Tarts & Pies @WindowSill

The first time I tried WindowSill's tart was at Creamier.  Passed by it during my last visit to Tiramisu Hero.  So finally, I get to try more of their pies and tarts.  They specialises in pies, but only the sweet type, no savoury ones.  Thus they are very clear what they are capable of doing/making.

WindowSill
 78 Horne Road
Singapore 209078
(opp. Jalan Besar Stadium)
Tel: 9004 7827
Email: pies@windowsillpies.sg


Their operating hours (as shown below).  Closed on Mondays as well.

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You can find more than just coffee over here.  A small chalkboard is placed in front of the cashier.  Can give a try for their specialty tea.

 

You got to walk to their front display of the pies & tarts to have a good look on what's available for the day (a little fogged out by the condensation on the glass).

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Behind the main door, you will be greeted by a cute version of forest & woody feel, tapped with cement screed walls on 1 side.  The shop may not seem big, but it is sufficient to make every customers sitting there comfortably to enjoy their desserts and drinks.  Good thing is that you won't feel compel to quickly finish your desserts and drinks though there are constantly new customers coming in.  As the flow of walking-in customers is still manageable.

 

Love this little hut-like frame that houses 2 tables.  I got to get this table the next time! haha

 

The only picnic bench available in the shop for big group.

 

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I like their presentation, using a wooden tray instead of usual plate.  The only shortfall would be it maybe harder to balance as the pie/tart may sway here and there.

In order to sample their pies & tarts better, we chose to go with tea.  Besides, smelling the tea leaves yourself.  The other, quickest method is to ask the staff!  Recommended by the staff and partly influence by the name of the tea, I chose the Muscato Blanc. 
Muscato Blanc ($6 per pot, refillable) - Slightly revealing a tint of sweetness on your palate, and nice smelling at the same time.  Different from the usual fruity or floral tea you have tasted, this tea will definitely give you a pleasant surprise.  It is so good that you will keep refilling the pot and still have a good blend without diluting the goodness.

 
[Pardon if I didn't get the name of the desserts (below) right as there is no label/signage stating clearly.  Can only based on the verbal description the staff gave me.]
S'mores - Nice try.  The marshmallows on top were a little over burnt (uncertain if it was done intentionally or not).  The chocolate body topped with dark chocolate fudge, is my favourite! However, I like their unique pie "crust" most.  It tasted and flaked off like pastries, rather than the normal crunchy pie/tart crust.

Banana Almond Brittle - Not bad.  The sweetness of bananas are captured on the top cream layer.  Salted caramel in chunks (too big a chunk) are embedded inside the mousse cake.

 

Will come back again to have more pies/tarts!  Cute & cheerful place with dainty desserts.

Wonderous Hand-Crafted Ice-cream & Coffee @Creamier

We always hear people say "hidden gem" here & there etc.  This time round, the ice-cream cafe that I want recommend to you is indeed a hidden gem in an established residential estate, Toa Payoh (my old "hometown" where I first resided).

Creamier
Blk 128 Toa Payoh Lor 1
#01-835 Singapore 310128
Tel: 6250 1476
Email: info@creamier.com.sg
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/creamier.singapore


Do take note of their operating hours.  Mondays off!

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Their menu is displayed clearly on top of the ice-cream counter wall.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ THE INTERIOR ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The shopfront is actually pretty small and neat.  Seating are very limited.  Thus you can either takeaway or wait around until you find a seat (before ordering).  Otherwise, last resort you can takeaway and eat at the open playground opposite the shop.

 

Wide selection of ice-cream that can make your eyes all dancing and confused.  The flavours will be frequently changed as and when.

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Green Tea Latte (*paid $2.50 together with pie) - Milky and smooth like matcha.  Yet reveal a tint of latte at the same time.  A balanced drink.

Creamier also carry Windowsill's pie, but limited selection (only 1 or 2 types).
Lemon Tart ($7.50 per slice; or $10 with any hot beverage) - This was alright.  Not too sour, nor too sweet.  Instead of in the form of a tart, it is more like a slice from a cake.  The bottom biscuit crust was substantial to keep the balance and tone down any sourness.

2 scoops of ice-cream in cup ($5 / $3 for single scoop *Add $0.80 for each scoop of premium flavours) - Summer Strawberries and Earl Grey Lavender. 
Summer Strawberries flavour - It was creamy yet fruity. The sun-ripe strawberries used bring out the sweetness, not so much of sourness present in it.  Makes you just want to dig your spoon more.  *yum yum*
Earl Grey Lavender flavour - An interesting blend.  I always like floral tea, hence this flavour gives me a fragrance in the mouth.  Very nice. 

Waffle topped with 2 scoops of ice-cream ($10.80) - Orange Cranberry Vodka and Rum & Raisin.
By far, the best waffle I have eaten!  Its crisp to the right extent, easy to cut thru' with the fork and comfortable texture when into the mouth. 
Orange Cranberry Vodka flavour - Quite a refreshing combi.  Vodka is lightly added into the mix, not too bitter nor strong.  Though vodka is not my favourite, it somehow turns out to be quite nice.
Rum & Raisin flavour - Yes, at last someone puts more rum into the ice-cream!  You can definitely taste the both the rum and the raisin present, for the dried raisins are drenched in rum liqueur.  Cheers!

It is always very interesting to make my friends guess what flavour or ingredients it contain (as I was the one placing the order).  I especially like their concoction of fruit with liqueur, everything are mixed in proportion without overpowering either ingredients. The endless possible combination make your imagination run wild, beyond border and region.  They also have localised flavours as well e.g. Mochaholic, Richest Dark Chocolate Ferrero, Sea Salt Gula Melaka and Horlicks Chocolate Chip.

I will give my 2-thumbs up for this cafe's ice-cream!  Each new flavour they invent, just makes me want to come back again.

Friday Chill-Out @Tiramisu Hero

Having renovation done and all settled down to our new homes (my sister's and mine), I can finally cease my dormancy on this blog.

 

That Friday night, we came to Jalan Besar to try out the different flavours of tiramisu at The Tiramisu Hero.  First kind in Singapore!  I also heard that they have been franchised to Japan!  Proud of Singapore brand!



The Tiramisu Hero
121 Tyrwhitt Road
Singapore 207548
Tel: 6292 5271
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheTiramisuHero

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As the name implies, the cafe's signature will be their tiramisu!  Their tiramisu come in different sizes and packaging, so you better find out from the store assistant before ordering.

 

Here are the flavours available :-
1. Original
2. Oreo
3. Strawberry
4. Horlicks
5. Lemon Lavender
6. Milo
7. Cinnamon
8. Chocolate
9. Ovaltine
10. Lemon


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I must say that their concept is more appealing and interesting than their dessert.  "Sir Antonio", a cat in Zorro mask and cape is created. Read on more for the heroic story behind this cat (http://thetiramisuhero.com/about-2/). *Lol*

Cosy outdoor sitting just outside the front door (but may get too hot depending on the weather).

A rather substantial area for display of.. knick knacks?

This little corner offers a few table-top seating and merchandise selling.

Main counter (on the left) where you make your orders.

Peek into the seating area.

Not too big for the shop space, but just enough for proper sitting arrangement.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ THE TASTE ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Sir Antonio's Brew ($7.50 iced / $6.50) - Was just nice.  The taste was thick enough to resist the melting ice.  You can see the considerable layer of espresso before stirring it up.

Here come the main characters!  Original Tiramisu (left) and Lemon Lavender Tiramisu (right) at size of MommaHero ($7.50) that serves in a jar for 1 pax.

Original flavour was not bad, slightly more taste of the Kahlua (coffee-flavoured liqueur) than rum.  While the Lemon Lavender flavour may seem to be refreshing, but sad to say, its taste is kind of bland.  The lemon and lavender did not blend together at all.  There wasn't any sort of layering that you will find in basic tiramisu, so I'm a little disappointed.

  

Their washroom is like a wonderland.  Filled with colourful furry balls that cheer up the small room.

Last but not least, a "must" to pose with Sir Antonio's gigantic head!

The next stop @Jalan Besar will be Willowsill.  Pie, pie, pies!

Happy 2014! - Home Edition

Hey hey!  HAPPY 2014 (thou a little belated)!!

Just in case, you have been wondering where I have been disappearing to for the past months..  I have been busy with my home renovation + decoration (moved in last Nov), and my sister's new place (we have started renovation works after CNY, on last Friday, 7 Feb).

Although this blog is not meant for lifestyle / home décor purpose, I thought I should share our "proud" achievement (of my hubby & myself, despite the countless arguments we had gone thru' to get every area & corner furnished) in the design work till complete execution.  Hope it is useful to any of you who is planning for new house and renovation.  *Also, some contacts below so you have an idea where is worth checking out.

Here's a quick view of our new place:

Living Room
Last minute got our TV console from Mountain Teak (loved it for its raw feel!), when Commune failed us by giving us a different colour of wood from what we had ordered 6 months ago!  (Suppose my hubby is still having trouble getting our refund back....)

Most décor items are up, so what is left - my carpet ordered from TaoBao (still on the way..).

Dining Area
The cement screed wall is uneven (FYI: it is not the result of any questionable workmanship of the worker, but it is uncontrollable depending on the absorption rate by the concrete wall itself) & kinda fragile but it completes the industrial chic look that we want to achieve.

 

The brick wall was a "heartache" decision.  Cos' the labour costs alone was $1200 (excluding raw materials & painting it white)!  My hubby bought the brick-liked materials from the supplier direct (which we accidentally found it @Balestier Road) and we spent 1 weekend to paint the brick wall totally white.

 

Nonetheless, the end-result is satisfying and it serves as an ideal spot to photograph whenever our friends visit!

Balcony
Before our balcony chairs are found..

Kitchen
My pantry corner..

Master Bedroom
One of my favourite themes, Modern French or Baroque style you can call it!  I match it with Tiffany Blue walls to give it a romantic twist.

Study Room

 

Spare Room
Only for this room, we attempted to paint the room ourselves.  We have painted 1 full yellow wall & 1 yellow-striped wall.  My after-thoughts from painting ownself: "Honestly save yourselves the trouble, leave the painting to the professionals!"

Still work in progress till today....& you bet it will be for quite some time.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

*Some useful contacts:
I can't say which of these vendors carry items that are very cheap, but they are definitely relatively affordable & quality stuff.

[A]  Lightings

1.  Extreme Lighting - for lights & ceiling fans, also can source light for u. (Look for Wilson.)
371 Balestier Road
6358 3113

2.  Lumiere (Light Image) - for Philips LED lights etc.
355 Balestier Road, #01-359
6353 3188

3.  168 Trading
www.168lighting.com
293 Jalan Besar
6294 6400

[B]  Furniture

1.  Comfort - for mainly designer-inspired chairs & dining tables etc.
 www.comfortfurniture.com.sg
110 Eunos Ave 7, Comfort Design Building
6747 7217

2.  OM - for modern furniture
16 Tai Seng Street, Level 8 / 30 Toh Guan Road, #01-01A / 177 River Valley Road, #02-24 Liang Court
6235 0777 / 6665 0777 / 6837 0060

3.  X'clusive Home - for modern furniture
62 Sungei Kadut Loop, #02-02 International Furniture Centre
6367 5892

4.  Mountain Teak - for woody & industrial feel furniture (*Note: You can find other shops of interest in the same building!)
www.mountainteak.com
315 Outram Road, #07-02 Tan Boon Liat Building
6224 7176

5.  Star Living
www.starliving.com.sg

6.  Style Furniture - for modern furniture
No. 24 Sin Ming Lane, #01-94/97 Midview City
6684 0339

7.  Next Phase - for modern & designer-inspired furniture
 www.nextphase.com.sg
1 Kaki Bukit Road, #02-21 Enterprise One
6848 9118

8.  Commune
www.thecommunelife.com/
Store: 9 Raffles Boulevard, #02-51/53 Millenia Walk / Warehouse: 28 Defu Lane
6338 3823

9.  Paris Home Online - for French-style, luxurious furniture @affordable prices
www.parishomeonline.com/

*Note: Their boss's customer service & attitude is extremely poor!  Unless you really like their items, you can go to other furniture shops e.g. JS Manhattan Interiors @Midview City (http://jsmanhattan.com/).

10.  Gnee Hong - for all kinds of chairs (*Recommend that you take their existing stock on the spot, rather than delivery later)
Block 1072 Eunos Ave 5, #01-160/162
6336 3909 / 3509 / 0995

11.  Ikea
www.ikea.com/sg/en/
@Tampines / Alexandra

12.  Others
Grafunkt (http://grafunkt.com/), Egg3 @85 Playfield Road, Tong Yuan Building


[C]  Other Supplier

1.  Hup Kiong - for tiles, brick-liked materials etc.
www.hupkiong.com
564 Balestier Road
6899 2626

2.  Influx Furnishing - for wallpaper
59 Ubi Ave 1, #07-20 Bizlink Centre
6842 7989

3.  Premierz - for clothes hanging system
www.premierz.com.sg
6746 6838

Beating the Heat @Ice Cream Chefs

Month of September has been a busy month for me..  To enrich myself while preparing for assignments and upcoming assessment, I have not been putting up posts for the past weeks.

The first time I tried out Ice Cream Chefs (ICC) was almost 3 years ago at East Coast Road, thinking that it was only available in the east.  Only to realise recently that its flagship outlet is actually located in the north, and so near to me, in Sembawang area.



Ice Cream Chefs
No. 12 Jalan Kuras, Upper Thomson
Singapore 577727
Tel: 6458 4849
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/icecreamchefs

Main shopfront with outdoor seating.




Don't forget to "check-in" for their Weekday Specials on specific days of the week!

 

Their colourful array of ice-cream display..

  

ICC "mix-in" in action!

 

Their Homemade Waffle ($3) was so crispy and nice!  It's common to go with chocolate syrup, but icing?!?  It's up to individual's preference.  Still acceptable for me, not too sweet. 
Best complemented with ICC's creations - 2 ice-cream flavours (Large @$5.10), Oreos & Cream (left) and Mrs Smith (right - apple bits & cinnamon in granny smith apple ice-cream).  One word - Delicious!!
FYI:  Each additional mix-in ingredient is charged @$0.90 each.

 

In general, I like their ice-cream creations and variations (be it creamy or fruity flavours).  They have very "local" flavours that are similar to Island Creamery, however am more drawn to their unique twist e.g. With love, Rose (derived from rose syrup with milk drink, called Bandung), Turkish apple tea, Kaya Lotee and Root Beer Float.

 

Additional piece of sharing:  Found a hidden bread shop, The Bread Table in the same stretch.  Perhaps can take-away some bread when it is freshly out from the oven.