All posts tagged: Brunch

D’Life Bistro & Cafe @ Commonwealth Crescent

Published by Beatrice

D’Life Cafe & Bistro is the latest vegetarian joint to hit the market. Only opened for 2 weeks, I am glad to see such a happening and hipster looking vegetarian joint (in an extremely old school charming neighbourhood next to famous 2 Chefs tze char!) we can hang out at! D’Life Cafe & Bistro is a lacto-ova vegetarian place that does not use onions/garlic/leek/chives/shallots. They also have some vegan options including vegan ice cream and vegan soy/almond milk coffee but the cakes are not vegan! Even though I couldn’t find any website on this new cafe, the owner was very prompt in replying to my facebook messages for reservations. The staff was also quite flexible in rearranging the tables so 9 of us could sit together. We ordered a main each, some side dishes and 3 desserts to share! All in all, we spent $145 for 9 of us which is quite reasonable for the amount of food! Enjoyed the Asian dishes very much and will try the Western dishes the next time we are …

espressolab @ China Square

Published by Beatrice

I have been looking out for cafes that serve both good vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes so we can have a good meal with our friends who do not want to eat vegetarian dishes. So I am glad to find espressolab at China Square with good selection of vegetarian dishes. In fact, Ms Alicia Teoh, owner of espressolab at China Square, was a vegetarian for a few years before! Espressolab is conveniently located in the CBD with many seats, so this is an excellent choice for lunch. The cafe is also brightly lit so it is a good place to camp at if you need to do work or have work meetings. Alicia is extremely particular about the quality of her decor and even imported all the rubberwood tables from Penang to ensure quality of the furniture is not compromised for the customers. Generally, I find that when owners are very detailed about comforts for the customers, the food and service tends to be good and espressolab did not disappoint indeed! Vegetarian dishes: Vegetarian Aglio Olio ($9.80) …

Industry Beans (Melbourne)

Published by Leighton Cheng

Hi Guys, This is my very first post from Melbourne and I am really excited to share with you this cafe that was recommended by some of my local mates studying here. Industry Beans, located at Fitzroy. Having visited that place, my first impression of the cafe was a very modern outlook with an outdoor grassy lounge area which made it look a bit unusual amongst the studio apartments around this area. The seating area behind those glass doors were very humble in their arrangement and decorated with tiles/wooden panels and their stock piles of beans that they have roasted themselves, open for all customers to see (P.S. i will get more images of the interior the next time round i visit that place). My mates specifically told me to get the waiters to do a recommendation of the coffee you would normally drink and they would advice you on the type of beans that they have and which beans might go along better with your regular drink.  Being a difficult customer with my dietary …

Wheeler’s Yard @ Lorong Ampas

Published by Beatrice

Wheeler’s Yard looks out of spacious Melbourne, but can be found in our backyard along Balestier Road. Wheeler’s Yard – The Bicycle Atelier, as its names suggest,  is a workshop space for urban bikes, with even handmade frames from talented mastercraftsmen. They also have a small but extremely cute selection of kid’s bikes. Wheeler’s Yard – Exterior Shots: Wheeler’s Yard – Interior Shots: The Flat White ($5) was decent, more on the milky side. And their cups are so prettily branded! They also serve some beers, and N had his usual Asahi ($8). The cafe is still new (<1 month old when we visited), so they are running on a manual ordering system e.g. they will call out your number and you run into their counter to collect the food. The menu is also fairly straightforward. Between 4 of us, we tried the most popular mains. Decent coffee and food – my personal favourite was the Steak sandwich, but such a pretty spacious place to hangout just next to the Park Connector. I would go back again just …

A for Arbite @ Aliwal Street

Published by Beatrice

I tried A for Arbite at Serangoon Gardens when they were very new before. And to be honest, it was quite forgettable other than its ambience. However, A for Arbite @ Aliwal Street truly surprised me. I ended up loving the pastas! They allowed for simple beer tasting of the 3 craft beers – palm beer, trippel, brown and N went for a pint of palm beer ($9) in the end, which was light yet flavourful. We had the Beef Tataki ($13) that was a tad small, but fresh and exquisite tasting meat. N tried the Squid Ink Pasta ($26) with Seafood, and the pasta was handmade cooked al dente. I had the Tri Pepper Spaghettini with Crab Meat ($27) and I loved the mix of peppers!! L had the “B for breakfast” ($20) which comprised spicy sausage, nice scrambled eggs and  beans. I would most definitely be back for their pastas. YUM! Well-done! Plus there is a collection of great coffee places nearby like espressoLab and Symmetry to pick up a good cuppa after. Tip: there is a …

Symmetry Cafe @ Jalan Kubor

Published by Beatrice

We visited Symmetry Cafe before when they first opened, and since we were nearby for brunch at A for Arbite, we decided to swing by to get our coffee fix. Café by day, restaurant bar by night, I remember their food and coffee to be above average. Overall, I feel that Symmetry has become too crowded. Firstly, we waited almost 10 minutes for 2 cup of takeaways. Secondly, we could not stand for 30 seconds without being chased to move out of the way. Thirdly, they were playing club music rather than brunch music which made the whole cafe feel very hectic for a relaxing Sunday. Also, the Soy Flat White ($6.50) bordered on bad – it tasted like the soy milk did not blend with the flat white. In fact there was hardly any coffee taste. However, saving grace is that their Flat White ($5.50) continues to deliver and be one of the better Flat Whites we enjoy in Singapore, in the ranks of Nylons and Chye Seng Huat. Miss my first experience with Symmetry …

The Living Cafe & Deli @ Bukit Timah

Published by Beatrice

After a hard gym workout, we went to check out the The Living Cafe & Deli, along Bukit Timah Road, just before the turn into 6th Avenue.  The Living Cafe & Deli prides themselves in offering healthy and raw delicious organic food that’s healthy and nutritious. They do not serve red meat, no cow dairy  (good news for all lactose intolerant folks), no white sugar, no preservatives, no additives, no artificial colorings and include gluten free alternatives on our menu. The Living Cafe & Deli is big on “RAW food”, which I learnt from their site is defined as – “Raw food generally refers to a vegan diet that goes beyond just steering clear of animal products. There’s no cooking in the traditional sense (in that nothing is heated above approximately 118 degrees Fahrenheit), and ingredients are not chemically processed, pasteurized, homogenized, genetically modified, hybridized, or otherwise compromised. The basic premise behind a raw food diet is that cooking and processing foods generally decreases their digestibility and vitamin and mineral density, as well as their overall …

The Garden Slug @ Telok Kurau

Published by Beatrice

We have been to Garden Slug a few times on weekends to bring my dog along for a ride and meal. I love the simple, no frills decor of this 7 year old cafe, and the fact that fluffie can have a meal with us! TGS Mixed Grill – Platter of Ribeye Steak strips, Lamb Loin, Bratwurst, Real Mash™ & salad ($39.80) for 2 to share. Very JUICYYYYYYYYY Lamb without the gamey aftertaste! Pan-seared Dory Fillet ($18.90) – Fresh fish and salad, with sweet mash potatoes I will definitely be back for great freshness and food value, especially when I want to bring fluffie out! Forgive the camera phone shots as it was hard to shoot with fluffie moving around! — The Garden Slug Address: 55 Lorong L Telok Kurau, #01-59/61 Bright Centre, Singapore 425500 Phone: 86888575 Email: justask@thegardenslug.com Operating Hours: Mon – Tue: 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm Wed – Thu: 10:00 am – 10:00 pm Fri – Sun: 9:00 am – 10:00 pm

espressoLAB @ Bali Lane

Published by Beatrice

espressoLAB Bali Lane is now closed. But the same team who ran espressoLAB Bali Lane has set up Three Cups Coffee Co. I am sure the coffee quality still remains 🙂 Three Cups Coffee Co Address: #04-31, 1 Raffles Place, Singapore 048616 Phone: 6438 4108 Operating Hours: Mon – Fri: 8:00 am – 7:30 pm, Sat – Sun: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Website: http://www.threecups.sg — espressoLAB Singapore is opened by a colleague-friend and his wife, on 14th July 2012, who are both passionate about life, coffee and food.  I visited them when they first opened, but they have recently renovated to a hipster feel that blends in the neighbourhood better (and rightly so since they are situated in hippy Kampung Glam and with grungy CAD just at the back), so we went back to check it out as promised! I am really proud they have come so far in 1.5 years and they have received 2 recent awards – 1) Gold Plate Awards 2012 by The Singapore Women’s Weekly – “Get your coffee fix” category, 2) Best …

Artisan Boulangerie Co. @ Killiney Road

Published by Beatrice

After reading about the 6 new bakeries in Singapore, and having a big hit with Bread King, we went to check out Artisan Boulangerie Co. at Killiney Road after Sunday gym session. Artisan Boulangerie Co. is a contemporary bakery, helmed by award-winning artisan baker, Eran Mayer. When Eran Mayer was in Paris, he was a member of the Paris Chamber of Commerce for Professional Artisan Bakers,  which sounds very pro. The food and bread are no doubt, good. I had the Chicken Fusilli ($10.50) with extra Scrambled Eggs ($4). The chicken fusilli serving was small, but the fusilli was fresh, chewy and served cold. The scrambled eggs were well textured and milky. N had the ABC Breakfast (18.50), with the standard – sausage, Mesclun salad, eggs and mushrooms, which was tasty too.