Two Bakers

Hey guys, I haven't been writing a lot lately as I've been down on my passion on writing about food. However, that doesn't mean that I haven't been trying to fill my food passion constantly. I'm going to write a bit more than usual in this post simply because I felt that the owners were genuine in asking for feedback. So, hopefully I will be of some help here. ^^

Okay, so, Two Bakers is a pretty new cafe in Lavender along Horne Road. You might already know that there are a few other cafes along it such as The Bravery Cafe and Windowsill Pies. This new cafe has quite a modern look to it that reminds me of the cafes I've been in Australia. I went to the cafe with pretty high hopes as the I understand that the owners were trained under the famed school of Le Cordon Bleu in France (Please correct me if I misunderstood). However, like all cafes, there are some hits and misses. On to the food!......

 <Flat White>

Coffee was really good. I would say it is quite full bodied and the ratio of coffee to milk is just right.

<Ham and Cheese Croissant>

This was really disappointing in my opinion. The kind of croissant I like are the ones that is flaky and has many layers of buttery goodness. This however, it felt kind of like a toasted bread. To make it worse, the ham was dry and the cheese cold and un-melted. I would say that they need to try on improving the texture of the croissant and also, to keep even simple dishes' standard consistent.

 <Beef Stew>

This was one of the special items they had on the board beside the counter. One of the owner actually stopped by my table and asked how was it. I couldn't give a really good answer then, but as to why I couldn't? You'll find out at my concluding paragraph later below. This stew had a very unique taste, but it could be that I'm unaccustomed to it. First bite, I was hit by this very strong alcoholic taste which I didn't enjoy. Next, a smoke like sensation engulfed my entire mouth. Personally, I think they might need to cook down the red wine (I know it because the owner told me) in it much more to reduce the alcoholic taste. And I think they should try and reduce the amount of smokiness in the dish so that the wonderful ingredients in the stew do not end up overpowering one another. On the bright side, the beef were cooked to perfection and extremely tender. Last but not least, the ciabatta bread on the side tasty light, chewy and airy. Awesome!

<Key Lime Tart>

This tart was easily the star of my meal. I am not an expert in key limes, but I do know a good tart when I eat one. Lime curd was not overly sour and velvety, It was expertly balanced by the slightly sweet Chantilly cream. The tart itself was buttery, crumbled and easy on the fork. (You know how some tarts are too hard? Or sometimes, they just break apart like dust, making it hard to pick them up) *Thumbs Up!*

As for the atmosphere, most part of the cafe felt very comfy. However, I was a little light headed from my meal as my table was directly under a glass window (I didn't exactly look up). And with the sun shining brightly outside, it sort of amplified the heat onto me. *Sigh* I sweated while I ate. Hahaha~ Anyway, if you are along Horne Road, remember not to give this cafe a miss. You might just find something you love in there. ^^

Wild Honey

 <Spanish Hash>

Potatoes, chorizo sausage pieces, 2 perfectly poached eggs with Hollandaise sauce and 2 slices of brioche. Decent at best, but could have been better. They could have toasted the brioche to give the dish a crunch to it. At the bed of the plate lies a pool of bright orange oil that could have drained out.

<Parisienne>

Stuffed French toast with gruyere cheese cheese, leg ham, Dijon mustard topped with 2 fried sunny side up and smothered in Hollandaise sauce served with wild rocket salad and fresh cherry tomatoes. This is a gluttons dish. Every bite feels luxurious and tasty. The French toasts were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. When you bite into it, you get that crunch then the texture of the soft brioche, the saltiness of the ham, the velvety Hollandaise sauce and the gooeyness of the cheese. I couldn't resist it at all. And when you find the taste overpowering, simply tuck into the zesty salad or the tomatoes to rest your palate before continuing the indulgence. Overall, the experience was still good at this 2nd visit. But I still find it a tad overpriced.

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Good
Cost - $30 per pax
Overall - Worth a try

Address
Mandarin Gallery, 333a Orchard road, 3rd floor.
http://www.wildhoney.com.sg

Opening Hours
9am to 9pm

Au Chocolat

 <Au Chocolat Hot Fudge>

Looking pretty intense huh? Well, it is! This is probably the first "hot chocolate" I've had that can be truly called Hot Chocolate. Gone is the milky taste and in place, a thick and velvety molten cup of chocolate. The marshmallows which were already half melted by the heat simply disappeared when you put them into your mouth. Warning, not for the faint hearted~

 <Classic French Onion Soup>

Simmered in a rich veal broth, this French onion soup packs a punch. The first thing that hit me when I went tucked in was that, the soup was black like chocolate. It had a very strong beefiness to it. You don't taste much of the onion in this. And although it was kind of one dimensional, it was still quite enjoyable. Portion is a little small for the price of $14 though.

 <Loaded Trio Potato Boat>

Crispy potato loaded with homemade tomato sauce and tasty guacamole topped with shredded orange cheddar & mozzarella cheese, finished with sour cream & spring onions. The combination was actually quite refreshing.

<Stuffed French Toast>

Behold~! The Eiffel Tower of sinfulness on a plate. Brioche coated with cornflakes loaded with light mascarpone cheese cream and a variety of berries resting on a bed of bitter sweet chocolate sauce. This is pure indulgence at its best. The slices brioche was crispy, light and fluffy but yet not oily at all. And the balance between sweet and bitter was perfect.

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Good
Cost - $30 per pax
Overall - Try it!

Address
Bay Level L1-03, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 2 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956
http://www.auchocolat.com

Opening Hours
Sundays to Thursdays (10.00am to 11.00pm)
Fridays and Saturdays (10.00am to Midnight)

Eggs & Berries

 <Devil's Chocolate Crepe>

The crepe can be done crispy or soft. We chose the crispy one and it was disappointing overall. It felt like a piece of wafer topped with tons and tons of whipped cream, chocolate buttons, almond flakes and ball of ice cream. Nothing really stood out and together, it looks like a mess.

<Eggs Benedict>

For good heavens, this was much better. The muffins were light and fluffy, the poached eggs cooked to perfection and the bacon added a much needed texture to the dish. What really stood out for me was the hollandaise sauce. It has a certain zing to it that brought the all the components together. I think they added some lime/lemon juice to it. What it could probably improve on is that they should lightly pan fry the ham to give it a little more depth in flavours.

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Good
Cost - $10 to $20
Overall - Worth a try!

Address
5 Changi Business Park Central 1#01-37/38 Changi City Point

Opening Hours
8am to 10pm

The House of Robert Timms

<3 Way Toast>

A delectable find at Robert Timms. Each of the components - the sauteed mushrooms, the spiced sausage and the eggs ben, was delivered with finesse. The toast itself was light and done to perfection as well. However, it was a pity that the salad was naked! Entirely undressed.

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Good
Cost - $10 to $25
Overall - Try it!

Address
501 Orchard Road, #01-02/03 Wheelock Place

Opening Hours
11am to 11pm

Paris Baguette

 <Paris Baguette>

Hailing all the way from Korea, this bakery opened its first outlet in Singapore's Wisma Atria just a few months ago. It is one of the top Korean bakery chains and can be seen from street to street in Korea. With that many top-notch artisan brunch/bakery cafes popping up since recent years, you can only imagine the lifestyle of Singaporeans nowadays. Hahaha.

(From Top left clockwise to centre)

<Coffee Temptation, Maple Pecan Scone, Milky Almond Cube, Walnut Cream Cheese & Sucre Brioche>

The above is what I bought back home. The pastries and bread are generally good and tasty. Soft, fluffy and fresh. However, I still prefer the ones from Maison Kayser. They taste a notch better than these from Paris Baguette.

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Good
Cost - $10+
Overall - Worth a try

Address
435 Orchard Road #02-48/53 Wisma Atria
http://parisbaguetteusa.com/parisbaguette/Home.asp

Opening Hours
Unknown

Canopy

 <4 cups of health>

Oh yea! 4 cups of uber healthy fruit juices. Bottom left clockwise, we have Detox (Carrot, Apple and Cucumber), Hearty Avocado (Avocado, Soy Milk and Gula Melaka), Refresh (Strawberry and Red Apple) and ABC² (Apple, Beetroot, Carrot and Celery) The best tasting one out of the 4 was probably Hearty Avocado. It was rich, creamy and the gula melaka really did its trick. Really good.

 <Lobster Bisque Soup>

I commend them for trying out this technically difficult dish. The soup was really filled with lobster flavour and  bits of its flesh. However, the soup tasted kinda rough. It wasn't of the velvety texture that I normally associate such soups with.

<Smoked Duck Salad> 

Looks good and tastes good. The vegetables were fresh, the zesty mango mayo was a decent match with its fruity flavour. But the main thing was that the duck was succulent and oozed a smoky goodness.

<Crabmeat Aglio Olio>

Sorry about the photo. Okay, back to the food. The crabmeat though good, but its portion wasn't very generous. And it came way too minced. I was hoping that it came in chunks after chunks after chunks. As for the pasta, it didn't really accentuate the essence of an aglio olio. It was lacking in terms of the fragrance of garlic and olive oil.

 <Lobster Pomodoro>

Definitely better than the aglio olio dish. The chunks of lobster were huge, fresh and not overcooked. Pasta was cooked al-dente too.

 <Beef Bourguignon>

I have to say this was probably the best dish of all. The beef was really tender and juicy. The red wine cooked all the way through it leaving the tendons melting in your mouth. However, the downside for me would be that the gravy is a little too sweet for my liking. But I must say that it goes very well with the toast. The bed of mashed potato was also nicely done and seasoned well.

<Vegan Ice-Cream >

Well, well... can you believe it? This ice-cream is dairy and egg-free. It is made from organic brown rice and nuts. The flavours we had were Chocolate & Cocoa Bean and Vanilla & Rose Sprinkle. Both tasted really good and we couldn't believe that it did not contain any milk or eggs. However, the texture of the ice-cream was not exactly smooth. Nevertheless, you can have your dessert without guilt now! Haha ^^

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Average
Cost - $12+
Overall - Worth a try

Address
Bishan Park 2, 1382 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1, Singapore 569931
http://www.canopydining.com.sg/

Opening Hours
9am to 11pm

Eggs & Berries

Found a new decent breakfast and brunch cafe. Located at Changi City Point beside the Expo MRT station. They do serve lunch and dinner courses as well. But most people came for their all-day-breakfast meals. They have indoor and outdoor seats and the decorations are somewhat a little French.

<Corned Beef Hash and Eggs>

At $11.50 only, you get 3 butter-milk pancakes, a rosti, a bed of scrambled eggs and a pile of corned beef alongside some other side dishes. The food was great individually, but together it was just too heavy. If only the salad was dressed in Balsamic Vinegar, maybe it would have cut down the richness of the dish. The corned beef was also a little too wet for my liking.

 <Sweet Brioche French Toast with Sausage and Scrambled Eggs>

Served with pancakes and bacon as well, it was a commendable dish. A pity that the Brioche was not that good, it was just ordinary. At $13.50, I'd say it was decently priced.

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Good
Cost - $10 to $20
Overall - Worth a try!

Address
5 Changi Business Park Central 1#01-37/38 Changi City Point

Opening Hours
8am to 10pm

Jones The Grocer

Jones The Grocer, a concept stall selling quite a few varieties of artisan grocery as well as gourmet meals that are sure to satisfy your cravings! My family and I went to the outlet at Dempsey Road. They have another one at Mandarin Gallery too. The above pictures are just some of the groceries that you can find there. The Amedei chocolate hazelnut spread costs a whopping S$32.90! Well, Amedei is one of the top chocolates in the world. ^^ However, the stand out is the balsamic vinegar. With a 12 year fermentation process, it is simply divine. They have a section whereby you can try dipping some artisan bread into it. Yum yums! Now, on to the food!

<Ice Mudslide Mocha & Ice Hazelnut Mocha>

Good and tasty drinks, wasn't blown away by them though. The mocha was nice, coffee was robust and it came in a hefty size as well! Each cup came with their home-made chocolate ice-cream as well. Talk about sinful...haha...

<Jones Club Sandwich>

Didn't really take a bite off Mum's sandwich, but it looked good and healthy! Packed with avocado, sunny side up, bacon and more!

<Jones Traditional English Breakfast>

This was what Dad had. The portion is huge! But he complained that the toast was a little too hard for his liking. But the rest was good. Order it if you are really hungry.

<Eggs Benedict>

Originally served with smoked salmon, my wife requested for a change to ham instead as she does not really like salmon much, and they acceded to her request. Everything was good except that the Hollandaise sauce wasn't enough.

<Croque Madame>

Took a little bite off my brother's sandwich. Not bad I guess. It had ham, Serrano ham, sunny side up and cheddar cheese. Pure pleasure? You bet! ^^ This was also one of their newer sandwiches on the menu.

<Organic OBE Burger with Tarago Blue Cheese>

This was what I had. Beef burger served in between a brioche bun with balsamic onion jam, beetroot pickle and wild rocket. It also came with wafer thin criss-cut fries. Everything was so balanced in this burger, the patty was moist, the balsamic onion jam had a nice kick to it, the beetroot was eye-catching and sweet! Last but not least, the Tarago blue cheese was good. Not too pungent. Definitely one of the more acceptable blue cheeses for me. Haha!

<Spicy Wings>

Totally forgettable... slight Indian spice, otherwise tasteless. The yogurt served was equally bland. Do NOT order this!

<Baked Cannoli>

Baked Cannoli with ricotta cream cheese and amarena cherries and crushed pistachios. It was okay. The pastry of the cannoli was a bit too thick for my liking though. Overall, an okay dessert.

<Beignet>

This was the first time I tried beignet and I must say it was quite nice. Served with pastry cream, blue berry marmalade and sea salt & caramel ice-cream (add-on). It provided a good fluffy-sweet ending to our meal. Will definitely order this again.

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Good
Cost - $10 to $25
Overall - Must try!

Address
Block 9 #01-12 Dempsey Road or Level 4 #21-23 Mandarin Gallery
http://www.jonesthegrocer.com/

Opening Hours
9am to 11pm