Barely opened for a month, Department of Caffeine (D.O.C) has already gained a bunch of loyal customers. Most cafes pride themselves on their coffee, and by the name of this cafe, you would have thought that they are too. But most people who keep returning to D.O.C, go back for their food and not their coffee.The Pulled Pork Sandwich ($13) was one of the popular dishes that I've heard before heading there. It's my first time having it and though I've to agree that it's good, I was expecting more. I thought that the pork could be more flavourful. That aside, the carrot and coriander coleslaw that was layered on top of the pulled pork made the dish really refreshing. The chargrilled Broccoli with Garlic and Chili that was served at the side was very crunchy and tasty as well. Overall, this dish is definitely worth a try.The Mocha ($5.50) was pretty disappointing. I was expecting more from them. After all, they are named the Department of Caffeine! I think that the coffee could have been stronger. I wouldn't say it's bad, but definitely not the best I've had.

And now, this is the reason why everyone is visiting D.O.C time and again. THE BUTTERMILK WAFFLES WITH BUTTER RUM BANANAS!! THIS IS DA BOMB. Nobody can leave D.O.C without trying this.

I'm personally not a fan of soft waffles; I prefer those that are crispy. But this is sooo good. It's not soggily soft, but it's actually kind of chewy, yet not to the extent of making your jaws tired from chewing. The butter rum banana was soooo tasty and the vanilla ice cream was really rich and sticky too (definitely not the cheapo kind as you can see vanilla seeds inside!). It's so enjoyable eating it, my sis and I had to play scissors paper stone to decide who gets to eat the last mouth (and I lost booo). Priced at $12, I think it's worth every penny. This definitely goes on my list of the best waffles.

This cafe has really high potential as I've heard from other foodies that the other items on the menu are really good too. I'm kinda reluctant to share this place cos it's really small and I think it's gonna get crowded soon. So go soon before it gets crowded!! I'm definitely heading back to try more items!!

Maple & Market is a bakery opened by blogger Sarah. I've seen lots of her bakes around on Instagram and have always wanted to tried it. So I made a trip down to her shop on the second day after her opening.

The shop is a small and cosy one, with two communal tables for visitors to hang around. As stated by her, "Maple & Market is not a cafe...you could call it a cake shop or a bakery that has some seating available. However, that's not all that we do... which is why I keep calling it "my shop"."

The Blueberry and Lemon loaf ($2.80) was delightful. Soft and moist with fresh berries packed inside. It was a little sweet on its own but it goes really well with the Iced Mocha ($5.50) that I ordered. The mocha was lacking in the chocolate taste and tasted more like a latte. But the barista has kindly came over to asked for my opinion and mentioned that they are still in the midst of fine-tuning. Nonetheless, I honestly wasn't expecting much from the coffee here, but it sure surprised me.

On my second visit (yes, I returned two days later ), I tried the 1919 ($5.50). It is a gula melaka cake with kaya cream cheese frosting and almond brittle between the layers and toasted almond slices on the side. There were finely grated coconut shavings on the top as well which made the cake really fragrant. This time round, I ordered a hot latte to go with it and I enjoyed every bit of my tea break. The cake was moist and not too sweet, considering there's gula melaka and kaya inside. I thought it was really special as I've never tried such a cake before. Thumbs up for that!

They have different selection of cakes and savouries on both days I visited so I'm pretty sure there will be something that you'll like. I really love this space for now as most of the customers are those living nearby - very unpretentious.

Refuel cafe is one the latest addition to the every growing list of cafes in Singapore. Located at Bedok Reservoir, the cafe's theme revolves around petrol, car and the likes. Decor is kept minimal with earthy tones like grey and brown, and the long glass window panes allow natural sunlight to stream in.The Latte Mocha and Hazelnut Latte ($5.80 each) was quite mild. Probably cos we ordered the flavoured coffee, I felt that they were kinda sweet and have masked the taste of the coffee itself. I expected better coffee as they are priced relatively higher here.The food on the other hand was surprisingly good. We ordered the Banana Pancakes ($8.90) and Pulled Pork Burger ($12.90) for sharing. The Banana Pancakes came in 3 thin slices and scrambled eggs (supposedly with salad too but we changed it for more eggs). I liked the pancakes as they were light and fluffy, with the fragrance and sweetness from the banana mash inside. The scrambled eggs were not bad too, quite soft and creamy though it could do with more seasoning. Though the portion looks small, it's surprisingly quite filling (you'll wanna leave space for coffee and desserts too right? ;) )The Pulled Pork Burger was excellent! The lighted toasted bun with a generous filling of shredded pulled pork mixed with bbq sauce and lemonly slaw. The ingredients were fresh and veg were very crunchy. The portion is really filling too.

Prices here are nett with no GST and service charge. Very value for money! This is definitely one cafe of late to look out for. I already can't wait to go back and try their other items especially their pasta!

Rate: 4.5/5

Refuel Cafe

Block 744 Bedok Reservoir Road #01-3029

Singapore 470744

Operating hours

Mon - Sun: 11am to 10pm

(closed on Tues)

More and more cafes opening in Singapore recently and there's one that stands out, literally. De'Pop Culture is a new cafe at the Bugis area, specializing in desserts. The owner, Adeline, loves home baking and wants to share her love of food with everyone, hence, opened this cafe called De'Pop Culture, with De representing desserts and pop culture referring to the pop art theme of the cafe. She hopes the bright colours will instantly brighten up one's mood when they step into the cafe.We were served an array of items, from sides to breakfast items to main courses, and finally ending off the meal with some desserts!Italian sodas ($4.90 each)Bacon Surprise ($10.90)

The Bacon Surprise came in 3 bacon cups, topped with mushrooms, scrambled eggs and a sunny side up. Personally find that there was nothing special about this; bacon were not crispy, sunny side up was not runny, scrambled eggs were so mashed it felt more like egg mayo.Truffle Fries ($7.90)

The truffle fries which was served next was not bad. Hot and crispy with a hint of truffle taste and topped with some cheese shavings. Wished the truffle taste was stronger though.De'Pop Breakfast Platter for 2 ($28.90)

The breakfast platter came in a hugeeeee lazy susan. Consisting of scrambled eggs, bacons, mushrooms, baked beans, salad, sausages and hashbrown, it will definitely fill you to the brim. I love the crispy hashbrown and sausages. Salad was also light and refreshing. The scrambled eggs and mushrooms were the same as those on Bacon Surprise which I thought was pretty mediocre.Crab and the Dog ($15.90)

Next comes the Crab and the Dog - hot dog bun served with chilli crab sauce. A smart incorporation of Singaporean flavours into traditional western items. The chilli crab sauce was spicy and damn shiok! I didn't quite like the choice of bun they used and would have much preferred a fluffier and softer bun. Nonetheless, one of the better dish I tried that night!Black Pepper Crab Spaghetti ($14.90)

Here comes my favourite dish! The Black Pepper Crab Spaghetti consists of Spaghetti in black pepper sauce, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and topped with real crab meat. I could totally have the whole plate on my own. The black pepper sauce was super strong and spicy, coating every strand of the spaghetti. There was still an after tingling taste!

As De'Pop Culture prides itself in its dessert offerings, I was excited to try out the desserts even though I was filled to the brim after trying so many dishes.French Toast feat. Banana-tella ($11.90) and Waffles Caramel ($11.50)

Was told that one of the more popular items is the Banana French Toast with nutella. Honestly, I was disappointed when I had it as I had set my expectations high for it. The french toast felt like it was made using some ordinary Gardenia bread and was not fluffy enough. Was also hoping that the bananas were more heavily caramelized but they were not.

The waffles were crispy on the outside but too dense inside that it felt slightly uncooked. Love the idea of serving waffles with granola though, it gives the dessert an extra bite. My fellow dining companions were raving about the ice cream but I felt it was not creamy enough. I prefer my ice cream to be thick and creamy but this was more on the watery side.Apple Crumble Pie with ice cream ($7.90)Panna Cotta ($6.90)

Would definitely recommend you to try their Apple Crumble and Panna Cotta if you are heading there though. My favourite was the Panna Cotta which was smooth and creamy. I'm usually not a fan of apple crumble but this was good; crumbly on top but moist and soft inside.

Overall, the food here is not bad though there was nothing really outstanding. I would say it's still worth a try if you are around the area. Adeline runs the cafe on her own together with a friend, juggling both inside and outside. So do give her some support as I can see how much effort she puts into her cafe and her passion to serve good food and desserts to everyone!

For more food reviews, please visit shirlynnyang.blogspot.com

I have been meaning to try out this cafe at Novena, hidden amongst the medical offices at Novena Medical Center. This is definitely the last place you'll expect a cafe to be opened here, a good one no less. La Ristrettos is a hole-in-a-wall cafe, with an indoor seating capacity of approx 15-20 pax. There is plenty of outdoor seats at their patio though.My sis and I ordered a Tostino E Arrosto ($10) and a Croissant Al Cotto ($9) to share. The former is a toasted sour dough with garlic olive oil, spinach, roast chicken breast, tomato, ricotta cheese and poached egg, while the latter is toasted croissant with leg ham and swiss cheese. We also added scrambled eggs for an extra cost of $2.

Both dishes were executed really well. The chicken breast wasn't dry and tough, instead it was marinated really well and tasted good on its own. The poached egg was also done perfectly; the egg yolk oozes out the moment the knife slits across it.

It was an absolutely right choice to add the scrambled eggs to the croissant we ordered. Though I would prefer the eggs to be slightly more milky and runny, it was the perfect combination with the ham and cheese.

I also liked the Iced Mocha ($6.50) which I ordered as it was pretty strong and definitely helps in keeping me alert for the day. The Mango Fragole ($6.50) on the other hand was too rich for my liking.Tostino E Arrosto ($10) - Toasted Sour Dough with Garlic Olive Oil, Spinach, Roast Chicken Breast, Tomato, Ricotta Cheese and Poached EggCroissant Al Cotto ($9) - Toasted Croissant with Leg Ham and Cheese, served with salad. Top up $2 for scrambled eggs

The food here totally surpassed my expectation and I will definitely be back again to try their other items, especially the lunch menu (was drooling when I saw the pastas being served to the other customers)!

Rate: 4/5

For full review and photos, please visit shirlynnyang.blogspot.com