Foodie Paradise

Two things that I have a lot while I was in Sydney are its coffee and pastries.

A decent latte or mocha might cost at least S$4 (unless you’re talking about the good old coffee in the kopitiam, which is less than a dollar) in Singapore. In Sydney, at A$2.50 to A$3.50, I usually be able to get myself a decent cup of coffee, so that’s a pretty good thing for a coffee-addict like me.

A cup of Flat White

However, when it comes to pastries, to be frank, I didn’t really like the pastries in Sydney. They’re usually too sweet for my palate. Many times I feel like I’m eating a “sugar bomb” or something. I guess I still miss those lovely pastries that I had while I was in Switzerland. But I have to admit, the pastries all look so delicious and have these “come-eat-me” kind of touch on them that I kept ordering them when I was in Sydney! I did come across a really great pastry shop while at “The Rocks” but I never remember its name because it’s one of those “grab-and-go” session. It’s croissant was delicious!

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After two glorious weeks of vacation in lovely Sydney, I’m finally back in Singapore!  It’s definitely a long overdue and well-deserved vacation for me, a vacation that had given me plenty of time to relax, to reflect through many things, and to enjoy my last vacation as a student.

Three Sisters, Blue Mountain

Anna Bay, Port Stephens

I miss Sydney, especially the beaches there and the ever-friendly and helpful Australians who will always lend a helping hand when in need. I gotta admit the guys are really good-looking over there. The Blue Mountains is overrated, while Port Stephen is a must-go place while in New South Wales. However, I hate the transport in Sydney because it’s so expensive and (I’ll hate to say this) inefficient.  As for Sydney food, I’ll say on the whole it’s pretty decent. There’ll be some reviews on Sydney food coming up, including BBQ King at Chinatown, Bills at Darlinghurst, and Sydney Fish Market. (I gotta sort out my photos first.)

Killiney Kopitiam
67 Killiney Road
Website

Ratings: 7.0/10

Having Kaya Toast with Coffee (or “Kopi” in Malay as it is more affectionately called in local eateries) is one of the traditional breakfasts in Singapore. However, due to its popularity and also the advent of franchising, we can now savour this lovely snack throughout the day.

The two most popular places in Singapore to savour Kaya Toast are at Ya Kun Kaya Toast and Killiney Kopitiam. Though Ya Kun Kaya Toast has more outlets throughout Singapore, many Singaporeans will probably comment that the place that wins hands down in terms of serving the best kaya toast is probably Killiney Kopitiam.

My favourite place to savour Kaya Toast is still at Killiney Kopitiam. Personally, I’ve tried Ya Kun twice (once at its Takashimaya outlet and once at its Toa Payoh outlet) and both experiences had left me disappointed.

Kaya is a jam that is made from coconuts and eggs, flavoured by the unique pandan leaf and sweetened with sugar. Imagine this: A thick layer of kaya oozing into your mouth as you bite into slices of bread that has been toasted over charcoal until they are crispy; it’s definitely the best kind of breakfast to wake up to!

Kaya/Butter Toast - $1.50

Coffee with Milk, or Kopi in Malay - $1

Further coupled with a cup of nice aromatic coffee that wakes you up for the day, it’s definitely a great way to enjoy your breakfast, or even an afternoon snack, especially if you’re in need to that mid-day caffeine boast.

Being a coffee addict myself, I’m pretty particular with the coffee I drink. Sad to say, many places serve coffee that are either too bland or too mild for my caffeine addition. However, the aromatic coffee at Killiney Kopitiam has definitely passed my standards. I nearly ordered another cup of coffee when I was there because I couldn’t get enough of those lovely coffee. But I have a pact with myself that I’ll cut down on the amount of coffee intake per day, and it’s easy to revert back to my caffeine addition the moment I start to drink more than 2 cups of coffee a day, thus I held back my order.

Curry Chicken - $4.50

Besides the great coffee and kaya toast, the rest of the menu that is being offered there is delicious too. The Nasi Lemak and the Curry Chicken are some of the delicious items there. The curry is thick and yummy, especially when you dipped the bread that comes along with the curry into it. The chicken in the curry is also pretty tender. It’s definitely one of the other must -try there!

However, some other items on the menu such as the French toast can be skipped. It’s not exactly the best items on the menu.

Asian Kitchen
1 Raffles Link
#B1-21
City Link Mall

Ratings: 5.5/10

Put two old friends together and the lunch will become a “full-blown” gossip plus catching-up session.

Food? Wait…let me try to remember how the food tastes like? I think the only things that I remember are the gossips that were traded and perhaps the good-looking guys who had walked passed?

I guess the main conclusion that we had come to is that the Asian Kitchen is a great place to people-watch. We were both seated at the strategic table where you get a direct view of the people coming up the escalator. (City Link Mall is a mall-cum-underpass that leads to various buildings including the Esplanade.) Besides getting a great view of the crowd that is walking pass, it is also more cooling to sit in this part of the restaurant since it is further away from the kitchen, in contrast to the tables at the back of the restaurant where the temperature seems to be warmer.

Pork Dumplings or Xiao Long Bao - $3.70

Suan La Noodles - $8.70

I had the Suan La Noodles, which is supposed to be spicy and sour, but I didn’t taste the spiciness in the noodles at all and the Xiao Long Bao do not taste as nice as the Din Tai Fung ones. Therefore on the whole, the food at the Asian Kitchen is only average.

Din Tai Fung
Various outlets around Singapore: Wisma Atria, Junction 8, Paragon, Tampines Mall

Ratings: 6.5/10

From its first outlet at Paragon a few years back, numerous outlets of Din Tai Fung have sprung up around Singapore. Though the Singapore version of Din Tai Fung is nothing compared to its pioneer in Taipei, it’s no doubt a decent Chinese restaurant located in town that is reasonably priced.

Steamed Pork Dumplings or Xiao Long Bao - the signature dish of Din Tai Fung

The “Xiao Long Bao” or the steamed pork dumplings are of course best eaten when they are dipped into vinegar along with shreds of ginger added to it. The thickness of the dumpling skin is just right and the pork fillings together with the juices in each dumpling are delicious.

On the whole, the food at Din Tai Fung can be described as mildly-flavoured. As a result, it is the ingredients that take a centre stage in the dishes that it serves. The dishes neither hit you with an overpowering taste as a result of a strong concoction of sauces, nor do they attempt to “wow” you with delicacies. It is this simplicity in the dishes that are served that highlights the intricacies in the food. And this is the reason why I like the food at Din Tai Fung.

Noodle soup with shrimps sliced bamboo shoot and green vegetables

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Restaurant Hoshigaoka
Shaw House
Level 4

Ratings: 7.0/10

Salmon Ju

Having tried Tonkichi some time back, I wonder how’s Restaurant Hoshigaoka is like, especially since both of them are located so close to each other in the shopping complex. Won’t there be too much competition between both restaurants, especially since the shopping mall has only five restaurants (i.e. excluding fast food)?

It just doesn’t exactly make much business sense to me, unless maybe it is because the main flagship in the shopping mall, Isetan tends to woe the Japanese clientele, given the Japanese supermarket in its basement, thus it makes sense to have two Japanese restaurants there.

Whatever the reason is, it’s not for me to speculate.

However, after trying both restaurants, I’ll have to say that the food in both restaurants is delicious, and I definitely can’t determine a personal favourite between both of them. Food wise, I suppose Restaurant Hoshigaoka is better. However, I prefer the layout and deco of Tonkichi. Perhaps that’s the reason why each restaurant manages to hold its own, given that customers can’t decide between both of them, since both have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Sushi

The “usual udon” that I usually have is served in a broth. However, at Hoshigaoka, it’s my first time trying udon that is just boiled in hot water, probably with a little MSG added to it, then to eat the udon by scoping them into a brownish sauce that comes along with the noodles. (hmm..does anyone knows what is that called?) It’s definitely an interesting way to eat the udon for me and I love this change in taste, especially the sesame taste to the sauce, since I had basically added all the sesame that is part of the condiments that came with the sauce.

I like the service at this restaurant. The person-in-charge is very friendly to all customers and attempt to meet all their demands. In fact, the customers at the table next to mine seems a tat unreasonable and throwing their weight around, but she resolved all their issues really nicely, which won good “service points” from me indirectly.

Good food and good service - definitely a reason to draw me back to the place again.