Toby's Estate Cafe

Breakfast is.. always good.

I love waking up for breakfast - but of course on most weekends, I skip it because I rather sleep in. Finally made it this time and visited Toby's Estate Cafe! I'm happy to say, they didn't disappoint.

It was pretty crowded for a Saturday morning. We had to wait about 30 minutes before we got a seat.

 
It's interior reminds me of the quaint cafes I visited in Perth. Had a really organic feel to it. The space wasn't big so it felt cozy when it's bustling. The waiting staff weren't very attentive, that I felt was the only down point. It was a nice day to be upset with someone, really.

Our food came fast. We both ordered Eggs Royale ($14). The hollandaise sauce was bursting with flavour and sinful. The salmon was fresh. The bread was soft and lightly toasted. A good breakfast to me include poached eggs. I had a cafe mocha to go at the end.

I'd definitely come back and try their lunch and dinner menu!

Toby's Estate Cafe

8 Rodyk St #01-03/04 

http://www.tobysestate.com.sg/

 

Food: Hooha! Cafe

This was probably couple weeks back, still don't quite know how to blog about food..

He brought me to a pretty swell place for dinner - Hooha! Cafe

At shop front, it looks kinda sleazy, like a pool bar or some sort but never judge a book by it's cover. When you head right in, felt as though they've brought you to a secret backyard..

I don't dig alfresco dining very much because it's warm (don't judge me!) and I'm not a smoker but I do give exceptions when its alfresco setting looks better than indoors!

Anyway, they claim to serve the BEST STEAK IN THE REGION. Sure anot? Well, I've to try to know!

We had the Mushroom soup and Fried ravioli for appetizers. The mushroom soup was great! I love mushroom soups that do not taste like they came right from a Campbell can. It smells great and the texture was too thick. The fried ravioli wasn't too bad. Haha, how can you say no to anything fried? It was hot and crispy when it came to our table, so I was a happy girl.

He was really hungry and was craving for rice (I know, we're SO Asians.) At Hooha! Cafe they serve a good selection of local delights as well - Mee goreng, Nasi Goreng and etc. We ordered an extra spicy Nasi Goreng which was alright! And yeah, the pigging out didn't stop there - we ordered a thin crust Pizza which we requested to add sliced beef on it was pretty good! You can add whatever toppings you want on your pizzas! Ham, beef (sliced/minced), chicken and etc.

Then comes what we came here for: STEAAAAAAAAAAK! We ordered a 300g thick slice of (HAHA) tenderloin steak to share. (You can choose your thickness: 100g, 300g or 500g!) And indeed, they didn't disappoint. It was tender, juicy and extremely satisfying. I'm a big fan of red meat, so I'm rather particular about my steak. Hooha! Cafe has passed the test!

I think their Ratatouille side dish was their specialty as well. I quite like it! I've only watched the movie but never tried it before. Anyway, I really love this place although it was a little out of the way but I honestly enjoyed the ambience and the food. You can go there with a group of friends and order from their good selection of wine as well. Bon Appétit!

Hooha! Cafe
220 Pasir Panjang Road
At the junction of Pasir Panjang rd &
South Buona Vista rd

Tel: 6475 2210
Email: hoohacafe@asiantp.com
(you can make online reservations through this email as well)

Food Review: DeSté & Wild Honey

Finally!
... I made my way to Wild Honey. ;]

Was there on Sunday with Jason and Lala, thanks guys for the not-so-secret surprise (cause' I'm so smart to guess it right at first try!). I've always wanted to visit this "Breakfast place" everyone has been raving about. If you read Rozz's blog from 987, she is an ardent fan and visits there almost every week!

So they don't do reservations - for such a small place, I figured why. What more, we met with the Labour day PH, which was a TOTAL BUMMER. Anyway, so we made our way there only to find ourselves in the queue with like 3207423938 other people. We were told that we had to wait for approximately 1 hour for seats. I'm dying to try la but we were MADDDDD hungry please :( While waiting, we decided to go for some desserts first!

DeSté - A Tradition in Confectionary



Located at quite a secret area behind 313, DeSté is a little alfresco italian dessert place. If you're in for expensive looking yet not crazy on the wallet, DeSté is the place to go for yummy desserts! They've a range of gelato ice creams, chocolates (for someone who doesn't like chocolates at all, I am sold!), coffee, teas, cakes and all things sweet!

From left: Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake Wrap, Piedmont Pave, Tiramisu (Photos shamelessly stolen from Jason Muhu)




Right now they've an amazing promotion - A slice of cake + a piece of premium chocolate bon bons + a scoop of gelato ice cream + a drink (coffee/tea) for $14.90

They've 3 outlets at the moment:The Riverwalk next to the Singapore River, Mandarin Gallery and 313@Somerset.

Trust me, you'll love it for its chic store front, great desserts and friendly service staffs.

Wild Honey @ Mandarin Gallery

So, we waited for an hour and left for Wild Honey after DeSté. I wasn't too happy with their Service, for one. We were told to wait for an hour and said they'd call us when they've seats freed up for us but the call didnt came. When we got there, they said they did give us a miss call but we didnt pick up which can't be true because we didnt even receive any call from them. I wasn't impress with their service even before stepping in.

I also don't really like their "Pay at the counter first before seated" policy at the store. First of all, their queue line is really narrow and I don't like the idea of having to hold up the queue while deciding what to eat. It was rather pressurizing. Anyway, we decided on a Tunisian, Mexican and English Breakfast (UNDER PRESSURE!! :P) and we all ordered a Mandarin Wilderness Mocktail each.




Top: Mexican, Tunisian
Bottom: English breakfast & Sides (Mushrooms and Baked Beans)

Verdict: I'd say it was alright. Nothing too fantastic. It could be because I didnt start empty stomach. I couldn't finish my wrap. Their dishes are saltier than you'd imagine. The sides are great, then again, very salty. I probably wouldn't go there too often, maybe once in a while if I'm craving for very good breakfast. Price wise was manageable. :)

Food Review: Fika Cafe & Bistro

Hi guys, how was your week? Hope it was swell. ♥

This post is long overdue but I'll try to remember whatever that's still fresh in me. I was at Fika some weeks ago for my birthday; located on the corner of Beach road and Arab Street, this little white themed bistro had caught my eye for a long time but never had the chance to try.

Fika is a halal swedish cafe and bistro with full white furniture and interior, the place gives you this fuzzy feeling like you're at home. A little fun fact - The word "Fika" means having coffee with one's colleagues, friends, date, or family. The word has quite ambiguous connotations and can mean anything from taking a break from work or other activities, to going on a date. Well, in layman's terms, it means to chill, relax and get together.

The area's rather small, probably can fit to about 10-15 people inside and another 1o at the alfresco. I heard they've opened up the 2nd level which can hold approximately 100 pax for corporate functions, parties or events.

I ordered a Swedish Hash - Diced potatoes, onions and beef, pan-fried and topped with a runny sunny-side-up with sliced beetroot on the side ($17.90). The portion came and I thought: Man, am I going to be full from this? But surprisingly, it was quite filling. They've a good portion of potatoes, greens and the cube sized beef was quite tender and chewy.

My girlfriend ordered Grilled Chicken - Boneless chicken thigh served with parlsey potatoes and black pepper sauce ($15.90) which was really, really good. The sauce was very savory and smooth. It wasn't clumpy like some I've seen before. The chicken thigh was also tender. This is a must order!

Other dishes we tried: The Steak - Juicy strip loin steak served with parsley potatoes topped black pepper sauce ($22.90), it was alright. Portion was good for a lady but probably a little small for a guy. The sides are all the same, you get potatoes and salad. We also tried the meatballs which was a disappointment. We all agreed unanimously that Ikea serve better meatballs!

Dessert was pretty swell. We had Swedish Pancakes sprinkled with icing sugar served with whipped cream and jam. I was quite surprised that Swedish pancakes are actually really thin and they taste slightly salty? But the savory taste mixed well with the blueberry jam and icing. It was a good combination.

Verdict: I enjoyed the experience. It'd be great for a small gathering with 3-4 friends. Especially girlfriends! And I'm very sure the place looks better when it's in the day because of the good sunlight that basked in and white furniture. The food was 7/10. I was quite satisfied!!

What I didn't like: Their meatballs could have been better. I don't know, just didn't taste nice to me. They're also a little too huge. Also, they shouldn't be charging for water. It's a given that water is FOC, period.

For more info/reservations, visit: http://www.fikacafe.com/

You make my heart beat double time

My experience with our latest tourist attraction.. ION, has been pretty fruitful, though I'm not so great with huge, huge places.

I've to mention the queue down at ION ORCHARD FOOD HALL (in B4) is.. insane. I've added 'Conquering all the Food Stalls at ION ORCHARD' onto my To-Do list.

Tsukiji Gindaco (#B4-64)




If you love Takoyaki, you'll LOVE LOVE this. In any case you don't know what does Takoyaki stands for, it's octopus balls. You see this in malls, at Pasar Malams, Singaporeans queue for it! Because it's such great comfort food. It's crispy on the outside, soft and warm on the inside. Yum.

This stall at ION ORCHARD, just tastes different from the usual takoyaki balls you get else where. Before I explain further why, I've to tell you how amazed I was with the people frying em' balls! They're like a freaking... takoyaki machine! They're so quick and at some point, rhythmic!

But anyway, here's my check list for the balls I bought ;]

1. Crispy on the outside - CHECK! (I've to special mention this though, I don't know if you've get the experience of eating takoyaki balls and it's soft inside out in most places? Sometimes it could be because they've got so many orders, they don't make sure it's crispy on the outside? But rest assured, you'll get your balls perfectly crispy on the outside for this one. Hee.)
2. Soft and hot (NOT WARM) on the inside - CHECK!
3. No funny smell from Mayo sauce - CHECK!


It comes in a good portion of 6 pieces for $4.80, you can get a set for 1 for $6, that comes with a drink or icecream.