WANNA CUPPA @ 15 New Bridge Road

A new cafe located right across the road, opposite of The Central Clarke Quay. Officially opened for business since December 2015. Easily accessible via bus or mrt. Exit Clarke Quay MRT station and head towards the overhead bridge (near BK and the bus stop) to get you across the road safely. Wanna Cuppa is right next to Song Fa Bak Kut Teh. Pretty easy to spot.

Was invited for a tasting there with blogger kakis, so read on to know more about the experience and the food that we tried.

door front

cakes and pastries counter, with drinks menu at the board

tiramisu, lemon merringe and chocolate dome

Was distracted by the glass cabinet showcasing the cakes and pastries. The concept at the shop is semi self-serve, so one could browse through the menu, order and make payment at the counter. Receive a tag and drinks are dispensed right after. Proceed to your table and the staff will bring your food to you. And, this place do not charge for service.

The decor in the cafe is quite interesting. Bold colours, and there are trees in there. Yup, trees! Fancy dining underneath a tree? Well, you can do that at Wanna Cuppa cafe. Those sofa seats looked so comfy.

interior

Breakfast is served from 830am till 11am, and there are a few items that you could choose from including veggie/bacon cup, pancakes, brioche french toast and a variation of poached eggs served on focaccia. Most are priced below $10 except for eggs royale and french toast.

Eggs Benedict @$9.90

The eggs were well poached and hollandaise sauce was flavourful. The ham were pan-fried and tasted like the ones that mom makes at home.

here it comes!

mop it up with the bread

After work, sometimes just felt like having a cold drink to chill and some snacks to bite on while relaxing with friends. Happy Hour is currently from 5pm to 8pm from Mondays to Saturdays.

Yona Yona Japanese Ale ABV5.5% 350ml @ $9 (HH) / $11

This calls for some beer snack, so we had some deep fried items to go along with the drinks. Have you tried deep fried enoki mushrooms? I think this was my first time having it, in a cafe. Interesting texture and pretty addictive. Crispy but could get a tad oily as well. Do not attempt to eat this alone. Share it with at least 2-3 other friends.

Enoki Mushroom Fries @$7.90

Deep fried Onion Rings

Mini Fish & Chips @$8.90

Dory fish is used here and it worked as a non-vegetarian nibble. The tartar sauce was a good accompaniment to this, and of course, a cider will come in handy too.

Alska (Swedish Cider) Strawberry and Lime ABV 4%  500ml @ $10 (HH) / $12

Am more than happy with this new found cider. Attractive colour with those lovely bubbles, neither too sweet nor too sharp, can't go wrong with strawberry and lime flavour plus, its a pint for $10. Refreshing.

Not to worry if you don't do alcoholic drinks. There are iced flavoured teas to choose from. Personally, I like the Elderflower Strawberry the most. Eh, seemed like that is a consistent flavour that I'd go for at the moment. =P

(left to right) Iced Flavoured Teas: Elderflower Strawberry, Lychee Cucumber, Peach Passionfruit @ $5.90 each

The iced flavoured teas would be the perfect thirst quencher on a hot humid weather. The taste for all were pretty subtle though. The lychee cucumber tasted more of cucumber than lychee.

The only main dish that we tried for the night, was the no-frills Pesto Aglio Olio.

Pesto Aglio Olio @ $10.90 (+$3 to add prawns)

To tell you the truth, a simple unadorned pasta (read: without meat or 料) would not be something that I'd order at a restaurant or cafe. At the very least, the carbonara would also come with pancetta.

But my perspective was changed, as soon as I bit into a mouthful of these noodles. Wow. Very good flavours of savoury, some herbs and spice. Highly recommended. I will re-order this the next time and add some prawns to it. [Ed: Wonder how many prawns would $3 fetch these days]

twirl it up, and savour

All satiated from the array of dishes, yet we ought to try some desserts before calling it a night. Saw some colourful macarons on the way in, so had a bit of those. For baked goods, we tried the apple crumble and homemade brownies.

macarons  @$2.50 each (front to back) apricot-fig and hazelnut

eclairons @ $2.50 each (left to right) mango & chocolate, pistachio & morello cherry, speculos & caramel, toffee & banana and blackcurrant & coconut

The eclairons are actually macarons shaped liked an eclair. Haha! Cutesy, colourful and attractive. Interesting flavours too. The apricot-fig flavour stood out for its fillings was tangy, sharp and sweet. Thought the shells were light enough and overall not overwhelmingly sweet. Probably because of its smallish size as well, plus we shared with friends.

The apple crumble was served warm and oh so soft! Really liked the brownie. Though it was not served warm and without ice-cream, the texture was dense and smooth at the same time. Likeable sweetness. Recommended.

apple crumble @ $6.90

chocolate brownie

For hot drinks, we sampled a few. Interesting to see white chocolate mocha, and so we ordered one. So white! My friend said it was very milky. The coffee tasted pretty strong and with a bitter finish. Surely, a drink that will perk you up.

latte @$5.50

Mocha and White Mocha @$6 each

A big thank you to Jeannette for having us in your cafe, and Kris for arranging. Thank you to the friendly and smiley service staff at Wanna Cuppa.

Arteastiq Boutique Tea House @ Mandarin Gallery

Wanted to have a quiet dinner in town, and happened to see Arteastiq listed in The Entertainer App. Reservation is recommended, especially during Friday and Saturday evenings. Moreover, am quite curious to taste what Chef Benson had crafted for Arteastiq together with Chefs Jason Vito and Jack Tan.

menu

shopfront

next door Arteastiq Art Jam

nice lighting

The place was rather dark, and not as chi-chi as anticipated. On the night of visit, there seemed to be only 2 service staff around. 

Started with a snack of sweet potato fries. Pretty well fried and rather addictive.

Sweet Potato Fries @$12++

The Lychee Tea looked good, and we ordered both hot and cold versions of it. Quite interesting. The hot version had a lighter taste as compared to the slightly sweeter cold version.  Liked the cold lychee tea better for an instant refreshing taste.

Hot Lychee Tea @$11++

Cold Lychee Tea @$11++

close up view

 For food, we ordered plenty to share. From the "Ladies Affair" section of the menu, we had the crabcake egg benny and Louisiana Love-Chicken and Waffles. From the "Gentlemans Dinner" section, we ordered The French Connection - Striploin.

To be honest, was quite disappointed when the crabcake eggs benedict arrived. The maryland crabcake itself was rather thin, and unusual as it was not browned to a crisp exterior. The paprika hollandaise sauce was thick, creamy and savoury but slightly reminiscent of curry? But the poached egg had some translucent parts still, and was reminded of the yakun-type softboiled eggs instead.

Aphrodite-Crabcake Benedict @$25++

Louisiana Love-Chicken Waffles @$22++

The Louisiana Love-Chicken Waffles was decent, and the waffle was interesting to eat with the maple butter. Loved the tangy slaw.

The French Connection-Striploin @$30++

The striploin was served with a poached egg with hollandaise sauce, and sweet potato fries. Actually, didn't quite know what to do with the poached egg.

Do we pour the egg over the steak?
Do we dip the fries into the egg?
Do we dip the meat into the egg?

Asked one of the service staff, and he mentioned that it can be used as a dip for the sweet potato fries. Dug into the depth of the poached egg bowl and discovered similar hollandaise sauce as the crabcake benny.

dip the sweet potato fries into the egg

striploin - medium rare

Expect to spend about $27 to $45 per pax.

Arteastiq Boutique Tea House

Location: Mandarin Gallery, #04-14/15 333 and Plaza Singapura #03-70/72 Singapore
Website: http://www.arteastiq.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArteastiqSingapore

KPO Cafe Bar @ 1 Kiliney Road

Been there a couple of times, mostly for drinks and light bites. Was wracking the brain for a place to have dinner on a Saturday evening, and KPO came to mind. "Let's go there and eat hokkien mee!" I suggested. Hehe, this was said to a fellow blogger friend, only because I have confidence in KPO's rendition of the noodles.

The place was relaxed on that evening, possibly because it was just right after the rain. Previous visits on weekday evenings always saw this place packed. Live music was playing upstairs, and the volume must've been set to probably about level 4 out of 5, and hence, conversations inside the airconditioned place would be almost impossible unless you were either shouting or whispering right into the ear of the other person! Choosing to do neither of those, we ventured to its al-fresco area at ground level. Only contention was the humid weather and one or two flying insects.

It was still during Happy Hour, so got myself a bottle of Asahi Super "Dry" Black for $10+. I think I have a certain fondness for Japanese beer.

Cheers かんぱい

Satay and KPO Hokkien Mee

The chicken satay was well marinated and tender to the bite. Sauce was flavourful but lacked the spicy kick. But the ketupat (rice cake) was strangely charred on its exterior and was too dense for liking. Yet, am still recommending the satay for as it is. Very nice snack or light bites to have with the drinks.

Chicken Satay (12 sticks) @$18+

KPO Hokkien Mee @$16+

The noodles were well cooked with the flavourful stock coating the strands that was of a soft delightful chew. Nice to slurped it up! Each bite was accompanied by the strips of 'sio-bak' or roasted pork meat (minus crackling). Deep fried lard is a welcomed sight on the plate. But the two pieces of prawns were very overcooked though.

Thus far, the service from the service staff of KPO had been good. That night, it was the same. Thank you and kudos to KPO service crew. Much appreciative.

KPO is listed in The Entertainer App Singapore, hence, do take advantage of the app and get one main free with every 2 orders of mains. Saved $16 that night using the app.

KPO Cafe Bar

Location: 1 Kiliney Road, Kiliney Post Office, Singapore 239518
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KPO.sg/
Website: http://www.imaginings.com.sg/
Reservation: Through Hungrygowhere link or 6733 3648

Bejewelled Christmas By The Bay - Street 50 Restaurant & Bar @ Bay Hotel Singapore

Looking for a place to dine during the festive season? Street 50 Restaurant & Bar is having a "Bejewelled Christmas By The Bay" festive buffet dinners during the eves of Christmas and New Year, plus one could enjoy its seafood themed buffet on 25 & 26 December, 1 & 2 January at only $58++ per pax. On the eves, it cost $68++ per pax. Or, if you are their lucky winner, you might just walk away with a set of Goldheart jewellery worth $2000! Wondering about any credit card promotions for this buffet? Indeed, Maybank Credit cardholders dines free with every 2 paying adults.

Was invited to a preview of the restaurant's 'Bejewelled Christmas By The Bay' dinner with a group of digital media friends, to sample of some of their festive menu highlights.

Bay Hotel is just a few minutes walk from Vivocity MRT. Take Exit D and turn left. The hotel is straight ahead. Street 50 Restaurant & Bar is conveniently located right next to the lobby entrance.

Glittering Christmas by The Bay

The restaurant is of a cosy size and furnished in dark tones and accents. Vibe is relaxed.

Christmas-sy accessories

yay to crabs

Some interesting drinks on their ala-carte beverages menu. Tried the Salty Calamansi and the Ais Serai. Was warned that The Salty Calamansi drink is said to be using the original vietnamese recipe and hence, will be quite salty. Ok, game on!

Salty Calamansi @$6++

Hmm, actually it tasted pretty much like a more intense version of 吉子酸酶. The ratio of those salty stuffs were more than a third of the jar. But that suits my taste, though.

drinks menu

The 'pretty-in-pink' Soda Gembira is the familiar bandung made of rose syrup and condensed milk in soda water.  Stir well before drinking.

Soda Gembira @$6++

bevy of drinks (left to right): hot honey lemon, iced lychee tea, lemongrass with soda (ais serai) and salty calamansi

Let's get on with the food! If you see the Salmon Carpaccio with Coriander & Pinenut Vinaigrette at the buffet table, just grab this appetiser! No need to hesitate, especially if you are a fan of salmon. Light appetiser and enjoyable with just enough sauce to burst out of the salmon. Was a tasty mess.

Salmon Carpaccio with Coriander & Pinenut Vinaigrette

Repeat the same with the Smoked Oyster & Crab Cake. But don't stop at one. Take two at least. It was good. Didn't matter if there wasn't any apparent oyster taste in these babies. The crab cakes were of a good size, well cooked and with familiar Asian spice from the sambal. Lovely.

brown beauties - Smoked Oyster & Crab Cake topped with papaya sambal

have more

The other light bites was a scallop dish. Think it was a my first in trying tomato-based scallops, that was not part of a pasta dish. Easy to eat in one bite alongside with the crunchiness of the diced radish. Best eaten while still warm. A touch of elegance in the usual buffets line-up.

Bay Scallop with Warm Tomato Essence

For something more substantial, let's head on to the Black Pepper Alaskan Crab Claw with Gingko Nut and the Seafood Paella.

Black Pepper Alaskan Crab Claw with Gingko Nut

One word of caution before you dived right into the claws; the pepper sauce was power! Strong fiery pepper. However, some might find it a tad too salty. Having accustomed to the salty calamansi drink, this seemed alright. Interesting though to find gingko nuts in a crab dish.

The Seafood Paella was pretty. Look at its appetising colours! Yellow rice topped with prawns, mussels, squids, olives and juicy cherry tomatoes. Found the paella very different from the ones that am accustomed to. This dish is for those who needs their carbs.

Seafood Paella

And, for the finale, we had the Tandoori Turkey, served conveniently sliced up. There are two dips for the meat; the tangy red spicy pineapple salsa and the refreshing green cucumber coriander sauce.

Tandoori Turkey Breast for Christmas

lovely char, lovely sauces

Ended on a sweet note with crêpe suzette. No table-side cooking though. Wonder how it will be setup during the buffet. Would there be a live-station?

Liked the sweet citrusy mandarin orange sauce. My first ever, crêpe suzette.

Crêpe Suzette with mandarin orange

 Thank you Christine, Aloysius and Street 50 Restaurant & Bar for the lovely festive preview.

Street 50 Restaurant & Bar 

Location: 50 Telok Blangah Rd, 098828
Contact: 6818 6681
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Street50/

 

The Holqa Cafe @ East Coast Road

The Holqa Cafe is one bus stop away from Katong Shopping Centre. This small shop is without a proper door, and situated just right behind the bus stop. The cafe serves up mostly western fares that's heavy on asian influenced flavours. Curiosity and an invitation from a fellow blogger friend brought me there, and travelling to this 'remote' place was via bus #14 from Dhoby Ghaut Station.

signboard

you might have noticed this plastered on the cafe's glass window

The Holqa is a small cosy cafe, a place where a group of student friends first banded together to realize their dreams of owning a business. Having met Welson, Simple and Desmond in the cafe that day, I found their enterprising spirit admirable.

meaning of Holqa

interior

The cafe is setup simply and without frills, and exudes a quiet charm. This was the sort of place where one could drop by either for a snack, or to simply sit by the window and read a book quietly while sipping on a latte.

for the young adults

If you like fried chicken wings as much as I do, then the wings at Holqa will pique your interest. The wings are prepared almost similarly, with the difference in its sauce. Only mid-wings are used here. The young bosses shared that the sauces are prepared fresh upon order, and hence, the waiting time for these wings could go up to 15 minutes.

But fret not, an order of their mini-sliders would help to appease the growling stomach while waiting for the freshly cooked wings.

(left to right) Holqa Pulled Pork mini-burger and the Open Sesame mini-burger

Both are priced at $12 for 3 mini-burgers and served with fries. All mini burgers have lettuce, mayo and cheese in it. The pulled pork was leaning on the sweeter side of things, while the homemade pork and prawn patty in the Open Sesame mini burger were very homely tasting. The patty has a ngor-hiong (五香) flavour with very likeable texture. Both were tasty and moist but I like the Open Sesame patty more. Was asking for a bigger version!

Soon, the much awaited wings made their appearances. That night we sampled five different flavours; Ninja, Peanut Butter, Salted Egg Yolk, SNS-ji and Pineapple Buffalo Wings. The wings are served in sets of 6, or 9 pieces.

Peanut Butter Space Jam Wings @$9 (6 pieces) | $12 (9 pieces)

Yallow Yallow Dirty Fella (Salted Egg Yolk Sauce) @$12 (6 pieces)

Having the peanut butter wings really felt like biting into a thick spread of peanut butter. For people who seriously love their peanut butter jams. Much preferred the salted egg yolk version that was lusciously thick, golden and with a bit of spice from the chili. Yums.

HOLQA SNS-ji @$9 (6 pieces) | $12 (9 pieces)

Ninja Wings @$9 (6 pieces) | $12 (9 pieces)

The SNS-ji is Holqa's signature dish and probably Korean inspired, judging from its name while the Ninja Wings is sort-of like a variant of the SNS-ji dish. The Ninja was created to cater to the non-spice eaters aka young children.

Hmm, I must confess. I do like the Ninja Wings better! Crispy wings, coated in soy-based savoury and caramelized sweetness. The sauce was sticky and reminiscent of malt sugar.

If all these are too mild for you, no worries, you just need to get your hands on the Pineapple Buffalo Wings. As individual spice level tolerance differs from person to person, I'd give this a level 5 out of 10. Just enough heat to feel a slow burn on the tongue and some tingling on the scalp but not enough to make you sweat.

Pineapple Buffalo Wings @$11 (6 pieces) | $16 (9 pieces)

Of course, it helps if there is an icy cold drink on-hand to help douse some of the fire. Had the Crabbies alcoholic ginger beer of the strawberry and lime flavour. Nice and cooling. Sweet~

Crabbies Strawberry and Lime (Alcoholic Ginger Beer) @$9

Thank you Welson, Simple and Desmond for having us at the Holqa Cafe, and Kris for jio'ing us there.