Read the full review at http://herpenandfork.blogspot.sg/2015/01/the-hangar-review-for-well-made-sarnies.html
It's hard to find good sandwiches around. No not those that are made with 2 slices of white bread from the supermarket. A good sandwich, or a sarnie (as the Aussies call it), typically consists of artisanal bread, like rye or sourdough, with a flavourful filling. The Hangar has received fairly positive reviews, and pictures of the food looked tantalising on Instagram, so I had to make my way there. We got to meet the owner, who had previously worked at Sarnies and he explained that the cafe's concept was modelled upon the ones in Melbourne.Located on Arab Street, the place is some distance away from Bugis MRT, but still reachable by foot. It looks just like any other nondescript cafe from the outside, with a fairly spacious interior. The tables aren't cramped together, but if I have to comment, it seems to be a littleee cluttered near to the kitchen.Otherwise, it makes for a good place for a catch-up over coffee and food. From the menu, all-day breakfast mains are available, but the sandwiches are the recommended dishes to have. They have the usual hand-pulled coffees too, but what's interesting is that they offer the upsize option here. For just $1/$2, you can upsize your cup to a medium/large cup, which makes it worthwhile for sharing between 2.The Hangar Menu - BrunchThe Hangar Menu - Sandwiches and SaladsDrinks MenuUpsized Large Mocha ($7.50)

Our Mocha had a nice balance between the chocolatey and nutty tones. My friend even commented that it was one of the best she ever had.Lemongrass Steak ($12)

Recommended by the cafe, and also our clear preferred choice. The beef was done nicely to a medium rare and every bite was very enjoyable. The lemongrass brought a refreshing taste to the steak. The beef slices were sandwiched between 2 piececs of toasted sourdough/rye. Very good. You definitely won't go very much wrong by ordering this.At $12 for most of their sandwiches, The Hangar really is a good place for sandwich lovers(like me) with their well-made sarnies. The coffees pulled here are more than decent. If there's a place I would drop by again for their sandwiches, it would be here.

What was formerly OZ Specialty Coffee in another location previously, has become Pacamara. Located now along Upper Thomson, the place is entirely white-washed, save for the furniture pieces. There is a fairly large communal dining bench in the middle, while the rest of the seats are in square tables or raised seating by the window. It may be difficult to come here in large groups, given the seating constraints and its popularity.Pacamara Menu

The menu for mains spans just a mere page, but there is a sufficient range of all-day breakfast and pastas. Prices here are on the high side ($16 and above at least) for cafes though.

Coffees and Iced ChocolateFlat White and Iced Thai Coffee

While the beverages were all great, the Iced Thai Coffee stood out for me. There was the presence of a roasted aroma in the aftertaste of a mouthful, which I enjoyed. A balanced drink that wasn't bitter nor too sweet.




Truffle FriesTruffle Fries ($8)

We got the Truffle Fries to share. The portion was alright and the fries were crisp. However, the truffle flavour and scent was insufficient. It almost felt like having plain fries at some parts. Skip.




Truffle Benedict


This dish was highly recommended online, and it did not disappoint at all. The aroma of truffle hits even from a distance.Once cut, the poached egg flowed gloriously to no end. The crispy brioche soaked it all up together with the velvety, flavourful hollandaise sauce. The ham and wilted spinach that acccompanied were fabulous. The ham used was not the cheap cut of deli ham. This was one memorable dish, and one I would order again. On its own, this was filling.



American BreakfastAmerican Breakfast ($20)

While this sounded absolutely mouthwatering, it was underwhelming. There are many better versions of big breakfast elsewhere. Skip.

Salmon RoyaleSalmon Royale ($18)

This is superb for those who like a Japanese touch to Eggs Benedict. Again, the hollandaise sauce was done fantastically velvety and full of ebiko flavour. Apart from the Truffle Benedict, this is another dish that is worth trying.Pacamara does well on its eggs benedicts, and I do hope so for its other mains. The coffees here are more than decent. It is a good cafe to turn to, be it for an outing or casual company launch. 

Full review on http://herpenandfork.blogspot.sg/2014/12/the-lokal-review.html 

The LoKal, located on Neil Road, is one cafe that I really looked forward and wanted to visit as it has a few differentiating points from other local cafes. The place is opened by the same folks behind Sarnies (said to be another great joint) and the cooks hand-make quite a fair bit of the ingredients used in the cafe's dishes, such as the smoked salmon and the sausage. A visit to the cafe also seems to be a good replica of the Aussie cafe experience as the concept specifically emulates a Melbournian cafe.

In the interior, the rustic brown of the furnishings and its spaciousness gave the cafe a nice laidback vibe that is perfect for catchup. It was relatively uncrowded when we got there, but the place filled up after 11.30am. The brunch menu serves up atypical dishes, which left me spoilt for choices.

Apart from the dishes, the mocha was fantastic - good enough to be at the top of my list of best mochas, sharing the spot with La Ristretto.

Roast Chicken CiabattaRoast Chicken Ciabatta ($18) with creamy avocado, aioli and bacon.

Although it threw me off at first as it was served cold, the creaminess of the avocado with the flavour from the chicken and aioli came together very well. The bread was chewy inside, while there was an occasional crispness from the bacon. It may look simple, but every mouthful was delicious. Order it. French ToastFrench Toast with Sauteed Apples, bacon and maple cream ($15)

While the bread was a thick slice, the dish was only average at best. All of us agreed that the bacon had a funny taste to it (sign of rancidity) and only the maple cream saved it. There are much better french toasts for the same price point. Skip,

Toasted Banana BreadToasted banana bread with caramelised bananas and macadamias ($12)

This was listed as highly recommended by a lot of reviews and no wonder why. It is a unique brunch item. The bread was a nice dense texture and moist inside. The light banana sweetness was made even better when combined with the yogurt, which was soaked up by the bread. Though the portion was just about a fist size, for one person, it is just right as too much could get cloying towards the end, especially so for people with less of a sweet tooth.

Grilled SausageGrilled Sausages with sauerkraut, fried egg, potatoes and added-on sundried tomatoes.

The sausages are homemade, but it was on the dry side though the taste was alright. One of my friends commented that they seemed to be less generous with the accompanying sides, compared to her previous visit. For the price, this wasn't worth it.

Smoked Mackerel and SalmonSmoked Mackerel

We added on the sides of smoked mackerel and smoked salmon. These are smoked in-house by the chefs. The smoked mackerel was a tad salty on its own, but would go well with a piece of plain toast. As for the smoked salmon, it wasn't too salty and had a nice flaky texture. The subdued smoky flavour was nice and we preferred it to the mackerel.The Lokal is one cafe that can potentially offer the wholesome authentic cafe experience, from its perfect-for-a-laidback-afternoon setting to a distinctive menu and great coffee. Standards may not be as it has been when it first opened, but it is still worth a visit for some dishes and let's hope it can pick itself up back to when it first started.

Maki-San is known for its fully DIY sushi and salads concept. Bad news for the indecisive (me), It's perfect fun otherwise, with all sorts of different combinations you can put together each time. They have 2 outlets - one at The Cathay and the other at The Arcade (Raffles Place).They serve up makis (sushi rolls), salads and even sandwiches (The Arcade branch only) but most people get the makis. At $9.90, it's pricey for a roll of sushi but it's alright if you close one eye and see it as healthy food - if you pick the healthier ingredients. There is cheaper but just get the Mega San. The roll sizes are the same, just that the Mega San includes a choice of a premium ingredient like Salmon sashimi or soft shell crab. The little san on the other hand, just avails you basic ingredients, which are mostly greens. Same goes for the salads. At The Arcade, you get a choice of sandwich too ($4.90-$5.90). Note, the sandwich is pretty small in size and is probably more suited as a filling breakfast option. For a full meal, it is only semi-filling even for ladies. You can also opt for other sauces aside from the listed, but there's a chance your bread may be drenched like mine if the sauce is runny. The listed options hold up better and won't let your bread become a soggy mess. It would be better if the sandwich was toasted though since it is pretty much served at room temperature.There are many ingredients on the list, but here are some delicious ones to pick and others to avoid.Pick

1. Roasted peppers. These are so flavourful that it makes every combination moreish.

2. Steamed prawns (ebi). The small whole prawns are succulent, making it a delight to bite into.

3. Soft Shell Crab. It's fried and it's crab. What goes?

4. Caramelised sweet potato. Theirs is a pretty purple.

5.Salmon Sashimi. Fresh and sliced decently thick. These will make your money worth.Skip

1. Curry Sauce. It overpowers your ingredients and there's a kind of aftertaste that makes you wonder if it's instant/has been left for a while.

2. The fried stuff (including the soft shell crab). There's a kind of pong to their pre-fried ingredients, which is slightly similar to the smell you get when the same oil has been used too many times.

They also have a monthly special dressing, so do check (and try the Wafu if it's in). Go ahead, roll on.

Full review on herpenandfork.blogspot.comThe outlet here, unlike its other two in the city, is really a full-fledged cafe with ample seating and brown-hued interiors. The setting is pretty relaxed in feel, making it pretty ideal for a nice chat over coffee. It was about 75% packed on the Friday afternoon we visited and remained so for the entire duration we stayed. There are no all-day brunch or the usual meal mains, but the substantial sandwiches and pastries more than makes up for it.

Mocha

This coffee owes its origin to beans from 40 Hands. With that, you know it definitely won't be anywhere near bad. The mocha here is for those who like their mocha with less of the chocolate flavour and more of the coffee. I like it the other way round, so this was just alright for me.Mocha ($5.50)

Bacon and Mushroom PaniniBacon and Mushroom Panini ($9.90)

This was part of the lunch set on promotion. For $9.90, you get a choice between Bacon and Mushroom Curry or the Salmon and Cream Cheese Panini, accompanied by a side salad. Since I was indifferent and my friend a bacon lover, we got the former. The panini was slightly doughy in texture, like a thicker kind of flatbread. It was a little unusual for a sandwich bread. While my friend found it very weird, it didn't affect the taste much for me. There was nary any curry to the filling, and it was just alright, not fantastic. The accompanying salad with generous flakes of cheese (parmesan?) was good.

Gula Melaka Kouign AmannGula Melaka and Coconut Kouign Amann ($4.50)

Its awkward-to-pronounce name (Queen-ah-mann) aside, I have a soft spot for the original Kouign Amann. It is up there on my list of penultimate favourite pastries, so this trip was made in mind to try out the newly-launched version with a 'local' twist - Gula Melaka Kouign Amann. The Gula Melaka, though present, wasn't very apparent. Still, this was excellent because it is just like their original. Same crispy, caramelised edges, with soft and buttery textured layers within. Not sure if I would pay the extra dollar for the Gula Melaka and Coconut again, but the Kouign Amann? Anytime.

Bottom-line: No harm trying for the twist, but the original will do otherwise.

Apple CrumbleApple Crumble ($6)

The most popular of their crumbles, according to the staff. This was crumbly in every mouthful, and the layer with the apple was sweet to a right note, I am not a crumble person, so I couldn't tell, but judging from its popularity and my alright-ness with it, this is probably a good choice if you love crumbles. They do have other flavours too like pear crumble and. The portion is huge and enough for 4 to share as a dessert. We were 3/4 full before this and couldn't finish it between the 2 of us.

Croissant


This was had on another separate weekday morning at the Tiong Bahru Bakery Outlet at Tangs. It is pretty therapeutic to sit in the store and watch the day bustle for that 20 minutes while having your pastry. You can help yourself to the marmalade, butter and complimentary water at the side too.Croissant ($2.90)

The croissant was crispy outside and the twisted layers gave way to an inside that was a nice balance between substantive and light. I like that it wasn't greasy too.There are a few more pastries I want to try (like the pretty raved-about Lemon Tart). It will take me a few more trips before I can cover it all, Prices are about on par with most artisan cafe-bakeries. As far as it goes, I would give my nod for its pastries.