Anthesis

Romanticising life through a flower in bloom.

A fairly new cafe and bakery that has sprung up along the riverside at Robertson Quay.

Right next to Toby's Estate.

What's up?

Wooden beams and birdcage lamp fixtures.

What's below?

Retro-style floral motifs on ceramic tiles.

What's you seated on?

Steel frame chairs and muted gray sofas.

Surroundings of rattan/steel baskets, wooden shelves and simple table decorations of lavender stalks give character to this rustic village like cafe 

along the Singapore River at Robertson Blue.

A 3-D panel of white washed pebbles in varying shapes and sizes made for an interesting photo background.

If you're lucky enough to snag a seat at the tables here.

To which, I could not resist.

And it couldn't have been more perfect. 

The Anthesis blend- a custom blend of Sumatran, Guatemalan and Brazilian beans with chocolate notes and a lingering bitter orange aftertaste.

This was perfectly paired with a good milk to coffee ratio in my flat white.

Perfect never looked better.

The Pegasus breakfast platter.

For $28.

An egg pot pie with savoury minced beef in a tomato base that I wished had runny yolk, 

More eggs- scrambled this time, atop a chicken snail sausage that was deliciously done, 

Streaky bacon too dry and hard for my poor teeth, 

Smoked salmon perfect from the pack 

And sweet duck breast- might've been the sweet vinigarette dressing on the side salad.

All was good till we got to the breads.

These were toasted so much, they crumbled apart at first bite like hollow biscuits.

Just like my hopes of freshly baked bread love at this artisan boulangerie.

Tragic.

I did want to pick up a baguette for takeaway at the counter but it was soft to the touch?

Perhaps today was not a good day for breads.

Because we didn't have space for desserts, you'll be sure we'd be back.

For that and.

My current house blend of choice.

Anthesis

:)

Drury lane on a dreary day

T'was a rainy day.

And we still went ahead to paint the town red.

With a cafe that had a brilliantly red shop front!

It was packed but not impossibly so.

They have a second floor for a quiet respite from the queues, cooking on the grills and the steady hum of the espresso machines downstairs.

With empty crates separating the tables, a skateboard haphazardly leaning off the sides.
I liked the rustic feel and spacious layout on the second level.

They have a crate right next to the sofa seat where diners can help themselves to condiments and sauces.
It's a nice touch to bottle their drinking water so that each table can have their own bottles to refill their cups.

Communal yet the line of privacy isn't crossed.

Unfortunately, they didn't have the peanut butter muffins I was looking forward to that day.
They do muffins on a 'pay as you wish' scheme.
And if you didn't already know,
Drury Lane is where the muffin man lives!

Oh do you know the muffin man,
The muffin man, the muffin man,
Do you know the muffin man,
Who lives in Drury Lane?

Oh yes, I know the muffin man,
The muffin man, the muffin man,
Yes, I know the muffin man,
Who lives in Drury Lane

They do indeed have some awesome muffins. :)

We skipped that and had sandwiches that day.
Steak and caramelised onions.
And chicken avocado.
With sides of mushrooms and a poached egg.

The mushroom serving was much too tiny but then, one cannot expect too much for their pocket friendly prices.
The egg though, did not come with hollandaise sauce.
Tragic but not unbearably so.
We were too hungry to go downstairs to ask.

The breads were crisp on the outside and soft to chew on the insides.
Dense enough to be filling, light enough to enjoyed.
Of course,
I wished for more fillings within just so I could finish my breads. :)

And who could forget dessert?
The chocolate salted caramel tart had a solid buttery tart base to hold all of that liquefied pleasure within.
Salty sweet.
Makes it nothing short of a perfect treat.
Mess alert though!

Flat white- the standard order.
Was good but I'd much prefer the one at Anthesis.

Affordability meets palatability.
Right here at Drury Lane.
Till the next time,
Mr Muffin Man! x

The Plain

Keeping things simple stupid.

And simple be the key here.

The menu is posted on the wall near the entrance.

All-day breakfast foods along the likes of bircher muesli, fruit salad, eggs, sandwiches and toasts.

Prices are stated for both the half and full serving of the items.

If I were you, I'd go on an empty stomach and have a full serving. 

Darling's Eggs.

Ham, cheese, roma tomatoes and a delightfully done poached egg on a crisp sourdough toast.

I wished there was hollandaise sauce on my eggs but halfway through the first serving, I've all about forgotten about wanting any sort of sauce to ruin my perfectly paired toasts.

We also had a serving of Vegemite.

Because you couldn't do Oz without this brown spread made from leftover Brewer's yeast extract with spices and various vegetables.

How's that for nutrition?

My staple of flat white (not in picture) with microfoam and pretty latte art was smooth and easy on the tastebuds but I wished there was more of a caffeine kick than the creamy milk aftertaste.

One of their friendly serving staff came over to tell us that they were stepping out for a bit just in case we needed anything while they were out.

It's just like being at home.

And here, they don't take note of your orders for the bill.
Because apparently that's the way things are done in Melbourne.
It's strange that I had to repeat my orders at the counter but there wasn't any queue then so it was fine waiting for my orders to be keyed in and fumbling about for cash to pay. 

It's a system of trust and I like those vibes very much.
But I'd hate to see how it'd be on a busy day, waiting in line to pay.

But today,

Fuss free dining.

I loved my kickback and chillax here at The Plain.

:)

Assembly

What is a third wave coffee movement?

The first wave being the type of coffee one would get at hotels and restaurants a long way back, possibly a decade or two.

The second wave would be the one that we are much familiar with- the likes of Starbucks and Coffee Bean.

And then there came the third.

Coffee movement for cafes who bring coffee enthusiasts together. They pride themselves on the attention given to the origins and quality of the beans. 

And of course, the brewing process as well.

You'll be sure there is an option for single origin beans at these establishments.

Here at Assembly, they use beans from Geisha and Liberty. 

Support local!

I was really here for their waffles.

All these posts of deliciously enticing waffles and amazing choco-ccinos from a friend who is a photography whiz left me without question to make a trip down to this establishment on a weekday for a post-work coffee hangout.

The waffle did satiate my tastebuds but not mind blowingly so.

The higher the expectations, the more it takes to close the gap between reality and actual experience.

We also had a spinach and ham quiche that was savoury and had a good tart base. 

The side salad was small. 

Petite. 

And really just a few leaves you can count on one hand.

The homemade granola was good.

Wholesome.

And with a side of greek yoghurt to pair.

And how did the coffee fare?

My flat white was smooth and there was a good milk to coffee ratio.

Nothing like a good cuppa to have over a girlfriend chat.

Unfortunately though, our coffee orders somehow disappeared in the queue and we watched as four other tables received their orders except us.

There was only one instance of an apology that our drink orders had been forgotten.

And 'nary much that the staff did.

Except to make and serve those orders 

-only- 

upon a polite query after our impossibly long wait.

Strange that we were ridden with such service, it wasn't the case for any other tables.

Patisserie G

Patisserie G. 

Simplistic decor and quiet spaces within.

We were lucky to get a seat in the cafe on a Friday night.

One of the four tables and a bar counter occupying the space indoors.

But they have since extended their seating area outdoors where there's a large expanse of space and are currently in the midst of expansion to the unit next door.

Executive pastry chef and owner of the cafe- Gwen Lim, is Le Cordon Bleu trained and she also did a stint at Pierre Herme.

The dessert choices are not extensive and much appreciatively so.

Exquisite cakes with pricey tags sit in neat rows on display.

And how could one skip her signature G spot?

A piece of gold foil anointing the otherwise nondescript chocolate dome, the description was enough to speak of its richness.

Dark chocolate mousse with chocolate meringue on a chocolate hazelnut praline crunch base.

Have you already lost count of the chocolate that lie within one dessert choice?

It was rich but not cloyingly so and the base crunch gave added dimensions to the smooth dark chocolate mousse.

C'est tres bon.

And just so there was some balance for my tastebuds that have started to malfunction in chocolate heaven, we made an order for the Lemon Cheesecake.

Covered in a layer of gelatin and flecked with crushed vanilla bean.

It was a refreshing palate cleanser with a slightly singed dark biscuit base.

We made an order of the hot chocolate to savour.

It was rich with chocolate afrom the Normandy region of France.

This although was a small serving, should be shared or the essence of any other chocolate dessert would be overshadowed.

Cold water is available on self serve.

And an order of double shot macchiato with added steamed milk was a perfect complement to hit the G spot.

A perfect way to end a Friday night.