Baker & Cook

We first saw Baker & Cook after our brunch at Bronte. It was really new back then so it was not that crowded.  But it was a pretty bakery with the bread aroma serenading the entire place. We knew we would come back some day.




For a rather small shop space, they have quite a number of seating available. Several long marble tables to accommodate huge crowds.






Everybody wants a piece of Baker & Cook's bread


Many many types of breads that I have no clue about. But i do know they smell really good.


Huge array of tarts 


And pastries 




Iced Latte

The iced latte was a tad too strong for K.


Iced Mochaccino

I loved this drink. Sweet chocolate flavour with a lingering coffee aftertaste. Exactly what i was looking for. A great start to brunch!


Salmon Tartine - $13
Salmon with cream cheese, spring onion and fresh dill

If any food has the power to describe the phrase " looks can be deceiving ",  this is it. Simple looking with just a huge piece of salmon lying on top of a slice of bread, this was certainly deceiving as it packs some power punch flavours. The saltiness of the fresh salmon combined with the buttery taste of the cream cheese is quite a taste to behold. Also, there is a slight tinge of sourness that made it refreshing and all the more, delicious.


Eggs Benedict ( Salmon) - $19
2 poached eggs on toasted Baker & Cook bread, topped with hollandaise sauce



I think eggs benedict needs no introduction. But see the chilli oil by the side? Thats the surprise of this eggs ben. I like the intriguing taste of the hollandaise with a slight hint of spice. The black sauce which tasted like balsamic vinegar added more flavour to the dish. In addition, the poached eggs were perfect. Definitely worth a try.


Desserts


Lemon Tart - $5

One of the best lemon tarts I've had. Sweet yet not over-powering. Refreshing and not overly sour. And the crust was great. Everything about it was pretty perfect.


Bombolini donut(custard) - $3.30

An ordinary donut that was a bit disappointing in the company of other brillant desserts. But we certainly liked the look of all of them sitting in a tray of sugar haha


Classic cheesecake - $4.50

I'm really liking the Hillcrest area. So calm and serene. Perfect place for a quiet weekend brunch. Service is great, efficient and there is no service charge. Baker & Cook is highly recommended. Try it and let us know what you think! 

77 Hillcrest Road
Sunday to Thursday - 7am to 8pm
Friday to Saturday - 7am to 10pm

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Love, X

X's rating of B & C: 8.5/10

Outpost No 903 Gastrobar

Outpost No 903 is located along Bukit Timah and is sitting at a spot which is familiar to many. It is situated at where Brewerks and Tavern used to be. Parking is available at Cherry Avenue which is just a short walk away.










We could tell that much effort was put into the design of this pretty place. It was a fusion of vintage and modernity. We had the privilege of speaking to the owner of the gastrobar and we found out that their furniture are carefully sought !





This wooden beam in this picture, was actually part of a railway track in Vietnam. Pretty cool isn't it!




See the vintage camera and sewing machine?














Kopparberg pear cider
Alcohol content : 4.5%
This cider had a strong pear taste and a light aftertaste of alcohol.

Happy hour : $8

Glass of white wine : $10
This tasted especially light but was pretty strong.
X felt that the portion given was a tad too little, as compared to other restaurants.


Outpost Olio - $20
Pan seared tiger prawns with thin noodles, pan fried in red chilli, lemon grass, garlic and lime juice.


The pasta was unfortunately, bland. There was a slight taste of herbs but the pasta on the whole was pretty tasteless. Also, the portion was a bit too small. 


Picatta of Pork - $18
Pan grilled tender pork loin with parmesan cheese batter, served with pomodoro sauce and butter spaghetti.


There were 3 pieces of pork loin and I felt that was pretty generous. I'd expected the pork to be slightly crispy but it was a little soggy. The cheese and pomodoro sauce went well together but there was not enough to go around for the 3 pieces of meat. On top of that the butter spaghetti was tasteless too. This dish would have been better if there was enough sauce for the pork loin and spaghetti


Grilled squid - $12
Grilled squid drizzled with tangy coriander and lime sauce.
This was really good! It was sour and spicy and the flavour, even though strong, was not overwhelming but was excellent! It might be too spicy for some though!


Meatballs - $10
Home made beef/chicken meat balls infused with yellow raisins soaked in marsala wine, drizzled with marsala wine reduction.

This was a new definition of meatballs for me. Meatballs are always a little hard on the outside and they crumble when you bite into them. This was extremely different from the normal meatballs you get out there. It was very soft and remarkably tasty. We really loved it! MUST TRY


Kopparberg Elderflower and lime
This was unique and refreshing! If you're looking for something not too fruity but refreshing, here's a recommendation for you!


Souffle - $10
The souffle took quite awhile to arrive so do order beforehand if you don't want to wait too long for it! The warm souffle was moist and not bad but we thought it would have been better if it was served with a small scoop of vanilla icecream.

Service at Outpost 903 is really good. The staff are very attentive and efficient. Alfred, the boss, also took effort to ask us how the food was and to explain to us the decor of the place. They are also in collaboration with certain brands in the fashion industry to bring you exclusive events. Really quite a cool place! They also have an all-day breakfast selection. Do check them out and let us know what you think!

903 Bukit Timah Road

Tue - Thu:	15:00	-	00:00
Fri - Sat:	15:00	-	03:00
Sun:	10:00	-	14:00
	15:00	-	00:00

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Love, K

K's rating of Outpost 903 : 7.5/10

Ikoi Japanese Restaurant

This is probably my 5th time at Ikoi but I love this place because they have the best sashimi buffet in Singapore! You can find Japanese buffets ranging from $20-$30 out there but these buffets might not have sashimi or their sashimi is not of too great a quality or they only have the more common sashimi like salmon and tuna.

Over at Ikoi, you get SWORDFISH(my favourite), salmon, tuna, yellowtail, snapper, cuttlefish and octopus. Free flow of swordfish sashimi. That is more than enough to make your $35++ worth it.

Eng Kee Chicken Wing

The first time I tried Eng Kee chicken wings was many years back, when my uncle brought me there to eat the "best chicken wings in Singapore" I didn't have high hopes. I mean, come on, its just chicken wings. How good can they actually be?

Well, you'll have to try it to know how good it really is.

 
Located just a block away from the famous Two Chefs. Eng Kee chicken wings have been my dessert after a meal at Two Chefs a couple of times now. No matter what time I'm there, there's always a queue. They dont only sell chicken wings and have bee hoon and other dishes too.

This was one of the nights where Eng Kee chicken wings were our desserts haha. Despite being really full from dinner, we just had to have the wings



Crispy, juicy and really tasty.

Definitely one of, if not, the best chicken wing in Singapore! The chicken wings are priced at $1.20 per piece. However, don't just get one. You'll regret it. You need at least 2! Haha. Do try the wings and let us know what you think!

117 Commonwealth Drive, #01-711
Mon–Sat: 12pm – 10.30pm 

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Love, K

K's rating of EK's chicken wings : 8/10
*rating based solely on food.

Heart Of House

I decided on Heart Of House for dinner after learning about their extensive selection of beers and ciders. Knowing how X has been craving for an alcoholic drink every meal has made this an easy decision for me. Haha. Parking was quite difficult to find as there isn't a carpark attached to this eatery. The nearest places that you can park at are the multistorey carparks nearby or by the roadside which is quite a distance away.

When we reached the eatery, we were not greeted with friendly service sadly. The waitress came out, and upon acknowledging that we wanted a table for two, she just walked in and left us outside without asking us to follow her or holding the door for us.. Okay, so we sat down and took a while to look through their menu as they have quite a wide range of food and alcoholic drinks. When we were finally ready to place our orders, another waitress came along with a really "black" face. All this while, nobody smiled at us.

Well, okay.. So after that, I began taking pictures of the place and this male figure, whom I assume is the boss, was very friendly and struck up a conversation with me. He was pretty nice and told me about some of the vintage collectibles in the eatery.



Okay, so anyway, look at this. Kids eat free on Sundays! In addition, I saw that they've written on their chalkboard that if a kid gets an A in an examination, he or she can bring along his or her exam paper and get a free meal on the house or something. Pretty cool! Shows their support for children.

 


Cute metal cans on every table. It contains wet tissue




Milo tin lights


Pretty retro








TV that broadcasts live soccer games. Great for guys night out.








Weighing scale








Rekorderlig Pear Cider - $13
THIS WAS SO GOOOOOD. I was never a fan of alcohol and had my reservations about having an alcoholic drink but I was so glad I chose this! It was sweet and a little gassy. Somewhat like a soda. The alcohol content is 4.5% but I couldnt even taste a single bit of any alcohol! Haha this is perfect for people who don't like alcohol/beer. I've been craving for it everyday ever since haha


Belgium Lindemans Pecheresse -$12
Peach flavour, 250ml, alcohol content: 2.5%
This had a stronger taste of beer and wasn't as sweet as the pear cider.


Vintage plate.

We waited a really long time for our orders but they never came. We finally asked a waitress to check on our orders and they found out that our orders had been left out.


Calamari, served with homemade tartar sauce - $5
These were too salty.
And the portion.. was pretty small.

Because the food took too long to arrive, X ordered another drink. What an alcoholic haha

Rekorderlig Strawberry Lime - $13
X said this was really good too!

The ciders have to be drank with ice definitely. They would be too sweet if they were just chilled. 






Chicken Parmigano -$18
Breaded chicken topped with back bacon, salsa and mixed cheese.
Comes with fries and fruit cocktail.

The chicken parmigano was an interesting mix of flavours. It was a little sweet and a little sour but it was definitely too salty. But I felt that it was quite good! It was like chicken covered in pizza toppings.








Bbq St Louis Pork Ribs -$18
comes with corn on cob and fries.
The corn was too raw. The ribs were pretty average but the meat was quite tender.

The best part of the meal was definitely the ciders. The food were pretty average but were too salty.
The table next to us had pizzas and the otah pizza looks and smells quite good! As for the service.. I think that they have some brushing up to do. The place is pretty chill, and the music is quite old school too. They play classics like Love Me and My Heart Will Go On. Also, there's no GST and service charge.

We''ll definitely be back for the ciders!

4 Kim Tian Road



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Love, K

K's rating of HOH : 6/10