Loola’s by Awfully Chocolate

Loola’s by Awfully Chocolate is a pleasant surprise.

I thought it’d be a highly commercialized restaurant targeted at one-time customers who happen to be in Esplanade for a show or something. In other words, mediocre food without heart and soul. But boy, am I wrong. So wrong, because I like this place. Breads are baked from scratch, sauces are made from stocks, cakes are baked by hand. True, service can be faster, but we’ve got the whole afternoon to kill so that’s not a negative : )

Egg white omelette ($22++): creamy souffle egg white, truffle oil, toast, herb butter.

Loola’s calls this “the fluffiest omelette in the world”. Not too sure about that claim, but it’s plenty delicious!

Souffle omelette ($22++): red cheddar, parmesan, sauteed mushroom, toast.

My hand is small, but that omelette is really HUGE!! *LIKES*

Pan seared braised pork belly ($28++): honey pork belly, lotus root chips, bubble and squeak (in layman’s terms, traditional English dish made from leftover veggies).

To me, the best dessert from Awfully Chocolate is the hei ice cream. Period. Thankfully, all the desserts here are served with a scoop of that yummy dark icy treat, hee. Portions are P.S. Cafe-ish humongous so sharing is a great idea. We didn’t though, haha. One each, in typical foodies’ style! : )

Hazel crumble ($14++): whole wheat biscuit base, thick hazelnut chocolate layer, crumble, dark chocolate ice cream.

Lemon yogurt cake ($12++): citrus infused moist cake, light lemon cream cheese, dark chocolate ice cream.

Chocolate tart ($12++): dense baked chocolate filling, rich chocolate glaze, cookie base, dark chocolate ice cream.

Loola’s by Awfully Chocolate
#02-14, Esplanade Mall
6336 9563

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Itacho Sushi

2 glorious weeks spent in Hokkaido, and yet our craving for sushi hasn’t diminished yay. Not by a long shot. First date after the trip was at cheap and good Itacho, where we happily ordered like there’s no tomorrow. All that aburi stuff rocks, and that looooong anago? Simply made my heart sing, sigh.

Itacho Sushi
#B2-18, ION Orchard
6509 8911

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Bibigo

I like Bibigo.

It’s more contemporary than traditional korean food, and the main selling point is healthy well-balanced cuisine without sacrificing on taste. Tell me, how is it possible to not like such feel-good food?

Top left, clockwise: kimchi pancake ($10++), seafood pancake ($13++), hot stone tofu bibimbap ($16++), bulgogi ($22++), kimchi fried rice ($16++).

Bibigo
#B1-74, Raffles City Shopping Centre
252 North Bridge Road
6336 4745

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1-Caramel (Rochester Park)

I still remember the fanta-bulous strawberry shortcake from 1-Caramel 3 years (3 years already?!!) ago.. Desserts at the Handy Road outlet then didn’t disappoint, nor did the savoury dishes at the Rochester boutique let us down this time. Best of all, prices are extremely wallet-friendly, especially when located in such a chi-chi area~

Twice-baked gruyere souffle ($14++)

Eggs benedict with smoked salmon ($14++)

BLT wrap with bacon, melted gruyere, avocado ($12++)

1-Caramel
1 Rochester Park
6774 1302

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Standing Sushi Bar

Me: Let’s go Standing Sushi Bar!

Batchgirls: Are we going to stand and eat?!

Me: Yup! HAHA.

I was pulling their legs. Unlike the original concept in Tokyo, our local Standing Sushi Bar is a sit-down restaurant so the name is a bit of a misnomer. We were having lunch at the odd hours of 3.30pm so only the ala carte and dinner menus were available. While nothing was particularly outstanding, it’s kinda hard to go wrong with Japanese food these days and the great company made the food even more enjoyable : )

Ebi fry ($15++).

Take set ($25++).

Unagi set ($22++).

Roppongi set ($40++): appetisers, salmon sashimi, chawanmushi, gyu niku, black sesame ice cream.

Standing Sushi Bar
#B2-51, Marina Bay Link Mall
8A Marina Boulevard
6634 7068

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Open Door Policy

Open Door Policy keeps a tight brunch menu of less than 8 items so what they churn out of the open concept kitchen, they do it well. So well that this has become one of my new favourite brunch spots! Apparently, I’m not the only one who think so too since it’s rather tricky to get a reservation on weekends. Sitting at the bar counter is great fun cuz you can freely scrutinise the chefs and make them sweat, haha.

Just kidding.

The specialty coffee bar is by 40 Hands, which is conveniently opposite ODP~

Ta-da, my current favourite here:

Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on toasted ciabatta with spinach and fresh herbs ($19++).

 Poached asparagus with scrambled eggs, rocket and fresh tarragon on toasted brioche ($18++).

 Ala carte menu is also available during brunch hours so there’s bound to be something for everyone.

Chocolate and pistachio souffle, with a flask of creme anglaise ($15++).

 I’m so in love with their über creamy and soft scrambled eggs that it’s brunch after brunch at ODP for two consecutive weeks!

Craving satisfied.

Roasted field mushrooms on toasted brioche with truffle puree ($17++); jamón ibérico croque monsieur ($21++).

Open Door Policy
19 Yong Siak Street
6221 9307

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Tiong Bahru Bakery

Much Ado About Eating feels “shallow to chase after new openings”.. As do I, haha. How can any self-respecting foodie not be?! I’m proud to be a shallow foodie, there I’ve said it.

Tiong Bahru Bakery has been blogged to death by floggers online so I shan’t add on. Just go, just go!

Oh ya, I need to mention that while I love the carbs there, I hate how noisy and chaotic the place is~

Top left, clockwise: croissant ($2.50), chocolate croissant ($3.20), olive roll ($3.50), tuna sandwich ($8.50), brioche ($2.50), chocolate brioche ($3), bacon and cheese bread ($3.50).

Tiong Bahru Bakery
#01-70, 56 Eng Hoon Street
6220 3430

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Seki Japanese Restaurant

“Bringing the Freshness of Japan Closer to you” — that’s Seki Japanese Restaurant‘s promise.

Don’t be intimidated by its fancy fine-dining-ish appearance. Prices may range from mid to high, but there’s an attractive promotion during lunch: 1-for-1 sushi/chirashi sets inclusive of miso soup and dessert, starting from an affordable $9.90++!

Dinner is more elaborate, as you can see from the photos below. We placed ourselves in the hands of Seki’s chefs and what followed was a 7-course omakase, with more hits than misses : )

The bar menu is so extensive that I simply asked for the house signature drink. What’s served was this refreshing cocktail with a dash of rum mixed with watermelon and mint. Nice!

Besides cocktails, there’s also sake and Shochu, or champagne and wine.

Trio of appetisers — clam salad, roasted pork skewers, sweet potato.

Fresh sashimi platter — otoro, kampachi, hamachi, amaebi.

Silky smooth chawanmushi.

Tempura — white fish, eggplant.

It’s been a long while since I’ve had an “OMG moment” when eating fish! So soft and flavourful, this one definitely sealed the deal for me.

Mentaiko coated cod.

Assorted sushi platter — scallop, tuna, sea urchin, salmon, swordfish.

Ume plum jelly with vanilla ice cream.

Special thanks to Keith and service team for hosting, and Juliana for the kind invitation!

Seki Japanese Restaurant
#01-02, Rendezvous Hotel Gallery
9 Bras Basah Road
6336 3806

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Maison Kayser

My first Maison Kayser experience was in Paris a couple of years ago and it was pretty good. Now that the first Singapore outpost has opened right in the heart of town, yay Kayser for giving us another awesome bakery made for carbs-indulgence : )

Scrambled eggs with croissant set ($5.60++)

I love that I can choose any bread for the sandwiches. Flexibility rocks, haha. Can’t remember what bread was this exactly, but it’s something wonderful with tumeric (I think) and nuts.

Egg mayo sandwich ($5.96++)

Tuna and cheese sandwich on baguette sundried tomato bread ($7.48++)

Maison Kayser
#B1-09, Scotts Square
6 Scotts Road
6636 3672

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Kilo

Kilo.

In nautical terms, it means “I wish to communicate with you”.

In dining terms, it means “a food and watering den located by the Kallang River”.

The food is nice nice (read: nothing outstanding), but what won me over is the ambience — chill enough for an evening out with friends, intimate enough for a perfect date with that special one. No matter who you go to Kilo with, just kilo the night away! : )

From top, clockwise: nori wrapped salmon with wasabi mash ($26++), seared scallops in mushroom sauce ($21++), ahi mango poke ($16++), squid ink rice ($19++), chocolate lava cake ($7++).

Kilo
2/F, 66 Kampong Bugis
6467 3987

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