Welcome to Joo Chiat.

As a non-coffee drinker, I have been keeping an eye out for Big Short Coffee’s specialty tea, as there is usually one available on their seasonal menu. Hence, seeing the latest selection from the Winter 2025, I knew I had to try Yeast Coast ($9) which was essentially a sweet potato milk tea with a lusciously umami cheese cap and crisp brulee. Think Japanese purple sweet potato puree, with tangy koji fermented rice mochi, assam black tea, fresh milk, finished with yummy wildflower rare honey cheese cream and a fun layer of caramelized sugar at the very top. It's not too sweet and is pretty satisfying.

For dessert, the Flan y Café ($12) might look unassuming but the highlight was the utterly yummy cortado coffee infused cream. Paired with the sweet (but not cloying) Spanish caramel pudding, the airy cream was surprisingly aromatic and nicely complements the firm silky-creamy flan.

Another small plate we got was the Paella del Día ($26). The Paella of the day was well-seasoned tender pork ribs with mushrooms. Savoury and wonderfully earthy, just umami. The grains were beautifully done too - overall flavourful with some crisp, slightly charred bits and not too wet or dry.

A lovely snack, the moist Tortilla Donostia Slice ($10), likewise, was enriched with smooth extra-virgin olive oil. The labour-intensive dish prepared with organic eggs, confit shallot, and potato chunks also tasted superbly fresh.

Back at the buzzing Joo Chiat enclave and this time I snagged a weekend lunch booking at the new neighbourhood Spanish tapas restaurant, Carlitos.

From the tapas section of the menu, we started with the crowd favourite Pulpo La Coruña ($22). Succulent Spanish octopus dusted with smoked paprika, complete with generous lashings of extra-virgin olive oil. Portion is much smaller than expected for the price but texture was done exceptionally well and the thickness of the slices were just right (wish there were more!).

Off the selection of XUP-XUP, the Arroz Caldoso de Gambas ($28) was a hit. Featuring fresh red prawns with vongole veraci clams in a delicious seafood-rich broth with soft-plump flavoured grains. The solid pot of brothy rice was like a warm hug; the ideal rainy day comfort food. Got to love the heady crustacean sweetness!

After all the indulgent CNY feasting, we were craving something different and stumbled upon Masala Tandoor for dinner. Is it just me, or does the East Coast/Marine Parade area have a surprising number of Indian restaurants? With barely any social media buzz, we relied on Google Reviews to decide, and it turned out to be a great find.

We started with the Amritsari Fish, boneless nuggets battered with a medley of spices, before moving on to sharing plates of Aloo Gobi and Butter Chicken, paired with Chicken Dum Biryani and Chicken Tikka Biryani. And of course, no Indian meal is complete without freshly baked Garlic Naan, perfect for mopping up all that rich, flavorful gravy.

The chewy yet light dough really does it for me, and I liked that you can order half pizzas to try more flavours! Quality really shines in the margherita with a tangy tomato base🍅 and fresh basil, while the marinara e acciughe had a deeper flavour from the garlic anchovies.

What impressed me most was the Focaccia di Recco. It carried a strong and sharp cheese flavour🧀, sprinkled with seasalt and made extremely crispy!

Boss and staff were so friendly, patient and helpful. 1 for 1 is for all main courses on their Indian and Indian-Chinese menus. The Burpple deal was easily redeemed with no frills.
Food was really good - butter chicken and garlic spicy chicken both went so well with Naan and Rice.
There is no GST, complimentary water and complimentary crackers with this yummy Thai-like chilli sauce with it.
I would definitely recommend this place and come again.

chanced upon the rain to get my hands on this popular croissant ($3.60) without having to queue. sooo flaky, crispy layers with a warm buttery centre.

everyone talks about the steak but have you tried the SPICY LAMB SAUSAGE ($24.90 - 3x100g)??? so damn juicy and i dont even like lamb but i was head over heels for this. not forgetting the unlimited homemade fries that we shamelessly ordered two bowls more