Breakfast and Brunch in London

It's the last day of 2017! I'm still writing content on my last London trip. Technically in a couple of hours, I'm heading out for high tea with Fat Fat. After which, I might be thinking of buying a water gun to wash my new carriage. Breakfast and brunch in London is really a food blogger's heaven. The selection is so plentiful and this is just a little bit of my long list of must trys.

I went to Cereal Killer Cafe on my own when Vain Pot went to work. I know, the common perception is what's so great about cereals you have to travel to somewhere just to eat it. Cereal Killer Cafe carries an international spread of cereals and the selection is abundant. It's a cozy and interesting place with beds in the cafe where almost everyone rush to sit on.

One reason why I'm fascinated with this is because I don't enjoy eating cereals that much when I prepare it myself. However, the cereal advertisements on TV tend to bring out a more delicious appeal on cereals and I'm curious to know if the pros can give me a different experience. Visitors can either mix and match their own cereals or select from their cereal cocktails. I selected the Feckin Nut Case which is made up of crunchy nut clusters, crunchy nut cornflakes, honey nut cheerios, hazelnuts and almond milk. I got to say it's awesome! Greedy me ordered the medium size bowl and I couldn't finish but I tried my best because it's really good. There's adequate sweetness yet you don't feel diabetic and the nutty crunchiness was really an excellent balance of flavours. Cereals can really taste awesome if you know how to prepare it! If I bring guest to London, I'm definitely bringing them here.

Cereal Killer Cafe
Mezz 2, Camden Stable Market, Chalk Farm Road, London, N16 7UY

Vain Pot took me to Darwin Brasserie for an early birthday celebration. It's unfortunate that it's semi-raining semi snowing that day because the highlight of the place is dining at the Sky Garden. Yes, awesome views, perfect Christmassy environment and cozy interior. There's a semi-buffet (continental breakfast) menu and an ala carte (hot breakfast) menu. I'll strongly suggest the Hot Breakfast menu because the Continental Breakfast looks too ordinary.

Vain Pot selected the Pain Perdu which is made up of crisp bacon, crushed pecans and maple syrup. It's the first time we are trying such a dish and it's surprisingly agreeable with our palettes. The bacon goes excellently with the bread and maple syrup, you don't get sick of eating it and in fact, you want to have more! I settled for traditional English breakfast and all the individual ingredients were executed perfectly. No complains! I especially enjoyed the bread with butter. I'd like to come back here when it's sunny and experience the full ambiance of the beautiful sky garden with awesome food and company.

Darwin Brasserie
Sky Garden, 1 Sky Garden Walk, London, EC3M 8AF

We woke up too early for Duck and Waffle even though it's 24 hours. To successfully book Duck and Waffle is a challenge. Our time slot was 6:15am breakfast so it was too early for me to be sufficiently awake to remember to take photos of the venue. Duck and Waffle is located on the 40th floor. The awesome view of the London skyline and it's affordable menu makes it a highly popular venue for tourist and locals alike. Trying the signature duck and waffle justifies that this place isn't just gimmicky. The waffle was fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. The duck was tender with the skin fried till crispy. I'm not much of a savoury waffle person but I found the meal easy to finish. I don't mind coming back here to watch the sunrise and enjoy some simple breakfast.

Duck and Waffle
Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AY

Granger and Co is actually my very first meal in London. I found them while searching for the best pancakes in London. The place is really popular, there's a snaking queue just to be seated. Granger and Co specialises in Australian food and having eaten there, I'm now tempted to visit the Down Under.

Vain Pot and I ordered two dishes to share. While the serving is huge, they are surprisingly very easy to finish. In fact we fought over the food because we can't get enough of it. The first dish we had was the Fresh Aussie which is jasmine tea hot smoked salmon, poached eggs, greens, furikake, avocado and cherry tomatoes. The smoked salmon is by far the best smoked salmon I've ever eaten! I wanted the entire piece to myself. It's light, with a little tea flavour and you can taste the absolute freshness of the fish. 

We also had to try the signature ricotta hotcakes with banana and honeycomb butter. This is the fluffiest, lightest, hotcakes I've eaten. It's so light, you don't feel like you are eating flour. The honeycomb butter and maple syrup goes so well with the banana and hotcakes it can double up as a dessert. 

I strongly recommend Granger and Co for its ricotta hotcakes. You won't know what good hotcakes are before trying this. 

Granger and Co

237 Pavilion Road, London, SW1X 0BP

The Playground Coffee

This is a throwback post. I've been on budget for the past half a month to try out a save money challenge so couldn't afford luxuries like restaurants. In any case, my conclusion remains that earning more still works best for me as compared to trying to cut down on expenses which felt really miserable. Incidentally, today I fulfilled my desire to try the Pablo tart in house and also indulged in very satisfying Prawn Aglio Olio and Chicken wings at D'Good Cafe. I also bought a new book - Made to Stick, to resume my reading habit.

I went to The Playground Coffee a couple of weeks back when work took me to Pioneer. Given that I would never have travelled to Jurong West on my own even if it's for the food, I decided to indulge in some instagrammable brunch food before I left this ulu corner of the west. The Playground Coffee is a new cafe that fits the bill for the typical cafe hopping culture in Singapore. Located in Nanyang Community Centre, it serves a very niche community who probably have a long travel every time they leave home.

As it was a weekday, they had some attractive lunch sets where you pay for the main and add $7 for an additional drink and cake. I made this trip with a colleague of mine and settled for the Salmon Grain Bowl ($16) while he picked the Hearty Breakfast ($16). I found the food to be very competent for a neighbourhood cafe and was pretty thankful for the healthy meal. I enjoyed the quinoa in the bowl but would have preferred if the Barley was excluded the next time. I guess while everything was competently prepared, I didn't find any standout factor in my meal. 

As for the Hearty Breakfast, my colleague's comment was that it tasted like how a typical big breakfast dish should. Average was his comment. I took particular pleasure in the plating, liked the vibrant colours that stood out of the bowl.

I didn't feel like drinking anymore caffiene or soda given my pretty intense consumption over the past couple of days so gave the set lunch a pass. Instead, I ordered a separate dessert called Death's Nectar ($8) which is basically brownie with warm hot fudge and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This is really good! As someone who loves all things chocolate besides chocolate itself, I took particular pleasure in the richness of the chocolate fudge sauce. The brownies were soft and warm which goes exceedingly well with the cold vanilla ice cream. Awesome dessert!

My colleague went along with the set lunch and got a red velvet cake as his dessert. The cake was pretty delicious. The cake was coated with a cream cheese icing while the red velvet sponge is layered with milk chocolate. Taste is awesome but a little too rich that it's pretty difficult to finish solo. I think most of the cakes are pre-made so the cake is a little on the hard side given that it is frozen for hours. I like hard cakes but if you like your cake soft and fluffy, this isn't the cake for you.

In the past, there was a shortage of cafes in the West and The Playground Coffee would definitely cater to the Westies well. Given that, there's a rise in cafes springing up in the West, The Playground Coffee would have a challenging time trying to get a slice of the market share. That said, their food is very decent. I did note that their pricing is tilted a little to the high side considering its location. Whether this backfires on them remains to be seen. I won't specially travel to Jurong West to eat this again but if I'm around the area, I'll treat myself to Death's Nectar one more time!

The Playground Coffee
60 Jurong West Street 91, #01-04, Nanyang Community Club, S649040

Boufe Boutique Cafe

Pretty happy I managed to enjoy Saturyay! yesterday. Lately my weekends are pretty much packed with activities. Been very occupied working, pursuing other hobbies and trying to spend time with friends. In fact, this week I met the most number of people for food. I'm also pleased to share that unlike most other weeks where I indulge heavily in cafe and restaurants, I spent my week enjoying simple hawker and fast food. I foresee myself travelling a lot next year, so better cut down on the expenses.

This week I made my third visit to Boufe Boutique Cafe in 2 years. Very often, even if the cafe is tip top I rarely have the opportunity to return because of the wide variety of food available in Singapore. Boufe is one of the most consistent cafes I've tried and I'm pleased to vouch that over 2 years, the quality of food remains. In fact, they even introduced some instagram worthy desserts to their menu. Perfect for the 'camera first' client like me. 

Brunch food is a must at brunch cafes and the Triple B ($20) and Eggs Benedict ($16) were both winners in their own right. To be honest, nowadays I don't order big breakfast meals because I find it too ordinary and plain. I give the Triple B due credit for their creamy scrambled eggs, sauteed mushrooms and richly flavoured sausages and bacon. The choice of croissant to go with the dish is also a smart choice because their sourdough bread seems a tad hard. 

The Eggs Benedict is another awesome brunch dish done excellently. The eggs were fat and runny, meeting the requirements for a good poach egg. I liked it that the hollandaise sauce was generous and their bread choice was brioche. Brioche bread when properly toasted is very fluffy, a joy to eat!

For lunch mains, we tried Truffle House Breakfast ($16) and Tomato Crab Pasta ($19). The truffle house breakfast is a combination of truffle mushroom ragout on top of homemade sourdough. There's a corn on the side with butter and salt. The truffle mushroom ragout is very well cooked but I found the sourdough to be on the tougher side. The corn cob which is a gigantic corn can make it more difficult to eat with utensils. 

I enjoyed the tomato crab pasta. At the point of ordering, I was quite hesitant because I feel pastas are such boring choices. Still, I ordered and don't mind the bland appearance, they ran out of rocket leaves. The pasta was GOOD! I enjoyed the generous chunks of crab meat well mixed with tomato and chunks of chilli padi that made the dish aromatic, spicy and flavourful. No buyer remorse! It definitely ranks amongst the al dente, delicious pastas found in cafes. Not many cafe pastas make the grade. 

I had to try their new dessert menu and we settled for the Milky Way ($8.50) and The Rock ($8). Be warned, both desserts are very tiny and meant for a single stomach. The Milky Way is Boufe's version of a galaxy cake. It is made of white chocolate, yogurt mousse, honey genoise, chocolate sable and calamansi jelly. It's a good blend of chocolate with soft yogurt and a tinge of sour from the jelly. I enjoyed it. 

The Rock is made of 64% chocolate mousse, rum syrup, chocolate genoise, salted caramel, chocolate feullitine and grey milk glaze. I liked it more than the galaxy cake because I got a soft spot for all things chocolate that isn't chocolate itself. The Rock is an excellent choice for chocolate lovers especially if you like the mix of chocolate with a sweet biscuit base like how I like my cakes. 

Boufe is still my all time favourite brunch cafe. For its ambiance, the food quality and the free parking, I can't imagine another brunch place that ranks above it. If you love brunch food like me, you should at least try it once! Maybe you might become a regular...

Boufe Boutique Cafe

308 Tanglin Road, #01-01, S247974

Brunch places worth a visit at Bangkok

Recently, I travelled to the land of smiles and coined this visit my Thailand Cafe Hunting and Lifestyle trip. It's my first trip there since I was age 9 and a lot has changed. I'm really pleased that the places I shortlisted from research proved to be satisfying to my taste buds and made my entire trip all the more enjoyable. I'll be sharing some of the brunch places I went and my thoughts on it.

My first stop was at On Luk Yun. The Thailand equivalent to Chin Mee Chin Confectionary in Singapore which I wrote about not too long ago. This old school traditional breakfast place is almost a must visit for me the next time I come back. There's a couple of key highlights that I like. The French Toast is very flavourful, you can taste the good blend of the eggs wrapped around a fluffy bread. Yummy! I like the egg kaya with steamed bread. Really, the bread is awesome fluffy and doesn't fill your tummy up and goes perfectly with the egg kaya (uniquely thailand). Even bought one kaya home for my mom. The soft boiled eggs served in a cup surprisingly carries a very addictive taste. I kept gobbling up my cup till all is gone and if not because this is such an eggy meal, I'd order a second cup. I think the soft boiled eggs addictive taste has to do with the special nestle thai sauce that is added with the pepper unlike our dark sauce back home. But I'm left blown away given that I never knew soft boiled eggs can taste any nicer. I didn't pay the bill but the total cost for two is less than $15 SGD.

On Luk Yun
72 Charoen Krung Road, Talat Noi, Samphanthawong
Bangkok 10100

Roast is another place I wish to highlight. I felt the portions are really generous and all the dishes were executed technically perfect. Why technically perfect? I felt that the eggs were creamy well beaten, bacon crispy, bread well toasted and salmon properly done, however there's no wow factor. The eggs tasted like a typical properly done scrambled eggs but it isn't a stand out scrambled eggs. There's nothing on the menu that jumps out. Thats the problem. However, if you are looking for a decent brunch fix that doesn't spoil your day, Roast is the place to be. Roast Breakfast (400 Baht with coffee), Smoked Salmon Rosti (320 Baht) and dessert was S'mores Custard Cake (280 Baht). The outlet that I went was at the Commons, a new shopping mall concept that promotes lush greenery. I think that Roast is by far the costliest brunch meal I ate at Bangkok, but it's highly popular among expats and tourist because the ambiance is really relaxing. I enjoyed myself despite not being exceptionally impressed with the food. 

Roast
Unit #T1 (Roast), The COMMONS
335 Thonglor Soi 17, Sukhumvit 55
Klongton Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110

Rocket Coffeebar is another satisfying discovery on my first adult Thailand trip. Rocket Coffeebar is a Nordic Cafe and I like it that everything about it is simple and not complicated. The eggs benedict (290 Baht) that we tried had very good hollandaise sauce, light yet brings out the flavour and the eggs were soft and runny. The eggs are fat and generous and goes very well with the sauce and bread. The salmon according to the brother is much fresher than the ones at Roast. I like my order of quail eggs and truffle (240 Baht) tasted really good too. The potato waffle that the eggs and truffle were served on wasn't too hard and eating it didn't feel tiresome at all unlike some waffles I've tried elsewhere. The bacon was fried till crispy something distinctly Thailand. I like that the truffle and eggs blended really well with the potato waffles that I enjoyed eating them together. I'm looking forward to try their other dishes the next time I return.

Rocket Coffeebar
147 Soi Sathon 12, Khwaeng Silom, Khet Bang Rak, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10500, Thailand

Whisk & Paddle

This week is a week of learning. I resumed my book reading hobby thanks to some motivation from reconnecting with some inspiring friends. So far I've finished the book Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and have just started on this new book called Bull by Maggie Mahar. I kinda enjoyed my weekend also given the opportunity to catch up with busy Fat Fat whom I hardly get to see.

I kinda let Fat Fat pick the venue because I hardly see her and we both had to rush off to work after our catch up. Honestly, I believe if we are determined to make time for people we can. Busy is an excuse because believe me when I tell you I'm proud to say I know a lot of friends who make meaningful use of their time but still have time for a 2 hr catch up. She picked her regular haunt: Whisk and Paddle. 

Whisk & Paddle is located at Punggol near a cycling area so people hang out there to exercise and the area boast a couple of nice eateries, one of which is Uncle Leong Seafood for example. I first heard about this place when I developed a soft spot for eggs benedict on waffles which I tried with Vain Pot on my first visit to Whisk and Paddle. This is actually my second visit.

I thought I'd include the Eggs Benedict ($13) which first lured me to this place. The hollandaise sauce were in the right thickness and the sauteed mushrooms were great. The waffles which is one of the highlights of this place was baked just right as well. The only problem was the eggs. They served hard boiled poached eggs instead of runny poached eggs. Back then, fussy Vain Pot asked for a change of eggs only to be served another hard boiled poach egg. Getting a poach egg right is a test of culinary skill and that experience kinda dissuaded me from trying the eggs benedict during this visit. 

Fat Fat picked the Whisk Breakfast Pan ($19.8) after I dissuaded her from picking the Eggs Benny. The pan provides a generous serving of eggs of your choice, potatoes, pork sausage, steaky bacon, roasted tomatoes, sauteed mushroom, sourdough bread and french butter. I tried most of the stuff in the pan and they are competently executed. I guess you can't go too wrong with these basic ingredients. I'd like to add that the french butter is my favourite even though the sourdough bread was a little too hard. 

I chose Macaroni and Cheese ($13.80) for my own selection. Mac and Cheese is the standard comfort food that remains a safe choice whenever I can't decide what to eat. To begin with, I like it that it's serve in a pan. Looks so instagram worthy right? The Mac and Cheese at Whisk and Paddle is served with generous slices of ham. It's cheesy and taste really yummy when it's hot. However, this is one of those dish that you can't wait for everyone on the table to be served before you eat. Once cold, it taste very 'jelat' and hard to eat. Not yummy at all. Finish it while its warm.

Usually I'm not adventurous with coffee. However, I find myself thinking about the black sesame latte ($5.50) each time I come here. My black sesame latte was served on a saucer and with biscuit the first time I visited. Why now no saucer and biscuit? Don't you find it very unsightly for the spoon to be served without a saucer? Anyway, complains aside, the black sesame latte tastes great so consider trying it the next time you are there.

While the food at Whisk and Paddle isn't fantastic, I find myself still drawn to this place. I think I like it that the ambiance is chillax and that parking is easy to find. The food has a good variety that I can come back often on days when I'm looking for affordable food.

Whisk & Paddle
10 Tebing Lane
(Please note that brunch is only available on weekends)

Atmosphere Bistro and Bar

The start of a new year brings inspiration to try something I've never tried before. While we have always seen really pretty looking 3D latte art online, it actually isn't that easy to find any in Singapore... let alone good ones. The original plan was to go for the McRitchie tree top walk, another first, before heading to Atmosphere for brunch. Unfortunately carriage (my car) is still in hospital and we had to settle for a refreshing walk along East Coast Park...

I have to disclaim that I am really anal about food. I do pride myself for bringing my companions to GOOD food, appraised by the companions of course. Hence prior to most organized outings, I take great effort to research on the food before I head there. One pain point I always encounter especially with the food blogosphere is the lack of quality control. Value for money food is mistaken as good food. Instagram worthy food is also interpreted as good tasty food. Sometimes it riles me because the trip can end up being disappointing and time is a commodity we can't replace. 

Atmosphere Bistro at ECP serves decent food. Nothing fantastic but anyway, I personally feel the highlight shouldn't be food. I came here specifically for the 3D latte art. The Eggs Benedict ($17) and Classic Big Breakfast ($20) which we tried met the minimum standards eg, runny egg yolk, brioche bread toasted just right, etc... I felt the scrambled eggs were a bit diluted and so were the baked beans. Taste wise, nothing to lure me back here for seconds. 

The 3D latte art didn't disappoint. Instagram worthy and it did attract praise from whoever who have seen this picture. Yes, I will come back here for coffee with new companions just for the experiential effect. Take your fill of photos to make it worth your trip because you may not touch the coffee much after that if you don't really like sweet coffee. (By the way, 3D latte art would cost you an extra dollar)

If you aren't fussy with food and don't mind paying a bit more, this is a great hangout for morning cycling at ECP and insta-worthy coffee for brunch. 

Atmosphere Bistro and Bar

920 East Coast Parkway #01-25/26/27

Brunch is only available on Sat, Sun and Public Holidays 

(You may try their Alexandra Village outlet for weekday brunch)