Strangers Reunion

Before we headed to Tanjor Pagar Railway station for Motor Heritage Day, we stopped by Strangers Reunion for brunch.

It was not yet noon and the café was already packed with the hungry Sunday crowd, among whom were mostly groups of casually dressed 20- and 30- something, a few couples and families. The owner has made good use out of every corner of the shop front by setting up bar stools and a high table by the window and arranging tables closely together. The bright lighting, the high ceiling and the off-white walls managed to keep it from being claustrophobic. The fresh daisies on the benches and the Chinese ink paintings were definitely nice touches.

The cappuccino was presented with a cute latte art. The foam was creamy and thick and the coffee was rich and full-bodied without too much acidity. While I enjoyed the flavour of the coffee, it was not hot enough! My first sip was almost lukewarm. Otherwise it would have made me a much happier customer.

The buttermilk waffle was very crunchy and crumbled as I cut through it. Although a bit too dry, it absorbed the sweet and aromatic maple syrup like a sponge. 

W ordered the ham and goat cheese omelette on ciabatta. The ham tasted like nothing more than the apple baked ham from the supermarket deli and there was so little goat cheese it was barely noticeable. I loved the tangy salsa on the top, which added contrasting flavour and texture to the egg. 

It felt very comfortable and homey here at Strangers Reunion. Even the waiting staff gave out the wrong food more than once, they were all quite friendly. While the food was just average, their coffee was definitely worth a try.

Strangers Reunion
33/35/37 Kampong bahru Road

Lady M Confections

All the way from the Upper East Side of New York, the cake boutique Lady M Confections has arrived in Singapore. With its white walls, white furnitures and minimal decorations, the new glossy restaurant felt casual and elegant at the same time. 

Without a second glimpse of their other pastries, I instantly ordered the Mille Crêpes, their signature cake. Exactly 20 (not 1000 despite its name) thin crêpes were stacked on top of each other, with just the right amount of light pastry cream spread between layers. Every bite was soft and delicate, infused with the fragrance of vanilla and egg. The top was gently cameralised to give its golden gloss. 

Gâteau aux Marrons was another lovely creation. A generous amount of airy whipped cream was sandwiched between two layers of sponge cake made of almond flour, which was topped with beautiful pipings of chestnut-infused cream and sprinkled with some crunchy chopped walnuts. The combination of the creamy texture and the nutty flavour was irresistible. The only fault was the slightly overcooked edge of the almond flour cake.

When we arrived on a Friday evening about 1.5 hour before its closing time, there were not many cake choices left. The Mille Crêpes and cheesecakes seemed to be the most popular. Unlike its American counterpart, there was no savoury dishes on the menu. I can see myself coming back again, perhaps at an earlier time of the day for their many others famous desserts.

Lady M
#02-103, Marina Square Shopping Mall
6 Raffles Boulevard

Artichoke Café + Bar

Craving for something a bit more unusual, we decided to have a girls' night out at Artichoke Café + Bar for a Middle Eastern and Mediterranean experience. Hidden at the back of the Sculpture Square on Middle Road, this restaurant is not quite noticeable unless for those who know its existence. For those who have managed to find it, they will find themselves surrounded by walls decorated with chalk drawings and unpolished wooden furniture and rustic metal lamp shields. With both indoor and alfresco dining areas and upbeat jazz music, the ambience was cosy and homey. 

Another first impression of the place was the rather limited choice of food. In fact its drinks menu was at least twice the length of the food menu. They offered about 6-7 different dips, a few appetizers and main courses and a handful of desserts. They were two specials of the night.

The hummus was a flavourful blend of chickpeas, zesty lemon juice and fragrant tahini. The red paprika and the garlic added a contrasting sweetness and a mild kick.

The baba ganoush is a slightly chunky dip made from roasted and mashed eggplant, tahini, lemon juice and olive oil. Comparing to the hummus, it was rather bland and had way too much lemon, whose flavour had overpowered the smokiness of the eggplant. The hero of the dish was the pomegranate seeds, which shone like red jewels in the dull-looking spread and released its fruitiness in your mouth.
There was nothing Turkish about the Turkish bread that we ordered. It was slices of white French loaf drizzled with olive oil. Nevertheless we smeared the spread generously on the bread.

Grilled hamoumi cheese turned out to be a winner. Made from a mixture of cow, goat and sheep's milk, the block of cheese stayed firm and springy after cooking. The lightly browned crust was a bit crispy and the interior was gooey and soft. The cherry tomatoes, gem lettuce with sunflower sprouts made up a simple but refreshing salad. 

So far the lamb I have eaten in Singapore has yet to impress me but this slow roast leg of lamb was not bad. The flavours from the herbs were infused into the meat, which was so succulent and tender that it fell of the bone as the fork touched it. 
It was served with some pickled cucumber, carrots and radish and a garlicky sauce. The pickles were very tangy and strangely addictive. The creamy sauce was spicy and failed to complement the rest of the dish.  It was left pretty much untouched.

Recommended by a waiting staff, the pan-fried kingfish was one of the specials. The skin was golden brown and crispy and the fish underneath was tender and delicious and literally melted in my mouth. We only wished the fillet was bigger. 

Attached to the side of the restaurant is a small bakery called Overdough. Sweet treats such as baklava, brownies and tarts can be ordered to be served at Artichoke. This passion fruit meringue had a crunchy and buttery pastry, which was the best part of the dessert. The meringue was not light or fluffy enough and did not have any height. The filling was a bit too thick and sticky and lacked the tangy flavours of the passion fruit.  

Oreo cookie cheesecake block was another mediocre dessert. Kids would have loved it though. 

While most of the food was enjoyable, the portion was quite small. The main courses did not come with any carbohydrate (eg potato) so they were not that filling either. As some bloggers have rightly pointed out, the waiting staff here can improve on their customer service (although there were one or two waitresses who were very friendly and cheerful, including the one who helped us with the group photograph). Although it is claimed to be a Middle-Eastern restaurant, many of the dishes are simply western food with a Middle-Eastern twist such as steak with hibiscus salt and roast lamb with condiments. 
Artichoke is a nice place for an after-work drink or a coffee in a lazy afternoon, less so for a sit-down dinner. 

Artichoke Café + Bar
161 Middle Road

Paul

Since the opening of Paul's Singaporean outlet at Takashimaya, the only item I have tried from them was take-away croissant, which was not nearly enough to satisfy my craving for decent French pastry. 

I wanted to treat myself to a nice breakfast and it was a no-brainer-decision to go to Paul. They have closed off the main dining area so I got a table by the inside the mall. Otherwise it would have been nice to sit by the window with a view of Orchard Road. 

Several breakfast sets were available on the menu, most consisting of French bread or a croissant and a hot drink of your choice, with an option of an additional juice. (And I have to say that having both a cold and a hot drink in the same morning meal is a very French thing.) Waffles, pancakes and full breakfast sets with eggs were also on the menu. Not wishing for anything too heavy, I ordered a Petit Déjeuner Parisien.

My café au lait was smooth and milky. The mellow coffee is nice when you do not feel like something too strong for breakfast. 

Included in the breakfast set was half a loaf of flûte. Although it did not look much to start with, it was actually quite filling! The freshly toasted bread had a golden brown thin crust and a soft and fluffy interior. Topped with the creamy butter and apricot jam, it made a delicious breakfast.

I also brought home a loaf of pain complet. The wholemeal, sourdough bread was aromatic, dense and flavourful. Air bubbles randomly scattered throughout the loaf, giving it a spongy and coarse texture. I made sandwiches with it for lunch and it had kept well for the next few days.

After enjoying the delicious bread from Paul, it will be impossible to go back to having supermarket bread!

PAUL
#03-16/17, Takashimaya Shopping Centre
391 Orchard Road

Chezcake Bistro

I cannot decide whether I like or hate night shifts. I like them for the days off in between shifts which feel like mini breaks but the long and unnatural working hours can really drain you out. Since they come with the job I try to make the most of it.
In a post-night shift afternoon I was at Chezcake Bistro with a friend. The place was minimally decorated and had seating for no more than 20. We were the only dine-in patrons and the two waiting staff were very attentive.

There were about 10 different flavours of cheesecakes on display at the counter but a much wide variety can be pre-ordered in advance as whole cakes. They are all baked, as supposed to the ones set with gelatin, according to the waiter.

I ordered the green tea cheesecake with red bean. This Japanese-inspired cake was unbelievably smooth and the green tea flavour really stood out. Red bean is, of course, always a perfect match for green tea. The base was, however, too soft and quite tasteless and would have benefited from more butter.

This is chocolate cheesecake with bailey, one of their alcoholic variety. After a tongue-numbing experience with the alcoholic ice-creams at Udders, I usually steer away from desserts with alcohol (I'd much prefer them on their own!). But the bailey in this cake was not too overwhelming and left a subtle warm after taste in my mouth. I would have liked it more if it was richer with chocolate flavour. 

I got a mango tango for take-away. Same with the other cakes, the texture was incredibly smooth and tangy mango sauce on the top was quite refreshing. 

I was in the mood for tea and pomegranate and raspberry seemed like a good choice for a hot summer afternoon. With a hint of sweetness it was soothing and fruity. The waiter needed no prompt to refill the pot, which was commendable customer service. 

The strawberry milkshake was very much enjoyed by my friend. It was a bit thinner and less creamy than the usual shakes, which meant they probably did not mix in much ice-cream. Depending on whether you are on a diet, it might be a good or a bad thing.  

It took them a while to prepare appetiser, which was served only after we have finished half of our cakes. The Chezcake Special stuffed yam ball with shredded roast duck was deep fried to a golden crust and steaming hot. It was filled with yam purée, finely diced carrot, mushroom and shredded roast duck and topped with mayonnaise and parsley. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, the texture was really nice but I failed to taste even the slightest hint of duck.

Personally I prefer rich, dense and flavourful cheesecakes and the ones at Chezcake Bistro were not quite up to the mark for me. The texture was perfectly smooth but they needed more flavour. Some of their savoury dishes are a fushion of western and southeast Asian, such as laksa or tom yam pasta. They also offer an extensive list of hot and cold drinks, tea and wine. Although the cakes were not the best, it was a nice quiet café to spend a relaxing afternoon.

Chezcake Bistro
328 Joo Chiat Road

Tiong Bahru Bakery

After a dissatisfying dinner at NamNam Noodle Bar, I was in need of some nice and fulfilling desserts. Walking past Tiong Bahru Bakery at the corner of the basement of the Raffles Shopping Centre, I had my attention captured by their wonderful display of sandwiches, bread and pastries. Unable to resist the temptation, we sat down for some desserts.

Lemon Calamansi Tart was recommended by their staff as a best seller. The buttery pasty was filled with lemon custard, topped with a piece of white chocolate and some meringue sticks. The tangy lemon curd was smooth and gooey and had the right balance between sweet and sour. The tart, however, did not have enough crunch and could have done with a bit more time in the oven.

My love affairs with crumble started when I was in boarding school and it is definitely one of my favourite sweet treats. They had both apple and berry crumble and I chose the latter. To make it possible for takeaway, they had put the berry mixture on a layer of pastry, which was so buttery that it had overpowered the rest of the dessert. There was not enough fruits in the berry sauce and the crumble on the top was not crunchy enough. Overall the pastry tasted too heavy and needed more freshness from the berries. It would probably have tasted better if served warm rather than room temperature.

With a menu including coffee, sandwiches and soups, Tiong Bahru Bakery is more of a café than a bakery. Seating is very comfortably spaced with very cute pencil-legged tables that you can see in the picture above. Even though their desserts were not the best I'd still like to return to try the coffee and danishes.

Tiong Bahru Bakery
#B1-11/12, 252 North Bridge Road
Raffles City Shopping Centre

Antoinette Revisit

There are a few things that make a restaurant perfect for a girl's night out: yummy food, cosy chairs, relaxing ambience. My first visit to Antoinette for brunch was enjoyable so it came to my mind again when I arranged a dinner date with a girl friend. Most of their outlets do not accept reservations so we went to the one on Penhas Road to avoid the annoyingly long queue. 

Bouchées aux Fruits de Mer (Seafood in puff pastry case) ordered by my companion

I almost thought that they made a mistake when my order arrived. Instead of the burger buns that I imagined, Burger Antoinette looked more like a sandwich to me. Never the less the chicken patty was tasty and the pan-fried apple slice was juicy and refreshing. The pommery mustard mayonnaise added a mild heat. But I was not very satisfied by the potato crisps that were served alongside the salad as I had expected the "chips" on the menu to be French fries. Some fluffy chunky chips would have gone much better with the sandwich than the thin, greasy crisps.

 Iced chocolate

Display of chocolates, macaroons and cakes at the counter

Le Royale was a lovely combination of chocolate and hazelnuts. The smooth and rich dark chocolate mousse and the sponge cake at the bottom sandwiched a layer of airy almond meringue. The hazelnut feuilletine in the middle gave it a crispy and nutty contrast in texture. 

Kyoto was a much lighter dessert. The mascarpone mousses outside was infused with green tea. Hidden in the centre was the creamy chestnut crémeux which was a delightful complement to the mousse. 

The Charlotte macaroon had vanilla cream and strawberry coulis as its filling. It was too sweet for me and I could not taste any element of strawberry. But I have never been a big fan of macaroons so I am probably not the best judge.

I could not help but be reminded of Angelina in Paris by the range of desserts and the shop design of Antoinette. Dining at the classically French tearoom was such a decadent culinary experience which I believe would be difficult to exceed. Unfortunately the magical feeling that Antoinette first gave me has much diminished. I also was not impressed by their service, especially when the restaurant was not that full. My water glass only got refilled after many requests and it took them a good five minutes to get us forks for the desserts. While the desserts were delectable, their main courses were quite overpriced. I know I will not be in a hurry to return for the third time.

Antoinette

30 Penhas Road

WaWaWa

Since getting bicycles of our own, we have been trying out different park connectors in the East. The route leading to the Bedok Reservoir was one that we found quite pleasant and easily manageable.

A segment of the Berlin Wall in the Bedok Reservoir Park

The only eatery available in the Bedok Reservoir Park is called WaWaWa. Popular among joggers it is a casual dining café serving western meals with a bar serving a variety of alcoholic beverages.

As an appetizer we ordered the lobster bisque. It was creamy but the flavour fell short of the richness that the soup should have.

The mini beef burgers were one of the chef's recommendations. The beef patties were thick and juicy and did not get overpowered by the barbeque sauce or the gooey melted cheese. The buns were toasted to give a slightly burnt edge, adding a contrasting texture and smokiness to the meat. The French fries was exactly how I liked them: thick and fluffy strips of potato covered by a golden crust lightly seasoned by pepper without too much salt.

The bacon & prawn aglio olio was another one of their best sellers. However the pasta was shop bought and rather tasteless and the sauce was a bit bland. It failed to wow us from presentation to the taste.

The dessert menu was rather limited and we picked the recommended Wawawa chocolate lava cake. Although not exactly Valrhona-rich, the warm chocolate cake was tasty, with dense, liquefied chocolate oozing out and flooding the plate as soon as we cut into it. Unfortunately the vanilla ice-cream was, again, ready-made and tasted very artificial.

Given its wallet-friendly price range, Wawawa is worth visiting for its relaxing environment by the water. Food is simple without much surprise. I do hope that more restaurants can be opened up around that area to provide more choices as well as competition.

Wawawa
901 Bedok Reservoir Road 

Sunset in the park