d' Good Café

Long time of being hiatus now I am back with d' Good Café.

This cafe is not located on ground level. Spot the signboard and head up the flight of stairs. It is a self service type of cafe, get a spot that you are comfortable with and then head to the cashier to make purchases. I would say this is fairly small and cosy place which are usually places you would want to avoid during peak hour.

Here its pretty interesting, there are vintage looking items like drip coffee machine, bicycle and some random items on the shelves on display. Menu of drinks will be on the left and cakes on display are straight up.

I thought the Polaroid wall was pretty sweet. 

Since its self service, after ordering a buzzer will be given and when it buzz, you would have to collect it from the counter. Drinks and cake usually will be made fast enough so after taking those, we head back to our seats and wait for the buzz for the main dishes. 

Two drinks are Lavender Earl Grey Latte ($7.00) left and Caramel Frap ($6.50) right. 

Well to be honest I didn't like the Lavender Earl Grey Latte one bit because all I could taste was lavender and the whipped cream on top just made the whole drink even thicker and creamier in a bad way wasn't asked if I wanted whipped cream and didn't know that whipped cream was involve . 

Caramel Frap was pretty good. It just tasted like those normal caramel frap you can get from Starbucks or anywhere else selling it.

Cakes. Earl Grey Mousse Cake ($6.00) on the top and their signature Maple Seasalt Cheesecake ($9.00) at the bottom picture. 

Earl Grey Mousse Cake was nothing fancy. It is like those type of cake where you take a bite and goes "Hmm.. I can finish the whole thing easily because its pretty okay but chances of me purchasing it again? Nah". 

Maple Seasalt Cheesecake on the other hand was good. For the price of $9.00 I can't agree much that it is a little on the high end side but after looking at it and taking a bite, I think its safe to come up with reasons why it is worth the money. Maybe its hard to tell from the picture but it is a bigger slice compared to other cheesecake slices you will get from outside. Having a taste of it, ohh mann. It is like dense but yet light in a way. There is a hint of maple taste and a bit of saltiness at the top which goes well with the cream cheese layer. That type of cake where you know the ingredients used is of good quality.

Also order a plate of Eggs Benedict ($13.50). Average and filling. Eggs were poached perfectly with yolk runny in the center on top of ham and toasted thick cut bread. Sides were some salad mix tossed with balsamic vinegar. 

This is actually a lot for two person even though its technically just one person having a drink, half portion of main menu and then dessert which is a slice of cake. Sounds pretty "just nice" but we both ended up really jer lat and I think its because my drink was as good as drinking a meal and the cheesecake was very rich.

Tried our very best to finish. Everything was gone except half of my drinks which I gave up on finishing and a mouthful of the mousse cake. All in all I think I would revisit this place again for the Cheesecake and the cosy atmosphere. It is a great place to hangout and catch up with friends on non peak hours.

Song Fa Bak Kut Teh @ Clarke Quay

Clarke Quay is usually known for its night life where people go there for drinks but a Bak Kut Teh shop is just around the corner. Song Fa had been pretty well known and its usually crowded during lunch / dinner hours.

I went there during dinner time so there was a bit of waiting time. Upon arriving the waitress will pass the menu and take your orders before you have a seat. 

In less then 5 mins our food started arriving. It comes all at one go and payment comes straight after.

Bak Kut Teh which is flavorful soup brewed with pork ribs / other organs , garlic , pepper and herbs. We had the Pork Rib Soup ($6.50) which is their normal and best seller. There is also other selection like the Pig's Kidney Soup , Pig's Liver Soup etc. The soup is definitely addictive, luckily its unlimited top up of soup.

We had some side dishes. Ground Nuts and You Tiao. My favorite way to eat the You Tiao is to soak it in the soups and then eat it. Crispy and soft in the inside with soup coming out from it with every bite. 

Braised Pig's Trotter ($8.50) is the best!! Tender meat with the sauce. Yum yum! I don't really enjoy the fats but according to two of my friend that I went with, the fats was the best and its always what makes them come back (apart from the prok ribs soup)

 

They have two location which is pretty much near each other. It goes like Outlet 1 then a shop then Outlet 2. The difference is that one have air-con and tad bit smaller while the other don't and its a bit bigger. Personally I have only been to the one with air-con. It so duper hot, it will only be reasonable to go to the one with air conditional isn't it? Hahaha 

The two outlet act separately in a way that if you are queuing for seats in Outlet 1 and Outlet 2 have vacancy, you would still have to wait for seats vacancy in Outlet 1 unless you leave the queue and head to Outlet 2.

Address :

17 New Bridge Road #01-01
Singapore 059386

Lady M @ Marina Square

Lady M Confections is famous for their Mille Crepe Cake. Origins from New York, this is the one and only outlet in Singapore. They pretty much serve mostly dessert.

Interior design is white and simple giving a very clean and classy look.

The cakes are all displayed behind this glass panel. Something unique is that most of their cakes are not cut. Only when there is an order, they then slice a piece. 

As a banana lover, I had to order the Banana Mille Feuille ($8.00 / slice ). A layer of vanilla sponge cake, golden puff pastry, whipped cream and BANANAS

Strawberry Mille Feuille ($8.00 / Slice ) perfect layer of puff pastry , whipped cream and fresh strawberries. 

The famous Lady M® Mille Crêpes ($7.50 / Slice ). Layers of crepes piled above one another with light pastry cream in between.

 

Tarte a la Mangue ($7.50 / Slice ) which is passion fruit curd above shortbread crust and topped with freshly cut mango. This kinda reminds me of Carpenter and Cook Meringue passion fruit tart.

Overall, this is a place that served most of the desserts that are filled with cream like taking a bite is filled with 3 quarter of cream. I am not really a fan of cream so I have to admit that I am a little disappointed at the taste. If I were to go back, I will most probably try dessert that don't have the "a layer of whipped cream" in the description. If I am a cream lover, I would like the Mille Crepes and the Banana Mille Feullie

Address :

Marina Square Shopping Mall
6 Raffles Boulevard
#02-103
Singapore 039594

Carpenter and Cook

Finally visit Carpenter and Cook after such a long time. Since I stay in the west area, this well known cafe is quite near to me. Located in an alley, this vintage cafe serve a good number homemade pastry that are available in sweet or savory form. 

  

The design of this cafe is super cool. Everything or maybe most of the things from the chairs to the tables and the plates are vintage and follows the antique feel. Its the self service type of cafe so you can choose the best antique piece you would like to have tea on and then proceed to the counter to order.

They don't really have a menu because everything that is offered on the day will be displayed out. I like how they put everything on display because if I am a first timer not being able to make up my mind, I would most probably want to try out the most atas looking thing instead of just having a physical menu that usually don't have every single dishes with pictures.

I don't really fancy their Lemon Cream Tart $6.50 (top left) because I feel that the raw egg taste was too strong for me. They are famous for the Passionfruit Meringue Tart $6.50 (bottom left). The Chocolate Maldon Seasalt Caramel $6.50 (top right)\was very sweet and smooth. Caramel lover should give this a go! I love their quiche. Cook's Amazing Quiche $7.00 (bottom right). It doesn't have a fixed name because the toppings varies. I tried the one with bacon because you can't go wrong with bacon. It is served with a side salad which kinda balance out the savory quiche.

Since I love banana, I had to give the Banoffee Pie $6.50 a go. Huge chunks of banana with a bit of caramel sauce and lightly whipped up cream, Yummm! Next is the Peach & Lavender Muffin $4.00. Not gonna lie, I have no idea where the peach is at but there is definitely distinctive hints of Lavender in this moist muffin so for that, thumbs up.

I had the Elderflower Presse $5.50 which is like a sparkly juice that tasted frizzy and light. For citrus lover, you can go for their Lemon Drizzle Loaf $5.00. Tangy and moist plus the lemon glaze on top, something that whets up the appetite. Lastly its their Almond Croissant $4.00.

This cafe have very unique interior. It is pretty crowded during the weekends but if its the weekdays, coming here for some good pastry in a nice environment and nice company brings great comfort.

Address: 

19 Lorong Kilat

#01-06

598120

Bari Uma Ramen

Even though this is my third time here, I still feel that this ramen shop is so underrated. This was discovered by a friend of mine, Jass, who actually also stumble upon this shop on accident. Firstly, in order to reach this place its quite a distance from Orchard Mrt thus by the time people reach here, they would most probably have chosen something else to eat in the hundreds of restaurants available nearby. Secondly it is not in any of the shopping mall but kinda under it instead.

Nothing fancy about the interior however since I went to Japan once before, it is actually very much like those Ramen shop in Japanese. Small and cosy yet you can see the chef cooking.

I tried their Nori-Uma ($15.50) which is ramen in Pork Flavored Shoyu Soup with Thick-Cut Flamed Chashu and Dry Seaweed. I added Ajitama which is the egg for $1.50 and reduce my ramen portion (-$2.00) because my stomach was already half filled so I wanted to eat without overeating. Total for my order was $15.00.

This is their Signature Dish which is Ajitama-Uma ($15.00) which consist of Pork Flavored Shoyu Soup, Ajitama which is the egg and Thick-cut Flamed Chashu. The egg here however was a little overcook but still, it taste good.

Other then Ramen they serve rice served in a hot stone bowl. This is the Ishiyaki-Chaofan Salmon ($12.00). I find this pretty good but if its compared to the Ramen, I think that the Ramen taste better. However if you want to go for rice, I would suggest the Ishiyaki-Chaofan Chashu ($9.50) instead.

The average pricing for a bowl is about $15.00 which I think its very affordable for this type of quality Ramen. Their Ramen noodles are homemade right in the house which are really tasty. Its chewy yet smooth and it goes really well with the soup which is very addictive. Their Chashu even though its pork belly which means you can literally see the layer of fats and meat, tasted like its slow cooked till all the flavored is absorb into the meat and its so tender that it kinda melts in your mouth. Double thumbs up! The really flavorful soup might be a little salty to some people liking.

Address:
#B1-01
Tanglin Shopping Centre
19 Tanglin Road