Gullible Travels

Habitat by Honestbee

POSTED ON Saturday, April 20, 2019 AT 10:52 PM \ leave a comment (0)

Its been almost a year since online grocer and food delivery platform Honestbee launched their multi-sensory high tech supermarket. complete with electronic gantries for entry and exit that can only be activated by QR codes from their mobile app, robotic check out machines and an entirely cashless shopping experience, the place was still bustling with people one year on despite many other retail distractions in 2019.

if the naysayers are ever so doubtful about the profitability of these online delivery players, a quick scan at their jam-packed physical store would be enough to convince them that Honestbee has found ways to diversify. a huge component of Habitat's success comes from their popular F&B offering. the kiosks carry food from popular dining concepts and have to be ordered through the app both for dine-in and food delivery. it was very easy to chalk up a hefty bill because it was so convenient to go trigger happy especially when tempted by other patrons around you..

We ordered this Char Siew rice from Char, a Cantonese roast meat specialist which has a few stores in Singapore. we are glad that these guys have now ventured into the food delivery scene as their barbecued pork is so well done. the Char Siew is marinated with strong flavour, grilled to a hint of crispiness but also has a soft texture. a tad pricey, but definitely very good.

another popular choice at Habitat is Captain Snapper, this Fish & Chips operator is making a decent shout to become one of Singapore's best for the dish. We tried a battered Barramundi fish & chips and it was served Long-John-Silvers style. the portions were really generous with 2 pieces of fish, fried to great crispiness and delivered with fries and deep-fried flour bits. you can select from a range of complimentary sauces when ordering as well and you would notice that practically every table is having some form of fish & chips.

we thought that the drinks were somewhat of a let-down in relative terms to the ambience of the place. Paper-cups for latte and plastic cups for craft beer just doesn't cut it. having said that, the baristas at Hinoki do brew a mean cup of coffee, using only the finest coffee beans and would even be good enough to organize coffee-making classes from time to time. The cakes from Niven are a totally different story, served on nice Instagrammable plates and looking pretty, we thoroughly enjoyed the black sesame cake and the Earl Passion cake - credit to them for retaining the distinct Earl Grey flavour and blending it well with the sweetness of passion fruit. In all, it was a unique experience. Online food brought offline is a tad expensive, but it surely didn't stop the throngs of people from coming to Habitat.

Habitat by Honestbee
34 Boon Leat Terrace
Singapore 119866

Opening Hours
Sundays to Thursdays: 10 am to 10 pm
Fridays & Saturdays: 10 am to 12 am

a selection of dining concepts to excite every type of foodie..

Labels: #boonleatterrace, #charsiewrice, #earlgreypassionfruitcake, #fishandchips, #fooddelivery, #habitatbyhonestbee, #hinokicoffee, #honestbee

Oberstrasse

POSTED ON Sunday, April 07, 2019 AT 10:17 AM \ leave a comment (1)

Things are pretty much abuzz at Kitchener Complex near Lavender MRT station these days. on top of its wide array of eateries and fast food joints, the HDB shopping centre is where Singapore was introduced to organic supermarket and cafe, Mahota Commune. it's hard to imagine how quickly time flies and that most of these stores are already in their 3rd year of operations. amongst them is German inspired cafe, Oberstrasse.

located at the corner of the complex next to Burger King, the cafe sports a cosy interior with a somewhat industrial theme. The owners adopted a German name and certain signature dishes do come with the German inspiration such as Bratwurst sausages and Rosti. the cafe is not entirely visible from within the mall but a strong word-of-mouth following has seen the little space filled with people particularly over the weekends. Seating is limited and the acoustics of the cafe can make it pretty noisy when its crowded. not the place for a peaceful talk, but maybe more for gatherings and family outings.

One of their specialties would be their various Rosti dishes, we tried the Smoked Salmon Rosti which was served with egg and sour cream. not too oily, and fried with the right tinge of crispiness. probably better for sharing though as the full dish is certainly quite abit of carbs to go as one complete meal. instead of salmon, there are various other types of combinations that patrons can choose from, but it is the Rosti that's the star.

The Ober Works as this dish is called is pretty much their version of the big breakfast. With streaky bacon, chicken sausage, mushrooms, greens and 2 eggs done in any way of your choosing, this is really the full works. The sausage is pretty German (even though its chicken), great texture, well seasoned and with a hint of spice. we had ours with scrambled eggs and oh, i forgot to mention the toast slices that were very well done too. this is your typical family friendly hearty meal.

there has been a few reviews that made reference to their coffee. Oberstrasse makes a pretty good cuppa to complete the brunch experience. we tried their flavoured coffees of caramel sea salt latte and my favourite, which is not served at all places, peppermint mocha. you don't have to wait all year long for Starbucks to serve it at Christmas. In all, Oberstrasse is a nice brunch place to get together and enjoy good food. i'm not sure why the acoustics in the unit generates a certain level of noise, but the positives make up the whole experience.

Oberstrasse
Blk 809 French Road #01-50
Kitchener Complex
Singapore 200809

Opening Hours
Tuesdays to Sundays: 9 am to 9 pm (closed on Mondays)

in a quaint district with a modern rustic ambience...

Labels: #brunchcafe, #brunchfood, #coffeeplace, #kitchenercomplex, #lavender, #oberstrasse, #peppermintmocha, #rosti