Welcome to Tiong Bahru.

One of the most surprising dish for me is the 𝗢𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲 ($𝟭𝟱/𝟮𝟱/𝟯𝟬). This is nothing like the orh luak commonly found in hawker centres- the plump oysters are stewed in a savoury sauce and served on top of a golden omelette. This is soooo tasty and goes really well with rice - so glad we decided to try this!

I’m not a big fan of fish but the 𝗧𝗲𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘄 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗿𝗲𝘁 (𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲) is absolutely delicious. The broth is not too sour and the sweetness of the fish really comes through. Along with salted vegetables, tomatoes and shiitake mushroom, this is one comforting dish not to be missed.

The 𝗧𝗲𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘄 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝘂𝗰𝗸 ($𝟭𝟱/𝟮𝟱/𝟯𝟬) is another star of the show - the braised duck is very soft and flavourful. A truly classic Teochew dish.

The 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗝𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝗸 猪脚冻 ($𝟭𝟱/𝟮𝟱/𝟯𝟬) is amazing. This is light, tasty and refreshing and I love the bouncy texture - goes so well with the citrusy chilli sauce!

It does seem that there is an ongoing trend of beverage stalls serving up specialty coffee within hawker centres of the late — something that was popularised by the opening of Generation Coffee which now operates locations at Tekka Centre, Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre, Hong Lim Food Centre, Tanjong Pagar Plaza Food Centre and Bendemeer Food Centre. This also seemed to have inspired the opening of other establishments such as that of Koffee Kollective at Tanjong Pagar Plaza Food Centre, as well as that of Kopi Folks Club at MacPherson Food Centre which also serves up local Nanyang-style Kopi brewed using the espresso machine alongside specialty coffee offerings and more. Enter UNODOSE; an establishment that is conceptually similar to that of Kopi Folks Club and Generation Coffee that had opened its doors recently at Beo Crescent Food Centre. Being a stall that serves up beverages, the menu is being split into categories segmented into Traditional, Specialty and Others.

As mentioned earlier, the Kopi at UNODOSE is being brewed using the espresso machine; this makes it similar to the likes of how Nanyang-style Kopi is being served at stalls such as Kopi More, Generation Coffee, Lim’s Kopi, Star Coffee, Kopi Folks Club, QYLS Coffee etc. — UNODOSE mentions that the Traditional line-up of coffee is being brewed using Robusta beans originating from Vietnam. The Kopi here does look and taste pretty familiar to the ones served up by Generation Coffee, with the Kopi being served in a white porcelain cup and coming with an ice-cream stick that adds as a stirrer — the flavours of the cuppa being punchy and smoky that is what one would expect out of Robusta beans. Opting for our cuppa to come with normal sweetness, the condensed milk adds a sweetness to balance things out and round it off pretty nicely. Looking forward to be back to give their Spro Soda a go some time soon!

The folks behind Hersing Culinary definitely seems to be on a roll recently with their rumeL concept — whilst it has only been a few months since rumeL has officially opened its rumeL cucina concept at PLQ Mall, there has been some wind about a rumeL caffè concept that is making its way into some of the malls in the heartlands; once such mall that had seen the opening of rumeL caffè would be that of Tiong Bahru Plaza. rumeL caffè takes over the former premises of the now-defunct outlet of Baskin-Robbins in the mall. Whist rumeL cucina has officially added the availability of fresh handmade pasta on its menu on top of the fresh handmade sourdough pizza that rumeL had served up when it debuted in the local F&B scene in Bugis+, the rumeL caffè concept sees the availability of baked pasta and sourdough buns as well. For those whom are unaware, the namesake of rumeL is actually derived from the word “lemur” spelt backwards — rumeL does use a lemur as its brand mascot and one can most certainly see lemur soft toys as part of its decor the further references to this.

rumeL caffè does offer a variety of both savoury and sweet sourdough buns on their menu; the sourdough buns are also priced pretty affordably considering how they are listed at a maximum price of $5 ala-carte. One of the savoury variants of the sourdough buns that rumeL caffè offers would be the Baked Eggs and Chicken Ham Sourdough Bun that we had went for. The sourdough buns are rumeL caffè uses the very same dough that is being featured in their fresh handmade sourdough pizza offerings; for the Baked Eggs and Chicken Ham Sourdough Bun, the bun is sliced into half and comes with eggs, chicken ham and mayonnaise sandwiched in between. Taking a bite into the sourdough bun, the sourdough bun does come with a firm, chewy bite that is sponge-y — a little bit on the denser side but still easy to chew. The baked egg does seemed to come in the form of a sunny side-up with a fully cooked egg yolk with the underside being spread with mayonnaise for a creamy and sweet note to gel it together with the lightly savoury chicken ham; overall a classic combination that wouldn’t go wrong that somewhat also seems to replicate that of a English muffin sandwich. Priced at $5, it also does work as a light meal option against the pizza and pasta options that they have to offer.

($2.40) I managed to go tiong bahru for their egg tart as I could not able to find their store but it's literally near mrt exit. Its quite crunchy and flaky texture for egg crust but the egg tart was quite smooth and also strong eggy taste.

27 Sep’25, Sat🌦️
📍Flock Cafe (Tiong Bahru)
- Shakshuka 沙卡蔬卡🍅
- Fish & Chips 炸魚薯條🐟
- Ginger Beer 薑汁啤酒🥤
- Flat White 馥芮白☕️

Shakshuka was not bad, tangy tomato goes really well with the oozing egg yolk and sourdough.

As for the fish & chips, usual stuff, normal, good for sharing.

Flat white was not bad too, nutty finish, and cute doggie latte art.

Overall, a cosy cafe to have brunch, chill and hang out with friend.

Damage: $52.60 (CDC vouchers accepted)

There has been quite an influx of artisanal bakeries that has opened up all around the island in recent years and there definitely seems to be no stopping of this trend even in 2026 — got to learn about Blob that had opened their doors recently at the foot of a HDB block in Tiong Bahru; the address of which being Blk 129 Kim Tian Road which makes them not too far away from Tuan Yuan Pork Ribs Soup 团缘肉骨茶. These folks describes themselves as a “small-batch takeaway rotational bakes” shop — the operation does seem to be more takeaway-focused, though there is the availability of a small seating area outside of the shop where cushions are placed on a platform for those whom are looking for a quick bite on the spot. We visited Blob when they were still having their trial run — the range of bakes available during this period including a line-up of short baguettes, pretzels / pretzel buns, sliced loaf cakes and Caneles amongst others; beverages available at Blob will include espresso-based specialty coffee, drinking chocolate, flavoured milk, tea lattes and brewed tea.

One of the bakes that would capture the attention of most whilst skimming through the display case at Blob would be the Tako Floss Pretzel Ball — the description card placed in front of the item in the display case does mention the use of real octopus within this item. Thought the conceptualisation and execution of the Tako Floss Pretzel Ball was pretty inventive — for one, it was presented in a way that itself replicates a giant Takoyaki ball albeit with the fillings exposed, yet still topped with bonito flakes over the top. Taking a bite into the Tako Floss Pretzel Ball, the use of the pretzel ball as the bun here was a pretty genius take since it replicates the soft but dense bite of the batter found in the typical Takoyaki ball with a slightly crusty exterior. The fillings in the Tako Floss Pretzel Ball such as the meat floss does seem to be marinated with the same savoury sauce, while there are chunks of chewy octopus hidden within as well — all that whilst being paired Kewpie mayonnaise that provides a slightly more neutral flavour profile with a creamier touch.

This place has such a cool underground vibe , and the Omakase was really good , pls come hungry becoz portions for 2 we’re filling .

($3.60) I remembered this cafe back before covid era but its not really making me want to try it that time. But the revamp for the menu was quite interesting because sourdough x dough I never thought of. The burnt butter honey was mild sweet and rich texture tbh to complement well with the savoury sourdough.

($20.80)