Hatched @ Holland Village

Hatched at Holland Village is definitely a place for egg-lovers to go to. As their name suggests, their specialty lies in eggs, and they do it well! Often crowded during breakfast and brunch time every day of the week, especially weekends, it's a bustling place for meeting up with friends or just to have a great start to your day. However, if for some reason you don't fancy eggs, I'll suggest that you go elsewhere as almost every dish has eggs in them. 

Even their Salt and Pepper containers are in the shape of eggs. Extremely cute!

Smoked Royale

Eggs Benedict! Smoked salmon and poached egg with Hollandaise sauce on an English Muffin, served with greens and homemade mash. The poached eggs here are perfectly done, and the smoked salmon is nice, although I feel that they could have been more generous with the portion. Overall, it's rather light as the English Muffin isn't very filling. The homemade mash is awesome though, extremely tasty without being too salty. The portion of greens are just right for the dish too.

Philly

Steak, Peppers and Onions in an omelette, with cream cheese on toast. Personally I felt that there wasn't enough cream cheese to go around the omelette, and the portion of the steak wasn't that much either. However, the steak, peppers and onions were all very well done and tasted great, especially when you cut a bit of cream cheese to go with each mouthful. Their bread is only average though, and is a tad bit dry.

There are MANY MANY other dishes available on the menu, and you can customise the dishes to your preference, especially if you want to change things like your omelette filling. There's certainly something for every egg lover here. The drinks aren't as good though, so I would just come here for a good solid breakfast. That being said, the food here is generally for those with smaller appetites as they aren't very filling on their own. You might want to order a few more to share, or head somewhere else for drinks after going to Hatched. They currently have 2 outlets.

Expect to pay: $15-20

Hatched @ HV

267 Holland Avenue

Holland Village S278989

Twelve Cupcakes

Cupcake fever has been going on in Singapore for quite a while, and it was quite recent that Twelve Cupcakes, arguably one of the fastest-growing and most popular cupcake chain in Singapore, increased their prices. It now costs $3.20 per cupcake for their regular range, and $3.70 for their more premium flavours, some of which include alcohol. The question is, is it worth the hype and money we shell out for it?

I would say that their cupcakes in general are good. You definitely get what you pay for with their regular flavours such as PB Jelly, Cookies and Cream, Red Velvet and Espresso. Their other more special flavours such as Longan, Raspberry White Choc and Strawberry Champagne are certainly better than their regular ones. That being said, the primary distinction between the cupcakes is through the whipped cream which is flavour accordingly. There is a generic selection of either chocolate or plain cupcakes, and then the respective-flavoured cream is put on top. Without the cream, one cupcake would be largely indistinguishable from the other. Although this is somewhat disappointing for a few flavours, you get a consistent result of a moist and not-too-sweet cupcake base, and a well-made whipped cream topping. Those cupcakes which claim to have alcohol in them do have trace amounts of it, but its certainly insufficient for people who want the full flavour that is promised. 

"But you're not answering my question, is it worth it?" I would say at regular price, no, not really. Unless you have a party or a function, which makes it pretty neat for you to bring a box or two of Twelve Cupcakes, which is rather classy and neat in the box and bag. Or perhaps someone is celebrating their birthday and you want to use a cupcake as a substitute for cake. Or perhaps for the occasional indulgence, I guess it's fine. However, there are a few promotions at closing time that might be of interest. They usually go for Buy 4 get 2 free near closing time, or 6 cupcakes for a fixed rate of $12, regardless of whether the flavours are under the regular range or premium range. They also do have occasional tie-ups with credit cards so that makes this little luxury a little more affordable. In summary, if you don't mind paying premium for a cupcake that is of a guaranteed quality, then go ahead and get it! Otherwise, I would probably be more frugal as you probably can make your own cupcakes to a standard that's pretty similar, if not better than theirs.

Dean and Deluca @ Orchard Central

Many people have walked around Orchard Central and it would be almost impossible to miss Dean and Deluca, which took up the space left vacant by Gelare Cafe. The cafe space is ever-changing due to accommodate the retail section of Dean and Deluca, but for the better as the seating spaces have increased. I like to be nearer to the counter rather than at the far end nearer to their delicatessen. The place is usually noisy and full of people around brunch time, and it only really frees up around 2pm. This is in spite of the 37% user review reflected on hungrygowhere. Given it's location, I would say it's a nice place for friends to meet as the high (or lack of) an immediate ceiling means that the place feels spacious. The seats are also adequately spaced so that one can have his or her own private conversations. I like to drop by to just get a few muffins for breakfast the next day as they are cheap and good ($3.50 for a very filling and wholesome muffin). Their regular mains are good, but not extremely so. Their drinks are rather underwhelming as well,  and perhaps this is why they've garnered such low ratings. This is because their prices aren't exactly for the budget-conscious. Therefore, I don't usually go for their mains but I usually like to custom my meals ala carte as I get what I want at a slightly cheaper price.

Pan-seared Salmon steak, Herb Mixed Vegetables

Normal-tasting salmon that is a little on the dry side. Needed much more of the lemon butter sauce but couldn't get more. The more fatty parts of the salmon tasted good though, and they're pretty stingy with the greens. I ordered mixed herb vegetables which included beetroot, pumpkin and potatoes to accompany this dish so I managed to get this combination for under $15.

Angus Beef Bulgogi Aglio Olio Linguine

Extremely tasty and it only costs $13.50. You're unlikely to get this deal at the moment, but one can always hope. I got this under the "Pasta of the Week" promotion, which recently increased their price to $14 for the week's pasta. Not sure if this promotion is still ungoing though, but it was certainly good over the weeks when it lasted. The linguine was adequately tasty and not too oily, which I enjoyed. The angus beef was also very flavourful and slightly spicy. The portion was also enough to satisfy me, and it's certainly a steal for the price.

Spicy Marinara with Soft Shell Crab

Another one of my catches during the promotion! The pasta here is definitely more moist due to the tomato base sauce. I liked the taste of the herbs they used to season the pasta, and the mashed tomatoes were good. There was a decent portion of soft shell crab, which was nicely battered. However, the crab was a little cold by the time I ate it, but it was still tasty nonetheless. It tastes better on its own and just perhaps with a dash of the tomato or tabasco sauce. Otherwise, the batter will turn soggy and the crab won't be as pleasant-tasting.

Boston Shrimp and Avocado Sandwich

Another budget alternative, one can always try the Chef Special that is slightly cheaper than their all-day breakfast mains. However, the quality of the chef's special changes and it really depends on the individual if you want to go for it. Here, the sweet taste of the shrimp bathed in a light mayo sauce tasted great. The avocado was fresh and sweet too, and hence it provided a nice texture to the sandwich on a whole. There is a sizable portion of a side salad, and potato chips that go well with the BBQ sauce that they provide. Or you could be like me and have chips drizzled with Tabasco sauce. Not the most orthodox way of eating it but oh well.

Portobello Cheese Burger

Angus beef steak, with porotbello mushrooms (obviously, lol!), gouda cheese, tomato and lettuce. The bread patties simply cannot contain the burger, which is almost certain to fall apart when you try to eat it. The beef patty is good, definitely very tasty and juicy. Only eat this if you do like beef, as the taste can be a bit strong. The lettuce and tomatoes are normal, but sufficiently fresh. The gouda cheese is a good alternative and goes well with the burger on a whole, and having just the portobello mushrooms with the gouda cheese is pretty heavenly. Their serving of fries is quite large, so it might take a while for you to finish it. That being said, the burger isn't that filling on its own. Have this with the BBQ sauce that they provide at the counter. However, it was slightly expensive in my opinion for a burger.

Chicken bacon and Apricot Roll

Another one of my budget selections! This is pretty filling on its own, and it wasn't as dry as I had expected it to be. The chicken bacon is extremely tasty, and goes well with the flaky pastry of the roll. The apricot flavour is nice too, and the sesame seeds help to make the roll more fragrant overall.

The New Yorker

One of Dean and Deluca's signatures, I had high hopes for this, especially since I was paying $25 for it. Scrambled eggs and smoked salmon in a sesame-seed bagel accompanied by a vine-ripened tomato. Although I wasn't disappointed by the dish's taste and appearance, the price was rather high. For the same price, I would have gotten much larger servings and better service at Wild Honey. The smoked salmon had a strong smoked flavour which was enjoyable, but the slices were bordering on stingy. The scrambled eggs were good, and so was the freshly-baked bagel. However, this dish is certainly not filling because of it's small size. I would have liked another vine-ripened tomato too because mine was a little small for me. 

The verdict for Dean and Deluca? I would say that it's a nice place to start your day for brunch, and perhaps for their stack of pancakes which look delicious. I wouldn't come here specifically for their drinks or for their food though. Definitely a bit overpriced for its quality. If you don't mind experimenting with their ala carte dishes, you probably can come up with something nice and value-for-money. This is because I find their normal menu much nicer than that of their all-day breakfast. However, with it's location at Orchard and the relative ease of getting a seat, it's definitely a good place (for larger groups especially) to meet up. I would recommend, however, their baked goods such as muffins and cakes, especially for a takeaway.

Expect to pay: $20-30

#04-23/24

Orchard Central

181 Orchard Road

UPDATE: Chye Seng Huat @ Tyrwhitt Road

Went back to Chye Seng Huat on a weekend and boy was the crowd crazy. Hard to find even a place for two, and 15 minutes of frustration later, finally got a comfy seat with backrest (yay). Decided not to go for their filtered coffee but rather their pressured coffee this time. After all, I always prefer pressured coffee. Had the almond croissant again which I love, but the chocolate brownie which I had the other time was gone. Probably a seasonal offering ):

Decided not to go for their Nuts + Bolts Espresso, and instead went for their Throwback, which was a blend of Brazilian and Sumatran coffee beans. I loved it as it was much stronger than the Nuts + Bolts, as I compared the taste between single shots for both the blends. I myself had a double shot Throwback Espresso (pictured below) which is a nice upgrade if you love coffee (it costs just $0.50 for one additional shot). The Throwback was also more bitter and heavy, and it made the Nuts + Bolts taste much milder in comparison. However, the Throwback isn't a permanent brew so I would catch it while you can! 

View the full post on Chye Seng Huat Hardware here:

http://eatwheresia.blogspot.sg/2013/12/chye-seng-huat-hardware-tyrwhitt-road.html

Barossa @ Esplanade Mall

Tired of always meeting up with your friends at yet another Orchard Road eatery or at City Hall? This restaurant is somewhat off the beaten track, and it's not somewhere that everyone will have been to. It's name is Barossa, and is situated in Esplanade Mall. As a general guide, it's near the performance area that looks like a sailboat and is facing the sea. I had the luck of stumbling upon this place due to Visa's aggressive 1-for-1 lunch promotion and hence everything here was both good and cheap. The ambiance here was awesome for 2 reasons. Firstly, the sea breeze. Although not as strong as the breeze you would expect at East Coast Parkway, it was certainly decent and a welcome change from our air-conditioned enclaves. It also boasts a view of Marina Bay Sands and the buildings surrounding the bay. The second reason? The reception here sucks. It's not an understatement - Your mobile data and phone reception just dies here. Want to get away from work? This is the place your boss can't contact you. Your partner will definitely appreciate it, as you can have a meaningful and engaging conversation uninterrupted by smartphones, which is the norm today.

Barossa has Archipelago beers on tap, which goes well with the food in general. However, I don't really fancy having beers in the day so I usually stick to their coffee, which is documented below. On with the food!

Seafood Bisque

On the day that I actually bothered to document the soup I was having, it just so happened that they replaced the usual mushroom soup with Seafood Bisque. This soup is definitely not for everyone, as the seafood taste is VERY strong, and it might leave an unpleasant aftertaste for some. Love the breadsticks though. They soak up the soup well and are tasty even on their own.

Beer Battered Fish and Chips, Gourmet Beef Burger

I lost my picture of the Gourmet Burger, so we'll have to make do with this shot of the Fish and Chips. The beer batter is extremely evident which I found very enjoyable. The portion of fish is also large, considering that they were running a 1-for-1 promotion. Their fries were also chunky and fried well. There was a good variety of greens in the side salad, and the dressing complemented both the fries and the battered fish well. 

The most outstanding part of the Gourmet Beef Burger is probably their patty. Their sesame seed bun tastes like your regular commercial bun you can get at McDonalds, but their beef patty is certainly a class above. Although I wouldn't say its the best beef patty I've had, the quality of the beef was good and the beef patty was well done, not too raw and neither was it overcooked. The same fries accompanied the burger, but there wasn't really a side salad to speak of.

I like how their dishes were served on wooden boards which made it extremely classy. Be warned though! The baking paper that accompanies it does catch the wind so sometimes it's annoying, but top marks for presentation.

Blue Mussel Aglo Olio

Simple Spaghetti tossed in olive oil and cheese, accompanied by mussels. I was pleasantly surprised as the dish was much tastier than it looked. I was worried it would be bland, but that was not the case. The cheese was a nice addition, as was the garlic bits which made the dish more fragrant. The mussels were fresh and to my liking.

Branded Coffee! Heh. It costs just a $2 top up for this cup of goodness. While it isn't the strongest coffee around, it's very smooth and tastes like filtered coffee although it's pressured. The sugar cubes were yet another classy touch that I liked, and hot milk is served at the side even without a prior request for it. Overall doesn't have a super strong coffee taste, but does provide a nice "kick" for those (like me) who need caffeine to function. Or not to be so grumpy. Either way, this coffee is a nice add on if you're not having a beer.

Barossa serves good quality food, and it's certainly a nice place for lunch and dinner. At night the ambiance is fantastic, but the prices are not so accommodating. The lunch promotion is definitely worth it, although I am not entirely sure if they're still running it. That being said, they're usually victimised by the Singapore F1 Road Closures so I expect to see promotions by then, if not earlier, as their lunch-time can be fairly quiet without people from the nearby workplaces. They also serve an all-you-can-eat beef buffet, so that might be of some interest to those meat-lovers. I would certainly drop by for a beer by the bay if I was in the area at night as the ambiance is nice and the sea breeze really relaxes you and makes you feel like a towkay, if only for the time that you're there.

#01-11
Esplanade Mall
8 Raffles Avenue

Odeon Beef Noodle @ Food Republic Wisma Atria

Just a short post to promote my favourite beef noodle. Take note that this probably isn't the original because they have a whole slew of franchisees, but I find this to be one of the better ones. This is primarily for convenience as I am in Orchard much more than other places. This  costs $6 currently for the whole set including the beef soup with beef balls at Food Republic's Wisma outlet. I used to eat this when it was located at the basement of the current Scott's Square, years before their overhaul. What makes me like this version of beed noodles so much is its gravy. Sure, it's starchy, but just the right amount and is extremely flavourful. The beef soup is also AWESOME, but I would take it dry as the soup doesn't taste as good when you order their beef noodles in soup. The cook here is rather generous with the beef slices, which are well done. Like I mentioned earlier, this isn't the original so the sauces aren't as nice as I remember them to be, but they're better than average. Do give this a try the next time you're at Food Republic Wisma Atria

Expect to pay: $6 onwards

Toby's Estate @ Rodyk Street

It was definitely difficult to find Toby's Estate on my first visit and I had to resort to using my GPS although I had looked up the place a couple of times. One of the reasons was that it was on the far side of Clarke Quay, so I ended up trekking quite a distance to get here. However, despite all the fatigue, I found my visit here most fulfilling. Out of all the cafes I have visited thus far, I would have to say that Toby's Estate is my favourite by far when it comes to their coffee. Sadly, their location makes it rather inconvenient to get to, and hence I am unable to visit this place as much as I would like. I wouldn't go so far as to say that Toby's Estate is still a gem waiting to be discovered, but it's definitely a place for coffee lovers to make a pilgrimage to as I believe they serve the best coffee in Singapore. 

There is a large common table that is perhaps the centrepiece of the cafe, and this table is usually filled up during peak hours. Although some may find it slightly comfortable to be sitting in such close proximity to strangers, it is done with the hope that people can literally make conversation over coffee. The cafe is adequately bright for one to bring in a book to read and also for one to bring his or her Macbook for some work. The weather was rather hot on the day that I was there, otherwise, I might have been tempted to sit outside and enjoy the breeze. That being said, being able to enjoy the smell of freshly-ground coffee is something preferable to me.

As you can see in the picture below, they have a cake set which allows you to have any slice of cake paired with any of their drinks for the price of $10. Not sure if this is still on at the moment, but it's a good bargain for good quality coffee and a decent slice of cake. 

Toby's Estate coffees come in standard sizes, and I had the luxury of trying more than one drink (I came in for late brunch and stayed until tea-time). As you can see, the latte art here is pretty impressive, and the drinks are housed in clear glass for you to see the layers within the drink (not sure if its visible in the pictures below). Quite a few people can be spotted with a cuppa in hand and chilling, and I would definitely come back here JUST for their coffee, even if there was nothing else on offer.

Their food isn't too shabby either, although I had a bad experience with the poached eggs here. Mine were slightly overdone. Also, I felt that the dishes were a bit too dry and salty, but that's just my personal opinion. Their 2 best selling breakfasts - Eggs Royale and Toby's Breakfast are listed below for your viewing pleasure. 

Eggs Royale

Eggs Benedict - Poached eggs and smoked salmon with Hollandaise sauce on toast. I like that they made the effort to decorate the plate - very few cafes bother with that. The Eggs Royale looked so delicious I could barely wait to tuck in, but alas, pictures first. Heh. I would have liked the smoked salmon to be stronger flavoured, and I found the poached eggs overdone (like I said before) but it might have been a once-off incident. Oh did I mention that Toby's Estate uses white farm eggs so they certainly taste different.

Toby's Breakfast

Big Breakfast here we go again. Espresso bacon (something new here!), greens, cherry tomatoes, wild mushrooms, poached eggs and toast. Their bacon is seasoned with espresso so it's definitely unique! However, the flavour isn't incredibly strong to put off those who do not like the coffee taste so much. Think coffee pork ribs. The greens didn't come with dressing, which disappointed me. I would have preferred a light dressing. The wild mushrooms aren't to everyone's taste for sure, as we're used to having portobello mushrooms in breakfast sets. However, I laud them for daring to be different. The toast was normal, but I would say it was a couple notches above average.

A nice touch at cafes, water is served in glass bottles. However, it's slightly different here. Kudos to the management for purifying the water on site as part of their commitment to reducing carbon emissions and also eliminating waste, thereby saving energy. Water tasted purer than your normal dispenser water, and don't worry, it's free of charge.

The chocolate mousse cake and the oreo cheesecake were both decent, but I wouldn't say they were great. It's definitely challenging to provide all-round quality food that would satisfy everyone, but objectively I would have to say that their desserts are their weak points. The chocolate cake was a bit mild to my taste, and definitely too dry. This was fine when it was paired with the mocha I ordered of course, but still, hmm. The oreo cheesecake also had too little oreo flavour so I didn't enjoy it as much. It too, is rather dry, which spoilt it a little for me as I expected the texture of the cheesecake to be smoother. However, Both cakes are okay when taken with a drink.

Their mochas are one of the few mochas I've had where the coffee still has a more prominent flavour than the cocoa. There have been many instances where the drink becomes reduced to a drink that tastes like milo with a hint of coffee, but not here at Toby's. Like I said, I stand by the statement that they serve the best coffee in Singapore and hence their coffee still shines even when taken in such a way.

Look out for the quirky Alkaaf Bridge and you know you're on the right track to finding Toby's Estate. It's definitely a nice place to start your day, or to hang out in the afternoon. It has a really chill vibe and the place isn't too noisy. I reckon it'll be pretty romantic at night, with it being by the riverside. Toby's is definitely one of my favourite cafes overall at the moment, and tops my list for places to go for coffee. If you're a coffee enthusiast, you MUST COME here and give it a try. Having their food and cakes are optional, in my opinion. Like their coffee? They do sell their own blend, called the Rodyk blend so you can enjoy their coffee from the comfort from your home. Highly recommended!

Expect to pay: $5 for drinks, $20 with food.

#01-03/04
8 Rodyk Street