Flock Ghim Moh

C says:

Flock Ghim Moh, a branch of Flock Cafe at Tiong Bahru, has a nice, easygoing vibe. The menu isn't very extensive, so I don't think we can come here that often without getting bored, but so far there are definitely some dishes worth coming back for. 

Like the waffles with scrambled egg and bacon. The waffles were super light and crispy, but what surprised me the most was the scrambled egg. A lot of places overcook their scrambled eggs so they're dry and rubbery (like buffet breakfast style). Here though, the eggs were silky smooth and creamy. Really good. 

The rigatoni with pulled pork was quite tasty too, but I found the pulled pork was a tad too sweet for my liking. I think it's because they also use it as a topping for one of their eggs Ben dishes, so the sweetness makes it more of a brunch offering.

I'm also impressed that they offer coffees other than lattes and flat whites here. They have a piccolo latte and, to my peasant surprise, a cortado too. 

Definitely a viable brunch or even dinner place when we're short of ideas. 

A says:

A much better option to the hipster-y one at Tiong Bahru.

Sacha & Sons

C says:

Sacha & Sons at Mandarin Gallery sells New York-style Jewish deli food. Think bagels and lox, corned beef on rye, toast with schmaltz and chicken skin, and latkes.

A is very happy with the Reuben here - pastrami with sauerkraut. For me, I prefer Sacha's roast beef. It's rare, tender and very sweet and flavourful. 

While the usual roast beef sandwich comes with basic add-ons of sliced tomatoes or cheese, you can ask for an off-menu special - roast beef and chopped liver. Oddly, it wasn't as good as the standard roast beef with Swiss cheese. The liver was a bit overpowering, and masked any flavour of the roast beef. 

If you're here in a larger group, you can opt to share their platters too. There's a meat platter and a fish one. Except for a really good smoked trout dip though, I think the meats here are far better than the smoked fish. 

A says:

Finally. One of only two places in Singapore to get a decent Reuben. 

Stirling Highway

C says:

We read about Stirling Highway, a new cafe at Ridgewood Condo, a few weeks ago in the papers. The article/review made it sound very promising, and since it was quite close to home, we decided to try it for brunch one Saturday.

Well, either no one else read the article, or the place only fills up after noon, because when we were there between 11 and 12, we were the only table for more than half that time.

They were also severely overstaffed, with 5 people (including, presumably, the owner who was doing paperwork at one table) there to serve our single table of 2. I can only hope that most of them are there on a voluntary basis, to help/hang out with friends; otherwise it would make no sense at all.

We tried the 2 recommended dishes - the Pulled Pork Pancakes, and the Eggs Ben. Having had Strictly Pancakes fairly recently, I thought these fell short. The pancakes sandwiched with pulled pork just made for a rather monotonous eating experience, and I got quite bored halfway through. The Jack Daniels maply syrup packed quite a boozy punch, but was also a little too liquid for my liking.

The Eggs Ben, which comes with both smoked salmon and spinach on top of brioche, fared only marginally better. The eggs were well poached, but they used too much vinegar in the poaching liquid so it just overwhelmed all other flavours.

I was too full for their salt caramel tart, but A went for their chocolate mousse torte. This really looked a lot better than it tasted. Far from being light layers of mousse and cake, it was hard and dry, and almost impossible to cut through with a fork.

The only saving grace is that we chanced upon Poulet Vous a few doors down, which looks like it could have way more potential.

A says:

Given all the great coffee joints, cafes and bistros in Singapore, this place turned out to be a big disappointment. It's perfectly passable, but I'd only recommend it for residents in the area. Certainly not a worth a trip out.

Stirling Highway
5 Ridgewood Close
Unit #G1, Ridgewood Condominium
Tel: 6464-9607

Bistro Soori

C says:

Bistro Soori at Teck Lim Road is part of the Alila Villas lifestyle concept. They do a pretty good Sunday brunch set - $39.90 for 3 courses. The only downside is that drinks aren't part of the package, so a flute of Cava is $15, and a cup of coffee (Nespresso, to boot), is $7. I like that they have a very comprehensive selection of dishes; in fact, everything on the a la carte menu is available for selection as part of the brunch set.

My starter was a spinach salad with confit portobello mushrooms and mozzarella balls. The mushrooms were good, but I think a leaf with a bit more flavour, like rocket, may have worked better.

A had the creamy polenta with sauteed mushrooms and toast. This was much better than mine - the polenta had a ton of flavour, and worked very well spread on toast with the mushrooms.

I had the jumbo lump crab eggs benedict - poached eggs on English muffins with chunks of lump crab meat and hollandaise sauce. I really enjoyed this interesting take on a typical ham or salmon eggs ben, and the portion of 2 eggs was pretty substantial.

Much less substantial but just as tasty was A's cured salmon with cream cheese and latkes (potato pancakes). At least, I think it was tasty because he went in the zone and I didn't get to try any of it besides the chopped up 'deconstructed' egg.

Compared to the selection for the starter and main course, the dessert selection was quite skimpy in comparison. A had the brownie with ice cream, and I had the trio of yogurt mousse with pink guava, mango and strawberry. Surprisingly, the guava was the best of the lot.

I found it surprisingly empty notwithstanding the pretty decent prices and quality, compared to the crowds at the Tiong Bahru brunch hotspots where you don't even get a 3 course meal. Apart from the open kitchen causing a slightly smelly environment, Bistro Soori is a nice, quiet place to have a chill Sunday brunch.

A says:

Very, very good. And the sets are relatively affordable.

Bistro Soori
2 Teck Lim Road
Tel: 6438-3802
Mon to Fri: 11.30 am - 2.30 pm; 6.30 pm - 10 pm
Sat: 6.30 pm - 10 pm
Sun (brunch): 11 am - 3 pm
www.bistrosoori.com

Kith Bistro at Sentosa

C says:

We couldn't be happier and more proud of Kith. Hot on the heels of opening their Park Mall outlet, they've now opened their third, and arguably most ambitious, branch to date, at Quayside Isle in Sentosa Cove. Being the first proper coffee joint in the Sentosa Cove area, it offers the residents a much-needed coffee fix without having to venture out onto the mainland.

Being in the area is definitely somewhat of an alternate reality. Sipping coffee and having brunch whilst looking out at yachts bobbing in the bay is definitely not a slice of normal Singaporean life for most of us, but for a brief escape from reality it's a nice change of scene.

The menu here is similar to that at Park Mall, with a few tweaks. They offer all-day brunch up to 5 pm, and main courses and pastas are available after 11 am. I'm slightly disappointed that the awesome foie gras pasta isn't on the menu, but we ordered the spinach pasta with crab meat, and the linguine with king prawn. The crab meat one had a tendency to be a bit jelak, but adding some of the cherry tomatoes from the linguine helped ease the monotony.

A couldn't resist the grilled banana bread with vanilla ice cream for dessert - this is so simple but they do it really well.

Their coffee is stellar as usual. They even have a 3/4 latte, which I found perfect - a regular shot of espresso with an amount of milk that's in between a regular latte and a piccolo latte.

Owner Jane says weekend brunches are insanely crowded, but weekdays, even evenings, are pretty ok. It may be hectic for them but I'm still really happy that they're doing well amidst so much competition. It's really nice to know that they came from such humble beginnings at Robertson Quay, yet they still haven't compromised on their quality or their friendly, laidback vibe.

A says:

An awesome place to visit on a weekday off. Like a mini laidback holiday.

Kith Sentosa
Sentosa Cove
31 Ocean Way
#01-08 Quayside Isle
Opening hours: 8 am - 10 pm (Closed Tuesdays)
www.kith.com.sg

Loysel's Toy

C says:

Loysel's Toy, part of the Papa Palheta chain, is tucked away in a nondescript building in the Lavender area, near the Kallang River.
Indoor seating is limited, so expect to sit outside at peak hours on weekends. There isn't much ambience, since you're literally sitting in a void deck-like area, amidst cyclists or noisy families.

The coffee - a latte and a flat white - was pretty good, but not worth a special trip there, at least not in my opinion. I think I prefer Jewel or Kith's coffee.

As far as the food goes, the menu is quite limited but it was pretty decent. The full breakfast featured some pretty good sausages, and surprisingly good scrambled eggs.

After the disappointing pineapple tarte tatin at Open Door Policy, I ordered the pancakes with grilled pineapple and bacon, and was finally satisfied. The pancakes were nice and fluffy, and the pineapple was at least properly caramelised.

We wouldn't come here all the way just for coffee/brunch (Crawford bak chor mee is another story, though!), but if we happen to be in the area anyway, it's a nice quaint little brunch spot.

A says:

Go for the location and coffee. The food's pretty ordinary.

Loysel's Toy
66 Kampong Bugis
#01-02, TURE
Tel: 6292-2306
Tues to Fri: 9 am - 6 pm
Sat & Sun: 9 am - 7.30 pm
www.loyselstoy.com

Open Door Policy

C says:

I'm at Yong Siak Street, arguably "the" street of the moment in Tiong Bahru, practically every weekend because of yoga, but I'm done too early to make the most of it. However, A's started classes too, albeit much later, so he's done just in time for me to meet him back there for brunch.

Because we didn't make reservations, we only managed to get a counter seat at Open Door Policy. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as we could watch the chefs in action behind the glass-walled kitchen.

I like that they serve their regular menu in addition to their brunch menu; sometimes there's only so many brunch dishes you can have at one go. We decided to have one dish from each menu.

I ordered the Papaduck - duck fillets crusted with pappadum and served with a mint yogurt dip. This was a surprisingly good combination, and while the duck was cooked a bit more than I would like, it wasn't tough and had a lot of flavour.

A had the somewhat more predictable smoked salmon with scrambled eggs and wilted greens. This was a huge portion, and the eggs were lighter and fluffier, and less creamy, than usual scrambled eggs.

The 2 desserts that called to us both required a 20 minute wait - the chocolate and pistachio souffle, and the pineapple tarte tatin with coconut ice cream. We opted for the latter, to our regret. I expected the pineapple to be more caramelised, but instead they were just chunks of canned pineapple. Bit of a letdown.

Watching the kitchen prep and cook the other dishes definitely whet our appetite though. I foresee us coming back here pretty soon to sample some of the other creations that we saw.

A says:

The portions are huge so it's actually pretty good value for money. Surprising for a yipsterTM (yuppie hipster - TM pending) hangout. Highly recommended except for the pineapple tart.

Open Door Policy
19 Yong Siak Street
Tel: 6221-9307
Lunch: 12 to 3pm
Dinner: 6pm to 10:30pm
Weekend Brunch: 11am to 3:30pm
Closed on Tuesdays
www.odpsingapore.com

Brunch and holiday offerings at SPR MRKT

C says:

SPR MRKT's brunch items, previously only available on Saturdays, are now also offered (at least for selected items) on weekdays as well. Their Eggs Benedict/Florentine and Bangers and Mash can now be ordered any day of the week, in addition to their daily changing menu.

Items like their Smoked Salmon with Scrambled Eggs, however, are still only a Saturday luxury. The creamy scrambled eggs, which seem just slightly underseasoned at first, ended up pairing perfectly with the savoury smoked salmon. The dish came with slices of delicious buttery brioche that were perfect for mopping up my eggy Eggs Ben goodness.

The eggs were poached perfectly, and the hollandaise had a ton of flavour. Both mixed together made an amazing sauce that we completely cleaned up with the brioche (random bit of trivia: in Italy there’s actually a term for mopping up your plate with bread – scarpetta). I also like the fact that they use little English muffins rather than large slices of toast. I find the thick slices of brioche in Wild Honey’s Eggs Ben a bit too much bread for the amount of egg.

We also tried their scones with jam and clotted cream. Yes, proper thick clotted cream, rather than whipped cream that many places serve with their scones. We tried a plain and a raisin scone – we both preferred the plain.

On Thanksgiving day, SPR MRKT also had a special Thanksgiving menu, with traditional holiday comfort food items like mac and cheese in a baked pumpkin and a turkey roast. They also had a New England clam chowder which was excellent, and I reckon should be on the permanent menu at some point… Not too thick and creamy, and absolutely loaded with clams.

The roast turkey was also outstanding – really tender, even the breast meat, and according to Chef Jo they don't even brine their turkeys. It was served with an interesting wild rice stuffing, and a cranberry foam.

SPR MRKT is taking holiday orders for their roast turkey - $85 for a 4kg bird, with stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce included. You can choose between the wild rice and pine nut stuffing, and a breadcrumb, sausage and golden raisin one. They’re also selling a trio of mini logcakes, in Chestnut, Chocolate and Passionfruit, and Salted Caramel flavours, which I reckon will make good gifts. I’ve already placed orders so that I don't have to do my traditional Christmas baking this year – woo hoo!

Orders have to be given at least 3 days in advance. Email them at contactus@sprmrkt.com.sg, or call 6221-2105, if you want more details on their holiday offerings.

A says:

So good. Yum. Although I think the best dish is still the Eggs Ben/Florentine.


SPR MRKT
2 McCallum Street
Tel: 6221-2105
Mon – Fri: 8 am – 9 pm
Sat: 9 am – 4 pm
Closed Sunday
www.sprmrkt.com.sg

Toby’s Estate

C says:

Another independent coffee joint in the Robertson Quay area, Toby’s Estate is far from new but coming to the area for brunch on a weekend is just too manic. We made our way there on a weekday mid morning on a day off, and surprisingly the area was still pretty crowded.

The lunch is only served from 11 am, and consists mostly of sandwiches and wraps. We ordered off their breakfast menu instead – a smoked salmon Eggs Benedict with an espresso hollandaise, and a regular full breakfast.

I couldn’t fault either of them. They were both perfectly acceptable versions of the dishes, but neither of them would make me travel all the way to Robertson Quay. The espresso hollandaise was interesting, but maybe a tad gimmicky.

A had a cappuccino and I tried the Gibraltar Latte, described on the menu as the big brother of a Piccolo Latte. Both coffees were very complex, the cappuccino more pleasantly so. I found the Gibraltar a bit too intense for my fairly pedestrian coffee palate. To me it tasted almost alcoholic, though A vehemently disagreed.

I would come back here for the coffee if we were in the area, but not for a full meal.

Also, parking’s a bitch. Unlike Kith where you can park in the Watermark Condo, Toby’s Estate is located at a condo called 8 Rodyk, which doesn’t allow parking for non-residents. The nearest parking are the parallel lots along Mohamed Sultan Road, which are a bit too much of a palaver just for a cup of coffee, albeit a really good one.

A says:

Awesome coffee. The food’s good but far from the best for a coffee joint. And the lack of nearby parking is a real turn-off. So unless you live nearby or you’re a coffee fanatic willing to walk really far for a great cup of coffee, I’d give it a miss.

Toby’s Estate

8 Rodyk Street

#01-03/04

Tel: 6636-7629

Opening hours:

Sun – Wed: 7.30 am – 6 pm

Thurs – Sat: 7.30 am – 10 pm

www.tobysestate.com.sg

Paul again

C says:

When we went back to Paul Bakery again for lunch on a Saturday, it was considerably more crowded. Luckily most of the people in the sizeable queue were in larger groups so we managed to breeze past the queue to a table for 2.

The menu has been updated slightly, with a few new additions like the smoked salmon tartine that A ordered. The bread was a little too hard, and the celery dice in the mayo kinda threw me off. I preferred the smoked chicken tartine I had the last time.

I ordered the rosti with mushrooms, which was very good - juicy garlicky mushrooms on a crisp potato pancake. I fancy they do their hot dishes better than their cold ones.

I planned to order the mille feuille that eluded me the first time, but then I saw the strawberry eclair. Wow. That had my name written all over it, and it didn't disappoint. Softly whipped pastry cream, fresh strawberries and a light choux pastry. Divine.

A had the waffle with chocolate sauce and chantilly cream. A bit ordinary. The waffle was super light and fluffy, but we've had better ones. Like the one at L'Entrecote.

Desserts here are fabulous; mains, a little more touch and go. I reckon it's a great place for ladies who lunch. Sigh.

A says:

It’s my kind of menu. Lots of smoked salmon and desserts. The quality is decent, but not really spectacular. Surprisingly, C’s rosti was the best thing we had. I’ll probably be back if I’m in the area.

Paul Bakery

391A Orchard Road

#03-16/16A/17, Ngee Ann City Tower A

Tel: 6836-5932

Open daily: 10 am – 11 pm (last order 9.45 pm)

Dean & Deluca

C says:

To be honest, apart from its association with Felicity, Dean & Deluca has never really been in my consciousness. It's not a place that we actively seek out whenever we travel, so it was with fairly muted enthusiasm that we welcomed the news that they were opening in Singapore.

We avoided the massive crowds in the first few weeks of their opening, and only made our way one weekday on a day off. The space in Orchard Central is quite inviting, but was also a lot smaller than I expected.

The menu is fairly limited, with salads, sandwiches, wraps and the usual all day breakfast suspects. I was a little annoyed that they listed a few soups on the main menu board, but don't actually offer all of them. 

So instead of the clam chowder I wanted, I had their burger instead. This was a pretty good burger - juicy flavourful patty, truffle aioli and a nice soft brioche-like bun.

A had the smoked salmon sesame bagel with scrambled eggs. This was similar to the version at Wild Honey, but somehow he preferred the latter.

They have a really nice grocery section that just screams "Christmas gift baskets", so I'll definitely make this a stop during Christmas shopping. As for the food, I'm not sure if what we tried really screams "come back".

A says:

The crowd’s a bit posery but the food’s pretty good. I’d eat here if I was picking up some gourmet groceries, but I wouldn’t queue up or make a special trip down.

Dean & Deluca

181 Orchard Road

#04-23/24 Orchard Central

6509-7708

Kith Bistro at Park Mall

C says:

We've always had a soft spot for Kith after discovering them while we were squatting in the River Valley area. After we moved away it became increasingly more inconvenient to head there just for breakfast/brunch, particularly because of the limited dining space at their Robertson outlet.

With the slew of new "artisanal" coffee joints popping up of late, it's really heartening to see stalwarts like Kith, one of the pioneers of the trend, still going strong despite the competition and even expanding.

Kith has recently opened a second outlet at Park Mall, with a much bigger space that's more conducive to dining. The menu has also expanded, with an array of pastas and main courses in addition to their breakfast and sandwich options. The cafe is located right next to Xtra, but access is via the outside of Park Mall (facing Penang Road), not within the mall.

On Saturday we decided to have brunch there before I headed to the gym, hence my rather uncharacteristic choice of a grilled eggplant sandwich over a pasta. In my defense, the sandwich sounded very interesting, with grilled eggplant, baby spinach, brie and truffle oil. This was a very satisfying portion for only $12, and a nice flavour combination too.

A ordered the mushroom ravioli in a tomato-vodka cream sauce. The ravioli was rather ordinary, but the sauce was incredible. We mopped, or rather scraped, the plate clean with the bread from the sandwich, to the disbelief of owner Jane.

Thankfully they haven't done away with the toasties that we loved so much at the other outlet; in fact, they've added a few flavours like the banana, caramel and cheddar one that we ordered as dessert. Again, the 3 flavours went together a lot better than I expected, with just enough cheese to add a savoury edge without overpowering the banana and caramel.

At noon on Saturday they were pretty full, with all indoor tables occupied. I'm really happy to see that they're doing well, and if they keep up the good food at their very reasonable prices I think they'll continue to draw the crowds. I think next time we'll come back for dinner, so that I can really order what I want. Can't wait.

A says:

Even better than the original. Lots more seating, although the indoor area is still quite small. And with the bigger kitchen, they’ve got a much larger range of food (which is excellent). Best of all, it’s still not expensive considering the sky-rocketing prices of food at a good coffee café nowadays. The only reason I wouldn’t recommend this is so it doesn’t get overcrowded. Heh

Kith Bistro

9 Penang Road

#01-01E Park Mall

Tel: 6338-8611

Open daily: 8 am to 10 pm (last order 9.30 pm)

www.kith.com.sg

Tiong Bahru Bakery

C says:

It seems as though everywhere you look, there’s an article or blog post extolling the virtues of the croissant from Tiong Bahru Bakery, the collaboration between Gontran Cherrier and the Spa Esprit group. I’m actually not a huge croissant fan (I prefer my butter straight up on bread, rather than having it weaved insidiously and deceptively into a pastry), but I really wanted to see what the fuss was about, so we popped by on Saturday afternoon.

It was a mad house even at 1 pm – queues at the counter and a general din. The tables are tightly packed, so we took one look at the chaos and decided to just grab a few pastries to go.

Naturally we picked the croissant, and A wanted to try the chocolate brioche. The brioche was a bit of a letdown, though perhaps it’s because A expected a softer, lighter bread, rather than the denser nature of a brioche.

As for the croissant, was it all that? Well, as I said, I’m not a croissant connoisseur so I don’t have much basis for comparison, but it was a damn good pastry. The outside was crisp, the inside was airy, flakey and just chewy enough, and it was buttery without being oily. We had it a few hours later; I can imagine it being even better if we’d eaten it right away.

We also tried the almond croissant and the Kouign Amann, albeit the next day. Unlike the regular croissant, the almond one was pretty dense and almost cakey, due to the almond paste sandwiched inside. This was quite sweet and reminiscent of marzipan because of the almond paste, which I think was a bit too overpowering.

The Kouign Amann is apparently a traditional pastry from Breton, similar to puff pastry and glazed with sugar. I got this because it was described as “Salted Butter and Glazed Caramel”, but in reality this was all sweet; almost no hint of salt at all.

I’ll stick to the regular croissant next time, and maybe try the chocolate croissant as well. It’s actually a stone’s throw from where I practise yoga, so maybe next time I’ll just swing by bright and early before class to pick up a few pastries before the crowds descend later in the day. Though they’ll pretty much negate my entire yoga session, and then some.

A says:

Great croissant. The rest was very so-so. I’d like to try the sandwiches next, except the place is seriously chaotic. And for some reason, it gives off a strong poser vibe. As I am a part-time poser only, maybe the next visit won’t be soon.

Tiong Bahru Bakery

56 Eng Hoon Street, #01-70

Tel: 6220-3430

Opening hours: 8 am to 8 pm

Closed Tuesdays

Selfish Gene Cafe

C says:

A's been bugging me to try Selfish Gene ever since he got a takeout sandwich for lunch one day a few weeks ago. We went for brunch on Sunday and considering it's located in Chinatown (Craig Road), it was a lot more crowded than I expected.

The slightly odd name comes from the fact that the owner Gene is selfish because he will not serve food that he himself wouldn't eat. A tad corny, but I decided to suspend my cynicism.

A's beef sandwich is their house special, and is right up his alley. Rare roast beef with caramelised onions, arugula, tomatoes, dijon mustard and mayo, served on a sundried tomato foccacia, this was very good but the onions made it a bit too sweet for my liking.

I got the pork sandwich, with sliced pork loin, green apples, wholegrain mustard, pork jus and mayo on a ciabatta. I preferred mine, because the tartness from the green apple made it more interesting and less one dimensional.

We shared a banana cake with caramelised banana, crumble and peanut butter glaze. The cake was unexpectedly light and fluffy, almost like a chiffon. The peanut butter glaze was almost too overwhelming since the cake was so light and delicate, but overall this was a seriously good dessert.

The wait for the food is pretty long, so if you work around the area and have a tight lunch hour, don't expect to pop in and out in a hurry. Otherwise, if you're in the mood for some really good sandwiches and cakes, give Selfish Gene a try.

A says:

My favourite place to get a sandwich. A bit slow, but worth the wait. Don’t expect too much from the coffee though. It’s average.

Selfish Gene Café

40 Craig Road

Tel: 6423-1324

Open 10 am to 6 pm

Closed Tuesdays

www.selfishgenecafe.com

Jimmy Monkey

C says:

Jimmy Monkey has a slightly expanded menu now. We stopped by for brunch on New Year’s Day, and I finally managed to try their Vegemite and Cheese Turkish Toast dippers with soft boiled egg (they were out when we popped by one random day). A had the Hemingway, which is their version of smoked salmon eggs benedict.

I absolutely loved the vegemite and cheese soldiers; then again, I’m quite partial to Marmite and Vegemite anyway (I lean slightly towards Marmite, personally). I-S Magazine has voted this dish one of 2011’s 50 things to eat in Singapore before you die, and with good reason. These are really addictive – the toast is light and fluffy and toasted just right, and there’s just the right Vegemite to cheese ratio. A single soft boiled egg doesn’t go very far in proportion to the amount of toast, but they’re good enough on their own and don’t really need the egg.

The eggs Hemingway was good, but perhaps a little on the tart side – not sure if it was from the hollandaise or the poached eggs.

Coffee was great as always, but I’m making a beeline for the Vegemite soldiers whenever I’m here.

A says:

Decent food. Great service. Nice.

Jimmy Monkey Cafe & Bar
9 one-north gateway
#01-51 one-north residences
Tel: 6777-8470
Sun to Thurs: 8.30 am to 8.30 pm
Fri & Sat: 8.30 am to late
Closed Mondays 

www.jimmymonkey.com

Wild Honey at Scotts Square

C says:

Just an update on Wild Honey:

1)      They’ve opened a second outlet at the newly opened Scotts Square

2)      This outlet actually accepts reservations

3)      They have a few dishes that are only available at Scotts and not at Mandarin Gallery

Well, the point about accepting reservations is a bit suspect, because they only let you have your table when your entire party is physically present and accounted for. When we tried to tell them that A was just parking the car, and we knew what we wanted to order, they fobbed us off with a “yes yes, we’re just setting the table now”, but coincidentally the table was ready just when A arrived. We overheard some other people, who had also made reservations but were still left standing around outside, getting quite frustrated as well.

The 2 dishes that are only available here are the Aussie (a rib-eye steak sandwich) and the Norwegian. We were here with W and M – M ordered the Aussie and I had the Norwegian, while A had the European (eggs benedict) and W had the full English brekkie.

The Norwegian is an eggs ben with smoked salmon, avocado and grilled asparagus. The brioche on which it rests is also grilled, adding a nice smokiness that distinguishes it from the regular European eggs ben. I actually prefer this to the European, because of the addition of the crisp asparagus.

They opened at Scotts fairly recently, so I hope the madness with the reservations was only a temporary hiccup, plus the fact that it was a Boxing Day public holiday. I hope things calm down somewhat, because while you’re made to feel like they’re doing you a favour by allowing you to dine there, you can’t deny that they serve some pretty good brunch offerings.

A says:

Great food. Great coffee. Great service once you get in. Unfortunately, getting in is the big problem. And honestly, it’s really not worth waiting an hour for.

Wild Honey at Scotts Square

3^rd floor, Scotts Square

6 Scotts Road

Tel: 6636-1816

Open daily: 9 am to 10 pm

Wild Honey

C says:

In my opinion, the most elusive table isn't at Valentino or even Buko Nero. It's at Wild Honey, a cafe in Mandarin Gallery that serves breakfast/brunch food all day long. They don't accept reservations, so unless you're willing to get there at 8 am, or spend about an hour just waiting, it's well nigh impossible to get a table on a weekend or public holiday.

Our first attempt was on Hari Raya Puasa. We got there before 10, expecting not many people being up and about at that time. We were sorely mistaken. We were told by the door b*tch that the wait was an hour.

We then decided that the only option was to go on a weekday, so off we went on Friday when I had a day off. Expecting it to be fairly empty, I was still surprised to see that there was a "short" 15 minute queue for a table. It's only because we agreed to a counter seat that we managed to get in without waiting.

There are no menus at the tables, only a big chalkboard next to the cashier where you order and pay; at least they do bring your food to your table. I ordered the European, their signature take on an eggs benedict, and A had the I Love NY, since it had scrambled eggs and smoked fish.


The eggs ben comes on thick slices of brioche, and instead of cooked ham, there's proscuitto and sauteed mushrooms. The eggs were perfectly poached, and the hollandaise sauce wasn't excessively rich, but the thickness of the brioche meant that the carb to protein ratio was bit disproportionate.


A's was right up his alley though, and I must say overall it was the better of the two. The smoked sturgeon was stirred into the scrambled eggs so it flavoured the eggs with a wonderful savoury smokiness. It came with a sesame seed bagel and a chive sour cream, and a couple of cherry tomatoes on the vine.


We also ordered a side order of bacon, and I must say that this was ridiculously good value. $5 for a veritable pile of bacon! Raw bacon from supermarket delis costs more than that!


The cappuccino comes dusted with a little cocoa heart, which I thought was a cute touch, and the flat white here is stronger than most.

The food here is good, but the queues really are prohibitive. They're opening a second outlet at the soon to be re-opened Scotts Square at the end of the year, so hopefully that'll alleviate the demand somewhat. Until then, I think it's strictly a weekday-off place.

A says:

The food and service are great, but it’s not cheap and the wait for a seat is usually horrible. Pros and cons. Weigh them out for yourself.

Wild Honey
#03-02 Mandarin Gallery
Tel: 6235-3900
Mon to Fri: 9 am to 10.30 pm
Sat and Sun: 8 am to 10.30 pm
www.wildhoney.com.sg