Monday, November 18, 2013

Guzman Y Gomez (GYG)

C says:

Our friend KH seems to have achieved the impossible. First, with Two Fat Men he managed to get A to voluntarily drive all the way to East, and for Thai food, no less.

Now, with Guzman Y Gomez, he's managed to convert even me, a die-hard non-lover of Mexican food, into craving their burritos.

KH decided to bring GYG, a popular Mexican chain in Australia, to South East Asia after tasting some of their offerings on one of his trips to Sydney. They launched their first outlet in Singapore, at Asia Square, with a Free Burrito Day. No catch, no hidden terms. Literally, a free full-sized burrito of your choice as your reward for joining the queue.

The turnout was staggering, and they handled it like pros. The queues were insanely long, but they were such a well-oiled machine that the wait was no longer than 10 minutes. I was so impressed with the quality that A and I decided to go back again to do a proper review.


Unless you have a large appetite or are particularly hungry, the full-sized burrito is very filling and will pretty much guarantee a food coma after. The mini burrito may look small, but is more than sufficient for lunch. I had the mini with spicy grilled chicken, guacamole and brown rice - the chicken was tender, nicely grilled and just spicy enough to have some kick.


A tried a trio of tacos, and the great thing about GYG is that you're not forced to have 3 of the same filling. We therefore got a chance to try the steak, slow roasted beef, and the fish.

All 3 were delicious, and I would be hard pressed to pick my favourite filling. The steak was tender, the slow roasted beef packed a ton of flavour, and the fish (they use barramundi) was light and flaky.

They use good ingredients (like barramundi instead of the usual dory), and it shows in the quality and taste of the food. Plus, all orders are cooked and assembled only upon order, so they're freshly made and not sitting around waiting to be reheated.

The lines may look intimidating, but don't be deterred. They're as efficient as they were during Free Burrito Day so you barely have to wait at all. I must admit, I had my misgivings, but if they sustain their present quality then I think they're on to a winning formula. Can't wait for more outlets to open, and in the evenings/on weekends please!

A says:

Awesome except I hate beans. *fart fart fart*
Although I recently found out you can get the quesadillas which don't have beans, or request for no beans when it's not mad packed.
I especially like that when you order the tacos, you can pick different flavours. (My favourites are the two beef ones.)
WIN!

Guzman Y Gomez
12 Marina View
#02-11 Asia Square Tower 2 Food Garden
Open Mon - Fri: 10 am - 4 pm
Closed on weekends
www.gyg.com.sg

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Lady M Bakery

C says:

Lady M Bakery from New York allegedly created the concept of mille crepes, so when they opened their first outlet in Marina Square we were curious to find out just how good theirs were. Were they better than our favourite First Love Patisserie?

For one thing, they only have one flavour of mille crepes here at any given time. Due to production and manpower limitations, they can only focus on one flavour at a time.
They only had the original so we tried that. And yes, all things considered, I think it IS slightly better than the one from First Love. The vanilla cream is about the same standard, but Lady M's crepes are thinner and more fragrant.

Still, I don't think the difference is worth almost $2 more per slice, plus I like the varied flavours that First Love offers.

We also tried their cheesecake, which was light and creamy yet intensely cheesy.

All in all, while Lady M's flavours are limited (apparently it may improve when they open their second outlet at One Fullerton), my default will still be First Love.

A says:

The mille crepe here is better than the ones at First Love, but they are also $2 more each. So ultimately, it comes down to how much you want to pay.

Lady M Bakery
6 Raffles Boulevard
#02-103 Marina Square
Tel: 6822-2095
Open daily: 10-30 am - 9 pm

Monday, November 11, 2013

First Love Patisserie

C says:

Mille crepes are by no means new in Singapore. We first tried them a few years ago from Classic Cakes, and while we found it quite interesting, it didn't really grab us. Since then, more places have started offering it, but we've only recently become enamoured with the ones from First Love Patisserie at ION Orchard.

I think one of the reasons we like the mille crepes here is the fact that we can get individual slices, in a range of different flavours. They have original, cappuccino, matcha, oreo, strawberry, and 2 recent additions - belgian chocolate and blueberry.



We've actually tried most of the flavours, and our favourites are the original, cappuccino and oreo. The crepes are quite thin and fluffy, and the cream is light and not overpowering.

The matcha is probably the most underwhelming, and while the belgian chocolate is a good change from the original, die hard chocoholics will be disappointed because it's not particularly chocolatey.

If you buy 4 you get 1 free, which is a great deal but not very great for our diet at all.

A says:

I love mille crepes and these are awesome.

First Love Patisserie
2 Orchard Turn
#B4-63, ION Orchard
Tel: 6238-8006
Open daily: 11 am - 11 pm