There is no reason to travel to the western part of Singapore except for food. For Spanish paella, we are happy to trot down to UNA at One Rochester. Plus it's a fantastic spot to wind down with sangria in this lovely colonial bungalow with fairy lights. 

The menu consists of Spanish offerings of tapas, paellas and parilla (grill) specialties.

You will not go wrong with the crowd-pleasing Gambas Al Ajillo ($22), made with fresh tiger prawns sautéed in olive oil, white wine, garlic, parsley and a kick of chili. We couldn't stop dipping the bread into the aromatic infused olive oil.  

The Patatas Bravas ($10) may seem plain but the potato bites were wonderfully crispy. The spicy tomato-base brava sauce and aioli made them even more irresistible.

Been to Holland Village in the recent weeks? There are quite a few newcomers, Otto’s Deli Fresh being one of them. Located in Raffles @ Holland Village, it is still quite a hidden find in the buzzing enclave. An inspiration of Chef Otto Weibel, a respected veteran in Singapore’s F&B industry, Otto’s Deli Fresh encapsulates Chef’s Otto’s passionate desire to bring homespun recipes with refined gourmet flavours to tables of family, friends, and neighbours.

Warm the tummy with earthy Button Mushroom Soup ($8.50). I love that caramelised onions are used to naturally add flavours to the soup, and the most enjoyable bit is dipping the slightly sugared and toasted brioche into the fragrant bowl.

Otto’s Deli Fresh serves good sandwiches if you like something to grab. Get your hands on the juicy Pulled Pork Burger ($19). It is a 5-hours sous vide pulled pork cheeks and citrus cabbage apple slaw between the warm toasted carbs. Served with fries and condiments, this makes a happy meal.

For a pressed sandwich, there’s a lot in that inch-thick Pressed Beef Steak Ciabatta ($20) — Hanger steak and Bresaola beef, housemade pickled Japanese cucumber, rocket, gruyere, caramelised onions and housemade bbq sauce. Go with this if you are in the moo-d.

Love your meats fresh? There are Heritage US Kurobuta Pork Rack 300g ($39) and Limestone Ridge Full Blood Wagyu Beef Rump MB4 - 150g ($32) amongst the types and cuts of meats to pick from. (Served cooked of course!) Both meats are seasoned with salt, grilled, and finished off in the oven. There is the housemade bbq sauce served alongside, but I wish there are different sauces to highlight the different meats.

Desserts were disappointing. You'd think that with four types of waffles out of a total of seven dessert options, the waffles would be at least.. something. The dense waffles would have worked ok if the flavor is richer. We tried Burnt Banana Waffle ($11.50), and despite the decent milky peanut butter gelato (the other toppings—“burnt” and freeze dried banana— were mere decorations in my opinion), I was not enthusiastic enough for a second bite.

You have to try the Valrhona Chocolate though! Hot ($9.50) and Iced ($12.50) versions are available, but I’d suggest the former, especially on a cool rainy day/ night. It’s tough to resist this red cup of joy — think luscious chocolate rimmed with crushed toasted hazelnuts. If you have ever wondered what a ferrero rocher - kinder bueno drink would taste like, well, this is the better version. There is a reason for it to be labelled ‘Otto’s Favourite Drink’ on the menu! That said, there was over-generosity of the sea salt in my cup that particular evening…

A place of familiar comfort, Otto’s Deli Fresh warms us with the hearty deli offerings. Besides the red meats, there are also seafood pastas on the menu. For the remaining rainy December days, expect to find us warming up to a Hot Valrhona Chocolate.

Otto’s Deli Fresh

118 Holland Avenue #02-01 

Raffles @ Holland Village Singapore 278990

Tel: +65 66943291

Daily: 11am - 10pm

A year after they started serving their famed short crust pastry egg tarts, Tai Cheong Bakery has now opened their first overseas dine in concept outside of Hong Kong at Holland Village! Dig into typical cha chan teng fare in this modern HK style tea house but be prepared to join the queue (as per authentic HK style- they do not take reservations at this 42 seater cafe).

The sweets need no introduction but how do the mains fare? 

Eggs seem to be in abundance here at Tai Cheong with plenty of egg dishes (they use three eggs in all of them)! The Three egg macaroni soup with luncheon meat ($8.50) is typical weird Brit-HK style with elbow macaroni cooked in a tomato soup, served with fried luncheon meat sticks and runny sunny side up eggs. We say this makes a great hangover meal. Plus the soup is a lot better than the typical watery sort served in HK. Very 'Campbell'.

While the Scrambled Egg Toast stack with Chicken Chop ($9.50) may not be Australian Dairy standard, the creamy scrambled eggs were fluffy and satisfying enough. However, the hot steam and moisture from the eggs, along with the butter, were soaked up quickly by the toast and it quickly turned into a soggy sponge. I'd definitely tell them to separate the different components. The pan fried chicken was dry and bland and the creamy mushroom sauce did not managed to make it any better.  

Classic Cantonese dining is made chic and edgy at Holland Village's latest hit Full of Luck Club 福乐. Brought to you by the same team behind award winning Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant, you can be sure that you're getting quality Cantonese dishes with a contemporary twist. I think it would appeal to the millenials very well. 

A selection of classic dimsum is available at Full of Luck Club and we highly recommend the Stir fried Radish cake with X.O. sauce ($6.80).

This is one of the standard dishes i order in order to evaluate dimsum restaurants fairly and Full of Luck Club doesn't disappoint. Flavorful lup cheong (wind dried Chinese sausages) is mixed with juicy radish in a slightly dense kueh with a lovely all around sear. Oh and that umami shrimpy XO paste! I'd say top it with a little more of their bean paste chili and you have a winning Chai Tow Kueh. 

Other snacks that i approve of- Poached Wontons in Chilli Soy ($8) that is like a 红油抄手 with less vinegar. The parcels were packed with juicy chunky pork and prawn meat. I thought it was pretty well balanced. The Chili Glazed Fried Fermented Bean Paste Chicken Wings ($8) make the best beer grub with the super crunchy batter coated with the pungent sweet chili bean paste that tasted innocent at the start but trust me, that heat will kick in at the end. While the Golden Sand Corn with Salted Egg Yolk ($4.80) was raved about on social media, i thought the salted egg flavor was lacking and the corn could be juicy. Perhaps it's meant to be exactly what it is, popcorn?

Eating and living well is a big part of my life. While it may seem like i'm always indulging in rich and decadent food as shown on my social media platforms, i actually eat simply and healthily on a daily basis and am a regular at my yoga studio. That's how i was drawn to check out Saakalya Yoga's Yogalicious programme, a half day cooking and yoga course, at their Chip Bee Gardens home studio. 

D'Good Cafe is a whimsical spot to swing your worries away, right smack in the heart of Holland Village. It sits in a funky shop house unit that has 2 entrances and the layout reminded me of that children story about a house in a boot with many children (uh huh i really don't have much of a childhood).

D'Good Cafe specializes in single-origin coffee beans, which are roasted in-house. The owner is some crazy coffee fanatic and you can get your Ethiopian, Guatemalan, Jamaican beans done the siphon, drip, pour-over or espresso way. You wouldn't be able to miss the Elektra espresso machine at the counter! If you're up for something more exotic, there's the famous Kopi Luwak (civet coffee) from the Wahana Estate in Sumatra for $38 a pop. You can also make your own blend here at D'Good Cafe too.

Here's what we had. The Prawn Aglio Olio ($16) was a little on the dry side, especially after it cooled a little (it became clumpy). I thought it could use a little more salt but it's certainly quite well flavored. The prawns were nicely done and crunchy.

I liked the Bacon Carbonara ($15) more than the previous pasta. It's creamy (more on the milky side) and certainly more satisfying (only if you like cream). Generous portions of bacon too. It would be perfect with some fried bacon bit and an egg.

The Eggs Benedict ($13.50) was a sad sad portion. I was terribly disappointed by it in fact. The brioche was nice but was too thinly sliced. As a result, it was soaked through by the eggs. Too much vinegar was used in poaching the eggs and that contributed to the papery texture of the whites and that acidic taste. Holladaise sauce was weak too. Certainly not something i'd recommend ordering. Add on $3 to the breakfast sets for a Latte that is well balanced with a nice crema. 

I must say we were all happy with our choice of caffeine. The Earl Grey Lavender Latte ($7) was aromatic without being overpowering. I'm fearful of lavender because it just smells and tastes a little like air freshener but this was just right. The Caramel Hot Chocolate ($7.50) will satisfy your sweet tooth because it's on the sweet side but i found the chocolate a tad artificial. The foam had somewhat of a brulee texture which was interesting. And if you like latte art, they do a lot of cute animal prints.

We concluded that the best part of the meal was the maple sea salt cheesecake ($9). You cannot miss this smokey sweet and creamy cheesecake. The cheese was rich but not too heavy and it went perfectly with the crunchy and compact graham crust. I suspect a lot of butter went into it but it's awesome. Repeat after me: Butter is awesome (especially salted ones).

The highly instagrammable swing area. Which K made us go on. 

D'Good Cafe also has a rooftop area for alfresco dining. This would be perfect at night or on an extremely cool day. Pretty isn't it?

I'd certainly be back for more cheesecake. Tried the Strawberry Cheesecake and it just didn't cut it after the mindblowingly good maple sea salt one. Enjoy this one!

D'Good Cafe
273 Holland Avenue #02-01/02, Singapore 278992
Tel: +65 6219 9807
Mon - Thu, Sun: 10am - 10pm
Fri - Sat: 10am- 11pm

I love scones (if you don't already know) and i've been on a search for the best scones in Singapore. Fosters has to be my benchmark for good scones. It is after all my first love. They say one could fall in love many times over, but the rush of the very first will always hold a special place in our hearts and that is the power F has over me.

Tucked in a corner at Holland V, this little cafe that serves English classics like steaks, ribs and pasta. I'm really not sure if the rest of the food is good because i only go there for their scones. My only comment on the other dishes is that they smell really good, especially that lobster bisque. Yums..

On a good day, the outdoor seating is not too bad. I reckon it would be nicer in the cooler evenings for a gathering with friends. I like that it is very casual and cosy. 

Fosters serves the cheapest high tea in Singapore. This is not the usual three-tiered high tea many hotels offer. What do you expect for a mere $10.90++? Here is Foster's explanation of the difference between afternoon tea and high tea. 

And this is what you get in the set- 2 scones, a toasted fruit cake (i love toasted goods. All things taste better toasted ie banana cakes. Swear by it!), 2 savory sandwiches and either tea/coffee. Sounds like a lot right? Well it is! I usually am satisfied after 1.5 scones but that's me. The rest of the stuff are just mediocre. If you don't want the rest, you can get the scones on their own. It's $2 or is it $2.50 for 1 but the minimum order is 3. Perfect for sharing. 

Just look at these babies! Extremely crunchy on the outside (i eat stuff for the texture, not just the taste alone. Other times purely for the texture. I'm weird that way.). Anyways, it's almost like a rock cake or a muffin top. Crunchy outside, buttery moist inside. Plus it's small, so the crunchy to moist ratio is just right. 


I love lacquering it with butter and the ones they provide are salted! Yay! So the butter goes on first, then a little of the whipped (no clotted cream here. What do you expect for this price right?). The whipped cream adds a tinge of sweetness which complements the butter. For those with a sweet tooth, have more of the jam. I'm no jam fan. 

The boy didn't understand my love for scones and tea till i brought him here and since then he has made several specific requests for tea dates. :)) I've taught him well. Heh. Good for me because i have another tea buddy. 

They do a takeaway service as well and we have packed these for picnics previously. Everything comes packed nicely with all the complements and cutlery too. Our friends have nothing but positive feedback for the scones. Make a reservation especially for the weekends because they tend to be packed for tea. 


If you love scones like i do, do share your favorite scone/tea place. :) You can also read about my other favorite scone place (Wild Honey) here!


Fosters
277 Holland Avenue (Holland Village)
Tel: +65 6466 8939
Sun- Thu: 11am - 11pm
Fri- Sat: 11am - 1am
Tea: 3 - 6pm Daily