Though Lao Ban Dou Hua certainly makes me swoon, the old school Tau Huay really is truly what brings back memories. I still remember when my mama would wake up really early in the morning while the rest of the family slept (like pigs) so that she could buy back breakfast for us. This tau huay was nothing short of impressive - being slippery smooth without a grainy texture, with an almost melt-in-your-mouth consistency. Usually I like to add Ah Balling, but since Winter Solstice is over, I have almost maxed out my Ah Balling cravings for this month. Nothing beats good quality, handmade beancurd!
Really surprised at the dedication here that they put to serve customers! The young hawker entrepreneurs at Coffee Break have a small list of simple words of different languages in order to make it easier to communicate with others who offer coffee. It shows how much they truly care, not just about their passion for coffee, but also for their willingness to put extra effort for their customers.
Who loves avocadoes 🥑?! 🙋🏻 Was so intrigued by this flavour that I had to get it. Although this tasted more of cream than avocado, it was still really enjoyable and an interesting take on the regular kaya toast. Their use of a healthier multigrain toast also helped to give extra crunch to the kaya toast. (and if you know me, you know how much I like crunch!!!) On a side note, I am incredibly happy to see young hawker entrepreneurs in Singapore, maintaining our Hawker heritage and being daring to experiment with new flavours to suit our ever evolving taste buds and palates. Be sure to get one of their coffee flavours like Sea Salt Caramel before leaving!
Despite it unassuming appearance, this old school French Toast was eggy with a good char from using a grill, a switch from the usual pan-fried French Toast. Paired with their sweet, eggy and aromatic homemade kaya (which tasted akin to Tong Ah's, with similar texture and consistency) which was sandwiched between the French toast layers and served in a generous helping by the side, it was a true match make in heaven. The auntie saw how quickly I wiped out the kaya on the first piece of French toast, so she immediately offered to refill. (so kind of her!) The family which runs the shop are incredibly friendly, and their coffee here is pretty famous too, so do get a cuppa to give you extra energy to fight the day!
Moist, bouncy and sweet potato and brown sugar flavoured, how can I resist?! Yet another overshadowed pastry here with all the other options available. Because they are so airy, they seem light, but reveal a much more denser texture when bitten. Chinese version of muffins which is a lot healthier (I think, or I hope) while not compromising on flavours.
Much overshadowed by their other delicious pastries are their tapioca cakes. But to my delight they were nothing short of delicious, having a pleasantly soft and sticky texture, while being very aromatic. Though it doesn't taste like the melt-in-your-mouth Xing Xing Tapioca Cake, it's sticky texture was still equally pleasing. Love that they also have different flavours, like their aromatic Pandan and Gula Melaka.
Pictured here are their really famous kueh dadar which are stuffed full with fresh white coconut shreds that are so moist! On the left was their light cake-textured Putu Ayu which was wonderfully bouncy, and also my sister's favourite kueh. This is why I can buy over 40 dollars worth of kuehs and gobble them down all in a matter of minutes. The kuehs here are fresh and do not contains any preservatives which means they have to be eaten in 1 day, as overnight refrigeration spoils the coconut milk. Not that I mind, I will be willing to inhale a bucket load of kuehs anytime, any day!
I know this may sound really weird, but this sandwich was juicy, wet and sloppy but an absolute delight to eat! The best part is simply receiving this piping hot and devouring it immediately upon arrival to your table. Didn't even have time to take a decent photo because I was so excited to eat this hahaha.
True happiness is when you walk out of Tiong Bahru Galicier Pastry on a Saturday morning with 7 boxes full of kuehs. Couldn't resist getting as many as I could get my hands on since these cost on average a dollar each. Very reasonably priced for good quality kuehs, where if you take a peep to the back of the counter you can see people at hard work, churning out new counters of kuehs. Here we have: coconut tarts, (my absolute favourite, not sure why this isn't crazily raved over yet tbh) kueh ambon and steamed tapioca. Wanted to get ondeh ondeh but they are only available in the afternoon, so I'll have to make a trip down another day! Also, the kuehs aren't too sweet, even my diabetic Grandmother could enjoy some!
Opened by the previous owners of Karafuru desserts, Kumoya likewise remains a Japanese-inspired cafe with light sweets, aesthetic designs and pretty desserts. We ordered the matcha, yuzu, pistachio and cassis (Christmas flavour) for our petite eclairs. Likewise to Japanese desserts, they were not very sweet (for a massive sweet tooth like me - this wasn't sweet at all, and couldn't satiate my sweet cravings) with flavours remaining light rather than prominent. Have to admit that the choux felt a little too dry for my liking, but nothing a few tweaks can't fix!
At 50 cents per piece, this is truly a very value for money buy. I came here too late (past lunch hour) and the auntie had sold out every last one of her ondeh ondehs. I grabbed the 6th and 5th last bags of tapioca cake, and this was at 1:30pm in the afternoon! 😱 Truly a testament of how popular these kuehs are. The kuehs had a melt in your mouth texture (because they are steamed!) without being too sweet or sticky. It is the perfect texture! Fun fact: the kuehs here are all completely vegan, so anyone can come to enjoy them! I absolutely love how the store owners still source for the best ingredients they can to make their handmade kuehs, a truly artisanal treat!
Think: mind blowingly delicious sandwiches. I do not kid. Every single flavour was spot on and absolutely delightful. I absolutely loved the Vegetarian Sub, which was nothing like your stereotypical vegetarian food which gets such a bad rep for being 'tasteless'. This sub was dripping wet in sauce, slathered in cheese and guac, whilst encasing two well fried eggs and coleslaw which was nothing short of sublime. Wouldn't mind travelling to CBD again just for this.
