Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Chye Seng Huat Hardware

Ever since this cafe, opened by the people behind Papa Palheta, arrived on our local food scene, it has taken our brunch loving, coffee fanatic country by storm. And its not hard to see why they are so popular. Whats not to like about a cup of aromatic coffee in a reinvented rustic coffeeshop? It sure does help to have a name as cool as this.

Photobucket
I was so feeling the theme that day, I had to take some shots in black and white. This is one of my favourite.

Photobucket
Just like Papa Palheta, the entrance to the place is not at the front.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket
This is the Annex room where you can gather a group of friends and arrange for a coffee appreciation session. Pretty cool.

Photobucket
See the window grille pattern ? Brings back memories of my grandma's place.

Photobucket
gramophone

Photobucket

Photobucket
Crowded.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket
Expresso with milk(regular) - $5.50
Their coffee is top notch. I dont usually drink coffee without the sugar, but for this i just want to take in the aroma and the aftertaste of the coffee. The highlight of the day for me. Nothing beats a good cup of coffee for brunch.

Photobucket
Hot chocolate- $6.50

K ordered hot chocolate as it is her favourite hot drink and she is forever on the hunt for the best hot chocolate. CSHH's hot chocolate was pretty good, with a subtle hint of mint.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket
A dish for the meat lover (points to K) !
Patrick's platter - $16
Pork Rilette, Duck terrine, Parma ham

K liked the duck terrine the most. Cold meats on bread for brunch is a first for us. Pretty interesting.

Photobucket
Pancake stack with blueberries- $10

Its funny how you add 3 berries and this dish becomes blueberry pancakes. Haha. I enjoyed their butter, its fragrant and smooth but I cant find anything special about their pancakes. Decent, but nothing special.

Photobucket
Breakfast in a cup - $8

I was hoping to be surprised by the 'breakfast of the day' but it turned out to be a tad disappointing. A pile of vegetables, some mushrooms and a soft boiled egg over the top and that was it. If you're there to try their breakfast of the day, remember to ask whats in it first.


I fell in love with the interior of the cafe. Captures so much of the past and yet feels modern. Extremely well done, I would say. The coffee, as usual, is top notch but the food pales in comparison. Given the price point of the place, I would expect the food to wow my tummy.


150 Tyrwhitt Road
Photobucket

--
Love , X

X's rating of CSHH: 7/10

Thursday, October 4, 2012

(CLOSED) The Mayor Of Tiny Town

Invited Food Tasting

X and I were really honoured and blessed to have the opportunity to dine at The Mayor Of Tiny Town (MOTT). MOTT is a very new cafe that is only a month old. It is located at Cantonment Road along the pretty shophouses. Parking is readily available in The Pinnacle or along the streets behind the building.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

We met the two cheerful owners of MOTT and they were really friendly and nice! Ting Feng sat down with us and entertained our relentless questions haha. We were really intrigued by the unique name of the cafe and of course we had to know how this name came about! Turns out that it's kind of an inside joke so only the owners really know the meaning to it haha. Ting Feng went through the extensive menu with us and there were just too many goodies to choose from so we decided to have him make the choice for us while we kicked back and relaxed haha. The cafe is designed by Pei Shi, the other owner, and it is simple, yet pretty. The cafe is cozy and is decorated with cute and unique ornaments purchased from all over the world

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket
Half of the menu

Ting Feng told us that they wanted waffles to be their specialty and highlight. X and I were wondering why waffles? Until we learnt that Pei Shi loves waffles and also later on, we realised that their waffles are phenomenal.

MOTT has a large selection of Gryphon tea and also their chocolate and coffee are unique and special. Their hot chocolate is from UK and it's organic while their coffee beans are 100% Arabica and are freshly roasted in Singapore

Photobucket
Hot Chocolate - $4.50
Green and Black's organic hot chocolate with frothed fresh milk

The hot chocolate was of optimal thickness and it carried a slight hint of sweetness. This is unlike the usual chocolate which is either very sweet, very milky or too thick. This was in every way, a perfect cup of chocolate for me. Initially I thought it wasn't sweet enough, but the subtle hint of sweetness which kicked in a little after the chocolate proved me wrong.

Photobucket
Also, have you seen the cup??? It's too cute!

Photobucket
Iced coffee
Fragrant and refreshing

Photobucket
Aglio Olio and Mushroom - $12.90

Photobucket
The spaghetti was al dente and was very well prepared. The spaghetti carried the aroma and taste of the mushrooms. X and I both liked it alot. But X definitely liked it more than I did. He said he will come back just for the aglio olio. I think Ting Feng was a little stunned by his comment hahaha

Photobucket
Scrambling Eggs - $14.90


Photobucket
The two slices of bread were nicely toasted. Fluffy scrambled eggs, with fat pieces of smoked salmon atop crisp toast, what more can one ask for? The tomatoes were juicy and sweet. X said they didn't have the "raw green" taste. I don't really know what he's saying because I don't eat vegetables but I hope you guys understand hahaha

PhotobucketCute plate for our waffle!

Photobucket
Vanilla and Cinnamon Apple Waffle - $10.90

Photobucket
This waffle really wowed me. I have eaten many waffles but none tasted like this. The waffle batter is made freshly by the chef daily and he definitely has a secret recipe! The waffle was extremely fragrant, crisp on the out and soft on the inside. It's a little chewy and definitely uniquely different from any other waffle! I think I said "I really like the waffle" at least 5 times. The cinnamon apples were sweet and delicious and really complemented the waffle. It was really pretty damn incredible. The icecream, however, was a letdown and can certainly be improved

Photobucket
Chocolate fudge cake with a Gryphon tea set - $8.90

Photobucket

Chocolate fudge cake, with cranberries that were soaked in red wine and a biscuit centre.
The chocolate was thick and smooth. The alcohol infused cranberries provided a bitter edge to the cake which was delightful. Chocolate lovers will like this bitter-sweet combination together with the crushed biscuits. The slice of cake was too huge and we couldn't finish it haha. Recommended for sharing!

Photobucket
Mayor's Mischief - $14.90
Cotton candy, vanilla icecream, mixed nuts and expresso
When this first arrived, I was really surprised! I've never seen cotton candy paired with affogato before! And doesn't this look cute!

Photobucket
I had no idea how to eat it. Should we eat the cotton candy first or what? Haha Ting Feng then told us to pour the expresso on the cotton candy. The expresso melted the cotton candy which became pieces of hard candied sugar which we liked. Nuts and affogato can never go wrong! There was, however, too much expresso and again, the icecream can be improved. Other than that, this was fascinating and very special!

We had a long chat after our awesome lunch with Ting Feng. He told us that MOTT has a weekday lunch set that costs $14.90 which includes a soup, a main course and a drink. Our eyes widened and my jaw dropped. $14.90 seriously???? I must go for lunch there on a weekday sometime soon!!! The cafe started to fill up as we were there. It was almost full house when we were ready to go. We had only tried a few items from MOTT but they are good reasons to why we will definitely return. Can't wait to try the famous blue salmon and fish and chips! Also, Ting Feng alerted us about their BEST dishes that haven't been included in their menu yet. They already have such an impressive menu and yet, the most impressive items are not even inside. I'm sure MOTT will be really famous and packed soon. Also, the staff are so polite! Our waiter was very attentive and courteous. X and I were observing how he was to the other customers and he really is the kind of staff that every restaurant owner will want. I was saying that I'd steal him if I had a cafe hahaha kiddingggg

Can't wait to bring our friends to MOTT so we can try many many dishes! I already know what I want to have! Blue salmon!

Oh, and MOTT serves all day brunch everyday too! How awesome is that!

Do let us know what you think about MOTT!

Thank you Ting Feng and Pei Shi for having us, and for a pleasant afternoon filled with yummy food [:

61 Cantonment Road
Tue - Wed:11:30-18:00
Thu - Fri:11:30-21:00
Sat:10:00-21:00
Sun:10:00-16:00

---

Love, K

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Fairmont Sea Salt Caramel Mooncake

As usual, we went to the Mooncake Fair this year. I tried all the mooncakes with sea salt caramel. And the best has got to be Fairmont's Sea Salt Caramel with dark chocolate mooncake!

The rest just didn't quite cut it.

Photobucket

Sorry for the missing mooncake, my uncle was too excited and ate it before I could take a picture. Hahaha. This year we had our fair share of mooncakes from Raffles Hotel, Shangri-la, Home's Favourite etc. But this mooncake was my favourite [: It might be too funky a flavour for some but for a sea salt caramel and chocolate lover, it's definitely awesome. Haha the sea salt caramel lies in a chocolate coated ball which sits in the middle of the mooncake. The smooth and buttery texture of the filling kind of melts in your mouth! Very unique indeed

I tried Four Seasons durian mooncakes for the first time this year, at the fair. The lady very excitedly introduced to me what was inside the mooncake. Pure durian puree with no sugar, additives etc. So I asked "is the durian the same as the one in the durian pancake? " And another staff answered "YES!" with such zest. And I was really dumbfounded. If its the same puree, and the puree is what makes the mooncake taste good, then one might as well eat the pancake which cost $1.80 each, than to buy a box of 4 mooncakes for $88. It doesn't quite make sense to me. But I can't deny that the durian is really good.

How was your mid-autumn festival this year? [: