How do you differentiate yourself from the many bakeries selling a variety of Asian soft rolls and European breads and even providing hybrid versions? Well, you pick your favorite kind of bread and focus on being an expert in that. Well that's how i see the newly opened Crown Bakery & Cafe, latest venture by gardening retail giant Far East Flora Holdings Pte. Ltd. There's immense potential of them becoming the de facto Sourdough Expert. 

Let's start with their belief of using all things natural and wholesome. I love bread but i also know that the store bought ones aren't very healthy. However, Crown Bakery makes their bread healthier by not adding any artificial food flavoring, coloring, preservatives, additives, and chemical improvers. Natural leaven is used to craft all their breads (yes they grow even their own yeast)! Also, the best ingredients, including the finest French mill wheat flour, Hokkaido Kitanokaori flour, German sourdough, French butter and direct-from-farm honey are used. 

I fell deep in love with the inventive Crown Sourdough Buttermilk Waffle ($6 with maple syrup and butter, $9 with Haagen Dazs ice cream and fruits). The batter is only kept for 4 hours each time to ensure freshness. I loved the light chewy German sourdough texture. The savory (sea salt is used) and lightly sour flavors set this waffle apart from the a dime a dozen ones out there. 

This delicately crispy waffle is best paired with butter and maple. I thought the ice cream overpowered the batter with its sweetness and soaks it and that kind ruined the overall texture and flavor but well it all boils down to personal preference. 

This bread monster brought home a huge box of breads and finished it in a couple of days. Here's what i ate and would recommend to you guys. Matcha lovers should definitely get the intensely flavored Shizuoka Matcha products. The Azuki Loaf ($4.80) has a mochi like texture in the middle (i kid you not) and i liked that the azuki beans weren't too sweet. 

The Shizuoka Matcha Brioche ($3.20) is like a little bouncy cake (look at those air pockets)! The green tea paste provides a great shot of caffeine for all you caffeine addicts. This is a lot less sweeter than what's available on the market so don't be too surprised. 

Do heat up the breads and pastries for that added crisp (I swear that everything toasted tastes better). The Croissant Aux Amandes ($3.60) was full of almond paste.

The New Zealand Cream Cheese Danish ($3) is one of my favorites! I took a bite before i considered toasting it and even though it was more like a bun when it is cold, it was so yummy i finished it before the toaster saw the light of it. NZ cream cheese and Parmesan are used in this one and the handcrafted raisin yeast gives the layers a fruity honey aftertaste. However, it was not crazy sweet as lemon juice is added to balance the sweetness. 

On to the savories. The Mentaiko Mayo Garlic Crisp ($2.80) is a no brainer and the garlic baguette is given the Midas touch with the creamy and salty mentaiko and Japanese mayo mix. It's heavily flavored with the pungent garlic so beware! This MUST BE TOASTED. Remember that!

The Red Wine Fig Sourdough ($8.50) is a great sandwich bread. On its own, it's a tad sour so i'd prefer to add my nut butters or my current favorite Ovaltine spread to it. Toasting it can do too but do not over do it. Otherwise, pop it into the microwave briefly and it'd be a little moist and warm enough. 

Crown Bakery's crown treasure is the Hainanese Chicken Bread ($4.50). This is made from chicken soup, skinless chicken thigh, garlic, ginger and shallots, together with their sourdough batter. You even get chunks of chicken in the bread! The flavor isn't particularly strong but it goes well with the garlicky chicken rice chili sauce. 

Crown Bakery & Café currently offers 45 varieties of bread, viennoiseries and snacks. A small all day breakfast selection is currently available and more will be added in the future but i think i'll be happy eating a warmed up slice here.

Crown Bakery & Café

557 Bukit Timah Road, Crown Centre #01-03

Singapore 269694

Tel: +65 6463-3066

Sun - Thu: 7.30am - 8.30pm

Fri - Sat: 7.30am - 9.30pm

Impeccable service right from the time you step onto the premise and to the time you depart. That is what is expected at any COMO Hotels and Resorts. A recent visit to Point Yamu by COMO in Phuket Thailand sealed my love for this luxury chain. Located at the tip of Cape Yamu overlooking the Andaman Sea and limestones karsts of Phang Nga Bay, Point Yamu is the perfect island getaway.

I don't imagine anyone would dislike ice cream or soft serve unless you are lactose intolerant (then that's too sad). Surely many of you would have already tried the popular Taiwanese brand Honey Creme at 313@Somerset. I first tried their soft serve sometime back and found it kind of rich and oily (high cream content). Truth be told, I didn't think it was worth my buck. However, when i visited recently to sample their new flavors, i found myself liking their improved soft serve formula which is more milky and less sweet and yes i'm a fan of a particular flavor (which i'll intro in a bit)!

Many of the people in Honey Creme's snaking queue will agree that their soft serve is really smooth. Premium fresh milk and cream are used and there is no added preservatives or artificial sweeteners. The owners Sherry and Jo have taken in feedback and tweaked the soft serve to suit the Sg palate- more milk and less cream (it's healthier too).

The original Honey Comb ($5.90) features honeycombs imported from New Zealand and Australia and are cut directly from its frame and. The Comb Honey cup uses honey from Taiwan and has a distinct fruity longan taste which I preferred. I also liked the Organic Mixed Grains ($5.90) which has a mixed grains topping of ground millet, black sweet rice, buckwheat, oats, brown rice, and black sesame. It's very fragrant and less sinful.

A popular flavor is the Honey Creme Alishan Milk Tea, a Alishan milk tea soft serve ice cream layered with Alishan tea jelly, cookie crumbs and honey-coated pearls. This is like a bubble tea in solid form. The tea jelly is made in house and i could taste the tea in this one but i can't say the same of the soft serve. They also have the same milk tea soft serve in Teh C (half tea-half original soft serve) and Gah Dai (sweeter with candy floss) versions.

Now, about the 2 new flavors which will be available starting 1 June 2015. Presenting my favorite- the Cereal Milk ($5.90) . If you have tried Momofuku Milk Bar, you would not be a stranger to this flavor.

This is a cereal-infused soft serve which tastes like the milk at the bottom of your cereal milk breakfast. Think a sweet and salty oat and cornflake tasting concoction. Layered with cornflake crunch, this is the perfect breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea, dinner, supper snack. Hohoho can you sense my excitement? The cereal flavor could be stronger in the soft serve but i just kept going and eventually unknowingly finishing every single bit of this one. My favorite bit is the part at the bottom that has soaked up the melted cream!

In celebration of SG50, another addictive flavor introduced is the Honey Creme Pandan Gula Melaka.

The limited edition Honey Creme Pandan Gula Melaka is inspired by out local desserts of pandan cake, chendol and ice kachang! The local ingredients like attap chee (palm seeds), crispy puffed rice, toasted coconut chips (specially imported from Thailand and lovingly toasted here), and gula melaka gave the dessert contrasting flavors and textures. This is another one that i gladly finished. No artificial coloring is used in this one as the pandan concentrate is extracted the manual and traditional way.

If anything, I would love for the gula melaka to be richer, and for it to be layered with the coconut chips too! Just for the National Day weekend (7 – 10 Aug 2015), Honey Creme will also add a Merlion-shaped biscuit to the top of the pandan parfait as a special SG50 treat. Make this one a permanent feature already! Oh and this is exclusive to Singers! Yay!

Both Cereal Milk and Pandan Gula Melaka ($6) will be available from 1 Jun 2015 at the 313@Somerset outlet. Remember that the Pandan Gula Melaka will only be around till 30 Sep 2015!

Honey Creme will also be opening their second outlet in Singapore at the third largest suburban mall, Jem. Slated to launch in mid-July 2015, the new space will be a takeaway kiosk where customers may enjoy all of Honey Creme’s distinctive soft serves on the go.

Honey Creme (313@Somerset) 

313 Orchard Road, 313@Somerset #01-37, Singapore 238895 

Daily; 11am – 10pm 

Honey Creme (Jem) 

50 Jurong Gateway Road, #B1-06, Singapore 608549 

Daily; 11am – 10pm 

Things are heating up at Resorts World Sentosa! First there's the reintroduction of the weekend lunches at Joel Robuchon restaurants. Then this weekend, Celebrity Chef Andrew Turner of Hotel Café Royal in London is presenting his specially created dishes (13 to 16 May) alongside resident Chef Scott Webster.

For his collaboration with Osia, Chef Andrew has created several dishes that are based on his style of contemporary European. The set dinner comprises dishes by Chef Scott and Chef Andrew.

We started our set dinner with some Stone Hearth Flat Bread served with extra virgin olive oil, butter and dip. Truffled Kalamata Olive and Macadamia Pesto are the hot favorites here and i enjoyed the fluffy hot bread when it was first served. 

We were then served the Pea and Mint Veloute with Comte Cheese and Thyme Ravioli, Smoked Anchovy Flute. The veloute is was a smooth and creamy broth that is great on its own, or as a base for the goat cheese ravioli. I liked the interaction between the light touch of mint, sourness of the goat cheese and the brininess of the anchovy. Doesn't the  anchovy sticks remind you of Anti:dote?

Osia's Char Grilled Fremantle Octopus with cucumber apple slaw and green chili jam failed to impress with its rubbery texture.  

Osia won me back with their Pan fried Foie Gras by with textures of banana (in espuma and caramelized form), Madagascar vanilla and Jamaican rum. It's a first having bananas paired with foie gras and it was surprisingly a good match due to the savory and salty caramelized bananas. 

The Hokkaido Scallops and Byron Bay Pork Belly served atop Piccalilli Puree, is Chef Turner’s elegant version of a surf and turf. While the scallop was faultless, the pork belly had a strong porky flavor which didn't taste too fresh.

On to the mains, the Grainge Black Angus Beef Fillet MS 2 by Chef Andrew was a lovely piece of fillet mignon served alongside an Oxtail Anna Potato, Pak Choy in a Sweet and Sour Hong Kong sauce. 

Asian twist on this one with chinese sides. The flavors were refreshing enough but overall the dish was kinda oily. 

The signature Osia dish is the Perch with sesame ratte potato, pea tendril, soy milk curd and a shiromiso glaze. Light tasting dish with a little sweetness from the miso. 

I was never a fan of meringue until i tasted the Neaten Mess by Chef Andrew. It was presented like a toadstool of a field of strawberries! 

The only way to eat this is to smash everything and dig into it. Make sure you get bits of the crunchy meringue shell, the smores-like center, cool strawberry and thyme sorbet and the sweet berries of course. I finished every bit of this one!

Enjoy the set menu or pick from the a la carte dishes at Osia. For lunch and dinner, the set menu offers a 3 to 5 course which is priced from $50. Our 4 course dinner was $110++. If you wanna catch Chef Andrew in action, make sure you head down by 16 May! If not, you can always enjoy Osia's signatures anytime. 

Osia Bar & Restaurant
26 Sentosa Gateway #02-140/141, Singapore 098139

Tel: +65 6577 6688
Thu - Tue: 12 - 3pm, 6 - 10.30pm 

Closed Wed

It makes my heart skip a beat whenever a new cafe/restaurant is added to my hood! Introducing Holqa Cafe, a new-hole-in-the-wall, blink-and-you'll-miss it cafe along East Coast Road. It's along the stretch of cafes/restaurants like Carvers & Co., Bergs Gourmet Bugers, Rabbit Carrot Gun etc. 

It's easy to miss Holqa because it's right behind the bus stop and there isn't any clear sign. People are also distracted by the new bakery that is just next door. But seek and ye shall find some comfort in this small cafe. 

The Iced Flat White ($5) was a respite to this summer heat. Strong and well balanced it was and provided the much needed boost of energy for more yoga classes. Espresso based coffees are priced between $3 and $5 (add 50c for iced versions). 

A must order here is definitely the Braised Asian Pulled Pork with 3 cheeses sandwich ($15.90).  It used to be served on a bagel bread but now much improved with a brioche bread. Braised pork jowl with Asian spices is layered next and then topped with gruyere, mozzarella and cheddar. Finally, a generous swiggle of gingered mayo.

The brioche was ahmazing and it was more like a brioche cake. This is what a brioche should be btw- buttery and layered. It's a little more airy that the traditional brioche but it was like inhaling butter and that's always a good thing. The exterior was crispy but i didn't see toast marks (did they air fry this?) But whatever it is, it's LOVE. I can finish a plain loaf easily.

That asian style pulled pork was sweet and juicy and worked well with the salty cheese and tangy mayo which had a light hint of ginger. DELICIOUS. 

The rest of the mains are well.. normal i guess. I may go with the regular Eggs Benedict ($15.90) or the Pork Burger ($18.90). Another must have here is the Sns-Ji ($9.90/6pcs), which is like a Korean fried chicken wing dish. Think secret home-made sweet and spicy sticky sauce on crispy skin.

Desserts are on offer too but there's no space left in this tummy since i hardly shared my brunch with S. Haha.

Do check Holqa Cafe out if you're in the East. I'll be back for that brioche. 

The Holqa Cafe

37 East Coast Road Singapore 428755

Tel: +65 6635 7010

Weekdays (closed Wed): 12 - 9pm

Weekends: 9am - 9pm

It seems to me that the best Chinese restaurants are all housed in the hotels. Ok maybe not all but all my favorites are (Yan Ting and Li Bai)! This time, i checked off another Cantonese classic, Wan Hao Restaurant at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel. It's been a good 20 years for the hotel and they'd be having an array of promotions and activities from 4 May to 31 July 2015 to commemorate this milestone. 

Looking for a classy and indulgent meal without breaking the bank? Look no further. Joel Robuchon Restaurant and L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, in Resorts World Sentosa Singapore, are bringing back their weekend lunch with a brand new French haute menu with an extensive selection of dishes for you to choose and customize your experience from. Diners can select a 3 to 5 course menu priced at an amazing $48 onwards at the Atelier and $78 at JR. 

It's no doubt that Yan Ting is one of my favorite Cantonese restaurants, especially so after Executive Chinese Chef Tony Wun joined the team at St. Regis Singapore (read my previous Yan Ting review here). This time, we headed back for the new specials that Chef Wun has created.

We started with a trio of appetizers. A lightly battered deep fried whitebait fish with salt and pepper; a pan fried scallop glazed with teriyaki sauce; and an appetizing Japanese-style marinated radish 

Something to warm the tummy before the arrival of the mains- the soup in a tea pot.

A luxurious update from the previous sea whelk version is the Double-boiled Abalone Consommé with Ginseng served in Teapot. 

We piled on more nourishing goodness with the Braised Superior Bird's Nest with Black Truffle in Pumpkin Sauce. Delicate silvers of bird's nest (it was almost like eating glass noodles) in a savory pumpkin and stock broth. The black truffle was more a garnish as it didn't contribute any flavor in fact but we were more than happy with the bird's nest. 

The Steamed Seafood Dumpling was made with an inventive egg white skin which encased a savory and crunchy mix of seafood and water chestnut. I found the crab broth to be on the bland end in terms of flavor but i think some people may enjoy this healthy option. 

If you're into rich flavors like i do, then i'd highly recommend the Pan-fried Chicken with Morel in Superior Soy Sauce, which was a burst of wok hei and featured the distinctive flavor of morel mushrooms alongside tender chicken fillets. I loved how the sweet morel soaked up all that superior soy, making each bite a delightful one.

Next, the Baked beef ribs with herbs served with Ee-fu noodles.

The ribs were fork tender and full of collagen bits. However, it was lacking in flavor and i had to add the bean paste chili to it. I couldn't stop eating the noodles even though i'm not a carbs fan. 

To complete the meal, one must have the Coconut Jelly with ice cream! Yummy! For something more indulgent, you could go for the Double boiled Bird's Nest served in Coconut.

I was also amazed by the Crispy red bean and Banana fritters. It sounds heavy and oily but it was light and airy and full of crunch. 

Apart from new à la carte selections and set menus, expect weekly specials at Yan Ting such as Alaskan crabs, giant garoupas and imperial eels, prepared in a variety of cooking styles. The Weekend Dim Sum Brunch has also been updated by Chef Wun and i can't wait to head back for his signatures.

Yan Ting

The St. Regis Singapore. Level 1U. 

29 Tanglin Road, Singapore 247911

Tel: +65 6506 6887