Brunch at Baker and Cook, Dempsey

Despite located in the heart of Singapore, Dempsey is a chore to go especially if you don't own a car. In fact, we haven't been to Dempsey more than twice since we had our car since November 2022. So there was on public holiday, Lady M and I were racking our heads where to bring the children to. Probably somewhere outdoors since they had their fair share of shopping malls already during the weekends. And Dempsey came to mind.

Baker and Cook has a heck lot of outlets spread across Singapore, but the Dempsey outlet is probably one of the newer ones with a play area set amidst the greenery of Dempsey's Loewen area. We arrived there during noon time, the sun was blazing hot with the occasional cool breeze. Kids were running and playing ball at the play area, but I was complaining because I sweat real easy. Aside from their indoor seating, there's alfresco dining under their tents and fairy lights. I can already imagine myself coming back in the evening for a beer.

Thank God that the children were still asleep so Lady M and I could enjoy some couple time.

To be honest, the menu isn't crazy extensive with just a few selection under each category but it has the standard brunch affair such as the usual eggs and pancakes. However, it has a wide pizza and burger selection, thanks to the tie-up with Plank Sourdough Pizza and Mo & Jo. Lady M got their Big Breakfast with Sourdough (S$28) with the usual sauteed mushrooms, truffle potatoes, salad, sourdough and eggs of your choice - and (me) being a scrambled egg lover - this wasn't a difficult choice.

The Public Eight, National Gallery Singapore - Fancy Cocktails for Date Nights!

Lady M and I used to have this checklist of bars to go to. Before we got married, we are checking this list almost every week. Perhaps we were still young and going strong. Things slowed down when we had Olivia. Maybe once every two to three months. When Emmanuel came along, this checklist came to a halt. We were and are still going out for our date nights once every week or two, but sipping on alcohol didn't cross our minds nowadays.

There was once Lady M mentioned that she wanted to visit a bar with fancy and magical drinks. I was too slow to get the hint (probably forgotten about it), so on my birthday this year, she finally get to visit The Public Eight.

Nestled within Singapore's National Gallery, we have walked past this place quite a few times after our museum visit - a free and relaxing place (and air-conditioned!) to visit with our children.

After our dinner, we took a leisure stroll and reached there at our reserved timing at around 8pm. We were the only guests there and I joked that Lady M booked the entire place for ourselves. The bar itself is an extension of a Japanese restaurant called "Hachi," which is fitting as "hachi" translates to the number eight. It exuded a cozy atmosphere, adorned with wooden furniture, and featured a central bar area like many other bars. The door even has the figure "8" on it!

As the only guests in the entire bar, we basically had the bartender to ourselves - a lovely lady named Irene who was extremely hospitable and lovely. With her fancy hairstyle and captivating showmanship, I reckon she is an attraction within the bar.

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Looking at the menu, Lady M immediately spotted their famous cocktail - "Confession" (S$40). If you were to search "The Public Eight", I bet you ten grands that this is the first drink that pops up - A fancy red wine with a floating iced rose - or as the menu described "Kenzo Estate Rindo 2016, Calvados, Pomegranate, Rose". What made it truly captivating was the bartender's theatrical touch. With a torchlight in hand and a spritz of glitter spray, she created a mesmerizing spectacle, enveloping the drink in a shimmering aura. If there's something that is IG-worthy, it is this drink.