Caffè Mocha ($5.70) was okay, nothing too special. Anyway, Carpenter & Cook is on the Entertainer App! One-for-One Pastry/Desserts, and handcrafted beverages (basically ALMOST every beverage on the menu)! Prices are nett, i.e. no additional GST and Service Charge!
The Passionfruit Meringue Tart ($6.80) was refreshing! Tiramisu ($8) was nothing special though. Anyway, Carpenter & Cook is on the Entertainer App! One-for-One Pastry/Desserts, and handcrafted beverages (basically ALMOST every beverage on the menu)! Prices are nett, i.e. no additional GST and Service Charge!
Ivins comes to our minds whenever we crave for Peranakan food. The dishes come in small servings (suitable for 2 to 4 pax to share). Because of the small servings and relatively cheap price, one tends to order many dishes. The new menu list recommends 2 pax: 4 to 6 dishes, 3-4 pax: 6 to 8 dishes, 8 pax: 6 to 8 dishes of 2 each. Nonya Chap Chye (1st from bottom), Beef Rendang (3rd from bottom), and Honey Pork(not shown) are some of the popular dishes that customers usually order. Come early or make reservations!
The menu indicated that the waffle ($4.50) would be served with homemade chocolate sauce, maple syrup and cut fruits. But when it was served, we were rather disappointed to see only 5 thin slices of strawberries. The waffle is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. However, I thought it was not fluffy enough. We chose Pistachio and Bailey Brownie for the ice cream flavours. Both are premium flavours hence an additional of $0.70 each. Bailey Brownie tastes pretty good though. For $13.10 in all, the ice cream waffle is pretty decent.
The hot chocolate ($6.00) is said to be made with Cacao Barry INAYA 65% Dark Chocolate, and no cocoa powder is added into the drink for the smoothest finish. It isn't a lie - the chocolate is really smooth and nice! The Earl Grey Lavender tea ($6.50) is served in a cute little tea pot. When it was served, the friendly staff reminded us to steep for 3 to 5 mins. These hot drinks definitely helped us battle the coldness from the aircons surrounding us!
Hanare Cafe and Hana-Hana are both under the Teppei group and are located just some metres away on Tanjong Pagar Road. Located at the 2nd floor just next to The Blue Ginger, Hanare is like a hidden gem. Ordered the daily special: Barachirashi don with yellowtail ($19.80 nett). They serve fresh sashimi and offer a complimentary buffet line of side dishes (drinks, miso soup and rice inclusive). The chunky bamboo shoots in the buffet line were so juicy and good that we went for multiple servings! However if you were to compare Hanare with Teppei Syokudo at Ion and Takashimaya, the former loses out in the nice mix of shoyu marinade and rice.
Patronising this popular prawn noodle stall on a Thursday afternoon, surprisingly the queue wasn't as long as I had expected. We only queued for about 15 to 20 mins. This bowl of prawn bee hoon soup costs $5 and it's pretty affordable, considering that there are 3 prawns and at least 7-8 pieces of clams. Both the prawns and clams are fresh too!
Located beside the reception lobby of Oasia Hotel, the Marmalade Pantry has a rather extensive menu. Visiting on a Monday evening, there were only a few tables occupied and the servers are really attentive (maybe because they are trained for a hotel setting). The Spicy Crabmeat Linguine ($24.00) has chunks of crabmeat with pine nuts mixed with the tomato and chili pasta dressing. Mango Lassi ($9.00) was a tad too thick and can be rather filling. The food at the Marmalade Pantry are a little pricey but it's a good thing that they are on the Entertainer App, i.e. one for one main course! What a good deal!
2nd visit to Lola's. The creamy avocado and hollandaise sauce go well together with the brioche bread and pork ham. Pairing the avocado eggs benedict ($14.00) with a cup of cappuccino ($5.00) makes a satisfying brunch!
For $4.80, you get a healthy, affordable and filling meal. There are other options for oat rice too, and each comes with one choice of topping (any one of the many available ones). Whenever I want something healthy and cheap, QQ rice is definitely one of my options!
I can never get sick of the porridge here. The mixed organ porridge ($4) comes with marinated pork slices, handmade meat balls, pig's liver, pig's intestine and cuttlefish. It's so popular that most customers have trouble looking for seats. The staffs are really efficient to clear the tables as well as help you look for seats when you can't find any. Upon placing your order, waiting time is at most 10 to 15 mins. If you'd like to add a raw egg, it's an additional of 50 cents.
Something like a Thai version of BCM ($7.50). A pity that the pig's liver was very raw (i.e. uncooked). There is quite a bit of fried garlic and pork lard added. While I usually dislike the taste of garlic, the presence of the fried garlic was surprisingly still alright to me (in fact there was somewhat a sweet after-taste). Disappointedly, the Thai Iced Tea (without milk) was already sold out by 6.45pm. 🙁 With or without milk, Thai Iced Tea is sold at $3.50. All prices are subjected to 7% GST, with no service charge.
