Review: Food for Thought (Botanic Gardens)

In the midst of more house visits, I was glad I had time out to visit the Botanic Garden (and twice !) over the weekend. Thankful for the lovely weather that made the walks pleasant :)

I read the food court at the Singapore Botanic Gardens has been replaced by Food for Thought's second outlet (technically the third, but the original at North Bridge Road is now closed) and had the opportunity to try it out.

Canteen styled, one would order at the counter, state your table number and then wait for your food order to be served. Pretty spacious and kid-friendly. There is a kids playground and a couple of large tables outside.

Food is pretty similar to what FFT serves at the other outlet @ Queen street, ie decent and average.

Coffee is a notch above Starbucks standard. Mushroom soup was thickened with too much starch although it had very generous bits of chunky shiitake. The house-made brioche that cost additional was toasted and pretty decent, but I would have been good with a less rich bread.

There's no service charge because you get your own utensils, water, condiments etc. But the service was still enthusiastic and friendly. Definitely worth a stop if your legs and tummy call for one.

Grilled Chicken Burger with Basil Pesto - not mine obviously :)

Review: The Orange Thimble

Another indie cafe that had sprouted in the Tiong Bahru area over the last year is The Orange Thimble.

It differentiates by combining an art gallery of sort with a cafe. I like its vibe; cosy, with a classic laid back feel. More importantly, I find the coffee isn't too bad and there is a small but selective menu catering to different cravings.

It was rather amusing to see them serve two little 'jewel' biscuits alongside with the coffee.  Nostalgia overcame me.  I used to eat these biscuits when I was a kid.  I would always eat the bottom biscuit first, before savouring the icing 'gem' afterwards.  But now, as an adult, I find myself eating the icing bit first, biscuit second.  How do you eat your jewel biscuits?

Review: Hae Mee (Prawn noodle)

I think I don't eat prawn noodle soup often enough. Maybe because it goes hand in hand with pork, just like ramen, it was never a dish that was top of mind.

Once in a while though, like yesterday, I would order it quite randomly.  And enjoy it.

Found in the coffeeshop just across my home, the bowl of prawn noodles (not with the traditional yellow noodle, but with kway teow, just the way I like it) reminded me delicious food can be simple, and inexpensive.

Rich stock, fresh prawns (all five of them), crunchy kang kong and bean sprouts, generous slices of fish cake, smooth and slippery rice noodles and no pork. All for S$ 3. Perfect combination; I would not ask for more.

While you are there, try the beef noodle stall if you like this dish (Cheng Kee Beef Kway Teow); apparently quite famous and I saw a long queue. 

I believe both noodle stalls open only for lunch.  For dinner, the fish steamboat / tze char stall would be the principal crowd drawer, with the rojak and western food stalls getting a bit of peripheral business.
 
I love my neighbourhood !

Coffeeshop at:
Block 203 Hougang Street 21, Singapore 530203

Cravings

I could do with some of these thick slabs of salmon belly sashimi right now.

Itacho Sushi, Hong Kong

And no. I'm not pregnant.

Review : Maison Kayser

Long at last I managed to make a visit to Maison Kayser located at the basement of the spanking new Scotts Square.

A few of us managed to try a couple of breads and pastries. Glad to report the former fared much better than the latter.

In particular, the walnut and raisin loaf was studded with plenty of those, had a crisp crust and a nutty, soft 'mie'. I loved it and finished the entire thing in a day. Wish it could be less expensive; it costs $ 3.40 per loaf.

Between the chocolate eclair and the lemon tart, we loved the chocolate mousse filling but not the thick choux pastry; loved the tangy and thick curd from the tart but not the flat/soft tart shell crust.

I will be back to give the croissants a try. They looked really good!

(eta 31 Jan 12)

A couple more visits later, I also tried the turmeric bread with hazelnuts, pain campagne, yuzu bread, Gorgonzola with walnut and the honey orange ekme.

I didn't quite like the orange ekme for it had a dense doughy texture, and the orange peel bits was salty and tasted like Chinese "kiam kiam" mandarin orange peel.

Yuzu and Gorgonzola cheese breadd had similar density and texture of the pain campagne. Nice crumbs and neither too dense nor fluffy.

Turmeric bread was interesting. It was studded with hazelnuts, had a nice soft and fluffy mie and possessed a slight savory slant. Very good to eat on its own.

Orange Ekme

Yuzu bread

Walnut Bread

lemon tart

chocolate eclair

Best of my 2011

1. Epic trip to Italy
Can't forget the beautiful country sides of Piedmonte and Tuscany.  Not forgetting the food too....especially that fresh pesto pasta from  Ristorante Savana (Turino, Italy) and Basil sorbet with tomato jam dessert from iO Personale (Florence, Italy).  Oh, and the gelatos too.

2.  Open Door Policy
One of my favorite new restaurants of the year!  I love their fresh take on vegetables and also perfectly cooked fish.  The Man loved the 48-hour braised beef so much he wanted to bring his family there asap. Now, I am a picky dessert eater and I have to admit I really liked how they make their Sundae dessert with honeycomb and chocolate cake crumbs.

3.Hinoki Japanese Restaurant
Well, it is not really a new restaurant of 2011, but it was introduced to me by the Imp.  My only regret?  I didn't try it earlier.  Go for their omakase.  Definitely the omakase.

4. Luke's Oyster and Chop House
Love the fresh oysters and Lobster Pot Pie, hate the prices.  It won't be my everyday restaurant but I know that when I am able to eat there, I am guaranteed a good meal.

5. Fresh roasted Coffee
My favorite is Loysel's Toy / Papa Palheta. But there are a bunch of other indie cafes which aren't too shabby either.

6. Fresh cheese from Osteria Mozza
I love fresh mozzarella, burrata, etc. and I am glad that there is easy access to such deliciousness now.

7. Hor Fun from Bee Kia Seafood Restaurant
Again, this isn't a new restaurant but 2011 saw my first time eating the famous hor fun from Bee Kia.  The beef version is their claim to fame but of course I didn't try that.  Instead, I found the fish version to be pretty memorable as well.  The hor fun noodles were full of wok hei, slippery smooth, thick and chewy.  Accompanied by a brown sauce that is bursting with wok hei, really comfort food.

8. Fried seafood mee sua and fish skin crackers from Ming Kee Seafood restaurant
Surprisingly, the famous crab bee hoon didn't leave much of an impression.  Rather, the fried seafood mee sua had really good flavors and the crackers, oh, don't get me started.  So addictive!

9. Crafty Saturdays
Glad I made some of notabilia's classes and got introduced to bookmaking.  I hope to find time to continue venturing into the world of handicraft in 2012.

10.  The Man
Yes, I think I fell in love all over again.