5 Favorites Stalls Worth Queuing For At Chinatown's Hong Lim Food Centre!

My overseas friends often ask me about the best local food they must try whenever they visit Singapore. For me personally, I always think hawker centre has its own local charm, hence I usually suggest them to visit at least one if they have never before. 

The World's First TOKIDOKI Pop-Up Cafe! Can You Guess Where To Find It?

Building on the success of previous collaborations with Cinnamoroll, Miffy, We Bare Bears, this time KUMOYA is partnering with TOKIDOKI to open the world's first pop-up cafe! From 29th March 2018 to the end of June, all Tokidoki fans will get a chance to spend time with their favorite characters in the quirky and colorful Tokidoki universe. 

RAMEN NAGI - The Best Ramen in SINGAPORE at Suntec City!

Ramen has always been a favorite comfort food of mine! Talking about Ramen Nagi, although they started from Japan, my first encounter with theirs was actually in Hong Kong. Soon after a sip of their broth, I instantly fell in love and now couldn't be more happy to celebrate their opening at Suntec City. 

Singapore FIRST Miffy Pop-Up Cafe at Kumoya! (LIMITED TIME ONLY)

Miffy hops to Singapore to celebrate

Kumoya’s 1st Anniversary!

In celebration of Kumoya first anniversary in the month of October 2017,

we are glad to present to you “Miffy meets Kumoya”. The collaboration is taking

place from 5 October 2017 (Thursday) to 31 December 2017 (Sunday) with Kumoya,

Singapore’s first Halal-certified Japanese-French café, being the first to bring

Miffy’s pop-up café into Singapore and Southeast Asia

Miffy hops to Singapore to celebrate

Kumoya’s 1st Anniversary!

In celebration of Kumoya first anniversary in the month of October 2017,

we are glad to present to you “Miffy meets Kumoya”. The collaboration is taking

place from 5 October 2017 (Thursday) to 31 December 2017 (Sunday) with Kumoya,

Singapore’s first Halal-certified Japanese-French café, being the first to bring

Miffy’s pop-up café into Singapore and Southeast Asia

Singaporeans can rejoice that Miffy is finally here in Singapore to celebrate Kumoya's first anniversary! The collaboration will take place from 5 October to 31 December 2017 at Kumoya, Singapore's first Halal-certified Japanese-French cafe at Jalan Klapa. 

If you are not familiar with Miffy, first of all, she's a little white bunny from Holland (not a Japanese as some of you might guess) and also becomes Dick Bruna's most popular character featured in so many books and appeals to both children and adults all over the world. 

Singapore FIRST Kumoya X Cinnamoroll Pop-Up Cafe (LIMITED TIME ONLY!) at Jalan Klapa!

To celebrate the 15th anniversary, CINNAMOROLL is finally coming to Singapore! I can't contain my excitement when I learnt that Kumoya, Singapore's first Halal-certified Japanese-French cafe, will do a pop-up cafe collaboration with this beloved character from 17 May 2017 to 13 August 2017.

7 Anti-or-Less-Mainstream HAWKER Food You Must Try in Singapore!

Hawker centre, it's actually part of Singapore heritage and identity where you can find the best of multi-ethnic cuisines. With that said, hawker centre is a must visit, especially for tourists, if they truly want to eat local delicacies in unique casual eating environment. 

Talking about wide variety of local delicacies, one can easily find chicken rice, fried kway teow, hokkien mee, bak kut teh, satay, laksa, yong tau fu, and so on in one place. If you keen to try something new, how about stepping up your hawker game with some of these innovative delicacies? 

So without further ado, here are my 7 anti-mainstream hawker food you must try in Singapore:

1. Singapore-style Ramen: A Noodle Story - Tanjong Pagar

The queue at this first and only Singapore-style Ramen stall has started even before they open at 11.15am. Bringing the usual bowl of Wanton Mee to the next level, A Noodle Story incorporates modern European techniques with Japanese elements and as a result, their version of perfect Wanton Mee!

Their QQ noodle is thin and springy and has a great flavour when mixed with their garlicky oil (infused with lemongrass and pandan leaves) as well as their special sauce. The chashu topping is tender, juicy, sweet and yet salty. The wantons are plump and remains intact as you bite them. 

But what I like the most is their Potato-wrapped Prawn Fritter! Crispy shredded potato, fried till golden brown with prawn on the inside - tasty, delicious, and don't forget to order some extras!

A Noodle Story
Address: 
Amoy Street Food Centre #01-39 (MRT: Tanjong Pagar)
Opening Hours: 
Monday - Friday 11.15am - 2.30pm and 5.30pm - 7.30pm
Saturday 10.30am - 13.30pm
Closed on Sunday

2. Coffee Break - Tanjong Pagar, Ascent

Bored with the same Kaya Toast for breakfast? Head to Coffee Break and try their Wholemeal Toasts with various spreads! Tried their Tiramisu, Pistachio, and Black Sesame flavor - the latter is actually my favorite! Served with thin slab of butter, it has that rich nutty flavor, sweet and yet savory. 

Coffee Break also offers the Traditional Kopi as well as Latte with different flavors, all sock-brewed in traditional way. They told me to try Sea Salt Caramel Latte and to my surprise I actually liked it (I'm not fond of caramel flavored drinks usually). The latte still has that rich and full-bodied coffee flavor, but at the same time you taste the sea salt and wonderful taste of caramel.

Coffee Break

Tanjong Pagar Outlet:

Address: Amoy Street Food Centre, #02-78 (MRT: Tanjong Pagar)

Opening Hours: 7.30am - 2.30pm on weekdays, closed on the weekend

Ascent Outlet:

Address: 2 Science Park Drive, #01-28 (MRT: Kent Ridge)

Opening Hours: 7.30am - 5.30pm on weekdays, closed on the weekend

3. Bee Kee Truffle Wanton Noodle - Food Park, Raffles Place, Tanjong Pagar

Who doesn't love the beautiful aroma of truffle? Bee Kee adds a touch of truffle-infused oil by spraying it into their bowl of Wanton Noodle. I might be biased because of the truffle smell, but the this version tastes better than their original bowl. Served with generous toppings, the noodle is springy but the roast pork feels a little tough and dry unfortunately. 

Bee Kee Wanton Noodle

Serangoon Outlet:

Address: Blk 2 Lorong Lew Lian, Food Park (MRT: Serangoon)

Opening Hours: 7am - 3pm on weekdays and 7am - 4pm on the weekend

Raffles Place Outlet:

Address: 50 Market Street, #03-01 Golden Shoe Hawker Centre (MRT: Raffles Place)

Opening Hours: 7am - 3pm on weekdays, closed on the weekend

Tanjong Pagar Outlet:

Address: Amoy Street Food Centre, #02-130 (MRT: Tanjong Pagar)

4. Ah Hoe Mee Pok - Clementi

Japanese man selling Bak Chor Mee (BCM)? Yes! You read it right! 
Learnt how to make BCM from his co-partner, Naoji Kuribara and his family, started their food venture in Singapore selling BCM and Japanese Fusion Mee Pok! As for their fusion version, you can choose either Miso or Shoyu based sauce, as well as Char Siew Mee Pok. 

Tried their Dry Mee Pok with Miso, and it was served with generous toppings like meatballs, minced pork, sliced canned abalone, and crispy Pork Lard! The noodle was cooked and coated perfectly in sweet savory miso sauce upon serving. To accompany every delightful bite was their thick sliced Japanese Char Siew that was tender, fatty, and definitely satisfying.

Ah Hoe Mee Pok
Address:
Blk 710 Clementi West Street 2 (MRT: Clementi)
Opening Hours:
Tuesday - Sunday 7am - 4pm

5. Famous Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa - Hong Lim Food Centre

Listed on the list of Michelin Guide's Bib Gourmand 2016, the queue has even started before the stall opens. Their signature dish, Fruit Juice Mee Siam, as the name suggests, is made from fresh fruit juices instead of the usual tamarind paste. I must say this is the best mee siam I've ever tasted so far and so addictive with its refreshing tangy, citrusy and yet some sweetness aftertaste. You can also add crayfish if you prefer mee siam with many ingredients.

Another popular choice is their one-of-a-kind-Laksa made with fresh coconut juice instead of coconut milk! Heard that the soup base was made by simmering scallop, dried oysters, and dried prawns - the texture is not as thick as the usual one we always see but the taste is definitely flavorful and not compromised.

Famous Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa

Address: 

531A Upper Cross Street, Hong Lim Food Centre #02-66 (MRT: Chinatown)

Opening Hours:

Monday - Saturday 11.30am - 5.30pm

Closed on Sunday

Ps: Please do come early to avoid disappointment as they tend to sold out pretty quickly. 

6. Wong Kee Wanton Noodle

At Wong Kee, everything is made in-house from noodles, wanton skin, meat, and so on. They have 3 different types of noodle all made using natural ingredients. The usual yellow egg noodle, spinach for their green noodle, and tomato for their orangey-red noodle. 

One of their signature dishes is Beef Brisket Noodle. Cooked with more than 15 different spices and stewed for hours, the brisket was so tender, richly flavored, and generously placed on top of the QQ spinach noodle. Add extra tasty dumplings on the side filled with minced meat, crunchy black fungus, and chestnuts.

Wong Kee Wanton Noodle

Address:

73A Ayer Rajah Crescent, Timbre+ #01-06 (MRT: one-north)

Opening Hours:

Monday - Friday 7.30am - 6pm

Saturday 8am - 2pm

Closed on Sunday

7. Hambaobao - Beauty World Centre

Just in case you missed it, Hambaobao has re-opened on the 3rd May 2017! Located on the 4th floor at Beauty World Centre, the couple serves hand-crafted burgers with a homemade touch. They have 5 burgers on the menu, with their Crispy Pork Belly Burger usually is the first to sell out. 

If you feel like something different, try their Ayam Buah Keluak Burger. I think Buah Keluak is a native to Indonesia and also used in Peranakan cuisine - it's black with an unique earthy taste. Here, they make the patty from minced chicken marinated with rempah (spices) and buah keluak sauce. I think the taste is either you love it or hate it for some people. Usually I like it especially when buah keluak is used in making "rawon (Indonesian Beef Black Soup)" but I find Hambaobao's version is quite bitter for my liking. The overall patty itself was juicy and went well with the chap chye cabbage and black fungus. 

Hambaobao

Address:

Beauty World Centre, #04-49 (MRT: Beauty World)

Opening Hours:

Wednesday - Sunday 12pm - 8pm

Comforting Sundubu-Jjigae (순두부찌개) at SBCD Korean Tofu House - Tanjong Pagar Centre

Situated directly above the Tanjong Pagar MRT station, Tanjong Pagar Centre is the newest business and lifestyle district where you can find a mix of food retail, farmer's market, as well as commercial office. 

As you walk out the station, SBCD Korean Tofu House can be easily found as the restaurant itself is quite bright and spacious with large seating capacity. They also do Dosirak aka lunch box if you need Korean food on-the-go!

Introducing Emporium Shokuhin "Signature Card" - Singapore’s First Integrated Japanese Emporium at Marina Square

Emporium Shokuhin, just in case you haven't heard about it, is actually Singapore's first integrated Japanese emporium where in one location you can find a beef dry-aging facility, a gourmet grocer, a live seafood market (you can ask them to cook it for you), as well as 6 unique dining concept - 2 more will open this May! Details will follow =)

TOP 12 MATCHA Green Tea DESSERTS in Singapore That Will Make You Crave For More!

MATCHA.. MATCHA.. MATCHA!!
There's something with my never-ending Matcha love and cravings! As you can tell from my blog and Instagram posts, I love Matcha-everything with bold and intense flavors! 
Not to start a war with any coffee-lovers, I still think Matcha has more benefit in terms of its heaps of antioxidants linked to so many health benefits!

6 Singapore Brunch Spots for Instagram-Worthy Breakfasts!

Breakfast is a necessity for everyone (or at least for me!), it's super easy to let it fall low in your list of priorities during the busy weekdays and we tend to just find anything simple and can be eaten on the go! Well, things are different on the weekends! The time when you can wake up a bit later than usual and hang out for brunch with your friends and loved one. 

Some of you may stick to eggs and bacon while others may go for a stack of pancakes loaded with syrup. If you like to start your day with the latter - Rejoice and allow me to share with you 6 Singapore brunch spots for Instagram-worthy PANCAKES/HOTCAKES that are not only looking pretty but also taste good!

The Tale of HOJICHA Pancake at Les Patisseries - Upper Thompson Road

Whether you want to sip a cup of coffee at a cafe or to order a glass of Teh Tarik at a kopitiam or to enjoy the mouthwatering dishes at restaurants, Upper Thompson Road has it all! 

Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters - Upper Thompson Road

I heard that Pacamara won the best cafe award not long after they opened back in 2014. The cafe itself is a collaboration between Oz Specialty Coffee and Thailand's famous Pacamara Coffee Roasters - bet it's okay to start raising your expectation =)

Situated along the Upper Thompson Road, this place is quite easy to be found judging from the crowd waiting for their tables (although we came after the peak lunch hours). 

Paddy Hills - South Buona Vista Road

Weekend brunch is now considered the casual meal for regular social event. From youngsters, dating couple, to family with kids - they all like to do brunch! It's all about getting together at the latest newest place, looking for mouth watering dishes you might want to feature on Instagram, even when you are not a foodie~

GUDETAMA Cafe Singapore - Suntec City

Gudetamatama ♫♫.. Gudetamatama ♫♫..

Gudegudegudetama ♫♫..

Wait no more! Gudetama Cafe will open its door to the public on the 30th of November (soft opening)

Gudetama Café Singapore is a joint venture between two local food brands, The Soup Spoon and Joe & Dough. Also working together on the food styling and co-creating the menu with them is the award-winning bento artist, Shirley Wong aka Little Miss Bento!