GOOD FOOD HEALS



Good Food Heals packages nutrient dense bentos, detox soups, cultured food and cultured drinks. The foods are prepared with alkaline water, are dairy free and high in probiotics. However, not all ingredients are organic! Good Food Heals is trying to ensure their bentos remain affordable and nutritious.  How this concept came about was from the belief that consuming specific nutrients would help achieve certain health goals more efficiently. Most of the bentos consist of eggs, salmon, fresh vegetables as well as ingredients such as kimchi, quinoa, soba noodles or pilaf rice! You can even top up for their homemade dressings to go along with the bento.

This little place shares a space with a dance studio, taking part of the first level. The cafe has a padded grass flooring and is really small, with less than ten tables. The weather was a killer that day so we decided to dine in. We came to realise that they had three different categories of bento sets designed to cater to different needs, such as: 

BODY for body detox and weight management
SKIN for skin detox and beauty
MUSCLES for optimum protein absorption

Unfortunately, there weren't as many bento sets as we hoped there would have been and they were all customised beforehand so customers don't really have a say in picking the specifics of their bentos.

Kyoto Glow 

Kyoto Glow ($11.90) is specially catered for skin care and is high  in Vitamins A, C, E and Biotin. It promotes collagen creation to slow down ageing all while helping to detox your system. It has cultured creamy golden cabbage (kimchi), cultured Japanese plum citrus tomato, quinoa, smoked salmon and sesame spinach all on a bed of chopped lettuce and drizzled with our choice of Yuzu Miso. The Kimchi, smoked salmon, spinach and quinoa were nothing extraordinary and it was of decent quality. The cherry tomatoes were unusually sweet and fruity for a cherry tomato, most likely cultured but we're not really sure how. The Yuzu Miso dressing was citrusy and umami at the same time, in overall, combination of the bento and the sauce was pretty refreshing and unique.

C: As a health food junkie, I do know how much this ingredients cost in the market. Personally, I feel that the bento alone is not worth the price however its alright if you are paying for convenience?
S: I surprisingly like the tomatoes though


 Tokyo Teri Tamago  
The Tokyo Teri Tamago ($12.90) was made as a post work-out food with the 36 hour marinated teriyaki salmon, egg, broccoli, tofu, goji berries, soba noodles, cultured guava-pineapple relish, and cultured plum citrus tomatoes. It apparently helps with muscle recovery, promotes optimum protein absorption and boosts metabolism! Well taste wise, this wasn't anything special, just like the Kyoto Glow. The salmon was unfortunately dry, and the soba noodles were soggy, but the seasoning was good. There was nothing too memorable about this either, so I guess it wasn't impressionable in any way. 

Oh and on the side we got a Cultured Pineapple Fizzies ($3.90) to try (first picture). It was basically a refreshing high probiotic and naturally carbonated drink cultured from pineapple, kiwifruit, orange, and lemon with an alkaline water base. Taste wise, it was kind of fascinating because it got nicer the more you drank it. It  may come off as a little sour and strong at first but as you keep going it gets sweeter and more addictive. 

Well, we're not sure if we'll be back because as you can see the food is pretty costly and most of it is something you can make at home. We'll think about it, maybe. 


Food: 6.5 / 10 
It was just not really worth it, and the quality of certain foods could have been better. Pricey, but we guess convenient? 

Ambience: 6 / 10
It was kind of weird being squished with a dance studio, and the random padded grass area looked a little out of place, but it did make the place look a lot more peaceful and friendly. Although, it still wasn't that comfortable. 

Service: 7 / 10
The lady serving us was polite enough to explain to us the different bento sets, but there was nothing special about the service. Just friendly and nice! 


Until next time!
C & S. 

-  


Good Food Heals 

Located at: 
10 North Canal Road 
Singapore 048823 

How to get there: 
Nearest MRT - Raffles Place/Clarke Quay 

Opening hours: 
Weekdays - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 


MILKCOW SINGAPORE 밀크카우

Milky Cube 

After the successful launch of Honey Creme there came another competitor in the dessert industry: Milkcow. Yet another Korean soft serve with their ice cream made from organic milk and generously topped with sweets such as their signature honeycomb, macarons, Oreo etc. Since their opening on end of January, they have several outlets all over Singapore. For those who have not tried this rather pricey cup of soft serve read below to decide if you should splurge on this! 

Milky Cube ($5.90) was basically their organic soft serve topped off with two cubes of honey comb. Their signature soft serve was definitely milky and soft like its brand name, made with fresh milk it was very creamy its consistency was very smooth and enjoyable. However the honeycomb it came with was too chewy no matter how we chewed it could not be broken down and we ended up spitting it out and leaving the rest behind. 
C: This is like your usual Mcdonalds vanilla cone with intensified creaminess! 
S: A little too creamy. And also, plastic or honey comb? Hmm 
Overall the milky cube was not too sweet and the honey and milk soft serve was a good combination. Those with a sweet tooth would love this! 

Cookies & Cream

Cookies and Cream ($5.50). A classic flavour served in almost every dessert shop! How could anyone go wrong with this? Well it was literally just crushed oreo cookies and ice cream. And don't let the picture fool you, their cup size isn't as big as you think it is. For only $2.50 you could get a Mcflurry! The same amount and the cookies are already mixed in! 

It may seem a little unjustified to compare a high class place such as Milkcow to McDonald's desserts, but we feel as though as the price we paid for this small dessert was not justified. Milkcow, you got some improvements to do! We may be back if they decide to incorporate new flavours, or maybe upsize their cups? 


Food: 6 / 10 
They have some work to do!! Pricey and not worth the size and quality.

Ambience: 7 / 10
Clean and very white looking little sitting area! Looks pretty comfy! 

Service: 7 / 10 
The people working there were quite friendly and patient.


Until next time! 

C & S. 

-


Located at: 
2 Handy Road
#01-03, The Cathay 
Singapore 229223

How to get there: 
Nearest MRT - Dhoby Ghaut 

Opening hours: 
Sunday - Thursday - 11.30 a.m. to 9.50 p.m. 
Friday - Saturday, & Eve of PH - 11.30 a.m. to 10.50 p.m. 



SUMIYA CHARCOAL GRILL IZAKAYA



It can be pretty challenging to find good and authentic Japanese food that would not result in you eating grass for a week. So it is our greatest pleasure to present to you Orchard Central's Sumiya Charcoal Grill Izakaya! The spacious restaurant is located at the rooftop garden of the mall with glass walls, offering a great view of the city. And although we didn't get any alcohol, it was so cute how they served their soft drinks. 


Their ingredients are apparently all air flown from Japan, making it one of the closest Japanese dining experiences in Singapore. Of course, such top grade food would be rather costly which is why we are extremely grateful for their seasonal promotions. The best promotion would be their lunch set meals (available daily till 2.30pm), going from $15.90 onwards for a variety of Donburi (rice bowls) served with sashimi, tempura grilled items, little appetisers and even a dessert! To complete the meal, you can even top up $1.50 for a juice or soft drink, but of course green tea comes in free flow. Oh and the best part would probably be that you get to choose whether you want normal rice or the sushi rice!

Mixed Bara Kaisen Don

We ordered the Mixed Bara Kaisen Don ($18.80) and the Assorted Tempura and Sashimi of the Day Set ($21.80).  It sounds a little pricey but let us justify the cost. 

Both sets came with standard things like a fresh garden salad topped with delicious sesame dressing, really silky and smooth Chawanmushi with gingko nut and chicken, a small dish of potato-meat stew that tasted like home, miso soup containing enoki mushrooms, and a single mochi that was honestly quite big. The salad's dressing was unlike any other we've tasted so far; the sesame dressing had a special taste to it making the dish feel so light and enjoyable. And even though it may sound weird that the set was served with a small dish of potato-meat stew, we could not fault them for it as it tasted perfect. It was rich and served cold (weird huh) but it gave it a refreshing feeling, kind of like a palette cleanser.

The Mixed Bara Kaisen was flavoured with seaweed, sesame, wasabi and sashimi sauce (served on the side). All the components came together really well every mouthful was fresh and flavourful. We especially enjoyed the sashimi sauce which was a mixture of soy sauce and miso that packed a delicious umami punch. However we do find it odd the sashimi slices were not served chilled enough and turned warm from the rice pretty quickly.
C: They are so generous with the sashimi every bite has chunks of sashimi in it!

Assorted Tempura and Sashimi of the Day Set 

The sashimi in the assorted set fared no different, the top slices were not chilled to the desire we would have liked, but fortunately for the ice, the bottom pieces stayed cool and fresh. The tempura was did not have any weird taste, like the kind you'd expect from re-using oil, and it was more vegetable/prawn than flour!
S: I'm not a fan of sushi rice mainly because it's so sour but this wasn't too bad  
The sushi rice they served was not overpowered by rice vinegar and was served warm, making it an excellent complement to the dishes.

Mochi

Do not overlook the dessert though. It may look plain and simple but this mochi is the bomb! We loved it for its thin and chewy skin that could still hold the sweet bean paste and cream filling. Even customers around us were enjoying it. Weirdly, from its green colour you'd expect a matcha flavour, but we didn't get any of that. Nonetheless, it was still sweet and pleasant.

Foil-Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Butter

No dish is complete without side dishes! So we got the Foil-Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Butter ($5.80). This dish was a chef recommendation, so we were intrigued. How could such a simple vegetable dish be the recommended item? We found out why on the first bite. Warm sweet and buttery sweet potatoes melted in our mouths. It was absolutely heavenly! Although this may be $5.80 for just 5 pieces, it can be quite filling and satisfying. The only little flaw we could spot was its skin, which was a little soggy from the butter. Maybe a little crisp texture would make it the perf sweet potatoes?

Asparagus Bacon Skewer 

And last but not least, the Asparagus Bacon Skewer ($6). We have to say, out of all the dishes, this was probably the most disappointing. Despite the fact that the asparagus was fresh and crunchy, the bacon was not smoky at all and tasted kind of boring and salty. 

We'll definitely be back to try all the other lunch sets and the other grilled items. This is one place we can't wait to head back to.

Food: 9 / 10
Our meal was so filling and delicious we felt really satisfied and contented. There were a few things that could be improved but in overall, the lunch sets and grilled items were fantastic.

Ambience: 9 / 10
The seating area was spacious and you do not have to jostle with lunch crowd. It was decorated in a very old Japanese bar style, making it gorgeous. Feel free to check out their virtual tour on their website to see what we mean

Service: 9 / 10
Overall, we had an enjoyable dining experience at Sumiya, their service was tip top. The waitresses were sweet and accommodating to your every need.


Until next time!

C & S.

-


Located at:
181 Orchard Road
#12-02, Orchard Central 
Singapore 238896

How to get there: 
Nearest MRT - Somerset

Opening hours: 
Everday - 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. ; 6 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. 


GLACIER FROZEN YOGURT CAFE


Here's another local froyo place hidden away in town. Glacier Frozen Yogurt Cafe is located at the Basement 2 of Orchard Gateway and is one of the first shops that opened along with the mall mid last year. Not known by many, we chanced upon it during its grand opening. Does anyone else remember the friendly uncle with a kind smile giving out flyers to publicise their opening?

As seen on their site their frozen yogurt is made from high quality ingredients and filtered alkaline water it targets the health conscious crowd. This cafe has the same concept as Sogurt where you can squeeze your own yogurt. However, you weigh it first then add your toppings. They also do have a wide variety of interesting such as cookies & cream, earl grey (our personal favourite), cinnamon and matcha. Flavours subject to availability though as it changes quite often. 


We decided to try the mango and lychee. And of course, topped with oreo crumbs. The taste of the froyos were so refreshing. There's no way to describe them except it was as though as you were eating fruits in froyo form! The mango was sweet and the lychee was delightfully pleasant. This delicious cup of yogurt added up to about $10, very costly, but it was a lot more than it looks and its quality was worth paying for. 

Besides froyo they do have drinks such as coffee and smoothies, and for those looking for something more filling there are waffles. Two towers of froyo on top of Belgium waffles and a choice of syrup for only $7.90, it is quite a steal. 


The waffles were more dense than fluffy and dry on the surface but it did go well with the swirls of pomegranate frozen yogurt and original flavoured frozen yogurt. Thankfully it was not too sweet or the whole thing would have been too much. The pomegranate was not too sickly sweet nor was it too sour and it actually tasted like the fruit itself. The original did not fare too badly either. It was milky and sweet with a refreshing and icy sour aftertaste. The maple syrup was generously poured, and in overall this was extremely satisfying. 


Food: 8.5 / 10
It can be a little disappointing because they change their flavours so regularly that sometimes your favs may be gone. And a little pricy in terms of froyo, maybe because they go according to weight? But its still a great treat especially in this killer weather.

Ambience: 8 / 10
There wasn't much to the Orchard Gateway branch, it was an open cafe located quite far away from the main crowd so it may take some time finding.

Service: 8 / 10
We enjoyed the good service from the friendly staff especially the sweet aunty behind the counter who was always smiling.

Until next time!

C & S. 

-



Located at: 
277 Orchard Road 
#B2-09, Orchard Gateway 
Singapore 238858 
60 Paya Lebar
#01-29, Paya Lebar Square
Singapore 409051

How to get there:
Nearest MRT - Somerset (Orchard Gateway)
Nearest MRT - Paya Lebar (Paya Lebar Square)

Opening hours:
Everyday - 10 a.m. to 10.30 p.m.

NUNSARAM KOREAN DESSERT CAFE


Damn, the Spanish Doughnuts Singapore closed before we got a change to try it, but something interesting opened in its place - Nunsaram Korean Dessert Cafe! The opening of this cafe follows the start of the latest Bingsu trend, and perhaps the phasing out of the froyo trend. Korea's popular Patbingsu consists of shaved ice topped with condensed milk and other sweet toppings (commonly red bean paste and/or fruits).

Well this was our first time trying out Bingsu, and based on the comments we've read online, we were excited to try something ice cold in this terribly hot weather. Popular comments about Bingsu in general was how "smooth" the ice was supposed to be or how "sweet" the dish was, so that was what we were expecting. We decided to be healthy and get the Strawberry Bingsu and the Mango Bingsu. Despite its huge space, it took a while for us to get a seat amidst the peak hour crowd, but we got one eventually.

Strawberry Bingsu

The Strawberry Bingsu ($15.90) was a mountain of shaved ice topped with a generous amount of really fresh strawberries, strawberry jam and whipped cream. The huge dollop of whipped cream at the peak was light without being too sickening; it was such a guilty pleasure. Most of the shaved ice was fluffy like snowflakes, but sadly its texture varied to the extremes - from powdery and dry to chunky huge pieces of ice. This was definitely not the melt-in-your-mouth dessert we were hoping for. Maybe their machine malfunctioned but is this really excusable?
C: I think they added a whole box strawberries in this.
S: Please, I think they added a whole crate of mangoes in mine. 


The Mango Bingsu ($15.90) similarly was completely covered in fruits. We have to admit, they were a lot more generous than we expected as every scoop of bingsu had at least a piece of fruit in it. To top it all off, there was a scoop of mango ice cream, and condensed milk on the side! The mango was like honey, with a few exceptions, but no mango is perfect so away with that point. What we really liked was how the mango ice-cream wasn't sickly sweet, because the condensed milk already made it sweet enough. Sadly, the ice was clumpy at certain parts, especially towards the bottom of the bowl, disappointing us a little.

S: I couldn't finish it though, and I'm not sure if its just individual preference but the combination of the condensed milk, mango ice cream and ice shavings just wasn't my cup of tea. 

Hm, well for a first try, I think we're kind of getting what bingsu is all about. And albeit an interesting dessert, it hasn't impressed us so far. So would you pay this much for a bingsu? I think we would rather stick to the good old froyo. Tell us what you think! (Or maybe recommend other bingsu places!)

Food: 6 / 10
Way too pricey for shaved ice, but for the amount of fruits and toppings given, maybe it's justified? We're not too sure. Good sharing dessert though!

Ambience: 7 / 10
Its an open cafe situated in the middle of an open space. Really airy and nice! And most importantly, not too noisy.

Service: 6.5 / 10
Service was rather slow, we waited for about half an hour or more for our order. This could be attributed to the fact that there was only one person at each station! One cutting the fruits, one preparing the bingsu and one taking orders. The staff did sincerely apologise to customers for the long wait though, so it wasn't too bad. But if you're in a rush and there's a queue, we suggest you move on. 


Until next time!
C & S.

-


Located at: 
181 Orchard Road 
#05-51/52, Orchard Central
Singapore 238896 

How to get there: 
Nearest MRT - Somerset 

Opening hours: 
Everyday - 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. 

NOOKIE



We have always been the biggest fans of frozen yogurt (especially llaollao). Our froyo radar would beep whenever a new frozen yogurt shop pops up. Well this time, it led us to Nookie. Nookie opened a couple of months ago hidden away at POMO, a shopping centre near Dhoby Ghaut. When we first visited a few months back this local brand was new to the yogurt trade. We were awed by their unique flavors not found anywhere else, but created in a style similar to llaollao's Sanum. Unfortunately, we felt that their yogurt was not up to standard. We couldn't even get through a cup the first time because we thought it tasted so much like whipped cream.

But we decided to give it another try, especially since they revamped their menu, adding new flavors such as matcha black sesame and mango sticky rice. They kept their old-time favourites strawberry watermelon rose, red velvet parfait, chocolate caramel fudge, salted caramel fudge and apple berry pie. Even with new innovative flavours we were really hoping that their yogurt improved in terms of taste and texture.

Strawberry Watermelon Rose

The Strawberry Watermelon Rose ($6.90) was sprinkled with dainty dried rose petals. Deconstructed, this dessert consisted of watermelon cubes, strawberry slices, homemade strawberry spheres and topped off with white chocolate rose sauce. With fingers crossed we tried our first mouthful and we were pleasantly surprised by the fact that their froyo had improved so much! It had a more icy 'Frozen' texture to it but still remained the right consistency of light and creamy  It also had a slightly sour cultured taste of yogurt, instead of the sickly whipped cream taste the previous time. The sauce was not too sweet and the strawberry spheres were a really nice touch that kept things interesting! We could also taste the fragrant rose in this dessert which made it light and refreshing yet flavorful, a dessert that will be popular among the ladies!

C: Finally this tastes like yogurt 
S: Oh thank god  

One cup of froyo is never enough! So we also got the Red Velvet Parfait ($6.90).

Red Velvet Parfait

Covered in a generous amount of chocolate sauce and red velvet crumbs, this dessert would be perfect for any red velvet fan. The only thing that was out of place was the strawberries they added into this dessert. We never knew red velvet came with strawberries, but the combination wasn't too bad. Maybe just a little off. With such a generous amount of yogurt, it could get a little boring, and that's where the crumbs come into play! Little bits of goodness that just makes every bite more special.

Like all frozen yogurts, this could be a little pricy to some but we would highly recommend it as it is rather value for money with the fresh and homemade ingredients, and creative flavours. We are glad that the frozen yogurt has improved by so much, but there is still something lacking. A particular special punch that every good froyo needs. But we will definitely be back to taste for further improvements and of course, new flavours!


Food: 7.5/10
Superb improvement from the previous time (which probably earned a 4), but as we said, something's still missing. Amazing flavours though!

Ambience: NIL
It's not a sitting down restaurant, so there wasn't really much to grade!

Service: 7/10
Service was okay but it wasn't really memorable. Maybe we'll visit during a peak hour next time to see how it really goes?



Until next time!

C & S.

-


Located at:
1 Selegie Road 
#01-04, PoMo 

How to get there: 
Nearest MRT - Dhoby Ghaut 

Opening hours: 
Everyday - 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. 

NOODLE STORIES


Growing up in a Westernised environment, we conditioned to lean more towards Western foods. We have never been huge fans of Chinese cuisine (except for Dim Sum), but we decided to give it a chance anyway. We headed to Orchard Central for noodles for Noodle Stories by TungLok!

They have value-for-money all day set meals going at only $12.80++, consisting of a main dish which is usually a noodle, a small side dish, a drink and a dessert. The only downside to their sets was a lack of choice because we didn't really get to mix and match, what was there was part of the package whether you liked it or not. With our eyes bigger than our stomachs, we ordered an array of things, most of which were their signature dishes, and some of which we may have regretted. 


Signature "Zhajiang" Noodles

First to arrive was their Signature "Zhajiang" Noodles ($8.00), which was basically wheat noodles served with a ground pork fried in Zha Jiang (fermented bean taste). Noodle Stories' take on this came with a generous portion of fresh edamame and bean sprouts, with the Zha Jiang sauce served separately from the noodles. It was a first for us to see the sauce being served separately but we tucked in eagerly anyway. 

We enjoyed the umami taste and the the crunchy bean sprouts that (thank god) did not have that pungent aroma others normally do. The edamame beans were not mushy while the noodles still retained some of its bouncy texture. The whole dish came really well together with every mouthful being flavorful and enjoyable. 

C: A little too much meat and too little sauce? This gets dry after a while. 
S: If only this was a little more spicy.

We were happy for a good start! So next came the 'Biang Biang' Noodles Set ($12.80), which included the Biang Biang Noodles, two Dumplings with Chilli oil, Lemongrass Jelly for dessert and Soya Milk. All at one shot. Including the dessert. We found it really odd that they would serve the dessert together with the main course. We were at a loss of which to eat first.

C: We should eat the noodles first, if they get cold it won't be nice 
 S: But if the dessert gets warm it'll be even worse 

Lemongrass Jelly with Fruits 

In the end we went with the dessert first. The Lemongrass Jelly with Fruits (a la carte: $4.50) was served with some huge blueberries and fresh slices of strawberries and a few canned mandarin oranges. The first bite had us overwhelmed by the strong lemongrass taste. It was way too overpowering and not in a good way. Honestly, the portion was not worth $4.50 but it came with the meal so we guess we didn't have a choice.

Dumplings with Chilli Oil & 'Biang Biang' Noodles 

The Dumplings with Chilli Oil is also sold on their a la carte menu as 'Wanton' with Black Vinegar and Chilli Oil (a la carte: $6.00) for 6 pieces. 


S: Chilli? Oh god somebody prepare the water 
The chilli oil was slightly sour with hints of some fermented elements and the dumplings filled with fresh prawns and black fungus. The dumpling skin was not too thick either and held everything well. This would have been perfect if the black fungus had a nicer crunchier texture to it. Oh and it wasn't that spicy, making it totally worth a try. 

We're not experts on Chinese foods but Wikipedia has taught us that Biang Biang Noodles is this dish known as one of the '10 strange wonders of Shaanxi' because of its thick and wide shape, similar to a belt! Noodle stories definitely was on point with its size, and they served it with a similar fermented bean meat sauce, just like that of the Zha Jiang Noodles, but spicier.


C: Wow I think you can slap someone with these noodles.
S: How do you even eat this?! It should be called the WAH BIANG noodles 

The 'Biang Biang' Noodles (a la carte: $10.80) was also served with a soft and creamy hanjuku egg and blanched vegetables. Being so thick in width, length and thickness, it was really filling and hard for one person to finish alone. Maybe it was because it was so chewy but it got really difficult after a while. We discovered the trick to finishing this is to eat fast without pausing for too long, but overall it was a good dish but still strongly depends on personal preference. If you don't like thick noodles, please don't get this.



This arrived when we were almost done eating. Strange, we didn't remember ordering the leftovers of an egg stuck to a pan? 



Pan-fried Meat Buns 

Oh haha, silly us it turned out to be the meat buns we ordered like an hour ago? We figured it out after we flipped it around. What a strange presentation style. 

These Pan-fried Meat Buns ($6) had a really soft and fluffy texture and the stuffing was fragrant, sweet and delicious! The meat was a little chewy though, maybe it was overcooked just by a little However, that fried base was so, so, so oily! The bottom piece was significantly darker than the rest of the bun and it was soaked with oil, and also practically tasteless. We didn't really understand how this worked, but the buns were attached to the thing, and when we say attached, we mean you can't even pull it off without breaking the beautiful buns. It was possible that the oil they used wasn't hot enough when they fried it, but we hope they touch up on this. 

Oh and just a side note but by the time we got through the buns, the parts attached or close to the bottom (near the fried piece) were turning translucent from sucking up all the oil. 


Red Bean Pancake

And of course we had at least one other dessert - their famous Red Bean Pancake ($6)

S: Oh dear this is shinier than Edward Cullen
Not in a good way. Their Red Bean Pancake was made up of thin pastry sheets deep fried with red bean paste in the middle and topped with black and white sesame seeds. Perhaps we had too high hopes, being big fans of red bean, but this dish was a huge disappointment. The outer layers were crispy and extremely oily while the inner layers were uncooked? If you pressed down on it, even only slightly, you could see oil ooze out. Yes, it was that bad. The one thing that saved this dish was its red bean past, which did not disappoint. It was smooth and not too sweet.

This whole experience has been a downward spiral, starting off really well and ending up in the depths. But, we would definitely come back here again because of its friendly prices and mainly for the Zha Jiang Noodles!


Food: 5/10

Despite some hits and misses, Noodle Stories serves decent Chinese cuisine at wallet-friendly prices. The long queue during the peak hours of dinner was completely understandable. We gave them a score of only 5 because they had started out as probably an 8, but dropped drastically as the meal went by.

Ambience: 7/10
A very family-friendly type of place, so it was a pleasant kind of noise. We could still hear each other so it wasn't bad.

Service: 5/10
Service left a lot to be desired. Although we had a few really nice waitresses and waiters, some of them were just terrible! We could understand their concept of refilling our own water but there was no more water in the flask and when we asked the waitress she only snapped at us to wait. And wait we did, for a long long time. Also, instead of helping us clear our tables, there was a waiter who asked us to move all our finished dishes in so he could put new ones on the table! Ridiculous.


Until next time!

C & S.

-



Located at: 
181 Orchard Road 
#07-14/15, Orchard Central 
Singapore 238896

How to get there: 
Nearest MRT - Somerset 

Opening hours: 
Monday to Friday - 10.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. ; 6 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. 
Saturdays, Sundays & PH - 10.30 a.m. to 10.30 p.m. 


TO-GATHER CAFE



After some decent waffles, overrated Italian food, excellent coffee and the typical cafe scene in town, we decide to explore the East side of Singapore. We headed deep into the heartlands of Bedok for the highly popular and pocket friendly To-gather Cafe. They have a variety of pastas, western and fusion mains and desserts (like Matcha Molten Lava Cake!!) all priced below $20! It was a rather impromptu visit with no reservation made on a weekday afternoon.


C: Reservations recommended if you wish to get a good seat or risk being elbowed while dining.
S: I'm pretty sure you'll get elbowed either way, the space was tiny.

Mexican Quesadilla 


Oddly the starters arrived before the drinks.

Mexican Quesadilla ($6.50) was basically "Tortilla with grilled chicken slice, sauteed mixed bell peppers, mozerella and fresh tomato salsa". Honestly, it was a lot better than we thought it was. We were worried they would serve us some cheap microwave quesadillas but it was pretty good and enjoyable! The chicken, although diced pretty small, wasn't dry at all! Plus the tortilla wasn't oily and the sauteed bell peppers added an excellent sweetness to the combination. Although it did feel a little boring, maybe some jalapeños would have been nice to spice it up just a little. Refreshing salsa with a 10/10 taste, totally worth a try.


Iced Butterscotch Cafe Latte 



Finally, the drinks were here! Or rather, oh god the drinks were here. 

Iced Butterscotch Cafe Latte ($4.70), first looking at the menu maybe you'd think: "Oh my what cheap coffee" but caffeine addicts here for their daily dose would be so disappointed. It was very milky with a very weak espresso.


C:I rather be drinking Kopi from the coffee shop nearby.
S: Get me a milo while you're there  

The Iced Dark Chocolate ($4.00) suffered the same fate. It was terribly milky and the "dark" component of the drink was drowned out by the whiteness of the milk. How disappointing. If we had paid any more than $5 for these drinks, we may have thrown a fit. Maybe we should have gone for their teas. 

We have not quite gotten over our Carbonara Parmesan scare (See: Supply & Demand), so to play safe we stayed away from the pastas and ordered the Baked Salmon Fillet and Grilled Pandan Chicken Chop instead.

Grilled Pandan Chicken Chop 

Grilled Pandan Chicken Chop ($8.90) was served with light Coconut Sauce, Pineapple Salsa, Fries & Fresh Salad. It has a lovely pandan aroma and the Pineapple Salsa did a good job from keeping the dish from becoming too cloying. Sadly, the chicken was too dry and tough and the fries were extremely inconsistent (look at the photo like come on man). The fries served under the chicken were drowned in a mixture of oil (did all that moisture leak out causing the chicken's dryness??) and coconut milk, and not to mention some were overdone on the outside but undercooked on the inside. But to "make up for it" we also had others the total opposite of the latter. Such a pity. It could have been a great dish.

C: Such variety of fries but not one perfect one. I recommend coconut milk and fries to only brave adventurous souls 
Baked Salmon Fillet


We also got the Baked Salmon Fillet ($11.90) which was served with lemon butter sauce, Mashed Potatoes & Seasonal Vegetables. Surprisingly, they asked how well done we would have liked our salmon when we ordered it but they didn't deliver. We requested medium but it came slightly over well. But it's okay because the sauce, mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables were delicious. If they can perfect their salmon, they can perfect this dish. 

We hoped to end our trip here on a sweet note with their insta-video-worthy Matcha Molten Lava Cake ($6.90) and Homemade Chocolate Brownie ($5.90).


Matcha Molten Lava Cake 

The Matcha Molten Lava Cake was served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of butterscotch. Our first bite had us in Matcha heaven. The Matcha taste was strong and flavourful, yet not overly bitter. This dessert is extremely worth your money. It's only downfall was that it was a little sunken in and slightly charred at the bottom. Still, we would definitely be back for this again.

C: Madly in love with this but Butterscotch and Matcha is rather odd.
S: Do they use butterscotch in everything?




Yup they do use butterscotch in everything. The homemade brownie served with ice cream was delicious! One thing though, the nuts. They seemed a little off? But other than that, it was a fantastic dessert. 

We'll be back soon!



Food: 7.5/10
Well, for food this reasonably priced we definitely lowered our expectations a little! But they still met the standards!

Ambience: 5/10
Beautifully decorated but oh so squeezy. Everything was so crammed it kind of made us a little uncomfortable.

Service: 6/10
Service-wise, we found the staff really friendly but not as approachable as the previous cafes, but we did find the in charge that day to be a little unenthusiastic and insincere when showing customers to their tables.

C: Thank goodness there was no service charge


Until next time! 

C & S.  

-


To-Gather Cafe 

Located at:
84 Bedok North Street 4
#01-25/27
Singapore 460084

How to get there:
Nearest MRT - Bedok
Buses - 9, 24, 31, 222

Opening hours:
Sunday to Thursday - 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday to Saturday - 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
*Closed on Mondays*


MONTANA BREW BAR



Montana Brew Bar is the creator of the famous (and as far as we know, the one and only) truffle mac & cheese waffles. This quaint but chic cafe is located on the first floor of PoMo along Selegie Rd, and the shop takes up a small, open space beside Ya Kun Kaya Toast. Although the cafe gives off a wonderful vibe, it is still quite small so you may be jostled by people or you may even find it difficult to look for an available table.

One of the fantastic things about Montana Brew Bar is the absence of GST and Service Charge. They also serve different foods ranging from burgers to waffles (which is of course their specialty). They also have an array of coffee beans for one to choose from and even the style you want your coffee, such as aeropress!

This was our second time visiting Montana Brew Bar. The first time there, we got their mac & cheese waffles and the chocolate banana waffles, which were pretty good except we hoped for more cheese on our second visit. I guess it was a dream come true because it really did get more cheesy.

"THE ULTIMATE" Truffle Jalapeno Mac & Cheese 

"THE ULTIMATE" Truffle Jalapeno Mac & Cheese ($12.50) really upped their game. It was basically their signature waffled Mac & Cheese version 2.0, but now with more truffle and Jalapeno. Once bite through its crispy exterior, your teeth will sink into the soft Mac & Cheese centre, leaving a wonderful aftertaste of both the truffle and jalapenos. It's amazing how the jalapenos leave your mouth feeling warm, but not burning. The improvement in cheesiness and truffle-ness left us wondering where the lovely truffle aroma went? It seems as though as the truffle was kind of overpowered by everything else.

Another disappointment was the pasta - it was more soggy, kinda mushy and not in a good way. Maybe they should have used 3/4 cooked pasta when making the waffles?

S: Omg they changed the sauce! It tastes kinda familiar though.
C: Yeah it tastes like curry
S: Oh god it tastes like Nyonya Fish Head Curry!!!

We kid you not. It really did taste like curry. Although it was delicious by itself, we can't say the same for the combination of the sauce and the waffle. We want the old sauce back please!

C: Oh and maybe it's just me, but I do prefer if the mac & cheese waffles were a little more cheesy and creamy. I mean that's what we like best about mac & cheese right? 

Matcha Strawberry Field Waffles

Besides the mac & cheese waffles, we got the Matcha Strawberry Field Waffles ($9.50). The fantastic thing about their dessert waffles is that you get to choose between the Fluffy Souffle (fluffy, light and chiffon-like in the middle with a gentle, crispy crust) and the Big Crunch (the crispiest waffle you can imagine). We got the fluffy souffle for the Matcha waffles, but it wasn't as fluffy as the fluffy waffle we ordered on our previous visit. In fact it was a little charred and overdone on the outside, and a little undercooked on the inside, making it a little bitter and disappointing. There was a faint matcha taste so it's good for those who aren't big fans of matcha, but with the combination of the ice cream, the matcha taste was practically drowned out.

C: It's so disappointing that it wasn't as good as it looked. 

But scroll up and look at the photo, do you see the little yellow blobs? They're mango passionfruit spheres and they were amazing! Sweet but a little tangy, and it went beautifully with the ice cream and waffle!

No meal is complete without drinks so...

Piccolo

Presenting the Piccolo ($4) using the Selegie Blend (silky smooth body, juicy, dark fruit, plum and red grape). We ordered this because we thought the lesser the milk, the more original the taste of the coffee beans. And we were right! It is indeed of slightly higher acidity than most coffee as stated in the menu, and it did leave hints of earthy tones but what we enjoyed was its smoothness. 


Lastly, the Iced Vanilla Latte ($7) using the Montana Houseblend (Dark fruits, thick coating body, red grape, plum, intense lingering aftertaste with hints of floral, blueberry, dark chocolate flavor notes). This houseblend had the highest level of body among the four blends they offered, and it was on point. The coffee was heavy, but in a pleasant way. The vanilla didn't overpower the coffee taste and it was the right level of bittersweet.

I guess we'll be back again soon? We'll see.



Food : 6.5/10
A little drop from the previous visit but their mac & cheese did kind of improve? And their coffee definitely did improve.

Ambience : 6/10
Like we said it's partially open so it didn't feel too cosy. And it was a tight squeeze at certain tables so, a lower score on ambience.

Service: 6.5/10
The service was acceptable, although the cashier on both our visits never showed much enthusiasm. But they were still polite and accommodating.


Until next time!

C & S.

-


Located at: 
1 Selegie Road 
#01-04, PoMo 
Singapore 188306 

How to get there:
Nearest MRT - Dhoby Ghaut 

Opening hours: 
Everday - 8 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. 



SUPPLY & DEMAND



Mother's Day is just around the corner, and we're sure that many of you are reading food reviews online just to pick a perfect restaurant to celebrate this occasion. Similarly, we were on the hunt for a Mother's-Day-worthy restaurant and decided to give the highly raved about Supply & Demand @ Orchard Gateway a try. Supply & Demand is known to be an affordable Italian-Asian restaurant, receiving excellent views on their dishes, ambience and service. So are they really worth the hype?

We visited Supply & Demand on a weekend for lunch and were surprised to find the place half empty! We chose a table near the entrance to have a view of the whole restaurant as well as the dining area outside. Supply & Demand is designed with a chalkboard, old books and all sorts of classroom paraphernalia. We loved how spacious the place looked and the little decorations they left on the table.

S: The shelves were so clean though gosh, very impressive. 

Supply & Demand offers a wide range of main courses from pizzas, pastas, and grilled meat, to Asian rice dishes and even brunch on the weekends (11am - 5.30pm). We had such a hard time choosing from their extensive menu so we went for their chef recommended dishes - Carbonara Classico and a thin crust pizza, half Provinciale and half Tartufo E Uovo (Truffle and Egg) along with the Crispy Chicken Drumlets. But of course, we started out with their homemade drinks.


Iced Spiced Peach Tea (left) and Iced Mint Tea (right) 

Iced Spiced Peach Tea ($8) basically tasted like iced black tea with faint traces of warm spice, artificial peach flavouring syrup and pieces of canned peach. Not very impressive, but the Iced Mint Tea ($8) fared even worse. At all. It tasted pretty much like lipton tea except they threw in a lot of mint leaves. It didn't have the minty kick and aroma we expected it to have. Even the Spiced Peach Tea had more of a punch than the Mint.

C: If those mint leaves serve no purpose I rather they work on its presentation, drowned leaves in murky pond water is not a good look.

Crispy Chicken Drumlets 

The Crispy Chicken Drumlets ($12) was served with a spicy, homemade dipping sauce. The initial taste of their homemade sauce was sweet and then you get the kick of spiciness. It complimented the chicken so well, but without looking at its colour, it tasted very similar to the bottled Thai sweet chilli sauce. Coincidence? We sure hope so. What we liked about the chicken was its crispy perfection and the fact that the tender meat didn't soak up all the oil. Despite the fact that it was delicious, it could have been slightly juicier. Although this dish could pass as a decent appetiser, we are not too sure if we would pay $12 (not inclusive of GST and service charge) for these 5 pieces of chicken.

C: *Cuts open drumlet to reveal bone* Look at the greyish hue of the meat and bone. Compared to fresh chicken, the bone is darker. This is definitely frozen chicken that was not defrosted well which explains its lack of juiciness.



"Thin Crust, Crispy Yet Fluffy And Freshly Baked To Order."


2 Flavours in 1 Pizza 

We gotta admit that the pizza crust was indeed crispy. We got the 2 Flavours in 1 Pizza ($23) and it looked so delicious. The Provinciale half contained tomato sauce, mozzarella, onion, chicken chunks with a soft egg set in the centre. The chicken chunks were disappointingly hard and dry, but the combination of ingredients was undoubtedly delicious, especially with the onions that weren't deadly strong yet aromatic. The onions were soft but still retained a slight crunch. The Tartufo E Uovo (Truffle & Egg) half had tomato sauce, mozzarella, black truffle paste, rucola leaves and was finished with a soft egg in the centre as well. The rucola leaves were only slightly bitter but it brought great balance to the combination of the truffle pizza. 

C: The base kind of reminds me of prata though. More dense than fluffy. The Provinciale lacks something though maybe it needs a more tangy tomato base or spices. The dry chicken is only seasoned with lots of salt and a little pepper.

Putting aside the great balance of the dish, we were kind of let down by the lack of a smokey taste in the crust. We don't think they mentioned making wooden-stove pizzas, but it would have been nice to have the smokey flavour that would have set it apart from all the other pizzas in Singapore.

Cabonara Classico

Lastly, we got the Carbonara Classico ($14) at the tasting portion. The carbonara was done in a classic way, with sautéed with crispy bacon, fresh milled pepper, tempered egg yolk, splash of white wine and loads of shaved cheese.

S: My mama always said, if you have nothing nice to say, keep your mouth shut. Then again, I never listened to her.

The Carbonara was a huge disappointment. Don't let the picture fool you. They weren't kidding with the LOADS of shaved cheese; the sauce was rough with parmesan with a hint of white wine that stood out like a sore thumb, it failed to blend well with the dish. Someone must have spilled a whole bottle in cause the Parmesan was so strong, it was hard to even finish those 5 mouths of pasta. Plus, the pasta was overcooked and the bacon wasn't crispy. Disappointing, Just disappointing.

C: Soggy tasteless pasta, lacks salt and pepper and needs more flavour that is NOT Parmesan (Garlic would be nice). If this was Hell's Kitchen this dish would be hurled back at them frisbee style

Maybe we'll give the Esplanade branch another try. After we've recovered from our Parmesan scare.



Food: 5/10
The price really didn't match the quality! The carbonara was just... disastrous. Tartufo E Uovo and well paired Crispy drumlets with Homemade (still doubtful about this) Sauce were their saving grace.

Ambience: 10/10
The place was beautifully decorated and it felt very comfortable and clean, so no faults.

Service: 6/10
We see Supply & Demand receive so many bad comments on their service, especially on their crowded days. Well although it was pretty deserted when we went, the staff had their faults. They were in a daze most of the time and not very responsive to customers. But there were a few of them that were really sweet, catering to all our needs.



Until next time!


C & S.


-




Located at: 
277 Orchard Road 
#02-13/14, Orchard Gateway 
Singapore 238858 

How to get there: 
Nearest MRT - Somerset 

Contact: 
+65 67026218

Opening hours: 
Everyday - 11.30 a.m. to 9 p.m.