Wanna Cuppa

Wanna Cuppa is conveniently located opposite Clarke Quay MRT. Smacked in between the 2 Song Fa bak kut teh shops. The décor was simple yet elegant with bold colored sofas and stunning wallpaper.  Opened by Ms Jeannette Kwok. Wallet friendly mains and desserts and artisanal coffees and teas.

To start off the evening, we were served with 3 different teas : Elderflower strawberry which was my favourite. It had a more strawberry flavour with very slight tinge of elderflower. To me it made a great thirst quencher. Lychee cucumber was refreshing but I didn't quite like the cucumber taste. Peach passionfruit was more peachy rather than passionfruity. All priced at $5.90 each.

There were a number of fried items during the tasting. First up was the enoki mushroom fries ($7.90). Very crispy. Goes well with any drink. Recommended if you are not a French fries kinda eater.

Onion rings ($6.90) that was a good size. Was not too bad but if one would want to ""get rid" of the oily taste.... best to dip it in chilli sauce.

The mini fish and chips ($8.90) was not so mini. Can be shared between 2 persons. Dory fish battered and fried. Quite good but best eaten when still piping hot.

We had eggs benny ($9.90) for dinner. Eggs poached perfectly and yolk so runny. Hollandaise sauce thick and creamy over ham and a little salad to balance off.

Finally a dish that made wowed us. The spaghetti pesto aglio olio ($10.90). Tossed in herb pesto and chilli padi without any other garnishes, it was simple and yet packed a punch. One can actually request for additional toppings like prawns (with additional charge of $4).

Finally.. dessert time. Apple crumble ($6.90) with short crust pastry. A strong butter taste with chunky apples caramelised perfectly. Served warm.

A chocolate brownie ($6.90) which all of us enjoyed. So chocolaty and not so sweet. But it felt like something was missing. Yes.... probably a dollop of vanilla ice cream!! Have it cold!

Macarons...18 flavors, Spoilt for choice if you love macarons. Going at $2.50 each. I loved the apricot fig flavour best for its not over the top sweetness, its tangyness.

Les Eclairons shaped like a peanut... a cousin of macarons. My favourite was the mango and chocolate flavour for its chocolatyness and citrussy twangy aftertaste.

The hot beverages were the hot white chocolate ($6) which tasted more milky. The hot dark chocolate was not chocolaty enough.

The latte ($5.50) ... coffee beans from Melbourne with a blend of African, Asian and Central American. Quite light. I prefer my coffee with more oomph.

My friends had Yona Yona Beer from Nagano. Unfortunately I am not a beer drinker, therefore I am not able to give my comments on this. But from what I gathered from fellow foodies, they liked the beer for its medium and caramelly peachy taste.

Service was excellent and attentive. Wonderful ambience. Friendly staff. A good place to chill or do your work in peace. Prices are so affordable as well.

Address : 15 New Bridge Road

Hyde & Co 1st Anniversary

Hyde & Co celebrated its 1st Anniversary in November. I was honored to have been invited for their specially crafted 8 course dinner.

 1st course...homemade corn bread

Amuse Bouche, a meringue coated caper berry. Berry is slightly salty and sour. The sweetness of the meringue provides the balance on the palate.

Scottish mackerel that has been poached and cured, covered by a layer of teriyaki jelly and resting on beetroot puree. A dollop of horseradish lies on top ..to be eaten with the mackerel to kill off the strong fishy taste.

Butternut consomme with espuma and soba came in a teapot and served in a coffee cup.  A very unique and flavorful soup.

Salt water tilapia locally bred and steamed in paperbark. A tinge of the bark taste..kinda taste a little "smoky".

Nasi lemak risotto. The best part of this dish are the homemade sambal prawns and crispy ikan bilis. 

Best dish of the night beef short ribs with torched cauliflower and pickles. Beef slowcooked for 4 hours and melts in your mouth.

A very special Anniversary dessert. The elements of this dessert : pineapple bits, mandarin marmalade, earl grey espuma, mascarpone, guanaja chocolate shavings; chilli flakes topped with mandarin yoke which bursts in your mouth and exposing the orange juice. Nice!!

Anzac cookies which are actually oat cookies 

Overall, it was a unique culinary journey. This dinner was hosted by Derrick Chew, the owner @hydeandco.
Dinner specially prepared by Guest Chef Pang and his culinary team and inhouse chef..Chef Nazlie.

Address : 778 North Bridge Road
Open : 11am to 6 pm Sun, Mon, Wed 
             11am to 10.30pm Thu, Fri, Sat
Closed on Tues.

Aloha Poke

Aloha Poke is located along Amoy St and it is a perfect place for a quick and fuss free lunch. 
Poke (pronounced as poh-kay) is a hawaiian staple.

Comes in 3 sizes namely : Lil Swell (1 scoop 75g poke) $11.90
Standard Nalu (2 scoops 150g poke) $15.90
Big Kahuna (3 scoops 225g poke) $19.90

Every bowl is served with either rice or salad and you get to choose your poke, a protein, 2 complimentary add-ons eg carrots, edamame beans, tomatoes etc.  & a superfood eg avocado/chia seeds/pomegranates.

The protein which is either ahi tuna or salmon comes in original, wasabi mayo or spicy flavor. Every element tasted fresh and pineapples are added for that extra zing. Tossed in sesame seed oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

While i enjoyed every element, I find the sesame seed oil was overpowering which left a lingering taste on the palate. The poke is on the pricey side. It is worth a try and a good place to eat for the health conscious, saladlovers and vegans. But personally I would not visit often for the fact that it is costly and does not satisfy my hunger for long.

To avoid the long queues, you can call in advance and order your poke for takeaways.

Address : 92 Amoy Street
Opening hours : 11.30am - 2.30pm; 5.30 - 11pm
Sat : 11.30am - 2.30pm
Tel : 62216565

Merdandy

Merdandy recently opened a 2nd branch which is located at Chulia Street, just below OCBC centre. Whilst the 1st store is more of a bar, this outlet caters to the office lunch crowds.

Currently, Merdandy offers set lunches at a reasonable price of $14.90++ which consists of a soup, mains and a drink or coffee/tea. The mains are grilled lamb chops, crabmeat pasta, chicken rendang and fish & chips. 

My 1st visit there, i had soup of the day which was the clam chowder. Chowder was not too thick or creamy. There were delightful bits of clams with carrots, peas and potatoes. Did not have that "clammy" aftertaste. Quite slurpingly good.

I chose their chicken rendang as I was told that it was the best seller and very popular with the lunch crowd. Well....it did not disappoint. Served with steaming white rice, the chicken was grilled just right with crispy skin and flesh tender, moist and juicy. Seasoned lightly with salt and topped with homemade ...prepared from scratch...the delish rendang sauce. The sauce was not too coconutty, alittle of the nutty flavor and a tinge of smokyness. A side salad is added. Could not stop myself from "walloping" everything. It was just too good to waste.

I spent some time chit chatting with the staff and was pleasantly rewarded with a dessert, the creme brulee. I felt it was not smooth enough and quite dense. The taste was okay and sugar was caramelised to golden brown..a slight positive. Certainly room for improvement which I fed back to the boss. 

I was formally introduced to the young boss, Alvin, who accepted my good and not so good feedback. Afterwhich I was treated to a cup of latte. Being a coffeedrinker, i enjoyed this dark, robust & bitter coffee. A nutty, chocolaty & smoky taste landed on my palate. It was wonderful. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there...eating, being treated to dessert and coffee and getting to know Alvin and his staff. Service was great!!

Merdandy is alfresco dining with huge fans at full blast. It is not that hot as there are greenery surrounding the cafe. You won't get bored even if you are lunching on your own because you can literally people watch or just look at the cars go by. 

Merdandy is opened from 11.30 to 11pm. Currently the cafe do not serve alcoholic drinks as they are in the process of obtaining the liquor licence. But it is a pretty nice place to chill after office hours.

Set lunch costs $14.90++ soup/drink/main
15% discount for ocbc staff & 10% discount for ocbc cardmembers

Address: 67 Chulia Street
Tel : 65324532
Nearest mrt : raffles place

Jasper's Pantry

Jasper's Pantry is actually named after one of their pet dogs. Opened by two siblings, Colman and Winnie, and a good friend, Ray. Colman is the master baker. Winnie is the one who prepares the savouries such as shepherd's pie, curry puffs etc. Ray does the breads and is the "front" guy. 

Their daily bakes are cupcakes of various flavors. Flavors include black forest, chocolate ganache, salted caramel, carrot cake (not chye tow kueh), berries, triple chocolate..just to name afew. Customised cakes such as for birthdays/weddings/anniversaries etc are only made to order.  No preservatives and artificial colorings are used. The master baker makes the cakes healthier by adding less sugar and the sponge is not dense but light and moist. 

Other offerings include shepherd's pie, chicken puff, tuna puff etc. My favorite would be the Guiness Steak pie. Guiness stout is added to the beef stew in which chunky beef cheeks are used. Carrots, onions & mushrooms are added. All cooked down till tender. After baking, outer crusts are crispy and flaky whereas the cheeks are juicy, moist and there is even alittle gravy. These are all baked fresh everyday and gets sold out pretty fast and more being baked in a day to meet customers' needs and cravings. 

In recent weeks, Jasper's has come up with a new item on its menu. Soups such as minnestrone, mushroom and pumpkin are offered together with a pie, as a set. It is ideal for lunch or even teabreak. Jasper's also offers catering. Their menu includes peranakan favorites.

With foods prepared so lovingly by 3 passionate owners, it is a to go place for your sweet and savory cravings. Friendly and warm service....you will feel like you are enjoying your meal in your own home.

Jasper's is located at 16 Enggor street, Icon Village #01-13.. right below the Altez condo.  Opened Mondays to Fridays : 10am to 9pm; Saturdays : 11am to 6.00pm

Closed on Sundays

Website: www.jasperspantry.com

If you travelling by mrt, get off at Tanjong Pagar mrt and take exit A. When you enter icon village, walk past a steamboat restaurant and turn right, then make a left turn n go straight past Cold Storage.