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/

Opened to much hype, Carvers & Co is one of the few new eateries to have opened at East Coast Road. Unlike hipster cafes of the late that had been serving brunch items that usually involves eggs, Carvers & Co takes on a different approached by putting roasts on its menu, as well as other mains that are less conventional though some brunch items are still available. The menu is rather creative; all clipped onto a book so you can literally flip it while browsing. Interestingly, Carvers & Co is being run by the former owner of One Man Coffee which is now currently run by a friend of the ex-owner.It had been some time since we had truffle fries, so we were glad to see them serving Communal Truffle Fries ($10.90). While they are all crispy, it seemed that there was a difference between “chips” and “fries” here, with the fries seemingly opened from a freezer pack with truffle oil drizzled over it and served. We could not help but noticed a few over-fried fries in the bowl, and the inconsistency in taste was noticeable as there were some parts which lacked the truffle aroma.Wanting to try a brunch item but not wanting to go for the mainstream Scrambled Eggs, we went for the Farmhouse Frittata ($9.90). It was somewhat like a quiche with cheese and bacon and comes with toast and garden salad on the side. The toasts were crispy and tasted rather spiced, but the garden salad was just uninspiring in its presentation, while the Frittata replicated a thicker Fu Rong Omelette with cheese and bacon inside.Since my dining partner had a brunch item, I went with a main. Stewed Chicken ($18.00) was a dish that involved white wine and dates, and sounded very classy on paper. It was in fact luxurious, with the sauce tasting sweet from the dates and slightly sourish from the white wine; a combination seemingly odd at first but strangely appealing. The chicken was also tender and succulent; the only gripe was its size which seemed a tad small for a guy. The sides were a salad with raw celery and carrot in a certain drizzle; the celery being rather mild tasting so it was not exactly revolting, but still a rather odd combination somehow.While the food were largely disappointing, the Flat White ($4.50) was rather robust with a strong acidity and a earthy tone for the finishing touch. Carvers & Co uses blends from Common Man Coffee Roasters, which assures the quality of its coffee.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/05/13/carvers-co-east-coast-road/

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/

Previously known to be serving DIY maki and handrolls, we were taken aback when the current menu only serves bento, maki and other sides. It is also now run by two malay ladies, which seemed like a change of management though its something we were uncertain if it happened.Deciding to try the various categories of the menu, we chose the Smoked Salmon Cheese Maki ($8.00). Terribly let down by its low quality ingredients, it was passable on freshness but lacked the premium feel. It really did not help when the cheese was so heavy tasting it covered off the remaining ingredients, including the smoked salmon. The Wasabi is just as uninspiring; seemingly squeezed out of a tube being slurry and such.For a side, the Chicken Yakitori ($5.90) was fine but not outstanding. Chicken was tender and came off the stick cleanly and strongly marinated, but at the same time felt as if it was something that came off a freezer pack and served heated to us as it seemed rather generic at the same time.Most of the bento sets consisted of fried food, including the Curry Chicken Bento ($8.90). We loved how they served both rice and the condiments separately, and the portion was rather generous with the rice carrying a tinge of sweetness. The problem came with the curry sauce which could be slightly thicker, and the carrots could have been cooked longer so as to soften them rather than serve it crunchy.