#Cafehopping

If you haven’t tried Yat Ka Yan, this is your sign to go! Known for their delicious local desserts and snacks, their chendol is an absolute must-try. The finely shaved ice, paired with chendol jelly, red bean, gula melaka syrup, and a splash of coconut milk, creates the perfect sweet, refreshing combination. Don’t miss out!

Did you know there’s a café in the National Gallery serving traditional dishes with a modern twist? The Hainanese Curry Chicken Noodle comes with a rich, lemak broth that’s sure to satisfy, while the Dry Horfun is absolutely slurp-worthy. For something comforting, the Sliced Fish Soup hits the spot with its flavorful broth. Don’t forget to end your meal with the decadent Durian Pengat, topped off with a touch of gula melaka for that perfect sweet finish!

The crowd favourite and returning Flavours of Japanese Afternoon Tea is now available at The Lobby Lounge, InterContinental Singapore. Classic Japanese sweets and savoury delights adorned the tower trays with bite-sized treats such as the Baked Miso Black Cod and Seafood Inari with Shoyu Ikura. For the sweets, I personally like the Yuzu Kumquat Mame which is a soya panna cotta base with mascat grape consommé. Do not miss out on the scones, a quintessential item for an afternoon tea and for this rendition, there is the dried Japanese persimmon scones, paired with the assortment of condiments.

For National Day this year, you can count on this partnership between Surrey Hills Grocer and Chef Shen Tan to make you want to stand up for Singapore. The four locally inspired dishes will bring a modern interpretation to our classic favourites and will be available from 1 August to 31 August. The “Ba Chor Mee” was my favourite, and it will be available at all Surrey Hills Grocer outlets and features hand-made tagliatelle tossed in a chilli and pork lard mix, topped with Chef Shen’s 5-spice pork confit, it was chef kissed from each bite.

The Curry Fish Udon comes with a generous piece of locally farmed barramundi with a tangy-spicy curry sauce while the Rendang Beef Short Ribs Rice Bowl is paired with multi grain nasi ulam and coconut scrambled eggs. Lastly, the Shendol pays homage to the classic chendol dessert but modernized with coconut panna cotta with a pandan coral sponge. All 3 dishes are exclusive to the Raffles City outlet.

From now till 30 April, Bird Bird is having a limited-time only pop-up at Homeground offering both a lunch and dinner menu. We went for lunch and were wowed by the Crispy Chicken Sandwich which comes with a humongous battered chicken thigh sandwiched between seeded buns and green papaya slaw with a slather of coriander mayo. The Khao Soi did bring us back to our Chiang Mai holiday but wished the curry broth was slightly spicier. It came with a huge duck leg that was cooked perfectly as there was minimal gaminess and the meat was fork tender.

This might be an unpopular opinion but I will not recommend Moonchild unless you are there just for the hype. The Burnt Brussels Sprouts, as the name suggested, were literally burnt and needed salt for flavour. The Fried Potato Stack was burnt too. Luckily, the Dan-Dan Noodles was good but it costs $21.

Taiwan’s coffee chain, Louisa Coffee, is finally here in Singapore. There is a wide range of specialty coffee and tea beverages including freshly made sandwiches, bagels, wrapanini, tarts and Boston cream pies.

Dropped by PS. Cafe for a quick lunch today after running some errands in Orchard and their truffle shoestring fries is still consistently good. Perfectly crisp with a nice truffle fragrance and topped with grated parmesan. The chicken rossa penne is my usual go-to, the garlic tomato cream sauce is a nice balance of tangy and savoury. However, the spicy king prawn aglio olio fell short today with the spaghetti being the main culprit; under-seasoned and was cut up into shorter strands, a move that might anger many diners.

Be transported back to the yesteryears at Great Nanyang and have a taste of nostalgia with signature dishes such as the Hainanese Chicken Cutlet that comes with a sauce made from premium butter and infused with the fragrance of pandan leaves. Wake up with a breakfast dish of Nasi Lemak Kukus with a side of chicken berempah, curry chicken, sambal petai prawn or rendang mutton. For diners who prefer the noods, there is the Dry Mee Siam cooked with a secret sauce of 13 herbs and spices.

What truly stood out is their Hand Made Kaya Toast in a choice of traditional, thick or wholemeal, best paired with Soft-boiled Kampung Eggs and a cup of kopi that comes with a frothy foam cap.

First time to Hello Arigato and instead of ordering their popular Tamago Sando, we went for the Joo Chiat outlet exclusive HCG Sando and oh boy, this was amazing from every bite. You will first be hit by the savoury notes from the 48-hour marinated shrimp paste chicken before the creamy mayo and crunchy cucumbers help to cut through the richness. Everything in this sando works harmoniously, down to the sweetness from the Japanese milk bread.

Onné Cafe is one of the newest kids along the Kampong Bahru stretch, and we went there specially for their Warabi Mochi. The version here is softer and jelly-like, a bite that is different from other versions out there which has a firmer and chewier texture. Dusted with kinako and served with a side of kuromitsu, we thoroughly enjoyed this dessert.

Bag Me Up Bagel House has some interesting bagel combinations including the Bag Me Up Signature which contains unagi and katsuobushi egg salad and We Will Wagyu made with a 100% wagyu beef patty. With quirky names such as Can Trust Chic which comes with grilled teriyaki chicken thigh, sautéed mushroom, truffle schmear and mozzarella cheese, you can enjoy a different bagel experience here. To cool down the afternoon, get the refreshing White Peach Fresh Milk Tea which has that nice floral fragrance with a creamy mouthfeel.