Sunday Market takes over the former premises of The Factory, a cafe that used to be known for their fries with artisanal dips and waffles with ice-cream. Unlike its predecessor, Sunday Market takes on a more industrial theme, but still stays relatively clean at it. The menu is also different; taking a more Asian-fusion approach to brunch usuals. Various cakes are also available in the display for an after-meal dessert if you do not fancy the plated desserts they have.We were feeling a bit adventurous, so we decided on getting the Roast Duck with Garlic Hoisin and Crispy Eggs Pancakes ($12.90+). Seemingly a western-asian fusion that involves the concept of Peking Roast Duck, it was an interesting savoury pancake dish. The Roast Duck were infused to the Buttermilk batter of the pancake, creating a somewhat savoury (on the edge of salty) flavour to the fragrant Buttermilk Pancakes. The Crispy Eggs were egg white beaten and fried, creating a crispy and fluffy texture to the dish. The salad presented on the top creates the healthy impression, with it adding a refreshing touch. Garlic Hoisin sauce adds a tinge of savoury-sweet that enhanced the duck’s flavour. The one thing that quite disturbed us about the dish was that we found a bone hiding within the pancake; probably they need to be more careful handling their food.We shared a Thai Dessert ($10.90+) to end off the meal. Described on the menu as “Mango Ice-Cream with Coconut Sago, White Chocolate, Lime Lemon Esquina and Lime Zest”. The mango ice-cream seemed fresh and natural as it had much of the sweetness of the fruit itself without much sugar and dairy added. Chili flakes are added for an interesting hint of spiciness. Mix up the ice-cream with the esquina and it invokes a sweet-sour taste that works well together. Digestive biscuits adds the crunchy touch, while the white chocolate adds the sweet break in between.Sunday Market uses a blend of Robusta and Arabica beans for their coffee. The Flat White ($5.00+) and Long Black ($3.00+) were light-bodied and had a nutty accent.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/sunday-market-lim-tua-tow-road/

The area behind Buona Vista seems to be rather happening for the cafe scene lately, especially with many fanciful concepts opening within walking distance from each other that targets the office workers in the area. Charlyn’s Milk Bar is a two-month old bistro operated by an Australian that shares its space with Palate Sensations Cooking School. The “milk bar” is a term more on the shop itself; a corner space shop that sells food in Australia. The menu items includes main courses, sandwiches, cakes and other bakes as well.I was in luck that day when I visited as they were serving a special of Chicken Corden Bleu ($8.00), a favourite dish of mine and we had the last one before they ran out. It came with a choice of sides; potatoes or vegetables which they ran out of the latter as well. The breaded chicken was crispy but a tad dry for the meat, though not really bothersome in any way. They could have been a bit more generous with the amount of cheese however, as only one half that we cut had cheese flowing while the other seemed completely devoid of it. We did appreciate that they had used high quality ham for this dish though. The side of grilled potatoes were wonderful; seasoned with butter and rosemary, it was flavourful, soft but crisp on the exterior.Since it was a milk bar, we decided to try their bakes. Unfortunately, both the recommended Lamington and Tiramisus were not available for the day and we went for the Cinnamon Roll ($3.00). Sticky buns coated with gooey cinnamon on the inside and condensed milk on the outside, the spiced sweetness was not too overwhelming and in fact just nice without that burning sensation to the throat.I asked the cashier if he had any idea on the coffee blend used here, which he had no clue of but assured me that the boss was particular with the beans she use. The Americano ($3.00) was splendid, as it carried a full body that was rather acidic; a signature of Americano. A butter cookie comes at the side, though it was not really much to mention.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/06/03/charlyns-milk-bar-biopolis-chromos/

Relatively new to the neighbourhood, Ply Baked Goods hides behind the main Upper Thomson stretch of shophouses, which is a pretty getaway from the crowd being situated within a stretch of automobile workshops. The main items here are their cakes and tarts, but we were glad to see them serve Quizza (Pizza-styled quiches), Baked Spaghetti and some sides because we missed our lunch. Drinks include tea from 1872 Clipper Tea as well as coffee from Illy.The Ambra ($6.50) is essentially illycrema served with hot chocolate. illycrema is Illy Coffee's latest product; espresso with micro crystals of ice that somewhat resembles Slurpee.  The thick hot chocolate was not too intensively sweet, and the illycrema injects that coffee aroma that makes it similar to Mocha, though the ice slush texture is the novelty of this drink. I could only wish for more!Going on to their bakes, one of my dining partners decided to go for a Lemon Meringue Tart ($5.50). It comes with a layer of chocolate hidden in between the lemon curd and the tart base; all of which a nice tinge of sweetness that helps mediate the tart flavour of the lemon curd with a fluffy and torched meringue layer.My choice was the Earl Grey Tiramisu ($6.50), given my obsession with all things Earl Grey. Tiramisu purists might be disappointed; there ain’t any ladyfinger biscuits nor alcohol, but the white chocolate biscuit pops were an interesting sensation in the mouth, while the vanilla cake went very well with the aromatic Earl Grey flavoured cream. An item truly deserving to its signature status.Hazelnut Dacquoise ($6.50) was a bit of a disappointment though; the thick chocolate layer in between had an overwhelming cocoa sweetness which matched quite fine with the digestive cookie layers but it was just missing on the main point itself; the hazelnut, which was rather non-existent here.Incorporating local flavours into a mousse cake, the Royal Chempedak ($6.50) is a unique flavour we thought we could not miss here. We expected this to be a rather heavy tasting cake as Chempedak is known for its intense sweetness. It blew us away with its lightness eventually; the sweetness was really light with the mousse and the flavour was rather refreshing as the light fruity sweetness was evident within the mousse, removing some of its creaminess. The chunks of Chempedak were also rather light-flavoured, which made it really soothing instead of being sharply sweet.Last to arrive at the table was Spaghetti & Sausage Baked Pasta ($10.00), which we had been told beforehand that it would take 40 minutes to prepare. The reason behind it is because each bowl is being prepared on the spot to preserve its freshness; and it indeed did not disappoint. Portion size was generous; a hungry dining partner who did not ate anything since dinner the previous day had some trouble finishing and we were lucky enough to have more than just a pinch of it. The pasta was cooked al dente, despite having a layer of melted cheese with equally generous amounts of sausage hidden underneath it possibly due to the fact that the tomato-based sauce was tossed dry before being baked to ensure that the pasta did not get soaked in too much sauce. Sweet yet tangy, the sauce makes the pasta addictive to eat despite its huge portions, and while it only had two main ingredients, it was delightful to have without being anywhere tiring even after half a bowl. If you do have the time to sit around and need a main to go along, do give this a try!

For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/06/04/ply-baked-goods-soo-chow-walk/

Ivan’s Carbina, a typical-looking western stall located in a food court within a multi-storey carpark that sells unconventional western fare.I was here specially for the Rosti, but also wanted to try their signature chicken chop rather badly; the best option to take was the Carbina’s Signature Chicken Chop with Roesti ($7.80) which brings you the best of both worlds. There are also other Roesti that comes with sausages and fried egg, as well as a plain one if you prefer it simple. A rare find in a neighbourhood western stall, it is also one of the largest Rosti I have ever seen. Well-seasoned with salt and was crispy on the exterior. The sour cream was also rather light and fresh; no choking sourness but a refreshing addition to lighten up the taste of the dish. Their signature chicken chop comes smothered in their mushroom sauce, and comes with an extra saucer of it just in case you can’t get enough of it. The chicken is well-grilled, tender and juicy, but a slight tough if left for a while so have it while its hot. Mushroom sauce was thick and earthy, but the old lukewarm temperature at which it is served was something that did not come well with my tastebuds.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/ivans-carbina-blk-354a-woodlands-ave-5/

Hiding amongst Beach Road is this small space that had recently opened up its doors officially in late April which is rather easy to miss if not paying attention.For a Vietnamese restaurant, the interior is extremely hipster with bare concrete walls and vibrant metal furnishings which somehow seems to replicate a back alley scene rather than simple and clean, which was quite a daring approach.Menu here are the usual suspects; Pho taking up most of it with other small Vietnamese dishes and a good amount of beverages too.Just like in some Thai restaurants, Mrs Pho offers starters to its patrons. These complimentary prawn crackers were thick, savoury and crispy. Best of all? No phoney charges involved!Being in a Vietnamese restaurant, I cannot do without ordering the Fresh Spring Rolls ($3.50). Fresh rice rolls that are tightly packed with vermicelli, vegetable, prawn and a slice of pork, it was simple, light and refreshing as all of the ingredients are fresh with a slight meatiness created by the pork. The Fermented Soy Sauce adds a savoury flavour, but its definitely good on its own.Not having tried Vietnamese fare before, my dining partner ordered the Brisket Beef Noodle Soup ($7.90) which is pretty much an authentic bowl of Pho. The noodles were springy and easy to chew and the soup was just reasonably salted for flavour yet does not make you thirsty and instead leaves you wanting for more; it got me, the person who usually dislike soup noodles really addicted to drinking the soup. Melt-in-the-mouth beef brisket was impressive as it was not a single bit gamey nor grainy as well. It got my dining partner hooked onto Vietnamese cuisine almost immediately!As the other dining partner could not take beef, he went for the Chicken Noodle Soup ($7.90) instead, which uses the same noodles but a chicken broth instead with beef brisket replaced by chicken strips. Despite using strips, tey were rather sizeable and still chewable without the shredded texture, and while it was plain, it was refreshingly so. Yearning for a bit more flavour? Add some chili padi for an extra spicy kick for a boost in taste and it all becomes different!The rice bucket in me could only find one dish to try, which was Rice with Pork Chop, Viet Ham and Fried Egg ($7.00). Even the only rice dish is well-executed here; a pork chop grilled in a sweet marinade which is easy to chew, Viet ham which had a otah fishcake-like consistency yet tasting like a really light version of Ma Ling luncheon meat and a fried egg with jiggly egg white and runny yolk where there is not hint of overused oil. Scoop a bit of the accompanying sweet chili sauce to match the plain rice if you think the rice is too plain; it makes for the sweet-spicy tang that’s just addictive.Vietnamese Drip Coffee ($3.00) is my favourite beverage to have in a Vietnamese restaurant, and the one here comes with an option of Condensed Milk and Iced or Hot. The coffee is aromatic with a strong flowery scent behind, perfect to have for an after-meal chat. I loved the fact that they also supply a cup of warm water on top of the initial cup so you could have as much as you fancy; a small touch on service that really makes the difference.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/05/15/mrs-pho-beach-road/