cuppa; all that without being overly sweet since the sweetened milk added to Spanish Latte already gives it sufficient flavour. For our order of the Iced Buttercreme Spanish Latte, we also went for the Boss blend of beans which comprises a mix of Brazilian, Colombian and Ethiopian beans that is said to be the stronger blend as compared to the Lydia that consists of beans originating from Indonesia, Brazil and Papua New Guinea. Some may argue that it is always fairly easy and more advantageous to just make the trip across the border to give ZUS Coffee a go; after all, the brand does has its roots from Malaysia, and outlets of ZUS Coffee are aplenty there. That being said, ZUS Coffee is one of those brands that has kept itself reasonably value-for-money despite entering the Singapore market; there isn’t any item (including its food offerings) that are priced above $8, and we do find the quality of their coffee surpassing that of other similar chains of its type — other commercially-run establishments tend to serve their flavoured lattes as a beverage, but ZUS Coffee’s approach still makes it an actual cuppa whilst managing the infusion of the flavours well. We had previously mentioned about hoping to see more ZUS Coffee outlets opening around Singapore soon and it does seem that ZUS Coffee had given us more than just that with the offering of food items at its Westgate outlet — perhaps it would be some time before we will start seeing them sprouting up in more centralised spots / around town soon!

For those whom have been looking through social media for a glimpse of what the local F&B scene has to offer of the late, one establishment that folks probably would have noticed would be that of Average Service. Being one of the latest entrants to the local cafe-hopping scene, Average Service is located along Jalan Besar — these folks are located right across Asylum Coffeehouse on the other side of Petain Road; the former tenant of the space that Average Service being that of fȳr which has since ceased all operations in Singapore (their Boon Tat Street location closed a long time before the closure of the Jalan Besar location). Despite being just a recent opening, Average Service does seem to already skyrocket itself to an establishment attracting the attention of cafe-hoppers and it is little wonder why — Average Service is decked in a way that is a little rustic with a hipster touch; the playful decor seems to see the use of different geometrical elements in its furniture and fittings; all that whilst featuring earthy tones from the wooden accents from the dining furniture that is matched against a bold shade of dark blue for a quirky contrast that is strangely easy to the eye. The whole interior can be described as funky, yet oddly retro; the use of warm lighting in the evening creates an intimate atmosphere for diners. Most of the seating within the establishment caters for groups of two (2) to four (4) pax, though there are counter seating available for single diners as well as the “pit” area that can accommodate larger groups of guests. Average Service is one of those cafes that seemingly serve up progressive contemporary cuisine as some establishment so like to call it — the menu is segregated into categories such as Mains, Pasta, Sides, Pastries and Dessert. Beverages that Average Service offers on its menu includes espresso-based specialty coffee, Matcha / Houjicha-related offerings, as well as Mocktails. There is also a lineup of cocktails, craft beer and wine for those whom would prefer to have alcoholic drinks.

We visited Average Service on a weekday evening during its initial opening phase — these folks were already sold out of many of its items that are listed into Mains, Pastries and Dessert sections of the menu; the Mains section comprising of mostly brunch / breakfast dishes that were heavily featured on social media. That being said, skimming through their menu before making the visit to Average Service, the Mentai Handkerchief Pasta was a dish that captured our attention long before we made our visit down to Average Service itself. Average Service describes the Mentai Handkerchief Pasta as an item that features elements like Handkerchief Pasta, In-house mentaiko sauce and Bacon on the menu. The reason behind why the item is being named the Mentai Handkerchief Pasta is relatively simple — the pasta used for the dish is of an entire square with jagged edges; pretty much like a folded handkerchief that is topped off with bacon. One thing we did note about the Mentai Handkerchief Pasta is how it is a simple dish with a somewhat easy execution but presented in a rather interesting manner — a theme that we had noticed with the offerings that Average Service has to offer. The Handkerchief Pasta is perhaps an element that boils down to personal preference; think of it as a pasta that is rather similar to that of the pasta used for lasagne — this also means that it does carry some bite since the pasta comes with a substantial thickness, which we would reckon some to find it a little tough, dense and heavy especially considering how it comes with a cream-based sauce. The In-house mentaiko sauce would be that cream-based sauce that comes spiked with just a bit of Mentaiko for a light, briny touch with the cream-based sauce that is emulsified for a lighter, airier texture — it’s slight creaminess and saltish-ness does keep things fairly interesting for us whilst being less jelat than the typical cream-based sauces food in more conventional pasta dishes elsewhere. The chunks of bacon provided quite a bit of bite with the usual saltish-ness that one would expect out of cured meat that has been pan-fried; does make the dish come with a note that subtly reminds us of a Carbonara dish.

Since all of the Pastries and Dessert items were sold out by the time we made our visit to Average Service, our attention turned towards having an item off the Sides section of the menu instead. We have heard quite a fair bit about the Potato Pleasure which is a dish that comprises of Homemade Potato Puree, Organic Onsen Egg, Furikake and Spring Onion Oil based on the description of the dish on the menu. The dish is presented in a way that the Homemade Potato Puree blankets the Organic Onsen Egg, with the latter being a little bit of a “surprise” element when one digs into Homemade Potato Puree with the molten egg yolk flowing onto the Homemade Potato Puree. Yet another dish that is simply executed whilst incorporating a slight twist in its presentation, the addition of the Organic Onsen Egg does provide quite a bit of depth of flavours to the dish when mixed together with the smooth, light and airy potato puree which has been spiked with a bit of salt for a bit of taste; the other elements such as the Furikake and Spring Onion Oil adding a savouriness and umami factor to the Potato Pleasure. Whilst Espresso Tonic is an item that is easy to find across the menus of some specialty coffee joints, Espresso Coke is a something that is quite unheard of. The Espresso Coke comes features Coke Zero and espresso — think we will stick with the usual Espresso Tonic for this one, though this might work out better for those whom aren’t into that “siap” flavours that Espresso Tonic inherently carries since the sweetness of the Coke Zero does round things off a little differently. What we aren’t too big of a fan of is the bitter undertones of the espresso in the finishing notes after the sweetness of the Coke Zero that strikes to us as being a little off — though we do still think that there might be folks whom are into this.

It is a little of a pity that we aren’t able to give many of the dishes that we wanted to try out at Average Service a go considering how they were sold out of those items during the day that we had made our visit there. That being said, we do feel that Average Service does serve up some well-executed dishes with a bit of a playful touch that would work well with the cafe-hopping crowd — its creations being mostly being something familiar but with a slight twist that gives them a character that is uniquely “Average Service”. Service from the crew at Average Service was also actually slightly more than just being average as well; we do feel that the crew does put in a bit of effort more than what a typical specialty coffee establishment would to make their patrons feel a little more at ease — definitely more than the usual serve-and-go nature that most establishments adopt these days. With that being said, prices of the individually-sized plates from the Mains and Pasta sections of the menu are priced slightly on the higher end — the lowest-priced dishes being the Average Salad and Average Chili Egg Toast at $20 from the Mains section of the menu, while the priciest would be at $32 for the Steak & Eggs also from the Mains section of the menu; not too much of a surprise considering how some other establishments do charge around the same for similar dishes, though definitely not as wallet-friendly as some. Irregardless, Average Service is definitely one of those establishments that avid cafe-hoppers would be happy to add to the list of places to check out; we do feel that we would be returning to try some of the dishes that we had missed out a go — this would include items like the Scallion Croissant, Average Maple Toast and the Strawberry Shortcube. Given how these folks seem to be already off a good start in the early days of their opening, Average Service is a name to look out for in the local cafe-hopping scene in time to come!

The disappearance of Rough Guys Coffee from their previous location along South Bridge Road was one that loyal followers of the brand have been missing quite a fair bit — whilst that spot had since been taken over by Muro Coffee & Focaccia, Rough Guys Coffee had found new digs in yet another shophouse unit in the fringes of the Central Business District. Now located at Upper Circular Road, Rough Guys Coffee is situated along the same row of shophouses where one can find other establishments such as MANAM; the Upper Circular Road location is situated not too far away from Clarke Quay MRT Station as well. The Rough Guys Coffee location at Upper Circular Road is more obvious than its previous; the establishment does carry a bit of a rebellious look with the facade seeing the namesake of the establishment in a handwritten typeface above the glass doors that is the entrance of the establishment. As one walks into the establishment, one would find the shophouse to be decked in an industrial interior design scheme; there is a large use of concrete and metallic elements throughout the space — there are some standing tables and high chairs that are located near the counter for those intending to dine-in, though most would head further inwards into the shophouse for proper dining tables and chairs. Being an establishment that primarily focuses on its specialty coffee offerings, Rough Guys Coffee also does seem to serve up bakes to cater for those looking for something to pair up their cuppa with; they also seemingly understand the needs of the office folks within the vicinity as well — these folks do offer grain / salad bowls on weekdays between 11am to 3:30pm for those whom are looking for something more substantial. Beverages options available at Rough Guys Coffee apart from espresso-based specialty coffee would include cold brew coffee, tea, Matcha Latte, drinking chocolate, Kombucha and juices.

Offering their grain bowls in two (2) different sizes, we found ourselves opting for the smaller-sized Regular Bowl; patrons opting for the Regular Bowl at Rough Guys Coffee would be entitled to opt for (1) base, one (1) protein, two (2) sides, one (1) sauce and one (1) topping. For our order of Regular Bowl, we went for the Fusilli as our choice of base, the Poached Chicken w/ Herbs for the protein of our choice, the Roasted Broccoli and Umami Shimeiji for the sides, Zesty Herb Drizzle for the sauce, and Togarashi for the topping. The Fusilli is being done to a softer consistency than usual here; not one that would easily turn mushy, though we do usually prefer for our pasta to come with slightly more bite in general. The Poached Chicken w/ Herbs is sufficiently tender and moist; this would work especially well with the fitspo crowd looking for a clean protein option to go for from the list of proteins that they have to offer. The Roasted Broccoli comes with a soft bite; that being said, it does lack that slightly charred note that we usually would be looking for in such broccoli dishes where the florets are being flambéed with the blowtorch for a smoky flavour; the Umami Shimeiji provided a bouncy bite and a slight earthiness to the entire salad bowl. Opting for the Zesty Herb Drizzle; this turned out to be a sauce option that does remind us of pesto considering the strong notes of basil here which seemingly went especially well with the Poached Chicken w/ Herbs. Our choice of Togarashi for the toppings added a slight hint of spiced notes to the salad bowl to tickle the tastebuds.

Going for our usual order of the White for our choice of coffee, it is interesting to note that Rough Guys Coffee does offer oat milk options as a milk substitute at no extra charge. The White that we have had felt a little bit more towards the milkier side though is still pretty much a smooth and creamy cuppa — one that came with a light body and a somewhat earthy flavour profile. Rough Guys Coffee is one of those establishments that has a loyal following especially considering how these folks seem to have established a solid foundation with its patrons through their service — a spot that truly cares about creating relations with the patrons that passes through its doors beyond just simply serving up what the patrons order; something that many F&B establishments seemingly lack of these days. Its food offerings are relatively simple, yet targets the needs of those whom patronise them well; all whilst being well-priced even when compared to other establishments that primarily serve grain / salad bowls within the Central Business District — the Regular Bowl being priced at $8.50 and the Large Bowl being priced at $10.50. We do hope that the move to Upper Circular Road is the right spot for these folks — looking forward to returning soon to give their bakes a go as well in the near future!

Got to learn about the existence of Nitty Gritty whilst scrolling through the internet some day — these folks are family-owned and operated establishment that had recently set up shop within the Outram Park neighbourhood. Situated along Teo Hong Road in the same stretch of shophouses where one can find other establishments such as 99 Old Trees, Rod Dee Thai Cafe and Mad About Sucre, the establishment is within close proximity from Outram Park MRT Station Exit 4 and Dorsett Singapore. Nitty Gritty is situated at 21 Teo Hong Road within the ground level of a conservation shophouse; its dining hall being split into two sections given how the layout of the shophouse is — the zone within the entrance of the shophouse is the smaller dining hall is one that comprises of the reception and seats that would suit diners in groups of two (2) to four (4) pax, while the larger dine-in area within sees couch seatings and a mix of tables that are catered to smaller groups of diners as well as larger groups as well. The entire space is decked in a rather modern, contemporary vibe that is classy without much clutter; the furniture and fittings mainly comprises of wooden elements and also a shade of brown that compliments the wooden fittings — all that with brightly-coloured elements like the yellow lamp shades used for its ceiling lamps to spruce the interior up even further. Nitty Gritty segregates its operations into both brunch and dinner service where the items served are slightly different between the two; the dinner menu comprises of items that are segregated into categories such as Grits, Nitty Dinner Specials, Sides and Desserts. Beverages available at Nitty Gritty includes a line-up of coffee, tea, soda and cider options.

For those whom hadn’t heard of grits before, this is more of a American soul food dish that can be described as an item “made from ground corn” that is “boiled to a creamy, porridge-like consistency”. Still in its soft launch phase when we made our visit there, the menu at Nitty Gritty consists of only four (4) different dishes in the Grits section of the menu; these folks are planning to push out a bigger variety of grits when they move into their official launch — of the four items in the Grits section of the menu that they have to offer, two (2) of them are more classically American, while the other two comes with a fusion approach incorporating Singaporean flavours to the American dish. The Nitty Gritty Shrimp & Grits is one of those dishes that falls under the former category; the menu at Nitty Gritty describes the Nitty Gritty Shrimp & Grits to come with elements such as honey garlic shrimp, creamy cheesy grits, fried egg, fresh torched baby Nai Bai, cherry tomatoes and chili crisps. Having grits for the very first time, we were surprised by how we liked the grits here in general; despite being made out of ground corn, there wasn’t a particularly strong note of the sweetness of corn per se here — definitely worked out for us since we aren’t too much of corn lover in general. That being said, the grits came in a texture came with a thicker, starchier consistency as what one would have expected from the cantonese-style congee; there is a very slight cheesiness that went well with the rather subtle note of the corn that really provided a bit of flavour to the grits that would make it go especially well with the other elements that it came with. The honey garlic shrimp does come with a bit of sweetness from both the shrimp itself with a slightly floral note of the honey; whilst providing a bit of bite that also gave that contrast to the consistency of the grits, the garlicky notes does bring the Nitty Gritty Shrimp & Grits as a savoury dish — the chili crisps being more of this Lao Gan Ma-esque chili that is smoky and savoury with a spicy kick of flavours that tickle the tastebuds whilst providing a texture to bind the shrimps with the grits altogether. When it came to the fresh torched baby Nai Bai, these reminded us of the florets of broccoli that had been charred using the blowtorch that we have had from other establishments; carried a rather smoky note whilst still being particularly savoury. We also liked how the fried egg came with an entirely crisp bottom; while we note that the yolk could be more runny, we also appreciated how the sunny side-up did not reek of any undesirable odour of overused oil.

The Hainanese Chicken Grits would be the item in the Grits section of the menu that comes with a local twist — Nitty Gritty describes this dish to come with elements such as that of sous-vide chicken, ginger garlic grits, diced pickled cucumber, spicy chili sauce and the same torched Nai Bai that also came with the Nitty Gritty Shrimp & Grits. It is actually difficult for us to pick a favourite between the two grit dishes that we had ordered; while the Nitty Gritty Shrimp & Grits was an item that would probably showcase Nitty Gritty’s grits in a way that grits would be like as an American dish, the Hainanese Chicken Grits was something that doesn’t take away that experience of that American dish, yet carrying that familiarity of a local dish that we all love right down to its core. The sous-vide chicken here is undoubtedly tender and juicy — the only thing it would lack is the poached chicken skin that not all would necessarily prefer having; whilst the sous-vide carried a clean flavour, there is the use of ginger and garlic in the preparation of the grits here that helps to bring back those familiar notes of the flavoured rice in Hainanese-style chicken rice while not losing the plot of how grits should fundamentally be liked. Whilst elements like the diced pickled cucumber aren’t typically found in the usual Hainanese-style chicken rice, the addition of the element provides a refreshing, tangy crunch that can be likened to that of having pickled mustard greens with Teochew-style porridge. The spicy chili sauce is said to have been infused with Tabasco here — delivering quite a spicy kick that would tickle the tastebuds of those whom have moderate tolerance to spiciness, the chili sauce does also come with that same zippiness and kick of raw chili padi notes that one would expect out of the typical chili that accompanies a plate of Hainanese-style chicken rice as well.

Skimming through the menu for its dessert offerings, the Krispy Sachima Treat was something that really stood out considering how we wouldn’t really find Sachima being offered outside of Chinese eateries to say the least. This is yet another one of those fusion items that the folks at Nitty Gritty serves up — rather than calling it a Sachima that uses Rice Krispies instead of fried batter, we would liken the Kristy Sachima Treat to be more of a crispy rice cake that some would call 米饼 or Mi Tong that is bound in the same stiff sugar syrup as that of Sachima. The result is this sweet, ooey and gooey snack that came with a bit of a crunch — all that whilst carrying a slight smokiness considering how the Krispy Sachima itself has been blowtorched to allow for the sugar syrup to melt further before being served to the table. The addition of whipped cream helps to neutralise all the sweetness and smokiness happening in the dessert, whilst giving a smooth texture that further enhances the mouthfeel of the dish in general. Whilst being one of those coffee offerings that didn’t really impress us by how it looked, the Spiced Vanilla Latte which we were informed is being recommended to be served hot really blew our minds upon our very first sip — this almost felt like a concoction of coffee that came with a boozy infusion that certainly piqued our tastebuds; definitely a hit for us.

Despite being in its soft launch phase, Nitty Gritty does seem to be able to impress from the dishes that we had decided to go for — each dish was a hit to our tastebuds and one could definitely tell all the effort that the folks behind the establishment are putting in their creations; every plate being one that had seemingly gone through quite a fair bit of research and development so that they can bring their very best to their patrons. Their dishes that consists of a local fusion element do seem to be painstakingly made with attention to detail, allowing the familiarity of local flavours without altering the main core component of the dish that they specialise in. Prices of the individually-sized mains in their dinner menu starts from $19 for the Hainanese Chicken Grits to $33 for the Any Given Holiday Meal from the Nitty Dinner Specials section of the menu. These folks seem to have presented a very good start for an establishment that is just in its initial days of opening — the dishes mostly reasonably priced for an establishment of its type, whilst its offerings showcases quality and good execution overall to hopefully expose the masses to grits as a American soul food dish; would like to take this opportunity to congratulate these folks on the opening of Nitty Gritty, and wishing them all the best in what is to come in the future. We are definitely looking forward to returning after their official launch to check out the other grits that they would be releasing by then!

One of the newly-opened dining establishments that had received quite a fair bit of attention on social media whilst opening its doors recently would be that of LANTINE; these folks being located within then ground floor of a shophouse unit situated at 103 Rangoon Road that is just a stone’s throw away from Farrer Park MRT Station along the North-East Line — other notable F&B establishments within its vicinity would include Brunches Cafe, Old Hen Coffee Bar and Wooly's Bagels. LANTINE has gotten a fair bit of attention on social media considering how vibe-y the entire space is; the interior of the establishment does seem to exude a very oriental design theme that is quite unlike any other cafes that are operating around the island — the use of wooden furniture and fittings that seem to be of traditional Chinese styles being especially fitting to the theme of the dining concept. The dining area comprises of proper dining tables and chairs as well as low tables with low chairs; most of the tables cater for patrons that come in pairs, though the dining tables and chairs are placed in a layout suitable to accommodate larger groups if need be. LANTINE is primarily a cafe that serves desserts alongside being a teahouse; the menu comprises of sections dedicated to Dessert, Jelly Bowl, Soya Pudding, Souffle, Tiramisu and Snow Ice for the variety of desserts that they have to offer. Beverages at LANTINE will include the likes of Roasted Milk Tea, Coffee, Signature Coffee, Smoothies and Signature Drinks.

Since LANTINE was out of its Tiramisu offerings when we made our visit during a weekend afternoon, we decided to go for one of the items from their Souffle section of the menu instead. These are essentially their Souffle pancake offerings which comprised of souffle pancakes coming with quite a variety of flavours — skimming through the menu for the flavours of souffle pancakes that they have to offer, the Mango Souffle was the one that caught our attention on that day that we made our visit. Much like most other establishments serving up souffle pancakes out there, there is an estimated waiting time of around 20mins required for the souffle pancake offerings — LANTINE did not describe on the elements that come with the various dishes on their menu, thus being said, it can be observed from our order that there is pastry cream, berries, mango sauce and mango cubes served with the Mango Souffle; it also comes topped with pretzel that sits atop everything else as well. Digging into the Mango Souffle, we found the souffle pancakes to be light and fluffy, though a little bit of the drier side; we have had souffle pancakes in the past from other establishments that are a wee bit more moist (without being overly wet) that was easier to down. That being said, smothering the pastry cream and mango sauce does help to circumvent this anyway; the pastry does add a light hint of sweetness, while the mango sauce and mango cubes both provided a slight tang and sweetness to bring out the intended flavours of the Mango Souffle — the cubes of mango being a little sourish but still soft to bite likely to prevent the entire dish to go towards being a little too sweet. The addition of blueberries and Chef pearls added a bit of a bite to the dessert, with the blueberries introducing another dimension of zing to cut through all of the other elements in the dessert.

We also tried the Bayberry Taro Ball Konjac which is an item that can be found in the Dessert section of the menu. It can be observed from our order of the dish that the Bayberry Taro Ball Konjac does come with the same chewy pearls that came with the Mango Souffle, as well as bayberry-infused Konjac jelly and bayberry-infused taro balls especially given how almost all elements that came with the Bayberry Taro Ball Konjac come in a shade of red much like the bayberry itself. This was more like a jelly-based dessert despite not being an item that is listed in the Jelly Bowl section of the menu; the bayberry-infused elements does come with a floral sweetness and a slight tang that one would usually associate with blackcurrant and hibiscus combined into one; all that whilst without being too sweet. The jelly itself was smooth and slurpy as it slid down to the throat without effort, while the taro balls do add a chewy consistency that gives the dessert another dimension of textures. It is also noted that the entire dessert also did not come across as being too sweet either. Going for the Hot Osmanthus Latte as our choice of beverage, this is an item which could be found in the Signature Coffee section of the menu. While the Osmanthus syrup has already been added into the coffee at the point of it being served to the table given the obvious sight of Osmanthus petals in the beverage, additional Osmanthus syrup is served on the side for those whom wish to add a further floral note to the beverage. Though adding the Osmanthus syrup does provide a slightly stronger floral note to the coffee, it is also noted that the cuppa does get sweeter as well if one were to pour in the jug of Osmanthus syrup that comes on the side as well.

LANTINE is one of the places that we are pretty sure would end up in the list of cafes to hit for cafehoppers looking for an Instagram-able experience; from its decor to how the food is being presented and plated, there is no doubt that the spot would capture the hearts of those whom love taking photos of the cafes that they go to and the food that they are having. That being said, LANTINE is still in its very early stages of operations and they are definitely still in the midst of getting used to their operations — coupled with them serving up items that already requires some waiting time to be served like the Souffle, as well as items like the Roasted Milk Tea where patrons tend to require more time to enjoy, one would probably need to exercise some patience in both waiting for seats and food whilst the folks at LANTINE explores on how to circumvent this as they smoothen out their operations over time. We do think that there is some room for improvement to some of its food items such as the texture of the souffle pancakes that we had highlighted earlier, though we do feel that their food offerings are still of a stronger quality from what one would expect from such establishments which tends to be more lacking than what LANTINE had achieved. It is undeniable that LANTINE does offer an experience that is slightly atypical to what one would expect from a usual cafe; this is also the reason why LANTINE is probably a place that is worth a visit just to check out what they have to offer after all.

Got to learn about the existence of Raakki whilst scrolling through social media — these folks had recently opened their doors at 31 Hongkong Street. For those whom aren’t too familiar with the address, this is also the very street where establishments such as Fangko + Coffee And Beer can also be found — the street is just walking distance away from Clarke Quay MRT Station as well. Raakki isn’t too difficult to spot although one might still find themselves missing the establishment if not paying too much attention around the surroundings — the facade of the store doesn’t really carry many obvious signs of the establishment save the signage hanging by outside, as well as the namesake of the stall that can be found painted on the pillar of the shophouse unit on the outside. The establishment does seem to adopt a somewhat industrial yet ultra-modern design theme with the use of mostly metallic elements mixed with some concrete-esque elements in its design — the interior of store featuring wooden furniture and fittings with the use of black walls that exudes a consistent theme to how it looks on the outside. The dining area of Raakki mostly comprises of counter seats surrounding the food preparation area, as well as a couple of proper dining tables and chairs that are located along the walls — that are also high chairs facing out the foldable windows beside the entrance, while there is also al-fresco seating outside of the shop which also comprises of proper dining tables and chairs as well. Raakki is an establishment that is focused around their ramen offerings — in specific, their Chikin Ramen offerings featuring white broth made by slow-boiled chicken. Apart from the various Chikin Ramen offerings listed, Raakki also serves up a small variety of Side Dishes as well.

Skimming through the menu, the Truffle Paitan was one of the items that caught our eye from the Chikin Ramen section of the menu — Raakki describes their Truffle Paitan to come with elements such as Truffle Tori Paitan Broth, Spring Onion Oil, Truffle Mushroom, Chicken, Tsukune, Menma , Soy Egg and Parsley. Whilst the folks at Chikin Ramen had described their Tori Paitan Broth as a white broth, the Truffle Tori Paitan Broth does come a little more beige than actually white with a slightly yellowish hue likely from the inclusion of the spring onion oil. Mixing the truffle mushroom into the entire bowl of noodles, the Truffle Tori Paitan Broth really shines with how rich the Tori Paitan Broth is on its own — the broth does come with quite a bit of depth in a way that gave it some sort of milkiness; all that whilst coming sufficiently savoury but not overly salty as one would typically expect for chicken noodle soup. Despite the addition of truffle that gives it a really evident hint of the truffle aroma, this does not have any impact on the level of savouriness of the broth — the truffle mushroom helping to add a dimension of earthiness with a slight bouncy texture whilst at it. Elements like the slices of chicken were tender and juicy; does feel like they have been prepared using the sous-vide technique, while the Tsukune as mentioned in the description of the dish on the menu would be the chicken balls that do carried a dot and tender bite. The Soy Egg does come with the runny egg yolks that one would expect for a ramen dish with the yolks carrying a slightly savoury note from its marination in soy sauce. The noodles used for all ramen dishes at Raakk are of the slightly yellower and curlier sort that are pretty thin — Raaki serves them at a decent texture that isn’t too soft whilst retaining its springiness at the same time. Whilst we aren’t typically fans of Japanese Ramen, the Truffle Paitan was one where we found ourselves happily sipping on the Tori Paitan Broth until there was almost none left.

During the same visit, we had also decided to give the Tan-Tan a go; this version of the Chikin Ramen would feature elements such as Tan-Tan Tori Paitan Broth, Minced Chicken, Tsukune, Menma, Soy Egg, Spring Onion. We did find the use of Tan-Tan Tori Paitan Broth to be rather interesting — this especially so considering how the Tan-Tan-style Japanese ramen that is usually served at other locations tend to be dry ramen dishes. With that being said, the Tan-Tan Tori Paitan Broth does seem to include the use of Japanese chili paste and perhaps sesame seeds to give it a nutty and roasty note with a spicy kick to elevate the flavours even further — the level of spiciness of the Tan-Tan being pretty manageable for those whom can tolerate moderate levels of spiciness. The minced chicken also comes with the similar flavour profiles as the flavours coming from the broth itself, while the other elements such as the Tsukune and the Soy Egg remains the same as what was being served in the Truffle Paitan. We also went found ourselves opting for a dish on the Side Items category of the menu to share across the table — this would be the Sea Bream Sashimi, Jasmine Soy, Spring Onion Oil which is especially delightful to have. Sea Bream Sashimi is a rare find, with the fish carrying a firmer texture than most other types of raw fish to chew through, what really elevated the experience for us was the use of the Jasmine Soy which not only carried the savouriness that one would expect of Japanese-style soy sauce, but also the evident aroma of Jasmine that really provided an uplifting floral scent to the soy sauce that we hadn’t had before — definitely worth the try.

Having been to several newly-opened and commercially-run Japanese ramen establishments in recent times, we hadn’t been too satisfied with what we have had. Raaki might be more of a indie establishment in this regard, but we must say that we were absolutely impressed by their Chikin Ramen line-up especially considering how their Tori Paitan Broth is being served — their version of the Tori Paitan Broth is one of the more richer and flavourful ones that we had come across, yet versatile enough to be served with enhancements especially in the case of the Truffle Paitan that sees additional components go on top of their standard Tori Paitan Broth that would most certainly appeal to truffle lovers. Whilst being more of the “trendier” and “hipster” Japanese ramen shop where some might point out as not a particularly traditional establishment with more fusion elements that doesn’t come across as very Japanese when compared against the brands brought over to Singapore from Japan, Raaki still pretty much deserves a visit for ramen lovers — and even more so whom love Japanese ramen coming with Tori Paitan Broth for its stellar execution. The prices of the Chikin Ramen offerings start from $14.90 for the Shio / Shoyu Paitan; the priciest Chikin Ramen dish being the Truffle Paitan being listed at $17.90. Definitely intrigued to give their seasonal ramen a go considering how good their other items were for us during this visit; the Tomato Paitan definitely being something which we have not heard before that would be interesting to see how it works here!

There has been quite a number of F&B brands hailing from Malaysia that had recently established their operations in Singapore of the late — one of the brands whom have entered into the Singapore F&B scene rather early a couple of years ago would be Zok Noodle House 竹麵館; these folks have already got an outlet operating at Raffles City Shopping Centre for quite a while for now. That being said, these folks had recently expanded their operations in Singapore — their second outlet is actually located at Great World City (the mall had also seen the opening of an outlet of Ssada Gimbab not too long ago), taking over the former premises of the now-defunct The Gong by Drinks & Co. that is situated at the perimeters of the mall right outside Great World MRT Station Exit 2. Unlike the Raffles City Shopping Centre that is decked in a dark-coloured theme, the Zok Noodle House outlet located at Great World City features a bright interior setting with the use of white and wooden elements that also come with a splash of green for some contrast — the interior design scheme can be described as modern yet exuding a subtle oriental vibe. This is on-theme considering how Zok Noodle House describes itself as a concept that is “keen to create an epicurean authentic HK & Macau gourmet experience”. The seating features a mix of tables that are mostly good for groups of two (2) to four (4) pax. Just like its outlet at Raffles City Shopping Centre, the menu is split into categories such as Dim Sum, Side Dishes, Must Try Wanton, Zok Noodle House Guifei Soup, Wonton Noodles, Pork Noodles, Spicy Chilli Rice Noodles, Curry Noodles and Rice. Beverages at Zok Noodle House are segmented into categories such as Cold Brew Tea, Hot Drinks and Iced Drinks — think the usual Nanyang-style Kopi & Teh offerings, Honey Lemon, Lemon Coke and fizzy concoctions; just to name a few.

We have had a noodle offering that was from their Curry Noodles line-up during our very last visit to their location at Raffles City Shopping Centre previously — whilst we were quite impressed by what we have had, we thought it was good for us to give something that we have yet to try a go. The Zok Milky Soup Pork Noodles from the Pork Noodles section of the menu was one of the dishes that caught our eye quite early on and we thought it would be good to give it a go. Zok Noodle House does not list out the elements that they serve up with their dishes on its menu; that being said, we can observe from our order that the Zok Milky Soup Pork Noodles does comprise of elements such as pork slices, minced pork, leafy greens, chili padi, and minced garlic — all within a milk-infused pork-based broth. Patrons are able to opt for their desired choice of noodles here which includes that of Hor Fun and Wanton Noodles just to name a few — we went for the Mi Xian (i.e. thick rice noodles) for our order. It is noted that the folks at Zok Noodle House at Great World City does churn out the food from the kitchen quite fast; patrons can also help themselves to the condiments at the self-service condiment bar that is located in the middle of the entire restaurant. Going for the soup in the Zok Milky Soup Pork Noodles, the milky soup does somewhat remind us about what one would usually get with local fish soup that is infused with milk — there is that familiar notes of savouriness that comes with quite a fair bit of depth with the milk added which also comes garlicky and naturally sweet from the inclusion of the leafy greens; there is also slight note of ginger that provided an uplifting note towards the end but wasn’t that particularly prominent to induce that note of spiciness that it inherently comes with. This matched particularly well with the smooth and slurpy Mi Xian that we had opted for as well; overall a really comforting combination with a clean flavour with some depth that is naturally sweet that we found to be a joy to have on its own. The nuggets of hand-formed minced pork chunks seemed to have been seasoned; these were more preferred for us as compared to the pork slices that were also included in the Zok Milky Soup Pork Noodles; the hand-formed minced pork chunks coming more tender with a bit of a bounce, while the pork slices were a little tougher and carried a slight hint of porky-ness that we didn’t find to be too bothersome to have with the soup. Patrons do have the choice to opt out of pork liver for the Zok Milky Soup Pork Noodles; something which we also went for since we aren’t too into it usually.

During the same visit to Zok Noodle House at their Great World City location, we also revisited the Fresh Prawn Wonton Noodle; an item that is being listed in the Wonton Noodles section of the menu that we had previously given a try when we had visited their Raffles City Shopping Centre outlet. The Fresh Prawn Wonton Noodle is being served in both dry and soup versions at Zok Noodle House; our order was for the dry version of the dish which comes with noodles tossed in soy sauce and served with leafy greens in one plate, while a separate bowl containing both the fresh prawn wontons and the soup comes on the side. Whilst the noodles were tossed with sufficient soy sauce for flavour, we did find the noodles to be done a little bit on the harder side; that being said, we did find the bowl of soup pretty flavourful — something which we found to be good enough to have on its own, while the wontons were packed with an entire prawn which carried a good bite and a natural sweetness to the silken and smooth skin wrappers that it was encased in. Another dish that we had previously tried during our previous visit to Zok Noodle House at Raffles City Shopping Centre was the X.O. Sauce Stir Fried Turnip Cake — we found it a little peculiar that the dish came with more beansprouts than turnip cake. Whilst the savoury notes of the dish does somewhat hits the right spots, we also noted the lack of wok-hei with the rendition of the X.O. Sauce Stir Fried Turnip Cake here. The turnip cake also carried a texture that was a little more stiff and less springy than what we had expected based on our experiences of similar dishes served at other establishments. A dish that we usually would not give a miss on at other establishments serving the same was the Seven Flavours Fried Tofu; these are essentially diced tofu cubes that had been deep-fried to golden-brown perfection with a seasoning comprising of a sprinkle of seven flavours powder for flavour. Served piping hot, we liked how this dish wasn’t particularly greasy; while the golden-brown fried batter was crisp and all umami from the use of the seven flavours seasoning powder sprinkled all over it, the tofu within is still smooth and silken — a showcase of the chef’s skill and attention to detail placed in preparing the dish.

Having tried their Portuguese Egg Tart previously during our visit to their Raffles City Shopping Centre outlet, we found ourselves curious about their other bakes such as that of the Pineapple Bun that one can also find in the display shelves facing out of the restaurant — we eventually ordered the Pineapple Bun w/ Butter which comes with a slab of butter in between the Pineapple Bun. The Pineapple Bun does come with a crusty surface over the top that carried a slight hint of buttery, milky fragrance — that being said, we did find that the bottom of the bun a little bit on the drier side; not sure if this has got to do with us leaving the Pineapple Bun on the table alone for a while before eventually having it after finishing most of the other dishes that were on our table. We also found that the slab of butter didn’t quite carry enough saltish-ness to bring out the fragrance of the pineapple bun as well. Despite being folks whom had been fans of Zok Noodle House for quite a while given our generally positive experience with their food during our prior visits to Raffles City Shopping Centre, we did find that the food that we have had from their Great World City outlet to be one with hits and misses; dishes like the X.O. Sauce Stir Fried Turnip Cake and Pineapple Bun w/ Butter felt that there is some room for improvement, with the X.O. Sauce Stir Fried Turnip Cake even feeling rather inconsistent to our previous experiences of the same dish at their Raffles City Shopping Centre location. Perhaps it would be wiser to stick to items such as the lineup of items in the Curry Noodles section of the menu, as well as the Portuguese Egg Tart and the Seven Flavours Fried Tofu — items that we found to be enjoyable from our previous visits to Raffles City Shopping Centre location. Hoping the inconsistencies in the food quality at their Great World City location is probably due to teething issues during their initial opening days of the outlet — probably still a place that we are keen to check out again if looking for a spot to dine around the Great World neighbourhood if they are able to get everything sorted out.

Have been going all around the island to give various Burmese dining establishments that are not situated within a particular neighbourhood at Clementi and Peninsula Plaza a go, but there has always been this one establishment that we had known previously serving up Burmese fare that we have also overlooked on revisiting all this while. Whilst perhaps not an establishment that one would easily draw a relation to Burmese fare, the Killiney Cafe & Bar at Fortune Centre located at the ground floor is the only Killiney outlet that not only serves up local fare like how their typical locations do, but also features an outlet-exclusive Burmese menu — dishes that can be found in this section would include that of the Mote Hin Gar, Flat Noodle / Burmese Udon Dry, Burmese Lor Mee, Burmese Laksa Dry, Steamed Chicken Garlic Oil Noodle and the Mutton Prata.

There is something about the Nang Gyi Thoke (i.e. thick rice noodle salad) that had struck us ever since we had explored the dish for the very first time when visiting Myanmar Express at Balestier Market. Whilst skimming through the menu, the availability of a Flat Noodle Dry had caught our attention — deciding to give it a go, we found out that the Flat Noodle Dry is pretty much similar to that of the Nang Gyi Thoke with the exception of the different type of noodles being used instead. Apart from the noodles used that seems to be similar to that of the same that one can find in local versions of Lor Mee, the dish largely features the same elements that one would find in the Nang Gyi Thoke which includes pulled chunks of chicken, beansprouts, strips of fried wanton skin, half-boiled egg, coriander, chickpea flour and chili oil — one can also find a wedge of lime that one can squeeze the lime zest in and give everything a toss before digging in.

With the noodles being coated with chickpea flour and chili oil, the use of flat yellow noodles come with more bite as opposed to the thick rice noodle used in the Nang Gyi Thoke — the nuttiness and earthiness of the chickpea flour still being pretty prominent, though the chili oil used here doesn’t quite give the spicy kick that we would be looking for based on what we had experienced from the Nang Gyi Thoke that we have had elsewhere. The deep-fried wanton skin gives an element of crispness for a contrast of textures to the dish, while the chunks of pulled chicken adds a meaty touch — some might find it a little dry but it does seem to be intentionally done in this manner considering the other variations of similar dishes we have had from other establishments before as well. While some places do serve similar dishes with the like squeezed into the dish to give it an additional zesty note that is pretty uplifting for the dish, the version of the Burmese Flat Noodle Dry at Killiney Cafe & Bar at Fortune Centre comes with the wedge of lime on the side where patrons can decide to add to the dish based on their preferences. Having tried a number of Burmese establishments, Killiney Cafe & Bar at Fortune Centre’s offerings do feel like they are missing of the wow factor when comparing to what we had experienced at other establishments such as YDN 椰德纳 Myanmar-Chinese Cuisine, Kay-Tu Myanmar Cuisine, Myanmar Express, Chuki Kitchen and Mother's House Myanmar Cuisine — that being said, Killiney Cafe & Bar at Fortune Centre still works as a decent spot for a less intimidating spot to give Burmese cuisine a go without having to head down to Peninsula Plaza.

Had long been a fan of Nicher despite its rather odd location at The Brooks I around the Springleaf neighbourhood — considering how The Lowe'f Shack had since ended its chapter at Springleaf Nature Park, Nicher has also become pretty much the de-facto cafe that we would head to whilst being around Springleaf. These folks had transformed themselves in the past — whilst it was previously an establishment within a coffeeshop known for retailing pound cakes, its operations at Springleaf had seen it become more of a Boulangerie of sorts; this is also when we found ourselves more acquainted to the brand for their range of interesting and well-made danishes. It seems that the folks at Nicher are now extending their line-up and operating hours — offering a separate menu apart from their usual line-up of danishes from 6pm to 11pm on Thursdays to Saturdays and from 12pm to 5pm on Sundays, the menu is dubbed Nicher Dessert Cafe and features sections dedicated to Mudpies, Cakes and Ice-Cream Combo and Specialty Drinks; the list of beverages being on top of their Nicher’s regular drink offerings.

An item that is listed on their Mudpie section of the menu, the Bailey’s Mudpie is one out of two Mudpie offerings that are listed on the Nicher Dessert Cafe menu. The Bailey’s Mudpie is being described on the menu to come with elements such as French Vanilla ice-cream, Double Chocolate Chip ice-cream and Bailey’s with an Oreo cookie crust; there is also the inclusion of chocolate sauce that is drizzled atop the dessert as well. Considering how this is a dish with its core elements being comprising of ice-cream, the Bailey’s Mudpie is served cold; both ice-creams came with a consistent texture which was not only smooth and creamy, but also a little sticky like how one would expect things to be for a proper Italian gelato. With such a texture, this helps the dessert to maintain its texture over an extended period of time as well. Both ice-cream flavours were rich; considering how chocolate ice-creams tend to usually be, we were surprised by how the bittersweet notes of the Double Chocolate Chip ice-cream wasn’t too sweet and didn’t overpower the aroma of the French Vanilla ice-cream — quite a bit of attention to detail there. Whilst being just a drizzle over the Mudpie, the Bailey’s does add a touch of booziness that went around rather evenly throughout the Mudpie; very on-point. The toasted almonds plated over the top were surprisingly fragrant and nutty — added on to the various elements of the Bailey’s Mudpie. Looking forward to returning to Nicher to give some of its newer line-up of danishes as well as Cakes and Ice-Cream Combo a go; always felt that these folks are pretty much an underrated spot that is interesting to rediscover every once in a while!

Got to know about a new cafe that had opened its doors recently whilst going around the area near Bencoolen MRT Station — it seems that the building formerly occupied by the Elections Department along Prinsep Link had seen some changes; now known as Foundry, the building is now social impact hub that attempts to “drive greater collective impact for non-profit incubation”. Housed within the Foundry would be Bettr Coffee; the space which Bettr Coffee occupies within the Foundry is a sheltered outdoor space that can be described as a little bit of a patio — the open-air space being decked with wooden and plastic furniture and fittings set against a black theme that gives it a particularly chill yet upscale vibe that is especially relaxing and soothing during the evenings. For those whom are familiar with the local F&B scene, Bettr. has its roots coming from the Bettr Barista Coffee Academy (now known as Bettr Academy) which is perhaps best known for being a beverage education provider for the disadvantaged. Their cafe operations at Foundry can be described as their flagship, and these folks have mentioned that they are working with their suppliers to ensure its offerings do feature components that are sustainably sourced. It is worth noting that Bettr Coffee serves up a slightly different food menu in the day as it would in the evening; the evening offerings comprising of larger plates while small plates (alongside some of the Evening Plates) would be the main role offerings in the day. Other categories in its food menu would include Fresh Bakes and Dessert. Specialty coffee is pretty much a central theme in the beverages that they have to offer; after all, Bettr Coffee does roast and retail coffee beans that they roast as a micro-roastery. With that being said, their space at Foundry does offer quite an extensive list of alcoholic beverages including Natural Wines, Beers and Crafted Spirits. Those looking for non-alcoholic options apart from specialty coffee can also opt for tea, drinking chocolate, and a range of natural sodas.

Visiting Bettr Coffee on a weekday when they do dinner service, we were skimming through the items listed in the “evening plates” section of the menu for something more substantially-sized. We eventually went for the Patty Melt — an item which could be found in both the Small Plates section of the menu that is available in the day, as well as the Evening Plates section of the menu that is only available during the evenings when they are open for dinner service. The menu at Bettr Coffee does describe the elements that comes with their various dishes — the Patty Melt is described to be a dish that features elements such as white toast, smashed beef patty, cheddar, pickles, secret sauce, grilled onions and aioli. The simplest way to describe the Patty Melt is probably to liken it to a good cheeseburger but in the form of a sandwich — even the elements comprising the Patty Melt seems to suggest the correlation as well. Digging into the Patty Melt, we already liked how the white bread seems to have come grilled; coming in a beautiful shade of brown, the bread is was also toasty and crusty on the surface. The beef patty here does come across as slightly tougher since it also seems to have been a little bit more “done” — this one definitely did not come with a pinkish centre, though this does help to give the sandwich a bit of meatiness nonetheless. While the beef does carry a slight hint of gaminess, we felt that it did go okay with the briny and savoury notes of the meat itself; still rather complimenting and not sticking out like a sore thumb. The melted cheese does give a bit of a cheese pull whilst being savoury, though it was the medley of flavours of the cheese, caramelised onions and pickles that added a harmonious blend of sweetness, tanginess and savouriness with a bit of crunch that also contributed a dimension of textures with other elements in the dish. The secret sauce is much like the burger sauce that one would find in a cheeseburger which binds the various elements of the sandwich altogether with its creamy mouthfeel.

During our visit to Bettr Coffee, we had also given their Banana Chocolate Pound Cake – we did find the cake to be pretty light and fluffy especially considering how we have had denser pound cakes elsewhere. We did note that the flavours of banana are more prominent than the chocolate here. Noting that they do carry a small range of unique concoctions of espresso-based specialty coffee under the Foundry Specials section of the menu, we went for the Coconut Russian which was also listed as a “Bettr Crew’s favourite” item (i.e. recommended item) on the menu. Described to come with element such as double espresso, brown sugar syrup, coconut milk and cream top, the drink is also served as an iced beverage by default. Conceptually similar to an Einspanner, it was a little odd in its execution since the brown sugar syrup finds itself sitting at the bottom of the drink — whilst stirring it allows for the sweetness to go into the coffee, this would also inadvertently mean that the cream top gets stirred in to dissolve into the beverage which also doesn’t allow one to enjoy it like how an Einspanner would be. We had given our feedback on the Coconut Russian to the service crew whom have mentioned that they will be looking into it.

The folks at Bettr Coffee / Bette Academy have come quite far from where they had started out being in 2011 — the brand’s expansion from being more of a coffee academy to being full-fledged cafe is testament to how they have kept themselves relevant in the ever evolving F&B scene in Singapore. While striving for a growth necessary for the development of their brand in the long run, the brand has also not forgotten about their mission of doing good around the community that it operates in, staying true to its core values and even expanding the scope further alongside its operations. A brand befitting to complement the operations of a social impact hub which it is being housed alongside with, Bettr Coffee’s space at Foundry is one that cafe-hoppers whom are serious about coffee should check out — all whilst supporting a good cause.

1030 Breakfast Shop 一零三零早餐店 is one of those hawker stalls that we only got to know when we were going through Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre on another occasion; there does seem to be quite a fair bit happening around the food centre, considering how there are a few new tenants that have recently moved into the food centre — other establishments that had found home in the food centre recently would be Thai Banana Snack, as well as New Hope Noodles 新望云吞面. 1030 Breakfast Shop can be found within the blue zone of the food centre; these folks can be found around the same area as where one will be able to find Chef Leung's Soup Dumplings 梁师傅灌汤包. 1030 Breakfast Shop should be a stall that isn’t too difficult to locate; the stall bears a signboard with a white background with its Chinese namesake in stylised fonts — the contrast of yellow and orange in its logo also gives the stall a young and cheerful appearance as well. These folks seem to be an establishment that is centred around Taiwanese fare; Taiwanese-style breakfast specifically — the menu being segmented into categories such as Egg Omelette, Toast, Rice Millet / Rice Bowl and Rice Rolls.

Whilst 1030 Breakfast Shop does not describe the elements featured in their dishes, we had enquired them on what are the elements included with the Signature Toast — the staff at the counter informed us that it consists of egg, cheese, pork chop, luncheon meat and peanut butter; all that in between two slices of toast. The food at 1030 Breakfast Shop are made fresh-upon-order and patrons will be passed an electronic buzzer after making payment, which would be used to page the patrons to collect their order from the stall once the food is ready for collection. The bread for the Signature Toast at 1030 Breakfast Shop is lightly toasted; taking a bite into the sandwich, one would notice the heft of the sandwich considering how u it comes with multiple layers of meat within. The toast does provide a light, toasty crispness on the surface, though we especially like how the bread is pretty light and fluffy here that keeps things from being jelat and does not attempt to steal the show away from the other elements that the Signature Toast comes with. The slice of pork chop does seem to have come tenderised and brined for a savoury note; all that whilst carrying a bite without being particularly tough and with the juices of the meat being locked in — there was no undesirable porky stench that came along with the pork chop. There was also definitely that slight savouriness that one would expect out of the inclusion of cheese with the sandwich, while the slab of luncheon meat added was pretty chunky — it seems that whilst most establishments would have seasoned the pork chop with pepper to enhance the flavours of the pork chop, 1030 Breakfast Shop went the way of doing the pork chop as-is, whilst opting for black pepper-infused luncheon meat where the peppery notes takes away some of the saltishness inherent in the processed meat. Despite the thinness of the egg omelette, the omelette was soft and fluffy — all that whilst the spreading of smooth peanut butter on the undersides of the toast does add a slightly sweetness and nuttiness that seemed to gel all of the elements together in a rather intriguing way.

Knowing that 1030 Breakfast Shop also serves up Egg Omelettes, it was needless to say that we were enticed to find ourselves going for one of such offerings that was listed on their menu. The recommended Egg Omelette item per their menu would be the Ham Cheese Egg Omelette — much like how one would expect for the typical Taiwanese egg crepe, the crepe does come a little chewy whilst encasing the soft and fluffy egg omelette that features ham and cheese rolled within; both elements giving the dish an additional touch of savouriness in different dimensions, with the cheese being the element that binds everything together. The Egg Omelette also comes with a brown sauce that comes lightly savoury — also provided a bit of moisture to the egg omelette for some whom might find it a little dry. It does seem that Taiwanese-style breakfast had become something that has been more accepted by locals here as compared to in the past; perhaps thanks to establishments such as that of Fong Sheng Hao 豐盛號, True Breakfast 初早餐 and 早餐好了Breakfast Hola that had popularised such fare to the mainstream audience in the last couple of years — 1030 Breakfast Shop being one of the very first of such establishments to have found their way into the hawker centres here. We do find their food to be pretty satisfactory; prices of their Toast offerings range from $2 for the Kaya Butter / Black Sesame / Chocolate Toast all the way to $6.50 for the Signature Toast, while the Egg Omelette offerings are priced starting from $3 for the Original to $6 for the Hashbrown Bacon / Pork Chop Cheese. It will be interesting to see if Taiwanese-style breakfast concepts like 1030 Breakfast Shop would be viable in a hawker centre setting, though it does certainly make them an interesting stall to check out at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre for those looking for something different to have.

Got to learn about the new Swag & Sizzle which had recently opened its doors at the coffeeshop located at 243 Cantonment Road (otherwise known as BREK Cantoment); for those whom aren’t too familiar with the coffeeshop, the coffeeshop is the same one that houses some notable F&B tenants which includes the original location of WANO NIKU, as well as Mod Keaw Kitchen & Bar — some notable previous tenants that are located in this coffeeshop will also include Mr and Mrs Nasi Lemak, Lao Gu Ban 老古板 and Quality Melts. There always seem to be interesting concepts that open at the said coffeeshop from time-to-time, and Swag & Sizzle is just that — being the coffeeshop’s only stall operator that is serving up western fare. Swag & Sizzle seems to differ from the standard coffeeshop / food court / hawker centre stall serving up western cuisine within the heartlands — these folks seem to serve up more artisanal western fare that one would typically find in more casual dining establishments as well as specialty coffee joints; the menu being segregated into sections comprising of All Day Breakfast, Mains, Burger and Pasta, and Desserts. Dishes that one can expect to find in the menu of Swag & Sizzle would include that of Hanger Steak & Eggs, Chicken Roulade and Smash Burger — just to name a few.

There are quite a number of western stalls situated in similar settings that serves up artisanal western fare these days — that being said, there aren’t many out there that are serving breakfast dishes that one would typically only be able to find at a specialty coffee joint on their menu. Considering the novelty of such dishes being served up in such a setting, we decided to go for the Croque Madame which is being listed as an item available on the “All Day Breakfast” section of the menu. Swag & Sizzle does describe the elements going into the various dishes on their menu; the Croque Madame features elements such as chicken ham, Emmental cheese, Monray sauce, Sunny side-up, Polka Bread and Salad. Collecting our order at the counter when our electronic buzzer has been paged, we did notice how the Croque Madame at Swag & Sizzle looks exactly like how the dish would be presented at specialty coffee joints; slicing into the Polka Bread, we did find the bread to be delightfully crusty on the exterior, yet carrying a good bite without being too dense or heavy in its texture and consistency — pretty delightful on its own. Coming with chicken ham, Emmental cheese and Monray sauce, these elements provided a medley of savouriness of that would is typical of cured meats and cheese that is pretty much a classic combination that would appeal to most; the Monray sauce being similar to the Bechamel sauce that one would typically find in Croque Monsieur / Croque Madame dishes elsewhere — the Monray sauce seeing the addition of grated cheese to the standard Bechamel sauce, and provides a light creaminess that gels all of the elements altogether. The sunny side-up that came along with the Croque Madame comes with a fully-cooked egg yolk — would personally prefer a sunny side-up that is done without the mould with crisp, browned edges and a runny egg yolk, while the salad was one that is drizzled with vinaigrette for flavour.

It is also fairly unusual to find desserts being served up at a stall that is operating in the settings of how Swag & Sizzle is being set-up; the Chocolate Lava Cake is an item that can be found in the “Desserts” section of the menu. Coming with vanilla ice-cream and chocolate sauce, the vanilla ice-cream does feel a little generic but we did like how the chocolate lava cake itself came with a crusty exterior and a ooey and gooey molten chocolate lava core that was not overly sweet — a version of the dessert which can be compared to what specialty coffee joints would serve up as well. Despite its set-up, Swag & Sizzle does seem to attempt to be an establishment that sets itself apart from similar set-ups of its type — not only do they serve up more upscale western dishes which one would not typically expect out of such stalls, but it is also evident that these folks also seem to know what they are doing; the quality of their food being comparable to similar offerings served up at causal dining establishments and specialty coffee joints as well. Prices of their individually-priced mains range from $6.90 to $21.90; the lowest-priced item being the Ham & Cheese / Mushroom & Cheese Omelette in the All Day Breakfast section of the menu , while the priciest would be their Hanger Steak in the Mains section of the menu. Whilst the dining environment within BREK Cantonment isn’t the best experience even amongst the likes of other coffeeshops around the island, Swag & Sizzle does give working folks in the Central Business District a value-for-money dining choice whilst serving up some cafe-worthy western fare — definitely intrigued enough by our experience with them to be thinking about making a return visit to try out their Chicken Roulade and Smash Burger soon!