Before we begin, please remember that it is extremely excruciating for me to contain my extraordinary exuberance, especially in face of the expansive extent of excellent egg puns available whenever brunch is served. Therefore, do not be shell-shocked at the lack of pre-embryonic yolks (oops, I really meant jokes) as this review progresses. Let’s get crackin’, baby!Thanks to the lovely folks at OpenRice who invited me to this food-tasting session, I got a glimpse of what the CBD looks like on a sleepy scorching Saturday morning. Just to clarify, it’s not as though I’m persona non grata in the CBD (I always get invited to partays, okay), but it’s just that I never had a compelling reason to travel down on weekends. In fact, I’m probably not alone in thinking that nothing much is open around the Raffles Place area on weekend mornings. Weekend nights are a different story though, what with the number of bars lining Boat Quay, you’d be hard-pressed to find a reason to leave.Notwithstanding my contact lenses mishap early in the day, this morning spent at Harry’s Boat Quay really opened my eyes in more ways than one. It’s genius really, when you think about it. Bars are great, Brunches are great, so why not both? It should always be BARunch I say, any time of the day! Ever walked into a brunch place and lamented their measly offerings of weak bubbly and watered-down mimosas, wishing instead for a pint of the good stuff?

At Harry’s Boat Quay, the good stuff is always there, but now you get brunch to wash it down, too. That’s the type of washing that even feminists can enjoy.Moreover, you don’t get your SBO (Standard Battle Order) line-up of Brunch favourites over at Harry’s. Instead, they are going for the whole European comfort food vibe, but with a twist. And before anyone’s knickers get in a similar state, let’s take a look at some of their main offerings.

1. Soft Boiled Eggs & Marmite Soldiers ($7)This con-COCOTTE-tion, of soft boiled eggs with fingerling toasties smeared with a generous amount of marmite and topped with cheese, is absolute heaven. Hell, I’d march into war with them Marmite Soldiers any day, YUMS. Needless to say, this Brit-Aussie take on brunch really packs a punch, at least for me.

2. Croissant Croque Monsieur ($12)Ah, mon ami. Let’s French it up a notch, and replace our bread with the quintessential Croissant. While it retains only a slight crunch (possibly to the point of being blasphemous to its namesake), the result is a juicier, more scrumptious version of good old Mister Crunch. Actually, I’d probably nickname this my Mister Munch instead, or Le Croix Monsieur perhaps? :/ While I enjoyed this very much, the béchamel sauce probably seeped into the porous croissant, which is really sad. Béchamel over Chanel, baby. I’m crazy over the side salad by the way – it’s dressed in a simple balsamic reduction, which the lovely Nataline at Harry’s describes as a light accompaniment to an otherwise heavy meal. Oui, oui!

3. Chicken Pot Pie ($12)What would Sweeny Todd do, when faced with pastry draped over stew? This is in reference to a May 2014 petition originating from London, appropriately urging folks to “Make wrongly describing a casserole with a pastry lid as a pie a criminal offence”. I kid you not. Alas, it’s but a rose by any other name, my friends. I’d still lap up this deliciously creamy Chicken Pot Pie and be content. The best part of this dish is the satisfying bite – even the mushrooms are quartered and not sliced!

4. Fry Up Galore – Ham, Bacon and Mushroom Fry Up ($13); Vegetables Fry Up ($12)To be honest, while I loved the way the eggs and ingredients are presented, I was pretty underwhelmed by both Fry Ups, to be honest. The Vegetables Fry Up was marginally better, with its slightly sweet overall taste and the crunchy fresh beans. However, I felt the Ham, Bacon and Mushroom Fry Up could go easier on the seasoning – plus, I couldn’t taste the Bacon too. Everyone knows Bacon can make or break a dish, unless it’s Kevin Bacon (haha, sorry I had to say it).

The Fry Ups I know and love are usually Irish, and served with their nation’s best spud hash. Luck of the leprechauns, indeed.

5. Assorted Muffins ($2.90 each, takeaway encouraged)The staggering array of muffins was presented to us early in the meal, and I’d have to admit I’m not a big fan of muffins. I usually found the texture too dry and mealy, but this rendition is surprising good, especially the Banana and Peanut Butter Muffin! Another one I really liked is the Granny Smith Muffin, for the juicy tartness that binds the muffin and cuts through the gelat-ness. The Raspberry and Cheese didn’t stand out in my opinion, and I didn’t touch the Raisins and Walnuts, seeing as I’m averse to raisins. If I were to judge solely on the base, dough (haha geddit?), I’d say these muffins are definitely batter than expected!A word for the purists – I had the Cranberry Juice ($6), and like most bars, it’s not freshly squeezed or anything. My bad though, who does juices in a bar, amirite? Kronenbourg Blanc FTW.I'll end with a sneak peek behind the scenes of a typical foodie's tasting session! All in all, a lovely day spent in lovely company. I definitely found a new hideout for when I’m decidedly sick of hipster-style food, and craving post-hungover style pub grub. Which probably is most of the time. Seriously, try Harry’s Boat Quay out, and bring your big boy pants. x

Read my title. It's so true, that I'm almost ashamed of myself.

Was greeted by these boxes of beauties upon reaching home last night.When I saw the humble pink packaging, I immediately thought of those heartland bakeries I loved so much when I was young - before they all got "Swee Heng"-ized. That's why I was surprised to see that MY DAD bought them from Raffles Place! He's such a young hipster, really. Haha.

He had two of the plum swiss rolls ($1), which was really soft and fluffy. Worth a try!

But the highlight has got to be this!Topped with almonds, this cakey strawberry tart is chock full of jam and absolutely yummy! Alright, it's not the refined macaron/meringue/ganache dessert types, but it tastes of sweet, sweet childhood. Lovely.

*reviews based on my dad's experience.

As the bf works around the area, we happened to pass by Barbacoa at City Square Mall one Friday night.

They were having a promotion, which included a free soup and ice cream (cookies and cream, that day) with each order of a main course. My first impression was that the menu and vibe felt a little like Hot Tomato - casual but with an open kitchen, where you can see the chefs bustling about. Great for a casual dinner! The best thing though, is that there's no Service Charge nor GST.

The wait staff were all really friendly, and thanks to their recommendation, we got a sausage platter $9, creamy pasta with mushrooms $8.50 and nacho salsa chicken chop (or something) for $9.90. As you can sell, the prices are so reasonable!I love the mustard wafu concoction - it's so special, you've got to try it out to know what I mean!The pasta was garlicky and satisfying.The chicken chop was a little gelat at the end but still yummy!

I wouldn't come here specially for this, but I'd definitely consider dropping by when I'm around the area.

Yes, there are still girls who eat like a trucker - I'm one of them.

And my inner trucker has finally found the perfect pit-stop diner in Toby's Estate. True to Australian fashion, this coffee joint (along the same stretch of Singapore River as BBBS and Pirates) serves up brunch favorites daily in their no-nonsense, unpretentiously generous portions. The prices are reasonable, affording patrons the freedom to knock ourselves out and go wild in our quest for the perfect brunch combination, without having to break the bank. Or rob one, for that matter. My brioche with scrambled egg ($8), with sauteed mushrooms ($3) and smoked salmon (generous for $3), only came up to $14.

Another distinguishing feature of Toby's is that they actually have good coffee. Tried the Latte on my last visit, which was delightfully swirled and tastes as potent as it is pretty. Coupled with Toby's Estate nett-price policy, it is needless to reiterate that the likes of Wild Honey pale significantly in comparison.Check out the awesome latte! The salmon with croissant that my bf ordered was good too $12, iirc.

I'd come back to Toby's any day.

had the misfortune of dining at Poulet before I attended the preview screening of Skyfall at Filmgarde Bugis+.

Before my visit, I heard pretty rave reviews about how Poulet could give the new-age of casual french bistros like Saveur a run for their money, and thus had perpetually long queues. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to get a table when I saw a lull in the queues.

Although I didn't need to queue, it took me and the bf a while to catch the maitre'd's attention - strike one. The second strike was when he came bumbling over with no apologies whatsoever, and proceeded to shuffle us into their noisy cramped grounds - strike two. The last straw came when he adamantly refused to let us have the booth seats, claiming that they were for parties of four, when in fact, there were single lady patrons occupying a few booths - Strikeee 3. Please, if that greasy haired sorry excuse of a man wanted to find single girls to date, do it on your own time.

Determined not to let the little man ruin our experience of the supposedly good food, the bf and I settled in and ordered a few items. For starters, we had bread and butter to share, which was nothing to shout about (unlike Italian restaurants like Da Luca and Basilico).

The main disappointment was in two entrees we had - first, the lamb shank with the teeniest portions of vegetables I've ever seen. I mean, how much does a carrot cost? I'd bring my own to donate to them, if I'd ever step in again -.-As the caption states, I'm totally unimpressed by the lack of finesse and overtly salty rendition of my favourite dish. Looks like the maitre'd isn't the only person on the hefty side, the chef is pretty heavy-handed with his seasoning too. Perhaps it's a ploy to make everyone purchase their horribly overpriced sides?

the other dish was the rotisserie chicken. servings pathetic, as usual. dry and weirdly seasoned with the cream champignon sauce tainted with their pretentious but horribly executed citron tang. yucks.I cancelled the tiramisu order, the bf paid, and we left. Which was the best part of the dinner. Exercise caution when reading rave reviews next time, I realized they had to scrape the bottom when inviting bloggers for their food tasting, even casual, unknown bloggers ate for free then. Think about it.

It's no wonder that the service is sub par, afterall, they are with the group that manages Thai Express. I'd think the food offerings would at least have a certain acceptable standard, like Thai Express.