Welcome to Hillview.

The folks at Desert Dessert don’t seem to be resting on their laurels of the late especially after the opening of their brand new location at Siglap right after the closure of their founding outlet in Ang Mo Kio — it does seem that the brand is undergoing a revamp to progress towards the next phase. Their newest location is situated at HillV2 which is a short walking distance away from Hillview MRT Station — they had taken over the former premises of the now-defunct Kaijou on the ground level of the mall. This would be Desert Dessert’s largest location yet as compared to their locations at Ang Mo Kio, Lengkok Bahru and Hillview. In terms of the branding of their HillV2 location, this outlet is decked in a way that is more aligned towards the image that they have adopted since the opening of their Siglap location. With the opening of their HillV2 location, brunch dishes make a return to the menu at Desert Dessert at this outlet — the menu is split into sections dedicated to DD Signatures, Salads & Bowls, Egg & Toast and Sides & Extra; this would be on top of the range of cakes and gelato that its other locations serves up.

The Chili Crab Soft Scrambled Eggs on Toast is one of the dishes that had caught our attention whilst skinning through the menu; this is an item that is listed under the DD Signatures section of the menu, and is a dish that is described on the menu to come with elements such as soft scrambled eggs and pistachio milk bread. It is not difficult to notice from the menu at Desert Dessert that there does seem to be quite an emphasis on the use of Pistachio as a core ingredient in its various offerings, and that the pistachio milk bread itself is also an element that is widely used in their other brunch dishes as well. The pistachio milk bread from Desert Dessert does seem to bear a consistency that is slightly more similar to that of a Focaccia; a little more airy and spongey on the inside, though it does feel more moist and softer than a typical Focaccia at the same time. One could also note the swirls of green amidst the bread that comes from the use of pistachio in the making of the bread, though this doesn’t seem to add much to the bread flavour-wise and especially so considering how the drenching of the chili crab sauce pretty much made the bread even softer and also easily covered off most of the flavours of the bread itself. The scrambled eggs that comes atop the bread was soft and fluffy, while the chili crab sauce does come with a hint of sweetness, tanginess and light hint of spiciness that should be manageable for those whom are tolerable to lower levels of spiciness — replicates the flavours of the local favourite dish pretty well and even comes with wisps of egg white that gives it the correct look. There are some cherry tomatoes found atop the sauce that also helps add a refreshing, tangy burst to the Chili Crab Soft Scrambled Eggs on Toast.

Old-timers around the local F&B scene would probably find this name pretty familiar — established in 1997, Chilli Padi is a dining establishment that is first founded at Kim Tian Road. The brand has come a long way since; whilst their Kim Tian Road location has since ceased operations a long time back, Chilli Padi has continued to make its mark in the Singapore F&B scene with the operations of their Chili Padi Nonya Restaurant in Joo Chiat all these years — there is also the now-defunct Chilli Padi Nonya Cafe that used to operate within National University of Singapore’s campus at Heng Mui Keng Terrace that had shuttered in February 2026. With the closure of Chilli Padi Nonya Cafe, Chilli Padi has found new digs within The Rail Mall for its latest concept named Chilli Padi Tok Panjang — they occupy the same space that was once occupied by the now-defunct Yoshi Yakiniku and Hitoyoshi Mart there. Focusing on Peranakan fare like how the brand has always been, Chilli Padi Tok Panjang is all about communal dining with traditional Nonya flavours — the menu being segmented into sections dedicated to Appetisers, Soups, Meat Specialty, Ocean Catch, Vegetables, Signature Staple and Sweet Delight. These folks also do serve up a Lunch Exclusive Heritage Signatures menu from 11am to 2pm that would work well for individual diners as well.

We dropped by Chilli Padi Tok Panjang on a weekday afternoon and found ourselves ordering the Stir-Fried Mee Siam from the Lunch Exclusive Heritage Signatures menu — Chilli Padi Tok Panjang does serve up a portion size of the dish that is more suited for communal dining as well in the Signature Staple section of its own menu; the version in the Lunch Exclusive Heritage Signatures menu is one that is individually-portioned for a single diner. Based on the description provided for the dish in the Signature Staple section of the menu, the Stir-Fried Mee Siam features elements such as stir-fried vermicelli, Taucheo (i.e. salted, fermented soybean paste), Assam and home-made sambal. Going straight for the Stir-Fried Mee Siam, we definitely enjoyed the saltish and umami notes from the Taucheo that provided a contrast of flavours of the sour tang from the Assam; the stir-fried vermicelli carrying a consistent note of both flavours all the way throughout the entire portion of the dish. Amidst those flavours would be the spiciness coming from the home-made sambal that came at a level of spiciness that should be comfortable for those whom are tolerable to lower levels of spiciness. Coming along with the dish would be some bits of beancurd puffs that provided a textural contrast, fried hard-boiled egg and prawns; the prawns being pretty fresh and carrying a naturally sweet note typical of crustaceans on its own as well.

I don't usually trust cheap mac & cheese, but gave Timbre a chance. Unsurprisingly, it's basic, but not awful lah.

It's sentimental to stumble upon this again. Memories of university days. The first fusion pizza I knew. Here it's a convenient size.

Was scrolling around the phone and got to learn about the existence of The Artisan’s Table at The Rail Mall; these folks are located around the same stretch of shop where one can find establishments such as the outlet of Ya Kun Kaya Toast and the outlet of Luckin Coffee there. A relatively new addition to The Rail Mall, The Artisan’s Table is a little bit of a grocer-cum-cafe concept — there are retail shelves dedicated to the sale of imported food items on the left of the space whilst most of the dining furniture are placed in the middle of the entire establishment. The menu at The Artisan’s Table is largely restricted to Pizza and Focaccia Italian Sandwiches; there is also a line-up of pastries and cakes stocked up in the fridge, while they also do offer Cream Tea sets paired with scones and also gelato on the menu as well. Beverages served up at The Artisan’s Table includes tea, specialty coffee and drinking chocolate.

Having made our visit to The Artisan’s Table for their range of pizzas, we found ourselves opting for the Mortadella Pizza. This is being described to come with elements such as Fior di latte, mortadella, pesto, burrata and arugula — it is also noted that the pizzas at The Artisan’s Table are served with a thin crust. Taking a bite into one slice of the pizza, it is undeniable that the crust of the the pizza is the highlight here with the crust being light, airy and crisp — definitely the type in which that doesn’t get too jelak nor felt too dense. The portion of the toppings atop the pizza does come pretty apt; the combination of Fior di latte and burrata does give a milky and cheesy note to the pizza — this topped above the mortadella that is essentially the ham that also features nibs of pistachio within. Whilst coming with the savoury notes that one would typically expect out of ham, this was not too saltish — all that whilst the pesto helps to add a herb-y zing that cuts through the carbs, meat and cheese alongside with the slight bitterness of arugula that helps to provide a flavour contrast to the pizza.

Had been a while since we last visited Timbre+ Hillview in the compounds of the new CMPB and it does seem like there has been some new stalls added to the food court since our last visit. Of particular note would be the addition of Fukushin; these folks would be neighbours with the outlet of Ramen Taisho that is located there as well. Fukushin can be described as a Japanese food stall that one can find within coffeeshops, food courts and hawker centres. Fukushin can be identified through its neat signboard that features three of the dishes that it has to offer; the menu served up at Fukushin is split into categories such as that of Curry Rice, Udon, Hotplate Set and Bento.

Skimming through the menu board, the Curry Rice offerings did stand out quite a fair bit for us considering how all of its Curry Rice offerings illustrated on its menu does come with a “tornado egg”. It does turn out that patrons can choose to either have the Curry Rice without the tornado egg as well; the tornado egg being listed as a sub-item of the main dish in the menu, with price being at a one dollar mark-up from the main item that does not feature the tornado egg. We found ourselves going for the Pork Katsu Curry Rice (with Omelette). On first sight, portion size of the dish does come generously with the mound of rice being blanketed by the tornado egg; all that with a pool of Japanese curry that surrounds the rice — the Japanese curry also does come with chunks of root vegetables such as potatoes and curry. Digging into the Pork Katsu Curry Rice (with Omelette), the tornado egg does provide for quite the aesthetic and was soft and fluffy; all whilst still being sufficiently moist at the same time. The Japanese short-grain rice that accompanied the dish was on-point; pearly, and a little sticky — this went well with the Japanese curry which was in itself served in a pretty generous portion size; sufficient to go with the entire portion of rice even when one douses quite a fair bit of it onto the rice — the Japanese curry carrying the typical flavours of curry spices accompanied with the slightly earthy and sweet notes that generally is expected out of Japanese curry without being in any way spicy. The pork cutlet is breaded and deep-fried; thought this was decent considering how the pork cutlet mainly featured more leaner cuts of meat; much similar to those that come with Hainanese-style curry rice whilst carrying a note of sweetness without any undesirable porky stench.

Matcha & Yuzu Madeleine w/ Roku GinGlaze

($4.90)

Black Forest Financier w/Krish

($4.90)

Brown Butter & Organic Vanilla Madeleine

($3.80)

Lemon & Yuzu Madeleine

($4.90) I decided to go "safe" flavour tbh as the weather always keep changing. Got strong lemon and yuzu aftertaste.

($3.50) quite dry aftertaste but still havee hint of chocolate aftertaste.

Whilst the compounds of the newly-relocated CMPB has been opened to the public for a couple of months by now, there hasn’t been much talk about the F&B concepts that are within its premises during this period of time. Timbre+ is the operator of the food court within CMPB’s premises — whilst there are still quite a number of empty stalls within the food court, the food court has seen quite a number of tenants moving into the premises in recent months; some notable ones would include an outlet of Munchi Pancakes, and an outlet of Ramen Taisho as well. It was the opening of 57 Nasi L🤍vemak at Timbre+ Hillview that caught our attention; these folks are located right beside the outlet of Munchi Pancakes there and is pretty much a new name to the local F&B scene here. We do have an inkling that 57 Nasi L🤍vemak is an establishment that attempts to serve up Malaysian-style Nasi Lemak but with a little bit of a twist; these folks do serve up their Nasi Lemak with different types of meat / seafood options which includes fried / BBQ chicken, Saba Fish, Salmon and Fried Fish Fillet. It is worth nothing that 57 Nasi L🤍vemak is likely a Christian-owned business since most of the menu items does carry names like “Daily Bread”, “Blessed”, “Faith”, “The Good Shepherd” and “Promised”. The stall does also serve up a line-up of Side Dish, as well as also carrying its own Drink menu.

Skimming through the menu when we were at the stall, we found ourselves going for the Living Water Salmon Nasi Lemak considering how Nasi Lemak and salmon aren’t quite a commonly-found combination around the island at least. 57 Nasi L🤍vemak does not describe the elements that come along with their dishes. That being said, we did observe from our order that the Living Water Salmon Nasi Lemak does come with grilled salmon, anchovies, penauts, sambal chili, cucumber and sunny side-up — all of those elements accompanying the coconut-infused rice. Digging into the coconut-infused rice, the Nasi Lemak at 57 Nasi L🤍vemak does certainly hit the spot for us; 57 Nasi L🤍vemak uses typical rice grains for their Nasi Lemak rice — the rice does come with a whiff of coconut-y fragrance that was pretty evident, while the texture of the rice was light and fluffy; distinguishable to the grain. The grilled salmon at 57 Nasi L🤍vemak is prepared in advanced and stocked in the display shelf rather than being prepared-upon-order; this is actually the same as their fried / BBQ chicken offerings as well — whilst the salmon still comes flaky and also with the distinctive note of the fish, we did feel that the slab of salmon did lose a bit of its moisture from sitting around in the display case when we made our visit to 57 Nasi L🤍vemak during the evening. That being said, the grilled salmon does come with its skin-on; the skin does come with its own saltish note, whilst the skin also retains a crisp texture.

The anchovies do come with a bit of a crunch; carries a saltish note, while the Nyonya Achar does come with a slight tang and a nuttiness from the chopped peanuts — served chilled, with the pickled carrots and cucumber delivering a bit of a crunch. The sambal chili that accompanied the Living Water Salmon Nasi Lemak is much similar to that of the ones that are served up with Nasi Lemak in Malaysia as opposed to the ones that we commonly find around Singapore; one that is more tangy with a slight sweetness coming from caramelised onions rather than that of sugar. The sunny side-up that came with the Living Water Salmon Nasi Lemak was also on-point; this came with soft whites and a flowy egg yolk that one could mop up with the rice beneath.

Overall, 57 Nasi L🤍vemak does serve up pretty decent Nasi Lemak that exceeds what one would typically expect for a food court stall; the highlight here does seem to be how their coconut-infused rice, sunny side-up and sambal chili are executed — though they could probably relook on how their meat / seafood options are being served to better retain the moisture of those elements that would further elevate the experience with their Nasi Lemak. The various Nasi Lemak offerings that 57 Nasi L🤍vemak start from $6.90 for their Heavenly Wings and Blessed Bites BBQ Wings, with the priciest item being the Living Water Salmon Nasi Lemak; the lower-priced items being priced fairly in-line with the establishments serving up trendier Nasi Lemak offerings around — a stall that is worth trying if one is dining at Timbre+ Hillview to see if it suits their fancy.

📍Sheseashells
[A little embarrassed that I only got to visit their little takeaway bakeshop at HillV2 recently and am once again impressed by their selection.]

Cream Cheese Scallion & Sun-dried Tomato Madeleine ($4.90) - Didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would, probably because of the punchy cream cheese filling. The flavoured Madeleine was so good but I think I still lean towards the sweet filled madeleines.

Pistachio & Raspberry Madeleine ($5.20) with orange blossom glaze - Enjoyed the studded crushed nuts but wish there was a bright raspberry filling to give the bake more of an oomph.

Oolong Milk Tea Madeleine ($4.70) - Can’t go wrong with her ganache-filled Madeleine~ Rich, distinctive oolong milk tea flavour.

Lemon & Yuzu Madeleine ($4.90) - Amazingly tangy and vibrant curd in the center!

Jew Kit Hainanese Chicken Rice is probably one of those brands that some Singaporeans would be familiar with — these folks have been around Singapore since 1992 with a focus centred around its Hainanese chicken rice and do have quite a number of outlets that are currently in operations islandwide; locations where one would be able to find Jew Kit Hainanese Chicken Rice includes Bukit Timah Shopping Centre and Killiney Road. The outlet at The Rail Mall is a recent addition to the list of locations that Jew Kit Hainanese Chicken Rice has all across the island; these folks had taken over the former premises of the now-defunct New Teik Kee Chicken Rice there. Whilst earlier outlets of Jew Kit Hainanese Chicken Rice tend to feature more simple looking interiors, their outlet at The Rail Mall is one that is decked in a style that replicates the old black-and-white colonial houses of the past; there is quite a strong retro vibe from the style of furniture and fittings opted, and the ornaments that they had chosen to decorate the space with. The dining hall features a good number of tables with most tables offering seatings for guests in groups of four (4) or more; the seatings include a mix of stools, proper dining chairs and booth seats. Jew Kit Hainanese Chicken Rice is an establishment that is more known as a Hainanese Chicken Rice-centric establishment serving up the said dish alongside some Zichar-style offerings that comprises of dishes that are good for sharing around the table. That being said, the outlet at The Rail Mall does seem to carry a slightly modified menu as the other locations of Jew Kit Hainanese Chicken Rice; the menu at this location is segmented into categories such as Hainanese Western, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Side Dish, Meat Dish, Vegetable & Beancurd, Seafood, Soups, Rice and Noodles, Breakfast and Cakes, while the beverages menu comprises of espresso-based coffee, tea, Milo and some homemade concoctions.

Since we were visiting Jew Kit Hainanese Chicken Rice at The Rail Mall for the offerings on the Hainanese Western section of the menu, we found ourselves going for the Hainanese Pork Cutlet. The menu describes the Hainanese Pork Cutlet being a dish that is served with a “tangy savoury sauce”; it is also the only dish in the Hainanese Western section of the menu that features the said sauce since the other dishes are served either with homemade brown sauce or black pepper sauce depending on the patron’s choice. Other elements apart from the “tangy savoury sauce” that are being served up with the Hainanese Pork Cutlet would include the pork cutlet itself, french fries, and a mix of greens that includes broccoli and carrot. Priced at $19.80, the Hainanese Pork Cutlet can be described as rather pricey but Jew Kit Hainanese Chicken Rice does serve up a rather generous portion for the price it charges; the Hainanese Pork Cutlet features two tenderised pork cutlets that has been coated with a deep-fried, golden-brown batter — the exterior of the pork cutlet provides a good crunch whilst not being particularly greasy, while the meat within carried a good, firm bite while at it and tightly wrapping around the meat encased within. Drenched in the “tangy savoury sauce”, this would be the tomato-based sauce that comes with the inclusion of Worcestershire sauce that is typically found in the classic Hainanese Western dishes — one that is gradually difficult to find around the island. The sauce definitely delivered in terms of what the menu describes it to be; tangy and savoury, whilst also coming with sufficient depth in its flavour that helps to add on to the taste of the pork chop — it also comes with the peas, carrots and corn nibs as well as the caramelised onion that one would typically find accompanying the sauce. The fries served on the side comes adequately seasoned in salt; coming lightly crisp but with a fluffy interior — also not particularly greasy, while the broccoli and carrots were soft to chew on.

During our visit, we also gave the Orange Chocolate Butter Cake a go. This was a relatively simple butter cake that whiffs of a fragrant note of butter just like how one would expect a typical butter cake would be — there is a slight zingy note of orange from the infusion of orange flavours in the cake, while the nibs of chocolate chip comes slightly gooey for a bit of sweetness to match up against everything else. The Roselle Tea here comes unsweetened; carried a floral note that runs at the back of the tongue which we found to be particularly refreshing with all the meats and carbs we were having. Prices of Jew Kit Hainanese Chicken Rice’s Hainanese Chicken Rice dishes starts from $7.30; the dishes in its Rice & Noodles category are priced slightly higher at more than $10, while the Hainanese Western dishes are listed at $18.80 to $19.80 — this does make the non-Hainanese Chicken Rice offerings at Jew Kit Hainanese Chicken Rice feel a tad pricey to say the least. That being said, Jew Kit Hainanese Chicken Rice is a brand recognised for its quality; the Hainanese Pork Cutlet does hit the spot and resolve the cravings that we were having for the dish, while the portions are also seemingly generous as well. More of a spot that would do well as an occasional splurge especially for family gatherings.

Got to learn about the existence of Mum’s Kopi House when we were scrolling through social media some day — these folks have actually been operating within the grounds of Hillview Community Club for quite a while. For those whom are not familiar with the area, Hillview Community Club is located a short walk away from Hillview MRT Station along the Downtown Line — the building is located right across from hillV2. Mum’s Kopi House is a Muslim-run dining establishment that occupies a kiosk space that is hidden right behind the outlet of KOI there — despite occupying quite a small area within the community club, Mum’s Kopi House does have a small dine-in space that comprises of a handful of dining tables that can seat four (4) pax each, as well as a high table that can accommodate single diners or groups of up to five (5) pax as well. The kiosk is decked fitted out in a rather chock set-up that sees the use of green tiles, faux plants and wooden accents — the dining furniture comprising of wooden tables and dining chairs with faux rattan accents. The menu at Mum’s Kopi House is segmented into various sections that comprises of categories such as Nasi Lemak, Roti Prata, Thosai, and Goreng (Fried); there also a selection of Kuehs and cakes that are available on display at the counter as well. Beverages available at Mum’s Kopi House includes a range of local-style Kopi and Teh.

Mum’s Kopi House does offer on their menu several types of Nasi Lemak which includes the one that comes with chicken wings, as well as that of chicken thigh — that being said, the version that comes with chicken thigh is priced slightly higher than the rest. Mum’s Kopi House does not describe the elements that would accompany their dishes on their menu; that being said, it could be observed from our order of the Nasi Lemak Chicken Thigh that the dish does come with a Fried Chicken Thigh, Pandan-infused rice, anchovies, peanuts, julienned cucumbers and some leafy greens. Interestingly, Mum’s Kopi House does offer two variants of fried chicken thigh for their patrons to choose from; a spicy and a non-spicy variant — we went with the spicy one for our order. It is interesting to note that the folks at Mum’s Kopi House does place a lot of emphasis on their plating — the Pandan-infused rice that Mum’s Kopi House serves up come in a green hue that we aren’t too much of a fan of; that being said, it does come in a flower-shaped aesthetic that gives it a different vibe from the usual Nasi Lemak served elsewhere. The flavours of the rice laid towards the more gingery type, though can be described as decently moist still. The fried chicken thigh does come with a crisp, golden brown exterior; the spicy variant seemingly having pepper infused into its batter. Whilst so, some may feel that the chicken flesh could be done with a little more of the moisture being retained; there was also a little bit of difficulty trying to get all of the flesh come off the bone — not sure if this is also in part due to the choice of utensils provided by Mum’s Kopi House. Other elements like the sambal chili were pretty on-point; the sambal chili here is a sweet sambal that comes with a rather intense kick of spiciness that slowly creeps up as one side into it further. The julienned cucumbers were sliced thinly and is less intimidating to have when compared to the usual slices of cucumber that one would typically find at other establishments serving up Nasi Lemak. The Anchovies in the meanwhile remained crisp and provided a saltish note without feeling limp as though they had been left lit for too long.

We wanted to like the Roti Prata Sarang Burung that we had ordered but we found it difficult knowing that the egg yolks came fully cooked; one would usually expect that the egg yolks for Roti Canai / Roti Prata Sarang Burung to come with molten yolks that would burst eagerly as one likes it with a fork. Whilst the Roti Prata was surprisingly light and airy despite looking fairly dense and thick, we weren’t too much of a fan of the light-tasting fish curry. Still, due credit should be given where these folks did serve their Roti Prata Sarang Burung with the same sambal that came with their Nasi Lemak, and how the fish curry does come with some chunks of sardine which does seem to be rather generous. We initially wanted to go for their variety of Kueh-Kueh but eventually found ourselves settling for the Kek Lapis Red Velvet — whilst Red Velvet Cake is known for being an item that typically comes with cocoa and cream cheese, the Red Velvet seems to be referring to the colours in this rendition of the Kek Lapis instead. This variant seem to have come with layers of prune within; this adds a slight sweetness and fibrous bite amidst the hint of spices and the dense and firm cake layers that one can typically find in Kek Lapis — there is also bits of haw flakes that is seemingly speckled over the cake for a soft bite that provided a slight tang as well. Meanwhile, the Kopi C was something which we found to be difficult to finish; a rather weak and bland cup of local-style coffee that lacked depth in its body — something which we would gladly skip on. Whilst we did find the food at Mum’s Kopi House to be mostly on the average side, we did find that they did seem to place a lot of emphasis on the presentation of their food items when served to the diners; even the presentation of the various food items at the counter could be said as well taken care of, though we did wish that they could perhaps find a way to better manage it considering how their shopfront is located in an open area more prone to nature. Still, we do recognise that Mum’s Kopi House is rather popular with Muslim diners within the area; likely also due to the fact there is a lack of halal dining options of its type within the area in general. Considering so, Mum’s Kopi House is a welcome addition to the area, though not an establishment that one should expect a particularly gastronomical meal out of.