Saturday, 17 May 2014

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!


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ THE MENU ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
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.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ THE TASTE ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
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 FerreroSea 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.

Wednesday, 14 May 2014

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

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ THE MENU ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
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


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ THE INTERIOR ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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!

Friday, 14 February 2014

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

Tuesday, 24 September 2013

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.
  

Friday, 30 August 2013

Korean NeNe Chicken @Star Vista

It has been sometime since I have spotted NeNe Chicken and wanting to try it out.  At last, found a chance to lunch there on a Sunday noon.  NeNe Chicken is indeed authentic Korean fried chicken, originated from South Korea, Seoul since 1999.  You might find it awkward to pronounce its shop name, but don't think in that direction!  Ne Ne means "yes yes" in Korean!  YES!!
For what I know, Star Vista outlet is the only outlet in Singapore at the moment.

NeNe Chicken
(opp. Gong Cha & toilet entrance)
1 Vista Exchange Green
#01-24 Star Vista
Singapore 138617
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/nenechickensingapore
 
Patronising for the first time, we asked the service staff direct for its more popular choices by customers.  So he recommended the Top 3 Popular choices are (in random ranking) :-
  1. Freaking Hot
  2. Bulgogi
  3. Green Onion
 
Our set meal cost $9.90 each.  Quite worthwhile for money given that the chicken serving were substantial and filling.  Each set comes with a small packet of fries, a soft drink, and either coleslaw/pickled radish. 
(Was playing around with my camera settings for special effect, so the colour tone is different than usual.)
 
Green Onion Tenders (boneless) - Real crispy chicken tenders drizzled with their subtle concoction of a sweet-savoury sauce and tinge of lemon juice, and finished the look with alot of shredded green onions on top.  *1 thumb up!*
I am not a fan of having green onions in my food (be it cooked or as garnish), thus did not order this item and I am sorry!  For those of you who are like me, can simply brush those green onions shreds aside and indulge in this super crispy tenders.  Rest assure there wasn't prominent stink of raw onions or whatsoever. 
 
Black Sesame Tenders (boneless) - VERY different from any sauced/fried chicken I have ever tried.  The special-blended sesame sauce coated every inch of the chicken tenders.  Not exactly soggy, at the same time you can still taste the crispy portions in the fried tenders while eating it hot.  The black sesame sauce was more on the sweeter side and a little marshy in texture, which I believe this is how the sauce can cling onto the tenders. 
A little con here, the tenders were too big in size with only a mini fork given, it wasn't that easy to just bite through it (of cos' not to mention your teeth will be stuck with the black sesame remains after the meal!).  Would have been better if it comes in bite-size.
 
I exceptionally like their fries and pickled radish!  The fries were very similar to the A&W type of curly fries, except it is in the straight shape and form of normal fries.  While the pickled radish were fresh, crunchy and carried slight sourness that appetite you more.
 
Took away 8-pc Bulgogi Chicken Wings ($8.90) for our parents to try out.  The wings were flavourful with its marinated sauce and sesame sprinkled over it, but pity not meaty enough.  I can't use this to compare with 4Fingers for it would not be a fair comparison.  This wings are marinated with soy sauce gravy, instead of deep-fried, thus I can't compare apple to apple.

As I have yet to try out the Freaking Hot and other fried wings..Got to go back for more and not forgetting the new experience of eating wings using disposable glove!

Thursday, 22 August 2013

Snoozy Late Brunch @Skyve Elementary Bistro & Bar

During the long weekend, all I could think of was to avoid the crowded scene as there would be high influx of people going everywhere possible (Singapore is just too small so most people if not travelling overseas, could only hangout in shopping malls and aircon places).

I'm such a bum who likes to laze around..haha  It took my Hubby some time to drag me out of my bed and to bring me to Skype for brunch cos' it was  already 2ish when we got there.  We were lucky to get the only remaining table with sofa seats without reservation, but no so lucky for the couple who came after us, had to take the outside seats.
Skyve Elementary Bistro & Bar
10 Winstedt Road
Block E #01-17
Singapore 227977
Tel: 6225 6690
*Reservation is recommended!
 
Main entrance from the road-side.

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ THE MENU ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
Their brunch menu is available from 10am - 4pm daily!  Yippee I can sleep in more and still have brunch items in the afternoon!

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ THE INTERIOR ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The first thing I notice stepping into the bistro, was that strong scent of truffles..
 
The indoor seating area are segregated into 3 sections.  The first 2 sections are all sofa sittings, suitable for couple dating or group gatherings.  The last section all the way back is the largest section in proper table setting, which can be rearranged for special events to create a different ambience.
 
A little "extra" to share with you, is their common toilet.  Hope you won't get turn off by the sight of below picture.  I must let you know first otherwise ladies might get frightened or "scream" when you see a male entering/inside the toilet!  Their toilet is meant for both sexes, which last 2 cubicles are reserved for the ladies, and first 2 cubicles for the gentlemen.  A side note, I do like their retro theme employed and toilet bowl-shaped alike washing basin used.  However, may not so convenient or at ease for the ladies to powder their nose or comb their hair inside this common WC.
 
 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ THE TASTE ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
Skyve Sous Vide Eggs Benedict - Was alright.  Though you can see the amount of oiliness lingering in the plate.  The serving portion may not seem alot, but it certainly can fill up your stomach while enjoying the quiet and nice ambience.
 
Truffle Scrambled Eggs - Don't be mistaken!  The main role of this breakfast is the scrambled eggs, however the Portobello mushrooms are humongous!  Can't really go wrong with simple scrambled eggs.
 
Iced Mocha (left) & Iced Cappuccino (right) - Not their forte for sure.  Bet the Barista overlooked that our drinks are iced, not enough coffee taste, not enough sugar syrup in my iced cappuccino.  Bland.  The iced mocha was slightly better as you can still taste the chocolate presented in it.
 
Finally, it's my dessert time after a hearty meal!  There isn't many choices available to choose from....just 4!
 
Carrot cake - It's real worth it, for its size and quality!  Took me by pure amazement, the cake is layered with rich cream cheese but not overwhelming.  So you can crave and dive your fork more for more bites.  The cake layers are packed with many many thin slices of red carrot and walnut, plus caramelised whole walnut garnished on top of the cake.  Have never seen any shop's carrot cake can be this tasty and good quality (not even Cedele).  Very filling and good quality for the price you pay!