Cafe-hopping

Nestled in a corner of Dempsey Hill, Roadhouse is an American-styled modern diner that brings comfort American food right into Singapore. Their Chef's recommendation, Bacon Marinated Burger, has a generous serving of crispy well-cooked bacon, sweet caramelised onions, sautéed mushrooms, and a juicy tender beef patty sandwiched between two buns. I didn't quite appreciate the flavour of the melted Gorgonzola (not a fan of blue cheese) though. Their Lord of the wings (& drumlets), a bucket of spicy garlic parmesan wings, was coated with a thick layer of hot sauce that reminded me of bbq sauce, but it still ended up a little too dry for my liking. On the bright side. their service was stellar, the ambience was perfect and the prices were reasonable.

A unique fusion of Thai and Western flavours, the Loaded Cheese Fries with Thai Basil Minced Pork ($12) totally nailed it! The thick crispy fries with warm pillowy insides are doused with glorious melted cheese, and sprinkled with a flavourful topping of basil minced pork. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G

What a place oozing with hippie vibes! A pair of creepy-looking plushies greeted us at their doorstep, and upon walking in, symmetry's interior felt like some country tavern. I found it quite a cool place.

For their Super Brunch, the quinoa was pretty decent. The sauteed shrooms, fried eggs and chicken cheese sausage were satisfactory.

Their Duck Leg Confit Croissant was flakey, crisp and buttery. Coupled with the fluffy scrambled eggs, caramelised onions, lettuce and duck confit, it was a nice combination.

Their crab pesto was the definite highlight of the day. Linguine pasta cooked in extra olive oil, topped with hazelnut basil pesto, parmesan cheese and shreds of crab claw had the umami crab flavour infused into the pasta. Yumz.

Taste-wise, it was decent but the price might be slightly too steep for unemployed students. Haha

A chill cafe tucked in a nice little corner of Holland V, baker & cook is the perfect spot to hang out at for friend gatherings.

The crust of their salmon quiche was sufficiently crumbly and delightful. They were generous with their tasty salmon bits. Capsicum slices tucked within the quiche gave it a refreshing crunch with every bite. The couscous salad was fine and grainy, with apricot chunks. I found the sweet ajd salty taste of the salad slightly strange though. It was a nice experience there overall :)

Bread yard is a hidden gem offering delicious brunch at affordable prices. My Bettino Full Platter ($10), bottom right, had nicely grilled back bacon. Mmmm that crispness. My favourite part of the entire dish would be their poached eggs with hollandaise sauce atop the honey baked ham and Hokkaido bread. The thick bread had an amazingly crusty edge and fluffy soft centre. I could even taste the faintest hint of milkiness that added on to the bread's overall yum-factor. The poached eggs were done to perfection too! Imagine my exuberance the moment the golden runny yolk oozed out :) Their desserts are pretty awesome too, especially their apple raisin bread pudding ($6). The hot-cold combination of the pudding and vanilla ice-cream made the dessert quite the highlight of the meal

Pacamara's Truffle Benedict with brioche, smoked ham, spinach, truffle hollandaise and free range poached eggs ($18) was photogenic, but tasted off-the-mark. It would be a crime to call eggs benny poached if their yolk aren't runny in the first place. One had an almost-solid lump of yolk (ugh disappointing) and the other simply had a teeny bit that oozed. The truffle flavour was also barely discernible. Where is the unique earthy rich taste? :(

Thank goodness the brioche was decent and its crisp-edge-fluffy-inside combination cheered me up a little. Their smoked ham and spinach redeemed the dish a little, but still insufficient to erase my memory of the lacklustre poached eggs. Their mocha was decent though ($6). Guess I wouldn't visit them again for they're overrated.

The GRUB cheeseburger and fries delivered on a tray is so photogenic! The pickle perched atop the bun is such a cute idea. Taste-wise, the burger was decent, though not exceptionally impressive. Based on the description on the menu, the beef patty was from 100% grass-fed and free-range beef. The beef was slightly bland, a little underseasoned. I had to add mentaiko sauce to bump up the taste. Crispy hot fries dipped in savoury fishy mentaiko is the best thing ever!

I added on an Earl Grey Lemon Tea, and loved the way the malty flavour of the tea blended smoothly together with the tangy taste of lemon.

We also ordered churros, paired with dark chocolate sauce and tangy creme anglaise. They were deep fried to a wonderful crisp and generously coated with sugar. I could taste the tinge of cinnamon and the fluffy inside of the churros was heavenly!

I enjoyed my overall dining experience at Grub and would return to give its other burgers a shot.