Something new is brewing at McCafé!

The first McCafé in Singapore opened in 2003 and over the years has quietly established itself with a laidback approach to quality coffee at an unbeatable value located conveniently islandwide alongside most of your favourite McDonalds outlet.

My favourite Himalayan Tea Latte, a soothing sweet milky tea infused with notes of cinnamon for a slight spice with the cutest latte art.

In an effort to kickstart McCafé's long-term commitment to celebrate and champion creativity amongst youths in the community, McCafé will be launching a series of complimentary Coffee Appreciation Workshops to give young coffee lovers an opportunity to learn more about their coffee and have free expression of their creativity using coffee as their canvas.

Who? 

Youths between the ages of 16-35

As long as you're looking like our ages, you should qualify to apply.

What? 

A three hour workshop learning from the talented baristas from McCafé led by Master Trainer, Mr Hilmi Mohamed- an effervescent man who bubbles over with his passion for all things coffee.

The workshop will allow participants to discover the history of coffee and origin of McCafé, watch a latte art presentation, try their hand at handling the coffee machine to prepare a cup of Cappucino and how to froth the milk. To conclude the session, participants will get to showcase their talents and express their creativity at latte art and plate art.  

And we had the privilege of being the first few to be taken on a preview of the new and exciting series of workshops for people like you and I.

The selected baristas from various outlets will patiently walk you through the process.

Telling you more about the finer points of the gold standard of foam and latte art.

As they encourage and watch you bring your creativity to life.

On a cup of latte made from McCafé's espresso with 100% Arabica beans.

Couldn't have done it without you, Hongliang from McCafé, Northpoint. Much appreciated. Thanks!

And what's plate art?
Bringing your food to life as far as your creativity brings you. Or at least, where mine brought me.

Where? 

At McCafé of course.

When? 

Starting in September on 6th and 13th of September where the first two sessions will be held, to coincide with the September school holidays. The sessions will be limited to a maximum of 10 participants.

The next two workshops are slated for December 2014.

How? 

Registration will take place from 18th August to 1st September 2014. Simple drop them an email at : promotions@sg.mcd.com

I know where I'd be heading for my next cuppa. :)

Thanks to omy.sg for the invite and to the marketing team of McDonalds and staff at McCafé.

Have a break, have a -baked- KitKat

Baked?

Yes. In an oven.

Oven baked.

Nestlé Japan has developed a new mini KitKat that can be eaten as chocolate bar or baked.

All the way from Japan,

a creation by Chef Yasumasa Takagi comes the Bake 'n tasty mini kitkat-Custard Pudding Flavour 

Not that I didn't trust my aunt who speaks and writes Japanese.

But why would I be willing to bake my kitkats?!

What would I do if it melted into nothingness?

So of course I opened my first packet and...

ATE it.

White chocolate.

Mmm.

The taste of caramel.

MMMM.

But of course, before I ate up all the other fingers,

my aunt was already busy preparing the oven tray for our mini bake.

And if you read Japanese like her,

click here.

But if you didn't.

Then follow either the video,

How to make a baked kitkat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkHE3jiA45w

or just read on right here.

1. Refrigerate the mini kitkat fingers.

Once they are sufficiently hard to the touch, unwrap them for baking.

2. Cover your oven tray with aluminium foil.

3. Set the kitkat fingers on the foil,

leaving some space in between fingers.

4. Bake for about 2 minutes without preheating the oven.

5. Don't look away!

Because these babies brown in no time.

You really don't want them burnt.

And because you don't want your tongue burnt either- 

6. Let them cool for a bit before popping them into your mouth.

7. Enjoy the taste of...

Crème brûlée

That's exactly what it tasted like.

A nicely burnt sugar surface, followed by a deliciously caramel layer and the much loved familiar crunch of wafer in the middle. 

YUM!

But that was a lot of work just to enjoy a Kitkat.

It was a novelty for us.

I'm pretty sure I'd be popping the rest of them fingers in my mouth without baking.

But wait.

A pack of 13 double fingers and only 4 left?

You guys...

** Just a closing note of caution, don't be baking the normal Kitkats. You're in for a fire hazard if you do. I kid you not.

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice

(Credits from Pangdemonium.com)

A jazz band playing the hits of yester-years at Boo-gis Wonderland.

Sufficiently indulgent to bring the audience back to the 1970s where the show is set in a local adaptation of the original play written by Jim Cartright.

  

Rishi Budhrani sets the comedy in motion when he steps onto the stage even with the most mundane of housekeeping matters.

He lightens up the atmosphere and naturally elicits laughter from the audience before the rest of the cast take over.

In the days where transistor radios were used and the telephone was a luxury not many could afford- this is Singapore, still yet new with its independence.

Very local in flavour.

The script has been rewritten by Tracie Pang to appeal to the local audience and she's hit the spot on all counts without losing the personalities of the original characters and essence of the original musical.

Little Voice or LV played by Mina Kaye is a shy, reclusive young girl who holds her late father in loving memory. He was the one who cultivated in her, a love for old records and singers from his time.

She spends all her time in her room listening to his old record collections and occasionally breaks out into perfect singing, impersonating the divas of then- Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland and Edif Piaf.

Of these she has perfected Judy Garland not just in song but also in her role as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and it was a great effort on her part to do Edif Piaf in French and Sakura Teng in Mandarin.

I'm impressed, by Mina Kaye. 

A true thespian in her ability to bring out a colourful character.

Unfortunately, her mother is a total opposite of her. An abusive alcoholic, Mari Hoff (Denise Tan) is in-your-face loud and larger than life. Disappointed by her first marriage, she lives in contempt of her daughter who she regarded as an enemy who had stolen all the attention off her after LV's birth with her late husband.

LV needs someone who loves her. And she finds love knocking at her door in the form of Billy (Shane Mardjuki)- a socially awkward telephone technician who shows love in the purest forms. 

One night, her singing catches the attention of Ray Say (Adrian Pang), a flamboyant and pretentious talent scout when he goes over to their place for a night's tumble with Mari. He recognizes talent when he hears one and sees Little Voice as his last ditch attempt to success.

Boo-gis Wonderland, the IT place where nobodies go, to become somebodies was booked for LV's moment of fame. She runs away in fear on her first attempt.

With Ray's persuasion, she tries it one more time.

And that night was so magical, it changed lives.

This poignant and funny love story put me in stitches and made the tears flow when it came to a close.

This Asian Premiere of Little Voice by Pangdemonium is a must watch!

Catch them before it ends on May 18th at the Drama Centre Theatre- National Library Singapore.

Thanks to GV Movie Club and Mr Popcorn for the tickets.

OpenSNAP!

Posh nosh at Flutes in the National Museum.

Katrina from The Public Relations Company and OpenRice have really taken out all the stops for the unveiling of OpenRice's newest app- OpenSnap.

Individual Ipads.

Just to, you know.

Try out the app since it could be downloaded onto our mobile phones but hadn't yet been launched for public use.

An Ipad in the hand was the Invitation to Play and Dream.

Registering myself on OpenSnap and taking my first picture of the beautiful hanging display.

This was after applying a filter.

Understated glam aptly described the ambience of Flutes.

This was the first time seeing the Country Manager of Openrice.com.sg, Kenett Wong.

He boasts an impressive portfolio of social media start-ups and projects having been previously at inSing.com.

A passionate foodie, as he must rightly be working at OpenRice, his interest lies in heartland food. 

And he speaks of his usual food haunts at the neighbourhood hawker centres- All available on Opensnap. 

Jenny Sung from OpenRice HongKong was also there to share her experiences of using OpenSnap and leading us through a step-by-step guide to using this app and introducing the unique features of this new app.

So why Opensnap?

They were not kidding when they said that this app allows you to browse a million restaurants and pictures across 7 countries in Asia.

Just one app.

Yup.

So you're stuck in the middle of nowhere and you're famished.

Or you're out and about meeting with friends who give you perfect faith for being THE food guru who knows where the good grub is.

Welcome to my life.

More reason for me and you to fall in love with OpenSnap?

The app automatically lists nearby food places within a 2km radius from your current location.

And even states how far you are from them.

It's like a foodie's dream come true.

And wouldn't you love a personalised food album?

Automatically sorted by restaurant or filed under home cooking.

It's a food journal made easy right at your fingertips.

So join me.

On my food journey on OpenSnap @bsmint

If you love stickers, then you'd love these stickers customised to each country.

Full on localicious flavour.

Now don't be saying I BO JIO for the HO JIAK foods!

I'm pretty sure that's us saying Ho Jiak!

And Tiff maintaining her composure with a happy smile. @tiffywong

Wide open mouths for more delicious food.

Anytime Instagram makes you hungry, start up OpenSnap to get those hunger pangs sorted.

Explore at your own risk.

Avoid the nights.

They are the hardest for empty tummies to bear. :)

Thanks to OpenRice for the invite.

The Provision Shop @ Everton Park

My only foray into Everton Park was for Sebastian's.

And that was a couple of years back.

Since then, the scene at Everton Park has largely evolved into a hipster chic neighbourhood.

Definitely time for an update on this once-quiet and sleepy estate.

In the void decks of HDB estates, it would be a gem to find a mama shop- a candid slang for a provision shop, that sold everything we needed. From basic necessities of bread and newspapers to candies and sweet treats for the lil young tot who's brought along for a walk.

Of course this wasn't about to be a review of a mama shop.

But let's atas my shop.

And call it as it should be- "The Provision Shop"

From hotelier Loh Lik Peng and Chef Anthony Yeoh of Cocette, comes a trendy cafe with details and decorations of old world charm.

And it started right from the outset of things.

A row of colorful chairs from a kindergarten classroom that seemed too small for comfort.

But here, my male models have shown that 

a) it's not just for kindergarten kids

b) it can hold its own weight pretty well

c) grown ups can settle themselves into these comfortably

d) no chairs were harmed before/during/after this photo. :)

White washed brick wall with their namesake.

Wine crate with several chopping boards leaned comfortably off the side.

A wire basket for crossiants

And a pulley system with a Milo tin.

Not for change but for tips. :)

Which spoke volumes for my childhood since there was one just like this at Ah Kong's old provision shop in Desker Road when I was just a tiny bub.

But the display case, was dismal.

If not, tragic.

I was looking forward to looking at boards of handmade treats and sweets as stenciled on the blackboard.

But all I found were these four items, loaves of breads and the truffled mushroom tarts stacked haphazardly at the bottom corner.

Hmm.

I loved that the menu was straightforward.

Hello hot food!

I usually do a flat white.

But after reviews that their latte was uninspiring,

I decided on a Cappucino instead.

Utensils in what looks to me, like tin for homemade love letters.

Sweet.

The cappucino was well executed.

Stiff foam on top with a dusting of chocolate powder

making way to reveal milky coffee underneath.

None of that acidic aftertaste that has surfaced on so many reviews.

Reuben sandwich came highly recommended as a must order item.

And when it came, it was also nothing like the reviews.

Definitely not sourdough bread flown in from France.

This was regular white toast.

And where's my sauekraut?

But let's just review what's in front of me, shall we?

A substantial morning sandwich,

the slices of corned beef were thin and layered generously

with a slice of melted swiss cheese.

The piquant Russian dressing was an orangey hue,

which even in the absence of sauerkraut 

did a brilliant job of breaking the salty monotony of the beef slices.

Held together by two slices of white toast pressed in the sandwich grill perhaps a little too enthusiastically since there were parts where I could hardly cut through.

The homemade coleslaw with purple cabbage, cabbage and carrots was quite the suitable companion to this sandwich serve.

First bite immediately reminded me of the signature smoked meat sandwiches from Schwartz in Montreal.

This order of Eggs Benedict was an affordable tenner.

The poached eggs were done beautifully.

The yolks flowed once broken over the smoked salmon slices.

The hollandaise sauce was savoury and light enough to be enjoyed mopped up with the thick toast.

We also had an order of the pierogies to try, made from a recipe by Chef Anthony's stepsister.

The first time I had pierogies were also from Montreal.

At $6 a pop,

these were slightly pricey.

A huge Polish dumpling stuffed with potato

topped with a generous dollop of sour cream, bacon and chives.

Definitely share this.

It would be too overwhelming to finish alone.

Nuts about smoked salmon.

The servings of smoked salmon of a fresh coral pink contrasted perfectly with the thin strips of cucumber skin on.

I would've expected zucchini to be used on this.

But the cucumber slices were thankfully not bitter as some do turn out.

The apples were refreshingly sweet and juicy.

Tossed with walnuts in a walnut aioli.

A balanced meal choice.

Light salad heavy on omega three fish goodness.

They also have a selection of alcoholic ginger beers on offer.

In the morning, yes.

And we tried the spiced orange flavour which was refreshing and deceptively tasty.

Coming from a non-drinker,

just a friendly reminder. :)

The staff is quietly efficient and unobtrusive.

We got the occassional rounds of feedback on the food and an inquiry for desserts, once they saw that our tables had been cleared of plates.

We much appreciated the service standards here.

And randomly, be warned that an extended stay indoors does unfortunately have you leave with the lingering smell of cooked food.

Celebrating no work day on Labour Day at the void decks of Everton Park. :)

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.

Savour 2014 @ lunch

Nothing more the treat than going to Savour a second time with a girlfriend :)

The sun was relentless.

Walking straight into the air conditioned comfort of Barilla Studio for another fuss free pasta recipe.

Yet another traditional recipe.

This time, it was the Bolognese Tagliatelle.

My favourite choice of pasta and a traditional take on the bolognese sauce.

Just to make things easy for the purposes of their demonstrations, a blender was used to chop the mix of vegetables finely before it was stir fried with some extra virgin olive oil and minced beef.

Buon Appetito!

This ended just in time for the Nespresso Atelier class still within the Savour Experience Arcade.

The presenter was very well informed and I've learnt a lot more than I've ever cared to know about the espresso and the reason for all the times I've tasted no difference in the various Grand Crus.

A thick and healthy amount of crema indicates that your coffee is fresh when extracted.

Pushing away the crema really made for a difference in smell and taste.

I'm ashamed to say I've been doing coffee wrong my whole life!

The selection of cheese at the Jasons Market never fails to impress me.

And nothing this camembert and brie could do to disappoint.

There are, of course, treats for the sight as well as for taste. :)

I felt like a kid in a candy shop!

These were much too sweet for my liking though.

Deciding to brave the unforgiving heat, we made our way out to the open air seating area to grab some food.

Since Mao Tai was a must in this crazy heat,

we made our way to Bo Innovation to pick up a xiao long bao to try as well.

Mmmm. :)

It was a tad on the salty side.

But that moment,  releasing the taste so familiar before it just disintegrates into nothingness in your mouth.

Nothing like Mao Tai to beat the heat.

And these truffles from the UAE, were made of 100% cocoa butter.

And these were so rich, they were the epitome of decadence.

The tanginess of raspberry that accentuated the chocolate, simple happiness in cookies and cream, the nibs of coffee beans in coffee and that robust taste of champagne.

We couldn't tell one from the other, but the taste was impeccably unmistakable.

We loved them all.

And a box of 4 for $14 suddenly seemed like a fair price to pay.

That's David Keru who was introducing the slab of beef and preparing the different cuts and explaining painstakingly on the finer essences of each.

Unfortunately I didn't manage to find time to stay for the tastings.

But I've learnt a fair bit from his expertise.

Savour 2014.

It's been great being there for a dinner and a lunch.

Come, celebrate the delicious next year for those who missed it this time! :)