Forty Hands

Was craving badly for Ham and Cheese Panini from Group Therapy but it was so packed that day, the waiting time was over an hour. Decided to settle somewhere else for sandwich instead and we ended up at Forty Hands. 

Essential Skinny Latte to start the weekend!

Because I was craving badly for sandwiches, so I ordered the Jamaican Pork Sandwich. To me, it's one of the better choice of sandwiches there. 

B had the Eggs Benedict which was very lovely. Simple delight! 

Forty Hands

78 Yong Siak Street, #01-12 Tiong Bahru Estate

www.40handscoffee.com

Maison Ikkoku

Arrived at Maison Ikkoku on a late Sunday afternoon and was in luck to find a seat. Just a minute later and we would have to be on the waiting list. A pretty small shophouse yet with a pleasant atmosphere. It sets the mood for those who wants to just sit there, chill and catch up with friends. 

Ordered my usual latte ($5.00)

Iced Mocha ($6.50). 

We waited quite a while for the food to arrive. First up, was the Croque Madame. Honey glazed ham, gruyere on toasted sourdough with a fried egg on top. It looks amazing! But there was an overload of it's homemade bachemel that it was too much to bear. 

The highlight of the meal. Salmon benedict!

Perfectly poached eggs, thick and creamy hollandaise sauce with salmon on toasted muffin. It's was delish! And the asparagus were nicely sauteed too. Have not had such lovely eggs benedict in quite awhile.

By then we were too full to go onto desserts. But their cakes look good too, especially the white chocolate banana cake! Definitely making a visit back here to try.


Maison Ikkoku 
20 Kandahar Street
Tel: +65 6294 0078
www.maison-ikkoku.net

Baker and Cook

Yet another (relatively) new bakery popping up at the residential estates of Hillcrest. It's been much hyped about its bread so I decided to drop by to check it out. One thing to note, parking is horrible around the area. Partly due to the fact that it's within the residential estates. 

It was surprisingly not as crowded as I was expecting it to be on a Sunday afternoon. 

Salmon benedict ($16.95)

Presentation was top notch. Eggs were also perfectly poached. However, felt that it was only mediocre. 

Eggs Mayo Tartines ($12.95)

Very simple dish served on its signature Pain Miche bread. The egg mayo had a very strong mixed of onions within which totally puts me off. Bread base was also too tough for the knife. Barely could finish one. 

Lemon tart ($5.00)

This was the savour of the day. One of the best lemon tart I've had. Refreshing yet not overly sour or sweet. It was a delight and we polished it off within bites. 

The last I heard about this place is that it only serves takeaway now. 

Might head back again for their tarts but definitely not for the food. 

Baker and Cook 

77 Hillcrest Road

Tel: +65 6469 8834

Wild Honey @ Scotts Square

Met up with my best friend and her boyfriend for a couples brunch date at Wild Honey. Went for the Scotts Square outlet as it allows us to make reservation through Chope. I got to say, I am really impressed with Chope and Reserveit. Making reservation for restaurants is now so much easier and with instant confirmation! The staff at Wild Honey also called the day before to confirm the reservation and reminded us that the table can be hold for only 15mins. 

Love coffee. 

We each ordered something different. 

Tunisian ($18.00). This is packed with flavours from the tomato stew and goes well with the lightly toasted brioche.

English ($22.00). Mega big breakfast that comes with loads of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, mushroom, roasted tomato, potatoes and toasted brioche. Love the creamy scrambled eggs but it was way too filling to finish the whole plate.

Norwegian ($26.00). Poached eggs with salmon and avocado on wholemeal brioche.

European ($18.00). Classic eggs benedict with prosciutto ham and mushrooms.

The branch at Scotts Square is slightly more spacious and with better ambiance as compared to the one at Mandarin Orchard. Reservations are definitely required here and you are only given 90mins to dine. So definitely not a place to chill the afternoon away. Price wise, it's definitely on the high side but probably it was made up with its large serving.


Wild Honey
6 Scotts Road, #03-01 Scotts Square
http://www.wildhoney.com.sg
+65 6636 1816
All day breakfast

Chock Full of Beans

Can't say enough how much I looked forward to brunch every Sunday!

Today's brunch is all the way in the east, Changi Village. 

Totoro the fat cat on my latte.

Really amazed how the barristers are able to do such cute designs on the cuppas. Heard that there were designs of Angry Birds, bunny, bears, etc. 

Lemonade on a hot sunny afternoon was simply perfect. Complimentary drinks were also given to ladies as it was Mother's Day. 

Eggs Atlantic ($13.00), poached eggs with salmon on toast. This was salmon overload! The amount of salmon that was given was sooo much that I couldn't finish it. 

Chock full of scrambled eggs ($11.00). This initially came with scrambled eggs on toast and baked beans. However, they ran out of baked beans so they kindly offered bacon instead. Scrambled eggs was creamy and so good!

Chock Full of Beans

Blk 4 Changi Village Road

Tel: +65 6214 8839

Chillax Massage Cafe

New cafes are constantly popping up everywhere. This new cafe is located at a corner of Serangoon Gardens. From the name, it's not only just a cafe but also a massage place on the second floor.

It was pretty empty on a Sunday afternoon, maybe because it was a rainy afternoon too. The place is nicely lighted and with a touch of old school.

The usual Mocha and Latte.

Ulitmate Breakfast ($22.00) comes with scrambled eggs, bacon, mushroom, baked beans, sausage and toast. Looks wow but honestly, I think it's only average. If you are a truffle lover, you'll be pleased to know that the scrambled eggs is infused with truffle oil.

Breakfast at Tiffany's ($18.00)

This is a different take on the usual eggs benedict and packed with loads of greens. This could be the 'healthier' version of eggs benedict. It was pretty good!

Heard that the truffle fries are really good! Probably will head back for drinks and truffle fries at night. Pure Blonde on draft, oh definitely! 

Chillax Massage Cafe

28A Maju Avenue

Tel: +65 6244 5529 

All day breakfast

Five and Dime

It's no doubt one of the prettiest cafe along River Valley Road. At some point, it was the hottest talk in town so I just had to check it out. The place is pretty small so be sure to make a reservation before heading down, especially for weekend brunch.

The usual skinny latte and mocha.

Coffee was served with old school biscuits, my favourite!

Eggs Benny ($16.00) is one of the hot items here. What's not to love about poached eggs on brioche toast! From what I know, it used to be seared beef instead of ham. Not sure if it's for the better or worst. I love the fruits salad on the side. It was mixed with some kind of citrus dressing which is very refreshing. However, I felt that the slice of toast was way too small for 2 poached eggs to go with.

Another popular dish is the Corn Beef Hash ($16.00). Below the perfectly cooked eggs is the yummy corn hash. Absolutely delish!

The desserts looked very good but we were too full to have any. Will definitely leave some space for desserts the next time round!


Five and Dime
297 River Valley Road
www.fiveanddime.com.sg
Tel: +65 9236 5002
Brunch till 3pm on Weekends

Spruce

It's Sunday again. Headed out for breakfast early as the plan for the afternoon is to Singapore Airshow 2012. One thing about Spruce, it's very important to make reservation especially if you are intending to visit during the peak period of brunch.

Spruce Eggs Benny ($15.00)

This was not how it was supposed to look like. What had drawn me to this dish is the thick corn waffle. However, it just tasted like any ordinary waffle. No doubt its slightly crispy and a good alternative to the usual muffin. The poached egg was perfect although slightly overcooked for the other one.

Cajun Prawns Benny ($26.00)

The Cajun prawns benny was nothing close to good today. The toast was hard and one of the poached egg was way too overcooked. It was literally turned into hard boiled egg. Prawns were lesser than the previous too. Indeed, a very disappointing dish. 

I liked how the English Breakfast tea bag came in a cube.

Spruce

320 Tanglin Road, Phoenix Park 

www.spruce.com.sg

Weekend brunch till 4pm

Roadhouse

There is a lot to explore around Dempsey. This time round, I checked out Roadhouse. Located along the stretch of furniture stores and opposite Hacienda, it's quite difficult to find.

It was a late brunch that day. I reached the place only at around 3pm so naturally a lot of their dishes were sold out. I was looking forward to having their fluffy pancakes however it was one of the dishes that was sold out. Looked through the menu and settled for Wild Mushroom Omelette ($16.00) instead. 

The kitchen mixed up my order and I was given crab omelette. It was a very long wait before I was being served the correct dish. It was not as good as it looks. Firstly, the omelette had an overpowering taste of truffle oil. I am not a very big fan of truffle to start with. Secondly, you could have just gotten the hash brown from McDonalds. It tasted exactly the same. 

Eggs Benedict ($16.00)

Thankfully, the eggs benedict saved the day. The large piece of ham and bacon had covered the muffin below. Eggs were poached perfectly for both. It's simply delicious! 

Roadhouse

13 Dempsey Road

www.roadhouse.com.sg

Weekend brunch till 4pm

Group Therapy

Decided to check out Group Therapy after hearing much about this relatively new cafe. Located at the second floor along the stretch of Duxton Road, its definitely a nice quiet place to be at on a Sunday afternoon. 

Was greeted with this sign along the way up. But I don't think it stays true. 

The place quite packed when we arrived but we managed to find a small table top near the window. 

B ordered his usual Poached eggs with Smoked Salmon ($15.00). 

Only thing is that it had a little too much gruyere cheese and I'm not particularly a big fan of cheese. 

Waffle lovers, this is definitely a must order.

Belgium waffles with blueberries, strawberries and ice cream ($11.50)

The waffle crust was just right, slightly crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. I polished it clean!

Group Therapy

49 Duxton Road

www.gtcoffee.com

The Cellar Door

I think this is my first ever bad review written.

Vivocity is not one of those places that has many breakfast/brunch places to begin with. If you know of any good ones, do let me know. In desperate need to look for a brunch place at Vivo, I stumbled upon The Cellar Door offering all-day breakfast. It looked decent on the outside however there were only a couple of people at the place. The next thing I knew it, I was already seated inside. 

Menu was simple and I had to place my order at the cashier. That explains maybe why there's no service charge too! 

Eggs Benedict ($15.00)

One look at the dish and I already had my doubts. The hollandaise sauce was extremely pale looking that it almost looked like cream. The eggs were poached nicely HOWEVER, it had an extremely strong taste of vinegar!! It was horrifying (and to me, disgusting). 

Absolutely hated the dish and barely touched any of it. I think the only thing I ate was the muffin and a little of the ham as it had vinegar all over as well. 

Will not return to this place again, never. 

The Cellar Door

1 Harbourfront Walk, #01-108/109, Vivo City

www.thecellardoor.com.sg

Toby's Estate

It's my first brunch session for this brand new year! 

Situated at a corner of Rodyk Street, Toby's Estate is a great for weekend brunch. It has indoor and outdoor dining which personally, I prefer the outdoor - al fresco style. Just sitting around, sipping a cup of great coffee and watching people walk by. 

The menu was simple and written on a chalkboard. Just head to the counter to place your order and wait for your food. The Eggs Benedict with Salmon and Brioche ($12.00) was good. B enjoyed every bit of it. Perfectly poached eggs on brioche toast. Can't say this enough. 

I love the Scrambled Eggs with Brioche ($8.50) and I added Sauteed Mushrooms ($3.00) by the side. Can never say no to sweet bread like brioche. The mushrooms were just right and flavourful. However, the scrambled eggs were a tad let-down. Looks can be deceiving. I like scrambled eggs to be of watery texture and buttery. However, once you flip over the top layer, its actually fried inside. Slightly disappointing but nonetheless, it was still very good. 

Coffee is VERY good here. Do remember to try when you drop by! :) I would love to grab a cuppa from here every day if possible. 

Toby's Estate

8 Rodyk St, #01-03/04

www.tobysestate.com.sg

Tel: +65 6636 7629

Opens daily till 6pm

Wild Honey

My dear friend was sweet enough to pop by town to have lunch with me. She wanted to have brunch so we decided to go to Wild Honey. It was an ordinary weekday but yet there was quite a wait during lunch hour.

European ($18.00) - Wild Honey's version of Eggs Benedict

Two perfectly poached eggs with sautéed mushrooms and proscuitto on toasted brioche. It was delicious! Brioche is the bestest thing ever. 

Tunisian ($18.00) 

Spanish version of baked eggs, stew with chorizo sausages, two fried eggs and brioche toast. Overall slightly spicy but dip the brioche toast into the stew and it's lovely. 

Love the place and hoping to try out the other dishes there. Although the dishes were served fast, they expect you to finish it fast too. Once you are done with your dish, they'll immediately clear and rush you off when there's a long queue outside. Definitely not a place to chill out with friends for long period of time. 

Wild Honey

333a Orchard Road, Mandarin Gallery, 3rd Floor

www.wildhoney.com.sg

Tel: +65 6235 3900 

All day breakfast, no reservations allowed

The Plain

Reminiscing the days in Melbourne with a good friend of mine so we decided to have (what we do best) brunch at an Aussie cafe. 

Darling's Egg 

If you are not that hungry, you could go for the half version. Poached eggs with ham, cheese and roma tomatoes on Sourdough toast. Nothing special about this. I didn't remember being overly excited about this dish. Decent eggs benedict I'd say. 

A good place to chill and catch up with friends! :) 

The Plain

50 Craig Road 

www.theplain.com.sg

Tel: +65 6225 4387

All day breakfast