Fix

 Was surfing the internet for new food places, and saw a review on Fix cafe online. The thing that caught my eye was the liu sha doughnuts. I absolutely had to go and try them! 6 mini doughnuts, piping hot, with liu sha (salted egg yolk) sauce. How amazing is that! I'm such a fan of salted egg sotong, salted egg crab, and salted egg just about anything else. Salted egg doughnuts are a a level up! Can you imagine if they injected the doughnuts with liu sha sauce? They would be selling out faster than you can say Krispy Kreme! The liu sha sauce was a bit cold when served, but since the doughnuts were so warm, it didn't quite matter to me.

Another thing is that Fix is the sister cafe of Grub, which is this insanely popular cafe in Bishan Park, which has immensely long queues so I have't been there cos I don't particularly like standing in the sun, queuing and wasting my life away. Ok I hope that Fix does't get flooded after the word that they have liu sha doughnuts gets out >,<

We also tried their naanwiches, which are essentially open faced sandwiches on a naan base (instead of your normal muffin/bread). I had the chicken tikka naanwich, which was really delicious - soft tender chicken, with crispy achar on the side and a perfectly half boiled egg. The naan was soft and fluffy.

Check out their perfectly half cooked egg - the yolk was gel like and slightly runny. x2. It's so freaking hard to find a cafe which has such perfectly cooked eggs ( I hope the standard remains the same after I blog about it).

The beef kimchi naanwich - which I didn't try but my friend said the beef was so super soft and delicious.

The naanwiches come with a side of cheese nachos, with tomato salsa. Really value for money since the naanwiches are only $10 each. Who says you can't find good quality brunch at decent prices?

 Since I don't drink coffee, I got myself a chocolate peanut butter banana milkshake (there's some offer if you get it together with the main courses, can't remember exactly but it's $1-2 off the original price). Comes with crispy wafer flakes on top. The peanut butter taste wasn't very strong, but the chocolate and banana was really intense. I was so full after drinking this.

 Since I was so full, I had to dapao the cakes - this was a coconut and mango cake, which reminds me of the Kki cake that I really like. The coconut mousse layer was really light and refreshing.

Strawberry pistacho rose tart - the rose was only in the blob of cream, but nonetheless, the tart was good - buttery moist base, fresh strawberries 

Ordinarily I would have skipped going to a new cafe if there wasn't any air-conditioning cos it's so humid and hot, but Fix has a really nice poolside view, and lots and lots of ceiling fans so it's nice windy and cool.

Another good place near Novena (sigh) which opens early and are perfect for the people who post call at 830 ;P

FIX
31 Ah Hood Road
At the HomeTeamNS Clubhouse
#01-06
Tel 62561484

Bahn Mi 888

Vietnamese Original Sandwich $6.50

Bahn Mi 888 is a small cafe selling Vietnamese dishes in United Square. They're been open for a few months now, and I managed to try the Vietnamese Baguette for lunch (on the last day at work in my old workplace - super miss everything a lot )

The bread is soft and crusty, and is freshly toasted. I'm quite a fan of all these Vietnamese baguettes, my favourite used to be Saigon Baguette, till they all closed down. Nam Nam's is pretty ok but isn't my fave cos the bread to ingredient ratio is too much. There's a few cuts of Vietnamese Hams, together with pork pate, preserved vegetables (carrots, radish and cucumber), a few pieces of sliced chill and parsley. The portion is a bit small so I was hungry again before dinner, but if you supplement this with one of their rice paper rolls it should be sufficiently filling.  

 The menu is very compact and simple. Most of their dishes are $7 or less, and for lunch, there's a free cold drink with any mains (not sure if it's still on now, but they were giving out peach or lemon tea)

I'll definitely be back for the Vietnamese Glass noodles (the dry spring roll and chicken noodles look really awesome - saw someone eating it when I was there). 

Banh Mi 888

#B1-06 United Square Shopping Mall

101 Thomson Road

Phone 63543858

Daily 10am to 9pm

Tamoya Udon - United Square

Tamoya Udon is this really famous Udon chain from Japan. I've been hearing a lot about the outlet at Liang Court, but since Liang Court is really out of the way for me on weekdays (plus I would need to pay ERP) and I don't fancy going there on weekends (there's so many other places to checkout) I haven't made my way there. Until, by a stroke of luck, I chanced upon their outlet at United square. Somehow United Square has been surprising me again and again, with new food outlets that I never knew existed (perhaps cos it's further from Novena/Square 2 I seldom venture there, and it's overrun by screaming kids on the weekends). 

It's a no frills udon restaurant, pretty much like a fast food restaurant, where you order and pick up your food and pay for it at the cashier, before sitting down to enjoy your bowl of udon. They also have a few rice dishes, but obviously the udon is the star here. 

After ordering the udon, there's a nice long line of tempura (some freshly cooked, some which have been sitting there under a heat lamp for a while), which are very reasonably priced (in my opinion). I got tempted by the tempura x3, because my udon took 15 minutes to come. 

One of the things that my friends raved about was the unlimited toppings counter - where you can get unlimited servings of spring onions, tempura batter (everyone loves this, except me), and seaweed. There's also plum, grated ginger, radish (love this!) and some other toppings which didn't really appeal to me. 

 My Kama-tama udon ($5.80) which took forever to come. To be fair, they did tell me that the wait would be 15 minutes. And I ate 3 pieces of tempura while waiting. I picked this udon because I wanted to enjoy the udon with minimal distractions. It comes with dipping sauce (which I didn't use, cos I thought that the noodles were tasty by itself). Looks really plain in the picture, but you can always add the unlimited toppings.

 I tried  3 different tempura - the first one being this longish fish cake thing ($1.50), which was pretty good. Actually, I chose it because it was freshly cooked and just out of the deep frier, so it was nice and warm and crispy.

I also had the chicken cutlet ($2) and the pumpkin ($1.50). I really liked the pumpkin because it was a wedge, rather than a scrawny little slice.

 This is how the beef udon ($10.80) looks like after it's dressed up with the unlimited toppings.

If you go to the United square outlet soon, be sure to look for the 1 free tempura brochure which they have outside their store

Tamoya Udon

101 Thomson Road 

#B1-07 United Square

Tel 62587783

Duke Bakery

Shucks! After parking myself at one place for the last 2+ years, I keep discovering more and more great foodie treats when I'm about to leave :( The latest being Tamoya Udon (which I will blog about their awesome egg udon later) and Duke Bakery.

Duke bakery originates from Taiwan, and bakes Japanese-European style bread. Sounds like a mouthful, but don't worry yourself about it! The bread here is heavy and crusty, stuffed full with ingredients like dried fruits, nuts, cheese (I absolutely adore the cheese breads!) or chocolate. They add in fruit wine to enhance the taste, and the breads have this really sweet fruity smell. They're so hard core about the quality of bread, there's even a fixed bread schedule so you can get your bread fresh from the oven (you can check it out on their Facebook page).

I really like the cheese breads cos I can just grab 1-2 pieces on the way out of my house, no need to spread/add anything on top. I'd recommend that you go before 6pm on a weekday cos when I went there just after 6, there was hardly anything left :/ The price ranges from $4-$8, and the $8 breads are really chockfull with ingredients.

Duke Bakery
101 Thomson Road
#01-02/3 United Square, Singapore 307591
Tel 625229556252 2955

La Ristrettos

I've been back to La Ristrettos twice since my first visit in January this year, even though it's really nearby the whole idea of communal seating bugs me (I don't want to hear other people's conversations and I don't want them to listen to mine). Plus I'm not a coffee-drinker, so other than the food and hot chocolate, there's no additional draw for me.

They were having a special crab cake dish the last time I visited. Nicely poached egg, on top of half an avocado, crab cake, wilted spinach and rosti. Very daintily assembled. The crab cake was nice and crispy, with lots of tender crab meat and spices inside.  It's reasonably priced at $14. No hidden GST or service charge. I hope they put it in their menu permanently. It's a perfect mid-afternoon tea/snack (but I do know people who will be extremely full after this - it's a matter of perspective).

The panini cotoletta ($11) is the other dish I've tried - it's a generous serving of breaded deep fried chicken, avocado, cheese and a side salad. Very satisfying and perfect for brunch.

Plus, since it's hidden in the recesses of Novena Medical centre, there's much less human traffic after the breakfast and lunch peak hours, and if you go there in the late afternoon, it's nice and quiet, and the scenery is really calming and peaceful - nice bamboo garden with water channels.

La Ristrettos
10 Sinaran Drive #08-37 Singapore 307506
Novena Medical Centre
Tel 63977165

Kitchenette - More breakfast-ses

Kitchenette starts serving breakfast at 9am - one of the earlier places around so I managed to grab breakfast there a couple of times when I started work later. It actually opens at 830am for those who want to grab a coffee and pastry but their warm breakfasts start at 9am.
The blood sausage (it's all pork) which doesn't taste as bloody, just looks very black, with poached eggs.

Coffee (not mine!). Acc to my friend and colleagues, the coffee at La Ristrettos is much better but since the food there was barely passable the last time I went, I'll stick to Kitchenette!

The waffle breakfast - which looks super filling. I think I'll get this if I'm massively hungry next time!

Their breakfasts are so awesome, tasty and affordable. I'm so glad that it's near my workplace, since convenience is of prime importance to me.

Kitchenette (Novena)
51 Goldhill Plaza
#01-01 Goldhill Plaza
Tel 63527484

Kitchenette

Hello everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates - was busy stuffing my chicken(s) and stuffing myself :p I've decided not to be so lardy and to update a bit more (I've been having great inertia in typing out my posts even though I have my photos up on blogger already!)

I shall end this year with a nice post on Kitchenette which is one of my best finds this year (too bad it was so late in the year!) Hope that everyone has a great new years celebration! :D 

Went to Kitchenette for brunch again - the menu has changed a bit but they still have their really nice eggs benedict (with a side of either salad or soup, $11.50++), their nicely roasted new potatoes and a cup of tea/coffee. 

 Soup of the day - pumpkin soup $8 with a very tasty garlic bread
Somehow this wasn't as thick as my vegetable roux the last time, but still homely - nice and thick with some rustic spices. I really liked the crispy garlic bread which was adequately buttered and with enough garlic to be called a respectable piece of garlic bread (unlike some places where there's more butter than bread)

 Chicken sandwich - lots of crusty bread and vegetables (I think this was about $15?) as far as crusty sandwiches go, I think it's hard to beat Drip's - partly cos I like the humungous servings of vegetables (roasted and fresh! and watercress too!) so I thought that this paled in comparison. Though to be fair, it's not a bad sandwich - just that I have tasted better.

 My croque madame ($8) with lots of emmental cheese and ham stuffed between 2 thick fluffy pieces of bread, and a runny fried egg. I think I like this more than the eggs ben - and I would get this again the next time I'm at Kitchenette. (I've been having mega cravings for this the past few days! Urghh need to walk over there one day when I'm free to satisfy my cravings)

Berry tart - not as good as Drips' but it comes close with the buttery shortcrust pastry and creamy custard base. Ok I think I just need to go back to drips and eat their nice sandwiches... but the croque madame is fantastic! For $8 it's really a steal! (On another side note - I really like Kitchenette and I hope it won't be too crowded and overpopulated just like everywhere else - that's just the selfish part of me talking...)

Kitchenette
51 Goldhill Plaza
#01-01 Goldhill Plaza
Tel 63527484

Peach Garden Novena

I get palpitations and a sense of impending doom reading certain accounts on gmail! :( Destressing a while before I go and sleep...

I don't really like going to Chinese restaurants (cos I really like Japanese/Italian food so much more) but Peach Garden has to be one of my favourite Chinese restaurants. Crispy Silver Bait ($8++)
Deep fried silver bait dressed in a sweetish sourish plum sauce, on top of pickled shallots. The crispy silver bait gave a satisfying crunch in every bite. It didn't have the oily after taste, and went really well with the plum sauce.

Deep Fried Fresh Mushroom ($8++)
The mushroom had the texture of oyster, and even looked like oysters. The batter (I think it's beer?) was light and fluffy. Szechuan Hot and Sour Soup ($6.80++ for one portion)
Not my favourite type of soup...

Their Venison Stir Fried in some sauce (can't remember the name) served with leafy green vegetables ($26++) was succulent and tender. At first glance, I thought that the sauce would be too heavy tasting, but it was not. There was a nice wok hei taste, and the whole dish was done really well. Even the vegetables were presented in a neat bundle, and were cooked just right (not undercooked nor overcoked and soggy). I actually liked it so much and missed the dish one day later, I went to Forture to get myself a box of venison rice, but it wasn't even half as nice as this (of course, Peach Garden's is much more expensive).

Baby Lobster with mee sua and steamed egg white ($22++ each plate)

The lobster was very fresh, and the light gravy didn't overwhelm its subtle sweetness. I'm not particularly crazy over lobster, unless it's in delicious pink sauce and pasta. Lobster and pink sauce and pasta is something that I definitely can't resist!

Glutinous Rice with Ice Cream in Young Coconut ($6.80++)
One of Peach Garden's more popular dessert - it's chilled pulut hitam (black glutinous rice) cooked with young coconut water and served inside the young coconut, with a scoop of coconut ice cream.

Almond Cream with Home made Beancurd ($4++)
The Beancurd was nice, smooth and had a intense bean-y taste. I think I will be very sad if I get gout next time cos then I won't be able to eat bean curd!

Custard Bun with Salted Egg Yolk ($3.60++ for 3 pieces)

I really like 'flowing custard' buns, especially those with a bit of salted egg yolk which gives that little shock of saltiness to counter the sweetness of the custard.

Flowing custard! Not the best I've tasted, but not bad either.

There was a 15% discount with OCBC platinum and Standard Charted (not sure when this promo is ending, but they really have quite alot of credit card promos).

Peach Garden (Novena)
273 Thomson Road

#01-06 Novena Garden
Tel: +65 6254 3383

Nara Japanese Restaurant

Appetiser - my sister stole more than half from me cos she was hungry :/Wasabi and Crab Tofu ($4++), pictured in the background

The crab tofu is battered and fried until golden brown, and has a huge dollop of wasabi mayonnaise and tasty morsels of crab meat. The wasabi here isn't too strong, and tastes more sweetish than anything else. Pretty good for a warm starter. Pitan Tofu ($4++) comes coated in the blackish goo of century egg. For century egg lovers, this is delicious, paired with the slightly salty flyingfish roe. The bland tasting tofu goes incredibly well with the piquant taste of century egg and crunchy roe.

Nara's Speciality sushi roll ($20++)

It's more expensive than the other makis because it comes with anago, which is salt water eels. It's different from the normal freshwater eel (unagi) that you find in most sushi. Anago is supposed to have a blander taste and is less oily. Also, it's not coated in the sweet brown sauce used for grilling unagi.

Deep Fried Maki ($15++)

Actually, I can't remember the name, just that it has deep fried inside. I didn't quite like this one though. Probably cos I didn't like the batter coating it. It comes with wasabi mayonnaise. We requested for the chef to separate it cos I don't like wasabi. However, it doesn't taste like wasabi, more of a sweetish creamy sauce with a slight hint of wasabi.

It comes with avocado, tamago (egg), crabstick and crunchy cucumbers. Very much like the califonia handroll, just that it's deep fried. Califonia Maki ($15++)

One of my more favourite sushis, even though it doesn't have any raw fish in it. It's actually created for the American market, where avocado was substituted for tuna (this piece of trivia is from Wikipedia btw). The califonia maki is coated in a generous layer of roe, unlike the kind you buy from Iseatan supermarket, where they are v stingy.

This is a teriyaki squid (can't remember price, but it's aroudn $9). It's pretty well done, with just the right amount of teriyaki sauce so that it's tasty and yet not too salty, and the squid was cooked just right so that it was chewy but not hard.
Complimentary fruits.
(actually I think i should give it 3.5 stars but I'm outside now and i don't have my stars with me. I'll edit it when I go home). Nara also has some set lunches ranging from around $12-$20. I haven't tried any of those though. The sushi that I ordered also comes in half portions, for people who want to try a greater variety. I'm definitely going to come back to try more stuff from their menu. I think this is a perfect place for people who like Japanese food, and yet don't like eating raw stuff. It's pretty empty during lunches, so I dont think you'll need to book.

Nara Japanese Restaurant 奈良

167 Thomson Road

Goldhill Centre

Tel: 6256 6568