iced mocha ($8) ✨️✨️✨️✨️

Iced matcha latte And ordered some finger food to go along with the drinks. Quite a small cosy place at one corner of the mall

Gratin Be Gr(e)at Look, I ain’t gon lie to y’all, @8bar.sg Prawn & Potato Gratin ($14 nett) does feel kind of disjointed at times, but it’s held together purely by the supreme savouriness of the prawn bisque that’s served in a little metal contraption.⠀ ⠀ Even though the menu description proclaims the square of deep fried potatoes as a potato gratin, it’s really a potato mille feuille as there seems to be an absence of butter & cheese between each thin layer of potato. Sure, it might not strictly conform to the definition of a gratin, but this potato mille feuille is a sufficiently pleasing potato dish. The outermost layer is a convivially crunchy layer that conceals the inner layers of dense & soft potatoes that have been sliced thinly, and this deep fried square of layered potatoes performs as you’d expect.⠀ ⠀ To anyone who has ever had dim sum, the prawn pancake half of this appetiser should be eerily familiar. That’s right, the prawn pancake has been compacted into the familiar form factor of a beancurd roll. However, there are visible & discernible chunks of prawns in the beancurd roll, so you know for sure that you’re actually eating prawns in this savoury, delicious beancurd roll.⠀ ⠀ Now, the potato mille feuille/gratin square & the beancurd roll have absolutely nothing in common, but that undeniably umami prawn bisque ties it all together. The stunningly savoury & briny flavours of all the prawns are expressed into the brown liquid, and that luscious liquid fuses the potatoes & prawns together with its irresistible flavours. It sounds like crazy talk, I know, but you got try the Prawn & Potato Gratin to believe it.

Hand Brew — Monteblanco Gesha 2024 does seem like a year of new beginnings for The Community Roastery & Coffee Bar; while they had since ceased operations at their location within the Haworth office at Anson House, they had found new digs at Hamilton Road. Hamilton Road is pretty much a hotspot for cafe these days, with the area seeing the move of Wild Coco into the area and an outlet of Tipo Osteria opening here in recent times. The Community Roastery & Coffee Bar had recently moved into the former space that was occupied by the now-defunct LUCID, which is a bit of a walk from Bendemeer MRT Station on the Downtown Line and Lavender MRT Station on the East West Line. On first look, The Community Roastery & Coffee Bar looks no different from LUCID; that being said, it does seem that they had brought the staff-only section of the cafe forward and partitioned the area off — this also means that the dine-in space is also now smaller than that when the space was still LUCID. There are some cues that The Community Roastery & Coffee Bar has added to the space however; this included black benches that makes the space more aligned to the slightly industrial look adopted for their original space at Far East Plaza. As per their other outlets, the main focus at The Community Roastery & Coffee Bar at Hamilton Road focuses on their specialty coffee offerings; the specialty coffee served here being espresso-based specialty coffee, hand brews and Aeropress — there are also a variety of bakes that are sourced from other local establishments such as Pelle & Pepe and Sarah’s Loft based on information that can be obtained online. Having visited The Community Roastery & Coffee Bar over the years at both their Far East Plaza outlet and their location at Chinatown along Upper Cross Street, we have since had a preference to go with the Hand Brew at The Community Roastery & Coffee Bar considering how they know their stuff and also the pride which they have over the coffee beans that they have roasted. At The Community Roastery & Coffee Bar’s location at Hamilton Road, they serve up one blend of coffee beans for their espresso-based specialty coffee offerings, whilst offering four different blends of coffee beans for patrons to choose from if they are opting for Aeropress, Hand Brew and Espresso Set items. We found ourselves opting for the blend categorised as the “Pinnacle” for the day that we had made our visit — the Monteblanco Gesha, which is described as a “competition-worthy coffee” that carries “unique flavour experiences”. Sure enough, the Hand Brew prepared using the Monteblanco Gesha blend of beans carries a light floral aroma, with a lingering tea-like fragrance and a clean finish; quite a complex flavour profile compared to the usual cuppa but not that difficult to understand. We had also tried the Coffee Kombucha, which we were told was prepared using a process that comprises of a first fermentation involving the use of green tea, and a subsequent that involves that of coffee using that Monteblanco blends of beans — this turned out to be light and tangy; delightful and easy to drink with a slight fizziness. The Pistachio Tart that was stocked up in their display fridge is sourced from Sarah’s Loft, and comprises of elements such as Pistachio-almond Cream, Creme Patissiere, Freeze Dried Strawberries; a tart that seems to consist of a frangipane layer for a firmer texture and a nutty note whilst coming with smooth and rich cream that gels the tangy bits of freeze-dried strawberries with the other elements. The Community Roastery & Coffee Bar might not be a place suited for those looking for a cafe that serves up a full range of food and pastries, but they had always been know to be knowledgeable in coffee and the art of brewing a good cuppa — this makes them one of the establishments more serious on their specialty coffee offerings, and is also one spot that seems to be also focus on providing the masses with coffee education through exposure of different origins / types of beans, as well a the various brewing methods used. With such expertise behind the name, The Community Roastery & Coffee Bar is definitely a spot that is to be added to the list for any coffee enthusiasts to check out; would like to also take the opportunity to congratulate the folks behind The Community Roastery & Coffee Bar on their new outlet, and wishing them all the best in the things that is to come in the future!

Chicken, pork Chicken > pork. Pork slightly dry. Comes w rice, refillable miso soup, 2 ebi (so fresh), 2 fried oysters (my partner says this is good), 2 karaage (not crispy/hot)

Burpple Beyond Set (~save $39.90) Embark on the ultimate feast at Onkei Tonkatsu with their $39.90 Burpple Beyond Set! Dive into 2 delectable Ebi & Rosu Katsu sets, Tori Karaage, Fried Oysters, and more. Treat yourself and a companion to a delightful dining experience! Pic by: Burppler Julius Lim

Breakfast funnel rosti ($19.80), Proscuitto ham rosti ($21) Nett prices. 20% off 2 mains only on Burpple deal. Mostly rosti, breakfast & drinks not included. Poached eggs were plain but rosti were crispy. Can request for sour cream.

Each coupon can only be used for 2 mains Each coupon is exclusive to two mains. Cannot stack the coupons for usage I.e. cannot use non-weekday coupons if you are already using .

Brazil coffee seed ☕️

3/5 5 January 2025 Oat White 3/5 White 3/5 Chai Latte 4/5 Cookie 3/5

coffee at anagram ordered the iced black and iced white from anagram and it was alright for the price, the iced white was too milky imo. the male staff was quite black-faced for some reason throughout but overall, the cafe aesthetics were rlly pretty & not bad to stop by if around the area for 1-for-1.

Great coffee in the hood! [QUEENSTOWN, SINGAPORE] One look at this coffee and I know it's gonna be good 😋 finally been to this small but aesthetic cafe that serves up pretty quality brew! Their Iced Latte ☕ ($7) had a good chocolate caramel flavour with hints of fragrant maple which I liked 😍 it's quite a big cup and I thoroughly enjoyed it till the last drop. The Iced Black ☕ ($6.50) was different, as it was smooth with a light tartness. Not too acidic as well. Definitely refreshing! What's even better is that it's available 1 for 1 on #burpplebeyond. This is a coffee I can imagine myself getting if I work around the area. As seats are quite limited, maybe it's better to come and order take away!

30% Off 2 Pizza/Pasta (Saved ~$16.50) 25% Off Total Bill (Saved ~$12.50) 1-for-1: Appetiser (Saved ~$23) 1-for-1: Drinks (Saved ~$12) Italian Food blended with familar Asian flavors ⁉️ At @picolino.sg, indulge in your favourite Italian foods with extra flair ✨ The perfect place to share comforting meals together with loved ones 🥰 With #BurppleBeyond, enjoy 🥗 1-for-1 Appetiser 🥤 1-for-1 Drinks 🍝 30% Off 2 Pizza/Pasta 🧾 25% Off Total Bill

30% off only applies to one dish Food was pretty good, ambience was relaxed and peaceful as the mall wasn’t too busy. Just to note that the Burpple Beyond “30% off 2 pasta/pizza” actually means 30% off ONE of the pasta/pizza (lower priced item) with minimum purchase of two. I gave feedback to the staff to change the wording of the Burpple voucher as I feel it incorrectly represents the deal. Our carbonara actually had a ~2cm eggshell in it, but the staff apologised when they noticed it on our empty plates. They even gave us a free lava cake as compensation, which I thought was very good service recovery - since they initiated it on their own (we didn’t make any noise, didn’t even bring the eggshell issue up, they were the ones that saw it and could’ve pretended not to see it, but acknowledged it).

20% Off Pizza/Pasta (Mon-Thu) (save ~$10) Savour unique and interesting pizza flavours at Picolino with Burpple Beyond's 20% Off Pizza/Pasta (Mon-Thu) deal! Be adventurous and try their Picolino's Laksa, a never-seen-before Singaporean pizza or opt for a more classic option, their Picolino's Margherita. 📸: Photo by Burppler Russell Leong

Where Japanese Comfort Food Meets a Relaxed Izakaya Vibe Shukuu Izakaya nails the cosy izakaya experience with warm lighting and a relaxed setting that encourages sharing and lingering over food. The Kani Gratin impressed with its creamy texture and generous crab meat, baked to a golden finish without feeling too heavy. The Chikuwa Chizu no Isobeage was light and crisp, with a satisfying chew and subtle cheesiness that made it surprisingly addictive. Comforting Japanese flavours, well executed dishes, and an atmosphere that makes you want to come back for more.

Amazing Izakaya with just the right vibes This Izakaya gives the exact vibe as the ones I visited in Japan, really loved the decorations and environment. Ordered multiple dishes like Parmesan Chizu Chips, Buta Minced Katsu, Bacon Asparagus, Chicken Softbone Skewers, Kani Gratin and Chikuwa Chizu no Isobeage. The Minced Katsu lived up to its name of being a favorite with it's unique concept, Parmesan Chizu Chips was crispy and simply the best I've had in ages and they went well with their honey dip. Lastly, I was very impressed with the softbone skewers as it seems to go well with any dish due to its distinctive chewy texture. Definitely will recommend!!

An Izakaya You’ll Want to Gatekeep (But Won’t) Had such a great dinner at Shukuu Izakaya! The Maguro Yukke was super addictive, the Rosti Mentai was so fun to slurp like noodles, and the Ika Kuro-age was unbelievably tender. Even the Tori Cabbage Tsuyu won me over (and I don’t even like vegetables usually). Will 100% be back!

Spicy Salmon Taco Sushi Paya Lebar Square’s Cantine food court Har never been a place that particularly caught our attention in the past whenever we are looking for a spot to dine at around the Paya Lebar area — that being said, the Cantine food court had recently been through a round of revamp that gives it a brand new look. The food court definitely looks less tired and worn out, with a whole new layout which differs from what it used to be pre-renovation; there also seems to be some sort of effort being placed in the curation of the stalls operating within the food court — with interesting tenants like Kim Dae Bak Korean Restaurant serving Korean cuisine, as well as Flips N Dips that serves up western cuisine. Tokyo Ekiben is the stall they serves up Japanese cuisine here — it is also worth noting that the stall is being operating by Muslims behind the counter. Tokyo Ekiben’s menu does comprise of several items that are typical of Japanese cuisine stalls located in food courts that are run by other operators all across the island — think Donburi as well as Bento items. That being said, what stands out for Tokyo Ekiben that makes them a little more unique than other Japanese cuisine stalls around is how their menu also features items such as Okonomiyaki, Taco Sushi and Oyster Party — not an entirely new concept considering how we are aware that Kenji Taco Sushi at the Kopitiam food court in Northpoint City actually Carrie’s those items, though such fare is still considerably unheard of in the local food scene especially in a food court setting. Since it was the Taco Sushi offerings that got ourselves fairly intrigued to make a visit down to Tokyo Ekiben to give them a try, it was needless to say that our attention was placed on the various items being listed in the Taco Sushi category of the menu whilst skimming through the menu to see what they have to offer. We did notice that there are some rather interesting variants of the Taco Sushi being offered at Tokyo Ekiben — this includes the Kabocha Korokke which the menu describes as “Fried Prawn Taco Sushi”; with all being said, we still went ahead with the tested-and-proven variant that is likely to be the safest variant of all that they have to offer. The Spicy Salmon Taco Sushi unfortunately bears an erroneous description that seems to be copied over from the Mentai Prawn Taco Sushi (the description being “Mentai Prawn Taco Sushi”); that being said, we did observe elements such as lettuce, corn nibs, sesame seeds, Takuan (i.e. Japanese yellow pickled radish), cucmbers, diced salmon cubes, mayonnaise, spicy mayonnaise and sushi rice that are all encased in between the fried Nori (i.e. Japanese seaweed sheets). One could observe the preparation process from the counter — these are apparently flame-torched after assembly that gives it an “aburi” sort of vibe. We were glad that they used unflavoured Nori for the taco shell — this also meant that the Taco Sushi here comes with a more balanced saltiness as opposed to those that uses flavoured Nori sheets that are more snack-like in nature (think Tao Kae Noi); one can indeed observe the brown batter that covers part of the seaweed that also keeps its curved shape to hold everything that is in between. The Japanese short-grain rice that lines the bottom of the deep-fried Nori comes slightly sweetened with vinegar; the flavours being what one would expect out of typical sushi rice. The mix of mayonnaise was supposed to make the lettuce gel with the deep-fried Nori and whatever else were to come above it, though we did feel that it wouldn’t have been too different if they used the spicy mayonnaise that is being topped off on the diced salmon sashimi anyway. Various elements in the mix like the lettuce, corn nibs and Takuan; adds a bit of bite and a crunch for a more wholesome feel. Meanwhile, the cubes of raw sashimi could be said to have come with a decent quality — we aren’t exactly expecting top-notch quality especially considering the setting and the price tag which we are paying for, and this turns out to resonate well with the price tag quoted. The spicy mayonnaise carries evident notes of Sansho peppers, though should also be suitable even for those whom have lighter tolerance to spiciness. At $9.20, the Spicy Salmon Taco Sushi is the highest-priced Taco Sushi offering at Tokyo Ekiben; the more affordable options are priced at $6.90. Given the rarity of such items all around, we would say that Tokyo Ekiben’s range of Taco Sushi is worth giving a go for the curious especially if one were to be around Paya Lebar looking to settle for something a slightly out of the ordinary.

Interesting flavours Good drinks - matcha and pandan iced coffees

Jeju Matcha Green Tea ($5.20) (+$1 for oat milk) hmmm I felt that oat milk covered up matcha green tea latte too much already. I barely can taste matcha green tea already so I don't like oat milk taste too much. The staff give me a free croissant for drink.

busan sea salt cream latte the gradient is so pretty🌊🫶🏼 this was really creamy and tasted really good despite the artificial looking blue tint!

Orange Mikan Sandwich Fruits Cafe Tokio is likely one of those names that one might find that rings a bell somewhere but can’t quite point their fingers at when thinking about the place where they had heard about the brand name from — not something that is particularly surprising however, considering how Fruits Cafe Tokio is after all a name that one can only find within Isetan department store. Its most notable outlet is probably the one that is located at Isetan Scotts, which is located at the basement level and is best known for serving up fruit juices and soft-serve ice-cream. That being said, it seems that the revamp of Isetan at NEX had brought Fruits Cafe Tokio into the outlet of the Japanese department store — Fruits Cafe Tokio has a space that is dedicated to selling both fresh fruits as well as fruit-based desserts and beverages there. While Fruits Cafe Tokio had previously been known to be an entirely takeaway concept, it seems that they had decided to include a dine-in space that is dedicated to their patrons at Isetan NEX; the dine-in space isn’t particularly huge, but the area does boast of both usual dining table and chairs as well as a bar counter area for patrons to enjoy the fruits and / or fruit-based desserts on-the-spot. Given how there is a dine-in concept at this outlet, the menu at Fruits Cafe Tokio’s location in Isetan NEX does comprise of a wider variety of items than what is available at Isetan Scotts — this includes a selection of fruit jellies and Annin Tofu-based desserts, as well as fruit sandwiches and cheesecakes that are pre-packaged and stocked in the display fridge at the back of the kiosk. The menu also features a variety of hand rolling crepes, though these were tagged as “sold out” along with all the other soft-serve flavours with the exception of the vanilla flavour soft-serve which remains in-stock. Fruits Cafe Tokio does provide patrons with quite a few variants of fruit sandwiches to choose from; fruit sandwiches which we had noticed being stocked in the display fridge during our visit to the their Isetan NEX location includes renditions such as the Orange Mikan Sandwich, Mango Sandwich and Strawberry Sandwich — all of them being soft, white bread with pastry cream and the said fruits being sandwiched in between. It is also noted that all fruit sandwiches here come in a portion of two pieces each; our choice would be for the Orange Mikan Sandwich since we pretty much liked the texture of orange pulp matched against that of white bread. We are not sure how long these were packaged for before we eventually decided to purchase them when we made our visit there during late afternoon; that being said, one thing particularly stark about the white bread was how it seemed to have been a little dry – pretty much lost most of its moisture whilst sitting in the fridge. The overall texture of the bread can only be described as rather odd and not something we really enjoyed, since the bread also does seemed compressed nearer towards where he pastry cream and fruits are; not quite as light and fluffy with sufficient moisture as what we would have expected. That being said, the pastry cream does seem to attempt to gel everything together by adding a smooth and creamy texture with a hint of sweetness that brings the bread together with the fruit; the pulpy Orange Mikan comes all juicy as one chews onto the sandwich – we liked how it wasn’t too sour here with just the right tang for sufficient flavour. We had also tried the Strawberry Jelly Annin; for those whom are not aware, the Annin refers to the white layer beneath the strawberry jelly, which is essentially what some would call almond tofu. The strawberry jelly carried a light tang with actual slices of fruit to chew on; further adds on to the texture of the dessert, while the Annin does carry a very subtle note — the Strawberry Jelly Annin being an item that would likely appeal to those whom like their desserts less sweet in general. Most of the fruit-based desserts are priced around the ranges of $6 to $7; the exception being the cheesecakes which costs slightly above $10. Overall, nothing much to shout about, though it does present itself as a decent choice for desserts that are seemingly of a healthier option to go for at a convenient location in the heartlands.