HATTENDO’s signature cream buns have landed in Singapore! Originating from Hiroshima, these lovely buns of happiness are perfected to be produced in Singapore, and trust me, the chilled cream buns at HATTENDO Café will send you to tendo (heaven).

Five amazing flavours—Custard, Whipped Cream, Matcha, Azuki Beans, and Chocolate ($2.50/pc) —are available. I would nudge you to get a box of the five flavours ($12.50) if you have yet to try these heavenly buns. The soft buttery buns are so fluffy that you will find yourself trying not to leave an indent in the bun while taking the perfect picture for Instagram. Yes, it is that soft. The silky creams are not overtly sweet but delicate to the tastebuds. It sure feels like having a milky cloud of matcha/azuki/chocolate/custard/whipped cream in the mouth. 

My favourite cream buns are Whipped Cream and Matcha (I’m greedy). You will love the Whipped Cream cream bun if you adore Japanese Strawberry Shortcake—the Whipped Cream is so light yet rich and I do not regret having the entire bun. Fans of matcha will adore Matcha cream bun with its intense matcha flavours. ‘Coz how can you resist any matcha sweets originating from Japan?  

Psst. Don’t worry about the calories. Ranging between 225 kcal (for Custard) and 250.2 kcal (for Chocolate), these buns have surprisingly fewer calories than I imagined! I can definitely have a cream bun for breakfast with a lovely brew, which is an original blend created by Itsuki Coffee for HATTENDO Café. And perhaps for lunch and dinner too.

For the record, there are also protein options (salmon and chicken), soup, mason jar salads and croutons (made from the special recipe used for the cream buns) available if you need your savouries. 

I insist on having these cream buns of happiness.

Hattendo Café

7 Wallich Street Tanjong Pagar Centre #01-05 Singapore 078884

Weekdays: 10am-9pm 

Weekends: 11am-8pm 

Been to Holland Village in the recent weeks? There are quite a few newcomers, Otto’s Deli Fresh being one of them. Located in Raffles @ Holland Village, it is still quite a hidden find in the buzzing enclave. An inspiration of Chef Otto Weibel, a respected veteran in Singapore’s F&B industry, Otto’s Deli Fresh encapsulates Chef’s Otto’s passionate desire to bring homespun recipes with refined gourmet flavours to tables of family, friends, and neighbours.

Warm the tummy with earthy Button Mushroom Soup ($8.50). I love that caramelised onions are used to naturally add flavours to the soup, and the most enjoyable bit is dipping the slightly sugared and toasted brioche into the fragrant bowl.

Otto’s Deli Fresh serves good sandwiches if you like something to grab. Get your hands on the juicy Pulled Pork Burger ($19). It is a 5-hours sous vide pulled pork cheeks and citrus cabbage apple slaw between the warm toasted carbs. Served with fries and condiments, this makes a happy meal.

For a pressed sandwich, there’s a lot in that inch-thick Pressed Beef Steak Ciabatta ($20) — Hanger steak and Bresaola beef, housemade pickled Japanese cucumber, rocket, gruyere, caramelised onions and housemade bbq sauce. Go with this if you are in the moo-d.

Love your meats fresh? There are Heritage US Kurobuta Pork Rack 300g ($39) and Limestone Ridge Full Blood Wagyu Beef Rump MB4 - 150g ($32) amongst the types and cuts of meats to pick from. (Served cooked of course!) Both meats are seasoned with salt, grilled, and finished off in the oven. There is the housemade bbq sauce served alongside, but I wish there are different sauces to highlight the different meats.

Desserts were disappointing. You'd think that with four types of waffles out of a total of seven dessert options, the waffles would be at least.. something. The dense waffles would have worked ok if the flavor is richer. We tried Burnt Banana Waffle ($11.50), and despite the decent milky peanut butter gelato (the other toppings—“burnt” and freeze dried banana— were mere decorations in my opinion), I was not enthusiastic enough for a second bite.

You have to try the Valrhona Chocolate though! Hot ($9.50) and Iced ($12.50) versions are available, but I’d suggest the former, especially on a cool rainy day/ night. It’s tough to resist this red cup of joy — think luscious chocolate rimmed with crushed toasted hazelnuts. If you have ever wondered what a ferrero rocher - kinder bueno drink would taste like, well, this is the better version. There is a reason for it to be labelled ‘Otto’s Favourite Drink’ on the menu! That said, there was over-generosity of the sea salt in my cup that particular evening…

A place of familiar comfort, Otto’s Deli Fresh warms us with the hearty deli offerings. Besides the red meats, there are also seafood pastas on the menu. For the remaining rainy December days, expect to find us warming up to a Hot Valrhona Chocolate.

Otto’s Deli Fresh

118 Holland Avenue #02-01 

Raffles @ Holland Village Singapore 278990

Tel: +65 66943291

Daily: 11am - 10pm

A year after they started serving their famed short crust pastry egg tarts, Tai Cheong Bakery has now opened their first overseas dine in concept outside of Hong Kong at Holland Village! Dig into typical cha chan teng fare in this modern HK style tea house but be prepared to join the queue (as per authentic HK style- they do not take reservations at this 42 seater cafe).

The sweets need no introduction but how do the mains fare? 

Eggs seem to be in abundance here at Tai Cheong with plenty of egg dishes (they use three eggs in all of them)! The Three egg macaroni soup with luncheon meat ($8.50) is typical weird Brit-HK style with elbow macaroni cooked in a tomato soup, served with fried luncheon meat sticks and runny sunny side up eggs. We say this makes a great hangover meal. Plus the soup is a lot better than the typical watery sort served in HK. Very 'Campbell'.

While the Scrambled Egg Toast stack with Chicken Chop ($9.50) may not be Australian Dairy standard, the creamy scrambled eggs were fluffy and satisfying enough. However, the hot steam and moisture from the eggs, along with the butter, were soaked up quickly by the toast and it quickly turned into a soggy sponge. I'd definitely tell them to separate the different components. The pan fried chicken was dry and bland and the creamy mushroom sauce did not managed to make it any better.  

It's about two months to the end of 2016 and i'm gonna put it out there and declare Fat Lulu’s Asian Barbecue & Dessert as my favorite brunch spot of the year. This wild child is given birth by the dynamic duo Sam and Song (who founded and rebranded Five & Dime in the same River Valley Road spot) and boy is it a 360 deg change that is certainly a breath of fresh air in the F&B scene.

Wicked BBQ. Smooth Desserts. They are as distinct as day and night but they complement each other perfectly. Chef Sam helms the #NoBurnNoTaste charcoal BBQ, blasting kickass flavors into meats, fish, and vegetables seasoned with Asian spices and chillis. On the other hand, Chef Song presents desserts of refined delicacy that are technique-driven and visually arresting. Here is practically all the brunch items that you can feast on at Fat Lulu's (we only missed 2). 

For a punchy kickass breakfast, go with the Croque Tambi ($18). There’s a murtabak-styled omelette, doused in sriracha, Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise and slices of pan-seared meaty Scarmoza cheese, all sandwiched between homemade burnt-on-the-grill ciabatta bread. It’s a delicious mess you wanna get into. Cool off from the heat with the side of raita (an Indian style salad) made with cucumber, pineapple, and coriander. 

Every bite of the Fried chicken with pancakes ($22) was a party in our mouths! There's the spicy pseudo-thai style gula melaka chili sauce; tangy slaw of red cabbage with apples in Kewpie mayo; succulent fried chicken that has been brine overnight; sweetened by some light fluffy pancakes.

Another winner is the hearty and comforting Lamb Meatballs ($23) with tomato sauce, fava beans, soft eggs and papadum. The spiced up meat balls (flavored with cumin, fennel, cardamon, and onions) are cooked in a tomato sauce that reminded us of chili crab sauce. We were happy to mop all the sauce with the crunchy toast.

Feel that the dishes are too heavy for brunch? Well to play it safe (but certainly not boring), there's the delicious Bacon and Eggs ($22). Boy do we love that smoky thick cut slab bacon with with a blooming flower of creamy scrambled eggs. Layer them on top of the crunchy garlic-sour cream toast and you'd be sent to breakfast heaven with one bite.

Sarnies, our favorite Aussie cafe in Telok Ayer has turned SIX. To celebrate this milestone and to provide diners with more options, they have now launched a brand new dinner menu on top of their usual comfort cafe grub. But really, there's no need. We'd be more than happy eating their staple of sandwiches and salads than the lackluster dinner mains.

Wholesome bites are expected and the Haloumi Sliders ($13) work. We loved the mix of sweet, salty, and sour flavors from the various components- little browned fluffy brioche buns, squeaky slabs of salty haloumi, and tart onion jam. Absolute deliciousness. We believe that the Pulled Pork with White Slaw & Homemade Barbeque Sauce ($13) version will be equally tasty. Do you know they make every component from scratch, even the buns?!

The Home cured bacon bombs stuffed with mozzarella and truffle mash ($13) sounded delicious but turned out pretty blah. I felt that the mash was a tad too wet and bland in flavor. Perhaps a starchier potato would do the trick, and a stronger cheese perhaps. 

The Spicy Buffalo Wings ($14) were true to Buffalo flavors- crunchy, extremely sour, and spicy burn after. I could only stomach one. Safe to say i'm not a huge fan. 

Bigger plates are also available and we highly recommend the Southern Indian Style Hand-Cut Pappardelle with Prawns, Coconut Milk & Curry Leaves ($19.50). The pasta is made by hand, cooked al dente to order and coated in a light creamy curry sauce. It's a tad salty, but we kept going at it. Perhaps it's because the other mains weren't that great.

Brawn & Brains is one of my favorite cafes in the East (Mountbatten is such a sleepy and charming area). I would squeeze myself into their little cafe just to enjoy one of their cuppas and amazing bakes (love their croissants). Well now that they relocated to around the corner from their original hole-in-the-wall, there's more reason to hang around.  

Jr was a little concerned that there wasn't going to be anything substantial but the food menu has expanded to include more sandwiches and wraps that will fill up a boy's tummy.

I couldn't peel my eyes away from the Oven Baked Molten Eggs ($9.80) which featured 2 golden globes covered with melted cheese. Cut into the soft runny eggs and let the yolks ooze onto the tortilla sheets and send the mess into your mouth. Of course the millenials in us picked this because AVOCADO. I added smoked salmon ($3.50) with this one but there's also bacon.

If you are a bread lover like we are, then you would adore the Open-Faced Toast with soft cooked eggs ($14.90). We are happy to eat the fluffy brioche on its own but who can say no to grilled bacon and eggs to go with? The side salad was a refreshing mix of pear and cucumber with loose leaves. Jr enjoyed this more than the molten eggs (more for me yay). 

For something punchier, try the Curry Chicken Wrap which encases chunky chicken marinated in curry spices and drizzled with a yogurt dressing. Expect bursts of flavors from the herbs, cheese and onions.

Located along a row of old shophouses, COO Bistro is housed within the grounds of COO Boutique Hostel. It stands out from its immediate neighbors with its funky exterior and you simply can’t miss it! Step into COO Bistro and you are greeted with COOl funky images and nuggets of Tiong Bahru’s history. It does feel like a walk down memory lane, COO-ing over the familiar sights and reminiscing the yesteryears.

Back to the present. In line with its ‘Glocal’ branding, COO Bistro does a new edgy interpretation of famous traditional fare that resonates in Tiong Bahru neighbourhood. (‘Coz few people are willing to fork out twenty bucks on a typical plate of hokkien prawn mee or a fan of charcoal flamed satay.) You might think gimmicky, but I think not. COO Bistro hits the brief.

A trio of roasted pork belly, grilled chicken satay, salt and pepper fish, Tiong Bahru Platter ($28) is a board of familiar flavors. The tender roasted pork belly has the crackling skin; the salt and pepper barramundi reminds of the fried fish chunks in fish noodles; and the grilled chicken satay is a chunky interpretation of satay. The satay sauce sure got me hooked.

COO’s Prawn Noodles ($18) may not be the soupy prawn noodles that you grew up eating, but it is equally flavorful. A slightly spicy dish of al dente fettuccine and juicy fresh tiger prawns, the spice lover in me approves.

I will never be sick of brunch but the cafe fatigue is real. On one of those days, you just want to go back to something that's familiar and comforting and guaranteed good. Well for days like that, there's Atlas Coffeehouse, sister of Assembly Coffee at Evans (which i adore). 

Finally a bigger space than the hole-in-the-wall at Evans Lodge, Atlas Coffeehouse brings to the table the same delicious eggs and buttermilk waffles among other food items (expect heartier offerings)! 

The scrambled eggs here are still as spectacular as the original. We chose to have it paired with the Creamy Mushroom on Sourdough ($12) for an added $3. That garlic white wine cream was sharpened by some freshly grated Parmesan, which melted slightly from the heat of the eggs. Oh we inhaled this in less than 5 minutes. 

The menu offers more than just the regular brunch, with heartier options (somewhat Japanese style) like the Summer Chicken Stew ($17); Atlas Super-bowl ($18); Salmon Soba Noodles ($18). 

Well, we needed some sweets to pair with the savory eggs on toast, so it was the Salted Caramel Buttermilk Waffles ($12) for us! Upon the first taste of that smooth caramel, i remembered how good this sauce was (and still is)! Well, the waffles could still be crispier as per my last review. But decent it was. Other versions include Earl Grey Caramel ($12); Mixed Berries Compote ($12.50); and Candied Bacon ($14). 

If you can afford more time (like 20 mins), perhaps try the ATLAS Butterscotch Banana Pancake ($18), a fluffy pancake served with caramelized banana, house-made butterscotch, and honey comb ice cream. 

For coffee, the beans are from Two Degrees North Coffee Co, using a blend which consists of 70% Brazil and 30% Guatemala, producing a full bodied and nutty drink.

Making Atlas Coffeehouse my cafe regular spot in Bukit Timah. You should too.

Atlas Coffeehouse

6 Duke’s Road, Singapore 268886

Sun – Tue: 8am - 5pm (subject to changes)

Poke bowl is the fashion. If you haven’t caught the wave due to the fishy bits that rule most poke bowls, fret not. The meaty version has landed, and with punchy Spanish flavors too. Mercado Spanish Food Market is a market you don’t want to miss if you are working in the CBD area. Run by Chef Jean-Philippe Patron (JP), the king of nose to tail dining at Dehesa, Mercado has the feels of a Spanish market, and hearty food that compliments the vibes.

Your “One bowl of happiness” goes at an easy $16.50. Choose from one base, one meat, one hot vegetable, two cold vegetables, one topping and one sauce. You can’t say no to these vegetables. For the cold selections, there’s pickled cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, peppers, coleslaw, pasta salad, brussels sprouts and beetroot while the hot sides include lentils, corn, potatoes and carrots. Complete your bowl with toppings such as salted almonds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts and raisins, and sauces such as spicy tomato, garlic aioli, ginger mayo and asian dressing.

Fancy healthy grains for bases? There’s cous cous, chickpea, quinoa and bulgur. Tasty proteins include beef meatballs, chicken paprika, pulled pork and salmon.

I MUST mention the ginormous pan of paella that greets you at the door. It was a meat paella when we visited. Generous slabs of chicken, sliced sausages and chunky meat pieces with greens embellish the paella—the colours so vivacious that makes it irresistible. It can easily be a meal on its own, but the paella is only considered one base and one meat. Thus, you can still select one hot vegetable, two cold vegetables, one topping and one sauce for the same $16.50!

Complement your healthy grain bowls with a selection of super fresh, cold-pressed juices (from Daily Juice) although I have made a mental note to drop by on Sangria Fridays for Sangria ($8/glass; $36/jug). Ready-made Hola bowls ($14.50) are available for convenient take-outs too. 

Mercado Spanish Food Market

50 Market Street 01-23 Singapore 048940

Tel: +65 9655 8092

Mon - Fri: 8am - 7.30pm 

Fetish Chocolat. Just the sound of it makes me weak in my knees. No naughty thoughts my dear, I’m referring to the Fetish Chocolat at Antoinette that is happening from 1 September till the end of October. Following the success of Fetish Matcha that ended last month, Antoinette has partnered Valrhona (THE chocolate for any chocolate creation) to bring you Fetish Chocolat that promises more savory indulgence.

Artistically plated, Roasted Carrot with Balsamic and Dark Chocolate Dressing ($18) was a light dish to start with. The dish bursts with distinct flavors of Serrano ham, strawberries and feta, and I would have missed the Equatoriale 55% chocolate in the balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing if I had not read the menu.

Chocolate and pasta do not sound like a match made in heaven but this pairing on Chef Pang’s menu tastes brilliant! In Chocolate Ravioli filled with Wild Mushroom Ragout and cooked in a Light Sausage Cream Sauce ($22), Caraibe 66% chocolate is used as a coloring in the making of the pasta, hence the taste of chocolate is subtle.

In contrast, Braised Wagyu Brisket with Mustard and Dark Chocolate served with Buttered Parpadelle ($30) has strong earthy Guanaja 70% dark chocolate notes in every bite of brisket. Now which will you pick?

Dazzling Cafe's natural association with desserts (think thick towering honey toast) is hard to shake off given the insane dessert queue that formed when they first opened. BUT this Taiwan branded cafe is more than just the sweets now that Chef Cliff Tan has taken over the kitchen at the Capitol Piazza outlet! I discounted Dazzling before, but with their new western fusion menu, you can consider me dazzled. 

The new plates at the flagship store use only quality ingredients (carefully sourced and imported, or made from scratch) but are extremely affordably priced (think regular cafe prices).  

A light start to the meal is the Mozzarella & Cucumber Granita Salad ($10). Cool and crunchy it was, with cucumber swirls, cucumber sorbet, loose leaves, beetroot jelly, olive crumble, and balsamic reduction. We could certainly see Chef's past experience in the fine dining scene coming through in his pretty plates.  

What I'd recommend though is the Shrimp Paste Winglets ($11) which is even better than the Har Cheong Gai sold at many zi char stores! Love that pungent and savory fermented prawn paste in that marinate and the CRUNCHY skin and juicy meat. That lemongrass sweet chili sauce was the icing on the cake. LOVE!

We see strong French and Italian cooking in the mains but with well integrated Asian flavors. While the Scallop risotto in prawn miso broth ($24) may be more than al dente (towards the more mushy end of the spectrum), but that rich crustacean broth and perfectly seared fatty pieces of scallop more than compensated for it. 

If you want a creamy based pasta, the Fregola Sarde Grande Pasta ($25) is yums. This is a seldom seen type of pasta which is imported from Italy (of course) and provided a chewy and interested texture to the dish, plus it' so easy to pick up and send into your watering mouth. Simply scoop up some of that pasta with the garlic white wine cream sauce, Parmesan, and that earthy flavorful mushrooms. It may be a vegetarian dish, but it was certainly not lacking in the flavor department. We did not even miss the meat in this one!

Like spice? Then the Spicy Thai Tom Yum Seafood Rigatoni ($21) is a must. The tubular Rigatoni picks up the fiery sauce so well! The sauce is made from scratch btw and I think Chef can open a Thai restaurant if he wants! Very very addictive I say!

 

Boys, if you're worried that cafe food ain't gonna fill you, well, the portions are quite big imo. Also, you can protein load with the hearty meaty meals. 

Chicken Cordon Bleu ($23) has this tendency to be dry because the traditional recipe calls for breast meat. However, there were no issues with this particular rendition due to the use of the French yellow Poulet chicken, and it certainly helped that the meat wasn't deep fried. Expect the cheesy Gruyere flow when you cut into the Parma ham wrapped meat.

The Dazzling Potato Doughnut with Bratwurst filling ($21) looked better than it tasted. #eggporn BUT the dense and slightly undercooked dough, plus oily taste isn't quite worth the calories. 

The Pork bratwurst was also on the dry side and the sauce was kinda sweet. Meh. 

Another dish that showcased Chef's fine dining background is the Butter Poached Salmon ($23)., in terms of the plating that is. I thought the meat was a tad overcooked and thus more flaky.. The squid ink cous cous is made to look like caviar, and this was accompanied by a naturally sweet carrot purée and mustard Beurre Blanc.

Dazzling Cafe is not a bad spot to chill over drinks and sweets as well. Their Forget Me Not iced tea is a refreshing light floral sakura green tea sweetened with brown sugar. For something sweeter, the Rose latte with baileys and espresso is quite wicked. 

But of course, the famous Honey Toasts, which are priced from $17 onwards. Honestly, toast shouldn't be this expensive even if it's tasty or pretty but yea it's quite enjoyable with the filled chocolate center. 

Regardless, I'm dazzled now. Go check Dazzling Cafe out for yourself! 

Dazzling Cafe Mint Singapore 
15 Stamford Road, #01-85 Capitol Piazza, Singapore 178906
Tel: +65 6384 3310
Sun - Thu: 12 - 9.30pm
Fri – Sat: 12 - 10pm

Dazzling Cafe Pink Singapore 
#01-12/13/14 277 Orchard Road Orchard Gateway, Singapore 238858
Sun - Thu: 11am - 9pm
Fri - Sat: 11am - 9.30pm
Tel: +65 65 6385 3639