Jalan Besar is certainly a good spot for cafe hopping/brunch these days though i must say that the options at Tiong Bahru and Duxton fares better. Nevertheless, there is charm in this industrious enclave. The Refinery took the decor of its workshop neighbors and put it in their 3 storey space, providing patrons with a hippie-chic restaurant-bar-designer studio concept (gosh all that hyphens).  

Level 1 is the restaurant which has a Japanese yakitori thing going on but for the for the weekends, there's a brunch and you know how we live for weekend breakfasts right.. 

First things first, coffee. The Flat White ($4.50) was pretty smooth and balanced, a tad milky though, and way too little coffee. The small cup was gone before any food arrived.

Finally A.E.I.O.U. Because Avocado Coffee. We have been getting avocado gula melaka milkshake at our hawker centers since eons ago so it kinda puzzles me how people didn't think of this avo + coffee pairing sooner. (Like why didn't i think of this!) Anyhoo, love love love this healthy morning shot of caffeine at this sprawling vintage cafe in the industrious Jalan Besar. 

I didn't expect to finish the huge cup of blended and sweetened avocado shake in the Absolut Vodka bottle but i did. In fact, I would have gladly finished another bottle of this but i may just OD on caffeine (each bottle comes with 2 shots of espresso). The bitterness and acidity of the espresso was nicely balanced with the creamy, nutty avocado blend though i found it a little sweet for my liking. Tell them to cut the sugar and sweeten on your own if that's preferred.

W decided to be adventurous and went for the Lemongrass coffee. Again, another drink that came  sweetened. This is essentially a long black with a light hint of lemongrass. Our verdict is to skip this and stick with the regular flat white or latte. 

The Beef Cheek Pasta ($24.90) was recommended by my sources but us girls were not up for an assault of our palates so early in the morning. Do give it a shot if you need something heavy.  

So instead, we had the Sunny side up ($13.90) which is kind of like baked eggs (4 of them), or more like a half-baked shakshuka, drizzled minimally with pesto sauce. The iron cast pan dish came with a choice of duck confit, smoked salmon or roast chicken. Perhaps a change from fried eggs to slightly more runny ones to fully utilize that lovely crusty garlic bread. 2 slices weren't enough and we added  more of that pungent garlic herb butter toast ($2.90 for 4 slices). 

We also had the bite size quiches ($8.90 for 3) and they were more tart-like than quiche. Loved the buttery and crumbly tart though. We asked for a mix of shredded beef and vegetable quiches, which were baked with caramelised onions and served with sweet onion marmalade. The beef had a sourish balsamic flavor, with a hint of olive tapenade. It's not a spectacular dish and i wouldn't recommend ordering this.

I wanted to like A.E.I.O.U. a lot more. It's a great space actually. Maybe it's more suited for having a proper meal. 

AEIOU Cafe

111 King George’s Avenue Singapore 208559

Tel : +65 6291 2698

Tue- Thu: 11am - 10pm (Fri till 11pm)

Sat: 10am - 11pm

Sun: 10am - 9pm

I was never a fan of cold brew, but that life changing experience at Old Hen Coffee Bar. I may not be a connoisseur but i noted that my taste buds are actually pretty sensitive to the tasting notes of coffee, more so than alcohol heh.

The coffee hails from Nylon Roasters and it's 50% Brazilian and 50% Colombian. Milk based espresso drinks start from $4 for 3 oz to $5 for 7oz. A decent blend that is slightly sweet and not too acidic.

What cannot be missed is certainly the Cold brew of course. The White Cold Brew ($6.50) was creamy and milky. I was surprised that it's a lot more palatable than the other ones i've tried at CSHH or Oriole. I could also taste the raisin notes and the nuttiness from the pistachios despite the milk. If dairy is not an option, go with the black cold brew. I'm sure it's equally good. Besides coffee, there's also Valrhona Chocolate and Iced Thai Milk Tea. 

Selected all day dining consists toasted muesli and spinach salads, heartier eats like Chicken Cheese Burrito ($10) or the Crab Coleslaw Burger ($13). Well, i simply could never resist any carbs with ham and cheese in it.

Croque Monsieur it was for me. Crusty multigrain toast was used and i thought the bechamel was of the right amount, providing the savory notes without it being too rich and heavy. 

I always make it a croque madame with an added egg. Isn't that perfect sphere of 5 minute cooked egg ($1.50) just perfect?

Old Hen Coffee Bar is certainly a favorite. I could not stop raving and thinking about that cold milky beverage. Will definitely come back to stock up on the coffee!

Old Hen Coffee Bar

88 Rangoon Road #01-03 Singapore 218374
Tel: +65 63415458
Weekdays: 12 - 10pm

Weekends 10am - 10pm

Closed Tues

Many people would associate Aperia Mall in Lavender with Tim Ho Wan since that is the most visible restaurant and it's also open 24h! However, if you are deterred by the queue while you are there, you may want to check out a Japanese dining alternative Haha Sushi.

The Haha name may sound pretty familiar, yes it is related to Haha Thai at Ngee Ann City (read review here) and you can expect affordable Japanese Teishoku meals here, which is perfect for the working crowd in this unexciting industrial area. We started with the Haha Sashimi Salad ($9.80) with special homemade sauce, a tangy and nutty blended mixture of greens and fruits. There are some trimmings of some higher quality fish like chutoro in this one. 

Portions are pretty generous at Haha Sushi. We were stunned by the huge chunks of Foie Gras Teriyaki ($10.80 for 60g). It is done a little like the agedashi tofu, coated with a light batter and pan seared, and then served with a touch of teriyaki sauce. The foie gras was creamy but could do with more time on the pan for a better crust. A thinner cut would also be more ideal in terms of presentation and mouthfeel but anyway it's super value for money if you love liver.

We would do wiser next time by ordering the typical sushi roll instead of the Haha Crispy Roll ($7.90) as there was too much fried stuff (tempura batter and breaded salmon) and heavy cream going on.

The Golden Soft Shell Crab ($12.80) was a great snack as the batter was light and crisp and did not taste oily at all. Plus there was a lot of crab in this one. The downfall of the dish lies in the salted egg yolk sauce, which was on the sweet side and severely missing the richness of the salted egg. 

If i were to dine at Haha Sushi again, i'd go straight for the grilled fish. The Gindara Misoyaki ($15.30) was my favorite dish of the night. It was perfectly fatty with a nice browning on the edges and simply seasoned with the fermented bean paste. Umami! 

The Salmon Teriyaki ($12.30) didn't do too bad either. It was served crispy all around (i hope it's meant to be that way). They were a little heavy handed on the salty teriyaki sauce but i guess it goes well with rice.  

I also enjoyed the simple bowl of Curry Udon. What is shown here is only a 2/3 portion so you can imagine how filling this would be. The curry was rich with a bit of kick. Noodles could be a little more chewy but still decent nonetheless for a simple meal. Curry is featured in the lunch sets which are priced from $12 onwards. 

Do not end the meal without some ice cream and i'd say go for the sesame or yuzu one! 

This year, to celebrate SG50, Haha Sushi is having a $50 Lobster Fiesta dinner set which consists of everything lobster and includes carpaccio, salad, grilled lobster, fried rice, miso soup and a cup of sake.

Overall, Haha Sushi is a decent Japanese restaurant for their set price point. I guess they can't get too fancy with the dining crowd profile as well but it's perfect for a affordable family meal or working lunch if you are in the area. 

Haha Sushi
#02-07/08 Aperia Mall
12 Kallang Avenue Singapore 339511

In a feeble attempt to try to keep up with the Singapore cafe scene, i headed back to the Jalan Besar enclave, a now established spot for coffee and all day breakfasts. Competition is insane with players like CSHH (heard their food is in the s* now), The Bravery (still don't get why it's crowded), and AEIOU for the savories mostly; and Windowsill and Antoinette for sweets (you can forget about Tiramisu Hero). Adding to the mix is Two Bakers, an 8 mth old artisanal dessert cafe overseen by 2 Le Cordon Bleu Paris trained chefs.  

We popped by after brunch at AEIOU and regretted immediately as we found out Two Bakers has quite a good selection of savories (we thought they only do desserts). Daily brunch is available till 3pm, with options of eggs, burgers and pastas for under $15.

I promise this will be the last of my Chinese New Year posts (i think). Frankly i'm pretty sick of eating yu sheng already and we are still a week away from the Lunar New Year! BUT BUT BUT, if you don't really want all that typical cny feasting but still want to feel like part of the festivities, head down to Tian Fu Tea Room for their Reunion Imperial High Tea from 18 Feb to 5 Mar 2015. P.S. i think their yusheng is one of the best i've had this season. ;)

If there is a current F&B spot that is a big boy's dream come true, it has got to be Hungry Heroes. One can live his superhero fantasy with all the life size figurines on display, TV screens that play superheroes cartoons and at the same time, he can dig into the hearty meat platters and guzzle down craft beers. How about that!

Well for me, food was the only thing on my mind. A hot deli counter serves a range of ready-to-eat meat dishes such as the Classic Pulled Pork ($9/$14), the Veal Osso Bucco ($16) and Bratwurst Sausages ($6/pc).

Or pick your preferred cut of meat from the cold deli showcase and they'll fire it up for you on the grill. I think the 150-day Grass-fed Tenderloin ($32/200g, $43/300g) would serve me dainty.

We went for the communal feast of course. Platters come in various sizes. We had the “Steak-out” ($108, serves 5 to 6) and it featured a 200g ribeye, full rack of pork ribs, pulled pork, sausage trio, 250g de-boned chicken leg, beef stew and veal osso bucco. Yes that was a lot of food!

Now on to my favorites on the platter. Top of the list belongs to the Pork Ribs ($16/$30 ala carte). Twice-cooked, the pork ribs are first braised over low heat before being glazed with house marinades and placed in the oven to seal in the juices. I loved the caramelized crispy bits and the marinade wasn't overly sweet and definitely non-artificial. Hell, i will make a trip back for the ribs and that says a lot because I'm not typically a ribs girl. 

The pulled pork, another of my favorite, was cooked in a less intense version of the ribs marinade. It is also available in a burger form which i'll sample next time.

I practically finished the beef stew by myself as well. I would expect some secret stock to go in there (they really do have some)! It is kinda soupy so i thought it rather perfect for a cold day. If you prefer the hearty Italian style, then the tomato based veal osso bucco would satisfy your taste buds. I thought it was a good way to take away any gamey flavors of the veal.

In all, the meats were pretty well prepared. All that was supposed to fall off the bone did so easily. The exception was perhaps the steak. I felt the meat was a little too thinly cut, and our medium rare was served medium so that could have explained the slight toughness of the meat. The chicken steak was rather meh as well but the in-house created sauces kinda compensated for it. My favorite was the Hero sauce, which was a creamy pepper gravy and tasted of the yummy Christmas pimento cheese scone from Starbucks. There are plans to keep changing the sauce so you may be in for a surprise next time.

Each platter also comes with fries or roasted potatoes, caramelised onion, and sautéed buttered corn. The corn was super sweet and juicy and i found it hard to resist the starchy roasted potatoes (carbs be damned)! We ordered the truffle mash potato ($5) but it was a tad dry and nothing to shout out about (it's simply truffle oil). Luncheon fries are well luncheon fries.

The boys behind Hungry Heroes are also crazy over their craft beers and they opened bottles after bottles to induct this girl into their world. Well i didn't need much convincing with their curated list. Award winners like the Rogue Mocha Porter ($13/355ml), or the nutty Hazel Nut Brown Nectar ($14/355ml) are great accompanying beverages.

I took a liking to the Hitachino Espresso Stout ($15). Well they had me at espresso. I believe it's my virgin stout experience as well.

The boys were raving over the Beavertown Gamma Ray ($15) which was very hard to source and stock in Sg. It's kinda on the bitter end and so it's more for seasoned craft beer drinkers. 

Currently there's only 1 dessert on the menu but that gooey brownie with a heap of chocolate sauce sure does satisfy my sweet teeth. HEE,

Another thing you might notice about the restaurant would be the quirky decor. If you like something, you can probably buy it too (sans the toys)! Art Art And Away (managed by the same folks) provides these products at an affordable price if you wish to purchase something. They also provide customization and framing services as well. If i'm not wrong they have taken over a shop house unit 2 doors away.

Besides showcasing its products at the retail store, Art Art And Away will also be launching an online shopping platform in the near future. Customers can browse through the full range of products and make purchases from the website.

So yea, Hungry Heroes is a great spot to pig out with the boys. Do make a reservation as they are like waaaay packed these days. Remember to get the ribs!

Hungry Heroes
33 Tessensohn Road, Singapore 217656

Tel: +65 6295 5401 (no reservations)

Weekdays: 4pm – 12am
Sat: 11am – 12am
Sun: 11am – 11pm 

Apparently it seems like these days it's no longer hipster unless your cafe is in a remodeled old store (think My Awesome Cafe) operating from a mature HDB estate (think Tiong Bahru, Jalan Besar and the likes). Well, in that case, Tian Kee & Co. may be leading the pack on the hipster quotient. They are keeping it real in their 65-year-old provision-shop-turned-artisan-cafe which does not even have AC. But how do they really fare in the cafe test?

The vibe is petty much old provision shop with really sparse furniture and food offerings. Coffee is made using Dutch Colony beans. My Latte ($5) was a little acidic and not as full bodied as I like my coffee to be. Decent nonetheless.

You can bet that I'd order anything with coffee (and in this case tea included) in it and so it was the Yuan yang cheesecake ($6.50) that kept me company for a bit. The 2 layer cake consists of a lighter creamy top which had a citrusy taste (maybe there's earl grey) and the bottom half is the rich and dense coffee tea cheesecake. Flavor wise, I felt that it could be more intense. I tried to give them some credit because I thought my tastes buds were contaminated by the latte but S couldn't taste much of the YY as welll. It would have been better if there was more of that rich cheese though. The biscuit crust could also be improved.

The owners must really love cheesecake because that's all they offer for cakes now, but I LOVE! I had a tough time deciding because the toffee caramel salted cheesecake ($6.50) looked so amazingly rich and smooth. There's also the Mao Shan Wang durian cheesecake and milo dinosaur cheesecake! 

Muffins are available for $3.50 a pop but they looked very much homemade cupcakes instead of the rich NYC style I prefer so I skipped it. Savory black pepper chicken pies ($7.90) are also available. I heard rumors of a brunch menu coming up but I think it may be hard to compete with the Old Airport Road offerings that are way more old school.

I'm not sure how long Tian Kee would last in the cafe scene unless it really ups its game in the food department. I hope they really do it fast and soon. Hipsters can only provide you with that much initial publicity. Believe many would head to Maple & Market or Brawn & Brains for little bites with more variety and also a more comfortable dining environment. Well I would. 

Tian Kee & Co.

Blk 12 Dakota Crescent 01-48 Singapore 390012
Tue-Thu: 10am-7pm

Fri-Sun 10am-9pm 

When it comes to French Toast, the most talked about one currently has got to be Miam Miam. With all the raving going on, I had to check it out for myself and French toast for dinner is always a good idea in Ms Skinnyfat's food world.

Miam Miam is a French-Japanese cafe and they serve the usual Fusion Japanese cafe stuff e.g. pasta, baked rice, soufflé, matcha latte and of course french toast. Knowing that they do not take reservations, we made it down early to the Bugis Junction outlet on a Friday evening and an empty restaurant welcomed us (but not for long).

Drinks first, the Iced Matcha Latte with Softee ($8.80) was actually pretty decent. Great green tea flavor with a milky flavor, though I still prefer the intensity of Nana's Green Tea.

Iced Earl Grey with Softtee ($6.80) was bleah. The tea was too weak and the softee lacked in the cream department. Take note that water is charged at 50 cents a cup.

Gave the other savory dishes a try as well. The Riz Noir ($15.80) is a Squid Ink Black Rice and Scrambled Omu Egg. The portion was surprisingly small though. A rather disappointing dish that lacked in smokiness. The rice while moist was also on the salty end. Eggs were nicely done though.

The Miam Miam Spaghetti ($15.80) was typically Japanese with a light savory sauce made from French butter, shoyu and some secret sauce. Well, looking at the ingredients (processed sausage, bacon, some vegetables and mushrooms and a soft boiled egg), it seemed like a randomly thrown together plate of home cooked noodles and indeed it tasted kinda like that as well. Not to say that it's not nice but i would expect better ingredients. 

If you are a fan of saucy food, then the Riz Au Curry ($15.50) would be for you. Sweetish rich Japanese curry with soft rice, minced meat (almost non-existent) pork sausages, broccoli cheese and egg. Everything kinda drowned in the curry. The flavor of the curry was alright but maybe just go easy on the sauce?

Now the redeeming grace of Miam Miam would be their desserts and there are pancakes, souffles and parfaits. Honestly, there's one thing that you definitely should order and that's the French Toast.

Disappointing mains aside, the French Toast ($9.80) was every bit as good as everyone promised. Soft fluffy brioche cubes that had the texture of clouds. They're paired with the thoroughly whipped heavy cream, it is close to clotted cream but lighter in taste (but sweeter) and texture. Absolutely delicious with the smoky maple syrup. I would have drenched the toast with it but there wasn't enough. Have this as a main course instead!

Matcha Souffle ($10.80) was undercooked and very wet inside. The texture is that of whipped raw egg whites that are pandan flavored. I could hardly taste any matcha. 

The Chocolate Molleaux Dessert ($9.80) fared better with the rich chocolate taste though i found it on the cakey end. The softee was too icy and lacked in vanilla. That said, i wouldn't mind having this again.

Conclusion, Miam Miam is better for its sweets. The mains will fill you up but you wouldn't be quite satisfied. Maybe the pasta is alright. I don't know. But as for me, i'll stick with the French Toast and Matcha Latte for now.

Miam Miam
Bugis Junction #02-14, 200 Victoria Street

Weekdays: 11.30am - 10pm

Weekends: 10.30am - 10pm 

There's another outlet at West Gate, Jurong East Singapore.