Gullible Travels

Lola's Cafe

POSTED ON Sunday, December 27, 2015 AT 12:10 PM \ leave a comment (0)

this is probably the most popular cafe in north-eastern Singapore, where long dinner queues, inadequate parking and a bizarre ipad queue system have left many hopefuls still wanting to try out this illusive joint. But such issues are a thing of the past, as this cafe along Simon Road has recently expanded to the shop-house unit next to its original store and now offers ample seating for its followers..

Love is at the heart of what we serve, that's the mantra of Lola's Cafe. and that's what probably makes it so popular. good tasting brunch dishes, painstakingly presented to be Instagram-worthy and accompanied with good coffee brews are a rarity in this part of the island. To be frank, while alot of popular brunch places are hyped up through social media, the quality of brunch food served at Lola's ranks up there with the better ones in this business.

we tried their Eggs Atlantic, a combination of poached egg and smoked salmon served on a brioche bread with Hollandaise sauce, salad and balsamic dressing. if we are to judge the quality of brunch food by how the eggs and bread are prepared, the freshness of the salmon and overall presentation, this one is tops. we also tried their Breakfast Butter Croissant, which provides a hearty serving of scrambled eggs, breakfast ham, honey bacon with cheese and mayo all wrapped in a toasted croissant. in both cases, the eggs were well done, buttery for the scrambled eggs, lava-flowing for the poached eggs. the bread were all flaky but not hard, and the overall servings were generous.

the drinks here are equally popular, with the coffee in particular making a good brew. i recall in early 2014 when I first visited on a Sunday afternoon, the team had probably misjudged the popularity of their coffee such that they ran out of coffee beans by 2 pm! prompting our friend to exclaim, "how can you be a cafe without coffee?!". but it was through that experience that we discovered their other wonderful drinks, such as this Matcha Green Tea Latte. Lola's carry a good selection of craft beers too, if you're coming for a chill out dinner.

and did we mention that people come for their cakes as well? This creation of the Lola's Chocolate Cake which is essentially a chocolate sponge dripped with cream, hazelnut feuilletine and toasted meringue makes a sinful dessert. Many other people have mentioned their Lemon Meringue Tart, which is another of their signatures. in all, long waiting time and challenging parking aside, our experiences at Lola's Cafe is highly positive and is definitely a brunch place in the north-east that we'd visit again.

Lola's Cafe
5 Simon Road
Singapore 545893

Opening Hours
Sundays, Tuesdays to Thursdays: 10 am to 11.30 pm
Fridays and Saturdays: 10 am to 12 am
(closed on Mondays)

Food served from the heart is the most delicious..

Maggie Joan's

POSTED ON Sunday, December 13, 2015 AT 1:10 PM \ leave a comment (0)

we kinda think this is like a secret Mediterranean rendezvous, by invitation only. the address seems innocuous enough, 110 Amoy Street. but when we went there, the shop-house front was that of a posh office, with no indication of it being a restaurant. i mean, who is to know that the ONLY way to enter this place is through a back alley from Gemmil Lane?

yup, thats how the main entrance to this boutique Mediterranean restaurant looks like. to add to the whole theme of secrecy, the interior is dimly lit with very limited seating (we were fortunate to get seated without making a reservation). having said all this, the folks behind this concept really put alot of thought into the food. from the appetizers to the mains, Maggie Joan's serves up some really good European fare.

this dish is called Egg, Dukkah and Saffron Mayo, esentially a poached egg deep fried in a sesame dukkah with a drop a saffron mayo by the side. the presentation is unique and you'd never expect to still have a lava egg yolk flowing out of it. the dukkah gives it a very savory taste and makes this a good opening appetizer. we also had a Rosemary bread with Hummus, a Turkish bean-based food dip that has a distinct smell of olive oil and garlic.

then comes the mains! We had this roast bass with pesto and marinated tomatoes, practically a fillet of sea bass roasted and served in a green pool of pesto sauce. the sauce is poured in from a bottle only upon serving, adding to the spectacle and when soaked with the fish, doesn't leave a strong aftertaste. very unique dish indeed.

and there's the Iberico pork jowl with prunes & cauliflower, where the cauliflower is actually part of the sauce. the meat is grilled to tender perfection but did come off a little bland in taste, probably influenced by the taste of the roast bass. everything here is in somewhat fine-dining portions, so expect to go for the full works of appetizers, entrees and mains to complete a hearty meal. nonetheless, we found it a satisfying experience and certainly makes this place ideal for an intriguing dinner date.

Maggie Joan's
110 Amoy Street, #01-01
Singapore 069930
(enter from back alley of Gemmil Lane)

Opening Hours
Mondays to Fridays: 12 pm to 2.30 pm; 6 pm to 11 pm
Saturdays: 6 pm to 11 pm
Closed on Sundays

many other interesting dishes await, if you can find it..