Technically part of the bicycle shop Coast Cycles, think Coast & Company as the cafe wing of the bicycle boutique. While the concept reminds us of Wheeler’s Yard, the interior decor feels comfortable; bright, simple and minimalist doing away with all that extra hipster bits that everyone had been copying these days.Being affiliated to Papa Pahelta, the coffee-centric menu also contains much of other beverages, such as craft beers, juices and teas. Food menu is rather limited, featuring mainly local fusions with usual cafe grub with some input from Chef Willin Low of Wild Rocket. Muffins and croissants are also available if you are not into the mains.Feeling horribly hungry after walking up as I had missed both buses that will bring you here, I got myself The Coast Breakfast ($12.00). Your usual brunch set with a slight local touch, the well-executee scrambled eggs come mixed in with Chinese chives. It also did not appear to be too creamy and milky, achieving a well-balanced eggy taste that dominated the scramble. Served atop toast, it seemed a tad uninspiring as the toast was a wee bit too charred for my liking, and the use of regular loaves from supermarket just make it lose quite a bit of appeal. The Pork sausage was nicely spiced, juicy and flavourful with a faint taste of grill, while the Mesculun Salad was a refreshing end to the meal.As mentioned, the cafe is affiliated with Papa Pahelta. Flat White ($5.00) was made with their Throwback blend, achieving a creamy, lightly acidic cuppa that was all soothing.

For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/05/20/coast-and-company-siglap-drive/

One of the eateries that had Korean food lovers excited is Yoogane, an actual brand from Korea specialising in chicken on the grill. Since the waiting time was around an hour long, the staff handed us some paper boxes of their mascot to fold to kill some time. Rather innovative, but it really does not take much time to complete anyway; that is if you are not me.Free-flow side dishes are available. Expect the usual few, such as Kimchi and the seasoned radishes. There is also an odd salad that comes with a quirky pink Strawberry-flavoured dressing (not pictured). My dining partners thought it was rather interesting as it was sweet, but it just felt a bit weird for me as it tasted really similar to a certain brand of Strawberry candy out there.Orders are taken outside before being seated so as to shorten the wait. Despite so, our Yoogane Chicken Galbi ($16.90+/serving) took 20 minutes to arrive as the restaurant was full-house. Thereafter, you would have to wait for the food to cook while the wait staff go around mixing the food before it gets properly served. The Yoogane Chicken Galbi comes with a myriad of ingredients; toppoki, chicken slices, leek and vegetables with the signature Korean hot sauce. The sauce was light at the beginning, but becomes quite spicy after a while. The chicken slices were tender, while the toppoki adds a “q” texture. Vegetables were a refreshing treat as well. We thought the portion was somewhat pathetic though; this was exactly how much we got for a two-person portion of the dish.My dining partner was having an ulcer so us kind souls decided to split off the remaining two portions for the Chicken Bulgogi ($18.90+/serving), one of the non-spicy dishes here. The marination was deep for the chicken slices, and the flavour was consistent. This dish was missing of the cabbages from the Chicken Galbi, but came with Straw Mushrooms instead. Again, the portion size was a wee bit little for two, though it was not really as bad.Since it was one of the few times I was in a Korean restaurant, I went for a Grape Demi-Soda ($3.90+). It was rather enjoyable until one of my dining partners had a small sip and told me it tasted similar to Fanta. That quite burst my bubble, but whatever it is, its still a great drink to couple up with all that barbecued meat.

For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/05/25/yoogane-bugis-junction/

Amidst the recent sprouting of hipster cafe comes Old Skool Dessert House; a dessert cafe situated in The Odeon Katong that focuses more on well-loved local desserts that is familiar to all generations alike. Given the naming, the cafe adopts a more old-school theme with the use of chalk boards for menus, simple furnishings and comes equipped with its own “detention corner” for patrons waiting for seats or takeaways. Both warm and cold desserts are available, ranging from Black Glutinous Rice to Snowflake, with a small variety of dimsum available. Beverages include coffee, where Latte, Long Black and Mocha is strangely included in the largely local-based menu.We were rather torn between the Yam Cream with Gingko Nut ($3.30) and Black Glutinous Rice, so we went with our instincts by going for the former. It was decent and had a comfortable level of sweetness without cloying up as well as being smooth. Gingko Nuts were soft as well. While it was not too bothersome, it could do a bit better by being a bit thicker.XO Durian Lovers ($5.50) was one of the items that is highly recommended by the waitress for Durian lovers, and after a spoonful we could see the reason why. Thick, fibrous puree of XO Durian dumped in an equally thick and rich durian mousse, it was mildly sweet yet immensely flavoured by the pungent fruit with its strong flavour. So rich, so thick and so satisfying, it was moments before the entire bowl was finished and I was really hoping for another one more!For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/05/06/old-skool-dessert-house-the-odeon-katong/

Taking over former grounds of an electrical shop, the engraved pillars still stand proudly at the shopfront repainted; something reminiscent of Telok Ayer’s My Awesome Cafe. The interior style is undeniably hipster; peeled walls, large mirrors, bare bulbs and crate tables definitely worked well together.Being a cafe in their soft opening phase, we were glad to find out that they had the full range of brunch items available. They comprise of mostly cafe grub with a unique middle-eastern fusion concept; all of which sounding interesting and daring at the same time. Beverages such as coffee and tea are available, both supplied from the Pasarbella duo; Dutch Colony Coffee and Clipper Tea. Cakes are supplied from Fathis Cakes, a local online baker.We were slightly taken aback by how the Shrooms Shrooms ($11.90) turned out to be, partially because the menu had no categorization of mains and sides. These were mushroom cups with egg white and ricotta cheese filled, topped with cheese and “crumbs”. While it sounded predictable and usual, the fillings created this mushy and foamy texture as well as a neutral flavour to blend into the earthy tasting mushrooms and melted cheese. The “crumbs” were the finishing touch; salty bits made to mimick bacon bits for that extra savouriness.Quinoa Quake ($16.90) was a fusion of a fried Quinoa patty coming together with all-time favourite Eggs Benedict. The couscous-filled patty was well spiced with chili and greens, all fried with a crusty top. Smoked salmon was of reasonable quality, though something we thought was a pity was the poached egg itself, which was a wee bit overcooked with solid white and a not-so-flowy yolk. Nonetheless, it was a great combination with all the ingredients combined, and the garden salad though plain and only had a single variation of green, was well complimented by the Lemon Dill Yoghurt dip by the side which was mildly sour for a refreshing break.As mentioned, ROUSE uses blends from Dutch Colony Coffee for their coffee. The blends they use are uniquely roasted for them, which involves Ethopian and Sumatran beans. This makes for a bright bodied cuppa with a roasty finish that was smokey as demonstrated in the Long Black ($4.00) and Espresso with Milk 8Oz ($5.50); rather unique.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/04/29/rouse-dunlop-street/

Located in the neighbourhoods, this place keeps things simple where they had decided to keep themselves off the hipster vibes of cafes of the late. Instead, it is cheery with its bright orange walls, joyous with its happy-looking decorations and even to the extent of cutesy. The menu largely focuses on cakes and other bakes, as well as their specialty which are waffles, coffee and tea.While waiting for the friend to arrive, I got the Brownie ($3.50). Unconventionally decorated with sugar flowers and chocolate mousse, it contains three layers of chocolatey goodness. Under the layer of mousse contains a fudgey layer of thick, gooey chocolate. It enhanced the taste of the brownie, which was slightly less dominating in taste and was moist enough for a brownie not being too wet nor too dry.Apart from the Brownie, other small bites included Macarons ($3.00 each), which were all chewy and had nice feet with them. The fillings were generally flavourful and not cloying sweet, though the Chocolate & Pistachio was a more sweet-salty combination which was a wee bit heavy compared to the Green Apple & Cinnamon, which was a classic combination with the spice rather evident. These are great for a tea time treat, especially for sweet tooths eager to succumb to their Macaron cravings.Waffles ($5.00) is one of the specialties of Shrove Tuesday, and it was done in its own unique way. Airy, fluffy and light, it also has a crispy texture which was great. They used yeast in their recipe, which made it taste rather bread-like somehow, but also helped in the overall fluffiness of the waffle as claimed by the staff. My dining partner ordered a scoop of Cheesecake gelato ($2.50/scoop) to compliment the waffle, which we found to be rich in the taste of mascarpone cheese, but can get quite jelat if being eaten alone. Eat it by dabbing some over the waffle; it helps in achieving a less sickening flavour as well as a luxurious combination to the waffle.The Flat White ($4.50) here was surprisingly good. Shrove Tuesday serves up Agust Natura Equa organic coffee that origins from Italy, which was rather smokey and nutty. Coupling with the milkiness and creaminess, it was really comforting on a rainy afternoon.

For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/05/10/shrove-tuesday-blk-94-toa-payoh-lorong-4/