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Ajumma's (Funan)
The brand new Funan prides itself as a creative intersection and opened with a bang a couple of weekends ago. traditional brands put in their best efforts to present themselves with new concepts to join the hipster vibe that this experiential mall offered. Not many may be familiar with a traditional Korean family restaurant tucked at the basement of The Cathay, but when you visit Ajumma's at Funan, the eatery was bustling with activity and attracting a queue at meal times.
designed somewhat like an Izakaya Bar (albeit Korean version) at basement 1 of Funan, Ajumma's serves up popular Korean dishes in a fast-serving concept. although the eatery is pretty much no frills, with a simple banchan set (not refillable) and largely bar-counter seating, it is starting to get popular for its affordable pricing and good variety of Korean home-cooked dishes, street snacks and drinks. 
If all things Korean carries the distinct bean paste taste, nothing would beat Jjajangmyeon or ramyeon with black bean paste and pork collar. the noodles are served warm and springy and is to be well mixed with the bean paste sauce to make it a flavourful noodle dish. for those who'd love their Kimchi fix for the spicy kick, there are also several Kimchi based stews and noodles on the menu for patrons to choose from. 
when it comes to Korean food, i'd always have a soft spot for Fried Chicken and Toppoki. this dish has both, chunks of mildly spicy Korean fried chicken served with popular street food rice cake. the dish is a tad spicy and probably a little starchy if consumed on its own, nonetheless, it has fairly generous portions and would have gone well with an ice-cold beer. all meals come with a simple rack of 4 side dishes including popular choices such as Kimchi and spicy seaweed. other street food favourites are also available on the menu, including traditional Korean pancakes and the Fluffy Steamed Egg. 
the restaurant offers all the essential drinks that'd accompany well with its dishes, including the common types of beer, soju and other imported sodas. we decided to try their Yakult Soju It was fairly light on alcohol and the Yakult has made the drink pretty sweet. It's a good touch to get beginners into Soju and we did notice that this was quite a popular choice amongst the customers here. In all Ajumma's simple and fast moving concept for affordably priced Korean food has attracted quite a following in just the 3 weeks it has opened. we observed native Koreans coming to patronize from the outlet and often this is a sign that the food served is authentic enough. the opening at Funan does indeed put this restaurant back into the spotlight, and we wouldn't be surprised if the store at The Cathay could reap the spoils of its strong following soon. 
Ajumma's (Funan) 107 North Bridge Rd Funan, #B1-31 Singapore 179105 Opening Hours Daily: 11 am to 10 pm Experience the bold and vibrant flavours of Ajumma’s Korean dishes.. Labels: #ajummas, #funan, #jjajangmyeon, #koreanfoodsg, #toppoki, #traditionalkoreanfood, #yakultsoju Bee's Knees
Brunch at the Singapore Botanic Gardens is becoming quite a lifestyle. The options are opening up with more cafes setting up shop within the nation's only UNESCO heritage site and arguably, the original and proper National garden. The Garage is located at the north-western side of the garden within a conserved black-and-white bungalow along Cluny Park Road, it houses a couple of eateries with Bee's Knees being the chill, family-friendly brunch place...
making full use of the Colonial architecture within its interior, Bee's Knees makes a cosy brunch place to spend quality time. Ambience is probably one of the key highlights, with both the al-fresco seating and the inside of the cafe bringing out the laid-back feeling of dining in a garden. the outdoors are actually more child-friendly when the weather is kind while the inside space is alot more compact. the menu itself is pretty wide-spread ranging from breakfast sets, to sandwiches/croissants, pastas and even pizzas. everything is generally reasonably priced and the portions are really good. 
we saw many patrons eating food coming out of the bakery, so we decided to try one of their croissants as well. this Kurobuta Ham Croissant comes with Arugula rocket leaves, very well melted Emmental cheese and a generous slice of Kurobuta ham. it was served warm and turned out to be pretty comfort food. it seems like the cafe allows for adding on of scrambled eggs, because we saw many groups topping up their croissant meal with eggs as well. 
for the more traditional brunch person, Bee's Knees have their own version of the full breakfast works as well. The Big Breakfast set we ordered came with smoked salmon, poached eggs, roasted tomatoes, sliced bratwurst sausages and Ciabatta toast. Not to forget the little hash brown nuggets that topped off the meal. a very hearty and enjoyable dish that would certainly be a favourite for both adults and kids. 
of course their coffee aroma is what completes the atmosphere as well, i particularly enjoyed my orange mocha which although was a tad pricey, served up a good blend of coffee, chocolate with a lingering citrus taste. we also noticed this cute take-away counter where you not only make payment, but can also pick up cakes, bread or coffee to go. This appeared to be popular amongst the morning joggers who were just completing their rounds from the Botanic Gardens. maybe age is catching up or maybe it was just a slightly different brunch experience, but a visit to Bee's Knees invokes a different feeling from a typical hipster brunch cafe - there was a certain more relaxed and joyous vibe in this family cafe, and we found that great for some quality time. 
Bee's Knees @ The Garage 50 Cluny Park Rd Singapore 257488 Opening Hours Daily: 8 am to 10 pm ‘Bee social,’ ‘bee connected’ is the friendly promise here.. Labels: #beesknees, #botanicgardens, #brunchcafe, #brunchfood, #clunypark, #kurobutahamcroissant Kindred Folk
anyone who had spent part of their school-going days around the Bukit Timah area would have remembered either chilling out or mugging for exams at King Albert Park. the building together with the McDonald's outlet that used to be there was so iconic that many gathered for a nostalgic party on the night before the building was shut down and redeveloped. Today, the site houses a mixed development with apartments, a cinema and several eateries. and although McDonald's has not come back, the new establishments are hoping that people would come back to chill out, or possibly still mug for their exams.
Kindred Folk is essentially an ice-cream place that occupies a duplex unit at King Albert Park. the eatery also serves up pastas, pizzas and other light bites to ensure that there's something for everyone. depending on customer profile and the dining ambience that they'd prefer, the store has an al-fresco dining section on the ground floor, and on the upper deck, there are tables, benches and even a hammock for customers to chill. the food offering here is affordably priced, evidently with the student population in mind as well. 
we tried their pasta mains that mostly came with quirky names on the menu. for example, this dish is called Spice It Up - the cafe's own version of tomyum aglio olio linguine served with sauteed prawns. the portions are generous and the pasta is prepared with a real spicy kick. a simple dish that's flavourful and great for a casual meal. we noted that most of the pasta dishes included some Asian fusion elements, probably the direction of the owners' creations.. 
i always had a thing for tomato based pastas, so there wasn't much hesitation to decide on this Tomayto Tomato dish. in fact, its quite interesting to say that its quite rare to get a thick tomato-based pasta meal outside done this way - served with dollops of crushed tomato sauce and topped with an abundant amount of chopped Chorizo sausages. perhaps it was because the dishes were presented as comfort food, we lapped them up pretty quickly. 
i guess of course, we wouldn't have been considered to have visited Kindred Folk if we missed out on their ice-creams. we went for their charcoal waffle with double scoop of really good ice-cream to cap off dessert. For first timers, we were taken a little off-guard when asked how many waffles we needed. we thought they were asking if we each needed a full round waffle to go with each scoop of ice-cream. anyway, as the picture above has shown, this is what you'd get if you ordered just 1 waffle, maybe 2 would have been just right. in all, the cafe was still a pretty relaxing place thats great for dates and catching up. the food quality is surprisingly good and the prices are really competitive. we would certainly recommend this place if you plan on visiting King Albert Park again. 
Kindred Folk 9 King Albert Park #01-09 Singapore 598332 Opening Hours Sundays to Thursdays: 12 pm to 10 pm (closed on Mondays) Fridays & Saturdays: 12 pm to 11 pm Your furry friends are more than welcome at our alfresco dining area too.. Labels: #bukittimah, #charcoalwaffles, #icecreamshop, #kindredfolk, #kingalbertpark, #pastaplace Fusion Spoon Cafe
The North region doesn't get many hipster cafes since people who'd travel that far tend to head straight up to neighbouring Johor Bahru already. so it definitely has something new to cheer about since events caterer and value cafe operator Fusion Spoon opened up its latest outlet in Woodlands. we happened to be around the area last weekend and chanced upon this unique self-serving cafe.
tucked amongst the heartland shops within a fairly new public housing precinct in Woodlands, the cafe is designed with bright spacious interiors and a very photogenic garden theme. a pair of wings make up the feature wall at the entrance, which serves as a photo opportunity for many patrons. the menu here focuses on very affordable pricing and carries a wide range from Western food, local delights to even Korean Bingsu. the self-collection queue numbering system can get really busy on weekend peaks, and long waiting times for the food can be expected. 
Probably the most affordable full Hawaiian Pizza we have ever tried. there were ample servings of ham and pineapple chunks, with the cheese well melted, making it a pretty good interpretation of a thin-crust pizza overall. there are a few other pizza selections, including local ingredients like Otah, which we made a mental note to try during our next visit. 
The cafe also offered many types of pastas and baked rice. we went for this Seafood Marinara that came in fairly generous portions of tomato based spaghetti served with cuttlefish, squids and prawns. generally no frills stuff but its strong on taste and under $10, we think its a steal. there are lots of other cream based and aglio olio based pastas on the menu, and given their competitive pricing, we'd expect residents to pop by frequently for a dinner treat. 
we topped off our meals with very colourful drinks. Mango smoothie and green-apple soda, refreshing thirst quencher that is also perfect for the camera. in all, we thought that Fusion Spoon creates a relaxed atmosphere for the local community to dine in. we actually found them quite organized in handling our orders and we were lucky enough not to experience the long waits that some encountered during weekend peaks. in any case, if you are making a trip specially to check them out, do come early. 
Fusion Spoon Cafe 785E Woodlands Rise #01-15, Singapore 735785 Opening Hours Daily: 10.30 am to 10.30 pm a menu to suit any budget and occasion that can please any customer.. Labels: #brunchcafe, #brunchfood, #fusionspoon, #koreanbingsu, #westernfood, #woodlands, #woodlandsrise New Ubin Seafood
New Ubin Seafood, as the name suggests originated from Pulau Ubin. It is nonetheless most fondly remembered by most of us as a Zi Char coffeeshop serving Kampung styled seafood at the Sin Ming Industrial estate. By then, the dishes they served had bordered on the alternative, with their Black Angus rib-eye steak served with 'Heart Attack' fried rice being one of their signatures. there was also an air of haughtiness back in the day at Sin Ming, a typical sign of coffeeshop popularity.
Fast-forward to today, New Ubin is pretty much evolved into a seafood restaurant. They have 3 outlets in prime locations and the one at Zhongshan Park where we visited is actually located within Ramada Hotel by the Wyndham Group. fully ready with a big team of service crew, the outfit looked ready to tackle the mother's day crowd. we were greeted with excellent service, air-conditioned comfort and a menu carrying the familiar favourites. 
we had this Crispy Pork Jowl for starters, which was essentially deep fried pork chop finely sliced and served with a special Miso-Gula Melaka sauce. this way of serving up pork chops really reminded me of a childhood dish our grandmother used to prepare at home, though the slices served here were not exactly very crispy as its name suggested. it was a pretty small serving and we lapped it all up anyway. 
moving on to the main event of the evening, we ordered a large claypot of Fish Head Curry. This is done traditional style complete with half a fish-head, lady's finger, eggplant and cabbage served up in a large pot of assam styled curry. the dish was extremely flavourful and went very well with rice, probably able to give other popular fish-head curry stores a good run for their money. 
we also went for New Ubin's Hokkien Mee Special, one of the specialties here for that Zi Char experience. it's basically the same thing, stir-fried prawn noodles with pork, squid, clams and some lard. they just did it really creamy with a thick prawn & pork broth, and the wok-hey that comes with it was excellent. in all, New Ubin still retained the spirit of their brand, the signature dishes are on point but they now bring with them a more upscale dining experience. Of course, with the change food prices would inevitably inch upwards as well. That said, they have upped their service and its still one of the places to go for great Zi Char. New Ubin Seafood (Zhongshan Park) 16 Ah Hood Road Singapore 329982 Opening Hours Daily: 11 am to 3 pm; 5.30 pm to 10 pm delicious traditional flavors, sometimes with an innovative, always delicious twist.. The Connoisseur Concerto (TCC)
it is rather unconventional that we talk about a restaurant chain store in our posts, but a recent birthday treat promotion special brought us to visit The Connoisseur Concerto (formerly known as The Coffee Connoisseur) for the first time in a very long time. The chain has been around since 2003 and has several outlets islandwide. Despite the name change, its bright yellow TCC logo is still very recognizable, and our visit turned out to be a pleasant surprise because there was a wide selection of pretty good food. this probably explains the restaurant's popularity till today.
TCC today has moved beyond just being a coffee place. In fact, we inferred that the name change was probably the chain's move towards being a bistro or a restaurant serving a much broader range of food. we also noticed several reviews mentioning that the store changes their menu quite periodically and it seems like the focus now is towards fusion food with a European twist. coffees are still available, but there are a much wider variety of ice-blended or mocktail drinks that go pretty well on the camera too. Members enjoy 50% off their total bill for their first visit and 30% off their next visit on their birthday month (which explained why we were there)... 
their carb meals are quite interesting these days. We tried the Scallop & baby crayfish baked rice which was really quite good. generous portions of scallops and crayfish bits, served with Shimeiji mushrooms and mixed into a very cheesy plate of Japanese rice, turns out to be a very fragrant dish. this is one of TCC's best sellers and we hope that it would stay on their menu because it was definitely worth another go. 
the spaghetti dishes here were not bad as well. we went for the Baby crayfish spaghetti which again had ample servings of crayfish, wasabi tobiko and normal roe tobiko, a very unique crispy crumbed poached egg mixed with spaghetti in tomato cream sauce. it had the right mix of flavour and spice, with portions that make for a very filling meal. Another pasta dish worth checking out was the Clam & Hotate Mentaiko Spaghetti which is essentially pasta with lots of Hotate clams, seaweed, runny egg served with spaghetti in Mentaiko sauce. this is new on the menu and we found the aroma very appetizing. 
another thing to note is TCC's shift towards healthier food choices. branded as an Omega 3 boost, this Grilled Salmon with Shiro Miso cream comes with a combination of healthy greens and proteins. It comes complete with a grilled Norwegian salmon in Shiro Miso cream, salad, Onsen egg and even with a choice of red Quinoa or brown rice. They also have a locally inspired chicken Rendang version but this certainly looks alot more guilt-free. The coffee at TCC is still good, but more Instagrammable versions such as the Ice-Blue Latte has been created. we enjoyed our visit to TCC very much, and this unexpected trip there has given us alot of new perspective to this household name. We certainly recommend TCC for gatherings and family outings. 
The Connoisseur Concerto (TCC) 2 Orchard Turn #B2-49 ION Orchard, S238801 (amongst many other outlets) Opening Hours Daily: 10 am to 10 pm where beauty and sophistication of art blends with chic elegance... Labels: #bakedrice, #coffeeplace, #crayfishspaghetti, #icebluelatte, #ionorchard, #singaporerestaurantchain, #TCC, #theconnoisseurconcerto |
..ThE lEgEnD..
Last Movie: Ad Astra
Golden Village, Singpost Centre 
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