Non Entrée Desserts Cafe @ Rangoon Road

Located at 204 Rangoon Road, and the place is just beside one of the popular bak kut teh eatery there. If you are looking for main course, there is none here. Unless you count those sugary treats as one. Described as a place that take on classic European desserts, pastries and artisanal gelato.

Was there as an interlude between our cafe hops and it was pit stop #4. Gosh, we were having so many sweet stuff that day.

shop sign

door front

Its door front is painted bright yellow. Can't miss it. Quite heartening to see rattan furniture being adopted at this place. Retro cool.

alfresco

The place was rather packed on a Saturday. Once you step in, you will notice the gelato and then the cakes and subsequently, the chandelier.

chalkboard menu

chandelier and chefs at work

seat and nice tiles

Here is a collage of the ready-to-eat cakes on display that day. They have white florest, gold bar, chocolate charlotte, montblanc and strawberry shortcake.

(top clockwise) White Forest, Gold Bar, Mont Blanc and Chocolate Charlotte

pretty in red

Since we had overdosed on our sugar quota for the day, the three of us decided to just share one plated desserts from the seven available choices. Finally decided on Rubbery Ducky, only to be informed that it was not available. Then, wanted to try Tiramisu but without the alcohol but that was not possible since some of the ingredients were already infused with liqueur. But went ahead and ordered Tiramisu anyway since it was the next available desserts that we perceived as of the 'lighter' variant.

When the desserts was served up, we were surprised to see a Rubber Ducky. Checked the receipt and lo and behold, we did order a Rubber Ducky. Glad they were able to make one for us because it was just too cute!

Rubber Ducky @$12.90+

Essentially, Rubbery Ducky is made from 'exotic' gelato, mango puree, lemongrass foam and underneath it was creme fraiche pudding and sago. This was their take on mango pomelo sago (楊枝甘露).

creme fraiche pudding, sago, mango puree and lemongrass cloud

Rubber Ducky was pretty refreshing, sweet and very Asian.

Karafuru カラフル Desserts @ Jalan Klapa

Instagram shots of colourful éclairs? You must have seen one of those, right? Found it fascinating. After a certain amount of exposure over a period of time, it has created a desire to visit the shop. 

The place was kind of zen with white walls and minimalistic furnishing. The éclairs were categorized as non-alcoholic and alcoholic ones.

colourful éclairs

Choose your éclairs and pay at the counter. If éclair is not your thing, how about trying its yoghurt parfait? Or, choose from its dessert sets as it include a small pot of tea. 

dessert sets options

interior

If you had ordered the parfait dessert set, then a buzzer will be given as they will need a bit of time to plate the desserts.

number one customer

Let's bring out the カラフル エクレーア~

(front anti-clockwise) sakura, matcha azuki, blackforest, cafe au lait

matcha azuki @$6+

blackforest (alcoholic) @$7+

cafe au lait @$6+

For éclairs, I liked the cafe au lait best. The yoghurt parfait was nice and not too sour but the syrup underneath the pudding tasted like cough syrup.

Soba seed tea, was mild and soothing.

parfait set with sakura dango, pudding and raspberry coulis, served with soba seed tea

The sweets were photogenic and pretty to look at. Noted that it was not overwhelmingly sweet. We spent about $9 per pax.

Actually, the whisky creme éclair was one of those that caught my eye...wonder how it will taste like...

Hyde & Co @ 785 North Bridge Road

Was our monthly cafe hopping time with the usual gang but minus some. Met up with the lovelies Kris, Jennifer, Rachelle and Ivan at Hyde & Co for cakes and coffee.

welcomed

First time to this small little cosy cafe. Captivated by the lovely colours of lychee rose, we ordered a slice of that, plus a slice of ondeh-ondeh cake. For mains (and for sustenance), we ordered up the Pulled Pork Mantou and a Mr Frosty to share.


Started with the cakes first. Liked the flavour and fragrance of the lychee rose, but the chiffon was too crumbly and a tad dry. The ondeh-ondeh cake fared better in terms of texture and moistness. Sweetness level was nice.

lychee rose & ondeh-ondeh cakes @$7.90 per slice

moist and buttery ondeh-ondeh cake

And of course, one need to have coffee when having cakes. Mine was a piccolo latte, served with heart and some cutesy art. The colourful marshmallow and the blue teacup added to the charm. It was a very pretty cup with smooth coffee that was not too bitter and rather mellow.

piccolo latte @$4.50

Here are the other latte art that we got or rather, can we say, requested for? Haha, thank you Damien for indulging us!

swan art for the mocha

cutesy bunny for the guy's latte

and, a somewhat cheeky looking kissy doraemon

Of course, we must have food. Rather hungry by then. Mr Frosty is a plate of s'mores brioche french toast, chocolate sauce, marsmallow fluff, vanilla ice-cream, caramelized banana stuffed in between the toast and a few segments of orange.

Mr Frosty @$18

Pulled Pork Mantous @$14 (5 pieces)

The pulled pork man tou could have been great with its tender flavourful meat, if not for the oily man tou and a slightly too sweet sauce. Sweet buns combined with sweet sauce for the pork, equated to some jelakness.

The shop has a friendly and cosy vibe.

Anti:dote @ Fairmont Singapore

Somehow, walking into Anti:dote felt like walking into a gentleman's club. Not that I've been to any, but it just felt like that.

Sturdy furnitures, comfy sofas and smartly dressed craftsmen and craftswoman, making delicious concoctions out of the spirits.

drinks menu

looks like its engineered

The only cocktails that I've drunk thus far, would be of the mojitos, slings, bellinis and those usual kinds. Took some time to peruse the menu, and one name stood out; Bunny Hop. I like bunnies so, it seemed like it was just asking to be chosen. Bunny Hop is made of pisco, sour plum, sherry and lime and served in a copper mug.

Bunny Hop

thanks Edriane for making this

Tasted predominantly of sour plum, actually. Refreshing and quite a strong one, this one. But I heard, there's a Corpse Reviver...so, this ain't nothing.

Am delighted to have met Bannie Kang, one of the craftsman at Anti:dote. Hailing from Busan, South Korea, Bannie has came a long way and one could see the Asian influences in her drinks. She made Hwa Chae for some of us. A pretty glass of cocktail concocted from Bacardi, maple syrup, pineapple and watermelon juice. Yums. Congratulations Bannie for being one of the Top 5 contenders for the BLCC 2016 (#Bacardilegacy2016). Bannie, 화이팅!

Hwa Chae 화채

Special thanks to Medwin and Wendy, for the introduction to Anti:dote.

Anti:dote

Location: Level 1, 80 Bras Basah Road, Fairmont Singapore.
Website: http://antidotebar.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AntidoteSingapore/

CATO Restaurant Bar Lounge @ 237 South Bridge Road Chinatown

The CATO name had recently popped up all over my instagram feeds. Ivan mentioned that he wanted to revisit the place and thus, decided to tag along. Even more so since he mentioned that they have good craft beers. Keke.

Located just opposite the Sri Mariamman Temple, this was a rather unusual place to have a bar/lounge. The contrast between the external and internal vibe are apparent, and for us cafe hoppers on our 6th place for the day, the indoor airconditioning was a welcome respite from the heat wave outside.

Coincidentally, someone in the group mentioned about wanting to find a Halloween themed place to visit. Lo and behold, we walked right into one. Unintentionally, of course. No reservations, but upstairs is available, we were told. Carefully, we walked up the stairs to the empty and dark space. The Halloween party has not started since it was just before 730pm.

CATO @ Level 2 - The Bar Lounge area

They've done a pretty good job in the decorating the place for 31 October. Since there were no other patrons during that time, went about exploring the Level 2 area.

newspaper clippings of horrid tales, and that jar...

There were a few other installations near where we sat that upped the spook factor. Of course, the only real goosebump inducing ones would be the much talked about CCTV footage of this place that has been circulating over the internet. Am not going to see the video (yes, am a scaredy cat) and no, we still had our drinks and snacks before we left.

Contrary to earlier expectations, the selection of craft beer at CATO is still somewhat limited with only 11 choices. Decided on Belgium ones. The guys ordered something from the tapas menu to munch. For teetotellers, there's ginger ale, sparkling water and juices.

Modern Times Blackhouse Coffee Stout (USA) 5.8% ABV @$16++

Tried a sip of the coffee stout and it was bitter and strong, as expected. Ugh, not my kind of drink though.

St Bernardus Abbot 12 (Belgium) 10% ABV @$18++

Hmm, not sure why but beer brewed by Trappist monastery is always delicious. This one is still a pretty dark beer, fruity aroma with bitter finish and very dry. The kick will only come after the bottle has been drunk up.

The snacks from the tapas menu provided the accompaniment to the drinks. The online menu can be found here.

Beer Beef Chili and Cheese Fries @$12++

Crispy Squid in Thai Style Glazed @$12++

Lamb Skewers with Onions served with chili and peanut gravy @$16++

The crispy squid was seriously crispy, and done well. Tasty, with a hint of Thai seasoning and was that sweetness that appeared after the salt dip? Interesting and paired well with the drinks. The lamb skewers were good too. Tender lamb, and sauce that complements the meat. Not gamey at all. Nice.

The beef chili fries had a somewhat more muted flavour than expected. Perhaps, I have not tasted enough of beef chili fries for a fair comparison.

As we were finishing our beer, the DJ arrived and started spinning some tracks. The mood turned party-ish hip, and steady streams of party-goers decked out in their Halloween best started appearing at Level 2. There was a butterfly (or, I thought she wanted to be a fairy?), a samsui woman, and the usual suspects of ghouls.

All in all, this was an interesting place with an equally interesting tale.

However, am not sure why there are still places that has alcoholic drinks for on-site consumption but yet, does not provide free drinking water to its customers.