Songfa Bak Kut Teh 松發肉骨茶 @ JEM

It was dinner with family and all had arrived except me. The good thing about that, was that I got to arrive at a table full of food! Hahaa! Songfa @ JEM is located at the basement level (same level as NTUC Fairprice) and at the Watson side.

feeds a family of 5 adults

When having bak kut teh, it is essential to have tea. So out came the tiny teapot with equally tiny tea cups. Kind of felt like 'masak-masak' if you asked me.

tea set

Not sure which tea goes well with the pork ribs, but the Jasmine tea that we had gotten was pretty good since the flavour had intensified into the small pot.

superior grade jasmine

Hmm, since we didn't know how to 'execute' the tea making, there was help from the service staff. She patiently demonstrated the way. If you asked me now, I can't remember the steps but roughly its about warming the teapot and teacups and to pour away the first pour.

tea making

washing the cups?

enjoy

Having had many bak kut teh in my lifetime, I must commend that Songfa pork ribs were quite good. Tender and flavourful. The white pepper soup was not too overpowering too. No need to get the premium ribs as the normal ones were already quite good.

The intestines were also not bitter so that was a plus point. The vegetables were done well with it being crunchy and not overly cooked. The kidneys were a tad too tough but it was washed nicely without any funky smell. Surprisingly, the soup of the pigs stomach was a tad spicier than the pork ribs soup though both should've came from the same soup pot. Just don't choke on the soup like me.

do you like kidney?

pork ribs

If you're a lover of garlic, Songfa seemed pretty generous as our bowls of pork ribs and stomach had quite a lot of those. Cooked till soft and not pungent, these were pretty good snacks and probably good for our health too.

Overall, we had enjoyed our meal at Songfa Bak Kut Teh.

Songfa Bak Kut Teh

Location:  JEM #B1-09, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, Singapore 608549
Website: https://www.songfa.com.sg/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/songfabkt/

Hoppy Bar ホッピーバー @ Icon Village

There's The Public Izakaya by Hachi and there's Hoppy Bar. Physically, both are just opposite one another and by the same parent company. Hoppy Beer (bottled) is available at both joints. There's differentiation in food offered, and you can't cross-order. If you want kick-ass sized tori karaage, that'll be Public Izakaya.

menu

There's counter seats where one needs to remove shoes, or bar seats and alfresco seats where one need not. The bar area was rather warm and so was the outdoor area.

Liked the decor of the place and service staff were friendly and more than happy to make recommendations on drinks and food.

bar seats view

Started with lemon chu-hi, which is a simple shochu lemon soda mix. Friend had draft beer.

Suntory Kaoru Premium (@$9.80++) and Lemon Chu-hi (@$10++)

For food, we tried the beef stew, an ebi mayo and some yakitori. The beef stew was served with some toasts. The bread was crisp and fluffy, and we used it to mop up the stew. The majority of the beef was too tough and that was disappointing. However, the flavour of the stew was thick and good with a touch of spice.

The bartender handed us a plate of edamame and said, "As a service." Lovely gesture to surprise guests with complimentary food. Later, we observed that a guest who came later and was seated next to us, was given complimentary fries.

ビフシチュ(beef stew) @$13++

scoop it up

The Ebi Mayo turned out to be one large fried shrimp, served with an onsen egg. The waitress advised us to break the egg and use it as a dip. Hmm, ok but rather unnecessary as the prawn was already doused with a substantial amount of creamy mayo.

Ebi Mayo @$11++

Next was our assortment of yakitori. The chicken heart was super tender and yums.

ハツ (chickcen heart) @$4++

レバ(chicken liver) @$4.50++

カワ(chicken skin) @$4++

ブタミズナ (enoki bacon) @$5++

Overall, expect to spend about $35+ per pax for a drink and some food.

[Media Invite] Carol Mel Cafe @ The Commerze @ Irving Place

Have you been to Carol Mel Cafe? It's a small cosy cafe located near Tai Seng MRT, or rather specifically at a building called The Commerze somewhere alobng Irving Place. It was quite hard to find if you are coming by cab as there are ongoing construction at the front of the road.

lunch menu

The last time that I was there, we had the Whimsical Waffles and that, was the best waffles that I ever had! However, they weren't producing anymore of those so, it was a bit sad then.

Was invited for a tasting recently and sampled more of their dishes, plus The Signature Whimsical Waffles is making its comeback. Yay! Wait. Did you know that that there's no GST nor service charge imposed on diners at Carol Mel Cafe? Now you know.

To start, you might want to get the fried chicken (mid) wings with maple syrup or the salted egg luncheon fries. Both were well fried and its exterior remained crispy throughout the meal. But of course, the mid-wings were polished off in no time. I liked it without the syrup.

The salted egg yolk luncheon fries were so addictive! None of those skinny nonsense. The ones here were thick and meaty.

Chicken Wings with Maple Syrup @$9

Salted Egg Luncheon Fries @$12 (handmodel cr: @damien_tc)

If the weather is super hot and if you feel like having cold noodles, why not try the Rakuzen Cold Pasta? Imagine chilled angel hair, thoroughly tossed in a refreshing dressing of wasabi yuzu soy, and plenty of seafood accompaniment such as mussel, prawns surimi and smoked salmon with a bit of ikura thrown in. Yummy.

Rakuzen Cold Pasta @$18 

Ah, but for meatatarians, you prefer pasta with something more substantial? How about the Signature Braised Lamb Shank with aglio olio? Personally, I felt that it was a tad too much for a female to handle the entire plate, so best to share it with your bffs. There's 450 gm of slow braised flavourful lamb shank in red wine sauce, served with seasonal vegetables and pepperish aglio olio pasta. I don't think anyone would still be hungry after having this mammoth of a plate.

Signature Braised Lamb Shank @$26

For the more dainty us, we tried the Buttermilk Waffle Curry Chicken Katsu with melted cheese and the French Confit Du Canard.

The Japanese curry was lighter than expected and has a sweet savoury tinge. Liked the salad to balance out the meaty quotient in this dish. The duck confit was firm and meaty with crisp skin. Plus point for not being too oily! Liked mine with the sauce. The butter potato mash was enjoyable too!

Buttermilk Waffle Curry Chicken Katsu with Melted Cheese @$17

Duck Confit with Bordeux herb reduction @$18

And, for desserts, one could choose from the available cakes at the counter or its signature waffle. The cakes would vary depending one what the resident baker wanted to do for that day. On the day of our visit, we had the Pandan Lychee Cake. It was so good yo! But can tone down on the sugar a bit. Very fragrant, light and moist.

Pandan Lychee Cake @$8.50 (handmodel cr: @singaporeliciouz)

Creme Brulee @$5 (or $6.50 for take-out)

But, the dessert that I was waiting for, make a guess. Why, it definitely was the Signature Whimsical Waffle, of course! Pretty looking, with lots of fruits, crispy buttermilk waffle that made that kruk kruk sound when cut, sharp cheddar cheese for some saltiness and ice-cream, of course for that sweetness plus pillowy grilled marshmallows for some contrast in texture.

Signature Whimsical Waffle @$16

Thank you Carol and Andy for having us at Carol Mel Cafe and Damien for the invite.

Please call ahead to make your reservations. Enjoy!

Carol Mel Cafe

Address: 1 Irving Place, Unit #01-30 The Commerze@Irving, Singapore 369546
Website: www.carolmel.com
Business Hours:
Mon to Sat 12noon to 9pm
Sun 11am - 4pm
Reservations: 66355755