A newly opened restaurant in Orchard Central, Milagro Spanish Restaurant is a Spanish restaurant that is opened by a Singaporean. Keeping everything to the bare minimum, its interior is nearly bare except for a few ornaments here and there. The open windows provide ample sunlight in the restaurant which is warm and relaxing. Menu is varied; offering from tapas to mains such as Paella as well as entrees, with a selection of desserts as well. Wine is being served here too.For the main, we decided to share the Pan-Fried Norwegian Salmon ($13.00) that came with sundried tomatoes, apples, fennel salad and polenta. Seasoned with salt, the salmon was flaky and succulent and seemed fresh. Skin was also rather crisp, while the parmesan foams added a savoury and foamy touch. The polenta was mushy but still had chewable bits which were light and enjoyable, mimicking some sort of mash. The fennel salad was crunchy, juicy and sweet, while the sundried tomatoes were soft and tangy. It was a marry of different textures and tastes, and it came off as rather decent.These Leche Frita ($6.00) was my main purpose of the visit; its hard to find these Fried Milk Fritters in Singapore despite them being a traditional Spanish snack. I am not really sure how it is supposed to be like as it was our first attempt on the dish, but it was custardy on the inside and really milky tasting without being really sweet, while crispy on the outside. The cream at the side had a little tinge of orange in it; a great dip though overwhelmed that light milkiness of the fritters.Their Hand-Pressed Churros ($5.00) is being prepared upon order. Unlike the traditional Spanish ones, they came with cinnamon sugar, though it was not really enough to bring its flavour. We thought it was well-fried, but a bit too plain. A scorched caramel dip comes at the side, but was too burnt for our liking as it was relatively bitter.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/milagro-spanish-restaurant-orchard-central/

The Tastemaker Store is a two-week-old cafe (at the point of visit) situated just a short distance away from the Beo Crescent Food Centre. Unlike other cafes of the late, they ditched the grungy, industrial and dark decor with a simple, bright and minimalist interior that many found to be rather Muji-inspired (think clean, clutter-free furnishings). It is also rather unique for its concept as a cafe, serving both brunch-style meals such as Pizza and Sandwiches with some injection of local flavours by offering the well-loved Yam Cake and Glutinous Rice without any influence from western dishes. They also sell a selection of bakes, all of which supplied from Maple & Market from Cassia Crescent.I decided to get something fit for breakfast, but did not want to have the Kaya Toast Set as I had a similar breakfast before heading there, which made the Lemon Curd Toast with Clotted Cream ($3.00 a-la carte, $5.80 as a set) a clear choice for me. Technically, it was not really a toast as it came with English Muffins which we really light, soft and fluffy. The Lemon Curd spread atop was thick and generous; providing a real tart flavour that was of the right level of sourness but mildly sweet as well, with the clotted cream taking away some of that sourness away. The combination was pretty simple, but delightful. As a toast set, this also came with two soft-boiled eggs and coffee (which I eventually topped up for Latte for an additional $1.50). The soft-boiled eggs were runny and smooth; pretty faultless despite the lack of soy sauce and pepper for that local touch.Since the Lemon Curd Toast was pretty western, my dining partner decided to try out their Glutinous Rice ($3.80). Coming in a tin, these were initially stored in the display fridge together with the cakes and pizza and warmed up before serving with a blob of sambal at the side. My dining partner was initially skeptical how this would come out to be, but the glutinous rice was seemingly light as it was missing of that heavy and moist texture, though still maintaining some sort of stickiness throughout. The generous amount of shallots, dried shrimps and dried mushrooms and pepper also helped put in that savoury factor into the Glutinous Rice. It was not particularly flavourful in a manner of those from hawker centres would be like, but it has a gentle touch of all flavours that made it felt pretty premium and upscale. The blob of smabal chili was rather surprising for cafe standard; bold with its saltiness and spiciness, it gives a kick to the Glutinous Rice to turn up the notch.When I asked the staff about their coffee, I was not expecting too much for my cuppa as it was from Boncafe; a choice that cafe owners these days would not really consider using. Nonetheless, the Latte that came with the Lemon Curd Toast with Clotted Cream set was decent; probably even better than some cafes out there. The foam was just smooth; not being too bubbly nor stiff that it affects the overall texture of the coffee. It’s rather medium-bodied, and definitely just right in the extraction without being overly acidic nor tasted too watered down. Quite impressive I would say.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/06/13/the-tastemaker-store-blk-22-havelock-road/

The recent cafe scene in Singapore is bustling of the late with various cafes opening throughout the island. The Assembly Ground sets its location in the heart of town at Dhoby Ghaut, pretty unlike the ones of the late.The Assembly is a new boutique that opened its doors in late May at The Cathay. The Assembly Ground takes over its space from Gramophone and operates as the cafe wing of the boutique. Being a cafe, it is somewhat obligatory to serve all-day brunch, but other menu items include pizza, pasta and sandwiches. For beverages, one can choose from coffee, tea, milkshakes and even craft beers.We were somewhat on an adventurous mood that day, so we went for the Rosti Omelette ($14.00+) which also came with Bratwurst and sour cream. This was somewhat a fusion of an Omelette and Rosti, where the grated potatoes find themselves a home beneath a fried egg. While we could feel the texture of the potatoes, the light spices from its seasoning was the only flavours that went through the omelette. The omelette tasted rather Chinese; something one would probably expect from a tzechar stall instead. While it was not really terrible, it did not really hit the spot for me either.We were expecting better with the Moroccan Baked Eggs ($15.00+), but we found the eggs cooked too thoroughly as the whites were completely stiffened. The Shasuka was of a below-average spiciness, which is good for those who cannot handle spicy food well. Lamb sausages came underneath the eggs, but a wee bit gamey. Toast were seemingly uninspiring; probably the use of artisan breads would help improve the dish.The desserts menu was unavailable during our visit, but there were a couple of bakes and cakes available. We went for a Cinnamon Pecan Swirl Bundt ($7.50+); a combination of Cinnamon Swirl and Bundt Cake. Cream cheese frosting was drizzled atop, and anything cream cheese would never taste wrong. The toasted pecans had a tinge of nuttiness, and the insides were filled with crispy bits of cinnamon that was sweet and complimented well with the cake.The Assembly Ground serves two blends for their coffee; one from Nylon Coffee Roasters and one from Common Man Coffee Roasters. There is also flexibility to choose between a single Espresso shot or a double shot. We went for the Common Man Coffee Roaster Blend for our Double-Shot Flat White ($5.50+) and it was a full-bodied and highly acidic cuppa which was great for a morning perk-me-up.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/06/12/the-assembly-ground-the-cathay/

A hole-in-the-wall cafe, Noir Art Specialty Coffee is probably one of the smallest cafes I have ever seen. Apart from the lone table that sits only two, there are six more counter seats and a small alfresco just right outside for yet another two. The menu focuses largely on coffee, from espresso-based to cold brews. Cakes supplied are also available, but the co-owner has intentions of selling her own bakes in time to come.Preferring something more tea-like, I chose the Rose Cheesecake ($5.80). Light yet smooth, the cheese was not too strong, hence able to bring out the subtle flowery aroma of Rose. The cookie base held up pretty nicely as well without crumbling too quickly.Noir Art Specialty Coffee is one of the rare cafes these days which insists on roasting their own beans to create a taste of their own. Their Noir blend consists of Colombian, Ethiopian and Sumatran beans, which gives a chocolatey and nutty tone with a tinge of sweetness. The Flat White ($4.00) was creamy as well. They are also intending to serve up a second blend in time to come so as to offer a variety of blends to their patrons to suit the different preferences in the future.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/06/07/noir-art-specialty-coffee-mackenzie-road/

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/