Two Hana - Halal Fusion Cafe With Value For Money Set Lunches

Two Hana joins the repertoire of food selections in the newly refurbished Century Square. It's a halal korean-western fusion cafe. With its instagrammable food and cafe style setting, it's location choice in a shopping mall would bring lots of convenience to many end consumers. I've got to highlight that their weekday lunch sets with nett prices are really impressive!

Kicking off the meal, I chose the Chicken Bulgogi Linguine set ($15) that comes with a side and drink. Got to say that the flavour and taste has been rather heavily flavoured. The spiciness is mild and goes well with the onsen egg in the dish. Portions are huge which makes it hard to finish overtime because I felt rather 'jelat'. The linguine could have been executed better but it's definitely competent for the deal on the table.

The side I picked was this truffle tater tots that really tastes like truffle hash browns. It's addictive and easy to finish. Highly recommended for a side!

The other mains selected was the Korean Mushroom Bab Set ($15). The kimchi rice is surprisingly fragrant and on point with all the flavours. The bowl mimics a bibimbap bowl and does a really good rendition of it. The side chosen was a mushroom soup which was surprisingly competent for a set lunch side.

I felt a bit cheated by this kimchi mac and cheese ($10.90) because I saw online that it has a very attractive cheesy stretch. The one served to us was totally off and it was so bad neither me or my dining companion finished even one cube. To be fair, it was fried to crispy and the mac and cheese does have flavour. However with the heavy meal in front of us and a underwhelming carbo dish, we really didn't feel willing to consume the unnecessary calories. I really think Two Hana should control the quality better.

If I worked nearby, I'd be back often to have more set lunches. The food ranks quite high among its value for money competition. However the food isn't amazing if you need to travel. I would say it's a good treat for the working crowd and residents of Tampines but it's a far cry from those cafes where they can be located at ulu locations and not worry about going out of business.

Two Hana
Century Square, #01-21, 2 Tampines Central 5, 529509

Earlybird Cafe - Fairly New Cafe with Decadent Pancakes

I'm kinda a late bird to this Earlybird Cafe. They opened in mid 2018 and I'm only visiting them now. They caught my eye when they first launched because I'm a sucker for pancakes. Their buttermilk fried chicken pancake looks sinfully delicious. Ironically, I skipped it this visit because my stomach was too small and I wanted to try another pancake.

The side effects of dieting is that your stomach shrinks along with your waistline. So my companion and I decided to share a main then head straight for the dessert. For a main, we decided to try the Tom Yum Prawn ($20) which tastes really satisfying. The Tom Yum carries a tangy sourish flavour which hits all the right notes for me. There's an excessive use of onions which didn't appeal to my picky companion but apart from that personal preference, it's really good! Portion is pretty generous too so I feel pretty thankful that I didn't order the buttermilk fried chicken pancakes.

We picked the Hotcake Bling ($18) as our dessert of choice. It's basically vanilla ice cream on top of a hotcake with lots of candy floss on the side to provide the aesthetics. Blue berries, strawberry slices and walnuts provide the balance to the sweetness. The dessert surprisingly wasn't very sweet. In fact, the ice cream went excellently with the hotcake and candy floss. Having a soft spot for hotcakes, I like this version as it's adequately crispy on the outside and sufficiently fluffy inside. It's not an understatement to say that the brunch meal brightened up my day.

I'd most definitely come back again because I paid with FavePay and now have a $3.80 cashback which I can use at the cafe. The food is awesome and I'm looking forward to the buttermilk fried chicken pancakes on my next visit.

Earlybird Cafe
17 Jalan Pinang, S199149

Cottontail Creamery - Hidden Gem in Serangoon

Cottontail Creamery has been on my radar since early last year. Back then, I've tried their crepes with ice cream and even left feedback on my instagram commenting on how easily their ice cream melted. They caught my attention because they acknowledged my comment and my second visit actually saw an improved effort to cool the crepe before putting the ice cream on it. For some reason, I associated them as an ice cream parlour and didn't take their mains seriously. It's only after one of my friends commented that they serve nice brunch that I made this third visit to check it out.

The Cottontail Big Breakfast ($18.50) came in hearty portion. The menu comprises of home-made Toulouse sausage patty, sunny side-up organic eggs, smashed potato, roasted portebello mushrooms, vine tomato and tomato relish. They got the seasoning and flavours surprisingly on-point. Definitely worth a try.

Next up was this Tuscan Wild Pig Stew with Rigatoni Pasta ($16.50) which also won approval points really quickly. The pig stew is soft, tender and very balanced in their flavours. Eating it will whet your appetite however if you don't have a very big stomach, it might become 'jelat' over time.

The Pulled Pork Quesadilla ($17.50) wins in both appearance and in taste. It caught my attention mainly because of the toasted mozzarella that has crispy edges. Every bite is bursting with flavour and it'll definitely appeal to cheese lovers.

If you are a meatball lover but you don't take beef, you'll know how hard it is to find good meatballs in Singapore to satisfy your cravings. The Swiss Meatballs ($17.50) at Cottontail Creamery might be your solution. It's beef free. The creamy brown mushroom sauce that comes with the dish is richly flavoured and it goes excellently with the meatballs. I find that the mix of fatty and lean meat can be further improved. Nevertheless I was still left pretty much blown away.

For desserts, the crepe with nutella sauce coupled with smoked salted caramel ice cream and Tahitian vanilla is another winner. Granted that their ice cream in general melts pretty quickly, the quality of the ice cream are quite premium. If you like good ice cream with crepe, this is probably your go-to place. If you don't like rushing through your food, you probably will avoid their ice creams.

Summing up my visit, Cottontail Creamery has just achieved top spot in my Serangoon cafe listing. Their mains succeeded in achieving a certain level of food standard that I approve. Desserts carry a certain degree of quality too. While I still gripe about their ice cream because I don't fancy rushing through my food, this is probably the only ice cream on crepe place I'm willing to part my dollars with. It's almost a certainty I'm coming back here again.

Cottontail Creamery
Blk 326, Serangoon Avenue 3, #01-378, S550326

Camaca - Taiwanese Dessert Cafe staking roots in Singapore

With the growing number of foreign establishments setting up shop in Singapore, Camaca is one of the latest additions. Originally from Taiwan, some of the highlights of Camaca is some of its sugar free desserts as well as its capsule gelatos. In my case, making the trip to Camaca was a case of making up for initial disappointment. My initial plans to assuage my craving for the popular Kaki Fuyong at Ngee Ann Polytechnic was derailed when the stall so happened was closed that day. Given that I've already driven all the way down, I was determined to make my petrol's worth.

The unique highlight of Camaca's gelato is that it comes in a frozen capsule. You pick the capsule you want and they put it through a machine and it comes out as gelato. This form of gelato is both creamy and with sufficient solidness that I like. The Musang King Durian Gelato won plentiful of praises from my dining companion. She was raving non-stop about how much she is enjoying her durian ice cream. For durian lovers, this will be a rather satisfying choice considering the richness in flavour and the creaminess.

I was recommended the Black Sesame Banana Gelato which is really an acquired taste. My willingness to be adventurous with this ice cream started from the very good experience I had at Sadaharu Aoki in Paris where I had black sesame ice cream. It was awesome. While the flavour here isn't as robust, the mixture with bananas is rather unique. As a banana lover, I'm not oppose to this and pretty much enjoyed my gelato too!

Given the good experience, I was motivated to try their other creations. So I ordered the Hazelnut Dacquoise and Rose Dacquoise after my companion graciously agreed to share the calories with me. The Dacquoise pronounced as - 'Duck Coils' is basically a french dessert that is similar to a macaron but taste like a soft nougat. This dessert at Camaca is sugar-free. It's best to serve it cold. For a sugar free dessert, it carries the natural flavours very distinctly and even a person who has a sweet tooth like me have nothing to complain about. Sweetness is just right!

The overall ambiance of Camaca is designed cozy and poised. I would definitely love to come back here with a book, some desserts and coffee simply to chill. It's an awesome place to bring someone here to get to them better too. Looks like they just got a new raving fan in me.

Camaca 
9 King Albert Park, #01-11/01-12, S598332 

BistrOne36 - Cozy Beers and Western Neighbourhood Dining

The residents of Boon Keng have one more popular establishment added to their selection of awesome dining. This establishment occupies the spot previously housing Oh My Tian, the other project founded by the founders of Hatterstreet. It has proven to be hitting the right notes with the Boon Keng faithful.

I was pretty much there with an objective to chill and have some good food. A chillout night would never be complete without beers. On a Tuesday (the day I'm there), they have 2 for 1 Oranjeboom ($20) on offer so it's perfect!

The Torched Tuna Sashimi Salad ($10.90) ordered by my dining companion should rightfully be my dish. She's the regular at the gym and well.. I'm the one trying to slim down. It's tossed well and the seasoning was good. The torched tuna sashimi is also an excellent way to whet your appetite so it's awesome as an appetizer.

My choice of Seafood Aglio Olio ($16.90) is far more ordinary than the salad. Having said that, the flavours were on point. It's those kinda dish that you cannot find fault with but nothing to shout about as well. I guess I was expecting more given that it's a chef's recommendation.

We topped our night off with truffle fries ($8.90) to accompany our meal and beers. I've got to say I might just order this again if I come by to chill and have beers. Taste wise, it met expectations.

For a neighbourhood cafe, this is definitely satisfactory. While the food doesn't have any spectacular 'wow' effect, I left as a happy customer feeling sated by the food and beer. BistrOne36 feels cozy for a 2 to 3 person catch up location and I even overheard some office executives appraising the food on my way to the washroom. There's a good chance I'll be back!

BistrOne36
34 Whampoa West, #01-79, S330034
(Be warned that the GPS might be a little misleading but I have no idea how to help you with this!)

Belle Ville - Popular Wobbly Pancakes from Osaka

The excessive growth in overseas establishments taking root in Singapore has frankly dampened my enthusiasm rather than have me looking forward for more. In a way, I'm considered late in checking out Belle Ville considering they set up shop here mid last year. Hailing from Osaka, the pancakes gained a reputation in Singapore for its wobbly nature.

The Matcha with Rice Ball and Red Bean pancake ($12.20) has a rich matcha azuki taste to it. It's rather overwhelming for my taste buds but it can be due to me not being a matcha fan to begin with. Apart from that, the matcha pancake is rather dry which resulted in my dining companion feeling rather 'jelat' and couldn't finish the pancake despite her best effort trying.

I was rather intrigued by the instagram-worthy wobbly Chocolate and Grilled Banana Pancake ($12.20). It was sufficiently fluffy however the wobbliness seems to be a result of semi-cooking the pancake batter. While the entire pancake was light and very easy to finish, there seems to be a missing satisfaction at the end of the entire meal.

As a whole, I didn't feel very impressed with my overall experience. While I was decently satisfied with my chocolate banana pancake, I have a feeling that this overseas branch is a watered down version of the real deal. I guess, for its price point, we can be more forgiving.

Belle Ville
230 Victoria Street, #01-01B, Bugis Junction, S188024

Toby's The Dessert Asylum - Jurong's Hidden Gem

Famous for its sinful dessert indulgences, Toby's The Dessert Asylum caught my attention because of the plethora of dessert selection that seems to be imploring my tummy to try them all. To be fair, this cafe caught my attention about 2 years back but I never got round to try it because of its out of the way location. It's also a saving grace for people residing in the extreme west of Singapore because I really couldn't find an equivalent alternative despite my best googling efforts.

BBQ Baby Ribs has been one of my favourite dishes for the longest time. So perhaps I am a little bias when I saw this on their menu. The BBQ Baby Ribs ($19.90) at Toby's The Dessert Asylum definitely met my expectations. I found the BBQ sauce on point and the meat is very tender. A good pork rib has meat that falls off the bones easily and this one makes the grade. The potato salad on the side is also prepared in my favourite style, potato tossed with mayonnaise and chopped onions.

We also tried the Prawns and Mussels Tagliatelle ($15.90) that is cooked with white wine sauce. This dish reminds me a lot about my stay in Rome. The taste would appeal more to people with a lighter palette preference however the eventual white wine and seafood flavour will grow on you making you crave for the dish more as you eat. The pasta texture also met my palette preference and I would love to come back to have this dish again.

This meal was done prior to a badminton session so I was pretty careful about the quantity of my food intake. The mains experience was so good, we decided to fill our stomachs with desserts anyway and settled for Seek Asylum ($15.90). It is made of macademia and mocha almond ice cream cake with cookie crumbs sprinkled on top and bailey's Irish cream sauce. For its price, I was kinda disappointed with the size. It is however a sinful second stomach indulgence and the bailey's sauce really brought the ice cream to life. Okay la... it's nice but a little too premium for a dessert in my opinion.

As a whole, I totally enjoyed my visit to Toby's The Dessert Asylum. I'm certain I'd like to come back if I ever end up at the extreme end of the west Singapore again. The mains impressed me more than the dessert unexpectedly. Given that the dessert and main selection is so wide, I'm already looking forward to having another go at the food!

Toby's The Dessert Asylum 
Tradehub 21 #01-35, Boon Lay Way, S609964

The Breakfast Club - Authentically English Breakfast

I came to know about The Breakfast Club during my research for my first trip in London back in 2017 but only got to try it now. The story goes that Vain Pot didn't feel they serve up anything we couldn't really find in Singapore so we ended up in Granger & Co back then. So later on, another friend dragged her to Breakfast Club and she discovered wonderful pancakes there. *rolls eyes*

Finally, I get to dine in The Breakfast Club! This is an awesome place that I really think every visitor to London should have a meal at. Yes, it serves a lot of typical brunch food you can find everywhere but it's authentically English. Dining here, it made me feel that most of the brunch creations we find in many cafes originated in these Western cultures. The Breakfast Club seems to bring out this culture so distinctively, it'll be a waste if you skip this place when in London.

Looking at the menu, there's a whole list of stuff I really want to try. I settled on the Salted Caramel Banofee Pancakes (9.50 pounds) because pancakes were the original reason that made me shortlist this place (I was googling best pancakes in London). It tastes really awesome! I found the pancakes to be soft and fluffy but a little bit doughy. It however went really well with the whipped cream, chilled bananas and salted caramel sauce. In fact, the balance was so good, I finished the 3 stacks of pancake which would have been too much for my Asian stomach normally.

Vain Pot ordered the Oatmilk Porridge, with crushed pecans, coconut and maple syrup (5 pounds), mainly because I wanted to try it too. I could tell it's not exactly her thing. I really like the western version of porridge because of the thick milky texture of oats in milk. I especially like the sweetness of the dish and the crunchiness of the fruits (usually bananas) or nuts that it comes with. I think it's an acquired taste but I really like it.

I found it a pity that it's my only visit there despite 3 trips to London. Then again, Vain Pot whips up really delicious brunch so I feel rather reluctant to have my brunch outside. I strongly recommend a visit to The Breakfast Club to experience the vibrancy of the cafe culture in London as well as the authentic English dishes that they serve. This single dining experience has certainly won me over!

The Breakfast Club
11 Southwark Street, SE1 1RQ

Platform 1094 - Singapore's Best Themed Cafe

Whenever we think about thematic cafes in Singapore, Kumoya and Super Heroes cafe comes to my mind. Until recently, these are the two better renditions of themed cafes in Singapore that I've tried. From my own observation, the two common gripes I have with these cafes is either the food quality (premium cafe prices for ordinary substandard food) or the fact that the food isn't sufficiently thematic. 

The visit to Platform 1094 was put off for the longest time due to horror stories of the food quality from friends who have been there. I only decided to take a risk on them because of a friend's birthday and she's a real sucker for Harry Potter. As the name might already given away some hints, Platform 1094 (not Platform 9 3/4), is a wizardry, Harry Potter inspired themed cafe. The founders from Fresh Fruit Labs have proven to be really experts at creating their own version of themed cafes. You can pose for classic Harry Potter Hogwarts robe photos complete with brooms, wands and wizard hats. 

The biggest draw that brought us here was the newly introduced Harry Potter inspired Afternoon Tea set for 2 ($55). The menu includes savouries like bewitching tuna sandwich, potato slyther in bacon with cheddar cheese, avocado salmon weasled with chicken floss on edible magical ladle and turkey bacon quidditch quiche. The sweets menu has rock cake served with cauldron brewed cream cheese dip, owl hootdoo macarons, pumpkin tartlets, rasp-berrypotter & mango-nagail mousse and chocolate frogs. 

The meal even comes with 2 glasses of bubbling green frogs flexi (green tea) and a wand that can change the lights of the accompanying candles when waved. The food is definitely without complaints and thankfully a far cry from the horror stories I've heard. My personal favourite is the owl hootdoo macarons. 

I visited the cafe with 3 very hungry people whose hobby is over-ordering so we also had the opportunity to try some pastas and sides. The crab meat aglio olio $17 was very competently prepared. The pasta had a chilli crab flavoured taste and I enjoyed the tangy spiciness. Definitely above average. 

Another dish we tried was the confit chicken breast with pesto sauce spaghetti ($16). The chicken was tender but a little bit on the dryer side. I found the pesto spaghetti to be decent. 

The truffle fries ($12) was also on point. The truffle aroma and flavour was very distinct, it's probably heaven for those who loves truffle. 

I got to say we had a lot of fun dining at Platform 1094. My Harry Potter fan friend probably had a very memorable birthday. We took lots of dressed up photos, videos of her casting spells with the wand and making the green frogs flexi drink bubble. It's the complete experience a good thematic cafe should have. I'm all for bringing my Harry Potter friends here to impress them. You maximize the experience if you are sporting enough to relive your childhood by dressing up and play. 

Platform 1094

1094 Serangoon Road, S328192

Shan Cha - Taiwanese Cafe serving tea, alcohol and snacks

Shan Cha is a Taiwanese cafe specialising in teas, sakes and Taiwanese snacks. It's located at the edge of China Square and it's smacked in between Chinatown and Raffles Place. Given the hot and humid weather now, you will certainly appreciate their beverages a lot better.

My companion that went with me opted to try their Oolong Tea ($4.80). We found the presentation to be very instagram friendly. They even have this egg roll biscuit served at the side.

The tea itself was described as 'Oolong Tea lor' by my companion but it definitely tasted nicer in this heat and humidity.

My own Rose Apple tea ($4.50) was a pleasurable drink. I found the tea to have the rose flavoured sweetness and the apple was well infused. Downing the chilled tea when I felt so sweaty and hot (the place has fan, no aircon) really got me wishing for a bigger jar. I enjoyed my tea, it's totally refreshing.

My companion and I both ordered the traditional minced pork rice ($7.50). It's apparently the small bowl but very decent in size. The dish is served with a traditional tea egg at the side. There's a slight inconsistency in the egg preparation. My companion had great difficulty peeling her egg because the shell was stuck to the egg. It was very messy. My own egg was peeled with ease and to be honest, I felt very paiseh considering I brought her here. The minced pork rice was excellently prepared. I felt that the cafe got the flavours on point. The meat wasn't too fatty nor was it too lean. Portions were just right.

I personally find Shan Cha to be a fascinating cafe. The drinks are pretty unique but leaning towards the pricier side. The mains while limited in selection, taste awesome. They have some instagrammable desserts I didn't want to waste my swimming efforts to try. Perhaps on the next visit. I find this is an excellent place to catch up with my CBD friends if they can meet me outside lunch hours (not a big fan of crowds).

Shan Cha
22 Cross Street, #01-63 China Square, S048421

Columbus Coffee Co - Newly opened cafe at Upper Thomson

Columbus Coffee Co is the third establishment opened by the owners of Atlas Coffeehouse and Lunar Brewer Coffee. They are the latest to join the bustling cafe scene at Upper Thomson. The cafe is located opposite Sin Ming Plaza Condo and has a very spacious interior.

Given that the cafe is only a month old, the food blogosphere is buzzing with activity and there's been numerous reviews of the wide selection that Columbus Coffee Co offer. It got me quite excited to try out this place given all the positive hype. My dining companion opted to try their fresh bakes and ordered the almond croissant ($5). She paired her pastry with a piccolo latte ($4.50). As I just got back from London, the benchmark for fresh bakes is still set pretty high. In London, the almond croissant even had almond cream oozing out of the bread but that'll be a story for another day. We both found the croissant to be over toasted and a little on the dry side. According to my dining companion, when a bread is over toasted, moisture collects onto the bread surface quickly thus making the bread less crispy and more towards the soggy side when you take too long to finish the food.

You can't go too wrong with lattes or I'll really judge them. I found the latte to be nicely done. I made a mental note that this is probably an ideal place to read with a cuppa coffee if I'm ever around the Thomson area again. (haven't been to Thomson area in ages because I dread the parking there)

I always have a soft spot for hotcakes and I really like the one at Atlas Coffeehouse. The Butterscotch Banana Pancake ($18.50) looks exactly the same so I simply had to have it. Sad to say, my impression of the dish is totally different this time. To be fair, the pancakes are really soft and fluffy (just like the description on their menu) to the point you feel like you are having an awesome sponge cake. The maple syrup still goes really well with the ice cream, bananas and the honey coated cornflakes. The trouble was my ideal version is crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. This one skipped the crispiness. The dish tastes cakey after a while and despite the ice cream, I struggled finishing half.

The sun was scorching outside so I had the Milky Way ($7) which is pretty much white cold brew. Again the coffee passed with flying colours and it's probably the saving grace for my overall experience.

I noted that the food took a while to be served probably due to the high traffic flow. The food on our table, the next table and the next next table were all plated in delicious fashion. It really left my companion and I scratching our heads if we ordered the wrong dishes. We weren't impressed by the food at Columbus Coffee Co and really should I return it'll be for the coffee and no food.

Columbus Coffee Co
220 Upper Thomson Road, S574352