T

he opening of East Village saw many interesting eateries pop up in the Simpang Bedok area. Sarah’s The Pancake Cafe is yet another one interesting eatery that has just recently opened its doors. Pancake specialty stores are not unheard of; there are already a couple of notable eateries that serve only pancakes in Singapore. To distinguish themselves from the rest, Sarah’s The Pancake Cafe is also fully Muslim-owned, which provides a complete Halal dining experience. Apart from both sweet and savoury pancakes, there are also items such as spaghetti to choose from if you are not into pancakes.I visited on their very first day of operations, and as much as I wanted to try both variants of savoury and sweet pancakes, being alone meant that I could only choose one. Ala Dol ($12.00) caught my eye pretty naturally; a local-infused pancake that puts together pancakes and Chendol into one dish. Unlike usual pancakes, these were presented in a crepe-like form; each crepe containing multiple layers all smothered with thick red bean paste that was sweet but barley cloying. It also comes drizzled in Gula Melaka, but that sweet coconut flavour seemed to get covered off by the red bean paste easily; would have preferred the Gula Melaka to be thicker so its flavours could be better brought out. Savoury corn bits were all over, and it gave the dessert a small tinge of saltiness. Coconut ice-cream sits on the top; a flavour that cannot be missing in Chendol. Loved the Atap Chee added around the sides too; I have had countless Chendol local-infusion dishes but its the first to have included the usually-forgotten ingredient.Homemade Iced Tea ($3.00) was light, cooling and refreshing for the hot weather, but I would have enjoyed a heavier tea aroma for their brewed tea.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/09/03/sarahs-the-pancake-cafe-east-village/

If you wonder why there is a long line at the steps of this restaurant daily and nightly, and if you wonder why so many photographs of celebrities grace the wall of this simple little eatery, well then I suggest you give it a try.I have been to Founder Bak Kut Teh many times, and have tried a lot of other decidedly famous ones over the years as well - but this still reigns as one of my top favorites. That is despite the queue and hurried service. Anyway, tonight the Beau and I graced the restaurant once more.The Beau took the Founder Bak Kut Teh (SGD$8.00) that came with a bowl of white rice. The meat was tender enough, and the soup was piping hot and very tasteful with strong peppery overhaul - perfect for a rainy evening like the one we were enjoying.I selected the Pig's Intestine's Soup (SGD$6.50) with no rice. Rest assured that it would also be served with the same delicious and distinctive white pepper stock soup. The innards were all right - some chewy, some tender, some springy in texture, but all were good.

The side dishes such as salted vegetables, braised peanuts, braised eggs etc are all tasty and serve as wonderful accompaniment as well. Alternatively, their Pig's Trotter (SGD$8.00) a try as well - tasty, tender and sinfully good for a once-in-a-blue-moon indulgence.

For full review and more photographs, please feel free to visit:
http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2014/10/dinner-at-founder-bak-kut-teh-orchid.html

I wanted to surprise my dearest Grandma with a beautiful cake on her birthday. I went to a well-known bakery in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10. I was told i have to select at least a 1 KG cake for approximately $42 or higher then to pay at least $15 for their workmanship to have basic design on the cake. I walked away without placing an order. I was at AMK Hub just other day and visited Four Leaves. I saw the picture of this cake in their catalogue and i wanted it without much hesitation. The price stated is $41 for 21 cm inclusive of the design work on the cake. The price is definitely much more reasonable as compared to the other bakery for a similar cake.

I was told that i need at least 3 days in advance to place an order. I was given the selection of Strawberry Shortcake, Blackforest, Almond Fruits Top and Chocolate Classico to choose. I was told that i can choose to pay the total amount in full or partial. I chosen to pay the full amount and i was given the order chit with receipt.

I went back on Saturday to collect the cake. I was served by the same friendly shop assistant. She took out the cake from the fridge. She opened the box to show it to me though she did not pull it out as the cake occupied the entire box and it might not be too easy to put it back. She slotted in 2 pieces of disposable ice pads to raise the cake slightly so it would be easier for me to pull it out later. She asked me to handle it with extra cautious when she passed it to me. I truly appreciate such a good service provided by this shop assistant.

I could not forget the happy smile on the face of my Grandma when i presented the cake to her. And, she agreed that it was a pretty Birthday cake. The Strawberry Shortcake tasted absolutely lovely. The sponge cake was very soft and fluffy with generous bits of strawberry sandwiched in between. The fresh cream was delicious with just the right amount of sweetness.

It was a Happy Birthday for my dearest Grandma and we enjoyed the cake a lot.

If there was one F&B establishment that I would name which has the best marketing and branding team, TWG Tea would certainly be one of the hot picks. The Wellness Group Tea Company, abbreviated to TWG Tea is a Singapore-based luxury tea company with salons across the world. While I first chanced upon this brand of premium tea-leaves in the UK and subsequently in HK, it was only later did I realize that it originated from Singapore!

Singapore's pivotal role in the tea trade was instrumental for the company to decide upon the lion city as the organisation's headquarters. Quite frankly, the tea salon which is characterised by its luxurious layout and presentation had more often than not been intimidating - well a meal there certainly does not look cheap. While it predominantly sells tea, in tea-bags like your usual 'Lipton' English tea, TWG Tea also retails hand made tea-infused food, including savoury items, pastries and desserts. They also prepare accessories such as hampers, tea scented candles and teacups made of gold and platinum which would most certainly impress gift-receivers.

We were in the vicinity of Marina Bay Sands and while we wanted to rest our feet after an afternoon of walk-around, TWG Tea came to mind and after some 15 minutes of queue time, we finally got ourselves a table.

The menu entailed a very comprehensive range of premium and flavoured tea-leaves and would almost certainly satisfy tea-lovers. The only shame was that I am a true coffee fanatic and it would be terribly difficult to have me converted with a cup of mild caffeine from the premium tea.

While we struggled to decide our orders, we eventually settled for the following:

1837 Crepe with Jasmine Ice Cream (S$14 + S$3/-)The freshly made crepe was served with handmade berry marmalade made of raspberry, blueberry, cherry and blackcurrant infused with 1837 Black Tea. The ice cream was surprisingly creamy and melted almost instantaneously upon being served as it comes into contact with the freshly baked crepe. While we enjoyed the soft and warm crepe that was baked to perfection with just a slight tan and a slight chewiness, we felt that the fragrant Jasmine flavoured ice cream complemented the dessert well. We also enjoyed the overall combination of the dessert, which had a beautiful tang from the fresh berries and you could taste the richness of the marmalade.

Financiers with Matcha Tea, 2 pcs (S$9/++)We felt that the matcha financiers were rather overpriced. While it was well baked, with a nice crust on the edges, the almond flavour did not come across strong enough. It was probably masked by the matcha powder used in the making. While it made a decent rendition of financier, it certainly did not come cheap.The financiers were served with TWG Tea jelly and whipped cream. These two complemented the matcha flavoured financiers perfectly and the jelly had a subtle sweetness that kept us scooping more! The whipped cream however was light yet rich and the combination with the jelly was simply sublime. We highly recommend to order the other pastries such as madeleines or scones just so you could pamper your palate with this homemade jelly and whipped cream.

Floral tea (S$11/++)Well, as mentioned earlier in this post, I am terrible when it comes to appreciating tea but at S$11/+ per pot for two small cups, I am not sure if it was worth it. On a secondary note, we always preferred traditional English tea rather than floral or scented tea, so I would reserve my comments on this particular signature that was recommended.I honestly think the branding of TWG Tea is brilliant if not, perfect. They have a Caucasian in each and every of their outlet, even in their outlet in Hong Kong at IFC. It exhibits a really 'classy' image especially with the cutlery and interior design of the outlets.

Was the service impeccable? Hardly. We ordered an extra serving of two scoops of ice cream but they were not served and it slipped our minds as well. It was however charged to the bill. If I may be completely honest, TWG Tea would resume to be the place that I turn to if I needed to get some quick gifts for overseas friends but for me to return for a high-tea or proper meal, there would certainly be some inertia.

I was attracted to this cafe, because of their rainbow cakes. We found some public parking along the hawker center, across the road from NOM. We got to NOM at 12pm and we were the first customers there. The waiter was quick and gave us the menu and iced water within a few minutes of us getting seated.

My colleagues tried the fish and chips, which was a giant beer battered fish. They claimed that they could taste a tinge of beer in the batter. The appetizers of breaded mushroom wasn't too bad, but there were only like 7 pieces. Each time you bit into the breaded mushroom, you could taste the oil. Def not my fav breaded mushrom of all times. We also had the parmesan truffle fries, which were okay. for $6.90 I guess it isn't too bad. 

I got the banger rosti as my main, and though the rosti was crispy, it was quiet thin. It was thinner than expected. But it still tasted decent. The cheese sausage was super juicy with cheese sauce  

For dessert, we had both the oreo and the chocolate rainbow cakes. Which at a price of $7.90 is quiet heavy. But the oreo was so awesome and tasty. Same with the chocolate. Reminded me of awfully chocolate cake, that I just had for breakfast this morning. 

I would def come back to try more of their rainbow cakes, especially the salted caramel and more of their dishes for sure!