Arbite is nestled in the sleepy area of Serangoon Garden where you get to avoid the bustle of crowds and can just enjoy a peaceful day hanging out with friends. It's located at level 2 of a shophouse building (the sign is quite big so you can't miss it) and the place is a lot smaller than I would've imagined it to be. My friend and I risked heading there on a Sunday for brunch without reservation but were pleasantly surprised that there wasn't too long a wait. We got a table after 10 minutes. The cafe is very small and when packed full of chatting people, it can get quite noisy. I wouldn't say it's a conducive environment for chilling with a book but for a quick meal in a nice cafe setting, this fits the bill. Fun note: They sell quite a bit of truffle oil and other truffle stuff in that green shelve by the counter. Take a browse and you may find something worth buying for the kitchen.Cute photos framed on the wall. The design of this place is very minimalist and almost to the point of bare. Other than the touches of wooden tables and photo frames, there's not much other design in the place. First up for our brunch is the Sea Salt Caramel Banana Pan Cake ($14.90). The design is so cute! They made a smiley face which I though is an adorable touch. The pancakes are fluffy and soft (no knives needed just use your fork). There are 3 layers of pancakes and between each layer is a thick smear of mashed bananas. They don't serve maple syrup (you have to request for it) as I think it is meant to be eaten with the caramel sauce. I prefer my pancakes drenched with maple so without it, it's a tad dry for me. The bananas are thick and cloying and makes it harder to swallow. I also didn't get any hint of the sea salt that's supposed to be sprinkled over this dish. The bits of walnuts are very tasty with the pancakes, and I do like the texture, but overall I wouldn't order it again. We also had the Eggs Benedict ($11.90) and this is a very simple dish. A couple of poached eggs, some honey baked ham drizzled with hollandaise on brioche buns and a small salad in the middle. They don't have a smoked salmon version (I love Eggs Benny with salmon commonly known as Eggs Royale) but the eggs were cooked till they were perfectly runny and the buns were soft and acts as a nice "vehicle" to sop the eggs and ham up into my mouth. They were super generous with the hollandaise sauce and a hint of sour cream and even I found that it was more than enough! I like this dish enough (but it didn't leave me craving for more) BUT I have to note that it is quite a petite dish. If you're a big eater, it may not be enough. Their Iced Mocha ($5) is simply awesome! Most of the time, the mochas in cafes are either too sweet or too bland. The Iced Mocha here is a perfect balance of coffee and sweetness. I'm so happy that the coffee to syrup ratio is well balanced that I don't feel like I'm slurping up pure syrup. Dense and a hint of smokey flavour and because it's iced they did the right move to make the drink stronger as the melting ice will dilute the flavour. If you're not here to eat, definitely order this and relax the afternoon away. Lastly, we ended with this unique desert - the Gula Meleka Tiramisu ($8). For the uninitiated, Gula Melaka is brown sugar that's very sweet and has a heavy robust taste and typically used in Asian desserts. We were so intrigued with this East meets West fusion that we had to try it. The gula melaka is infused into the mascarpone and it's very strong! Actually from the first bite, the first thing that hit me was the alcohol flavour. Then slowly, as we ate, the gula meleka taste took over. By the time we finished half the dessert, we couldn't taste anything but the gula meleka. This ingredient has an overpowering taste and unfortunately, it consumed the delicate tiramisu till I feel like I was eating pure brown sugar. I couldn't taste the chocolate or mascarpone at all. So unless you have a MAJOR sweet tooth, I would skip this.

Overall, Arbite is a nice place to get a quick brunch. The food was a hit and miss for me but I like the ambience enough that I wouldn't mind coming back to try other items on the menu. The lunch menu did look very promising to that might be my next aim!

I had the homemade salted butter caramel and the La Groix crepe which has Camembert cheese, potatoes and bacon. The crepe are v thin and lovely. Won't feel too gelat as it is very thin and big eaters might not find them filling. The savory La Groix crepe with chunky mash potatoes is awesome but I just wish it was more warmed up. The sweet caramel crepe was not bad but I would suggest to share as it may get quite cloying. 

Nestled in the quiet area in Bukit Timah, the Grandstand is becoming a food mecca with all the great outlets opening up there. One place to mention is Veganburg, a unique fast food concept where they serve burgers/dessert than are Vegan friendly. Hey, delicious food that's health at the same time? Sign me up!
The place has a very Eco-friendly feel with grass turf on seats and wooden tables and chairs. I came on a Tuesday night so it was quite empty and thus felt very peaceful. Good for meet up with friends or just chilling with your laptop. I had the Spinach Pops ($3.90) for starters and couldn't resist making this composition shot with the wooden planks and plants. These golden spheres of potato goodness with spinach bits are indeed very crunchy and sinful (carbs anyone?) but I did find it a touch lacking in flavour. Great texture, great presentation but a pity that I could use some chili sauce to spice it up a little. We ordered all 3 types of Chillers - Tangerine Crush, Lemon Loco, Citron Cooler (all $2.80 each)! I like the Citron Cooler best as it was tangy, sweet and very refreshing. You'll need these drinks after all those burgers. The Veganfranks ($3.90) are so awesome! They look and taste exactly like real meat! I can't believe that these are made of tofu. Soft, chewy and salty. Very tasty indeed and is a good start for those who can't go without their meat. I'm a meat-lover and I can be fooled into thinking these are the real thing. The Smoked BBQ burger ($7.90) has a rather overpowering BBQ taste. Even with all the lettuce, tomato, and onion rings, I still felt that I'm eating BBQ sauce with some burger, not the other way around. The bread was lovely and soft and I like picking it and eating it as it is. Otherwise, not a big fan of this. The Vegan brownies! These little treats have a very rich chocolate-y taste and I love it! The cake is a tad on the dry side but I still enjoy it with those mini marshmallow on top. Seriously, someone need to tell me that these are low in calories too so I can indulge in guilt-free brownie munching. The Creamy Shrooms burger ($7.90) is one of the most popular item on the menu. The patty is fried and crispy and piled high with button mushrooms coated in a creamy sauce. They use ciabatta bun which is very fragrant and holds the burger well. Now this one I quite like. I'm not a huge fan of fried patties but the crunchy layer mixes well with the soft mushrooms and the balance of the pepper and the cream is well done. This is a safe choice to order if you're not too adventurous.

Overall, there were hits and misses with the food. I notice that quite a few of their burgers have deep fried patties so don't mistake that being vegan means totally healthy food. Some food were a tad too salty whereas others were under-seasoned. I don't think I'll be heading back here soon but I do think they offer a great food alternative for people who are vegan.

Cafe Cartel is known for their pork ribs but if you don't want to have such a heavy meal, try their Pan-Fried Macaroni ($14.80) instead. It's macaroni pan fried with chicken and mushroom in sambal sauce. This dish is a little spicy with a slight tinge of sweetness and taste pretty decent. But this time round, even though they were generous with their chicken, I wish they had chopped the chunks properly as I found a lot of the chicken "stuck together". Very big plate so it was very filling.

Bistro Du Vin is touted as one of the places which serves good, authentic french food in a cosy environment. When I first step into the place, I immediately got a sense of warmth from the cherry red walls to the eclectic decoration of photos, wooden furniture and dim lights. The lighting is not fantastic for photos (not instagram-able) but it's very relaxing for dining. The service is very good! The moment we step in, they helped us hang our bangs on mini table hooks so that we can sit comfortably and serve us water and bread rather quickly. I had the Duck Leg Confit served with leek-pommery mash ($28). The duck leg skin was crispy, salty and delicious! It packs a punch of flavours (and fats but let's ignore that) and holds a bit of the grease so it really helps the meat. The meat was just a wee bit dry and it could use more of the sauce but the meat was tender and falling off the bone. I enjoy eating each bite with some of that crackling skin to get the full taste of the confit. The mash potato was divine! Creamy, smooth and seasoned really well and I polished that off despite being super full. My friend had the Slow-cooked lamb shank with white onion, cherry tomatoes confit & crushed potatoes ($33). I am on the fence with this dish. On one hand, the lamb shank didn't have that much flavour. I felt it could use more salt but it was quite tender. The broth is really nice though. Mainly tomato based, you should smash the garlic gloves and mix it around to elevate the taste. That said, I don't think the this dish is worth the price as I had better lamb shank at other places and didn't require that much help from broth to boost up the taste. The Fondant au chocolat with vanilla ice cream ($10) is simply heaven on a plate. I'm a sucker for chocolate lava cake type of desserts and I'm happy to say this was one of the better standard fondant cake I've had! Look at that lava of flowing chocolate oozing out of that perfectly round cake. It was dense, very rich and the perfect ratio of cake to melted chocolate. This photo is slightly blurry because we were in such a hurry to dig in! Lol!

Verdict: I like the dessert and the duck leg confit but for the price I'm paying here, I was expecting a little more. Probably would come back for the lunch set as it looks to be more worth the price. Otherwise, it's off to look for other alternatives for French Food.