[CLOSED] Guac & Go (Guacamole) Review with Stella Kae

UPDATE JUL 2020: Guac & Go has closed.

The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

Audrey Hepburn

Beauty queens certainly don’t get it easy; from advocating various good causes, to maintaining their pristine image, it takes tenacity and confidence to perform their best and gun for a top spot in their respective pageants.

Stella Kae

Stella (Instagram) is no stranger to the world of beauty pageants, with 2 (TWO!) titles (Miss Singapore International 2011, Miss Singapore Chinatown 2012) to show for. Always game for an adventure whether its strutting down the runway or food-hunting, I brought her to another old haunt of mine when I used working in town, Guac & Go. Stella’s currently on the way to a brand new career, here’s wishing her a good 2017 and may her new year resolutions all come true!

Guac & Go

Started in 2014 by 2 young people with a serious guacamole addiction who were getting bored with the limited and otherwise bland avocado scene (cue cringe-worthy Christmas avocado jingle). To which, they decided to shake things up by adding a myriad of tasty ingredients such as cilantro, lemon, honey, chilli peppers and even mango. In their words, they managed to make guacamole taste AMAZING! Not only that, they also have many dishes jam packed with other superfoods such as kale and quinoa.

It’s a little tricky to find them for first timers, as they are situated at the back side of Maxwell Chambers; you will need to traverse through a short corridor just to get to their shopfront, or go through the back if you’re coming from the newly completed Tanjong Pagar Centre. Looking in beyond the tinted glass windows without much (unnecessary) fanfare, take a seat in the spacious and sparsely furnished interior as you decide whether you want to make your own bowl, or try one of their several creations. Their menu has been updated considerably since when I first visited but I feel that it has much more variety right now. For me, I ordered the Guac & Hummus bowl while Stella chose to DIY a salad (guacamole included of course) instead.

Happy New Year!!! Get started on the right foot – health up with the Guacamonster 🎉
A photo posted by Guac & Go Cafe (@guacngo) on Jan 2, 2017 at 5:47pm PST

Guac & Go is also known for their smoothies; although we didn’t get to try them out, you should check out their interesting creations such as the Tropikale, berry, and (you guessed it!) avocado smoothies!

Never ending summer with our Tie Dye Peachberry Smoothie! We love the swirls of pink and yellow 💕
A photo posted by Guac & Go Cafe (@guacngo) on Nov 24, 2016 at 10:55pm PST

Verdict

hole-in-the-wall-ness: [star rating=”4″]
When they first opened, the on-going construction of the now-completed Tanjong Pagar Centre make their location inconspicuous. Now that the road has opened up again, hopefully more people will have an easier time finding them!

Price: [star rating=”3″]
Health food in Singapore unfortunately face a bit more premium than they’re supposed to, given that you mainly serve fresh produce in a comfortable setting which commands a higher rent by itself.

Quality: [star rating=”4″]
Food looks and taste fresh, and their guacamole is definitely worth its weight in (I would say avocado but) gold!

Overall: [star rating=”3.5″]
A decent find after all; some people may be put off by the over-saturation of ‘hipster’ health food-serving cafes, but who knows? You may deck your halls with their avocados one day.

More Information

Guac & Go
32 Maxwell Road #01-08
Maxwell Chambers
Singapore 069115
Tel: 6221 2117
Opening Hours: 7:30am to 5:00pm, Mondays to Fridays. Closed on weekends and public holidays.
Facebook | Instagram | Website

19 December 2016 Food

Ming San Casual Japanese Dining Review

Japanese food makes me feel particularly good

-David Mitchell

Despite being a cosmopolitan city, getting quality yet affordable Japanese food is not as easy as you think; either it costs you an arm and a leg, or it feels like a monkey with a spoon can do a better job.

Ming San (鳴 San) Casual Japanese Dining

Ming San, after their eponymous owner, sits just about at the edge of the Chinatown area. To get there, one way is to take a short walk through Pearl’s Hill City Park, and it’s not a uphill task at all! Geddit? <Insert corny punchline here>

(From here on, I will interchangeably refer to both the restaurant and the owner as “Ming San”)

The restaurant was the brain-child of Ming San, and was realised just in September 2015. Serving food in a casual, modern style, the interior does look proper with natural light flooding in from the full length windows and no-nonsense wooden furniture. Generally, the crowd consist of OLs and very often he also gets Japanese customers working in the area coming for dinner!

Ming San serves up a plethora of Japanese cuisine from his humble kitchen (just behind the wall of mouth-watering photos). From bento sets to sushi platters, you definitely will be spoilt for choice.

Speaking of which, when he first started the restaurant, the bento sets were initially a fixed selection of less than a dozen choices. However, this often lead to much confusion for Ming San as he has to entertain countless requests to customise the sets to suit each customer’s palate. So, to make sure everyone leaves Ming San a happy pup, he introduced the mix & match concept menu for his bento sets which are now a hit with his customers:

So instead of just under 10 sets, you can have different permutations of dishes to make up your bento with the 20 (wow!) items available. All for just $10! Ming San also told me that more selections will be added soon, and the menu will be updated from time to time to keep his customers interested.

Although Ming San says that Sushi is not his forte, he does serve up some respectable hand-kneaded goodness, like his signature salmon aburi available as a nigiri sushi or in a maki roll. The nigiri sushi, topped generously with crystal seaweed and roe, has a full-bodied flavor, where the freshness of the fish is locked in by the aburi sear.

However, I felt that the ramen broth was too complex for me, as it is heavily loaded with tastes of shrimp and tonkotsu all jumbled up together. Personally, I prefer lighter and clearer broths, but you can see if this adaptation floats your boat. As the broth is now prepared by Ming San’s eldest daughter, it’s definitely worth encouraging her as she continues to experiment and find that signature Ming San ramen taste! がんばって!

The Verdict

hole-in-the-wall-ness: [star rating=”4.5″]
Tucked in the corner unit of a office building right at the edge of chinatown, it’s definitely off the beaten track. If not for me knowing that it is near a popular dimsum restaurant nearby, I would have much more trouble locating it the first time around!

Price: [star rating=”4″]
Ming San prides himself for being able to give decent, quality food at affordable prices. You pay for what you get, but what you pay is worth the buck!

Quality: [star rating=”4″]
The sushi, salad (not pictured) and bento sets especially were freshly made and flavourful, making the food a good hearty lunch for one, or a cosy dinner with your friends after a long day of salaryman work. However, I personally feel the ramen broth could use more fine-tuning.

Overall: [star rating=”4″]
To Ming San, his restaurant is more than just a place of sustenance. To him, eating should be casual, enjoyable and most importantly, in good company of your family and closest friends!

More Information

Ming San Casual Japanese Dining
171 Chin Swee Road
#01-03
CES Centre
Singapore 169877
Opening Hours: Mondays to Saturdays, 12:00pm to 3:00pm & 6:00pm to 10:00pm
Open for lunch ONLY on Wednesdays
Tel: 6386 9311
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mingsan0103/
Note: Call in advance and check their facebook page to avoid disappointment, as they are occasionally closed for private bookings/events. Catering menu is also available on request!

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12 December 2016 Food

[Closed] Lucky Western Food Review – The O.G. of Crawford Lane

UPDATE: Lucky Western Food has closed after decades of serving generations of kids like me. Aunties decided to retire and take it easy now.

The “Western Food” that you can find in Singapore’s many neighbourhood eateries is rather unique experience.While many of the younger ones clamour for michelin-starred duck leg confits or prime cut steaks that costs 20% of your salary sometimes, western food to me growing up meant hearty and mostly sinful servings of pan-sizzled chops and steaks, or breadcrumb-coated cutlets deep fried till golden brown. Served with french fries, (usually) a bun and baked beans and/or coleslaw , the Hainanese-influenced cuisine is regarded as comfort food by many millennials like me.

Like the Rifleman’s Creed:

This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. It is my life.

To every Singaporean there is a western food stall/store close to their heart. This is mine.

Lucky Western Food

Ah, this brings me back down memory lane. Back when I was still in primary school, my eyes always gleamed with anticipation as I had to walk past the kopitiam right behind after the day’s end. I would catch on to aroma of glorious, deep fried food, and hope that my mum would decide to have lunch (or dinner if I was in the afternoon session) there. It was also my source of sustenance when I grew older whenever I had tuition classes nearby till late.

Originally of Block 466 Crawford Lane (which now houses another modernised, more famous western food stall), the Chua sisters have been griddling steaks and dunking cutlets into deep fryers for “about 30 years”. Just over 20 years ago, they moved to their current location, round the corner at block 462, where they have since stayed. I fondly remember the kopitiam being packed with working adults and students alike during mealtimes, with the latter often eating clandestinely to avoid getting ‘caught’ by their physical education teachers eating sinfully! Nowadays, even though my alma mater moved out to bigger premises, they still get a steady stream of old-timers who can never forget the homely feel of the sisters’ culinary delights.

Different from most western food stalls, their chicken cutlets and chops are marinated with a special and generous mix, while still retaining a well-balanced flavour. For this visit, I ordered my favourite chicken cutlet. Served on a very old-school porcelain plate with side servings of fries, slice o’ garlic bread, slaw and cucumber + tomato slices, it bears the Uniquely Singapore hallmarks of western food. The chicken itself is evenly cooked and when freshly served, tender on the inside and oh.so.crunchy! with the crispy batter on the outside.

Other popular dishes include their chicken chop, fish & chips, as well as the half spring chicken set which only goes for $5 (I recall they have not raised their prices significantly for a while already), but of course to keep you in suspense, I’ll let you, the readers, try it out for yourself.

The Verdict

hole-in-the-wall-ness: [star rating=”5″]
Quietly serving their fare day in, day out, the Chua Sisters managed their long running popularity with a steady stream of old timers, even as the neighbourhood slowly faded off only to receive a recent wave of rejuvenation with some hipster cafes and even a michelin-starred stall nearby.

Price: [star rating=”5″]
While I remember prices used to be much lower back when I was still in primary school (more than 15 years ago!), the ladies I endearingly call ‘auntie’ managed to keep their prices very competitive, with a whole spring chicken set going only for $9, and a beef steak/lamb chop set for only $7!

Quality: [star rating=”3.5″]
While it’s nothing too outstanding to rave about, it represents the brand of western cuisine found nowhere else in the world, and reminds you of home even if you are still at home.

Overall: [star rating=”4″]
The Chua sisters have built up Lucky Western Food with a good brand of local fare over the decades, and the experience speaks for itself. Hail the O.G. and queens of Crawford Lane!

More Information

Lucky Western Food
Wiseng Food Place
462 Crawford Lane
#01-29
Singapore 190462
Opening Hours: 12pm-9pm Daily, closed on Sundays (may close earlier!)

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5 December 2016 Food

[CLOSED] Brothers in Fine Food (BFF) Review – New Cafe in the Heart of Tampines (Halal)

UPDATE JUL 2020: BFF has moved to 402 East Coast Road together with their sister cafe, Penny University.

And the idea of just wandering off to a cafe with a notebook and writing and seeing where that takes me for awhile is just bliss.

J.K. Rowling

After a week of diving in the west, it’s time to go back to the better side. #kek

Far-eastern Singapore sometimes feels a bit left out when it comes to cafes and specialty F&B places, with most reaching only as far as the East Coast Road area or maybe even Bedok. So it’s always refreshing news that you hear of a brand new cafe deep in the heartlands of Tampines.

Brothers in Fine Food (BFF)

Another disheartening thing about being in the heartlands is that your apart from the street (block) corner kopitiam or hawker centre, your F&B options are almost entirely dominated by chain stores. Being situated in Tampines West Community Centre (yes, a CC!), it’s no different for newcomers Brothers in Fine Food. Founded in November 2016 by the same bros behind popular cafe in East Coast, Penny University. Placed above a Starbucks AND a MacDonald’s outlet, it’s easy to miss them out as you have to walk past both of them, and up the stairs through another corridor.

Reaching the place, you are greeted with a simple facade and no-frills industrial furniture and fittings. The weather was rather gloomy for the entire day when I first visited, and it looked like a good place to wind down in the evening.

The menu is a pretty interesting one, with several unusual concoctions such as the sous-vide steak with beetroot and thyme puree, which I eventually ordered. Chef Restu from BFF explained that they use modern cooking techniques and experimented with different methods to create unique recipes at heartland-friendly prices. True though, this is the first time I’ve heard of sous-vide prepared steak in such a setting, for less than $20! The other main we ordered that evening was the Salmon Fillet with za’atar roasted bread crumbs, crispy spiced salmon skin, brown butter miso sauce, atop of a pillow of giant Israeli couscous.

Of course, how do you leave such a place without going for dessert? Their Greek-yoghurt panna cotta is something different as well: the acidity of the cream and yoghurt sinfully mixed with homemade honeycomb crunch, fresh fruits and poached pears (with a secret mix of spices!). I won’t wait till the end of this post to say: Try. This.

I Had To Return

While paying up and leaving, I was told to come back for their weekend brunch menu. So being a bro to the bros, I returned a few days later! Surprisingly (actually, not really), many of their breakfast crowds are not young anello bag-toting hipsters, but working adults and their families. I even had the chance to share simple conversations with an older Malay couple who decided to drop by after reading about BFF in the Malay newspaper about this new halal cafe right in their backyard!

Being a lazy person on a lazy Sunday morning I opted for the lighter Mediterranean breakfast set, featuring the usual hummus, spinach, falafels, couscous, fresh avocado slices and the not as usual smoked aubergine (eggplant) and halloumi cheese (which is a heavy-flavoured cheese that goes well with the other staples).

Not a very big breakfast person myself, I found it rather filling despite the serving not looking its weight, and regrettably didn’t drink their coffee! So here’s something from their Instagram page showcasing their really good lattes while I return YET AGAIN this week to taste it myself (it IS pretty near to my place anyway). Of course they’re no one-dish wonders; I saw many other diners wolfing down several of their approximately dozen menu selections, such as the Dashi noodles and their signature builder’s breakfast!

Beautiful sunny Wednesday. On the hopper this week, Chakra from @strangersreu, bloody delicious! It’s hump day today, have your coffee fix with us today to get yourself set throughout the week. Dinner service starts at 6pm till 10.30pm (last kitchen orders at 9.30pm) tonight. Come by and say hi! Spread the love people! #bff #hellotampines #sgcafe #cafesg #halalcafesg #coffeeshopvibes #coffeeshopsoftheworld #badguyscoffee #manmakecoffee
A photo posted by BFF (@brothersinfinefood) on Nov 29, 2016 at 11:43pm PST

Happy Saturday afternoon, folks! Get your brunch fix here with our hearty Builder’s Breakfast! #brothersinfinefood #specialtycoffee #bff #halalcafesg #sgfood #sgcafe #bobthebuilder
A photo posted by BFF (@brothersinfinefood) on Nov 18, 2016 at 8:41pm PST

Our kitchen team. With our open kitchen, come down and expect a friendly welcome from them. Don’t hesitate to say hi to them! Gloomy night tonight, come by for some snacks, desserts (or both!), hot cuppa Joe or just some hot cocoa. We are open for dinner today, last order at 9.30pm! See you! #bff #hellotampines #sgcafe #cafesg #halalcafesg #coffeeshopvibes #coffeeshopsoftheworld
A photo posted by BFF (@brothersinfinefood) on Nov 10, 2016 at 2:52am PST

The Verdict

hole-in-the-wall-ness: [star rating=”4.5″]
Although situated in a community centre, it’s pretty much is hidden as you have to traverse through the chain restaurants and up a short corridor, without much signage ahead. So yes, not THAT ideal of a hole-in-the-wall but still living it up to this blog’s mantra.

Price: [star rating=”4″]
Being a place of decent quality food, you won’t see prices the same as the Mr Teh Tarik across the street, but at about $15-20 per person (including drinks and desserts will cost you slightly more), it’s a bargain where hipster cafes regularly charge $25++ for a breakfast platter full of processed food.

Quality: [star rating=”4″]
No wagyu fillet mignons or deep sea halibut here, just regular homely ingredients that are prepared with lots of attention and with creative modern twists.

Overall: [star rating=”4″]
A good refreshing change of face in the heartland scene where everything has something to do with a shareholders-first global chain. Visit this people-first place now!

More Information

Brothers in Fine Food (BFF)
5 Tampines Avenue 3
#02-07, Tampines West Community Club
Singapore 529705
Tue to Fri: 12pm – 10.30pm
Sat & Sun: 9am – 10.30pm
Closed on Mondays
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brothersinfinefood
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brothersinfinefood/

BFF is Halal-Certified.

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28 November 2016 Drinks

Sam’s Cottage Review (Fish & Chips) – A Man Walks Into A Bar…

You can’t go wrong with fish and chips.

-Michael Sandel

Dive bars used to get a lot of stick back in the days for being shoddy; even the name supposedly comes from people diving under tables whenever a bar fight broke out!

Sam’s Cottage’s Fish & Chips

But nowadays, it’s a label for a place of quaintness and good ol’ get-together. It started with a simple wish from Mr Samuel Sam over 10 years ago: to have a place where people in the neighbourhood can get together. With blocks of condominium apartments all over the Dairy Farm Estate where his dive bar is situated, he feels that neighbours don’t interact with one another as often as they used to back in the ‘kampung’ days. Home to many is just a hiding place to rest before the next day comes. He also finds it a safer alternative to heading out for drinks and possibly driving to bars elsewhere; several years before the Upper Bukit Timah area is connected by train with the new Downtown Line, which only started operation in late 2015.

It was a weekday when I first visited and even then there were quite a few residents just enjoying a pint or having some of Sam’s signature menu item: Classic English Fish & Chips.

Like at any respectable Fish & Chips place, you get the food piping hot and wrapped up in white paper. The fish has nice golden-brown batter and fluffy white meat, and the chips are well, chips! These are best accompanied with generous sprinkles of salt and malt vinegar. Now, although you can’t beat serving traditional cod fish, his take on the dish is decently done.

Other than Fish & Chips, Sam’s also takes pride in having free Heineken beer on tap, which turnovers relatively quickly. Supposedly, no keg is left unfinished after 2-3 days, tops! Here’s Sam himself taking pride in serving only the freshest food and drinks to his loyal following of customers:

The place itself is a perfect example of what this website seeks out: a quaint place that’s serves really good food, has a good ambiance, and serves a really niche group of customers but definitely deserve a lot of attention. With seating for just over a dozen inside and a handful of tables in the alfresco, it can get quite bustling on weekends. The bar is also run in a very relaxed and open style. Sam shows a great affection to everyone, and remembers almost all their names! If you’re lucky enough, you can challenge Sam to a game of darts or fuzzball. But don’t ever think that he’ll make it easy for you!

Sam’s carefree attitude to running the place is even more reflected, the bar’s opening hours are “when he comes” and closes “when he leaves” (translated: about 8pm to 12am, with some variance). But don’t even fret; Sam is honest and reliable to a tee and will always be ready to let you have a place to unwind, mingle and have great food!

The Verdict

hole-in-the-wall-ness: [star rating=”5″]
This place doesnt just feel hole-in-the-wall, it represents it!

Price: [star rating=”4″]
Be prepared to shell out a little bit more for fresh food and beer, although it is not very big of a pinch

Quality: [star rating=”3″]
Decent quality Fish & Chips and other finger food like chicken drumlets, with clean Heineken beer on tap

Overall: [star rating=”4″]
If you’re not put off by the distance because you live in the #eastsidebestside, or you live in the west, it’s worth visiting what could be one of Singapore’s best dive bars, tucked away in a little corner called Dairy Farm Estate!

Bonus: Check out their 90s spot commercial below!

More Information

Sam’s Cottage
17 Dairy Farm Rd
Dairy Farm Estate,
#B1-09
Singapore 679043
Opens daily from about 8pm to midnight, or as Sam puts it: “Sam’s Cottage is open when he comes and closes when he leaves”.
Phone: 6766 3907
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Sams-Cottage-169232239761773/

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23 November 2016 Food

Soon Lee Cooked Food 顺利熟食 Fried Oyster Omelette & Carrot Cake (蚝煎, 菜头粿) Review – There’s No Carrot in Carrot Cake

I was very impressed with the street food of Singapore. I was very impressed with the dishes that they did.

-Jose Andres

Like previously when I went to eat another egg dish, Fried Carrot Cake, or 菜头粿 (chai tow kway), is a local adaptation of long-running recipes from other lands. It is brought over by early Teochew-speaking Chinese immigrants where it is called fried starch cake, or 炒糕粿 (chao gao guo) , without the delicious eggs we associate it together with.

From yoursingapore.com’s website:

Teochew hawker Ng Soik Theng claims to be the first to have called this dish ‘chai tow kway‘ in the 1960s when she added white radish to it. Another hawker, Lau Goh, is said to have popularised the white version.

Oyster Omelette, or 蚝煎 (orh jian), similarly has a Southern Chinese origin and likely adapted to the local and Malaysian palette after some time.

Soon Lee Cooked Food 顺利熟食 Fried Oyster Omelette & Carrot Cake (蚝煎, 菜头粿)

As promised, this is another stall in Haig Road Cooked Food Centre!

The stall owner Mdm Neo, whom I fondly call “Auntie” as far as I can remember, has been here since the hawker centre came around at about 1979 (37+ years)! The menu is one that is a unique and common sight in Singapore: stalls that sell mainly fried egg dishes; an “egg-ophile” heaven, you might put it.

The eggs in both the oyster omelette and fried carrot cake are really fluffy without feeling oily and giving you the ‘gelat’ feeling even wolfing down the whole plate. Soon Lee’s little secret is that unlike some other stalls, the stall owner uses vegetable oil as the main oil and doesn’t add lard in the frying process.

Personally, i prefer the ‘white’ fried carrot cake although I relish in a good plate of the ‘black’ version (stir-fried in black soya sauce) any day. Mdm Neo’s ‘white’ version is nice with generous mouthfills of ‘chai poh’ (dried preserved radish) to give it the extra kick! Add that to fresh chopped spring onions and you got yourself a true Singaporean snack!

Also, after more than 10-15 years of patronising, auntie remembers that I cannot take seafood and prepares a special version of the omelette without oysters! So you, my dear readers, got to tell me how it taste like, although those that I have brought to try it over the years have commented that the oysters are decently fresh!

The Verdict

hole-in-the-wall-ness: [star rating=”4″]
It’s a hawker stall, so definitely has the charm!

Price: [star rating=”5″]
Prices start from $2.50 and onwards to $10 for really big plates. Personally the $4 plates are enough for a meal.

Quality: [star rating=”3.5″]
Eggs are eggs are eggs. Cooked with fresh ingredients, although some may not prefer the lack of lard-laden oiliness and heavy flavours.

Overall: [star rating=”4″]
Come try it!

More information

Soon Lee Cooked Food (顺利熟食)
14 Haig Road
Haig Road Cooked Food Centre
#01-57
Singapore 430014
Opens Daily but has no fixed hours; generally 10:00am – 9:00pm

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16 November 2016 Food

[Closed] Dofu Review (Black Soy Ice Cream) – Twice the dessert, twice the fun!

When I’m not longer rapping, I want to open up an ice cream parlor and call myself Scoop Dogg.

-Snoop Dogg

With an annual average temperature in the tune of 26-27 degree Celsius and even more sometimes, it’s no wonder ice cream and other frozen desserts are much coveted here in sunny Singapore. From classic stalwarts like Swensen’s and Häagen-Dazs, to heartland favourites like Wall’s Cornetto Cone or King’s Paddle Pop, and even the newcomers like llao llao, Udders, and many other small cafes; the list is seemingly endless! It seems nothing out of the ordinary that another ice cream store joins the fray right?

Dofu Black Soy Ice Cream

Dofu is a pretty new entry into the dessert market, just opening August 2016. Tucked away in the temporary Yishun Bus Interchange, you may need a little bit of eye-power to spot it when you arrive. At first look, you will wonder what sort of concoction is being served. I mean, grey ice cream?!

Turns out the grey colour of the ice-cream comes from the bamboo charcoal added into the mixture. It has many claims of health benefits such as improved blood circulation and improving metabolism, with some studies showing that a diet including activated charcoal (i.e. what bamboo charcoal is essentially) reduced LDL (the ‘bad’ cholesterol) and improving HDL (the ‘good’ cholesterol) levels in the blood.

Dofu also prizes its ice cream as no added fats, no artificial colouring and flavouring. It also naturally contains (from the soy beans) alpha-linolenic acid, a type of omega-3 fatty acid essential for normal human growth and development, and is suggested to promote cardiovascular health.

Vegans rejoice, for their ice cream and pudding does not contain gelatin and is vegan-friendly!

So what do you get in a cup? The beancurd pudding (also grey) is filled at the bottom, followed by soft-serve ice cream made from premium dehulled Non-GMO soya beans. There are three ‘sizes’ available, which actually only varies in the number of toppings you get; from the more conventional chocolate products and other sauces to their signature flavoured ‘popping balls’, which burst into flavours when you chew on it. For the uber health buffs there are also granola and nut toppings, as well as fresh fruit bits.

Can’t make up your mind? Then you can try out any 6 of their ‘Dofu Creations‘ crafted for maximum pleasure!

For my creation, it has chocolate flakes, and mango-flavoured popping balls. The ice cream itself does not taste overly sweet and mixes well into the toppings’ flavours. So in my opinion it’s important that you have your favourite toppings on it!

Right now, they also have a promotion where you can choose to purchase a pre-paid loyalty card for $12, and they will give you additional $5 value! On top of that you get a FREE ice cream upon purchase of the card! Such dofu, much ice cream, so wow!

The Verdict

hole-in-the-wall-ness: [star rating=”5″]
A store smack in the middle of a temporary bus interchange, it takes a little bit of footwork to locate.

Quality: [star rating=”4″]
Ice cream is smooth and well-made with plenty of toppings to choose from. I probably should have picked more fruity and nutty options though.

Price: [star rating=”4″]
Prices start at $4.90 for just 2 toppings to $6.90 for a whopping 7 toppings. With big servings, it’s not your paddle pop pricing but definitely a good bang for the buck!

Overall: [star rating=”4.5″]
If you’re in Yishun, heck even if you live in the east like me (#eastsidebestside), come check it out!

More Information

Dofu
20A Yishun Central
#01-05
Yishun Temporary Bus Interchange
Singapore 768830
Open from 11:00am to 8:30pm daily.
Website: http://dofuco.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/dofu.sg/

Dofu’s ice cream and chilled pudding are labelled as vegan.

Author’s note: When you enter the bus interchange from Northpoint’s direction, turn right and walk along the path until you see Dofu’s store!

GIVEAWAY

Dofu has kindly given me a limited edition membership card with $17 ($12 + $5 free) value stored in it, together with some coupons. I have decided to pass this on as a giveaway on my facebook page. Read the post below and find out how to win yourself some free black soy ice cream!

Contest starts on 16 Nov 2016 12:00pm (Wednesday) and closes on 20 Nov 2016 11:59pm (Sunday). Open to residents of Singapore only.

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14 November 2016 Drinks

Restaurant Bar Jazz @ The Southbridge Hotel Review – Whisky Makes Me Frisky

Back when I was working in Tanjong Pagar, it’s a challenge to find a place away from the hustle and bustle of Maxwell and Amoy Food Centres, AND not get ripped off badly for it.

Except, we did.

Restaurant Bar Jazz @ The Southbridge Hotel

A photo posted by The Southbridge hotel (@thesouthbridgehotel) on Oct 9, 2015 at 6:14am PDT

What started as one of my colleague’s misadventure turned out to be one of the bigger finds in my time there. Situated just a stone throw away from Chinatown MRT, it is the place to be if you are looking for a short reprieve from whatever your workday may present you.

When you enter the restaurant you can choose if you’d like the ‘outdoor’ or indoors seating. Attractive and reasonably priced lunch sets are laid out for your pleasure, from chicken cutlets to juicy ribeye steaks. As we have been patronizing them for some time already, we’ve also been given ‘premium’ membership cards which give us 50% off main courses from 11:00am-3:00pm.

Still hungry and want more after your meal? You can order some Mövenpick ice cream for some dessert. The place is also known as a decent whisky bar with an array of whiskies to choose from, and they serve archipelago beer for good measure. Of course, who can resist the lunch-time drink once in a while?

A photo posted by The Southbridge hotel (@thesouthbridgehotel) on Mar 7, 2016 at 12:18pm PST

If you’re more inclined to come at night however, you get to hear their resident band, The Malt Trio, croon your post-work depression away:

The Verdict

hole-in-the-wall-ness: [star rating=”2″]
It’s a hotel restaurant that’s pretty sizey, so not that much of a hole there.

Price: [star rating=”3.5″]
It’s a bit dear (set lunches start at $14.80+ with soup and a soft drink/coffee/tea) which is expected of a restaurant, but with plenty of lunch + tea time promotions, no one’s complaining!

Quality: [star rating=”4″]
Despite the heavy promotion, food is well-prepared and generous.

Overall; [star rating=”3.5″]
Need a place to hide from the hustle and bustle? Try this out if you want to.

More Information

Restaurant Bar Jazz @ The Southbridge Hotel
210 South Bridge Road
Singapore 058759
Restaurant open from 7:00am to 2:00am daily
Website: http://www.thesouthbridgehotel.com/
Email (for reservation): reservation@thesouthbridgehotel.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/thesouthbridgehotel
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesouthbridgehotel/

p.s. you can book a hotel room there on their website and various hotel booking websites if you’re travelling to Singapore!