Jones the Grocer @ Dempsey Hill Singapore

We trust that this place doesn’t require any formal introduction as many would have been to or heard of this place. Jones the Grocer is an Australian gourmet food retailer which offers amongst their grocery their brunches, breakfast, desserts and food for our soul. Jones the Grocer has 2 outlets in Singapore, with the one at Mandarin Gallery being the newer one.

We were at the Dempsey Hill outlet on a bright and sunny afternoon and of course a lazy afternoon which dampen our mood for anything but lazing around for brunches. Be prepared to queue when you are planning a breakfast or brunch there. While there were only the 2 of us, we were lucky to get a table fairly quickly. The weather was so humid and warm on that day, which made me chose a ice cold latte over my daily cup of hot coffee although I did felt remorseful over my choice later on. The latte was bland and I could hardly taste the bitter taste of the coffee beans that I would have preferred. Oh well, at least the ice cold drink was good for a hot weather like this. My SO ordered their Earl Grey tea which came in a delicate serving tray and cute little tea pot. The tea was fragrant, just like your average tea bag. We guess drinks were not their forte though.

Food wise, we ordered their big breakfast equivalent – Jones English Breakfast and the club sandwich. Jones English Breakfast is a dish with everything which allows one to have poached/scrambled eggs, grilled bacon, pork sausages, sauteed mushroom, 2 thick slices of bread and roasted tomato. All was good except that we would have preferred bread with a softer nature. The bread was too hard for our liking.

The club sandwich on the other hand gave us a pleasant surprise. Though seem simple but the taste of the eggs, hams, turkey, avocado and lettuce were rather complete and a wonderful combination. If you ask me, I would prefer the club sandwich to the english breakfast.

Conclusion: I think Jones the Grocer will be a strong contestant for the best cafes in Singapore. However, one may wish to take note that this place has been sort of over-rated and you may be paying more for the brand and ambience than what the food is really worth of.

Verdict: 6.5/10

Jones the grocer
9 Dempsey road
#01-12 Tanglin Village
Tel: 6476 1512

Relish @ myVillage

After hearing so much about Relish, we had decided to pay this popular restaurant, Relish at myVillage a visit. Relish is a restaurant under the Wildrocket group. The owner is Chef Willin, one who is known for his asian-western fusion food. Likewise, one would be able to find creation of his fusion food at Relish.

Unlike the Relish at Cluny Court, which has chic decors and furnishings, the outlet here is fairly simpler. Staging an “Open-concept”, this restaurant is located at the 2nd storey of myVillage. One look from the outside, one will be able to view the layout of the restaurant.

We started off our lazy day with a cup of Mocha. The Mocha came with lots of foam in it and I thought to myself that it would be good if they can add some marshmallows to it. Of course, without the added cost… Haaaa… Taste wise, its just your other cup of Mocha. Nothing fantastic, nothing unusual.

After reading good reviews about the Onion Rings with Curry Mayo, we decided to go along with it as our sides. Indeed, the Curry Mayo is pretty unique, a good mix of curry and mayonnaise sauce. The Onion Rings, are those made from fresh onions, different from the ones that you had got it straight from the freezer. I would say that the above combination is knitted well.

Next, we had the Wild Rocket Beef Burger, which came with a beef patty, rocket leaves, Sarawak pepper cream and sun dried tomato relish. While I had high expectations of my burger, we agreed that the burger was not able to impress us. I wasn’t able to taste much of the pepper and tomato relish and my suggestion would be to add more punch in that sauce or if not, add more of that sauce. Taste wise, was okay and reasonable. But nothing out of the box, that could give us a wow factor. I had tasted better burgers out there and I would give my votes to other establishments like Hummerstons, PS Cafe, Roadhouse and …. The list goes on.

Yet another fusion food, is the Sarawak Curry Chicken Shepherd’s Pie. From the first look of the Shepherd’s Pie, we had the impression that its very cheesy and yummy… Slurp! With the first bite of it, we could really had a taste of the cheese and the curry. The potatoes were soft and real soft. If you have never pay attention, you wouldn’t be able to notice the existence of the potatoes. Okay, now the bad part of it. I would say cheese is a double edged sword. Too much of it and one would feel that the dish is overly heavy and would get sick of it eventually. Unfortunately, the Shepherd’s Pie is facing the same situation. We felt that there were too much cheese added and could have be better if there were less.

Conclusion: Asian-western fusion food? Hmmmm, interesting… I would say the food is reasonable but nothing out of the box, really. If one is looking for good burgers, one would be better off else where.  However, if one would like a taste of that fusion food, one can give this place a try but do not pin too high of an expectation, like I did. Oh, not to forget, they have a lunch set meal promotion (a main course and soup) going for S$12.90++, which is a pretty good deal.

Verdict: 6.5/10

Relish Gardens
1 Maju Avenue, #02-07
My Village, Serangoon Garden.
Singapore 556679

Contact: 6634 3422

 

Weekdays : Monday – Friday

Lunch : 12 noon till 3pm (last order @ 2.30pm)

Dinner : 6.30pm till 11pm (last order @ 9.30pm)

Weekends : Saturday & Sunday

Whole Day Brunch : 11am – 9.30pm (last order @ 9.30pm)

 

 

Relish by Wild Rocket
501, Bukit Timah Road
#02-01, Cluny Court.
Singapore 259760

Contact: 6763 1547

 

Weekdays : Monday – Friday
Lunch : 12 noon till 3pm (last order @ 2.30pm)
Dinner : 6.30pm till 11pm (last order @ 10pm)

Weekends : Saturday & Sunday
Brunch : 10.30am – 4pm
Dinner : 4pm – 11pm

 

http://www.wildrocket.com.sg/relish.htm

Eggs and Berries

Changi City Point, one of our newest shopping mall, is located in the eastern part of Singapore. As we were there, we visited this restaurant/cafe called “Eggs and Berries”. My assumption was that, they should be specializing in dishes that involved eggs and berries. I was half-correct. The place offers all-day breakfast, lunch and dinner where eggs were included in many of their dishes.

We were there on a weekend evening. First impression of the place was not too bad. The interiors were done up in a way that mimics that of the European. Customers are given the choice of outdoor or indoor seatings. We chose the outdoor seatings where we can enjoy the privacy and the food. What would be considered as a visit to Eggs and Berries without trying their eggs. We ordered the Eggs Benedict and Pink Fish Steak for a start. Both were chef’s recommendations. One who ordered the main course with egg, could choose the method of the egg being cooked. Either poached, sunny-side-up or overeasy. One can also choose from the option of french fries, pan cakes, rice or harsh brown for the sides.

The Eggs and Benedict came with 2 poached eggs, ham and rosti. The chef had got the eggs right. The eggs were not over-cooked, with the egg whites being moist while the egg yolk still maintaining the liquid form. I simply love the sight of the egg yolk oozing out while having the Eggs Benedict. We were pleased with the eggs but we were not amazed by the taste of this. Tasted reasonable but still not up to the mark of impressing us. However, the plus point is the value for money and freshness of the ingredients.

We chose truffle fries for our selection of sides, for the Pink Fish Steak. Came with a generous serving of salmon. Tasted soft and fresh! Simply wonderful… The truffle fries that came along with it, were not oily. A suggestion would be that they can provide some condiments such as tartar sauce or mustard to go along with the fries, instead of the standard tomato and chilli sauce.

Initially, we had wanted to try the desserts after our main courses but we were too full after a late lunch. Hence, we skipped the desserts and ended our evening there. Could not give any comments to the desserts then.

Conclusion: For the reasonable food and pricing and its value for money, Eggs & Berries is worth a try. While the location is not convenient for all, those staying in the east can consider to make that one of your visit.

Verdict: 7/10

Changi Business Park Central 1

Changi City Point (Expo MRT)

#B1-50

Singapore 486038

 

 

Hummerstons

Having brunch, is one of the favourite thing, that we enjoyed doing. We spent our Sunday afternoon at Hummerstons and we were glad that we did so. Located at Robertson Quay, tucked at a corner on level 2, one may not be able to notice the place easily. Surprisingly, the placed is filled with people. Obviously, this place is gaining wide popularity.

We start our day with a Contessa Grey and Affogato. Both the coffee and tea were so good. Fragrant and smooth. I especially adored the Affogato… The robust taste of the espresso with the sweet vanilla ice cream, is simply what makes the coffee perfect.

We had a good start. What sweetens the day, was the Hummerstons’ breakfast which came with a toasted bread, sausage, poached eggs, bacons, mushrooms and tomatoes. The Hummerstons’ breakfast is no doubt the restaurant’s best seller. Eggs, bacons, sausage, bread were the perfect ingredients that made things right. Thumbs up!

Next, we had the Hummerstons brunch burger. The servings was huge and generous. Totally value for money! I have always love burger and I would say this burger I had, was of good standards and one of the better ones I had. Big, juicy, tender beef! Slurp…. Interestingly, the sauce that accompanied the burger was very good too. Upon asking the staff, it appears that the sauce was the result of a combination of chilli, tomato and some herbs (which I have no idea). But I would definitely give them credit for the sauce.

Conclusion: An unpretentious cafe with good food. Good ambience and al-fresco hangout.  The drawback is probably, that the prices of the food are slightly on the high side. If you are planning to visit this place. Why not try the pancakes also? This place is raved for its pancakes, reputed to have the best pancakes around. This is definitely one of the must try for our return visit next time. Recommended to make reservation on weekends, as it may get crowded at times.

Verdict: 8/10

11 Unity Street

#02-14 Robertson Walk,

Singapore 237995

Reservation: 84281620

http://www.hummerstons.com

Drips Bakery Cafe

We have a new kid in the suburban area. Nested at Tiong Bahru Road, away from the busy town. Drips bakery cafe will be a nice place for you to sit down, relax and have a simple cup of coffee or tea while enjoying some good pastries.

First impression of the place was good. Very cosy and spacious. However, services could have been improved. Upon arriving at the cafe, we were not brought to our seats. We have to look for our own seats and place our orders at the counter ourselves. Despite being at the counter, the staff did not attend to us. First timers are likely to be lost at what to do. Perhaps that is the reason why they are not charging us service charge.

We had the Americano and Macchiato, which were in our opinion, were simple and average.

We ordered the full breakfast for sharing. While this had also tasted normal and average, there remains a large gap to fill up if they want to be a player in the brunch market.

What impressed us, was the crumbly apple crumple tart, infused with real chunks of apple, tasted sweet and was executed perfectly. The combination of the apple and the crunchy crust go along hand in hand very well. Simply awesome, I like the way it is. I could have a couple of the tarts just by myself. Ideally, just a tart or a pie and a cup of coffee or tea, is enough for you to idle your afternoon away.

While we were there, the cafe is playing songs from Kit Chan. That kind of reminded me of my childhood when Kit Chan is apparently quite famous. The music kind of made me more relaxed after listening… I give them a plus point for that.

While it is certain that the coffee or tea is not the forte of Drips Bakery Cafe. The pastries here are definitely worth checking out. The chef is an ex pastry chef from Shangri La. That explains the good pastries. Next time if you feel like having some pastries or are looking for a place to relax, why not consider going to Tiong Bahru Road? I’m sure this place will give you a whole new experience.

Verdict: 7/10

82 Tiong Poh Road

#01-05

Singapore 160082

Contact no. 62220400

http://www.drips.com.sg/

Brunch @ the tastings room

The tastings room is a wine consortium, where they had their own wine cellar, a place where they have a wide array of wines.

What brought me to the tastings room was because of a coupon that me and my girlfriend bought from Deal. The deal was simply value for money! For the price of $28, one can get a 4-course brunch set, which comes with an appetizer, soup, mains followed by desserts. Most important of all, the price includes the service charges and gst, which makes it an awesome deal. Brunch was served from 11.00 am till 4.00 pm.

For appetizer, we had the white truffle house fries. The fries were done the right way we had wanted it to be. Not too oily and maintained the crunchy feel.

For soup, we had the truffle mushroom puree soup. The soup was simply delicious. Does not taste like campbell soup and had chunky mushrooms in them. Moreover, it came with croutons in the soup. The croutons added a different texture to the soup. Simply adore it.

We had the eggs benedict which came with 2 servings of bread topped with an egg and smoked bacon each. The eggs were done just right, with egg yolk oozing out. The sauce used was the white wine hollandaise sauce. It tasted buttery but well-balanced.

We ordered the TTR full works breakfast for ala carte. What came with it, were toasted bread, sauteed mushrooms, mash potato, English beer pork sausage, maple glazed bacon and a choice of egg (Sunny side up/poached/scrambled/omelette). The servings were generous and huge. Recommended for those who are feeling hungry. However, the bacon was too thick for my liking. Would prefer if they come in bacon strips instead of 1 thick chunk.

For desserts, we had tiramisu. As usual, this is the favourite dish of my girlfriend and I think for most girls. I reckoned that girls can go without the mains and just go full force on desserts. Anyway, the tiramisu felt like it was served straight from the freezer. For me, I like the chillness of it but girlfriend preferred it to be softer.

Overall, it was a delightful brunch for us. Service was prompt and the dishes came in an orderly manner.

Verdict: 7/10

6 Raffles Marina Square

#01-08 Singapore 039594

Reservations: +65 63381829

http://www.tastings.sg/