Buttercake n Cream @ Sunset Way, Singapore

A few days ago on Labour Day, I was searching for a nice cafe to treat my mother, as a thanks for bearing labour pains. The true meaning of this day is definitely not as such, but I don't think we need a reason to treat our mummies to a meal. To be honest, I have been to Buttercake n Cream quite a few times, and I still constantly mispronounce it as "buttercream and cake". This cafe is located in one of the ulu (rural) places in West Singapore, Sunset Way, and serves affordable food and pretty desserts.

The Usual Place @ Jurong East Street, Singapore

Great news to all my fellow Westies, because there exists another neighbourhood gem at Jurong East. - actually it's located about a 10-minute walk from Chinese Garden MRT. Still near la hor? Since its opening in July 2015, I've been eyeing to strike this cafe off my to-try list, and I finally did so. We went to The Usual Place on a Saturday afternoon, and it was almost packed. Wah, heng sia (lucky) got seats. Their concept reminded me of another cafe in the West (Coffee: Nowhere) and the best thing? No service and GST charge! I believe they didn't sneakily add them into the prices though.

Pies & Coffee (II) @ Rochester Mall, Singapore

Before I start this post, I want to wish my readers GONG HEI FATT CHOY, may you huat a lot in this new year.

I've been to Pies & Coffee more times than the number of fingers I have, well, mostly to mug before my examinations with a couple of friends. If you still have no god-damn idea where is this cafe located at Rochester Mall, which is just literally a stone throw away from The Star Vista. Okay, since this is not my first post on Pies & Coffee, I won't bore you with more descriptions of the place. Recently I was there again, with my love of trying new things (including girls, just kidding), here are two more food items that you should try out.

Coffee: NOWHERE @ West Coast Plaza, Singapore

When Coffee: Nowhere came to occupy the huge, empty space left by Fish & Co during mid-2014, I was like "Hallelujah,  praise the good Lord, now we have more cafes in my vicinity". However, it was not until recently that we decided to have our lazy Saturday brunch at this Malaysia-based cafe. Their interior was spacious, with their kitchen and counter right in the middle. Unlike many cafes which discourage diners to chill and study there, Coffee: Nowhere have more than enough seats due to their spacious concept. But when all the seats are packed and you're the only one mugging on your lecture notes, be automatic a bit lah. By the way it is Coffee "Now Here", not Coffee "No where" hor. 

Tonkatsu Bistro by Ma Maison @ Westgate, Singapore

Wassup bruh. Recently we visited Tonkatsu - a new venture from Ma Maison, which specialises in Japanese pork cutlet (duh). As we were ushered to our seats, the staff, like most authentic Japanese restaurants, echoed our arrival. The interior, which feature both outdoor and indoor seating, was beautifully decorated with wooden furniture and Japanese paintings. Simplicity at its best. 

Ricciotti Pizza Pasta Grill @ The Star Vista, Singapore

Nestled at a lovely corner at The Star Vista, Ricciotti Pizza Pasta Grill is a casual, home-style Italian restaurant that serves more-than-decent Italian cuisine  (duh). On top of their branches at China Square and Riverwalk, the outlet at Buona Vista features a contemporary setting with sleek wooden furniture and an Italian-inspired wall mural. There is also a nice alfresco dining place - a relaxing ambience for chilling out at night.

Griddy Gourmet Waffles @ Westgate, Singapore

Since Westgate opened its doors a few years ago, I have been frequenting Griddy Gourmet Waffles, a hidden gem specialising in waffles. Did you really think waffles are for desserts only? At Griddy, it's your standard Western cuisine. With a slight twist - just imagine having your burgers, with the burger buns replaced with savoury-sweet waffles. Ingenious.

Oh! For the wallet-conscious, their items are very, and really affordable. Most of their mains are priced around S$10 on average, plus you could add a few bucks to size up your meal with a drink and dessert waffle/chicken drumlets!

Teadot Cafe @ Westgate, Singapore [CLOSED]

With a whole lot of cafes poppin' out in the West recently, it would be a high order to catch up with this proliferation. You know what, we actually have this whole, long list of cafes to try out and strike it off the list, but it looks like we are adding more than subtracting it. Nevertheless, we got to try out Teadot cafe after deliberating for quite a while, but still decided to head on with it. 

This modern, yet dainty cafe located at Westgate attempts to reinvent the art of tea-tasting, bringing in gourmet tea drinks to people from all walks of life. Tea is the main thing there, and quite obviously, as its name suggested. It was within lunch hour, so we chose to have their lunch special - roasted chicken sandwich and tea, and a salmon rosti to go along with it.

Pies & Coffee @ Rochester Mall, Singapore

Having been to Pies & Coffee a couple of times, I thought, why not do a damn review about this place already. Located at the vicinity of Rochester Mall, Pies & Coffee is a modern, stylish cafe which seats up to 80-persons, offering diners a choice of indoor and al-fresco style dining amidst the greenery and water features. Given the luxury of space, it is no wonder why it is a favourite spot for students, who sipped on their frappe while mugging for assignments and examinations. That is, including myself.

At Pies & Coffee, there are two obvious highlights - pies and coffees, which one could simply admire in full-view at their counter display. It is not easy though, as anyone would be spoilt for choices. Besides that, they do serve all-day breakfast as well, such as Smoked Salmon Stack - a glorious combination of toasted bagel, stacked with truffle mashed potatoes, velvety scrambled eggs, peas, mushroom, and finally topped with smoked salmon. This dish is completed with a side salad. Who would mind waking up to this beautiful breakfast everyday? Well, definitely not me.

Eggs & Berries 2 @ Westgate, Singapore

Having been there earlier this year for their brunch, I decided to visit Eggs & Berries once again. This time bringing a different date - well, my mother. Having a quirky and conceptualized name such as "Eggs & Berries" left little room for guessing, as most of their creations contain either the components of eggs or berries.

Eggs & Berries is well-known for their all-day American breakfast. Thus, there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't try their breakfast dishes out. For starters, go for their Italia Eggs Benedict (single, S$14.90; doppio, S$18.90) - beautifully poached eggs complemented by a combination of English muffin, parma ham, salad greens, caviar and drizzled with hollandaise sauce. You know what's better? Perfect, runny egg yolks. (On this visit, rosti was unavailable, so they have to switch the side to hash-brown instead.)

Sushi Tei @ West Coast Plaza, Singapore

Sushi Tei has been around in Singapore since 1994, serving authentic Japanese cuisine with much affordable prices compared to many other restaurants. Why do people love it? First, there's the great value. Second, there's the quality. If you still have doubts, simply head down to any of their outlets during meal hours and see for yourself.

Their dishes never fail to impress me. A mix of innovation and creativity is probably how I would described their offerings. Take Rainbow Roll (S$13.80) for example, a classic presentation of colours in one single dish, topped with roes and drizzled with Japanese mayonnaise. Not to even mention the mouth-gasm that goes along each and every piece of sushi. Another sushi dish I highly recommend would be their Dragon Roll (S$14, S$9 for mini) - a beautiful combination of avocado slices and deep fried prawn. The thing is, I don't usually take avocado, but the complement of flavours was a true surprise for everyone on the table.

Poulet @ Westgate, Singapore

Poulet's fans would be thrilled to hear that the contemporary French-themed bistro has recently opened an other outlet at Westgate. Being addicted to their signature roasted chicken dishes since my first visit at their Bugis+ outlet, I found myself going back again and again, each time bringing new parties to savour their offerings.

Similar to most of their other branches, the furnishings are modern-chic and bring little hints of the al-fresco scenery in France, completed with an open kitchen concept where anyone could see the chefs in action. Just one complain regarding the ambience - their lights are too freaking bright.

Eggs & Berries @ Westgate, Singapore

Being an absolute brunch lover, I am always on the hunt for good brunch places. When Eggs & Berries opened another outlet at Westgate - the newest kid in the block of West Singapore, I knew I just had to check it out. Whilst having a weird combination of eggs and berries as their brand, they definitely made their statement when inSing featured them as the top 5 brunch places in Singapore.

So what are you waiting for? Dig in to a world of lovely eggs and berries-filled pancakes here.

Tanglin Halt Western Food @ Clementi Market & Food Centre, Singapore

As part of the Healthy Food Hunt, jointly organised by South-West Community Development Council (SWCDC) and premier dining guide, Openrice, food-lovers united at Clementi Market and Food Centre on a beautiful Sunday afternoon for a casual food tasting. (This is part two of a two-parts blog post, please click here for part one.)

Prior to this tasting experience, I have never tried Tanglin Halt Western Food before - not even once in their decades of business at Clementi Food Centre. No, it is not that their dishes are not to standard. Rather, it is the snaking long queue whenever their stall opens for business. (Now, if you're an avid reader of mine, you should know that queues are a huge turn-off to me. Yes, despite being a true blue Singaporean.) Every. Single. Time.

Read on what's drawing the crowd here.

Boon Kee Wanton Noodles @ Clementi Market & Food Centre, Singapore

As part of the Healthy Food Hunt, jointly organised by South-West Community Development Council (SWCDC) and premier dining guide, Openrice, food-lovers united at Clementi Market and Food Centre on a beautiful Sunday afternoon for a casual food tasting. (This is part one of a two-parts blog post, which features Boon Kee Wanton Noodles and Tanglin Halt Western Food, respectively.)

Listed under the Healthier Hawker Food Program, Boon Kee Wanton Noodles has existed in the same food centre since it's opening in 1980s. With the ongoing plans to pass on the family business to the third generation, Boon Kee has definitely etched its name on the foundations of its birthplace. No fancy presentations, no fancy prices, but no less the authentic flavours encapsulate in their signature Wanton Noodles (S$2.50).

What stood out from the rest is none other than the fundamental of this dish - the noodles. It has a good combination between eggy and springy, and has a good texture to it. What's better was that even after all the photo-snapping and waiting, the noodles doesn't turn soggy. Portions of char siew were a tad lean, but their crispy wanton were a good twist to a classic dish.

Cali Cafe @ Park Avenue Rochester Hotel, Singapore

On the constant hunt of brunch places, we recently discovered Cali Cafe on some websites coupled with deals. Although it is located within a stone's throw from my residence, this casual American cafe somehow managed to hid under our "foodie-radar". And so on a beautiful Saturday morning, we decided to give it a try out. Nestled within Park Avenue Rochester in Buona Vista, Cali Cafe prides itself in healthy dining and whips out all-day brunch and popular food choices in California, such as Steak and Fries, and Baby Back Ribs. 

Well, we settled down and had our drinks served to us shortly. Food came before we even warmed our seats. While girlfriend had their famous All-Day BDBH (S$18.60), also known as the "best darn breakfast on the hill", which consists of a wide spread of breakfast necessities - toasted bread, bratwurst sausage, baked potato , side salad and a personal choice of  eggs (scrambled or sunny side-up), and crispy bacon or honey ham.

1 Caramel Patisserie Dessert Boutique @ Rochester Park, Singapore

Located amidst the tranquil of Rochester Park, 1 Caramel which is opened by the 1 Rochester Group is a place not to be missed if you are an avid brunch or dessert lover. Surrounded in the lush greeneries, there is an option for al-fresco dining, but since it was a hot Monday afternoon, I figured out that the cosy, air-conditioned indoors was a better choice for us. But again, I bet that outdoors are perfect for a weekend buddies night-out, or perhaps, savouring a meal with the accompany of live music.

Ichiban Sushi @ Clementi Mall

With highly accessible outlets throughout Singapore, I wouldn't be at the least surprised if Ichiban Sushi comes straight to your mind when someone mentions Japanese cuisine. At Ichiban Sushi, one might opt for a wide range of conveyor belt sushi and sashimi, a la carte, as well as various promotional platters, udon and rice sets.

It was quite some time I visited Ichiban, and I thought why not have a good dinner before my wisdom teeth surgery? And so I did. I am sure that those who had their's plucked out would understand the agony of not being to savour any kinds of food. Before the dishes and hot ocha had even arrived, the waiter(esse)s had already scored high, impressing us with their amiable and pleasant services.

Morganfield's @ The Star Vista, Singapore

By now, The Star Vista should be no stranger to all, especially for like-minded foodies out there - this notable, award-winning architectural landmark houses more restaurants and cafes than its size could hold. For myself, I have been making frequent trips to this particular mall trying out different eateries (it's nearby my apartment, so why not?), such as Watami, Itacho, Boston Seafood Shack and my favourite so far - District 10. Hence, when my colleagues suggested The Star Vista for boss's farewell lunch, I immediately recommended Morganfield's, and oh well, the reason is none other than I wanted to give them a try.

Situated comfortably at the edge of the mall's second storey, Morganfield's serves a wide array of American -style fare in both indoor and al-fresco dining concepts. Their signature Sticky Bones - authentic old-fashioned barbequed pork ribs have made quite a name for itself, so here we go!

Boston Seafood Shack @ The Star Vista, Singapore

Boston Seafood Shack is another venture by Creative EATeries, an attempt to replicate the vibrant and lively atmosphere of Boston's harbour, while aiming to serve hearty flavours at affordable prices. With "seafood shack" as a design theme, the natural-lighted Boston Seafood Shack is equipped with a variety of colourful beachside props, such as anchors and nets with fishes hanging everywhere.

There is a reason why service charge is waived in Boston Seafood Shack. Since it is a more of a fast-food restaurant, diners have to queue up to make purchases which after you have to collect the food and utensils yourself.