Crown Bakery & Cafe @ Bukit Timah

Located at Crown Centre, this bakery cafe is painted in charming cerulean/tiffany blue. Looks striking from afar and had passed by this place once and yesterday was the first time trying it.

cafe's facade

let's eat some breads

The cafe welcomes walk-in customers and do not take in reservations for seats. Ample tables at the alfresco area and they are observing the safe distancing rules. Indoor dining is limited to 3 tables during this period.

indoor dining

Order at the counter and make payment first. Customers will be given a buzzer and to collect when food/drink is ready. Staff are young and friendly.

As with a bakery, was inclined to try their breads, hence ordered their B.L.T.C and Grilled Pork Sandwich. Customers can choose their bread for the sandwiches, so we had ciabata for the sandwich and croissant for the B.L.T.C.

For drinks, I tried the mocha and the "Sweet N Simple" juice.

B.L.T.C (front) @$14.90 and Grilled Pork Sandwich (back) @$15.90

I suppose B.L.T.C stands for bacon, lettuce, tomato and cheddar? Hahaa! All the yummy ingredients in the sandwich. Very tasty combo and slightly on the saltier side due to the bacon. Sinful, and satisfying. Loved the salad on the side. Fresh, crisp and tasty from the sprinkling of dressing.

thick cut bacon stack

But the star, ought to be the grilled pork sandwich. Well buttered crispy toast, thick cut juicy and flavourful pork belly that was grilled perfectly. Yums! Not forgetting them pickles in there. Lovely combo.

thick and juicy

Have it all with a glass of sweet healthy juice. I liked my green apple and celery juice. Sweet~

Sweet N Simple @$6

For hot drink, try the mocha. Loved the sweet thick cocoa taste, and I thought the drink temperature was just right. Enjoyed this quite a bit.

Mocha @$6

thick and sweet

And of course, da-bao'ed (take-away) some of the breads. Can't buy too many because its prices are on the higher side.

Assorted Breads

Salted Butter Roll @$2

Almond Cream Brioche @$2.40

inside of the brioche

My favorite of the lot, was the Japanese Sweet Potato Mini Loaf. When its stated as mini, it really was!

Japanese Sweet Potato Mini Loaf @$5.20

I thought the sweet potato was just on top

but I was wrong, inside there's sweet potato~

plentiful of sweet potato~

Crown Bakery & Cafe

Address: 557 Bukit Timah Road #01-03 Crown Centre, 269694
Website: https://www.crownbakery.com.sg/
Online Shop: https://crownbakery.oddle.me/en_SG/
Contact: 6463 3066
Business Hours:
Daily 730am to 7pm

[Tasting] Wang Yuan Desserts and Coffee @ 33 Keong Saik Road

Located at No. 33 Keong Saik Road, Wang Yuan Desserts and Coffee offers a comfortable environment to hide away from the hustles and bustles surrounding it. Want to get some 'bingsu' to counter the ever increasing temperature? Wang Yuan offers localised flavours with maximum yummy-ness while maintaining at a reasonable price point. Oh, you wanted coffee? I tried their 'Barista Signature' and enjoyed that cuppa smooth delicious coffee. How about food then? Why not have an Iced Gula Melaka Latte with a plate of delicious nasi lemak?

Wang Yuan Desserts and Coffee, as seen from opposite side of the road

entrance

let's browse the menu

interior

menu

This was an invited tasting so we got to try a variety of items. For drinks, I wanted a hot coffee, so I ended up choosing the Barista Signature because it sounded special. Liked that the barista actually asked the type of coffee that the diner prefers, and when the cup that was brought forth, hits all the right spot.

Barista Signature coffee @$6 

"not too acidic, smooth and mildly sweetened"

Wang Yuan uses their own house-blend for the coffee resulting in a balanced profile. Well, I liked its moderate strength that's easy to drink with a velvety smoothness overall. Was warned that it would be sweetened and that was fine since it wasn't overly sweet.

Here's a quick look at the other drinks:

milk tea

Butterscotch Caramel Milk @$7

Feeling hungry? Let's dive in to some hot food. Hankering for some Katong laksa? Yes, they serve it here. Cockles (螄蚶), fish cake slices (鱼饼片), beansprouts (豆芽), prawns (虾) and half a hard boiled egg (水煮蛋 - 一半). Ah, yes...not forgetting the finely chopped laksa leaves. The laksa gravy is slurp-able, with a gentle orange hue that does not feel overly rich yet tasty.

Traditional Katong Laksa 传统加东叻沙 @$7

Feel like having rice? How about a plate of good 'ol nasi lemak, one of our national favourite dish? A few options available; with Chicken Katsu or Sambal Chicken/Cuttlefish/Prawns. We tried the one with chicken katsu. The plate came with well fried crunchy chicken katsu, a large piece of mackerel otah, peanuts and ikan bilis, sambal, cucumber slices and half a hard boiled egg. The rice is pandan flavoured. Loved the chicken katsu for its crunchy batter with juicy and well seasoned meat. Thought the sambal could be spicier.

Nasi Lemak Chicken Katsu @$8

Next up, if you would like to have prata with curry chicken, they do have it here. The curry chicken gravy was light and tasted healthy. Do note that this is typically served with chicken winglets and potatoes.

Curry Chicken (winglets) with Prata (招牌咖喱鸡印度煎饼) @$8

Ever heard of Seafood Laksa Risotto? This dish is Wang Yuan's take on modern and traditional fusion. Imagine laksa broth as the base for seafood risotto. Do note that there is a waiting time of 20 minutes for this dish.

Seafood Laksa Risotto 海鲜叻沙烩饭 @$15.80

Overall, for the food, I liked the Katong Laksa and the Nasi Lemak for its flavors and value-for-money. Hmm, if I could just get some of those crunchy ikan bilis or the chicken katsu onto the laksa, then that will be uwu!

Next up, we are completing our meal with dessert, I mean desserts. Plenty of it!

Bobo ChaCha 摩摩喳喳 @$5.80

a good bowl of bobo chacha

Bubur Pulut Hitam 黑糯米粥 @$4.80

my attempt at an 'arty-swirl' on the pulut hitam

Between the bobo chacha and the pulut hitam, both were good. Traditionalist dessert done right. The bobo chacha was fragrant with the coconut milk flavour yet not overly sweet and healthy tasting. The pulut hitam was of the right consistency and slightly sweeter but hey, this is dessert afterall ;)

No worries if you're not a fan of warm dessert. The cold ones were awesome too!

Chendol Coconut Snow Mountain 煎蕊椰子奶雪花冰@$10.80

The Chendol Coconut Snow Mountain was interestingly presented in a coconut husk. Served with a separate side of homebrewed gula melaka, we drizzled every drop of it onto the 'snow'. Sweet but we still liked it! On hindsight, suggest not to drizzle all of it! Packed with toppings like red bean, corn, green rice flour jelly and attap seeds. Lovely!

For some bingsu, we got the Mango Snow Mountain. Just got to love the fact that we could get this dessert for less than $10 and can be shared amongst 2 pax. Came with two drizzles; mango and milk cap.

Mango Snow Mountain @$8.80

it's snowing mango

And for the finale, there was the Milo Dinosaur Snow Mountain. Milo powder ice tower and served with a green dino perched dangerously ontop of the cocoa snow mountain. Instead of red lava, we have the white lava flowing down its slopes.

Milo Dinosaur Snow Mountain 恐龙美禄雪花冰 @$7.80

Thank you to Kris and Ting Feng for the invite, and Wang Yuan Desserts and Coffee for hosting the session. Special thanks to staff who took care of us.

Wang Yuan Desserts and Coffee 

Address: 33 Keong Saik Rd., Singapore 089140
Website: https://www.facebook.com/wangyuancafe/
Contact: 8348 3393
Business Hours:
Mon-Thurs: 9am to 10pm
Fri: 9am to 12am
Sat: 10am to 12am
Closed on Sundays

[Tasting] Godmama @ Funan SG

Have you visited the just re-opened Funan? After undergoing a $560 million renovation and redesign, the new Funan opened its doors once again on 28 Jun. Plenty of food, cafes and lifestyle shops in there, as well as the old favourites like camera and tech shops.

Funan v2.0

Was invited to a brunch tasting at Godmama, a new restaurant that serves Peranakan inspired food. Spanking new, and has both outdoor and indoor dining area. At 11am, the sun could get a bit hot in our sunny Singapore hence, we sought refuge in the cool confines of the air-conditioned dining area.

interior - lovely handpainted artwork

Met up with co-owners Christina and Derrick, and found out that Godmama is inspired by Christina's mama and godmother, and hence the name. Head Chef Fred too has Peranakan roots and the menu at Godmama is a new play on familiar flavours, catering to the younger generation.

Lychee Kris Earl Grey @$8.50

Iced Mocha @$7.50

Kris just had to order her namesake drink, the Lychee Kris Earl Grey, which is under the premium tea selection by Ette Tea Co. My iced mocha was really 'gao' (thick!). Wow.

All-Star Egg Skin Popiah @$6.50

For appetiser, we had the Godmama's Special - the All-Star Egg Skin Popiah. The perennial favourite of stewed sweet turnip, encased in a soft egg crepe with the usual sprouts and lettuce. It was wrapped with a dash of chili on the skin, which gave the dish an instant lift. The chili got power!

Next up, we tried the innovative Ayam Buah Keluak Burger. A firm piece of chicken patty that was well-grilled, dabbed with pureed sambal buah keluak (black nut), topped with onions and tomatoes and a sunny side up. Served with sesame burger buns and a side dish of emping belinjo (crackers). Do ask for some sambal belachan for the emping!

Ayam Buah Keluak Burger @$21.90

side profile

If you'd like more carbs, how about a plate of Buah Keluak Bolognese Pasta. This is a beef bolognese linguine tossed in Godmama’s classic nyonya buah keluak sauce. Quite a substantial dish, and you'd be hungry no more. The beef bolognese was pretty good and one could get that yummy beefy taste immediately. It was a pity that the buah keluak flavours were rather toned down.

Buah Keluak Bolognese Pasta @$19.90

The Godmama’s Otak Otak Benedict is another signature dish in the brunch menu. Poached eggs ontop of a large otak square, with a piece of their lovely artisanal sourdough bread at the bottom.

Godmama’s Otak Otak Benedict @$19.90

The mackerel otak otak was not spicy and the fish quality was good. This dish be enjoyed by both the young and old. I'd prefer a spicier version though.

Babi Assam Baked Eggs @$16.90

If you're looking at just one item for brunch, I'd recommend the Babi Assam Baked Eggs. Served piping hot, this dish has Godmama’s signature belly of pork simmered in an aromatic tamarind stew. The pork pieces were cut small and the babi assam stew was rightfully tangy that made it such a joy to eat with the freshly baked sourdough bread. Break the egg, mix it around, tear a piece of that bread, dip, dunk and get some of those pork pieces on top and enjoy. Guaranteed yums!

For dessert, I had my eyes on Banana Pengat Buttermilk Pancakes. Pancakes is just so right to eat for brunch. Banana pengat? Yes please!

Banana Pengat Buttermilk Pancakes  @$17.90

doused with sweet  Peranakan coconut milk and banana compote and coconut crumble with vanilla ice-cream at the side

Warm fluffy buttermilk pancake stack, with delectable sweet banana pengat sauce. Loved the local flavours! Warm sweet sauce, soft airy pancakes with cold vanilla ice-cream was a good way to end the meal.

Thank you Kris for the invite and Godmama for hosting the tasting. Congratulations on your store opening!

Godmama

Address: Funan Mall, 109 North Bridge Rd, #04-07
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/godmamasg/
Contact: 6970 0828
Business Hours:
Sun to Thur - 11am to 2.30pm, 6pm to 10pm
Fri to Sat - 1030am to 4.30pm, 6pm to 12am