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Sunday Market
here's another one for the Sunday family brunch, and would there be any more appropriate name to have than to call itself Sunday Market? in the past, it is rather uncommon to consider Serangoon for a weekend chill-out or Sunday brunch location, but with the low-rise residential apartments spouting out of late, together with the cafe fraternity moving to the heartlands, there are indeed quite a few hipster hang-outs in this part of the world..
the exterior of Sunday Market is somewhat inconspicuous, more so with an unflattering location of Lim Tua Tow Road. the interior is a totally different story, equipped with young and friendly staff, industrial themed look and hip lifestyle elements. Parking is fairly ample with a surface carpark just outside the store. it's coupon parking but the cafe staff will be quick to update you when the attendant comes around. the menu concept is an Asian fusion interpretation of brunch, which can be somewhat of an acquired taste for some.. 
maybe not quite for a Sunday activity (when business is quite brisk), but the other weekdays make this cafe quite a chill place to have a cuppa and read a book. the guys whip up a pretty good brew and we enjoyed our flat white coffee very much. there is quite an interesting selection of drinks here, and many other reviews would recommend their Thai milk tea, shakes and other flavoured teas. 
moving on to the weekend brunch spread. this toast with sunny-side-up eggs look pretty normal, but beneath the egg lies some glazed BBQ char siew (chicken). the char siew sauce is reminiscent of our favourite hong-kong style roasted meat and makes any interesting accompaniment for the toasted brioche bread. Another dish that we tried is the duck pancakes with orange Hoisin sauce. there is shredded duck leg wrapped in a savoury pancake and drizzled with the sweet Hoisin sauce which carries a tangy taste. I'm not sure how to describe it, but i guess one might like this if they like Peking Duck. 
the cafe also offers several good quality small bites and side dishes for the bigger groups (and the ravenous ones). we particularly liked the truffle fries and the spicy wings, which were marinated in sambal phad-thai sauce and belachan. in all, the fusion food offerings puts Sunday Market at the cross-roads, some people may like this interpretation of the dishes, while others may go for more conventional brunch options. either way, we felt that the whole set-up makes this place a talking point, and somewhere you might wanna check out next weekend. 
Sunday Market 22 Lim Tua Tow Rd Singapore 547772 Opening Hours Mondays to Fridays: 11 am to 11 pm Saturdays: 9 am to 11 pm Sundays: 9 am to 9 pm Not everyday is Sunday, but over here, it is.. Labels: #breakfast, #brunchcafe, #brunchfood, #limtuatowroad, #serangoonbrunch Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant
outside of Hong Kong, there are a couple of dim sum places back home that hits all the right notes when it comes to leaving a great overall impression. i used to think that Royal China at Raffles Hotel tops that list, until we visited Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant over the recent long weekend. located at Sheraton Towers Singapore, the restaurant shares a long history in Singapore. in more recent times, the younger ones may remember it for being on the 2016 Michelin guide or for being Qi YuWu's favourite dim sum restaurant..
the first thing we liked about this place was its service. the welcoming demeanour of the staff, how they quickly served tea and some really nice tapioca chips while we placed our orders really made it the start of a pleasant experience. the dim sum menu itself wasn't exactly long, but it included all the necessary Cantonese delights and some of its signatures. the food was served pretty quickly and we tucked into our dim sum feast. 
strangely, the only off-form thing for the afternoon was a classic Cantonese dish - Shrimp Cheong Fun (rice rolls). the texture for the day turned out a little soft and clumpy, while the dish didn't absorb the flavours of the sauce very well. considering that the rest of the dishes turned out tops, we choose to believe this was a one-off... one of those things. after all, the other carb dish that we ordered, the fish congee, turned out pretty good. 
this deep fried crispy scallop roll is one of their dim sum signatures. each roll has shreds of rice vermicelli (bee hoon) deep fried into a crispy ball, wrapping 2 scallops in it. we loved the skin, and the fragrance that the dish brings. another deep fried specialty is the deep fried cod roll with mango, the mixture of sweet and savoury taste that is not too heavy on the palette. the thing about dim sum is that its perfect for sharing, where a group can enjoy good variety without really over-eating. 
a notable mention to this Xiao Long Bao (pork and crabmeat dumpling) which came with a generous serving of fillings. and although the dumpling stayed intact when we bit into it, we could easily taste the flavours of the pork and the crabmeat stock. their baked mini egg-tarts was a good dessert choice and our experience was topped off with the staff volunteering to offer a complimentary carpark ticket when they came with the bill. it was an all-round good experience and a place we'd certainly come back, for a local dim sum fix. 
Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant 39 Scotts Road Sheraton Towers Singapore Singapore 228230 Opening Hours Mondays to Saturdays: 11.30 am to 2.30 pm; 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm Sundays: 10.30 am to 2.30 pm; 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm enhancing the natural flavours and fragrances of every ingredient.. |
..ThE lEgEnD..
Last Movie: Ad Astra
Golden Village, Singpost Centre 
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