Tucked away in a hidden quiet corner at Tiong Bahru, which was one of the first public housing estates in Singapore, 40 Hands certainly stood out among the old buildings being a modern and trendy looking cafe, which would appeal to students and young professionals alike.

The name was inspired from the fact that an average of 40 hands are required in the production of coffee, from the initial process of planting coffee seeds to the end product of a delicious and aromatic fresh brew. What many failed to recognize when enjoying their shot of Espresso or Latte was that the history of coffee was one filled with stories of poverty and exploitation. At 40 Hands, they aimed to promote a sustainable coffee economy whereby certified 'Fair Trade' coffee beans were used, i.e. purchasing directly from growers allowing them to earn a higher profit margin. With the abundance of budding cafes, I must say that I was impressed with what 40 Hands endeavour to achieve and their business ethics.

The first impression at the outset was that it was rather cramped, well explicitly, expect to brush some shoulders trying to make your way through. What I particularly favoured though was the clever use of the setting and location of the cafe at a quiet hideout at Tiong Bahru (an old public housing estate) with modern touches to its interior design, display exhibits and arguably the food served. Not forgetting of course provocative billboard posters as such.Long Black (S$4/-)

(+) High roast, slight bittersweet tang with less acidity.
(+) Strong delicious aroma, certainly titillating to one's sense of smell.

(-) Regrettably, the initial taste was offset by the sour aftertaste.
(-) The tart flavour, such as unripe fruit persisted and lingered and had to be washed down with plain water, which was a real letdown.
(-) With the fan blowing at full blast, it was not too long before my coffee dropped to almost room temperature and the sour taste was the dominant flavour.Latte (S$5/-)

(+) Best among the 3 beverages, richly fragrant and well balanced in terms of sweetness. I am however a Long Black/Americano and Espresso shots person and detest any sugar or milk being added to my drink, so..

Iced Mocha in the background of the above picture (S$8/-)
(-) Overly sweet and certainly overpriced for the serving size and quality.
(-) The coffee taste was barely discernible, with chocolate taste overwhelmingly strong.
(-) Tasted pretty much like a sweetened chocolate beverage.Tau Sar Pau (S$2.50/pc)

(+) The bun was very light (in terms of density), fluffy and smooth in texture.
(+) The skin of the bun was good in the sense it did not stick to our teeth.
(+) Red bean paste inside was rich in ingredients and only mildly sweet, just to our liking.
(+) Despite the smoothness of the paste, it was not too 'liquefied' nor fluid.
(+) Unique shape of the bun contrary to the conventional round shape.

(-) Way Overpriced. Could easily have bought 2-3 tau sar paus at S$2.50.
(-) Did not seem freshly made as it was served straight from the pau electric steamer.Big Boy Breakfast with scrambled eggs (S$18/-)

(+) The ingredients used in this all day breakfast were fresh and of a good quality.
(+) Scrambled eggs were done perfectly with a soft curd texture, just the way it should be.
(+) Interesting presentation of western breakfast served on an 'old school' metal plate.

(-) The portion size was evidently sparing to say the least for the price.

The portion size was evidently sparing for the price though. 2 sausages, some sauteed mushrooms, minced meat (think spaghetti bolognese), 1pan fried tomato sliced in 2, some iceberg letture, 2 slices of naan bread and some scrambled eggs for S$18 certainly seemed too expensive to us since we were used to having English breakfast here in UK at pubs and they were about half the price at 40 Hands with similar quality and larger portions.

The ambiance at 40 Hands was good in general (with seating at the ground floor) not the lower ground level where our table was. Apparently GST and service charge was not levied onto the bill, so prices listed above were nett. Even so, we felt that it was overpriced at current standing, considering the quality and quantity of food. Do not be mistaken though, the quality was certainly above average for the food, though I would beg to differ when it came to the coffee beverages. Being a caffeine addict, I expect nothing but the best especially when it is the first cup of the day.Selling themselves as a socially responsible cafe, I was impressed more by their business ethos rather than, regrettably, their brew. Despite not being charged for customer service, one could certainly expect better attention at 40 Hands. Drawing comparison with a recent dining experience at QQ Noodle House, which similarly did not charge for service had a much better approach and attitude towards their diners. It is not just about the price, it is about professionalism in the service industry. Many cafes and restaurants tend to attribute this aspect of the dining experience to the shortage of manpower and busy orders, but personally I felt that is but an 'excusatory' element conveniently relied upon. It should be regarded as an integral part of one's dining experience and paying no heed to your customers is certainly a taboo in my books.

Located along Upper Thomson Road, there’s a small little road better known for the Indian roti prata restaurant beside a handful of private houses. Along this stretch of shops, you will find a humble looking Japanese restaurant which will definitely catch your attention if you ever passed by here. I won’t even know of this hidden gem until my friend brought me here.Before I enter the restaurant, there is a Japanese door curtain under their signboard which is shaped like the top of the house. It’s like I’m entering a little hut as I push open that glass door. The use of warm orange lighting gave me a cosy, relaxing and homely feeling to the restaurant. I love the pictures hanged on the wall as it made the whole place more colourful and vibrant. For starters, we had the Edamane ($2.20) which both of us love. It’s lightly salted so to give it some taste. I love the juiciness of the green peas in it and it was very fresh. Popping edamane into my mouth has never been that enjoyable!

On the side note, the obasan boss served us and greeted us in Japanese. I thought it was really rare to have a true-blue Japanese serving with impeccable service and Japanese style of hospitality.I always love to order Chawamushi ($3.80) when I visit Japanese restaurants and this won't be an exception. The aroma of the steamed egg with the fishcake and mushroom in it just goes so well together. This is surely one homely delight before a start of a main course. The Teriyaki Don ($6.80) was beyond expectation for the price. There was a generous serving of teriyaki chicken cubes, tender and juicy chicken tooped with teriyaki sauce which was so appetizing to go with the slightly sticky and moist Japanese rice that made me crave for more!

This place may not be exactly like my dream Japanese dining place but it’s the closest to what I can get right now. They do have an extensive list of items on their menu but I will strongly suggest going for the more common Japanese dishes so nothing will go wrong that way. Judging from the price, food, service and ambiance, I’ll definitely be back here for more heart warming Tamako Meal.

Another visit to 761 Yishun Seafood. 761 Yishun Seafood is a Cze Char stall located in a coffeeshop at Blk 761 at Yishun Street 72. The eatery has been operating for a very long time; 26 years!This post covers a consolidation of the dishes I ate over 3 occasions.

As usual I visited this Cze Char stall during dinner time on all 3 occasions. Be prepared to wait around 10 to 30 minutes during dinner time as almost half the people at this coffee shop orders from this Cze Char stall. The Hot Plate Beancurd served sizzling hot was outstanding. Generous amount of prawns and beancurds with eggs at the bottom. The sauce that was drizzled over the dish was robust and flavourful accompanied with a spicy after taste. The spiciness was just nice for us (We requested for it to be less spicy). Furthermore, the sauce complemented perfectly with plain rice. The Bittergourd Omelette also did not disappoint. For just $5, I was surprised that such a big serving of omelette was given. The omelette was well fried; big, fluffy and soft with the ideal thickness (not too thin, not too thick). The slices of bittergourd in it were well sliced at the ideal thickness. It was well cooked, did not hard and had no raw taste in it.

Wish that they could cut down the amount of oil required for this dish. Surprisingly, the Seafood Omelette that I had at Chong Kei Hoi Sin Yeh Mei Fan Tim 忠記海鮮魚翅飯店 (Macau) is still one of those which was not oily. Ironic as I would have thought HK/China would have had used more oil in their cooking. (no offence to anyone)

The Sweet and Sour Pork was average. Ginger Onion Diced Chicken was average. The different flavours of the ingredients were infused into the chicken. However, it did not sees to appeal much to me.When ordering Prawn Paste Chicken, customers can choose between the wings or meat. In this case, we chose meat. A decent dish. The prawn paste batter was not bad, just that in some parts, the batter was too thick. Another plus will be that it was not oily and inside, it was juicy and tender.On another occasion, we ordered the Prawn Paste Chicken in the form of chicken wings. It was so delicious! (Likely to be more biased as its chicken wings haha..) Anyway, I prefer this compared to meat. Crispy on the outside and inside it was piping hot, tender and juicy! Shiok. The Sambal Kang Kong was yummy. It was not overly spicy and the kang kong still retained a nice crunchiness.

The Spinach and Baby Kai Lan were both executed in the same way; with oyster sauce. Both were well fried and still retained the crunchiness. A simple dish that did not disappoint, if they were to cut down the saltiness by just a bit, it would be perfect.Shared the 'Jiu Qi' Soup among 3 persons. Anyone care to enlighten me on the meaning of 'Jiu Qi'? Is it a vegetable? Anyway this soup was very tasty and not overly salty. Filled with a wide variety of different ingredients such as vegetable, carrots, button mushrooms, straw mushrooms, squid, prawns, fish slices and egg, this is so value for money. Moreover, there was still more than half the amount of soup left after scooping it in the 3 bowls.

The food here may not be mind blowing, but it was surprisingly good and affordable. Good job!

Detailed review: http://foodiefc.blogspot.sg/2013/01/761-yishun-seafood-cze-char-2nd-post.html

I couldn't eat spicy things since young until now. But there is one dish that is supposed to be spicy but still my favourite - Laksa! To be exact, it's my mom's Laksa. It is not so spicy but with a stronger smell of the coconut milk compared to the Laksa spice.

I have tried many Laksa from many food stalls before, ranging from Penang's sour Laksa to my school canteen Laksa which have just some normal taste. And recently, I tried the famous and original 328 Katong Laksa. The Laksa that can be eaten without chopsticks, simply with a spoon. The first thought that came to my mind when i tried the laksa was, i finally found someone who could cook Laksa as good as my mom! hahaha! ( yeah, next time i should include a photo of my mom's laksa ) The portion was large during our visit, according to my aunt. Wondering why! Perhaps i'm just lucky or did i snap too many photos here and there and they knew I am going to write this review? Haha. There are some seafood in the Laksa soup and all of them taste great. You can add in more chilis if you want! But for me, the Laksa taste just nice.

Here are some photos on the Laksa:The next one is the Otah-otah! Also, it is to my liking because it is not as spicy as i thought. to be frank, i never like Otah-otah before. But this Otah-otah that i had at 328 Katong Laksa is really different from what i imagined. Taste not bad!
Here's the image. I have taken a video on how to open an Otah-otah but i couldn't upload the video. Don't know why The next dish that i like is the Rojak! The pineapple used weren't sour but sweet! Couldn't describe more than " the rojak just tastes good!" Here's an image: Although the environment is not as pleasant as any restaurants but it is a corner that you rarely find in most of the places in Singapore. The authentic road side stall feeling is still there. Haha, just bear with it for the sake of good food!!

Lunch @ Yong Siak Street's 40 Hands - recommended by one of my best friend that this is a nice place to chill out with nice coffee...

today colleagues and i suppose to try the hainanese curry somewhere near by... but it was closed, so 40 Hands strike my mind... so we spend 15min to walk from Tiong bahru Market to reach 40 Hands....

the place is quite cosy... interior decoration quite cool... first time here.. a bit lost don't know what to order, so through the recommendation from the Cashier... we ordered.....

Asian Slider (AKA Kong Bak Bao AKA Braised Dark Soya Sauce Pork Belly with Bun) 3 for $10!!! Price of a piece can eat a plate of fish ball noodles in Kopitiam which is way more satisfying, taste wise the meat is ok but portion is really pathetic, the pot of meat is soaked in chilli oil as you can see from one of the photo uploaded here... it is really oily...

Truffle Oil Fries ($8 for fries some might find it too expensive, but for truffle fries I think is worth, quite tasty actually)

Flat White ($5, Like the latte art)

Salt Cod Mash Sandwich (Sandwich bread is very nice, salt cod mash filling is jus nice although you wouldn't tasty much of the cod fish, $12)

Appletiser Sparkling Apple Juice (Refreshing at a price of $4.50)

A place for you to visit for a nice brunch... A sandwich and a cup of coffee will start your day good...