New Cafe: Stirling Highway

Chanced upon this new cafe while on Instagram & the cakes looked great haha and it was near school! So I decided to drag the boy there on 3rd Jan!

They have all day brunch and desserts! Whats not to like! Their menu is shown on the website and here's the direct link to the menu.

Prawn Pesto

with sautéed prawns tossed in a homemade basil spinach pesto

$18

I don't know how they cooked this exactly because the spaghetti looked a bit charred at some parts and it was like dry so I'm guessing they kinda fried it a bit? The pesto was q yummy no like strong shouting components to it (e.g. strong mint taste) and coated the pasta well. Prawns were crunchy and was a nice accompaniment to the pasta! My only gripe is that its a tad dry. Portions could also be a bit bigger for the price imo.

Pulled Pork Pancakes

Pulled pork in between 3 layers of buttermilk pancakes w Jack Daniel's infused maple syrup

$14

Now this sounded too interesting to not order! It came sizzling hot, smokin', butter melting all. 

We were very excited to try this but sadly the pulled pork was WAY too salty!! Another table who ordered the same dish almost completely left out the pork and gave feedback that its too salty. The pancakes were alright, not as fluffy as I would've liked, a bit dense for me but still q good! Maple syrup had hints of Jack Daniel's but was really watery. The other sauce was kinda like BBQ sauce which was okay. But the salt level needs to go downnnn for the pork!

Dessert platter

Raspberry white choc cupcake | chocolate cake | earl grey choc tart

$12

Their desserts!!! These were the real stars I felt. There was also passionfruit, and fruit tarts available. Cakes wise, lemon curd cake, flour less chocolate, sticky date (in the form of cake), and the chocolate cake above in the photo. Cupcakes wise that day was the above + PBJ + cookies & cream and I can't rmb what else. So we had trouble deciding what to get and yay to dessert platter! Where you can choose 1 cupcake, 1 cake and 1 tart! Separately, cakes costs abt $5, tarts $6.50, cupcakes I'm not too sure. So this platter is DEFINITELY worth it!

Raspberry white choc cupcake - The boy ate this himself. He is not a fan of cup cake but the white chocolate drew him to it. Not a usual cupcake with whipped cream, this one is topped with genuine white chocolate. He felt that the cupcake was a well complemented with the sweetness of the white chocolate while the raspberry makes it less sweet. White chocolate can be a little too creamy sometimes but this was just right. 

Chocolate cake - I don't really know what's the name of this cake but I loved it! I could tell that there was a crispy praline layer to this cake and knew that I wanted to order it and was glad I did! The chocolate cake + mousse layer in between was just nice in terms of sweetness! Not too dark, nor too sweet :) Loved it! And the crunchy layer just brings chocolate cakes to a whole new level :) really really enjoyed this cake!

Earl Grey Chocolate Tart - The guy there said they infused the earl grey tea themselves into the ganache. (I was craving for chocolate that day hence 2 chocolatey items chosen!) This was awesome as well but overshadowed a little by the choc cake! The ganache had a aromatic earl grey smell + you can taste it slightly. The tart was q good, not too crumbly nor too hard! All in all, a good tart :)

Mmmmm wonderful yummy cake :)

Stirling Highway

5 Ridgewood CLose Unit #G1, Ridgewood Condominium

Do note that they're NOT located in the condominium! After you pass by the condo on your left, continue walking all the way to the dead end and there should be a gate slightly to your left, walk through that gate and you'll see the cafe with its logo!

Singapore 276696

64649607

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Dean and Deluca Breakfast!

Since there was SO much hype generated about Dean and Deluca, I just had to go down and check it out *nosy-Singaporean-on-the-move*. I'm particularly wowed by the spice selections and their chocolate bars! Their products are sourced from a wide variety of countries, namely Italy, France, Greece, US, etc. and its all stated on the product!

Most (99%) of the bread, pastries, tarts and cakes are NOT made in-house, all sourced from bakeries in Singapore like Maison Kayser, baker & cook, bread project bakery etc and the place they are sourced from is stated on the tags. Some breads/items are exclusive to Dean & Deluca! Like this pain aux dates from Maison Kayser and etc bread.

The Sunday aft they opened, the queue was CRAZY long so I didnt bother queuing. I then went on a Friday afternoon and there wasn't any queue! 

Cheese counter

Omg you MUST go over there and say hello to my cheese friend hehe (I'd call her my friend though we've only met twice over the cheese counter!). She's DAMN awesome w cheeses and she'll teach you how to taste and savour and enjoy cheese!!! 

I hated blue cheese for the stinky smell but she has me as a convert now!!! I'd definitely try blue cheese if it were done her way haha. Dont worry if you're going "omg how am I supposed to know what cheese to buy" cos you're able to TASTE THEM! Yes that's right! Most cheeses can be tasted so yup pls dont hesitate to ask for testers even if you're not buying! 

The v friendly girl just wants to let ppl enjoy cheese :) And the cheese selections change SUPER frequently!!! Cos she's constantly sourcing for new cheeses and rotates the cheese as well. Like on Sunday when I went, the cheese display was slightly diff frm the following Fri's!

There's a cheese w truffle bits in it, a cheese wrapped in chery + fig + walnut leaves (how cool huh but cant try this sadly), lots of cheddar varieties, and etc cheeses!!! 

Get this: they're having CHEESE W WASABI and CHEESE W SAMBAL the coming week! She told me its best to go down on weekends cos the cheese will most likely be in stock then! I'd definitely be going down to check those out hehe. And guess what, the cheese w SAMBAL is made in Holland. Lol!

Brie de Meaux cheese

Bought this for my own consumption aft much trying! I love it 'cos tho its v strong (for me) when eaten on its own, when eaten w crackers, its perfect! I like that it has a kinda hard exterior but inside its soft and melty and v aromatic haha. 

Fig and Olive oil raincoast crisps

I love these crisps w the cheese!!! They're q good on their own too, definitely for the health conscious tho :) 

Black truffle chocolate ($15)

Quite expensive huh? So was it worth it? I'd say its not really worth it cos the truffle taste isnt v strong. Its just slightly saltish and the choc's v dark and good. You could give it a try tho!

Apple tart (baker & cook)

Thought this was okay, would be better w more cinnamon!!

Croissant (Maison Kayser)

This was great!! As usual :)

Berries and Flap Jacks

$18

Oat and honey buttermilk pancakes, topped with fresh mixedberries and Dean & DeLuca's Organic Pure Maple Syrup ' Grade A Dark Maple Syrup

Firstly, I didnt know there'd be whipped cream else I'd have asked for it to be omitted.

Secondly, my pancakes were supposed to be in a nice stack but I suppose this is q artistic too ;)

Thirdly, they werent that well-drenched in that maple-syrup-w-the-long-name so I asked for more!

On to the taste!

These are thick, kinda like Wild Honey's but its nowhere as dry as Wild Honey's! These are q moist and q fluffy but not very fluffy. They need a certain amt of maple syrup to make them all right. A lot of berries given which I definitely like. Can get a bit of a bore towards the end. Nothing v fantastic or flavourful. 3.6/5

Oh yes, but if you liked the pancakes, the mix is available for sale as well as the maple syrup! I'd say, BUY the maple syrup haha.

American country breakfast

$21

Bacon, hashbrown, 1 roasted tomato, 2 thick slices of multi-grain toast, scrambled eggs, sauteed mushrooms, sausage

The boy loved the sausage, it was super juicy, even I could tell from the way the juices spurt out when he cut it haha but the bacon didnt look or sound crispy at all neither was the hash brown but I'm not sure!

I think Dean & DeLuca could probably give diners the option of choosing white/wholemeal bread cos I saw q a few tables w those 2 pieces of toast leftover! SO wasteful zomg. Think it was q average for him only! 3.6/5

Ordering area + main cafe seating area! There are more seats at the oth end of the shop. Rockwall scenery while dining haha.

Wanted to order the Belgian Stack aka waffles but they looked not crispy so didnt order that! New Yorker (bagel w smoked salmon & scrambled eggs) looked yummy! The french toast was a hot dish, recommended by many!

I'd be back to try more cheese and probably to buy breads/cakes/etc when I'm too lazy to go down to the specific shops and want many varieties to choose from :)

Dean & DeLuca

Lvl 4 Orchard Central

Vanilla Bar & Cafe

Here's a view of some parts of their menu! Since I cant seem to find them online. 

Think prices are really v reasonable and portions arent small either!

Pork Katsu Sandwich

At first we were a little scared that the pork cutlet inside will be dry, making the sandwich dry overall. But luckily, we were pleasantly surprised when we took a bite of the sandwich! It was juicy but still retained its crispyness from the layer of breadcrumbs. The tomatoes and I think they used some sort of relish/jam or sth, because it was really juicy and moist! The boy was v happy cos he was craving for good katsu sandwich and this certainly did satisfy his craving! The pork isnt fatty nor does it taste oily! Certainly makes it feel as if its a guiltless treat! (: 4.5/5

Mini Pancakes with Vanilla Ice Cream

We were trying to guess how mini the pancakes were gonna be but we certainly didnt think they'd be this mini! They remind me of the Hong Kong egg waffles! Well they're flatter than the HK ones obviously and they're really fluffy!! Addictive to eat them w the vanilla ice cream that was made with real vanilla beans! Maple syrup was also drizzled rather generously on it which made it even more yummy! Am a maple syrup girl (: So yup, if you're looking for fluffy pancakes that arent too filling, this is your choice! 4.6/5

They have the typical Jap dons, pastas and more and its quite crowded on weekday afternoons cos of the working crowd! Oh its a good place to have a cheap and good lunch as well if you're part of the working crowd! (: V near many office buildings too! Be warned though, cafe's rather small so yup. Service is quite good though a little slow sometimes! But nonetheless, its a great place to sit and just catch up with friends or read a book or something! Great relaxing atmosphere!

Vanilla Bar & Cafe

3 Boon Tat Street 

Psssst Muffinry's just behind it! So pop by and grab some yummy muffins/pastries etc! (:

Bunalun Brunch

Sorry for the lack of posts! Went for a holiday to the US and was left without internet! So can only start updating now! But the posts will be more frequent and regular because now I'm having holidays so, a lot of time to go explore & eat! (: 

Have been wanting to try their breakfast for quite some time and finally we had the chance! 

This is their brunch menu! Not sure if they serve brunch on weekdays though!

2 poached eggs with salad leaves and country bread toast $13

To me, I felt that this was actually quite expensive for something so simple? It was just plain bread w poached eggs. The yolk was runny, but not very runny. Overall, a really average dish that isnt worth your money. 2.5/5

Whole grain pancakes served with seasonal fruits and maple syrup $17

To me, the pancakes are too thick and a little too dense? I dont like the super thick and dense kind of pancakes, I like fluffy light pancakes! These resembles Wild Honey's pancakes and I didnt enjoy it. It was better with the maple syrup though. The boy, on the other hand, didnt mind this sorta pancakes. So I guess its a matter of preference once again! 2/5

Overall, I think its not a worth-your-money place for brunch/brekkie, and would rather recommend you to other cafes/restaurants for brunch that offers cheaper and tastier options. It's probably expensive because of organic products used I presume since their shop sells organic food.

Bunalun

Chip Bee Gardens

Brunch at Broun Cafe

Hi everyone! 

Went with the boy today to try out the new brunch menu at Broun! We reached the cafe at around 12+ and were the only 2 there but after that the cafe got pretty crowded and they were kinda understaffed with 2 waiting staff only (but we thought the service was okay! V friendly!) and with the staff having to shuttle between the cafe and the kitchen (which is located outside) hence the wait time for customers. 

Love the interior! The boy and I ordered 4 mains to share and the waitress was like "4 dishes for the two of you only??!!" incredulously haha.

Protein-packed $15

House-made rosti served with braised beans, bacon & a poached egg

First up! Rosti! Do not expect this to be like the Marche-style rosti, because oily and crispy top this is not! Though it has a slight crunch, its not as charred or fried till as crispy as Marche's! The bacon was SUPERDUPER crispy though!!! As the boy bit into the bacon, a loud audible CRISP could be heard! Really really crispy bacon (: 

The beans were a really comforting and home-y dish, could tell its really home-made! I loved this style of braised beans (its actually just like baked beans) 'cos its not annoyingly sweet and they have some kidney beans added in too! The boy ate the egg so I'm not too sure about that! But the yolk was definitely runny (: 3.8/5

Herb grilled chicken $14

rosemary & thyme infused, with broun sauce

The chicken was sooooooooo tender!!! It was really soft but maintained its firm chewy texture as well, just the perfect blend! I dont really know how to describe it but yea, perfectly grilled I'd say! Job well done, chef! The skin crackled and broke apart easily and crisply upon cutting and each bite was accompanied with crunch crunch crunch! This dish was our favourite out of all that we've tried today!

The pumpkin mash at the bottom was flavourful as well! Yummy goodness from the pumpkin!! (: 4.3/5

Pak Din's Ricotta on Toast $12

homemade honeyed ricotta on organic baker's fig & honey bread with masala spiced figs, cinnamon dukkah

It was a mistake on my part because I mis-read the menu and thought this would be french toast! Sad to say, it wasnt :( The thick slices of toast were really quite dry and coming from someone who LOVES 100% wholemeal bread (ppl usually associate wholemeal w being dry but I beg to differ), this is saying quite a lot I guess? Couldnt really taste the masala in the figs, and the ricotta taste wasnt v strong either. The bread was studded with walnuts and the taste of cinnamon was quite strong (which I liked). We had to ask for more maple syrup and drenched the toast liberally with it before it became more palatable, else the thick dry toast was really quite unappetizing. 2/5

Just Pancakes $10

Buttermilk Pikelets served with smashed bananas, vanilla cream & maple syrup 

The pancakes however, were another matter totally!! This was really really soft and fluffy, thick but not too thick, just the right amount of fluffiness in each bite. Accompanied with the mashed bananas that arent overly sweet, you're in for a real treat! The bananas go really well with the pancakes as well as the maple syrup! The vanilla cream didnt really have a strong vanilla taste and I felt it didnt really go well with the pancakes! This was our 2nd fav dish though! (: 4/5

Overall, I'd say Broun is a good place to go for value-for-money and healthy food! There's no MSG added and its deep fried food free! The whole cafe just feels really homey and wholesome! (: Brunch menu is available on Mon, Tues and Sat only! They also feature local bands/singers frm Thurs-Sun if I'm not wrong! You can check their calendar on their website for the line-up!

Broun Cafe

36 North Canal Road

(really easy to get there from The Central! Just cross the overhead bridge outside I think Burger King or sth, nearby Starbucks and then turn right and walk all the way to the end and cross I think 2 streets and you're there!)