Posted in Desserts on January 31, 2013| Leave a Comment »
It’s official, I’ve got a lifelong addiction to Mr Bean soya semi-soft serve!
Original soya, check.
Chocolate, check.
Green tea, also check. This I had in Tokyo last year!
What flavour next, Mr Bean?
Mr Bean
#B1-69, Raffles City Shopping Centre
252 North Bridge Road
Posted in Desserts, Japanese, Media Invites on January 29, 2013| 15 Comments »
So.
A couple of months ago, I was lamenting how far out west Nana’s Green Tea was. Now, it has moved from JCube to the new wing of Plaza Singapura, a remarkable improvement in terms of accessibility for us easties!
BUT.
I was devastated (drama mama, I know haha) when I saw that my favourite galettes have been axed from the new menu, nooooooooo!!! I checked with the staff; it seemed like those wonderful buckwheat crepes were not selling well (why why why!!) in JCube, hence an overhaul of the menu, sigh.
In order to cater to us Singaporeans, Nana’s is serving a wide range of “proper” Japanese food, from donburi and udon to sushi rolls and salads. I was given free rein to pick whatever I wanted to try so please see below for my choices. All of them, with the exception of unagi don (I love unagi so I don’t care whether it’s recommended or not; I just want it) are proudly stamped with triple stars “best recommended” on the menu. And all of them, with the exception of salmon carpaccio (which was an easy dish to love), are decent and safe (read: average).
Okie, to the good part: desserts and drinks. These are a must at Nana’s! You can skip the main courses for all I care, just don’t leave without trying the green tea beverages and parfaits! That’d be real sad, since Nana’s is a pioneer of Japanese cafe dealing with matcha (think: “Japanese Starbucks”). Both the matcha azuki shiratama latte ($9++) and roasted hoji-cha latte ($7++) are perfect thirst quenchers, the type of semi-healthy drinks I don’t mind having every day! No pictures of them since I take ugly photos of drinks, yikes. Matcha shiratama parfait and matcha anmitsu have essentially the same ingredients; just that the former looks more impactful, induces more of that “wow I need to eat that!!” feeling.. That said, give me either one of them and I’ll be a happy girl!
Nana’s Green Tea, can you please bring back the galettes soon? Pretty please with sugar on top?
Salmon Carpaccio ($8.80++)
fresh salmon, daikon sprout, sesame salad dressing
Salmon & Maguro Don ($15.80++)
soy marinated tuna, salmon sashimi, Japanese rice, mayonnaise
Ebi Fried Curry Udon ($14.80++)
udon noodles, fried prawns, Japanese curry
Unagi Mabushi Don ($16.80++)
grilled eel, Japanese rice, nori, sesame
Matcha Shiratama Parfait ($11.80++)
kanten jelly, matcha syrup, vanilla soft serve, matcha ice cream, red bean paste, mochi, whipped cream, corn flakes
Matcha Anmitsu ($8.80++)
matcha ice cream, red bean paste, mochi, kanten jelly, brown sugar syrup
Yay, to those of you who have persevered through my longer than usual long post, here’s a giveaway for you! Nana’s Green Tea has launched a special lunch set at an affordable price of $13.90++, featuring a complimentary matcha latte and a main course of your choice.
All you have to do is like Nana’s Facebook page and share your favourite matcha drinks/desserts (or what you’d like to try or anything you’d like to tell me, I’m flexible shhhh don’t let the organisers know) by leaving a comment below before 31st January 2013.
I’ll randomly select 5 winners for this giveaway and each winner will win a complimentary lunch set of their choice. Good luck!!! : )
Terms and Conditions:
• Voucher must be redeemed by 15th March 2013
• Valid from Monday to Friday, 11am to 2.30pm
• Voucher must be presented to the staff upon ordering
Big thanks to Alisa and Melvyn from Publicist PR for hosting lunch and sponsoring this giveaway!
Nana’s Green Tea Cafe
#03-80/82, The Atrium @ Orchard, Plaza Singapura
68 Orchard Road
6684 4312
Posted in Western on January 28, 2013| Leave a Comment »
While big brother Hummerstons is modish and dashingly cool, Croute is the laid-back and casual little sister. Opened a few months ago in Valley Point, I’m happy that Croute does away with the double ++ charging policy, opting for self-service affordability instead, yay.
Croute is French for crust (of bread, pie etc) so artisan bread is naturally the star here. The menu is simple: hot/cold sandwiches, salads, dips, and one lone eggs benny rounding up its “all-day breakfast” section.
Forsaking my usual boring smoked salmon sandwich, I chose the spicy tofu on multigrain rye and it was love at first taste~ This is one veggie chick that can seriously turn some carnivorous heads with its myriad of flavours and textures ❤
The pulled pork on soft white pain de mie didn’t impress as much as the one from Smoke Shack.. Too bad, I’m not sharing mine, heh.
Spanish Pork BBQ ($11)
pulled BBQ pork, slaw, chipotle BBQ sauce
Spicy Tofu & Veg ($8)
spiced tofu, gobo (burdock root), greens, onion sprouts, pickled cabbage
Croûte by Hummerstons
#01-11, Valley Point
491 River Valley Road
9724 0781
Posted in Western on January 27, 2013| 4 Comments »
Chye Seng Huat Hardware, the blogged-to-death, not-so-latest-now addition to the Papa Palheta’s mini coffee empire in Singapore.
Enter via the side grey gate (on the left hand side) and be prepared to see and be seen in the supposedly hip and cool coffee bar.
Coffee is coffee to me.
So pardon me when my untrained palate can’t taste what the hype is all about, haha.
From left: Espresso + Milk ($5.50); Cold Brew ($7).
Chye Seng Huat Hardware
150 Tyrwhitt Road
6396 0609
Posted in European on January 26, 2013| 3 Comments »
In life, we need to have some crappy brunch to appreciate the good ones elsewhere.
This is one of those times.
From left: Alkaff Mansion Breakfast Menu of scrambled eggs, grilled bacon, pork sausage, served with brioche and coffee ($15.80++); eggs benedict with smoked salmon on waffles ($13.80++).
Alkaff Mansion Ristorante
10 Telok Blangah Green
6510 3068
Posted in Japanese on January 20, 2013| 8 Comments »
Can anyone tell me whether the pancake souffle (circled below) at Hoshino Coffee is as solid (in urban terms) as it looks??
It’s the only thing I really really wanted to try at Hoshino but alas, it’s already sold out by the time we devoured the mains, sob! Lesson learnt: MUST order everything at one go right from the start. Due to miscommunication, we also ended up with zero dessert cuz the kitchen closed without processing our orders.
Emo~
Hoshino Blended Coffee ($5.80++)
Iced Matcha Latte with Softee ($9.30++)
“Fuwa-Fuwa” Hoshino Souffle ($15.80++)
Hoshino Spaghetti with Eggplant, Bacon, Shimeji, Sausage ($14++)
Lobster Bisque Soup Spaghetti ($15++)
Hoshino Coffee
#03-84, Plaza Singapura
68 Orchard Road
6338 3277
Posted in Italian on January 16, 2013| 3 Comments »
I really like Dolcetto by Basilico!
Housed in a quiet corner of The Regent Hotel, Dolcetto is the sorellina of popular Italian restaurant Basilico, in town yet far farrrrrrr (especially if you walk from Orchard MRT) away from the hustle and bustle. Though it’s operating as a takeaway gourmet deli, there’s comfy tables and chairs strategically placed outside for customers who wish to dine-inout.
I’ve been lusting after the squid ink panini for ages, and the real thing didn’t disappoint! Sure, the fillings of king crab and prawns were downright miserly, but the splendidly black sandwich was extremely fresh and tasty. Another savoury hit was the spinach gorgonzola torta rustica, hearty and robust. I was really happy that we chose this even though quiches and cheesy tarts are never high on our foodie wish list!
Don’t leave Dolcetto without desserts, please. That will be too cruel. There’s plenty of pretty pastries and cakes on display; take your pick! Petite hazelnut aragostina was impossibly flaky and crispy, with lusciously smooth ferrero rocher-ish cream within. There’s also a version piped with pistachio cream, I want that next!!
And saving the best for the last, there’s an unpretentiously moist and lovely fig cake that’s absolutely a must-try! The other day, while I was editing the photo of the fig cake, my sis walked past and suddenly exclaimed, “I want to eat that again!”~ I guess that nicely sums up how we feel about this simple but no less delicious buttery treat!
Squid Ink Panini with King Crab and Prawns ($13)
Spinach and Gorgonzola Torta Rustica ($10)
Fig Cake ($8)
Hazelnut Aragostina ($2.25)
Dolcetto by Basilico
1 Cuscaden Road
Lobby Level The Regent Singapore
6720 8000
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