Awfully Chocolate had recently given Sinpopo Brand a revamp. From the 1950s theme, they had decided to take on a contemporary approach, serving modern-local cuisine. Much of the previous menu is no longer served, and replaced with new items. Certain items such as the Har Jeong Kai Chicken/Burger are existing items in the menu of their other dining concepts (e.g EwF by Everything with Fries). Prices have gone up by quite a fair bit though; familiar items are about twice the old price now.For a side, we decided to get the Ma Ling Luncheon Crisps ($6). Initially we almost ordered another side, since it sounded very much like typical luncheon meat fries. Wrong; they seemed to be crushed and mashed before deep-frying, thus crispy even though it retains the salty flavour of cured meat.My obsession of Kong Bak Pau eventually led to us ordering the Crispy Pork Belly Sandwich ($16). Deep-fried buns with crispy pork belly strips, wasabi mayonnaise and salsa, every bite comes crisp with the fried pork belly slices and golden-brown fried bun, as well as the refreshing crunch of salsa and a tinge of numbness of the wasabi mayo. This also came with a side of Rojak; pretty decent with its savoury-sweet flavours.We were initially intrigued with the Orange Kaya Pisang Creme Brûlée, but ended up with the Chilled Pandan Soufflé ($9) which seemed a tad more exciting. Glad to have ordered it though; according to the menu it was Pandan set in a “cottony soufflé served with almond streusel and sesame dentelle”. In all honesty, the Pandan soufflé had a consistency pretty near to a chewy ice-cream, and tasted very coconut-y. It also went very well with the salted crumbles, which added a crunch. For me, I loved the Pandan Soufflé, but the sesame dentelle caught more of my attention as it tasted really nostalgic, especially with the fragrance of sesame running through, replicating sesame cookies. The almond streusel did not work well for me though; it was a bit bland and did not seem to go with the other items on the plate.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/10/21/sinpopo-brand-joo-chiat-road-2/

A joint operations between Pacamara Coffee Roasters and the now-defunct OZ Specialty Coffee, Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters opened to much hype at Upper Thomson Road roughly a week after OZ Specialty Coffee was closed. There were three items in the Mains menu; a burger, Chicken Schnitzel and a Miso-Glazed Salmon ($22) even though I had always bore the impression that cafes don’t really execute fish well. How wrong was I; not only the salmon was fresh and flaky, it was also well-seasoned with Miso so it had a nice amount of saltiness. I am glad they had included the Salmon skin in the slab; crisp and smokey it was. Sitting atop an Apple and Fennel salad, it was crunchy and refreshing, along with a fruit puree at the side for a punch. Pretty worth its price.There were a variety of all-day breakfast items available; from pancakes to the full works. We opted for a Truffle Benedict ($18), and it was in fact one of the most memorable Benedict that I ever had. Ridding of the garden salad for wilted spinaches seasoned with a pinch of salt and pepper was a wise choice; the vegetables seemed part of the Benedict rather than a side as it complimented beautifully with the main star. Poached eggs were perfect; soft and runny, topped off with a creamy and slight tangy Hollandaise Sauce. Add the two slabs of thick, quality ham, this was sheer luxury for breakfast.Coffee goes by sizes here. The 5 Oz White ($5) is the balance if you want something creamy yet not wanting to sacrifice on tasting the fruity and nutty notes in the signature Roadster blend. They also do Steampunk mod coffee here; the only other place that serves is Dutch Colony Coffee at Frankel Avenue.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/10/22/pacamara-boutique-coffee-roasters-upper-thomson-road/

North Bridge Road seems to be seeing an explosion of cafes in the area lately; a week after Twenty Gramme’s opening, Rabbit Owl Depot has also started its operations right at the opposite end of North Bridge Road. Similar concept as other ice-cream parlours around, Rabbit Owl Depot serves ice-cream in cones and cups, as well as their signature snowflake waffles. Beverages include coffee, tea and a selection of cold drinks as well.Going for the ice-cream, I decided to couple mine up with their signature Snowflake Waffles ($9.50 with Ice-Cream). Shaped like snowflakes, it looked pretty festive especially with the sprinkle of icing sugar over the top. It came with a wafting aroma of buttermilk, which was pretty evident in its taste. They were crisp and fluffy; perfect in its texture. The Earl Grey ice-cream was not only aromatic with the punch of flavour, but also had a milky, creamy touch. It was also sticky enough, and didn’t melt too quickly. I also got to try the Pineapple (a tart yet sweet flavour with bits of pineapple to chew on) and the Black Sesame (earthy and pungent, fully with a slight gritty texture); both were rather interesting.Coffee here is made from a blend of Colombian and Sumatran beans. Flat White ($5) was smooth and creamy, with a lightly fruity body and a nutty finish.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/10/25/rabbit-owl-depot-north-bridge-road/

Situated along Changi Road, Collective Brewers pretty inaccessible if you are one who prefers travelling on MRT, but its actually not too far from the nearest bus stop. A simplistic space, its quite easy to miss as its pretty much camouflaged by the eateries around it. Currently in the soft launch phase, it serves only coffee, and payment is by tip basis.They do have espresso-based coffees, but I was in for their Cold Brew (Tip Basis; I paid $6) instead. On the day of the visit, they were using blends from Common Man Coffee Roasters which are known for its fruity punch due to its heavy body. What I experienced from their Cold Brew was slightly different; while the flavour seems to be fully extracted from the beans, I cannot deny on how smooth and comforting it is. Basically, it still packs that fruity punch, but its not at all overwhelming. That nutty finish also left not much aftertaste behind, which I thought was rather well-executed.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/10/31/collective-brewers-changi-road/

Situated doors away from My Awesome Cafe is Pantler, a new patisserie that had just recently opened to much hype along Telok Ayer Street in the Central Business District. Largely focusing on cakes, pastries and savouries such as Danishes, it is not just about desserts here; Pantler has also a couple of bakes meant to satisfy the lunch crowd whom may be looking for a light bite. I was actually spoilt for choice there because everything looked so good!I was being recommended the Peppered Tuna Cube which was fresh out-of-the-oven, but decided to go against it after noticing those cut skin-on potatoes on the Potato Cheese Danish ($3.00). Admittedly it was good, but being left on display in the open marred this pastry a little; the Danish became a wee bit limp and dry losing its original buttery, fluffy touch while the melted cheese was a bit stiff. Potatoes were really fresh, but I personally thought it would be really delicious if it was served hot out-of-the-oven.Choux Creme ($5.50) was also recommended. I was expecting a puff pastry that was slightly salty, but it came with yet another surprise. This one felt a bit similar to Christmas ladyfingers in both taste and texture, and generously loaded with fresh and smooth Vanilla custard cream. This is one luxurious dessert that ladies would definitely be fond with.If you had seen Pantler’s Facebook page or Instagram, you would have found these Pate de Fruits ($3.50 for 3) familiar. These are flavoured fruit jellies; think of those you get in the supermarket in packs but way fresher because they are made in-house. They come in a variety of flavours, and comes in bundles of threes. I picked the Pineapple, Peach and Passionfruit and Blackcurrant flavours. Found the Peach & Passionfruit flavour rather unique; the subtle sweetness of peach and tartness of Passionfruit fused together seemed like a exquisite combination, while the Blackcurrant was pretty decent for sweet-tooths. Texture-wise, the jellies are a bit more solid than expected; maybe slightly firmer compared to a grape so do not expect these to be chewy. Despite that, it is definitely worth the try!Apparently I realized I missed trying their cakes, so I added a Matcha Azuki Pound Cake ($3) for takeaway as well. Unlike what I was expecting, this was surprisingly moist, but of the right density. It focused more on the Pound Cake; being more buttery with a light touch of matcha rather than being overwhelmingly bitter. Azuki brought in that earthy flavour at the bottom; pretty classy as well. For non-green tea fans, there are also several flavours to choose from, so you could perhaps find one that you fancy!For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/10/17/pantler-telok-ayer-street/