Welcome to Rochor.

Vernacular Coffee has definitely been around for a while now — having entered the local F&B scene a couple of years back with the opening of their very first location within the Former Singapore Badminton Hall along Guillemard Road (taking over the former premises of the second iteration of Brawn & Brains Coffee in the building), these folks have also expanded their operations into the Central Business District with their second outlet located within the outlet of Hathaway at Capital Tower. They have since opened yet another outpost; this time within the new Varel Singapore situated along Selegie Road — Varel Singapore being a Tribute Portfolio Hotel that sits on the site of the demolished Selegie Centre. Interestingly, Varel Singapore is also home to Hathaway’s new outlet named Hathaway Autograph. Vernacular Coffee runs a space at the ground level independently away from Hathaway Autograph; known for its specialty coffee and pastry offerings, it does seem that its Varel Singapore location sees a slightly condensed line-up of pastries that is supplemented with some cake offerings, while the selection of specialty coffee is being limited to espresso-based specialty coffee. Despite the smaller space, Vernacular Coffee does offer a whole line-up of hot food offerings that is being split into sections dedicated to Snacks, Pasta, Sandwich | Burger, Main Course and Dessert.

Skimming through the menu, we settled for the Velvety Mentaiko which was listed as an item in the Pasta section of the menu; this is described to come with elements such as a Japanese spicy cod roe emulsion, sweet cold water shrimps and savoury seafood Furikake. Patrons do get a choice to opt for Ruffled Mafaldine, Classic Paccheri and Linguine — we found ourselves going for Ruffled Mafaldine. Whilst many other establishments would probably make the Mentaiko element a big highlight of the dish where it might potentially get overwhelming, Vernacular Coffee had taken the approach to keep the flavours of Mentaiko light in its cream sauce — this results in a very light briny note that subtly runs at the back of the tastebuds matched with the creaminess one would expect in cream pastas. The addition of savoury seafood Furikake adds a hint of savouriness and another dimension of umami notes to the pasta; this matches well with the natural sweetness that comes with the sweet cold water shrimps which are similar to what one will get in a Swedish Skagen (i.e. Swedish shrimp toast) — the shrimp giving a good bite. The Ruffled Mafaldine was a good choice to opt for considering how the ruffled grooves allows for the creamy Mentaiko sauce to be trapped within; all that whilst it comes al-dente with a good bite.

($7) opt out for skinny (low fat milk) and it was too grassy texture and too much millky aftertaste.

($18) request for putting sauce on the side if you dont wanted to be sweet. The pancake was quite jiggy, soft and not that soggy. one of their best selling at the menu. berry sauce was quite sweet and complemented well with the pancake.

From Taste Good
A quick lunch, added fried egg.
Overall, this portion really satisfies the tummy.

From Wing Seong Fatty’s Restaurant
烧肉烧鸭 饭
Once a while indulgence to this tasty plate of roast meat rice.
Shiok.

[ROCHOR, SINGAPORE] I would say first that the Slice Beef Soup 🍲 ($16.90) here is not for everyone, due to its initial seemingly bland flavour. Salt and pepper is provided for you to add to taste, and that further brings out the beef flavour in the soup 😁

Most might think that it's not flavourful enough, but I feel like it's purposely made this way to contrast the savoury kimchi provided to pair with rice. The kimchi is made in-house and very different from any other Korean restaurants. Their cabbage is somehow crispier, and the marinade used had a very deep savoury and garlicky flavour. Pair that with rice and chase them with a mouthful of the light comforting soup and you get a satisfying meal!

If you want a deeper flavour, I believe the Half Chicken Soup 🍲 ($15.90) may appeal to you better. The chicken broth flavour is more prominent after adding some salt, and the chicken itself is so tender and succulent.

Come here for comforting soup & amazing kimchi 😋

($13) smoked chicken based broth but then a bit thick texture for me.

It does seem that there has been a little bit of something going on within Wilkie Edge of the late where many of the ground floor tenants had made their move out of the building — whilst there are tenants that had decided to make its move out of the area almost entirely, some of these establishments are still located within the vicinity. Oh Some Bowls had been in operation in Wilkie Edge for quite a long while, and it seems that these folks had revamped its concept now that they have moved into new premises at the second level of Sim Lim Square — Menya Saku by Oh Some Bowls can be found along the same row of shops as where the outlet of 3 Meals a Day 一日三餐 is, being situated between Angel Authentic Thai Restaurant and the outlet of Taste Good 好味小厨 at Sim Lim Square. The interior of the shop is simply decked in a way that is more for function than for form; the space largely feature the use of wooden fittings throughout the space — the dine-in furniture used being pretty basic to say the least which is less elaborate than the set-up at the now-defunct Oh Some Bowls. Japanese-style
cloth can be found draped from underneath the signboard — helps to add a bit of a Japanese vibe to the entire space. Pivoting themselves as a Japanese ramen specialty shop, the menu at Menya Saku is segmented into sections such as Saku Ramen, Niku Soba, Tonkotsu Ramen, Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen, Rice Bowl, and Ramen Salad — they also do offer a line-up of beverages which are limited to pretty much canned beverages.

Considering how the Saku Ramen line-up comprises of “Saku” in its namesake that is seemingly named after the namesake of the dining establishment itself, we found ourselves being more intrigued to give one of the items from the Saku Ramen section of the menu a go. The Special Saku Ramen can be described as the “full works” for the range of Saku Ramen that Menya Saku has to offer — the menu at Saku Ramen mentions that the dish does comprise of elements such as Chicken Chashu, Ajitama Egg, Seaweed, Japanese Leek, Spinach and Naruto Fish Cake; the social media accounts of Saku Ramen also mentions that the ramen also comes with chicken broth, and that the item is described to not come with pork nor lard. Going straight for the broth, it does seem that the Saku Ramen would appeal to those whom prefer lighter broth; the chicken broth with bonito presents a very light savouriness with a clean finish that is similar but not quite as heavy as the Japanese-ramen that features a Shoyu broth. Menya Saku has went with the use of broader noodles that does carry quite a good bite. Considering how the dish does come with Chicken Chashu, we did find it interesting how they had executed their Chicken Chashu — this is a pretty simple attempt as compared to the typical rolled Chashu where it features chicken breast that is flame-torched for a slightly smoky note. Whilst the flavours do come a little more plain, it still does match well with the entire dish given the lighter flavours at play here generally. The Ajitama Egg is also pretty well-executed here; marinated in soy sauce, the egg does come with a note of savouriness — all that while the egg yolk within still remains molten and creamy. We weren’t too into the Spinach that carried a rather strong hint of bitterness that overwhelmed the light flavours of the Special Saku Ramen, though it does provide the item with an element of crunch while the seaweed does add a slight crispness with a bit of umami-ness before it soaks up the broth. Other elements like the Japanese Leek and Naruto Fishcake are simply just good to have.

15 September 2024
Canele 4/5
Basque Burnt Cheesecake 3/5
Iced White 3/5

One of the recent openings that had gotten quite a fair bit of attention on social media would be that of Hideout Coffee Bar — these folks have finally made their return to the local cafe scene ever since they had to shut their operations at Geylang having only operated there for a number of months. These folks are located at a brand new space within a shophouse at 122 Mackenzie Road; a spot that is within walking distance from Little India MRT Station and not too far away from the outlet of Warm Up Cafe that is there. Hideout Coffee Bar’s space at Mackenzie Road follows much of what they used to look like at Geylang, with the space also being much larger as well — these shop features an entirely wooden shop facade with an outdoor seating area with the use of camping chairs at its front porch; something that replicates the alley-side vibes that their previous location at Geylang used to have. The counter to order is actually via a small cut-out in the window that forms part of the shop facade that faces out to Mackenzie Road. Inside, the space features maroon walls and concrete floors; all matched with furniture and fittings with wooden and metallic accents; a very hippie look with bench seating located across one side of the space, whilst counter seating is also available facing towards the espresso bar and the food preparation. There is also a communal table that exists in the middle of the space that is made from a wooden table top above plastic crates — the addition of plants in the middle on top of a stack of books help gives the space an element of life. Just like how things used to be at their Geylang location, it does seem that Hideout Coffee Bar has pretty much stuck with what they are most comfortable with serving up — the selection of hot food available at Hideout Coffee Bar would be their line-up of sandwiches, though those looking for a light bite to go along with their coffee can opt for cookies and cakes as well. Beverages that are being served up at Hideout Coffee Bar would include the usual selection of espresso-based specialty coffee, as well as non-coffee options like Matcha, Genmaicha, and a Jamu Soda — just to name a few.

Hideout Coffee Bar does not describe on the elements that comes with their offerings on the menu — there were already quite a number of sandwiches that were already sold out by the time we made our visit to Hideout Coffee Bar during its opening weekend at lunch hours, so we found ourselves going for the more conventional Meatball Sandwich that they have to offer. All sandwiches offered at Hideout Coffee Bar are served freshly made-upon-order, so do expect a waiting time of around 10 to 15 minutes for the sandwiches to be made even during non-peak hours. Patrons would be called out to collect their order at the counter once their order is ready, with the staff requesting for patrons to leave their name with them upon order. As one fan observe from our order of the Meatball Sandwich, the Meatball Sandwich does look like one that comes with a slightly Italian influence; apart from the hand-formed meat balls, it also does come with a herb-infused tomato sauce, cheese, and olives – caution should be exercised whilst consuming the Meatball Sandwich here considering the slight messiness involved with the runny tomato-based sauce it features that tends to drip out of the food wrapper where the sandwich sits within. Sinking our teeth into the Meatball Sandwich, the bread does come with a crusty exterior whilst coming with a firm, chewy bite with a tension to pull apart – there is a bit of likeness between the bread here and that of the Vietnamese-style Banh Mi. herb-infused tomato sauce does provide a slightly tangy and zingy note, while the infusion of herbs help to uplift the flavours of the entire sandwich. The meatballs do come with a reasonably firm bite; there is a slightly gamey note, though this was pretty light and seemingly intentional — to provide that sense of meatiness within the sandwich, though it does seem to be a little bit on the saltier side as well. The cheese does provide a slight hint of saltishness, while the olives cut through the heaviness of the bread, cheese and meats.

During the same visit to Hideout Coffee Bar, we also had given their Biscoff Cookie a try — the Biscoff Cookie is one out of two cookies that Hideout Coffee Bar has to offer; the other being the Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookie. Their cookies are warmed up before being served up — the Biscoff Cookie is one that we found to be pretty manageable in terms of sweetness; this especially so considering how some Biscoff Cookie served by other establishments around the island tend to be on the sweeter side of things which is quite easily the case for Biscoff-flavoured items in general. The warm cookie crumbles neatly without falling messily apart; yet still crusty enough on the surface to hold everything together. It is worth noting that the Biscoff Cookies at Hideout Coffee Bar is a cookie that does not come with any fillings within, in case there is anyone whom might be expecting it to be filled with Biscoff / cookie sauce in between. It is worth noting that Hideout Coffee Bar does serve up their beverages in disposable cups; going for the White (Hot), it is also interesting to note how they serve their cuppas without latte art — perhaps a move that would seem to be more practical for them since the cuppas are served in disposable cups with cup lids. The White comes with a medium body; all that with a fruity and citrus-y flavour profile that can be considered as rather harsh for some tastebuds.

Hideout Coffee Bar is perhaps one of the cafes within the local cafe scene that exudes loads of character — there is definitely something very indie and hippie with the way that they are being setup — one that is especially playful yet passionate with what they do. The closure of their former space at Geylang may be a great setback, but the opening of their new space at Mackenzie Road is not just a new beginning, but also a revival of the spirit behind the brand and what it is set out to be. These folks are still churning out the same sandwiches and bakes as they had used to do; all that while the space retains the vibes that they had initially created it to be at their Geylang location — all that whilst being a bigger space that would also cater well to their regulars whom have gotten to know them through their short stint at Geylang. Prices of their sandwiches range from $9 to $18; the lowest-priced being the Kimchi Focaccia, while the highest-priced behind the Salt Beef Sandwich. With how they have pretty much stuck to what they are all about and also being an establishment with a unique vibe, Hideout Coffee Bar’s new location at Mackenzie Road would probably be a spot in the list of places to check out especially for those whom have yet to visit their Geylang location prior to its closure — also one that those residing nearby it would likely appreciate having in their ‘hood.

($7.80 with egg) I come back for another best selling dish. I enjoyed their butter pork sauce to be smooth texture. I did getting jelak tbh since its quite creamy and milky.

[BENCOOLEN, SINGAPORE] Can't believe I ordered pasta at 10am in the morning, but it was definitely satisfying 😂

The Seafood Squid Ink Spaghetti 🍝 ($22) at @twentyeightcafe was well executed, as the pasta was al dente and well flavoured with prawn oil for a more intense seafood flavour 😍 the seafood ingredients may be frozen, but they were well cooked as they were still snappy 😋 although it was quite spicy, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I paired the pasta with an Iced Latte (around $7) which was also quite decent. It could have been slightly more intense, but the chocolate roasty flavours were definitely noticeable!

As it has a big space, this cafe is good for big groups or if you want to complete your work there. Will be back :)