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For the full review and more photos, please visit http://makanarts.com/2014/10/17/beegurt-thomson-v-two/Yogurt with honeycomb is usually unheard of in Singapore, but with the recent openings of dessert places, it is now glad to know a new place that specializes in that has surfaced - Beegurt.Beegurt's specialty is, of course, yogurt with honeycomb (probably the first in Singapore as well), though normal yogurt with toppings are also available.At the point of visit, there was a week-long 1-for-1 promotion. The Yogurt with Raw Honeycomb ($6.80) comes with 2 toppings (I chose Fruit-Os and Caramelized Biscuits). The yogurt is creamy, sour and the honeycomb is sweet and sticks to the caramelized biscuits! The sweet and sour combination makes this a enjoyable dessert to have!Being at the Upper Thomson / Sin Ming area where the crowds are at makes Beegurt a great dessert place to chill out at if you want to avoid the ice cream parlours, so why not give this place a visit?…Read More

195 Pearl's Hill Terrace used to housed the former Police Operational Headquarters. With the move to Police Cantonment Complex not far from here, this place become vacant but got occupied for office usage few years back. With a small amount of snack shops and takeaway kiosks available there, it's no wonder a retro-looking cafe that pays tribute to the past will be opened there - The Mama Shop, which is opened by MediaCorp actresses Felicia Chin, Sora Ma and 2 other friends.The menu. Currently at its soft launch, it only features waffles, burgers, certain pastries and a small selection of drinks but come the official launch next week, do expect them to introduce more items into their menu!For a start, complimentary wheel snacks and iced gem biscuits are served!The Peanut Prince ($4.50) is probably The Mama Shop's take on peanut smoothie. It is full both on flavour and taste, but could do with a bit more sweetness.For Takoyaki lovers, the Okaasan Waffles ($4.90) is a must order. The waffles are crispy and the mix of the savoury seaweed chicken with the takoyaki sauce and bonito flakes, makes this an slightly less filling alternative to the octopus balls while achieving the same taste.The Messy Messy Nice Nice Mama Burger ($10.90) consist of a New Zealand beef patty with melted gouda cheese and caramelized onion mushrooms, topped with grilled buns and served with tofu sticks. The tofu sticks are great and crispy. The bun, on the other hand, is too hard to cut into. The beef patty tasted not too bad and is briefly enhanced by the gouda cheese and the mushrooms.Located at a more secluded corner of town, this place may be hard to access via the main road, though there is a back gate from People's Park Complex that leads to 195 Pearl Hill Terrace. If you are around the Outram Park / Chinatown area, why not visit this place for a quiet respite?For the full review and more photos, please visit http://makanarts.com/2014/10/01/the-mama-shop-195-pearls-hill-terrace/…Read More

Toa Payoh has yet another bakery to its neighbourhood. Les Patisseries is opened today by 3 pastry chefs that graduated from At-Sunrice and Shatec. They also run a website to receive online orders prior to this.The menu here consist mainly of cakes and pastries, but also include drinks such as coffee and tea, waffles, all-day mains, brunch and dinner options.Coffee heres originates from Pacamara Coffee Roasters, the second cafe to use the Thailand blends so after OZ Specialty Coffee. This Flat White ($5) tasted strong and firm that had a medium acidity.The Fraisier ($5.50) is a French strawberry shortcake that has a layer of sliced strawberries covered with immensely rich cream and topped with a juicy strawberry. The Tiramisu ($7) cake here is made one by one, rather than being made as a whole cake and cut into slices. The huge amount of mascarpone cheese and cream managed to balance out its flavour with the strong coffee taste, which makes the one here a better option as the coffee taste isn’t too overwhelming.The Pain Au Chocolat ($3.20), also known as a chocolate croissant is greahere is not only flaky, but slightly crispy as well! The rich chocolate taste is also evenly spread across the pastry.Being at the heart of Toa Payoh (Toa Payoh MRT station is within 3-4 minutes walking distance), it will definitely be able to attract the crowd. There is already a crowd on the first day, mostly made up of the lunch crowds and passerbys who probably didn’t know of its existence. If you are around the area, do give this place a support!For the full review and more photos, please visit http://makanarts.com/2014/09/12/les-patisseries-block-186-toa-payoh-central/…Read More

For the full review and more photos, please visit http://makanarts.com/2014/08/20/envy-coffee-nexusone-north/As one-north, a high-tech R&D business park located in Buona Vista, continues to expand, the retail outlets that are contained within the buildings of the business park increase. A new building within the Fusionopolis hub, Nexus@One-North, welcomed a cafe few months back – Envy Coffee.There is a breakfast selection while the pasta selections are available only during lunch hours from 11am-3pm. Cakes here are supplied from The Bakery ChefLiberty Coffee’s Speakeasy blend is used for the coffee here. The Flat White ($5) has a strong and robust taste that is low in acidity.The Beef Lasagne ($10.90) come with fine layers of pasta and cheese that is covered in tomato sauce and is served alongside chips and salad. The lasagne is flavorful and excellent but unfortunately overpowered the taste of the beef.This cafe is great with the lunch crowd, especially since its proximity to neighbouring workplaces. If you are around the Ayer Rajah / Buona Vista / one-north area on the weekdays, give this place a visit.…Read More

For the full review and more photos, please visit http://makanarts.com/2014/08/31/mootime-victory-8/Mootime is a new 5-day old ice cream parlour that opened at the recently completed mixed development Victory 8!The cake selectionsAnd the ice cream selectionThe menu here is simple.Unfortunately, the waffle batter is not ready when I went, thus I ordered the Brownie with Gula Gao Gao Melaka ice cream ($7; $3.50 for Brownie and $3.50 per scoop of ice cream). The Brownie is, despite being heated up, too hard to cut into. The taste, however is great and it is not too crumbly. The Gula Gao Gao Melaka ice cream has a strong taste of Gula Melaka and is sweet but melted too easily.Though the food here definitely needs some improvement, it will have time to do so as it is only days into its opening. As cafes or ice cream parlours in the north are still quite scarce at this point of time, this is one place that should definitely be visited if you are around the Sembawang / Yishun area, before/after having White Beehoon at You Huak Restaurant or shopping opposite at Sembawang Shopping Centre!…Read More

For the full review and more photos, visit http://makanarts.com/2014/09/03/holy-cow-creamery-block-292-yishun-st-22/Cafes have been very scarce in the north, until recently a new slew of cafes started to open up there. Holy Cow Creamery is one of such that has recently open in Yishun.The menu. Ice cream is their specialty here, but they also sell waffles and drinks.The Waffles with Elvis ice cream ($7.50) is a nice combination to have. The waffles is crisp, not too soft and tasted not bad. The Elvis ice cream has a very rich taste of banana and peanut butter.Now that there are more cafes opening in the newer estates, people who live around the area will be able to visit them. If you are around the Yishun area, you can now enjoy a ice cream parlour right at your neighbourhood without having to travel far!…Read More

For the full review and more photos, please visit http://makanarts.com/2014/06/30/tian-kee-co-block-12-dakota-crescent/Tian Kee & Co. used to be a 54-year old provision shop that was operated by an old couple. The current owner immediately wanted to take over the shop when the previous owners decided to retire. The current shop, a cafe, retains the original name of the provision shop it previous occupies and part of the original decor.There is a small selection of bakes and cakes here. Unfortunately, the ice cream section was not fully set-up and the brunch menu was not up on the day of the visit.The drinks menu here is mainly focused on coffee, with a small selection of tea.The coffee here uses blends from Dutch Colony Coffee. The Flat White ($5) is full-bodied and has a low acidity but is slightly burnt and resulted in a slight bitter taste, a taste that is less apparent in their blends.All of the cakes here are supplied by popular online bakery Cat & The Fiddle. The Mao Shan Wang ($6.50) cheesecake comes with generous amount of Mao Shan Wang durian meat, and tasted creamy and indulging! This is a must recommend for durian lovers!The Banana Chocolate Muffin ($3.50) is heated up when it was served. It is fluffy and moist with a rich banana taste. The chocolate bits complemented the banana taste as well.Although currently most of the food there are pre-made from other places, they have a brunch menu coming up soon and the nostalgic environment and the humble service here will definitely attract people to visit. If you are around the Dakota / Old Airport area, don’t give this place a miss!…Read More

For the full review and more photos, please visit http://makanarts.com/2014/07/02/sin-lee-foods-block-4-jalan-bukit-ho-swee/Sin Lee Hup Kee used to be a coffeeshop here that is famous for their lor mee and prawn mee. Unable to find a successor to their business, the ex-owner sold the coffeeshop to the current owner. The current owner, Sin Lee Foods, also runs Batter, a small crepe joint at National University Hospital, that sells sweet & savoury crepes. Since we’re around the area, why not visit Sin Lee Foods on their first day?They have reused the outdoor seatings left from the former owner to provide alfresco seatings.There is definitely a variety of items to choose from the menu!Papa Palheta’s Throwback blend is used for their coffee here. The Flat White ($5.50) is chocolatey, high on acidity and left a slightly bitter aftertaste.The Big B ($18.90) is the typical big breakfast that comes with scrambled hen’s eggs, streaky bacon, mushroom ragout, thick sausage, roasted russet potatoes, vine tomatoes relish, parmesan arugula salad and thick cut French country toast spreaded with mayonnaise. These were executed nicely, with the mushroom ragout being a personal favourite for being creamy, and the streaky bacon being the least favourite because it was too dry for my liking despite being crispy and savoury.The Iron Grill Waffles of the Day ($13.90) are waffles topped with a Hokkaido Milk ice cream, fruits & berries. The ice cream is milky and flavourful, the fruits & berries are fresh and the waffles is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with a distinct buttermilk taste.The service and environment here is warming as well. A great attempt at preserving a part of the former’s memory still as the outdoor seatings and the signage of the former has been kept despite most of the fixtures of the former coffeeshop being gone. Although it is slightly more expensive than other places of its type and location, why not give this place a visit if you are around the Tiong Bahru / Bukit Ho Swee / Havelock area?…Read More

For the full review and more photos, please visit http://makanarts.com/2014/06/29/the-hideout-block-32-cassia-crescent/The Old Airport estate has been an enclave of cafes in recent times. The Hideout, a 2-week old cafe, that is situated next block to Maple & Market, is one of the newest addition to this quiet estate.Besides specializing themselves in ice creams & cakes, a small selection of coffee (from Vittoria Coffee) and tea are available.The Blackforest Shortcake ($4.80) is rather normal. The chocolate taste is just nice, but the top layer felt more like cream cheese than whipped cream. The tinge of cherry taste is absent as well, making it feel less like a black forest cake.The Buttermilk Waffles with Italian Cookies & Mango Passionfruit ($11.90) is also rather disappointing. The waffles is slightly crisp and soft, but the buttermilk taste was less apparent. The Italian Cookies and Mango Passionfruit ice creams tasted chocolatey, fruity and sweet, but are otherwise rather normal.A great addition to this neighbourhood as this place did not had a ice cream parlour (though there is another Korean ice cream parlour that opened recently quite near to Brawn & Brains). The service staffs are friendly though they could have handled orders better. If you are around the Old Airport area looking for something to chill in the hot weather, this place is one suitable place to visit!…Read More

The Upper Thomson area has enjoyed popularity for offering different F&B choices. Ice cream parlours are no strangers here, with Salted Caramel, Udders, NeLi and Scoopz within the shophouses. One of the earliest tenants of the area, Brownice, is located further inwards, within Sin Ming Centre, which specializes in ice cream made from all natural, egg-free and non-dairy products.Satisfying my waffle cravings, I ordered the Waffles with Peanut Butter Chocolate ($7.30; $3.80 for waffles, $3.50 for 1 scoop). The waffles is crisp on the outside and moist on the inside. The Peanut Butter Chocolate accompanying it, while trying to strike a balance between both flavours, tasted more chocolatey than the peanut butter taste.Anyone can enjoy the ice cream here without feeling guilty due to the nature of the contents. If you are around the Sin Ming / Upper Thomson area, this is one spot that should not be missed.For the full review and more photos, please visit http://makanarts.com/2014/04/28/brownice-sin-ming-centre/…Read More

PoMo has had numerous change of tenants for the past few years. With Kaplan recently occupying the higher levels of PoMo, the latter has also went through another round of tenant changes. It now offers more F&B choices instead. The BelGaufre is one of the food stalls that resulted from this change.There are different type of waffles to choose from, from the savoury wafflewiches to the sweet and fruity waffles, from liege waffles to brussels waffles.The Signature Custard & Roasted Almond ($3.80) waffles came in the liege variant. The custard was rather soft and goes really well with the roasted almond. The liege waffle here is similar to the original methods; it tasted rather similar to bread, is filling and chewy.The Banana Rumba ($4.50) is one of the chef recommendation. This waffle, made Brussels style, came with lots of sliced bananas and roasted almond and covered with chocolate sauce is a must have. The Brussels waffle is soft and light, allowing the bananas and almond to unleash its full taste. The downside about the Brussels waffle here is that it is less crisp. I would have chose the Liege variant instead as the Brussels waffles, because of its light taste, is not to my preference.With the unique type of waffles that they are serving, and its proximity to the Dhoby Ghaut / Bencoolen area, this place has a great potential for more customers to drop by as visitor flow to PoMo increases.For the full review and more photos, please visit http://makanarts.com/2014/05/21/the-belgaufre-pomo/…Read More

Craftsmen Specialty Coffee is now open!Yes! After a temporary closure due to staff training, Craftsmen Specialty Coffee, which specializes in coffee and cakes, had a reopening just few days ago.Besides from the food options, they also have appliances for sale here.Dutch Colony Coffee Co.’s blends are used here. The Flat White ($4.50) tasted strong and firm, yet has a low acidity that everyone can enjoy.The bakes and pastries here are supplied by online bakery Fathiscakes and Bonheur Pattiserie. The Salted Caramel Popcorn ($8.90), one of the cakes baked by Fathiscakes, is firm and satisfying. The caramel taste is just right; flavourful and not too sweet. Add a pinch of salt with popcorns on every mouthful and this will became a delightful cake to have.The location also meant that it is a quiet respite for people to relax with a cup of coffee or to study in during the day. With its reopening, the Siglap / East Coast area has now yet another cafe to be added to its list.For the full review and more photos, please visit http://makanarts.com/2014/05/25/craftsmen-specialty-coffee-siglap-v/…Read More

For the full review and more photos, please visit http://makanarts.com/2014/05/18/dutch-colony-coffee-co-the-grandstand/It has been since some time ago that I had wanted to go to Dutch Colony Coffee Co. because it serves as a roaster, a supplier and a coffee stall at the same time. Than to wait and visit a place that serves its blends, why not visit the source of the coffee?Besides selling coffee drinks, they also sell different coffee beans and blends, as well as pies and cakes supplied from Windowsill Pies.The Latte ($4.50) tasted strong and firm and is definitely pleasing to those who prefers coffee with low acidity.Located within PasarBella of the Grandstand, this may be a inaccessible place to come to so if you are around the Bukit Timah area, this place is just nearby!…Read More

For the full review and more photos, please visit http://makanarts.com/2014/04/20/bloomsbury-bakers-block-30-bendemeer-road/Two classmates, Ng Hui Yi and Ann Chong studied at Le Cordon Bleu in London, which is located in Bloomsbury Square. That is how the name of the shop, Bloomsbury Bakers, came about. Situated in Bendemeer, this place is only a 5 minute walk away from Boon Keng MRT.The menu here is simple. Cakes are their specialty here, with a small selection of drinks.The Lychee Martini Cake ($7) are not for the faint-hearted here as it tasted rather heavy and the lychee bits between the layers of the lychee cake is covered in martini. When compared to Pine Garden’s Cake (the only other place to serve Lychee Martini Cake), Pine Garden’s will fare better as it is more wallet-friendly and the taste of the martini is more distinct and even throughout the lychee bits.Despite being located in a relatively aged estate, it is able to even attract aged people as there are old people patronizing the shop every now and then. If you are around the Bendemeer / Boon Keng area, this place is also a quiet area to visit and relax.…Read More

For the full review and more photos, please visit http://makanarts.com/2014/05/14/kin-kin-chilli-pan-mee-534-macpherson-road/Recently opening their Singapore branch with much hype 2 months ago (to the extent of having to queue up to 2-3 hours just for the food on their first few days), Restoran Kin Kin is a popular restaurant in KL specializing in their chilli pan mee.Besides having the original pan mee and other types of you mian, they also have soups.The Signature Dry Chilli Pan Mee ($5) looks like an ordinary dry ban mian when it was served out, but after mixing the chilli paste that is provided on the table, it’s not hard to see why this is one of the favourites here. The chilli, while not being overly spicy, brought out the flavour in the ban mian after mixing the minced meat, ikan bilis, poached egg, fried onions and meatballs. It tasted like a dry ramen you can get in a Japanese restaurant, except that this is more flavourful, more filling, less dry and definitely more spicier (but less spicier than other types of noodles).The chilli that is responsible for the great tasting pan mee.As the hype for this place becomes more manageable, it is now easier to have a meal here (be it for lunch or for dinner, dine-in or takeaway). Given that this place is around the MacPherson / Tai Seng area, this place will be filled with the lunch crowd!…Read More