Sun Ray Cafe

Headed down to Sun Ray Café to redeem a set of Yu Sheng which we won from OpenRice’s recent Yu Sheng Giveaway contest.

Tucked along a quiet street off Serangoon Gardens, this is definitely one of the less travelled roads around the vicinity. The staff greeted us warmly upon entering the café and we were ushered to a quiet cosy corner at the other end of the shop.

We quite like the ambience here as it was pretty serene and tranquil. We couldn’t say the same for the food quality however…

Small Yu Sheng ($10.80++)
This was really one small portion of Yu Sheng! The taste was quite refreshing as it was more of a fusion salad with pomelo bits, raddish, carrots, onions, lettuce, bread croutons, and smoked salmon. Nothing really impressive but this was by far the best dish served. Poached Salmon ($19.90++)
The salmon was overcooked and literally soaked in oil. The salmon was not really fresh but thankfully, the rich buttery aroma managed to mask the taste. Not recommended. Grilled Strip Loin ($23.90++)
As with the salmon, the strip loin was slightly overcooked (more medium than medium rare which the husband ordered) and the quality of the beef was pretty average. The rosemary sauce was nice but somehow didn’t blend well with the beef. Surprisingly, the potato salad – mixed with cheese and cream – was tasted great and was a joy to eat! Personally, I felt that the mains paled in comparison to the sides and appetisers. Not really worth the money and travelling time considering the quality and taste of the food.

2013-02-22

SGD 22(Dinner)

For full write up & photos, please visit my blog: http://www.aspirantsg.com/foodie-food/celebrate-christmas-with-your-beloved-pets-sun-ray-cafe/singapore

Felt guilty at times when you left out your pets out from festive celebrations? Make this year an inclusive Christmas where your beloved pet gets to enjoy the company of family, friends and loved ones at pet friendly Sun Ray Café!

Located at 79 Brighton Crescent Serangoon Gardens, the café allow you to break away from Christmas dining at the clattery, overcrowded spaces in the city and enjoy a more relaxed pace at this secret find in Serangoon Gardens village. The café has consistently enjoyed mentions from Straits Times, 联合早报 (Lian He Zao Bao), 8-Days, i-Weekly, CHIC magazines, 9tro magazines as well as popular radio stations such as 938 Live, Symphony 924 and Love 972 FM. The award of ‘Best Loved Prawn Pasta’ by CozyCot was a further testimony of the café dedication to great taste and value for its customers.

North-easterners and pet owners from all over Singapore adore Sun Ray Café all day breakfast and house specialities such as Sun Salad, Asparagus & Bacon, Minute Steak & Eggs, Poached Salmon Fillet, Cumin Crusted Lamb Rack, Yorkshire Pork Racks or Paella Ala Valencia. You can check out them out in my previous post here.

However, we are now going to shine the limelight on the café latest Christmas Menu. Priced at S$60, diners get to enjoy a delectable six course Christmas Dinner that includes Amuse Bouche, Appetizer, Soup, Sorbet, Main and Dessert. The amazing part about the Christmas Menu is that everything was created out of fresh ingredients sourced by Chef Derrar and Chef 'Bob'. Nothing was obtained conveniently from a can, even down to the sorbet. Can't wait to get started!

We started with Amuse Bouche which literally meant Mouth Amuser in French. Amuse Bouches differ from appetizers in that they are not ordered from a menu by diners but are selected and served according to the chef's selection alone. Our Amuse Bouche consist of Avocado & Salmon on Crostini, Beef Carpaccio & Truffles and Cherry Tomato & Mozzarella.

Beef Carpaccio & Truffles comprises sliced raw beef with truffle essence. The raw part sounded daunting at first but it turned out to pretty good. The meat was a little chewy but it went well with the truffle essence.

Smoked Salmon Roulade was the first of our 2 appetiser served. Smoked slowly over the oak wood strained with The Macallan, there is a faint presence of the premium single malt whiskey.

A closer look revealed its stuffing of mascarpone cheese, orange zest, dill herb, lemon juice and black caviar. The combination of the flavours was rather well managed.

Foie Gras was presented next. Duck fattened liver was marinated with port wine, brandy, cinnamon, salt, pepper and baked in bain marie for 20 minutes before being served with diced apple and pear accompanied by port wine and bitter chocolate sauce.

The health conscious would frown at the generous yellow concentrated duck fat. The fat tasted like cold salted egg yolk. It was a little too salty for me.

Lobster Bisque was our soup item for our Christmas Feast. This was one of the best lobster bisque that I have tasted. Carrot, celery, leek, onion, garlic, lobster meat and shell were cooked for a long period of time to dissolve the shell so as to intensify the flavour.

Before we start proper on the main, a shot of refreshing lemon and pineapple sorbet was offered to clean our pallet.

Moscato D'Asti was brought in while we were enjoying our desserts. This is a "Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita” (DOCG, controlled designation of origin guaranteed – the highest quality assurance label for Italian food products) sparkling white wine produced mainly in the Asti, Italy. It has also recently scored 88 points on the 100-point Wine Spectator published on 11/30/2012.

The wine is sweet and low in alcohol, and often enjoyed with dessert. Typically reminiscent of ripe melons and blossom, it has an uplifting perfume and although sweet, it is light and refreshing. Enough said, let's cheers to this wonderful meal!

First main up was Turkey Breast stuffed with chestnut, minced pork and served with roasted potato and cranberry sauce.

Unlike the usual dry and tough Turkey, the meat was delightfully tender and moist.

Our 2nd contender Salmon En Croute consist of salmon fillet seasoned to perfection with salt, pepper, lemon juice wrapped in filo pastry. It was served with Jerusalem artichoke and green asparagus with lemon, cream and white wine sauce.

Our final dessert was Christmas Pudding made from mixed dry fruits, brandy, cinnamon and served with creamy egg yolk brandy sauce.

You can choose to top up your Christmas Set with mocktails, cocktails or good old fashion coffee. For the alcoholics, there's Orgasm - a delicious drink made from Irish cream, coffee liqueur and an orange-flavoured liqueur, it's one of the sexiest cocktails in the world.

Or the cheeky Charlie Chaplin - a premium cocktail which was once one of the premium cocktails drunk at the famous Waldorf Astoria in the 1920, it has equal mixes of gin, lime and apricot brandy to create a gentle cocktail that is thick and sweet.

If you are driving, you may want get Out of the Beach (Not to be mistaken with Sex on the Beach). This is the cafe's all-time favourite.

Else you can also opt for Minty Cooler - A sparkling mixture of cranberry juice and mojito mint syrup.

Despite the café relatively modest background, its Senior Baristas Shermaine was trained by 3 award winning baristas from the acclaimed Oriole Coffee and 4 other staff are also trained Baristas from Specialty Coffee Association of Europe*. They know good coffee.

Of course, we were not the only ones enjoying ourselves.

The chefs prepared a lovely dish of Boiled Lamb for Shaun's Tracce too!

After a lovely meal, we could not resist taking a group photo with our talented chefs who made it happen!

Come visit Sun Ray Café from now till 31 December 2012 and enjoy 10% discount by simply being their Facebook Fan. Do remember to check out their Facebook time to time to get updates on their latest offerings and promotions!

2012-12-15

Celebration: Xmas's Eve

SGD 60(Other)

If you are looking for a Pet Friendly Café where you, your dogs and your friends can go gathered together over a nice meal, this is definitely a great place.
They served great fine dining style food and their chef used to be the Head Chef for 10 Downing Street (UK ‘Istana’)!!!
Great place for your Christmas party and new year party too!!!

Read more:
http://onlywilliam.blogspot.sg/2012/12/singapore-pet-friendly-sun-ray-cafe-dog.html

2012-12-01

SGD 15(Dinner)

Don't judge this place by it's exterior; it may be a cafe, but the food served is of restaurant standards! It was my first time there last week, and I don't always say this, but I was was completely blown away with the food. Y I NO FIND YOU EARLIER!? Tried the Christmas/New Year Menu, was good! Check out my full review here: http://iisjong.blogspot.sg/2012/12/review-sun-ray-cafe-xmas-new-year-menu.html
;)

The food are pretty equivalent to those of the fine dining you can find outside.
At $60 nett per head, its really worth it!

- Chef who is Ex-Head Chef of 10 Downing Street (UK 'Istana') - Chef Derrar Hassane
- All-time favourite and resident chef - Chef Bob
- Barista who was previously Head Barista of Cafe Crema at Gardens by the Bay - Shermaine Foong
- Pet-Friendly Cafe

Its definitely a place you should check it out.

Check out my latest blogpost on its Christmas / New Year Set Menu at the following link:
http://shaun-owyeong.blogspot.sg/2012/12/sun-ray-cafe-serangoon-gardens.html?m=1

It would be a truly rewarding one!

2012-12-08

Sun Ray Café provides a cosy atmosphere to catch up with friends and laze the day away. If you have craving for delectable brunch fare, this place is highly recommended. It is definitely a perfect spot for a lazy afternoon meal. Check out my full review at http://babylingrkm.blogspot.sg/2012/12/food-tasting-sun-ray-cafe.html

2012-11-25

For full write up & photos, please visit my blog: http://www.aspirantsg.com/foodie-food/sun-ray-cafe-a-ray-of-happiness-for-singapore-pet-lovers/singapore

Pet lovers all around Singapore can now rejoice with yet another premium cafe to spend quality time with their beloved animals and fellow pet lovers over casual meals and coffee. Located at 79 Brighton Crescents Serangoon Gardens, the café is wonderful hideaway from city clattery, overcrowded spaces and hurried pace of life.

Established in December 2010 singlehandedly by Dave Lim, this cozy pet friendly café has consistently enjoyed write ups and mentions from Straits Times, 联合早报 (Lian He Zao Bao), 8-Days, i-Weekly, CHIC magazines and 9tro magazines. If you drive, you are likely to have also heard praises of their cuisines on popular radio stations such as 938 Live, Symphony 924 and Love 972 FM.

The award of ‘Best Loved Prawn Pasta’ by CozyCot - online magazine offering articles about beauty, fashion and woman lifestyle was a further testimony of the café dedication to great taste and value for its customers. North-easterners and pet owners from all over Singapore adore Sun Ray Café all day breakfast especially during the lazy weekends.

But if you woke late (like the few of us), you can opt for brunch instead. We started our meal with 4 exotic beers. Can you believe we actually started sampling 4 exotic beers on an empty stomach. Tsk tsk. Here's a quick introduction to the drinks:

Taiwan Lychee Beer ($11) offers a sweet lychee taste, with a good overall mouth feel and a clean after taste. Sun Ray Café also offers Taiwan Honeydew-Melon Beer which is a sweet honeydew melon flavoured beer with hints of cane sugar and flowers.

Fruli Strawberry Beer ($11) is a unique blend of white beer and strawberry juice. The strong zest of the beer was well balanced by the sweet and refreshing taste of strawberry

Swedish Rekordelig Cider ($12) is an ever popular cider made from Swedish spring water by a family-owned brewery. Available in 2 lovely flavours Pear as well as Strawberry and Lime.

Japanese Craft Beer Hitachino Nest White Ale ($12) also known as Japanese "Owl" Beer is a multi-award winning beer with hint of coriander, nutmeg and orange peel.

For starters, we had the popular Sun Salad ($8) which consist of Baby romain lettuce, tossed with caesar dressing (mayonnaise, anchovy, garlic, lemon juice) and tomato XL, crispy bacon (pork) served with soft boiled egg crusted with cornflakes. The presentation was deliberately to reflect that of a rising sun over the horizon. Crisp lettuce together with its refreshing dressing made this an excellence appetizer. What impressed me most was that the soft boiled egg within the deep fried cornflake crust still contained a runny egg yolk - not an easy feat to master.

Asparagus & Bacon ($11) was up next. These U.S. asparagus were poached in salted water before being wrapped in pork bacon to be served with poached eggs and orange hollandaise sauce (clarified butter with egg yolk, orange zest & orange juice). The pork bacon was a sinful delicacy. It went perfect with the runny eggs and orange hollandaise sauce.

True to its name, Minute Steak & Eggs ($18) tender beef loin was only grilled for a minute before it was served with crashed baby potato, baked cherry tomato, rosemary herb, garlic and olive oil.

Poached Salmon Fillet ($22) consist of a thick & succulent salmon fillet with its skin off. Poached for 4 minutes in soya milk, it was served with U.S. Asparagus, with lemon juice, butter and cream.

Cumin Crusted Lamb Rack ($26) was crusted with dijon mustard and cumin baked for 15 minutes to achieve medium rare texture. Served with Ratatouille created out from courgette, red, yellow, green capsicum, garlic, onion, bay leaves, tomato paste, tomato whole, red wine, rosemary and lamb juice. This is a must order for lamb lovers.

Our final main was Yorkshire Pork Racks ($22). The pork rack was grilled for 10 minutes, finished in oven for 4-5 minutes before its served with sweet potato, mushroom and apple cider sauce. Yorkshire Pork is a famous breed of white swine that boost of just the right amount of lean meat & fats for an unforgettable bite.

We ended off the meal with delicious Double Chocolate and Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream. We strongly recommend the Matcha Green Tea flavour. It commands a strong taste of Premium Japanese Green Tea which is quite difficult to find even at well known Japanese restaurants.

Jessie's darling dog did not go hungry while we were sampling the chef's cuisine. We ordered a portion of Lamb Meat Ball ($6) for her.

While we were sipping our post meal coffee, Chef Derrar Hassane (Head Chef at Sun Ray Cafe) came in to check on his guest. Besides sharing with us the preparation work behind the entrées, the bubbly chef also share with us his adventurous past of perfecting his European style culinary skills at different countries. Notably, and as recent as 5 years ago, he has served as the Head Chef for 10 Downing Street (UK ‘Istana’). Leading a team of 8 chefs, he prepared dishes for the UK Cabinet as well as for state banquets up to 800 covers. That’s indeed food fit for kings and queens! Two years ago, he served as the Executive Chef in L’Opera in Piccolo Hotel at Bukit Bintang, KL Malaysia where he led a kitchen brigade of 27 chefs, with up to 800 daily covers.

Patrons were thrilled with coffee on the house a week before we came. It was a special treat for all to celebrate the completion of Specialty Coffee Association of Europe* (SCAE) Barista Course by 4 of Sun Ray Café staffs.

You should come visit Sun Ray Café from now till 31 December 2012 and enjoy 10% discount by simply being their Facebook Fan. Do remember to check out their Fan Page time to time to get updates on their latest offerings and promotions!

2012-11-24

SGD 30(Lunch)

Woke up early for a hearty breakfast nearby my place. I had the American set breakfast to start with. It basically consist of scramble egg, bread toast, wedges, sausages, bacon and a handful of green vegetables salad. The portion was pretty huge for my own consumption. I like the scramble egg and added a little pepper and salt to taste. The bacon was a little too salty but munching it together with the bread toast smells perfect! All in all, it was great!

I jogged past the place, and decided to try it out with a cousin after dinner at Chomp Chomp, instead of going to our frequent dessert haunts near Chomp Chomp.

The cafe is secluded yet assessible, being located right at a junction of serangoon gardens way and brighton crescent (where it is located). I was surprised to find that it is actually quite spacious, with 2 units of different themes, one of which has a atas looking private room plus a chandelier. We were told it is pets' friendly too.

The lady boss strongly recommended the Tiramisu in a glass and a chocolate cake called the 'awesome cake'. Tirasmisu was soft, fragrant and had strong mix of coffee espresso and alcohol smell and taste. We were surprised to find out upon our enquiry that it is not made with hard liqour like the usual Rum or Kahlua. Instead, it is made using a wine (cant recall the name). She shared with us that it is how traditional Tiramisu was made. The chocolate powder topping further provided a bitter balance to the sweet dessert. It was enjoyable and unique.

The awesome cake sounds funny when we first heard its name. It almost seems like a direct reference and competition to the awfully chocolate cake which used to be operating a few shops down (they have stopped operating for a while). And awesome indeed. Not a disappointment at all. It is moist on the inside and has a strong chocolate flavour given by the rich outer coating. Quite ugly in appearance but awesome and sinful in taste. We ordered a second piece to satiate our cravings for its awesome taste.

Lady boss proudly told us that both desserts are made by themselves.

They sell Marble Slab ice creams. But that would be for the next visit.

Nice place, quiet and friendly ambience. Not sure whether it would turn noisy and crowded in future due to increased business owing from their good dessert. But we have indeed found another secret hideout away from the craze in Chomp Chomp area, at least from now.

Btw, parking is free and right in front of the shop.

2011-06-06

SGD 8(Supper)

Was on my way to Serangoon Gardens for dinner with my family and saw this new brightly lit café. Decided to try out this new place instead.

There are quite a few selections of soup, appetizers, mains and pastas. The prices of the food look pretty reasonable for this area though.

We ordered the 3 soups which they served – the essence of button mushroom ($4), pumpkin with leek ($4) and clam chowder ($5). The mushroom soup is very tasty, and you can taste mushrooms in every mouthful, unlike those too creamy ones which I dislike. Pumpkin soup is deliciously sweet and there’s a slight tinge of leek taste which enhances the sweetness even more. Clam chowder is also well liked coz of the generous amount clams and potatoes. Yummy!!

We also ordered some appetizers to share. The Asparagus & Bacon roll ($6) was so good that we ordered a second serving. Simply delicious!! Even my brother who is a strictly non-veg person had 2 pieces of that. The asparagus is just nice - not too soft, not too hard and coupled with the bacon’s saltiness, this dish is perfect. We also had a Vegetable Quesadilla ($5) which my mum adores! The vegetables are wrapped in a tortilla and being baked with lots of cheese toppings. The melted cheese coated the vegetables nicely enough to make a good snack.

We ordered 4 mains – Lamb Racks ($15.90), Sun Ray’s Catch (12.90), Grilled steak ($19.90) and Seafood Marinara Pasta ($11.90). Dad’s lamb racks come prettily stacked in a pile and served with mint sauce. Though I am not a huge lamb fan, I thought this lamb is very tasty and tender, without the lamb smell which I am very afraid of. Mum’s sun ray’s catch is sea bass served with orange sauce. Fish is well marinated and the accompanying mashed potatoes are of just the right saltiness. Brother’s grilled steak is accompanied by Jack Daniel’s mushroom sauce which simply brings out the sweetness of the steak which is done to the just the correct doneness. Being a pasta fan, I was delighted with my pasta order. The al dente spaghetti comes with very generous amount of seafood – clams, prawns, squid etc, and the tangy marinara sauce makes this dish even more palatable.

For desserts, we ordered the tiramisu cake ($5.50), which is nice. We also had 3 scoops of marble slab ice-cream ($6.50) to share. Nothing to write about the ice-cream, coz we all know how good this brand of ice-cream is.

On the way out, I saw that they have private rooms next door too. Just nice for a bunch of friends chilling out over drinks since there’s quite a good selection of wine. Definitely be coming back soon!!

2011-03-07

SGD 25(Dinner)

Saw it on the way home, so decided to try it out. It was overly bright, and had very weird seating. Either armchairs that were too low or stools which were too hard.

Looking at the menu, it's a western food joint and the waiter boasts of its freshly made soups.

I tried the pumpkin soup, the vegetable lasagne and the chicken bacon roulade, and a hot chocolate.

The pumpkin soup was ok, it really just tastes of mashed pumpkin with water and oil. not much stock taste. And not salty enough. It wasn't smooth, and didn't have the correct texture for a soup. Disappointed.

The chicken bacon roulade was ok, looks exactly like a chicken wrapped with bacon, but this was too salty. either not enough chicken or too much bacon but the mix required it to be eaten with the mashed potato, which was disppointing again. Instead of mixing in milk or butter into the mash, there was water. so it was watery. On the upside the mango salad served in 4 piles on the square plate was pretty tasty.

But the shock of the evening was certainly the vegetable lasagne. It was pretty downright awful. Apart from a mozzarella cheese top, nothing in it was worth eating. It was filled with carrots! It just does not go. I was expecting italian vegetables like eggplant at least but no. Crunchy grated carrots, very little tomato sauce, overcooked pasta sheets and something in it was sour. I was hungry and hate to waste food so made myself finish it but I shouldn't have. Because something in it was bad and hence my tummy ache and diarrhoea throughout the night.

The hot chocolate was good though. But because of my diarrhoea experience, I doubt I'll ever go back. Because it could be any of the dishes really. Although I'd like to think it was the carrot lasagne.

2011-01-24

SGD 20(Dinner)