My family had our first brunch out at Spruce over at Phoenix Park, Tanglin Road, a nice step out of our usual ensemble of locations. (Chinese restaurants mainly) Phoenix Park had a pinch of the Dempsey aura, with Spruce set slightly up slope with a backdrop of luxuriant foliage. If not for the humid weather, outdoor seats would've been Australian-April-weather-perfect.

Interior
The cafe was laden with a collection of paintings that were so jaw-dropping realistic with such vibrant colours. They made a whirlwind of a difference to the cafe’s interior which would otherwise be a bland (but seamlessly minimalistic) blend of white, brown and black. You know, "café colours".

Brunch MainsSpruce British Brekkie (S$19) - Of all the breakfast platters I have tried, the quality of ingredients in this one pleased me the most. The foccacia toast was thick and fluffy and the scrambled eggs were nicely smothered with butter. Tomatoes were roasted with the vines still attached and the bacon was soft the way I liked it. Cajun Prawn Benny (S$25)Crab Cake Benny (S$25)

The Cajun Prawn Benny & Crab Cake Benny were two less-than-usual takes on the usual Eggs Benedict and quite a divine spin too. The hefty price tag is justified with the sheer quality of their ingredients though we wish there were a bit more of it on the plate.

DessertsAmerican Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream (S$15) - A classic dessert stayed that classic and for good reason too. The warm apple pie was drizzled with chocolate sauce, which enhanced its sweetness whilst the vanilla ice cream balanced the flavours and cooled each bite down perfectly. Baked Ginger Date Pudding (S$12) - We weren't too impressed with the Date Pudding, though it looked pretty good. The Pudding lacked a perfect consistency and that left me focusing more on the vanilla ice cream that I happily doused in the sweet caramel sauce.Flat White (S$6) - While I fell head over heels with the coffee cup, my Flat White was decent but it didn't wow me to any point because it was a tad too acidic and not thick enough for my liking.Spruce Lemonade with mint (S$6)

Conclusion
The price of Spruce’s food was quite on the high end (for brunch) but that won’t stop me from returning ever again. The occasional splurge is worth it with good food in such a lovely atmosphere. They only serve brunch on weekends and public holidays, which I’m certain ensures a continuous peak period. Do make reservations if you’re planning on dining there.

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InteriorIt’s not difficult to fall in love with the interior of Five & Dime Eatery if its minimalistic exterior didn’t impress you even a slightest bit. I love how their chairs carry that pop of mint on the sides, breaking that almost synonymous hue of brown throughout the shop. Apart from their robustly chalked up black board menus hung up against the brick wall, my favourite spot has to be the white pegboard holding pairs of totes and frames.

Menu/ Food & Drinks
Five & Dime offers quite an exquisite array of cocktails, which seem to be quite the catch. But it was just past morning and we were looking more for a couple of perk me ups for that lazy Sunday morning — Coffee! But for the young at heart, there's nothing like a frothy Banana Milkshake complete with rainbow sprinkles on top, which tasted really good with the right amount of consistency!I’d only been to Five & Dime once before, for dinner, more than a year back but I distinctly remember how amazing their Mentaiko Pasta ($18) was. Definitely a must-try whilst you’re there. We were also recommended the Eggs Benny ($16), which didn’t disappoint one bit. The pair of poached eggs looked and tasted just about perfect, with a good and proportionate coat of hollandaise sauce going on.It might have been the eggs and warm brioche taking centre stage on the plate but the breakfast potatoes and fruit salad did put up a fair supporting act. I certainly appreciated the latter for the two mouthfuls of freshness to ease the heavy combination of egg yolk and hollandaise.

On the whole, I adore the food and decor at Five and Dime in addition to its homey and wholesome atmosphere. My only qualm is its slight lack of convenience. Whilst there is a bus stop just opposite the building, the restaurant/cafe is a fair bit of a walk from the nearest MRT station, Somerset. Drivers needn’t worry about parking because the eatery has their very own car park just past the bright red gates on its left. It’s free too!

There were 3 levels of spiciness to choose from - Red, black and white. I tried the Black Spicy Ramen which was a peppery and spicy mix for broth. The noodles were tangy and the pork slices were soft and tender but I would have liked the yolk of the ramen egg to be a tad more underdone.

I must say that with practically the entire foodie world raving about Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King's ramen, I'd heightened my expectations and was looking forward to be blown away by its flavours. While the bowl of ramen was undoubtedly good, I was pretty disappointed that it didn't surpass.

Toss & Turn is one salad shop I would go to on days I feel the need for a healthy punch during lunch. You can create your own salads here at $7.80 for a small serving and $9 for a regular. Difference being half the size and 2 less vegetable add ons. Fair warning, the regular salad is huge and their servings are beyond generous.

You can also choose from their line of salad combinations but it's always nice to be able to decide what exactly goes onto your plate.

I had a regular salad here, which was made up of:
1 Salad base - Cold pasta
ted Chicken & Sauteed mushrooms
4 Veggie/Crunchies - Wasabi sprouts, Cherry tomatoes, Beans & Almond flakes

Then you get to top it up with sauce, of which I chose Honey mustard.

The end product was extremely flavouful though I did find the roast chicken to be a bit dry. Also, $7.80/$9 stands pretty steep for a salad (which was why I chose noodles instead, to try and get my money's worth) but having said that, I would still head here for my salad fix in town. It pays to be/feel healthy.

Though Koh Grill & Sushi Bar is slightly hidden at the same level as Food Republic, there's no need for an introduction to this popular Japanese restaurant with a signature like the Shiok Maki ($16.80). It now comes in 2 versions - The first being "Generation 1" with unagi and of course, the 2nd generation featuring prawns, which we had.

What the Shiok Maki comprises of:Avocado and prawn bits are wrapped around by seaweed, with an outer bed of rice (of course). Then, aburi salmon is draped over the top, slathered with a thick cheesy mentai dressing and finally topped with bursts of tobiko. As with many others who would highly recommend at least one order of the Shiok Maki when you're here, same for me. It's definitely a must-try, especially for those with a weakness for cheese. It comes in a great sharing portion too - 8 pieces of maki, unless you're made up of an odd number. Then, fight for it. Besides that perfect starter, I had a lunch set - Bento I ($14.90), which was basically Sashimi Moriawase with sides of rice, miso soup and a salad. Compared to the Shiok Maki, the bento set was a letdown. While the sashimi slices (salmon, tuna and yellowtail) were generous in terms of thickness, I really wish the portions were larger (3 each). As for the soup and salad, they were pretty standard.

In conclusion,
I don't know about their other food offerings like Ramen and grilled items but I wouldn't be particularly happy to order Bento I again. My colleague had Bento A, which had a far bigger portion of salmon sashimi slices (five). But of course, the Shiok Maki was a pleaser and I would certainly return for that again.