Craft Bakery & Cafe is run by the people behind 3 Inch Sin, a bakery-cafe more known for their molten lava cakes. Unsurprisingly, the same molten lava cakes can be found here in an assortment of variations. The place is fairly bright and spacious, with both indoors seating and an al fresco area.We dropped in for brunch, after passing over Park@Holland V on the other side, for the more-affordable prices at Craft. There is the usual array of all-day breakfast items, sandwiches, mains and coffees.Deceivingly small in portion, this is actually really filling since it was filled to the brim with macaroni. What we especially liked was the generous gooey-cheesey cheese that enveloped the macaroni entirely and generously. The macaroni was a little overcooked though and so a little too chewy. Still, this was tastily sinful, though it gets a bit cloying towards the end.The name is the dish itself. Definitely very thick, and full of the buttery fragrance too. It is supposed to come with a poached egg, but because I was feeling in the mood for scrambled eggs, I had it switched to this. I should have probably just stuck with the poached egg. The thick toast bed would have mopped up the liquid yolk beautifully. I like my scrambled eggs slightly runny, so it would be better if this was so, especially with the thick toast. Taste-wise, this came together nicely, though slightly dry (I really should have left the poached egg alone). This dish isn't difficult technically, and so it's really hard to go wrong. A safe choice.The bread was toasty and according to my friend who ordered this, this was not bad. Well, how can you go wrong with mushroom, bacon and cheese? This combination is classic and happily, I guess Craft didn't let down in the execution of this one.The namesake of Craft: Chocolate Molten Lava Cake. They have several kinds of chocolate lava cake available and we settled for the Hazelnut version. I am not sure if this is so for all their lava cakes but this was deathly sweet. So, so sweet that this is probably the sweetest chocolate lava cake I have eaten and the first one I did not finish. The accompanying vanilla bean ice cream was of a very good quality - you could really taste the rich fragrant flavour of the vanilla bean. It would have complemented the lava cake well if not for the fact that the cake was so sweet to begin with. Plus, the 'molten lava' did not flow as smoothly as we would have liked. It wasn't the smooth, liquid flow we were expecting, but more of the mushy, thick kind of flow when we cut it open. Just too sweet really that it overkilled. If you have to order this, share.Craft is definitely on par, if not slightly cheaper than its competitors in terms of prices, especially for its all-day breakfast items. Mains were generally all good, though not spectacular. If you are looking for something decent, easy on the pocket and a good place to catch-up or while away the afternoon, this would be the place to go in Holland V. Please though, let me know if their molten lava cakes are not deathly sweet anymore.

Located among the Upper Thomson enclave of eateries, One Man Coffee prides itself for its espresso coffees, alongside a small menu of all-day breakfast items. Just a few doors down from its more-known competitor-neighbour Habitat Coffee, it has 2 tables outside and more inside. The atmosphere is cool and relaxed with its brown hues and warm lighting and there's the constant wafting smell of warm, freshly made coffee. Certainly, it is a good place to catch up with friends though it can get a little noisy and tight (the space between tables is slightly small) when crowded. The space is shared with Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar, which takes over after 5pm.

The place was full when we dropped by the place on the Sunday afternoon after choosing to turn away from Habitat Coffee, which had a long wait list. Despite the full house, the service staff were quick to attend to us with a menu and also politely requested that we wait for a short while till there was an available table.

One Man Coffee Menu
The menu is definitely limited, compared to what other cafes have to offer usually but it suffices to satisfy all-day breakfast cravings. Our food took about 15 minutes, which is pretty long, but it came together all at the same time, so I guess the waiting time is alright.


Spinach Salad with prosciutto, toasted pine nuts, cranberries and feta cheese ($10)
The toasted nuts and cranberries provided crunch to the well-flavored salad, which was dressed with olive oil vinaigrette. What made it all the better was the feta cheese that accompanied it. The cheese had a delightful burst-in-the-mouth quality with creaminess, which made the salad all the better with each mouthful. The greens could do with lesser oil dressing and perhaps they could be more generous with the prosciutto but otherwise, this is a hit.


Big Brekkie ($12)
The Big Brekkie came beautifully presented, but the sourdough rye bread was a letdown as it was crusty-dry and we had difficulty cutting it. The honey ham likewise, was dry and lacking in flavor. Even the 6-minute eggs - meant to be like lava eggs according to the staff; which was supposed to have a flowy yolk centre, barely scraped through with one yolk nearly solid and the other semi-liquid. Luckily, the spinach salad side dressed in pesto was delectable, though again a little too much oil here. What really stood out on this platter though was the roasted tomatoes, seared to a semi-crisp exterior with a wonderfully juicy sweet interior. Yums.


Brioche French Toast with Homemade Berry Compote, Candied Walnuts and Cream ($10)
Once again, the cafe did a terrific job on presentation. The Brioche French Toast was fluffy and moist with eggy flavor; definitely a must-try for those who love their french toast. The bread soaked up the cream easily and the bread melts in the mouth, but I am not a French Toast person, so I did not enjoy its sweetness too much. The berry compote provided a nice contrasting sour to this.


Bottom right: Gashouse Egg with Bacon Jam ($10)
We were told that this is popular item on the menu, and I can see why. If there is one thing I have to pick to have here, it would be this Gashouse Egg with Bacon Jam. The bacon jam didn't stand out like I expected it to because it basically tasted just like bacon with a little sweet tinge, but it was alright because the bread stole the show. It arrived freshly toasted warm with gooey melted cheese and when the centre was cut, the egg yolk in the middle of the bread flows out wonderfully. Soak it up with the bread and what you have is gastronomic. Must order.

Overall, really decent, if not above average all-day breakfast items from One Man Coffee. They outdid themselves on the beautiful presentation. Definitely one of the most memorable cafes I have been to in a while and I will be back to savour its espressos, which looks like it will deliver as well, if what I saw and smelled was anything to go by.

Full review http://herpenandfork.blogspot.sg/2016/04/pardon-my-french-review-affordable.html 
Excusez moi. It may occupy a pretty small space at Icon Village, but don't overlook it. Opened by 2 At-Sunrice Global Academy graduates, Pardon My French serves up French cuisine without frills. What differentiates this casual French bistro-cafe is that the 2 chefs make a lot of their things from scratch and inject their own interpretations to the dishes. Homecured duck confit; homemade shoestring fries, homemade baileys ice cream...you get the idea.Full Menu - FoodDrinks Menu

Their lunch sets are priced at $8.90 (main + soft drink) and $12.90 (main + dessert). Dinner mains range from $12 for pastas to a just a little over $20 for others. They change up their lunch menu from time to time and these changes are updated on their Facebook page.

MainsPoulet Roti with pasta ($12.90 lunch set with dessert)The roasted poulet roti of chicken thigh was flavourfully marinated and moist . Together with the al dente pasta tossed in caramelised onions sauce, this was on pointe. Mushroom Pasta ($8.90 lunch set with soft drink)

The mushroom pasta was also tossed in the same caramelised onions base sauce. Similar to the poulet roti, just without the chicken and with juicy mushrooms.

DessertHomemade Baileys Ice Cream (eggless) with Ruby Poached Pear ($6)We had the Ruby Poached Pear, which came with homemade Baileys Ice Cream (eggless). The red poached texture of the pear was tender yet still supple, without being mushy. I am not much of a fan of red wine in food, but the red wine aftertaste of the poached pear was a likeable thick-velvety without being overpowering. The star though was the homemade Baileys Ice cream. It was the right balance of sweet and Baileys alcoholic flavour and creaminess. This made one of my favourite, if not my most favourite, versions of this ice cream.

The menu creations have been tweaked for local palates, so it may not be for those who are looking for authenticity, but it certainly might be better for your waistline (less salty homecured duck confit anyone?) and definitely suitable those who aren't fans of the creaminess and richness of French flavours. Go during lunch time, when the sets are even more value for money. It's good for small groups/dates, especially given the quiet ambience since it is as yet a secret.

Now the secret's out. Oh no. Bon appetit.

Review on http://herpenandfork.blogspot.sg/2016/04/chokchai-mookata-review-thai-mookata-in.html 

Unlike the many Thai Mookata eateries that have sprung up as standalone eateries in the recent years, Chokchai Mookata has chosen its location within a heartland coffeeshop. Thai Mookata is traditional Thai Steamboat BBQ. Opened by local owner Len and his friend, the stall is located within a coffeeshop that is a 10-15 minutes walk from Ang Mo Kio train station. The distinctive point of the mookata here lies in their homemade clear soup base made from radish. It has a light sweetness and is good on its own, yet also makes a good canvas for the seafood/meat to enrich.Chokchai offers sets of $28++ (2-3 pax)/$45 (for 5-6 pax). Each set comes with an assortment of meat such as black pepper chicken and soy garlic lean meat, scallop, prawns and vegetables. We had the set for 6, but still found that we had some leftover meat left. If you like, you can add on additional preferred ingredients too.They make their own seafood sauce and chili dips. Try both, and decide which one you like better. My preferred was the seafood (green) one. Warning: the chili packs a punch, but it is worth the heat (with the squid especially).Apart from the Mookata, they also have Som Tam (Thai green papaya salad). For the uninitiated, this is among Thailand's national dishes.The salad is made by Thai hands - one of the staff here. It packs fieriness, so be warned those who can't take spiciness. Yet, it is refreshingly appetising (if you can get past the heat). For those doing mookata for the first time like I was, you start off your mookata by heating up the iron dome. Then take the chunks of lard (ooo) and grease it before laying your meat on it.Afterwards, it is pretty much whatever floats your boat in the cooking. Don't neglect the side soup 'river' too. Apart from having it the usual steamboat-ish style, try putting the maggi noodles to cook inside and then have it dry-style by tossing your noodles in the green seafood sauce dip. For the meat, I preferred the black pepper chicken to the other soy garlic lean meat which was sweeter. This may not be the most 'authentic' experience of Mookata, if you insist upon charcoal for your experience. There's also the non air-conditioned setting that may be harder to bear with, though we did not have much problems with that as the fans within did a pretty good job. Otherwise, Chokchai is a very affordable option to consider for a Mookata experience ($8-$10 per pax really?) and the quality.

Full review on herpenandfork.blogspot.sg

If you have ever passed Orchid Hotel during lunchtime, you would not miss the queues. Apart from the queue for the ramen, there's also the other queue - for Teppei Syokudo.

It is known for its Chirashi Kaisen Don, $17.80 during lunch. There's no GST charge, making it one of the lower-end priced sashimi bowls in town. For those who can't trudge to Tanjong Pagar or don't want to brave the lunch time queue, they have takeaway outlets available at Takashimaya and Raffles City basement. Some say that it is better (fresher fish, not overly-marinated etc) to have it here on the spot, prepared by the chef in action himself. I have never tried, but I think you can hardly go wrong coming to the actual place where it first started.

In the small space at Orchid Hotel, diners sit by the bar, and you can get a pretty good view of the chefs and the kitchen action because of the open-concept kitchen. The perk of eating in Teppei is that you get to see chef in action: cutting, marinating and portioning the chunks of raw sashimi fish into each bowl. Once you sit down, you are given a menu and asked for your order. They also have other lunch sets (comes with hot/cold green tea and miso soup) ranging from $16.80-$19.90. The Gyu (wagyu beef) Don nearly tempted me with the delicious grilled smells. Nearly. I had to try the Kaisendon.

It was indeed as heard, generous with the sashimi. There is chunks, and I mean REALLY chunky and meaty, pieces of tuna, salmon, white fish, plump scallops and of course, the little orange balls of ikura (salmon roe) that go 'pop' in the mouth. This is not a don for people who want the pure unadulterated taste of sashimi. For those who like a little flavour along with the freshness of fish in their bowl, this is good. In fact, it is by far my favourite in town, perhaps because the previous bowls I have tried are not/little marinated. The Teppei Special Sauce marinate gives it the flavour needed that doesn't make one tire of the sashimi so easily. I would have liked the rice more sour with vinegar though. For those who are lucky without restriction of lunch hours, come early (11.55am) or at the later end (2pm) to steer clear of the queues. This is one of those places that definitely lives up to raves.