Best in the West

Dropped by the newly-opened Kyuukei Coffee recently. The cosy interior was tastefully furnished and they even have their own line of merchandise.

Both the 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 ($5.00) and 𝗜𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 ($5.00) were medium-bodied and tasted pretty good. The 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝗰𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗮 ($4.00) really impressed as its fragrance and crispness complemented the sweet, tangy profile perfectly.

Definitely a spot I’d return to!

There are quite a few outlets of Alchemist Coffee, but none are like the one housed at The Mill. The building is painted entirely in black and gives off a Gothic feel, looking simultaneously imposing and eerie.

What I like about this outlet of Alchemist is its obscurity and high ceiling with a gorgeous chandelier. There are two blends of coffee beans on offer and I picked Dark Matter.

My 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 was smooth and medium-bodied, giving off hints of hazelnut. The 𝗣𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗼 𝗥𝗮𝘀𝗽𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗿𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗻, with a crispy, flaky exterior hiding a fragrant and sweet pistachio and raspberry cream, was outstanding as well.

Awesome place to grab a cuppa. Do yourself a favour and drop by.

The intoxicating aroma of lemongrass and the juicy chicken made the 𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗼𝘄𝗹 ($12.90) an excellent dish.

All bowls come with cherry tomatoes, edamame and an onsen egg. They were pretty hearty but I felt the pricing was too steep.

The last time I tried Bowl Chap, it was still a stall in a hawker centre. Now an eatery in a commercial building, the dining area is more comfortable and the prices, naturally, are higher.

The 𝗔𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗶 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗼 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗼𝘄𝗹 ($16.90) featured beautifully charred salmon which I loved, but I felt the sambal mayo wasn’t pronounced enough.

If you want to enjoy coffee and toast in an air conditioned environment, it’s usually those same few chains. SuuKee Coffee, which opened a few months ago, presents a very good alternative.

SuuKee’s toast sets start from $5.60 and come with two soft boiled eggs and a coffee / tea. The 𝗢𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗺 ($6.80) was a classic breakfast combination that can’t go wrong. The 𝗘𝗴𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗼 ($6.00) tasted good too, but I felt there wasn’t enough fillings.

I upgraded the default coffee to a 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗞𝗼𝗽𝗶 (+ $0.30). I liked that it was smooth and aromatic, though I wished it was stronger. Still, I foresee myself returning for the delicious toasts.

𝐒𝐮𝐮𝐊𝐞𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞
9 Ayer Rajah Avenue
Unit B2-03 one-north MRT Station
Singapore 138647

Totally fell in love with the 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗖𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗹𝗲. Delicious banana slices meticulously arranged on a fluffy waffle showered with biscuit crumbs created a delectable dessert. The scoop of 𝗧𝗮𝗶𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗩𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮 ice-cream also went very well with the waffle. I’ll be back to try the main courses!

Despite specialising in soups, it was the 𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗮 𝗫𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝘂𝗼 that was our favourite dish. The permutations are limitless as there are over 20 items available to add on. The numbing and mildly spicy sauce coating every component made this an outstanding bowl.

The 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝘄 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝗳 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 stood out for the juicy beef balls.

We also loved the 𝗥𝗲𝗱 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗽, which featured thick, succulent slices of red grouper in a milky broth that was fabulously flavourful.

The 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗼 𝗙𝗮𝗻 (simmered rice) is not to be missed. Coming with a gratuitous number of prawns, fish slices and clams swimming in an orange-hued broth brimming with crustacean sweetness, this was sublime.

Hugabo is a chain of kiosks serving comforting soups that are halal certified. Much like BYO salad bowls, you pick your soup, proteins, noodles/rice and toppings to curate your meal. Served conveniently in paper boxes with the ingredients packed separately from the soup, it’s really fuss-free.

From MasterChef Singapore finalist Aaron Wong, who owns a chain of mee hoon kway stalls, comes his new venture, a wanton mee stall. Despite being tucked in a canteen hidden in an industrial compound, the queue was interminable.

The 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗗𝗿𝘆 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝗲 ($5.50) featured springy noodles, three plump wantons, a large stalk of kailan and a few slices of char siew that were beautifully charred and fatty. Everything was on point, though I wished the sauce was more flavourful.

The 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗽 ($5.50) curiously did not have any char siew, though it did have more wantons. What’s praiseworthy is that the wantons are filled with meat; no minuscule, thumbnail-sized wantons commonly seen at other stalls here.

The individual components couldn’t be faulted — even the tiny orbs of pork lard were crisp and not overly greasy — and my main gripe was that I still felt hungry after devouring one bowl, but Legend Wanton Mee sneaks into my top 10.

𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐞
3752 Bukit Merah Central
Maddox Canteen Bar
Singapore 159848