Almost full house at the newly opened Butter Bean at Vivocity despite it being 3pm on a weekday!

We ordered via the QR code on the table instead of at the cashier so it’s great that there’s a contactless option, but you do miss the chance to pay via GrabPay if you’re looking to earn points.

Food and drinks were prepared quickly enough, but it’s self service. Counter staff weren’t very friendly or patient but maybe it was just down to bad luck or timing.

Anyway, I’ve been seeing such rave reviews of this signature drink but perhaps drinking it from the lid without a straw wasn’t the way to go. I went with the less sweet option, but felt the kopi latte wasn’t aromatic. The creme brûlée top was rather disappointing, until I used a spoon (after finishing my food) to scrape it out. Only then was i able to really appreciate the creamy, sweet, yet slightly salty so it’s not too jelak. Hmm. Might give it another try with a straw but I wouldn’t have high hopes. As a note, we also tried the ice teh latte and the milk tea was so diluted and tasteless. Despite the disappointing drinks, the food is well worth a return visit!

Been a fan of the chocolate orange combination lately, and it’s even better with coffee in Da Paolo’s version! The orange flavour is quite subtle, but that suits me just fine. It leaves a pleasant citrusy flavour, which balances perfectly with the mocha. None of the elements in this drink overpowered the other, and I really enjoyed the silky mouthfeel of this cup.

Simply can’t pass up pistachio ice cream, and I fell in love with Da Paolo’s pistachio gelato ever since I first tried it!

Very creamy, with a strong pistachio aroma and nuttiness. I sort of wish that there were some crushed pistachios or whole bits of nuts inside but it’s okay - there are other gelato places I turn to for that 😂

Homemade bagels with fluffy scrambled eggs and bacon - such a classic combination that can’t go wrong. The scrambled eggs were cooked really well, not too runny nor overcooked into an omelette.

What’s even better is that the bagels are pretty dang good! They’re made in house, and they’re soft and actually a really good size for a meal (not oversized like NYC bagels etc). No doughy texture nor yeasty smell. I actually would love to try the HK bagel next!

Finally visited this tiny “hole in the wall” cafe at Maxwell House and my first impression was how tiny the cafe was, followed by how extensive the menu was for such a tiny space! Everything is prepared in their tiny kitchen. Beverages were served quite quickly, and they did provide water for us (such a rarity in post-covid times) but It took quite a while for our food to be cooked. Despite that, the food was really good!

The omelette crepe is a unique combination with smashed avocado, sautéed spinach and a choice of smoked salmon or sautéed mushrooms. The toast was a bit of a letdown as there was way too much butter slathered on it, but it didn’t melt, seep into and crisp up the bread when toasted. It’s okay though, was totally fine with the dish without the bread actually.

I would return again for sure to support this small homely cafe!

An inverted sandwich which comes with two slices of toast, which sandwiches bbq sauce and cheese that melts into ooey gooey goodness. The sandwich is then topped with your choice of turkey ham/mushrooms, bell peppers, mayo, more cheese, and a fried egg - hence the name open face toast.

Props for the cute presentation of this dish, as the sandwich was wrapped with baking paper in a sweet shape. However, by cafe standards, this seemed a little messy and executed with less finesse than I would expect. Despite appearances, this is indeed a very delicious sandwich. I was particularly impressed with the toast - no idea how they get it SO crispy but not burnt. The amount of turkey ham is pretty worth it, although I’d have preferred a choice of salad over nachos.

Overall, this is a dish I’d order again. Yummy and hits all the right spots.

A new contender to the waffles and dessert scene at Lorong Kilat. This new ice cream joint is really going head to head with Udders by occupying the unit right next to them. Despite being in direct competition, their business is booming.

Ambience-wise, I love the white lighting and minimalism in Salted Caramel as compared to the slightly warm, garish lighting with over the top humour and decor at Udders. It makes for a calmer dessert experience in my opinion, and also gives me less anxiety as the seating is better organised. The service team here is notably smaller than their competitor, but also more on the ball and take more initiative to organise table allocations according to time of arrival (important especially in these times of social distancing).

There’s a QR menu printed on each table, which is great. You do have to check out the flavours that are available on the day itself at the counter though, as the menu showcases everything they have but might not be available at the outlet on a given day. The assortment of flavours here isn’t as great as Udders, but I found more than a handful of flavours I would easy go for. In terms of pricing, it’s much more straightforward (just a single price for all flavours while premium+$1, vs too many fancy named categories with different pricing) they’re pretty competitive too.

Service was quite fast, we didn’t have to wait long for our waffles. I personally thought the size of the scoops were inconsistent, and also slightly smaller than their neighbours but not enough to really make me reconsider visiting again. The texture of the waffles was very pleasant, crisp and light, but I found the cinnamon taste to be way too overpowering. I would’ve preferred a lighter hand with the spice so I could have a “blank slate” to enjoy the ice cream with. That said, if you like flavourful spiced waffles, this might be one place. The salted caramel that accompanied their waffles was pretty good as well, not too sweet with a hint of saltiness. The texture was good for dipping or for drizzling.

I LOVED the roasted pistachio flavour. The nuttiness really shone through and it’s one of my top pistachio picks for ice cream/gelato in Singapore. Even found a whole pistachio in my scoop which was delightful! The roasted sesame comes in second, with its own unique nuttiness and fragrance. I didn’t quite like the Kaya toast flavour, as I could smell the bread and see it, but couldn’t quite reconcile the disconnect between the lack of crunchiness in Kaya toast ice cream that I had come to expect from Butterknife folk’s version. The Kaya also seems to be swirled on top and not through the ice cream, so I felt I didn’t get much taste of Kaya. Not really a fair judgement, but this flavour fell short of my expectations. It does smell of bread though.

Note that they don’t accept credit card here, only cash or paylah or paynow, which was quite inconvenient as our data service seemed to be disrupted while at that location. Apparently we weren’t the only ones as payment seemed to be a bottleneck with quite a few customers waiting for their payment apps to load.

One of six cakes on display at Tsujiri. We tried the Swiss rolls the previous time and were not impressed with the amount of cream to cake ratio so we decided to try the cakes instead. There are two mock up cakes on display but actually three different types of cakes. You can get either matcha cream with matcha cake, or chocolate cream with black tea cake, or chocolate cream with chocolate cake. This was the black tea cake version.

Sadly, I’m also not a fan of this cake. The black tea cake layer was fragrant, but dry. Also, there was probably more chocolate cream than cake which once again is a cross in my books. While I did like the thin layer of cream at the top with chocolate flakes, the layers below were too way too thick. At least they did come with some tiny bits of nuts inside though.

So the staff didn’t tell us this when she seated us, and we were so surprised when we checked our bill and this steamer rack came shortly after. Not that I’m complaining, but plan ahead with this promo and what you order.

Taste-wise, I feel that most of the local xlb chains have lost their edge. The skins aren’t as thin as I remembered, meaning they’re easier to pick up without bursting, but don’t give the same satisfying pop in your mouth feeling as before. This is especially true for the top of the dumplings, where you can really judge how thick the skin is. The meat and soup fillings are still delicious though. Wouldn’t order it ala carte, but I’ll take it for sure since it’s free!

One of my favourite dishes to order whenever I chance upon it in a chinese restaurant. I realised different eateries cook their egg whites to different stages of firmness. The one at Crystal Jade is pretty firm but that’s not a bad thing. Definitely try to eat this warm. So when it’s served, pour in the vinegar and white pepper and mix it up with the egg yolk!

It’s got the right mix of saltiness and sourness from the vinegar, plus the egg whites are so smooth and yummy. I think this would be a great choice for someone looking for a healthier dish, with high protein content.

This dish is listed as one of the best sellers in Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao’s menu and I can see why. First time ordering this but we enjoyed it so much! It’s like a Chinese version of roti prata, but crisper and fluffier, with more distinct flaky layers in between. Love that it wasn’t too oily, although you could see some oil seeped into the paper dolly on the plate. Best eaten when served but it also tasted great close to the end of our meal. I totally recommend this, and also recommend ordering a dish with sauce that you can use this to mop up. My vote goes to the eggplant with special sauce - the sauce pairs perfectly with this.

I guess if you miss Liang’s Sandwich at Bugis Junction, you can just come here instead.

Ordered eggplant because I wanted another veg dish but in a smaller portion and this was under the appetisers menu. Didn’t expect that this would be so good!

The eggplant retains its shape well, still pretty firm and isn’t too mushy. Crystal Jade’s special sauce is a mix of savoury, sour, and slightly spicy. It’s kinda salty if you eat it on its own, but here’s where I highly recommend ordering the scallion pancake and using that to mop up the sauce! So so good!