Tamago-EN - Truly Unique Omelette

I had been wanting to check out Tamago-EN but the long queue makes it pretty impossible for me to do so. It’s only after I had finished my photoshoot session at Floral Fantasy, Gardens by the Bay that I realized I should give Tamago-EN a shot since I will be passing by Serangoon MRT anyway. It was a weekday afternoon, while there is no queue, the place is still pretty crowded. But I managed to get a seat at the counter.

The counter is where one can catch whiffs of the aroma of cooked egg. It sure raises my expectations of what is to come.

And the Tamago Kake Gohan, also known as Ultimate Egg Rice, does not disappoint. While the rice is a bit on the soggy side, thus losing that slightly chewy texture and starchy feel that I like, the egg and toppings are enough to make up for it. The raw egg from Okinawa, with its orange yolk—an indication of quality egg, is oh-so-good. The yolk has none of the slight smell of iron typically detected in most raw eggs. And the egg white is whipped to a fluffy cloud that serves to allow one’s tastebuds to explore new texture on savoury spectrum. Yes, it is worth it to specially go down to try the egg prepared in this unique way. And furikake—Japanese seasonings provided will add bursts of flavours to this ethereal puff of egg white.

I also like how we can choose the toppings of our preferences to be added to the Egg Rice. Since I always love negitoto, which is minced tuna belly, naturally I will opt to add in this topping. It is fresh, so this makes me a happy diner when tucking into the negitoro. Addition of avocado is highly recommended as it adds a rich creaminess to the egg rice while staying neutral in taste. In fact, it is hard to go wrong with adding avocado to anything. I also opt to add Chicken Tsukune—meatballs to be exact, as topping. Topped with savoury, tangy plum sauce, these fresh meatballs are very tasty.

Berry soufflé pancake is oh-so-good! The pancake is incredibly soft and fluffy. In fact, it is like a pancake cloud filled with the goodness of egg and just that tiny bit of flour to hold its shape. When paired with the cool whipped cream, it is a cloud of sweet gastronomic bliss.

Egg Pudding is silky smooth in texture and is full of eggy goodness, as expected from a place renowned for its eggs. Though I do wish there is more whipped cream at the top since the light creaminess and fluffy texture add a lot to the dessert.

So, will I go back? A definite YES, provided I do not need to queue.

Thoughts: Nice and Unique!

Nearest car park: Nex’s car park or URA open air car park or HDB multi-storey carpark nearby
Nearest MRT: Serangoon

23 Serangoon Central
#02-K5/K6 Nex

Manora Shrimp Chips

This brand of chips is so crispy and literally melt in your mouth. What’s more, saved for MSG, the chips are seasoned with natural ingredients like garlic and pepper. a pretty addictive snack.

Place of Origin: Thailand
Where to get this: Giant Supermarkets

Two Bakers - Unique Cakes with Singaporean Influences

I must say we Singaporeans are lucky to be able to try cakes of different kinds, from French, Italian, Japanese to even uniquely Singaporean, right in this little island. Yes, locally inspired desserts that have the Singapore flavours while featuring the intricacies and preparation of French patisserie. And these are the cakes that attract me to Two Bakers.

Their signature “Bao Zi”, meaning “bun” in Chinese, looks so cute and is like the real thing, completed with the bamboo tray that is usually used for steaming Chinese buns. Taste wise, the chrysanthemum white chocolate mousse is a crowd pleaser, being light and smooth, and the citrus flavours of yuzu and lemon introduce little splashes of excitement to perk things up. Matcha sponge does well not to eclipse the delicate taste of white mousse. But what holds everything together is actually the buttery cookie pastry base. The aroma and savoury taste of butter plus the crumbly texture of the base adds dimension to this light dessert, elevating it from nice and mild to very good and memorable.

But the cake that makes me want to go back is Odeh Odeh instead. I always love anything coconut and gula melaka, so this creation hits all my soft spots. This cake is bursting with the sweet aroma of pandan, nutty flavours of coconut and caramel goodness of gula melaka. And the cookie pastry base helps to reel in the sweetness of the cake, making the overall taste sublime. This is the must try cake in my opinion since it is not everywhere that one can get such cake with strong Singaporean influences.

The interior of this cafe is nice and decent, so is the service. Located at Teck Chye Terrace, there is a quaint quality to this place.

As said before, for Odeh Oden cake, I will want to go back again. And while at it, I hope to try more of two bakers’ creations.

Thoughts: Nice!

Nearest car park: Teck Chye Terrace’s car park
Nearest MRT: Serangoon

9 Tech Chye Terrace
Singapore

Fennel Cafe - The Place to Relax and Enjoy Good Food

Closed

After I realized my deep appreciation of flowers and photography, I had been going to Gardens by the Bay on regular basis. After patronizing Majestic Bay Restaurant countless of times, I decide to dine at Fennel on my latest outing.

Ambience wise, the place is unparalleled. Nested within the Flower Dome, where the ceiling is made of glass, it really feels like one is dining at a outdoor garden while enjoying the cool weather.

Under this setting, it is a joy to enjoy a warm, flaky, buttery croissant with butter and jam. What a way to spend the morning. Actually, I was there for lunch, but since I reached the place way earlier than 11:30am, I ordered the croissant to try instead. And after finishing the croissant, I am all hyped up to try the dishes in Fennel’s lunch menu.

Salmon Carpaccio, fennel and grapefruit, is a refreshing dish due to the addition of fennel and grapefruit. The slight bitterness of the grapefruit actually accentuates the flavours of the salmon. It is a nice dish to whet the appetite but I cannot say it is exceptional since it is still salmon.

Potato Gnocchi, kale pesto, is exceptional though. I love the super crispy curly kale peppered with salt. One light bite on the leaf, it breaks into tiny flavourful flakes. Potato gnocchi is springy and starchy, thus making for a hearty meal. And it goes so well with the pesto sauce, which features the distinctive aroma of basil and garlic. The paper-thin slices of cheese add dots of zest and creaminess to the dish. This is one delicious, wholesome yet healthy mains.

Service is decent. I have to admit that I was expecting service to be exceptional in such setting.

I do like this cafe a lot since the items in the menu look really interesting. And the two I have tried prove to be unique and delicious. I cannot wait to try more of Fennel’s offerings the next time I go to Gardens by the Bay.

Thoughts: Nice!

Tis restaurant is no longer in operation.

Kaki Makan - Sedap Rice

Closed 

I had not taken a photo of my Salted Egg Chicken cutlet Nasi Kerabu because I was there to solely appease my groaning stomach, so I did not expect the set lunch to be good enough to take up a space on my site. Well, I got a huge surprise the moment I had my first spoonful of bluepea-infused basmatic rice. It is so fragrant, fluffy and flavourful, it reminds me of my favourite Nasi Lemak rice from Selera Rasa. And to top it off, lots of toppings are added. There are crispy chicken cutlet, achar, which is pickled vegetables, begedil—fried potato mash and salted egg. This makes for a very hearty meal. The batter of the deep-fried Banana Ball is so crispy that it is so good. So by the time I realized this place is good enough for me to write about it, not much is left of my dish to be photographed.

The staffs are very friendly, having that kampung feel that I appreciate. A good place to get a quick, hearty meal.

Thoughts: Sedap

Link here for location of Kaki Makan branches

Sushi Shiki Hanamaru - Awesome Chirashi and Crab Gratin

Closed

Losing an opportunity here may lead to finding a new opportunity elsewhere. This is what happened to us when we found out that our regular haunt, Misato is full house and we decided to walk through the tunnel to get to Orchard Central. That led us to Don Don Donki, where Sushi Shiki Hanamaru is also located, so we figured that no harm checking out what this restaurant is all about. And it is a good choice that we made since this restaurant is exactly what I need to fill up the void left by Kuroson—I seldom to go this place after my favourite dishes were scrapped off the menu.

My favourite got to be the Minced Tuna Rice Bowl. It is so sumptuous: smooth, starchy rice being topped with my favourite negitoro, which is minced tuna by the way, generous number of ama ebi that I love so much for its sweetness, flying fish roe that gives pops of surprise and variation to the texture, and surfer clam. This is oh so good. The seafood is so fresh. To top it off, this rice bowl is priced at an unbelievable price of fifteen dollars! If you are into raw seafood, do your tastebuds and wallet a favour to make it a must to order this rice bowl.

Crab Gratin is another must order. The umami of sweet succulent real crab meat, enveloped by butter and soft, fluffy, stretchy cheese, topped off with a thin layer of charred cheese hits all the right notes on the tastebuds. It is not often that we get to see Crab Gratin in most menus, so it is definitely worth it to try this when dining at this restaurant.

My companion’s comment on the platter of sushi is that the fishes and seafood are fresh.

Chicken Karaage is pretty good since the chicken is succulent. And actually, I like the accompanying salad a lot lol

The interior is pretty nice and cosy with hints of izakaya bar style despite the place being sort of open concept. It is a nice place to lounge at. Service is okay.

I am totally digging this place because of the rare items in the menu, fresh seafood, variety and totally value-for-money rice bowls. Though I have only been here once, I am putting this restaurant under “My Favourite Haunts” category already since I know I will be back often. It is good to know that I have one more good choice to choose from when I am at Orchard.

Thoughts: 👍🏻

This restaurant is no longer in operation.

Morozoff - Mascarpone Cheese Cake is a must-try

Closed

It is not like one can easily find mascarpone cheese cakes in bakeries here, so this fact alone is enough for me to take the plunge and buy the whole cake—actually, I was there to buy a bottle of water only at first. And I am glad I did because it is impossible to stop at one slice.

The very mild nutty flavour of cheese is so subtle in taste yet surprisingly more distinct in the mist of creaminess. Maybe it is because there is no distraction from other stronger flavours. Yes, the best mascarpone cheese baked goods are kept pure—no chocolate and whatsoever. And the mascarpone cheese cake here gets it right.

The texture of the baked cheese cake is so soft and sublime. It almost literally melts in the mouth. And the cookie base is crumbly, soft and moist, complementing the cheese cake perfectly. Maybe that is part of the reason why one slice is not enough.

By the way, it seems like no label is used to indicate which cheese cake is in the box, so better to visually inspect that the cake is the correct one since this place also offers Hokkaido Cheese Cake, which is darker in colour. While I believe that Hokkaido Cheese Cake will taste great too, but it is slightly cheaper than Mascarpone Cheese Cake. So make sure you do not bring the wrong one home.

Thoughts: Loving it!

This cafe is no longer in operation.

Jude’s Clotted Cream Ice-cream and Salted Caramel Variety

I had once said Waitrose Devonshire Clotted Cream Ice-cream to be the best ice-cream from supermarkets, and this is due to the extra smoothness and light creaminess of the clotted cream that lingers at the back of the mouth. So when I see there is another brand of clotted cream ice-cream, I do not hesitate to get a tub. Introducing Jude’s Clotted Cream Ice-cream!

And this ice-cream does not disappoint. Clotted cream does wonders to ice-cream, period. A spoonful of this is enough to make me feel blissful, but it is hard to stop at one spoonful.

This brand of Salted Caramel ice-cream is divine too. Not too sweet but packs the aromas of caramel and sea salt, it is definitely worth a try.

Country of Origin: England
Where to get this: Cold Storage’s supermarkets

Ha-Oh Hototogisu Ramen - Unique and Great Broth

For ramen fans, this is a must-try since the crab broth is so unique and is thus worth a try. Made from simmering blue crabs to extract the umami and sweetness of crab meat, the broth is good to drink on its own. Little bits of excitement in taste comes in the form of the lemon and sour cream that actually go very well with savoury soup. The yellow noodles is springy in texture, which is just right. The two thin slices of chashu are flavourful and succulent.

My main issue is there is too few toppings to go with the noodles. Yes, the broth is so good that I can finish the noodles without the toppings, but it just feels not exactly fulfilling without lots of toppings.

The place is more for functionality over super comfort, but the good part is we can quickly get a table despite the crowd due to the efficiency of the staff and the high turnover rate of patrons.

All in all, a good place to get your ramen fix and explore new tastes. And the founder’s story is inspiring, worth a read while there.

Thoughts: Love the broth!

Nearest car park: Paragon’s carpark
Nearest MRT: Orchard

290 Orchard Road
#B1-47 Paragon
Singapore
Contact No: 62621304