Welcome to Chinatown.

There does seem to be quite a fair bit of talk on social media on the opening of Daily Artisan & Bakery at People’s Park Complex recently — these folks took over the former premises of the now-defunct Dough Magic outlet that was situated within the shopping gallery of the building itself. The establishment is decked in a format where it has a dual frontage — one side of which caters to those whom are taking away their various bread offerings, while the other has a counter that features an espresso machine; one can also find a small dine-in area at this side which patrons can use to enjoy their purchased bakes from Daily Artisan & Bakery on the spot. Daily Artisan & Bakery’s offerings include a wide variety of breads and pastries, though the emphasis here based on social media posts about the establishment does seem to revolve around their rose-infused pastries typical of those that one would find in Yunnan, China — there is also a focus on sourdough based on the marketing collaterals describing about sourdough in general as well. Beverages available at Daily Artisan & Bakery are split into categories dedicated to Coffee, Fruit Drinks & More.

Not sure if it was due to strong demand or if the establishment was ill-prepared but we did find it rather appalling that Daily Artisan & Bakery had only five (5) items available when we dropped by on a weekday early afternoon after lunch; of which the quantity levels of most of the items that they have to offer are also running quite low. It is also noted that none of the items available were part of the listed Popular Pick and Best Seller items as shown in their marketing collaterals. The Seasalt Anchor Butter Roll was one of the few items that were still in stock at the time that we had visited Daily Artisan & Bakery. This felt like an item that felt particularly uninspiring amidst all the hype surrounding Shio Pans of the late — whilst many establishments around seem to be serving up Shio Pans in their own style that distinguished their offerings from that of other similar establishments, the version served up at Daily Artisan & Bakery felt quite run-of-the-mill and forgettable otherwise. The bread does come in a lighter consistency than most other Shio Pans we have had elsewhere with a bit of tension to pull apart, but aside from the buttery notes with some salt crystals that attempted to enhance the flavours of the bread further, the lack of a toasted bottom made this felt more like a soft roll than actually a Shio Pan. Seemingly a soulless establishment if one strips it away of its rose-infused specialty bakes out of its menu.

Had been noticing the existence of Hainan Gor Singapore Curry Rice whilst going around Chinatown Complex Food Centre for a while now — these folks are located in the red zone of the food centre; the stall being situated in the same row of stalls where one can find other notable stalls such as Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap 金记潮州卤鸭. The stall does seem to have recently made their efforts to market on social media of the late, having started an Instagram account after starting business for some time. As the namesake of the stall suggests, Hainan Gor Singapore Curry Rice serves up Singapore-style curry rice; most notably in the Hainanese-style. The menu at Hainan Gor Singapore Curry Rice does include both pre-defined sets where patrons can simply opt for a fixed combination of elements to come with their order of the Singapore-style curry rice — otherwise, patrons whom wish to mix-and-match are also free to pick and choose their desired components to suit their preferences; the prices of each of the ingredients are shown transparently via a decal on the display shelf.

While Hainan Gor Singapore Curry Rice does not describe the various elements that comes with their various Singapore Curry Rice sets, it can be observed from our order of the Signature 4 Treasures Set that the set comes with elements such as Pork Chop, Lu Rou (i.e braised pork belly), braised vegetables and sunny side-up — all coming atop a bed of white rice, whilst it is also being drenched with a mix of braised gravy and curry gravy as well. One thing worth noting about the curry itself at Hainan Gor Singapore Curry Rice against that which is being served by other establishments is how their curry isn’t quite as starchy, gooey or dense — despite so, the curry does come with quite a thick consistency and a rich flavour profile which somehow also felt lighter without being overwhelming despite the deep savouriness brought on by the braised gravy. Between the Pork Chop and the Lu Rou, our choice would lean closer to the Pork Chop — these seemed to be tenderised to a thin slab and came with a crisp batter; the slightly reddish hue seemingly hints of the used
of fermented beancurd in its preparation to add an umami note to the pork that does not come greasy nor with any undesirable porky stench. The Lu Rou was pretty well executed nonetheless; coming with a balance of leaner and fattier parts that have absorbed the flavours of the braising liquid for a deep savouriness without any undesirable porky stench as well. While the braised vegetables were soft with a light crunch and came with a mild savouriness that makes things fairly balanced against the rice and meats, we were quite impressed with how the sunny side-up was prepared almost à la minute with crisp golden edges, a runny egg yolk and soft whites — all that with a slight drizzle of dark soy sauce for an extra flavour.

Despite being in the local F&B scene for a relatively shorter period of time as compared to most other “veteran” cafes out there, butter tgt has pretty much become quite a notable establishment especially when it comes to the bakes that they serve up. These folks had started out being a home-based business named You Knead Cakes before they had turned into butter tgt with their very first physical cafe that is located at 76A Duxton Road. They had most recently moved out from the said premises and is now located in a larger space with a prominent road-facing frontage within a shophouse unit situated at 55 Neil Road within walking distance from Maxwell MRT Station along the Thomson-East Coast Line. The space was formerly occupied by Sinchon Singapore; a Korean restaurant that had since ceased operations. It does seem that butter tgt has done quite a fair bit of work to revamp its space to partially replicate the vibes of its former location, though the entire vibe is fresher and brighter that results in a pretty warm and inviting space with a Japandi vibe. With the bigger space, butter tgt seems to have expanded their menu past their usual selections of Bakes & Sweets; available on the menu now would also be Brunch dishes served only from 9am to 3pm, as well as Mains and Pastas from 12 noon onwards. They also do serve up side dishes for sharing under the To Share section of the menu.

The Garlic Maitake Spaghetti is an item that is one of the few items that are being listed under the Pasta section of the menu — served from 12 noon, the Garlic Maitake Spaghetti is described in the online POS system to come with elements such as Maitake mushrooms, Togarashi (i.e. Japanese chili powder) and Parmigiano. Digging into the Garlic Maitake Spaghetti, it does seem that the Garlic Maitake Spaghetti is their iteration of an Aglio Olio offering with their own twist. The spaghetti noodles was done al-dente with a good bite — all of it being tossed in a mix of olive oil and garlic for silkier texture and quite a garlicky note that provides much of the aromatics for the dish; we did feel that they could go easier on the olive oil as it does feel a little greasy after a while. Whilst the folks at butter tgt didn’t use bird’s eye chili for the Garlic Maitake Spaghetti, they did go with the use of Togarashi — this does not provide that much of a spicy kick to the pasta as it would be if they had used bird’s eye chili, but it does certainly add an aesthetic touch with the chili powder adding specks of red to the pasta for a visual impact. The Maitake mushrooms are soft with a good bite with edges being slightly crisp as though it was blow-torched before being plated onto the pasta; provides a hint of earthiness, while the shreds of Parmigiano adds a touch of savouriness to the pasta.

Chinatown for food! Ee Mian at Yi Xin Vegetarian today 🤩 Heh Heh love the variety of things I have on my plate 😎 Noodles especially chewy and easy to swallow plus the crispy stuff, ooOoo 😋 yum yum

Fully vegetarian with no alliums. Vegan options are available as well 🫶

Conveniently located near Chinatown MRT Exit 🅰️

Highly recommended for its economical and delicious vegetarian choices 💯

Was going around Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre and noticed quite a lot of changes amongst the tenants in the red zone especially around the same area as where one can find notable establishments such as that of Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap 金记潮州卤鸭. Whilst most of the newer tenants seem to lack the ability to draw much attention, New Horse Noodles 新马干捞面 did manage to pique our interest — this is a fairly new stall that is situated beside the outlet of AiXin Wanton Noodle 爱心云吞面 there; located right at the corner, the stall is right behind Ding Dang Pan Mian 丁当板面 and has a facade that faces the HDB blocks at Sago Lane. Run by two (2) young hawkerpreneurs, New Horse Noodles specialises in serving up Handmade Hakka Yong Tau Foo alongside Malaysian-style dark sauce noodles that are also handmade in-house; there seems to be quite an emphasis on handmade components that suggest its sincerity to serve patrons their best and their passion for the craft that they try to serve up.

Priced at $6.50, the Handmade Hakka Yong Tau Foo Set does feature a bowl of Malaysian-style dark sauce noodles that comes with crispy pork lard and fried shallots; it also does come with a bowl of soup on the side which comes with elements such as corn on cob and carrots — Yong Tau Foo elements here will include the Tau Kee (beancurd skin), stuffed bittergourd, stuffed tofu and stuffed tofu puff. Giving the bowl of noodles a good toss before digging in, we note that there is sufficient black sauce to go around all of the noodles — considering how the noodles are handmade, we did notice how the noodles do not come with any alkaline-y notes that are typical of commercially-made yellow noodles; the noodles also do carry a springy and bouncy texture with a bit of chew whilst the dark sauce provides much of the slightly sweet and savoury notes. The addition of pork lard also gives it an extra umami note against that of the dark sauce, while the crispy pork lard adds a crunch to provide a bit of a textural variance to the bowl of noodles. The bowl of soup was pretty refreshing in contrast; there is a lingering note of natural sweetness coming from the inclusion of corn and carrots whilst it ends off with a clean finish. The handmade Yong Tau Foo pieces are said to be stuffed with a mix of pork and seafood filling — there is no undesirable porky stench that came along with them, while the proportion of pork does give the pieces a good bite. Don’t forget to dip the Yong Tau Foo pieces into their chili sauce that they provide on the side; this does come zippy and zingy with a gingery note typically found in the chili that usually accompanies Hainanese-style Chicken Rice, though we liked how it wasn’t overly infused with calamansi juice to avoid carrying that heavy tang that comes at the back that one might experience with some Hainanese-style Chicken Rice chili out there.

[Chinatown, Singapore 🇸🇬]

8 pieces of made in house Yong tau foo which includes bitter gourd, egg plant, fried fish cake, bean curd, fish cake, stuffed bean curd skin, fish ball.
S$6

Xiu Ji Ikan Bilis Yong Tau Fu
Address : 335 Smith St, #02-88, Singapore 🇸🇬 050335
Open : 5am - 1.30pm

Vegetarian at Lian Xin Vegetarian in Buddha Tooth Relic Temple 🏠

Got myself a Fish Sliced Bee Hoon with Dim Sumsss 🥟 Crystal Dumplings and Siew Mai ‼️ Strong milky taste soup with ingredients hiding beneath such as tomato, yam and cabbage 😋 Crystal Dumplings and Siew Mai are good additions to supplement the overall meal 🫶

Fully aircon and fully vegetarian. Vegan options available as well. Please check with staff before ordering.

Conveniently located opposite Maxwell MRT 🚉

Highly recommended for you if you want to experience what is it like to be in a fully air-conditioned vegetarian coffeeshop ✌️

~ What we had ~

Starters: Soupe a l'Oignon\Classic French Onion Soup
Mains: Joue De Boeuf\Red Wine Braised Beef Cheek with Mashed Potato, Grilled Lamb Rack
Dessert: Tarte Fine Aux Pommes\Signature Apple Tart

~ Verdict ~

Starters: Surprisingly good. Beef stock was flavourful. The only downside was the bread was slightly overtoasted. 🧅🍲
Mains: Beef cheek was tender and the portion was quite generous! However, it can get quite "jelak" towards the end. The lamb rack definitely outshone the beef dish. 🥩🍖
Dessert: The signature dish. Highlight was the crust. 🍎🥧

Vegetarian at Lian Xin Vegetarian in Buddha Tooth Relic Temple 🏠

Got myself a Fish Sliced Bee Hoon with Dim Sumsss 🥟 Crystal Dumplings and Siew Mai ‼️ Strong milky taste soup with ingredients hiding beneath such as tomato, yam and cabbage 😋 Crystal Dumplings and Siew Mai are good additions to supplement the overall meal 🫶

Fully aircon and fully vegetarian. Vegan options available as well. Please check with staff before ordering.

Conveniently located opposite Maxwell MRT 🚉

Highly recommended for you if you want to experience what is it like to be in a fully air-conditioned vegetarian coffeeshop ✌️

Bagels in Singapore? 🤔 not surprising BUT Vegan Bagels hmmmm 🧐 Ahimsa Sanctuary has burritos, bagels, sourdoughs and so much more for your choosing 😍

I got myself a Egg Bacon and Cheese Bagel 🥯 Feel like a child eating this as one bite, and everything inside starts dropping on my plate HAHAHAHA 🤣 Taste wise? Its delicious, tempeh tofu and the sauce, simply 😋😋

Vegan restaurant with no alliums option available. Vibes is giving overseas 🫶

Conveniently located near Maxwell MRT, somewhere by the roadside.

Highly recommended for a short lunch getaway here during work or even weekends 🥳

Traditional Beijing Fried Sauce Ramen 🍜 🤔🤔 Zha Jiang Mian for the win 🥳 in D Life Chinatown.

Classic appearance, simple ingredients with just minced meat, lettuce, fried beancurd and the zha jiang sauce 🤓 Taste blends well with each other, awesome dish 🙌

Vegetarian restaurant with eggless and vegan options available.

Conveniently located in Chinatown Point from Chinatown MRT Exit E.

Highly recommended for the Chinese Delights that they serve here 😍

Vegetarian at Lian Xin Vegetarian in Buddha Tooth Relic Temple 🏠

Got myself a Fish Sliced Bee Hoon with Dim Sumsss 🥟 Crystal Dumplings and Siew Mai ‼️ Strong milky taste soup with ingredients hiding beneath such as tomato, yam and cabbage 😋 Crystal Dumplings and Siew Mai are good additions to supplement the overall meal 🫶

Fully aircon and fully vegetarian. Vegan options available as well. Please check with staff before ordering.

Conveniently located opposite Maxwell MRT 🚉

Highly recommended for you if you want to experience what is it like to be in a fully air-conditioned vegetarian coffeeshop ✌️