Esquina

Both PY and I had the whole restaurant to ourselves, a narrow bar with an open kitchen. Maybe at that point in time in June, many people were  trying to avoid the haze.

Well, not the most comfortable seats around but sure unique design for a stool by the bar.

Grilled romaine, truffle honey manchego, black olives...It's really amazing how chefs can combine the unique taste of each ingredient and form an amazing dish, one where the uniqueness in each ingredient is not lost.

Fried quail egg, bacon & mushroom ketchup with charred asparagus & toast

Oops, I think I have no record of this main...think it's pork and I think I do remember the tenderness of it :)

Snapper, sauteed gambas, chorizo & squid paella

Chocolate tea ice cream, sponge sacher, pickled cherries, hazelnut praline...a dessert that certainly did not disappoint, every bit of it is so delicate that you could feel how much thought has been put in to create this dessert.  

Eggs Benny Hopping

I thought Juliet asked a good question when she heard me comparing the eggs benny at Riders Cafe and eggs benny at Marmalade Pantry. On what basis did I make the comparison and what was I actually comparing? Ha, frankly speaking, I have not really thought about this. Hmm, yup, maybe it's the taste, probably it's the texture... At the end of the day, as I thought about this question again, I feel that at times, it's probably difficult to explain one's love for something and maybe there is really no need for an explanation or a specification. I just love it and my heart tells me so! Most of all, it makes me happy. In my heart, I know that I still miss the eggs benny at Riders Cafe and I have this feeling that much care, effort and thoughtfulness have been included in the making and preparation of this dish. And I know that I felt valued as I savoured every bit of that eggs benny right till the plate was licked clean. Ha, I guess when it comes to matters of the heart, explanation and rationality are just not important and irrelevant. 

What is beauty? Heh, don't start, silly gal. I guess not all are going to like answering this kind of question. However, I was really thinking of this question when I was looking at the variety of cupcakes put on display while having brunch at Marmalade Pantry (Fairway Drive). Those trays and tiers of cupcakes were so pretty and beautiful. Hmm, however, I didn't seem to want to savour them. I was wondering why. Not in the mood? Too pretty to be eaten? Or are they just pretty little things to be 'savoured' by the eyes but not the taste buds? Or maybe the first impression counts, looks matter and hooks the interest of those who are contemplating whether to try the cupcakes? Told you not to start, silly gal! Oh ya, not satisfied with the photographs that I had taken of the cupcakes at all, didn't seem to be able to capture the beauty of the cupcakes at all. Why? Oh no, please don't start!

Riders Cafe

Pacific Benedict...with swimmer crabs, spinach and shrimp hollandaise. Enjoyed every bit of it and it was so full of crab pieces in between! Heard from the staff that this is served only during weekends.

I guess there are times that I just like to be left alone. Today is one of those days. There are also times that I like to pamper myself with a little treat and of course today is one of those days. Felt like finding a quiet place and just enjoy a nice good lunch. Had been thinking of eggs benny too. Decided to check out Riders Cafe at Bukit Timah Saddle Club. As I drove along Fairway Drives, it felt like a place that I could escape from the hectic city life and a place where I could have a good lunch among lush greenery. It was not a very big cafe and thank goodness it's a rainy day hence it was rather cooling. Reservation is definitely recommended! I was lucky enough to get a seat which overlooked the horse stable and the greenery around, thanks to one of the staff who gladly acceded to my request. Simply loved my little spot at the corner of the cafe, away from the noise and crowd in the cafe. For the first time this week, I felt like I was really enjoying my food real slowly, oblivious to the crowd inside the cafe and with occasional glances at one of the brown horses in the stable. I never knew it was that therapeutic looking at them, such tame and lovely beings, so much so that I think one would feel like sharing all those little secrets deep down with them. 

It finally started

 I shall now declare my love for fatty salmon sashimi :P

 Pardon my forgetfulness, cannot recall the kinds of sushi that we ordered but I know that they're pretty tasty.

 Duck croquette...My goodness, who would have thought that duck can be an ingredient in a croquette. Erm, but may I know where's the little ducky in the croquette? But the potato within has compensated for the loss of ducky :P

  

 Miss Tan ordered things that I wasn't even sure of, haha, I think this is fried octopus.

 I thought nothing much of the spicy gravy that came with the fish head when this was first served but I guess I was wrong.

Scallop + salmon + fried tofu + flavourful sauce = Could I have another serving, please?

Do you know what is the interesting thing about an ending and a beginning? At times, I thought there isn't any difference between both of them. An end point denotes a new beginning and just when you thought it got started, the ending swiftly settles itself comfortably and confidently right before your eyes. Today, it finally started but the end point is just probably about 48 hours away. Short but still precious. Ha, don't worry about what I was blabbing about, just immersing myself in a deep pool of thoughts about beginnings and endings. Anyway, I had dinner at this Japanese restaurant - Itacho Sushi (at Ion), usually spotted having real long queues during meal times. Well, of course, Miss Tan and I are usually not the kind who would queue, not even if it's world best food. Decided to have early dinner and such a relief not seeing a long queue. That kind of satisfaction that seeps through every cell in your body when you savour some good food after a tiring week is simply indescribable, simply beyond words. Make sure you have this kind of moments in your life! A must! We did not really eat a lot but I thought that was a nice dinner. Well, simple gal, simple joy :)  

Selfish Gene Cafe

 Putting parts together and recreating, notice anything familiar?  

 I knew I had to have B.O.B! Nice runny poached eggs on smoked salmon, such a delightful meal! PY had scrambled eggs on thick toasted brioche. Hmm, I think Selfish Gene certainly knows what it's dealing with when it comes to eggs :P

 I think banana cake is a must-try. Each mouthful is full of banana flavour and I like the fact that it's warm and moist. I must say that the crumble and peanut butter sauce with the banana cake was definitely a match made in heaven!

I like the lemon tart too, glad we ordered that. The lemon curd was not too overly sweet or sour, just the right balance of both.

Love the idea of brunch, oh well, not unless you get to wake up a little later in the morning (Note: being woken up NOT from the shrill of the alarm clock). To me, having brunch means you basically get to enjoy the luxury of time, without any schedule to follow or having to rush for another activity. Sure hope I get more of such time and enjoy such 'luxurious dining'. PY and I decided that we had to meet up for brunch before we flew off for our holiday this early December and we did! As usual, PY dearie came up with a suggestion for our meet up. Gosh, she seems to have endless suggestions and I would not be surprised if she has backup plans :P We had our brunch at Selfish Gene. Not many people in that cozy cafe and quite a lazy late morning I would say. Oh boy, when it comes to good food, I guess there's place for selfishness. What do you think? 

Baker & Cook

Chanced upon Baker & Cook while checking out the restaurants along Hillcrest Road last week. The loaves of bread, sandwiches and pastries at the counter seemed to entice my taste buds a great deal as I stood at the counter wondering which should I choose for a little tea break. Miss Tan's indecisiveness did not really help :P In the end, decided to give the lemon tart and the eclair a try. Both seemed to signal to me, "Melt me in your mouth and allow me to tango with your taste buds." It was a nice, quiet and cooling afternoon as we sat outdoor enjoying our afternoon tea. Hmm, no matter what kind of cafe, I guess I have come to a conclusion that afternoon tea is always best enjoyed during a weekday. Maybe it's just me, a quiet environment is important to me in defining what a good venue for afternoon tea is. 

12 Cupcakes

Heard about "12 Cupcakes" quite a few times and finally got to give it a try that day. Thanks to Edmond, realised that there's an outlet at Millenia Walk where the group of us had lunch. The sponge beneath was soft and moist. I thought the frosting in general wasn't too sweet and worthy of mention was the cream cheese for the red velvet, I thought it was delightfully pleasant to the taste buds. Well, not forgetting my favourite - peanut butter cupcake. You know, with regard to this whole peanut butter business, it's either you love it or you hate it. Some people just don't understand one's love for it. Hmm, I guess where matters of the heart are concerned, it's not always easy to explain and provide reasons. The heart somehow rules the mind. 

Old School Delights

 Ha, was really delighted to see everything so "old school", from the menu to the little wooden box at each table that contained games like "Happy Family", "Donkey" and little toys back then.

 "Do we write what we would like to order on this whiteboard?" asked Silly Me. Well, two advantages - forces one to practise writing and saves the environment. Love the idea :)

 Huge chalkboards surrounded the cafe with also little packs of tidbits, which we used to love munching on as kids, being sold at the counter.  

 Jars of childhood, jars of little joys

 My mummy used to buy a whole box of this kinda pencils when I was a little girl :)

 Not sure coz I was hungry but I thought the mee siam was nice and flavourful, felt like homecooked food.

Sticky chewy chocolate cake wasn't too sweet, it's kinda fluffy and moist too. I would say a wonderful slice of joy for the afternoon.

Headed to Upper Thomson Road to check out a place for Yoga with Ms Tan and chanced upon this cafe that brought back fond memories of childhood. What a smile I had on my face when I entered the cafe. Looking at every detail that decorated the whole cafe, I felt like a little girl, donned my school uniform and all ready to attend school. Those were the days, so simple, such bliss and so much fun. 

"All grown-ups were children first (but few remember it)" ~ The Little Prince  

Oyster pancake

It had been such a long time since I last ate this - oyster pancake. Wanted to have some soyabean curd with PY at Maxwell Market but ended up eating an oily oyster pancake. It was sold at $2 each and I thought it's quite expensive. But I wonder if our generation or even the younger generation actually know about this traditional pancake. Well, I would say that there weren't not many oysters in the pancake but the ingredients were still as great as ever...the Chinese celery really brought much fragrance and crunchiness to the filling, love it! I felt so very sinful after eating one of it but the beautiful thing was it brought back nice memories :) 

Tiong Bahru Bakery...French?

Just beside The Orange Thimble, we discovered another cafe cum French bakery, Tiong Bahru Bakery by Gontran Cherrier. The smell of freshly baked bread was so wonderfully alluring when we stepped in. They had quite interesting baguettes, savoury ones included. But by the time we went to the bakery, there wasn't quite a great variety left. I believed most were snapped up, ha, including the lemon tart that Snoop wanted to try. We bought a number of croissants and two other buns which I had forgotten the names. Loved the one with herbs and spices, very good on its own although it was suggested to us that we could stuff some smoked salmon in between the bun. Realised that I have forgotten to take photographs of the bread! ...Oh well, but I know I really hope to be back there again. 

Letoile

 My hot chocolate...my time...and my space

 From a little corner of the cafe...

The cafe also sells products from Japan.

Mark recommended this little cafe, Letoile, located at a corner of Owen Road. It was a Saturday afternoon when I popped by the cafe. Hmm, I sensed and felt simplicity the moment I stepped in. I chose a quiet corner in the cafe and a nicely handwritten menu was placed on my table by a friendly staff. The little drinks menu at the side of the table was also handwritten...adding on a personal touch to the whole experience I guess. I was kinda hungry so I ordered hot chocolate and a scone. Loved the music playing in the background as I worked on some stuff on my lappy. Well, a good place to idle, read or just catch up with friends. Spent almost two hours there and realised that I had not explored the second floor of the cafe! Silly me! Well, will be back, hopefully a weekday...have always this mentality that all cafes are crowded during weekends. As I was looking at stuff in the cafe and the staff busy at work, I also wondered about the hard work that one needs to put in to set up and operate a cafe. But I guess the little joys that a lovely cafe can offer to its patrons can also be real satisfying to the cafe owners.  

MRK Studio - Tea + Dinner

 Brought home more homemade scones packed in boxes with labels designed by the chef...someone who looks into the finer details of a good dining experience I must say :)

 Whoever says tea and pastries must be served only in the afternoon...I say we can have them whenever we like it. It's not so much the time, it's always about the moment.

 Sunny Baby pacing up and down, always eyeing what was served on the table, silly Baby :P

 Homemade banana scones!

My dining experience...I felt as if I had my tea and dinner in a nice cafe cum bistro.

Ha, I must say I was really surprised when homemade scones and tea were served when I was invited over for dinner. You know, you simply wish you could enjoy more of those moments, sipping nicely brewed tea and enjoying a pastry or a slice of cake...with soothing music playing in the background. It was a lovely day :)

Is it food or art?

The unique floral arrangement that caught my attention...

Potato croquette

Chips and hummus...simply adored that jar and the content within, what a little beauty!

Mushroom tea...flavourful, savoured every sip of it

Smoked eel with apple jelly...exquisite and delicate, one bit of it is enough to bring delight

Organic beetroot composition...refreshing!

Smoked organic egg...too pretty to be eaten and once eaten, you will never ever forget how silky it is

Confit arctic char & shellfish...the little sides seemed more appetising than the fish

Iberian black pork...Goodness, so tender. Ha, we started talking about how these would go well with lotsa rice and gravy - the Chinese style :P

Palate cleanser...mango and lychee sorbet

Choconuts...unique presentation and a dessert that has to be savoured bit by bit

Victorian pineapple...with a dash of black pepper :P

Petit Fours...I felt like a child enthralled by all the little surprises.

The view from our table...such a nice quiet afternoon

I must say that I have brewing myself in a cauldron of busyness at work in the past month, even to the extent of being chided by PY for not pampering myself enough :P Thanks for reminding, my friend :) We have kinda agreed to go in search of nice places for meals every month and that was a meal at Jaan in the month of February...well, I suppose it's a long overdue blog post. The set lunch at Jaan (Swissotel) was filled with sweet and nice little surprises. I was especially fascinated by the presentation of the different dishes and the attention paid to the finest details. Every dish that's served is a piece of art, too lovely to be eaten at times...