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Hoshino Coffee
The extension wing of Plaza Singapura prides itself with some dining options that draw a huge following. their japanese concepts such as Tsukada Nojo and Nana's Green Tea are just some of the concepts that created snaking queues around the mall. nonetheless, one of the most original residents that created that effect would probably be Hoshino Coffee.
setting up shop in a relatively open area in the middle of the mall, this japanese-fusion food restaurant has been drawing crowds since its opening a couple of years back. being the only outlet in Singapore also probably meant their novelty sustained long queues on weekends and weekday dinners.. 
as their name suggests, the specialty here would be their Hoshino hand-dripped coffee. this could be done warm, with milk or even iced. this blend is relatively aromatic as it is strong, akin to the Vietnamese type of coffee. if you are caffiene intolerant, you could try their Hoshino blended milk tea or their iced matcha latte. 
i do know of people who set out to try all of the the main dishes within the pretty bite-sized menu. some of their stand-out pastas include their Carbonara with yolk & bacon as well as the Hoshino Spaghetti . we took time to try this special Hoshino pot-baked curry rice which was served warm, and kept warm from start to finish inside this hotpot. served with sausages, egg and vegetables, the curry blended well with the rice to bring out this unique flavour. do check out their selection of Omu rice as well, most of them are pretty good. 
of course, many patrons to Hoshino rave about their desserts. their signature ones come in the form of this pancake souffle, and comes in many variations. we tried the souffle with Matcha & Ogura bean paste. it's pretty sweet, probably attracting those with a sweet tooth. while you're here, you've gotta try their French Toast. served on a pan with homemade butter and maple syrup. it is soft, chewy and simple delicious, very easy on the palette after a hearty meal. in all, we felt that almost every dish that Hoshino delivers comes across as interesting. there are quite a few gems, and the others do not fall short either. the queues have somehow eased up a little in recent months, so if you haven't tried this, now is the time.. 
Hoshino Coffee 68 Orchard Road, #03-84 Plaza Singapura Singapore 238839 Opening Hours 10 am to 10 pm (daily) Specialty coffee served to you "hand-dripped".. Spice Brasserie
i know of a colleague who'd always bring the family for a hotel buffet feast after receiving the year-end bonus. in recent time, popular buffets at local hotels have tried to out-do one another with their delectable spreads. our personal favourites include Oscar's (Conrad Centennial), The Line (Shangri-La) and Carousel (Royal Plaza on Scotts). prices have also crept up in the last few years making such indulgence quite an expensive pastime.
over the weekend, we decided to tap on POSB card's one-dines-free-with-every-two promotion to try the buffet at Spice Brasserie (ParkRoyal on Kitchener Road) and were pleasantly surprised. over here, one could enjoy Asian culinary delights with a tilt towards Penang and Peranakan food at a very reasonable price. 
probably no buffet on the local agenda would feel complete without a selection of cold-dishes. the sushi/sashimi bar and the array of cold steamed prawns were often busy with queues of diners. however, this was one buffet where we felt that the japanese selection wasn't the main draw. 
we actually thronged to the Penang delights sections to try their fried carrot cake, penang fried kway teow and bee tai mak, as well as their braised pig trotters, nasi-lemak, satay and other dishes. for the slightly health conscious, there's also congee. 
we somehow found this selection of cheese and ham very interesting. there was actually quite a good variety of cheddar and sliced hams to choose from. cheese sticks, french loaves and smoked salmon went well with these cold-cuts. the health conscious would love the salad counter just next to this. there is a good mix of greens to accompany this already very sinful meal. 
buffets are of course incomplete without desserts. we loved the pastry bar at Spice Brasserie for their choices of cakes, cream puffs and chocolates. on the flipside there's an ice-cream bar and a dispenser for local ice-kachang. we tried our hand at making our own affogato by making coffee from the espresso machine and mixing it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. it was a erm.. passable attempt. in all, the buffet spread at Spice Brasserie gives good value-for-money ($38++ for lunch). we shouldn't come expecting a wide international spread as the restaurant is positioned more for the Asian palette. apart from some small peeves like slow replacement of food on a holiday and no serving of drinks (they refill glasses of iced water occasionally), we thought this buffet could bring good family fun without burning the pocket. 
Spice Brasserie ParkRoyal on Kitchener Road 181 Kitchener Road, Level 2 Singapore 208533 Opening Hours Lunch: 12 pm to 2.30 pm (daily) Dinner: 6 pm to 10.30 pm (daily) Try their all-you-can-eat Crazy Crab Buffet on Fridays next.. Selfish Gene Cafe
it's all about brunch again, as we lapped up Singapore's latest pastime over the Labour Day holidays. as cafes are sprouting out exponentially across the country, we thought it'd be useful to start forming some criterion when considering a good brunch place.for us, we think that it's important that the eggs are done well; the servings should be ample, if not generous; there should be freshly brewed coffee throughout the day (running out of coffee beans are a no-no unless this is the first day they're running the cafe), though having aromatic, well-blended coffee is a plus; and the visit should bring a comfortable experience for catching-up or spending a lazy morning/afternoon. 
most of the popular brunch cafes in the Tanjong Pagar/Outram area takes the form of an unassuming conservation shophouse like this. and when driving past, i would always wonder who'd realise that there's a party inside.. i'm pretty certain nobody actually comes places like Selfish Gene by chance; the fact that its normal to wait for a table on weekends and holidays further underlines their power in social media and word-of-mouth marketing. 
we liked Selfish Gene for a couple of reasons, and in particular we found the experience comfortable and relaxed. unlike many of the more illustrious names in this area which would pack tables within their little space to the brim, we took comfort that anyone could walk into Selfish Gene carrying a backpack and not worry about knocking anything over. there was enough separation between tables to have a good chat and i felt okay to even do a blog entry there.. 
i wouldn't say that all brunch cafes serve homogeneous food, at the end of the day, it is good food that keeps the reviews and people coming. Selfish Gene prides itself with simple, quality sandwiches and all-day-breakfast sets. their eggs royale is a very generous serving of salmon, hollandaise sauce, two well-poached eggs atop a slice of brioche bread. we like it that the egg-yolk is not hardened and still moist when you cut into it. they do not short-change you on the meat for the sandwiches and their meals are really filling. a slight peeve was that we found the bread done a little too tough.. 
some of the slightly more adventurous options would be this Waffle Brekkie, which blends both the sweet and savoury together. you could have the Waffles with maple syrup served together with scrambled eggs and sausages. similarly, we found the waffles a tad too hard (don't we all love Gelare waffles done soft with ice-cream?) and abit too much exercise on the jaw. but in all, we like this place because the food is served warm, the meat servings are generous and fresh, the eggs are done well, while the coffees are brewed only when you order. nothing fancy, but there's a sincere attempt to do every turn well and we already felt like we'd go back because this was a good experience. 
Selfish Gene Cafe 40 Craig Road Singapore 089678 Opening Hours Mondays to Fridays: 10 am to 5.30 pm Saturday & Sundays: 9 am to 5 pm Gene is selfish because he would not serve food that he would not eat.. Verve Pizza Bar
the Central Business District could be the quieter spot on a weekend, as the working faithful take a well-deserved break. many weekday dining options in this area even take the chance to close early or take a break altogether. nonetheless, if you are determined to avoid the over-crowded brunch cafes on a weekend, there are still quiet spots along the Raffles Place/Marina Bay area that offer good dining experiences.
Verve Pizza Bar located off the Marina Bay City Gallery is one such option. this Italian pizza/pasta joint offers only al-fresco dining, but its well-ventilated with fans and overlooks the Marina Bay waterfront. this place can be pretty packed with the MBFC faithful on weekdays, but it was alot more peaceful when coming on a weekend. Having jogged past this place so many times after work, we finally decided to check out what this pizza place was all about.. 
as their name suggests, this place specialises in pizza. they have a handful of signatures to choose from and all their pizzas are done with thin crust and served on a traditional wooden pan. We tried their Corleone, which was topped with parma ham, rockets and shaved parmesan cheese. personally, i feel that pizza is well done when it's not too heavy on the palette, the cheese well melted and the tomato based herbs well done. Verve's pizzas have certainly done that. 
all things Italian, they have a wide selection of pastas too. they've got this homemade pasta option where you could choose everything, from your choice of pasta, to your toppings. we picked this Linguine Arrabbiata which was a tomato based pasta with some spices. the portions may be deceptively small when served on a large plate, but it was filling, well presented and very flavourful. 
if you'd prefer some of their signature pastas, you could consider their Prawn, zucchini & arugula. this linguine pasta is prepared in olive oil, prawns, zucchini and some rockets, making it a very rich tasting dish. Other of their specialties include their chill-crab pasta and Capricciosa pizza, which we'd like to try on our next visit. if you could still top your evening with dessert, Verve specialises in gelato ice-cream as well. on the whole, we loved our weekend experience at Verve. nothing like a nice evening with good pasta while having a quiet chat or people-watching by the Marina Bay. of course, the mains turned out a little pricey compared to some equally good pizza joints such a Spizza or La Noona, but it wasn't by alot more, and probably part of the overall Marina Bay indulgence. 
Verve Pizza Bar 11 Marina Boulevard Marina Bay City Gallery Singapore 018940 Opening Hours Sundays to Thursdays: 11 am to 11 pm Fridays, Saturdays & Eve of Public Holidays: 11 am to 11 pm Simple things done right.. |
..ThE lEgEnD..
Last Movie: Ad Astra
Golden Village, Singpost Centre 
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