Kith Cafe x Haato & Co.

Exams are over and the holidays are finally here! Met up with Hui Yin and Celine for brunch at Kith Cafe on a Monday morning. Yes, a Monday morning! The luxury of waking up on a weekday for brunch simply spells awesome.

 Looking at the handwritten menu on their chalkboard wall and deciding what to eat.

Toast with poached eggs - $7.50

Despite knowing that their Big Breakfast is highly raved, we decided to just have toast with poached eggs because we have never tried poached eggs (or simply because we wanted to leave room for desserts) before!

Took this picture before we added a dash of salt and freshly ground black pepper to our poached eggs. Look at that golden goodness flow and those grill lines on the toasts! And then when you dab the toast with the runny egg yolk, oh goodness gracious me, that morsel just taste so good. Not to mention, the toasts went very well with the cold butter. 

The cafe was rather empty when we reached at about 11am. We soon found ourselves to be surrounded by Caucasians and their kids when it hit noon. Kith Cafe seems to be a favorite with the expats. Great location to chill out with friends, food are served at affordable prices and without GST and service charge, who wouldn't like the place?

Kith Cafe
7 Rodyk Street
#01-28
Watermark at Robertson Quay
Singapore 238215
Daily 7am to 7pm
63419407
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

We settled for desserts at Haato & Co since it was within walking distance and I was craving for waffles! 

It was not easy to decide what to order because there were so many yummy options! Eventually, we ordered a Chocolate Fudge with Marshmallows ($8.50) to share. The presentation of the waffle look so attractive we could not wait to dig in!

It is alfresco seating at Haato & Co and the wind kept the chocolate sauce that we were supposed to drizzle on the waffle flying. Nevertheless, we managed to devour this divine waffle without making a mess. The waffle was crusted on the outside and soft on the inside, making a perfect combination with the vanilla gelato. However, we felt that the gelato melted too quickly.

We only left the place after a good solid 3 hours and that was probably the longest time I have ever sat down with friends by the riverside with some good waffles.

Haato & Co.
The Central @ Clarke Quay
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#01-74
Singapore 059817
Sundays to Thursdays: 11am to 11pm
Fridays and Saturdays: 11am to 1am
62256956

Farmers' Market at The Pantry

Farmers' Market is an event organised by The Pantry Cookery School which takes place on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month at Loewen Gardens @ Dempsey Hill. Jane Glascow, the organiser and also the Head Chef of The Pantry, started this event in February 2010. Farmers' Market creates a platform for people who are passionate about their produce and for them to meet their customers directly.

It was an impromptu decision to visit the Farmers' Market but Dharshiney was spontaneous enough to accompany me! It is a very LONGGGG WALK unless you drive.

Farmers' Market is nestled in a secluded area in Dempsey Hill

First up, we sampled some Japanese rice from Momorice stall. The stall owner also kindly added some kimchi sesame to our rice. That bit of seasoning was all it took to make the already-sweet Japanese rice much more flavorful. Perfect for people who love something spicy with their dishes.

Look at all these sweet pastries from Overdoughs! 

Overdoughs' menu has a modern twist to the traditional flavors of Spain, Turkey, Greece, Morocco and the Middle East. The friendly people manning the booth let us sampled their Traditional Baklava and we will definitely make a trip down to their bakeshop to try the rest of their pastries!

There was also tea sampling by Peony Tea S. and wine tasting in one of the air conditioned rooms. Their green tea was really good. So refreshing and naturally sweet! Not those kind of complimentary hot green tea you get when you dine at Sakae Sushi. This is really authentic green tea by brewing green tea leaves. 

Other than cupcakes, which The Pantry is famous for, they also have quiches! Everyone there also seemed to be getting their brunches from The Pantry, because their poached eggs were already sold out when we reached!

Pretty unique accessories which I am sure, cannot be found elsewhere other than at Farmers' Market!

This lovely lady let us sampled her homemade Pain d'épices (gingerbread in French) which has a muffin texture. We were surprised to hear that she did not add any sugar. Instead, she used pure non heated honey! How healthy is that! It is also a no dairy product, which means vegetarians can consume this as well.

She is going to have her own storefront soon, so if you are planning to visit Farmers' Market any time soon, you could ask her about it!

We also tried Soooo Pesto (pesto sauce) and Muddy Mushroom Soup from Pasta J. Everything that we have sampled at the Farmers' Market simply taste so divine! We felt as though our taste buds had traveled the world.

Even though there were only about 10 stalls at the Farmers' Market, it was quite eventful considering we learnt a lot and got to taste quite a bit of good food! Farmers' Market exudes this warm and friendly atmosphere which anyone would feel themselves really at home.

We are strong believers that food brings people together and like what Dharshiney said, Farmers' Market is definitely worth the visit.

Farmers' Market at The Pantry
75 Loewen Road
Singapore 248844

Irodori Japanese Buffet

Our dear friend, Fatin was craving for sushi and since her birthday was coming, Varsha, Glenn and I decided to give her a treat at Irodori Japanese Restaurant! Irodori has received quite a fair bit of positive blog reviews so it has been sitting on my to-go-list for some time as well. Haha. 

Irodori serves ala carte Japanese buffet so the only concern we had was that we might have to wait awhile for our food. Also, remember to make a reservation if you are planning to go there!

Fatin is the one in blue!

Glenn called the restaurant to make a reservation 4 days in advance and was told that the restaurant was only left with 4 counter seats! Woah, got that popular ah?! But we went ahead with the reservation, so imagine our surprised faces that day when they showed us to our table in the private room! Upgrade from economy to first class! :>

Here are some of the items that we ordered before I got too caught up eating and forgot to take pictures. Heh. :p

Can't go wrong with Ebi Tempura and mayo!

Everyone agreed that their Chawanmushi was gooooooood. 

Super thick slices of sashimi so fresh that Fatin polished off plates and plates of 'em. Goodness. 

Ebi Mentai Mayo

This was their complimentary grilled prawns and we were only allowed to order once. Very fresh!

Irodori Maki 

The tinge of wasabi in the Irodori Maki came as a surprise and it was like heaven in our mouths. We totally fell in love with this maki except Glenn, who doesn't like wasabi at all. This is a must order!

We were taken aback by the sight of the ugly Tamago Sushi (holes and what-not) and were doubting the taste of it. The thing about this sushi is that it looked too ugly to be true. Lesson learnt, never judge a something by how it is presented. You might just be surprised. Definitely one of the best sushi we have ever eaten.

On the other hand, their Mackerel Sushi (strong fishy smell eew) and Inari Sushi tasted horrible. Period.

Yakitori 

Glenn and Varsha are big fans of yakitori and Glenn went ahead to order 20 sticks, much to the amazement of the wait staff. I should have captured her (epic) expression at that moment! Sad to say, the 20 sticks never came because our orders got lost. The case of our missing orders. Oh come on!

When we (finally) managed to get the attention of one of the wait staff and complained told her about our missing orders, Glenn was too disappointed to order 20. Instead, he ordered only 5 to try. Their yakitori was a little tough though and there wasn't enough sauce to go with it. 

Complimentary hot green tea to warm ourselves. 

Look at the crowd. So glad that we got the private room!

We must emphasize that their service was not tip top as you would have expected for a restaurant in a hotel. Our orders got lost twice, meaning that the kitchen did not receive our orders and we were waiting and waiting and waiting for our food that never came.

It was also difficult to get the wait staff's attention, partly because we were in the private room (but that's not an excuse, is it?) and there was another event that they had to cater to in the next room. The cashier did apologize and explained that they were shorthanded that day.

Such a disappointment, especially since I was the one who suggested the place to celebrate Fatin's birthday. But the awesome food and company made it all worth it!

Irodori Japanese Restaurant
382 Havelock Road, River View Hotel
#03-01
Singapore 169629
Lunch: 11.30am to 2.30pm
Dinner: 6pm to 10.30pm
Adult: $35 ++  Child: $22 ++
67372002

The Fabulous Baker Boy

I was supposed to meet Vanessa and Yong Lin for brunch at Rider's Cafe but (I woke up late) we had a change of plans and decided to meet for desserts at The Fabulous Baker Boy instead. Kai Ting introduced me to this fairly new cafe (currently into their 4th month of operations) when we met for Tiramisu Hero.

Expect to dine al fresco style because there are only 3 counter seats indoors. Initially, we were afraid that it would be warm but it turned out to be quite cooling. Hurray!

Vanessa (unleashed the auntie-ness in her) was so excited to see a FREE RECIPE on the wall and asked me to take a picture so that she can use. Haha!

Just look at all those cakes on the cake stands. So tempting! FYI, these were not all that they were serving, there were some more cakes in the fridge so do check out their fridge as well when you are there!

Big Lub's Carrot Cake - can't remember the price

This was our favourite. I like how it is full of raisins, dried fruits and nuts! It is like eating an energy bar but a moist cake version. I thought everything, from the coconut slices to the cream cheese frosting was just nice and complement each other so well. 

Green Tea Cake with Almond Praline - $7.50

The green tea butter cream was so good that Yong Lin couldn't stop eating it and the butter torte was so fluffly! 

Ab Fab Red Velvet Cake - $8.50

I would say that their red velvet cake hit the spot but Vanessa and Yong Lin think otherwise. They commented that the cake tastes normal to them. Then again, it is a personal preference. 

I wouldn't mind going back again for their cakes or even try their lunch/dinner menu items. The place is pretty laid back and good for catching up with friends over delectable desserts. 

The Fabulous Baker Boy
The Foothills
70 River Valley Road, #01-15
Singapore 179037
(Opp Liang Court)
Tuesdays to Saturdays: 11.45am to 9pm
Lunch: 12nn to 3pm
Dinner: 6pm onwards
66948336

Tiramisu Hero

Ever since I read about the birth of Tiramisu Hero by blogger Peggy, I have been wanting to try their creations! Bloggers who have tried her tiramisu have raved about how good they were, and I was especially attracted to their CamoHero because I thought it would be a cute gift for Glenn for his upcoming POP! Heh.

Fellow foodie, Kai Ting (who'd rather spend money on food than on any other things) and I made our way down to Grammah at Haji Lane, where Tiramisu Hero has a little space and stocks some of their Tiramisu there.

We got one Mommahero to share. 

The packaging looks really cute and the Sir Antonio label adds a personal touch. 

Caught a whiff of very strong coffee when we opened the lid. Kai Ting makes her own Tiramisu and I learnt that Tiramisu is a layered dessert that consist of sponge biscuits, a mixture of whipped cream, mascarpone cheese and zabaglione (egg + sugar + wine). Woah, some tedious steps there.

Kai Ting commented that she did not really like the texture of the Tiramisu and she felt that the sponge biscuits were not soft enough. I thought that the whipped cream mixture that blanketed the Tiramisu was tangy but sweet. The tantalizing hint of alcohol also leaves the combination of strong coffee, moist sponge biscuits and whipped cream dancing around your tongue.

This is my first time trying Tiramisu and I must say that I don't like how moist the cake is just like how I don't like my cereal soggy. It is a personal preference and I'm sure those who love your sweet treats, would love this dessert.