Posts Tagged ‘flat white’

Dean and Deluca

November 18th, 2012 365days2play

Dean & Deluca, I finally made it there last week, after the maddening crowd had died down. Only waited 5 minutes for my seat, and by the time i finished, at least 1/4 of the seats were empty. This was 3.30pm btw.

I love looking at their display case. So many pretty cakes and breads calling out to me. I tried to remain very focussed, and ordered my chocolate croissant and latte. I’ve been consuming far too many chocolate croissants in the last 2 months, all in the name of research! I’m trying to find out where the best croissant can be found in Singapore. Truth be told, a lot of those I tried are all good. They are all different in their own way, some are very flaky, some are very butter, some are more dense yet somehow still good!

Dean & Deluca - Croissants

Nice shapely croissants. Did you know that a lot of the pastries sold at Dean & Deluca are not made in-house but sourced from other purveyors like Maison Kayser and Baker & Cook? It’s interesting that they do so, because most brands want to create their own in-house goods. That they don’t have their own products can be both a good and bad thing. The benefit is that you get to order products from a few bakeries and sample them all in one location. The bad thing is, freshness can be an issue especially if the deliveries are not done everyday.

Dean & Deluca - Cheddar Scallion Scone

It’s not often you find a scone with savoury ingredients in it. I only saw this after I’d ordered my croissant or else I would have ordered the cheddar scallion scone!

Dean & Deluca - Flat White

The flat white was so so only. Definitely not the 3rd wave coffee standard. And look at the latte art, or the non-existence of it. The croissant was not bad. It didn’t taste freshly made, and was a little stiff, but nevertheless it was still nice, in part thanks to the chocolate inside it.Dean & Deluca - Honey Bears!

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Pies and Coffee

November 11th, 2012 365days2play

Recently the Partner wanted to have his cake and eat it, so we drove down Tanjong Katong Road to try our luck. There are quite a number of eateries along Tanjong Katong Road, but they’re mostly full-fledged eateries or for some inexplicable reason, ice-cream shops. Now if you’re hankering after ice-cream, you have to come to Tanjong Katong Road because there are at least 3 ice-cream cafes to choose from in that short stretch!

I used to think that the East was lacking in coffee hangout places, but I’m glad to report back that the situation is slowly changing. It’s still not as good as what I would like it to be (think Duxton Hill, Tiong Bahru etc), but the East is slowly heating up! The amazing thing about Tanjong Katong Road is that every time I drive past, I spy yet another new eatery! I’m hoping for the day when Tanjong Katong Road becomes the Holland V or Duxton Hill of the East!

Pies and Coffee - Hot Chocolate $5 (2)

This time round, I was in luck, cuz I spied TWO new cafes sited near to each other. We checked out Pies and Coffee since the other one seemed to have run out of cakes. If Pies and Coffee sounds familiar, that’s because they have another outlet in Rochester Mall, opened in 2011. I haven’t been to the Rochester Mall outlet, but from the pictures, it seems the Tanjong Katong outlet is much smaller, fitting about 6 tables indoors, and 4 al-fresco.

I have heard that their pies are pretty good. Wouldn’t it be funny if they weren’t? Anyway, we were there for desserts and coffee so this is what we had.

Pies and Coffee - Chocolate Almond Tart $8.95 (1)

Chocolate Almond Tart $8.95

Luscious chocolate cake or chocolate almond tart? In the end I went for the Chocolate Almond Tart as I wanted to compare it with my favourite chocolate tart from 40Hands in Tiong Bahru.

I have to say, the 40Hands chocolate tart still is the best chocolate tart I have ever tasted. It’s way smaller, only about the size of your palm. but the chocolate is much thicker and firmer, resulting in a much richer taste and texture in the mouth. The tart case enveloping the chocolate is also more buttery. So even though it’s small and costs $9, it’s worth every penny.

The Chocolate Almond Tart from Pies and Coffee is very good too. In terms of texture, the chocolate is slightly softer but the added almonds makes up for it. Have you tried the Chocolate Mendiant from Tiong Bahru Bakery? The texture is similar, but the Mendiant is slightly richer and sweeter. In terms of size, this tart wins hands down as 3 people were able to share it without quarrelling. In totality, because the Chocolate Almond Tart is bigger, you still feel like you’ve had a rich and sinful treat.

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Nassim Hill Bakery Bistro Bar

July 31st, 2012 365days2play

Experts say that a catchy name for a business is a marketing tool in itself. I’ve no doubt about this piece of advice and I’m sure many an astute businessman have put it to good use. Just think about all the cafes that have opened recently with names that make you do a double take. SPRMKT, Carpenter & Cook, Henry Congressional, Nylon Coffee Roasters and lots more.

But of all these names, none made me jump off my seat in a bid to rush there, than Nassim Hill Bakery. For those of you who aren’t aware, Nassim Hill is one of the most expensive residential areas in Singapore. If you own an apartment there, well you’ve kind of made it in life already haven’t you. So, for a  cafe that chooses to associate itself with such a distinguished address, it surely mustn’t be any ole run of the mill establishment right?

Nassim Hill - Sunny-side up eggs with choice of beerbeiser sausage, center cut bacon or honey baked ham $15 (1)

Nassim Hill Bakery Bistro Bar is located at the Tanglin Post Office building, which is opposite Tanglin Mall. It’s not visible from the main road. You have to turn into the side road as the main entrance of Nassim Hill Bakery is facing the back! The good news is that if you manage to snag a parking spot in front of the bakery, parking is free. The bad news is that there are very limited slots, say 20? And the lots have to be shared with those visiting the post office too. If you can’t find a spot, you will have to use the paid basement parking.

Prior to visiting, I was told that the chief baker at Nassim Hill is the owner of Freshly Baked along Killiney Road. So it was no surprise that baskets of fine smelling artisanal bread greeted us when we entered the spacious bakery bistro. Even the bread ovens are in full view as their kitchen is somewhat of an open-concept. Speaking of space, there is such a vast amount of it compared to other establishments, that you feel you could do a dance amongst the tables and not be an obstruction.

Nassim Hill - (5)

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Devonport Deli Cafe in Auckland

July 1st, 2012 365days2play

After my bank breaking trip to Norway and Denmark last year, this trip to New Zealand is much more pocket friendly. New Zealand is really a very affordable country to visit. Restaurant and cafe prices are very similar to that of Singapore, and I would even hazard to say that the cafes are cheaper. I haven’t seen a latte that costs more than $4.50 here, even from the cafes in a crowded mall. And don’t get me started on food at the supermarket, it’s crazy! Meat and fruits are half the price! But more about that in the next post.

I thought I would be blogging daily during this trip, just like how I did it for the Norway trip. However, this being my 4th visit to New Zealand, I haven’t gone to any of the key tourist attractions except for the Auckland Zoo and Devonport. The highlight for this trip was actually for us to take our pre-wedding photos in New Zealand, and this we managed to do on Wednesday, after scrutinising and fretting over the weather reports daily. Can’t share any photos of that for now as they are still with the photographer. Yoo hoo photographer, if you’re reading this, where are the photos?

After the pre-wedding photo shoot, we finally had some time and peace of mind to do the more touristy stuff. Visited the Devonport area on Saturday. It’s across the waters from Auckland City central, so it seems to be more laid back and less crowded. The place looks quaint, with a number of buildings in the Art-Deco style. Lots of restaurants and cafes, and shops selling antiques, gifts and books.

Where to eat in Devonport Auckland?

We had lunch at the Devonport Deli Cafe. I didn’t google about any of these cafes before I visited. Heck I didn’t even google about Devonport before I visited. I just stepped into the cafe whose decor appealed to me the most. But that’s the great thing about food here in New Zealand. More often than not, the food (and coffee) will be good. Certainly for this entire trip, the food has surprised me on upside.

Devonport Deli (1)

Devonport Deli Cafe (5)

Deli Breakfast $12.50 – Scrambled eggs, bacon, hash brown and grilled tomato on toast, plus a flat white

We thought this was a pretty good deal as the flat white on its own already cost $3.80. See I told you stuff is cheap(er) here. Loved the scrambled eggs, they had such great flavour! Also loved the hash brown, which for some reason tasted like meat, although the texture was that of potato.

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Chock Full of Beans

January 25th, 2012 365days2play

New cafes have been opening by the dozen that I can hardly keep up with the sampling. It’s no longer surprising to hear of yet another new kid on the block. The good thing is that these “New Generation Cafes” are being opened by people who are really passionate about what they do. And when there is passion, there is quality and value. I would not hesitate to visit any of these New Generation Cafes as more likely than not, I’m going to be enjoying the freshly brewed single-origin coffees and food made with wholesome ingredients.

Interesting though, that most of these cafes choose to either open in the Central part of Singapore (ie Shenton Way, Robertson Quay, Dempsey) or the once old now renewed Tiong Bahru area. What’s wrong with the East, people? There’s still lots of space in Siglap, Katong, Simpang Bedok and Eastwood!

Well, one cafe called Chock Full of Beans has started operations in Changi Village. I consider Changi Village to be in the East, so hooray for that, although technically speaking, Changi Village is so far east that it would be equidistant for me to drive to Bugis instead. Anyway, I thought I should show my support for Eastie cafes so I dragged the Parents and Partner along to give it a try 2 days before Chinese New Year.

Chock Full of Beans - Mango and Bacon Pizza

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