Lunch at Birds of A Feather @ Amoy Street

Am no stranger to Birds but it has been quite a while since I last dined there. Went back to enjoy a quiet lunch with Kris and Ivan. Glad that we made time for this quick catch-up.

Starters

Crab and Avocado Bruschetta

Crab and Avocado Bruschetta

The starters came in handy as I was feeling pretty hungry that day, having only had small pieces of pastries and coffee for breakfast. The rendition of "Crab and Avocado Bruschetta" is still visually stunning after all these years. Tasted light and healthy, with small burst of sweetness from bits of pomegranate and green apple slices.

Find the Chicken in the Chillies 

Find the Chicken in the Chillies @$19

You might have noticed that the "Find the Chicken in the Chilies" is my must order at Birds and yes, it still is. Noted that the spice level and numbing factor have been toned down. Still a nice snack especially if you're having ice cold beer or prosecco.

Main Course

Barramundi Chazuke

Barramundi Chazuke @$36

cracker on the side (to keep it crisp), chazuke (bubbling)

Barramundi Chazuke is indeed a dish that whets the appetite. Sour, tangy and deeply flavoured broth that soothes the soul. I liked it with the crackers. Fish taste was clean with firm texture. Be careful when sipping the broth as the hotstone bowl kept the soup bubbling for a short while after it was served. There is an equivalent of one bowl of rice in the pot, hence this is suitable to be eaten by self as main course or shared with a friend, with a side appetiser and a dessert.

Pan Seared Fillet, Classic Sichuan Sour Vegetable Fish Broth, Mustard Green, Japanese Rice

Charred Marinated Octopus

Charred Marinated Octopus @$32

Sichuan Pita, Pork Ragout

Sichuan Chopped Chillies Salsa, Baby Arugula, Joyn Tomato, Feta

Staff has informed us to mix well the octopus with the salsa before packing them onto the sliced Sichuan Pita (the charcoal looking mantou). Topped it up with the pork ragout. Octopus was nicely tender and I liked it with loads of the pork ragout for extra flavours.

Sichuan Pita, Pork Ragout and Octopus

Oxtail Mapo Tofu

Oxtail Mapo Tofu @$38

I believe most of us probably would have tried mapo at some point before, but mapo tofu with oxtail? This is my first time trying this combo! Expect the beefy taste of the oxtail that's fork tender and the lovely savoury bean-paste fragrance of the mapo tofu. Must eat with rice for the complete experience. I think one could eat two bowls of rice with this. This dish was pretty laid back in the spice quotient, so it could be enjoyed by most.

good with rice

Staff are generally friendly and would inform the guests to be careful of hot surfaces, water continuously topped up and would do a brief introduction of the dishes when presented to the table. Thank you Mei Zhen and Yiling for taking care of our table that day. Apologies if I had mis-spelt your name.

We ended our meal with a cup of coffee. Thanks for the nice latte-art! And of course, special thanks to Eugene for your kind hospitality, in making sure we were well-fed as always.

Mocha @$8

Birds of a Feather

Address: 115 Amoy St, #01-01, Singapore 069935

Website: https://www.birdsofafeather.com.sg/

Contact: 97557115

Business Hours:

Mon - Thu: 12–3 pm, 6–11 pm

Fri - Sat: Friday, 12–3 pm, 6 pm–12 am

Sun: Sunday, 12–3 pm, 6–10 pm

[Jeju] Bakery with Seaview @ Seogwipean Bakery 서귀피안 베이커리

It was a day to travel up north, heading towards Seongsan Ilchulbong. We stopped by Seogwipean Bakery for breakfast.

Seogwipean Bakery

sea view

signboard

entering the building

The baked goods and cashier are at Level 1. The freshly baked pastries are on display and one could also check out the baking schedule, for the freshest availability of your favourites.

Level 1

display area

schedule for fresh bakes

There are seats at Level 1 as well as Level 2. The higher level offers a better view of the sea.

so cute

Jeju Black Pork sandwich

Jalapeno bread

matcha croissant

Not sure about you but I felt the urge to buy all those cutesy/delicious looking breads/pastries. Alas, need to refrain as stomach space is limited and we'll be out the whole day and this is just our first stop!

Bring your tray of breads/pastries that you have selected to the cashier and the staff will enquire if you like the bread to be sliced (or to be heated up etc), whether you'll have it dine-in or take-away. For drinks, I ordered the Jeju Green Barley Coffee, one of their indicated signature. I asked the staff if hot or iced is better and he said he prefers it hot, so I got that.

Level 2

view from Level 2

We brought our breads and drinks upstairs to enjoy. Will be keeping the jalapeno bread for tea-break.

takeaway

nice place to stare into space while sipping on a drink

cheddar cheese cookie

The cookie was very flavourful with strong cheddar cheese. Pretty filling too! The Jeju Green Barley Coffee only had a slight hint of barley and loved the matcha cream in it. Comforting and yummy.

Jeju Green Barley Coffee @₩8500

It was a nice place to chill before heading towards the next destination. 

Seogwipean Bakery 서귀피안 베이커리

Address: 17 2F Sinyang-ro 122beon-gil, Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do, South Korea

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seogwipean_bakery/

Contact: +82647837884

Business Hours:

Daily: 8 am–8 pm

[Jeju] Pit Stop at Youdong Coffee 유동커피 Seogwipo

Day 4 of our Jeju travel and it is now time to cafe hop! For our first cafe, I chose Youdong Coffee. No particular reason besides it being along our route of travel. However, this random choice turned out to be a good one!

first view of the cafe

let's chill on a Sunday morning

award winning barista

Arrived at about 920am, and the place was not too crowded. Probably Sundays are for sleeping in! 

interior

We ordered our preferred drinks and shared some pastries. The drinks selection were pretty good but the pastries were somewhat limited. Not an issue as we wanted to have just a quick stop here.

mugwort latte (no coffee) @₩5000

cafe latte @₩4500

maple croffle and sammaebong pie @₩3900 and ₩4800 respectively

The croffle, looks somewhat different from what I had imagined. I think I haven't eaten enough croffle! Tasted pretty sweet, and actually can't remember much of its texture. But definitely more of a waffle than a croissant.

maple croffle

The Sammaebong Pie was interesting and I ordered it, just because it has an interesting name and we don't really know what to expect of it. The pastry was flaky as expected and its taste was somewhat familiar. I pondered on it and suddenly, I knew what it tasted like. Kaya! Hahaha, pretty much unexpected to find a taste of home in Jeju.

flaky

familiar tasting jam

And for my drink, I had the 'Tiramisu' coffee. Inside, was a cup of cold milk cream. Not frothy but like cream cream. I must say, it tasted awesome! Loved it!

Tiramisu Cafe Latte @₩5000

amazing cup of coffee dessert

Felt like that cuppa was a dessert on its own. Satisfying and totally recommend you to try the Tiramisu Cafe Latte.

Youdong Coffee 유동커피 

Address: 406-1 태평로 Songsan-dong, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do, South Korea

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youdongcoffee_company/

Contact: +82647336662

Business Hours: 

Daily: 8am to 1030pm

Café Kitsuné @ Capitol

Yen chose the place for tea after our lunch at Suntec. This place is nearer to Wu Pao Chun side. Was there around 4pm and we waited for a table.

shopfront

Staff was nice to pass us the menu and to talk to us a bit about the menu. The available bakes are visibly displayed, so one could just go over to that counter to see what's available for the day.

drinks menu

After half an hour, we were presented with a choice on whether we would like to continue waiting for a slightly larger table or all 5 of us squeezed to the smaller table. We didn't mind the smaller table plus I got tired of waiting. Hahaa!

table decor

Iced Houjicha Latte @$8.50

It was a warm day, so I opted for Iced Houjicha Latte. Pretty mild but it's likeable. The hot drinks looked pretty good with the latte art.

Latte @$7.00

Sesame Latte @$7.50

Tried a sip of the sesame latte and it tasted just like the sesame paste dessert albeit not so thick. Lovely flavour if you like sesame.

We got  a couple of the dessert, so our table was pretty busy with all the small plates.

Strawberry Shortcake @$13

I liked the cake. Tasted as how a strawberry shortcake would be.

cross section view

Think Wendy chose the Yuzu Pistachio. Hmmm, it was tiny. It tasted sweet, slightly tart and tangy. 

Yuzu Pistachio Strawberry Tart @$13

inner view

Actually, Yen just wanted the shortbread. Because of its shape. Cute fox shape. We got 2 out of 4 flavours. Had the plain and the choco ones.

Kitsune Shortbread @$4 (one piece)

photogenic

Also tried the Paris-Brest. Paris-Brest by far, is a good choice. Well, my sampling size was rather small. In reality, am only eating this like once in every few years? Ginett version was giant-sized in comparison.

Paris-Brest @$12

The cream was delicious, although one of friend would disagree. But this dessert is my kind of thing. And the shortcake.

Overall, the place seemed popular. There was a small line outside when we were there.

Café Kitsuné Singapore

Address: 13 Stamford Rd, #01-11, Singapore 178905

Website: https://www.instagram.com/cafekitsune

Business Hours: 

Daily 10 am–10 pm