Walking on Sunshine @ Orchard Central, Singapore

Cafes don with dried flowers and greeneries are all the rage. Like any flower-struck girl, this cafe made it to my wife's to-visit list, and like any self-proclaimed great husband, I had to bring her there. Located at Orchard Central, this cafe isn't difficult to find at all. But first timers would be surprise that Walking on Sunshine is actually a... hair salon (as well)! Surprise surprise! Imagine having a nice tea break right after your hair appointment. Both of your hair and tummy will be in for a treat!

Fun fact - it prides itself as Singapore's BEST, MOST INSTAGRAM-WORTHY CAFE.

EwF by Everything With Fries @ Orchard Central, Singapore

Established by the owners of Awfully Chocolate, EwF is slightly different from its origins, or rather a spin-off from the main branches of Everything with Fries. Nestled at the ground floor of Orchard Central, EwF is a conceptualised fast-food outlet decorated with the simple elegance of pink and white furnitures. As I was saying, EwF is a fast-food outlet, like MacDonalds or MOS Burger, hence it is all free sitting. Having said that, EwF is usually packed especially during meal times, so do expect hungry people waiting to occupy your table when you are more than halfway done.

The thing I like about Everything with Fries (as well as EwF) is that they make their food and sauces from scratch, using only the freshest ingredients. Besides their burger classics (S$6.90 - S$7.90), such as Battered Fish Burger and Slider, EwF also serves unique creations such as my personal favourite Har Jeong Kai, which is whole boneless chicken thigh marinated with Cantonese prawn paste, as well as the newest addition of Pork Belly Burger.

Medz @ Orchard Central, Singapore

Located at the basement of Orchard Central, Medz is a concept similar to Marche, where diners were given at the entrance - a cash-card which records the food you bought, and at the end, pay for everything together. The difference is probably the food they served, while Marche focuses solely on Swiss affair, Medz serves a variety of Mediterranean fare – such as Spanish, Moroccan, French, Turkish and Greek at distinct booths in the brightly, decorated restaurant.

For both wine and caffeine connoiseur, you will be pleased to see an impressive display of wine collection, as well as a specialised beverage booth where the barristas craft your beverage with meticlous hands and utmost precision.

Genki Sushi @ Orchard Central, Singapore

Talking about technology, Genki Sushi has one of the most innovative ordering methods. Each table is equipped with one iPad preloaded with their very own application, which you order your food directly from the device. Your dishes will be delivered promptly right to you in a mini shinkansen (bullet train) on it's "railway track". After unloading your food, one then pressed a button to send the carrier back to the kitchen. How cool is that, I have to admit that I was pretty amused and mesmerized by the cute trains.

 Don't know how to use their "GenkiPad"? Do not hesitate to approach one of their staff.

One of the must orders are the Salmon Triple Flavor (S$3.80) and Shrimp Triple Flavor (S$3.80), which consists of the key ingredients done in different ways. My favourite among the three is the ones which are seared briefly and topped with black pepper, which adds an additional kick to the sushi. There is also a similar version for the crab as well (S$3.80).

Seared Salmon with Pollack Roe (S$2.30) is nicely seared with a faint burnt fragrance, but Peiyi was complaining about  the lack of roes (or it's either the roes got melted when it was seared.) The salmon meat is soft and melts slightly in your mouth.

Their Steamed Egg Custard (S$2.30) is soft and silky, and packed with a reasonable amount of fish cakes, mushrooms and crab sticks. The downside is that the steamed egg lacks in flavour, it doesn't have the distinct eggy flavour.

Japanese Chilli Pepper to the rescue!

Feeling a need to eat something more, we ordered the Oyaku Don (S$5.80) - deep fried chicken chunks with a nice layer of fat in thin batter, paired with strips of sweet onion and runny omelette, and served along with a good bowl of Koshihikari rice, planted by the Japanese in Vietnam. I could really do with more eggs though.

One of my favourite is their free-flow of Japanese Green Tea (S$1.50), which you do-it-yourself, by mixing the green tea powder with hot water. Needless to say, you can adjust how strong is your cup of tea according to your preference.

Genki Sushi adds on to my list of favourites, and I'll definitely be back for more economical, yet authentic and quality Japanese food.

Just a conclusion tip - be there early or skip the peak hours. We were there at about 8.45pm on a Saturday, and we had to wait for approximately 20 - 30 minutes.

Genki Sushi

Tel: +65 6238 0900

Opening Hours

Sun – Thu: 11.30am – 9.30pm
Fri – Sat & PH: 11.30am – 10pm

181 Orchard Road

#03-23

Orchard Central

Blue Mountain Cafe @ Somerset 313, Singapore

BLUE MOUNTAIN CAFE (Somerset 313) is moved to Illuma, Bugis.

After some light Sunday shopping and dessert at Cold Rock, we decided to go for seconds at Blue Mountain Cafe, which was conveniently one level above Cold Rock and situated just a stone's throw away from Uniqlo

A table for four was cleared for us, and we were promptly ushered to our seats by the manager/boss (from the looks of it). Their sofa chairs were surely a plus point - a good resting haven for tired feet after a day of walking.

In a cafe which specialises in premium coffee, I hesitated no further and ordered a cup of Kenya AA (S$6.90). The drink came in a coffee apparatus, which was then poured into a cup by one of the service staff. The grade "AA" coffee emanated a pleasant aroma, had a well-balanced taste between sour and bitter, and was completed with a mild after-taste and a slight sting to the tongue. For the price, this coffee is definitely worth your bucks.

Mama Kook had her Cafe Au Lait (S$6.90), coffee served with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. The drink was so bitter (perhaps they forgot to add some sugar) that she had to ask for sugar syrup. My girl ordered the Matcha Tea Latte (S$6.20) as she was not much of a coffee lover.

 

For some small bites, we ordered a plate of Baked Mussels (S$8.90), topped with tomato paste, cheese and parsley flakes. The mussels were pretty well-baked, but overall, the dish was a tad too dry for my liking and I had expected the cheese to be more gooey.

Close up of that fresh goodness.

Timothy, my only younger brother and a culinary intern at Shangri-la, had the Japanese Curry Baked Rice (S$11.90). The chicken strips were tender and the wet, runny cheese complemented well with the Japanese curry. BMC could definitely do a better job garnishing this delicacy though.

He also had their Choco Mint Latte [not in pictures (S$6.20)].

I have read some pretty decent reviews about their desserts as well. But maybe till next time!

Blue Mountain Cafe

Tel: +65 6836 9301

Opening Hours

Daily: 10am – 11pm

313 Orchard Road
#03-23/24

Somerset 313

Shokudo @ Cathay Cineleisure, Singapore

 One can never miss out the prominent, cursive "Shokudo" logo when walking pass Cathay Cineleisure. You know, one of those restaurants or cafes where you pass by time and time again, but you never had the chance to try out?

So last Friday night, my dear and I were contemplating what to eat, before we decided to have our virgin experience at this modern Japanese coffee house.

Upon reaching the restaurant, we were promptly greeted and seated by one of the service staff. The cafe has a nice western touch to its interior and location-wise, I would say it is perfect (considering that the escalators are just a few metres away from the entrance).  However, it was surprising that on a Friday night (at approx 8.15pm), the place was only about 30% filled.

Anyway, I ordered the Japanese-style Kinoko Pork Chop (S$14.80), topped up with assorted mushroom sauce, crispy veggies and corn salad. The meat was slightly overcooked, resulting in a tough and "gnawy" interior. The sauce makes up for it, but could definitely do with more mushroom bits and chunks. One thing that was perfect in this dish though, was the corn salad; the cold mashed potato mixed with sweet, crunchy Hokkaido corn was very good.

 

My girl ordered the Grilled Chicken Curry Omu Rice (S$14.80) - the grilled chicken was nothing special, but the short-grained rice cooked with tomato paste and drenched with runny scrambled eggs was  awesome. The dish was also completed with a bowl of typical Japanese curry with assorted vegetables.

Their desserts and square thin-crusted pizza looked appetizing too, not very “wow”-inducing, but I might give this cafe a try again in the future.





Shokudo Japanese Coffee House

Tel: +65 6736 0971

Opening Hours

Sun–Thu: 11.30am – 2.00am
Fri–Sat: 11.30am – 4.00am

 

8 Grange Road

#02-06A

Cathay Cineleisure