Passion is Their Main Ingredient

Quoting the store's website, "Baker & Cook is Singapore's only true artisan bakery and foodstore chain and is the brainchild of Global Baker Dean Brettschneider."

I'm no baker, and you might not be one either.

So a simple Google search on this New Zealander shows he's a big name in the baking world, with TV shows and best-selling baking books.

The team and I visited one of the two Baker & Cook stores, just behind Holland Village MRT (how convenient!).

There's a homy feel to this store, with inspirational quotes on baking that really convinces patrons that, as the tagline suggest, passion is (and should be) the main ingredient.

A quick sweep at the counter and you know that this store lives up to its name by being a baker and a cook. There is a whole gamut of delicacies ranging from quiches to salads to cheesecakes to tarts to bread to... Yeah, what a handful. And there's even more on the menu not showcased at the counter. But that plethora of food is definitely able to whet then quench any appetite you have.

Lemon & Passionfruit Cheesecake, $5, T: 10, P: 10

I rarely give a perfect score, but it's a crime not to because this cheesecake is really something. Perhaps it's my predilection for lemon and passionfruit that made me love this cheesecake so much, but I'm sure without it, I'd still love it all the same. You have to try this.

Raspberry Tart, $5, T: 8, P: 8

This tart is apparently one of the most sought after tart they have, with the lemon tart preceding this. The crust is a little tough, but perhaps due to the air-conditioning. It's pretty and a little sour for me but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Popcorn Tea, $5, T: 8 P: 8

I also have a knack for trying food and drinks with appealing names. In this case, I got myself a pot of popcorn tea. The roasted aroma of this tea is hard to miss, and it's lightness is a plus point for those who prefer not to indulge in a rich and heavy flavour.

Flat White, $5, T: 8, P: 9

Carol loves a good cup of flat white -and this copious serving is worth that money.

Overall Rating -Hot

1. Taste: 9/10
2. Price: Moderate Range, 9/10
3. Decor: 9/10
4. Service: 10/10

A Step Back in Time

Vintage denotes something of a high quality, especially from the past. But vintage never felt so alive to me until I stepped into Carpenter and Cook, a little cafe nestled in Upper Bukit Timah, Singapore.

Patrons would feel a sense of bewilderment upon setting foot into this cafe, as if stepping into a whole new world (well, at least that was how I felt, and who doesn't love feeling like Jasmine from Aladdin on that magic carpet?).

The decor is of no surprise, judging from the name Carpenter and Cook. This cafe is filled with vintage ware, furniture, and whatnots. Even the floor tiles are distinctively of an era where trishaws are the main mode of transport.

And that's what makes this cafe so interesting. It's a collector's dreamland, a lesson of the past for the impressionable juveniles, and definitely quite an eyeopener for the mildly-creative. Who knew a treadle sewing machine could be transformed into a coffee table?

If the vintage, handmade, Pinocchio's workshop vibe doesn't get to you, the food certainly will.

This is a cafe that does not cater full, heavy meals. It is one that specialises in dishing out fancy pastries, cakes, sandwiches, coffee, and tea.

The team definitely left satisfied!

Passionfruit Meringue Tart, $6.50, T: 9, P:9

This was the first thing the team feasted on and it definitely was a pleasant surprise. It's a Queen of Hearts tart -a Passionfruit Meringue. Though the tart is a little tough, but to quote Chef Ramsey, "a party in my mouth" was the first thing that popped in my head.

Banoffee Pie, $6.50, T: 8, P: 9

We tried another Queen of Hearts tart, titled Banoffee. It took me a while to realise it was banana and coffee. I was surprised at this combination -banana and coffee? This tart has a layer of foamy cream and sprinkled on it was coffee powder. The first contact between my tongue and the tart had me cringing -the coffee powder is bitter (duh), and the cream is bland, which does nothing to sooth the overwhelming bitterness of the coffee. It took my tongue a span of 3 seconds to finally register the sweet, tangy banana. And I made up my mind that banana and coffee do go well with each other. But perhaps, I'd eat the tart upside down the next time I enjoy this bitter-sweet tart.

Latte, $5, T: 7, P: 8

I had a cup of latte. It was okay, and it was sweeter than most other cafe's! (not a bad thing, not a bad thing at all).

African Sunrise, $5, T: 10, P: 10

The rest of the team shared a pot of tea -African Sunrise. And that, too, was a pleasant surprise. I didn't catch what was in that, but it's really good. It's decaf, has several berries, and smells sweet and fresh. That's probably my favourite tea now. 10/10 would have that again!

Though there were a few loquacious young adults, Carpenter and Cook would've been a nice cafe to waste the world away with a nose buried between the pages of a book. It does not have free Wi-fi though, probably to open up tables to new patrons (but books are a great source of entertainment too!). I really like Carpenter and Cook. Other than the wonderful decor and nice, sweet pastries, the servers are really friendly too. And to quote the receipt, "No service charge or GST levied! God bless :)"

Overall Rating -Hot

1. Taste: 9/10
2. Price: Low Range, 9/10
3. Decor: 9/10
4. Service: 9/10

Curiosity Killed the Cat, But Satisfaction Got Him Back

So we all know how curiosity kills the cat.

The team has been wanting to visit this little cafe for a while now.

What hindered this trip there were two things:

1. Location

This cafe is snugly hidden in one of the shophouses on Tyrwhitt Road (a little off Lavender Road). The location is the least bit convenient -especially in this Singaporean heat! But we borrowed a car and headed there. If you're traveling on foot, here's a brief description on how to get there.

Alight at Lavender MRT station (Take Exit B). Walk to V Hotel Lavender, then walk down to the end of Horne Road. Turn left onto Tyrwitt Road. And find this cafe! It's not hard to spot, you'll find out why. It takes about 8 minutes to get there. Direction description courtesy of SG Food on Foot. 

And so you may be wondering, why get it from another website and not the cafe's? Yeah, we wondered the same thing too. The website could be a little more helpful in providing more specific directions for those without local data to access Google Maps (and those who aren't familiar with local streets!)

2. Opening Hours

Or rather, opening days. I'm totally cool with the cafe being closed on Wednesdays. Or any other days for that matter. But what I'm not cool with is that it's not mentioned on the website. I checked it twice. Maybe I missed it, but if I missed it, perhaps it's a sign that it should be mentioned clearly on it. It's not very nice to show up on a Wednesday only to be greeted with closed, locked doors. 

But satisfaction gets him back. 

And thankfully, this is one such situation. 

The decor definitely earned this cafe some brownie points. Or tiramisu points. 

Yep, you guess it. This cafe is none other than The Tiramisu Hero. 

I told you the decor is something. 

It doesn't matter whether those chairs are functional or decorative. They kind of serve both purposes, but I can't imagine anyone wanting to be seated there before the sun goes down. 

The carpet grass is a nice refreshing look in our urban city. This cafe is surrounded by shophouses, hotels and more shophouses. It's nice to see a little green in our concrete jungle. 

What's even cuter is that little chalkboard in the centre. They call it a smarty pants challenge. The prize is a cup of iced tea. (A pretty smart idea considering how blazing hot the sun is as we are standing in front of the chalkboard reading the challenge.) 

Wait till you go inside. It's a really cutesy cafe -with fairy lights, ladders extended from the ceilings and walls, and wall stickers of the cafe's mascot, Sir Antonio. 

Sir Antonio is an aptly picked name. It's apparently a Roman cat. What better link can there be between one of the most common Italian names and the origins of this widely-eaten dessert? But I still have yet to figure out why the mascot is a cat. Or why this cat is addressed with "Sir". Or why it looks like Zorro. 

And then it hit me. 

It looks like Zorro because the cafe is called The Tiramisu Hero. Yknow, hero. That explains it. Sir Antonio is the tiramisu hero. And I have just confirmed this speculation with the website, one thing they have not forgotten to add, and is one of the important things I look out for. The reason behind the name, that is. 

So Sir Antonio's presence is definitely noted with the consistent wall stickers and cat-related decor (the washroom is called the 'Litterbox', and has little puffballs hanging from the ceiling, and I just realised the ladders are part of a cat's plaything. Oh, and there are cat collars too -I guess a door chime is another use for these.). But what's not consistent and I find really cosy is the furniture. Varying from lightwood benches, to dark-wooded ones, to long oak-looking tables, to plastic chairs, to... Yeah, you get it. Cafes often shun from inconsistent furniture, or decor in general, wanting everything to fit a common theme. But that's the thing. The inconsistency of the furniture is consistent. And besides, it gives a homy feeling, which is a plus point. You have homy furniture, homy music, and a house cat. 

Part of the functionality-cum-decorative concept are a little stall and a music station. This cafe has a stall that sells jewellery and Sir Antonio merchandise. This music station, I believe, is a promotion for a music movement. I didn't check it out, but it might be more efficient to publicise it if the music is played through the speakers. Or maybe it isn't a promotion for the music. Maybe it's for cat meows. 

And moving on to the tiramisu...

There are several flavours and packaging that customers can choose from. The really wacky flavours have to be pre-ordered online, where customers are able to customise their own tiramisu. Plus point for customisation!

And, me being me, I got the best-seller and most un-original flavour -original. AKA coffee. 

Honestly, I think how good the food is of any cafe or restaurant is dependent on how good the original-flavoured speciality dish is. Because anyone can come up with wacky, funky, unprecedented flavours. But what's tough is how to make an original unique. 

So yes, I got the original tiramisu. It came in a cute little jar. And I could somehow feel Sir Antonio laughing at me (and other patrons) for eating out of a jar -just like a can of cat food. Nice one, guys. But really, A for effort.

It's the signature packaging called MommaHero. And just look at it with a Sir Antonio stamp and sticker. All this cuteness is making me feel fuzzy inside. Wait, I think it's a hairball.

Coffee Tiramisu (Original), $7.50, T: 7, P:6

It's not too sweet and the coffee flavour is there. The jar is a cute concept, but even though it's glass and transparent, it's hard to see the different layers of the dessert, much less taste it. The jar restricts movement of the spoon, so when actually digging the tiramisu out of it, it's a mush of squished cake and cream. For that, the price of $7.50 is a little pricey. But the cream is foamy and light, a signature for a tiramisu dessert. So it's a 7/10 for taste, and a 6/10 for the price. 

T: 9, P: 8.5

We tried the latte too, and it's not bad. Really. It stands out from several other cafes. It's a 9/10 for taste, and a 8.5/10 for the price. I think this cup of latte is a promise for another visit to The Tiramisu Hero.

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction got him back. And this cat is going back for another cup of that latte!

Overall Rating -Hot

1. Taste: 8/10
2. Price: Moderate Range, 7.5/10
3. Decor: 9/10
4. Service: 7/10

The Timeless Market of Singapore -Lau Pa Sat

Singapore is hot, hot, hot!

Other than the weather, Singapore's food is also a unique trait of this tiny red dot.

Since we are back for the summer, we decided to spend these two months traveling around Singapore to uncover the best food in town.

My dad and I striking the Sir Stamford Raffles pose

Right in the nest of Singapore's central business district, lies a 191-year-old market, Telok Ayer Market, colloquially known as Lau Pa Sat. For the linguistically challenged, 'Lau' (老) means old, and 'Pa Sat' means market (it's the Hokkien [a Chinese dialect] pronunciation of the Persian loanword bazaar).

This is one of Singapore's oldest market, if not the oldest one.

It apparently has borne witness to even the events dated back to the founding of Singa
pore -the arrival of the first Chinese and Indian immigrants, the execution of Singapore's founder's (Sir Stamford Raffles) vision, the Japanese Occupation, and the emergence of a new nation we now know today as Singapore.

LOOK AT THE CROWD

 Lau Pa Sat attracts not just tourists, but many locals as well. We visited this market on a Monday, and it was packed. Besides the rich history of this local market, what makes Lau Pa Sat so iconic is the food -hawker food. Hawkers are very common in Singapore, and it is one of the unique traits this little country possesses. Lau Pa Sat is a hawker centre that boasts renowned hawkers who specialise in serving the best local food. 

Lai Heng Fried Kway Teow

The stall I went to was Lai Heng Fried Kway Teow. Long name, right? Let me break it down for you. Most hawkers name their stalls with what they sell. In this case, Fried Kway Teow.

What is fried kway teow? Behold...

Fried Kway Teow, 7/10

It's basically flat rice noodle (that's layman's terms for kway teow) stir-fried with dark soy sauce, egg, fishcake, and prawns. Beware of its high calorie count (744 kcal) and 29g of unsaturated fat. Here's a tip. Eat this (well, at least try it) and work out.

My favourite local food has got to be Hokkien Mee.

Hokkien Mee, 8/10

There are several variations of this dish (note, Singapore's Hokkien Mee is not the same as the one in Penang, or, really, elsewhere). It is stir-fried egg and rice noodles, topped off with the most important ingredient -prawns.

Another local favourite is fried carrot cake.

White carrot cake, 8/10

There's a white one and a black one and trust me, they both taste absolutely amazing.

This dish, also known as Chai Tow Kway, is basically radish cake stir-fried with eggs.

These three dishes are among the most common local delights you can find in Singapore's hawker centres.

Oyster Omelette, 7/10

What is not as common but also well-liked by the locals is Oyster Omelette, also known as Or Luak (Teochew pronunciation). There are, again, several variations of oyster omelettes. Or Luak consists of potato starch, eggs, and, you guessed it, oysters.

The dishes are cheap (of course not as cheap as other hawkers) with a price range of SD$3-5. Watch the fats, calories, and cholesterol though!

If you are wondering why these dishes are unhealthy, it is because these foods were originally served to labourers who preferred cheap meals but can provide them with enough energy to sustain through the day.

Despite the unhealthiness, you definitely have to try these local delights when you are in Singapore, and if possible, try this stall (just look at her -she obviously loves what she's doing. A dish cooked out of passion and love rules all.)

Hawker :)

Just one last thing to add, Lau Pa Sat is truly an amazing place to visit, even if you don't try the food (but really, why won't you?). What struck me the most was the architecture.

It's so uniquely Singaporean.

Why?

Because it's a fusion -racial, religious, whatever.

Green cast-iron structure

See the market's unique, octagonal, cast-iron structure? Those were designed by James MacRitchie (the municipal engineer who also oversaw the development of the MacRitchie Reservoir) in the late 1800s. They were shipped out from Glasgow by P&W MacLellan, and here's the cool part -these columns that support the structure clearly bear the maker's mark (well, that's what is said here on Wiki). These are obviously Victorian-styled.

And then let's look at the colour of these structures -green. Green is considered the traditional colour of Islam and symbolises nature and life.

Church Bells (I think)

Another cool fun-fact: there are church bells in this market. They chime (well, something did, so I'm assuming the chiming came from the bells) every 15 minutes, and then a more grandeur one to signify the hour.

Also, needless to say, the colloquial term is obviously Chinese. The actual name is Malay (meaning bay water).

Yes, I know this is a food blog but I'm equally obsessed with history.

And lastly, according to my grandmother, this place used to flood every month. I don't know about you, but I'm starting to feel a connection to this timeless market.

Now, isn't Lau Pa Sat a splendid place to visit?

Overall Rating -Hot

1. Taste: 7/10
2. Price: Low Range, 8/10
3. Decor: 7/10
4. Service: Self-service

Credits

1. http://www.hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/gamesandtools-article/HPB-047540
2. http://goseasia.about.com/od/singaporepeopleculture/ss/Hawker-Food-Lau-Pa-Sat-Festival-Market-Singapore_2.htm

No Place Like Home

Many restaurants and cafes try to establish a homy vibe so that patrons can let their hair down.

And this all-day-breakfast restaurant is no different.

Wild Honey's two locations are situated in the heart of downtown Singapore. And being right smack in one of the busiest streets of this country has its perks.

One definitely being its convenience. Pick either Scotts Square or Mandarin Gallery, and its still as convenient as the other.

Being the lazy foodies we are, the team dropped by the branch at Mandarin Gallery, and the decor is a nice sight to behold.

The dim interior adds to the homy feel, but the layout and furniture used are a little off. It seems more of a posh restaurant than a homy one.

But who won't wanna live in a posh home! It's a nicely furbished place anyway, and the decor really entices passers-by to patronise Wild Honey.

It has a nice personalised touch with the chalkboard menu, but what I feel adds to that homy, personal vibe is the service.

The service here is definitely much better than several local cafes and restaurants we've been to. Servers in Singapore don't receive tips from patrons, so that's perhaps one of the main reasons why the service is not as good as what we receive elsewhere. But it's nice to be able to meet friendly servers. We also got to meet the owner of Wild Honey, an amicable lady who definitely puts in a ton of effort into this restaurant.

Wild Honey specialises in breakfast from different cities. To quote from the website, patrons can "wake up and travel to a different destination everyday. From Tunisa to Mexico to New York to California & beyond".

English, $25, T:9, P:7

Whenever in doubt, get English. This English breakfast set is pretty splendid, and the portion and the taste are worth the price. Just a warning, it's pretty filling -scrambled eggs, back bacon, Cumberland porn sausage, sautéed mushrooms, baked beans, breakfast potatoes, grilled vine ripened tomato and signature brioche. But, in my opinion, this dish is Wild Honey's specialty.

Spanish Hash, $24, T: 7, P:7

The Spanish Hash is a little on the salty side, with two poached eggs topped with hollandaise sauce, on a bed of diced Chorizo, house corned beef and potato, and paired with grilled ciabatta.  

Flat White, $6, T: 7, P: 7

Carol tried a cup of flat white -and what a beauty! 

Caramel Latte, $7, T: 6, P:5

Having a sweet tooth, I got myself a cup of caramel latte. It's nicely served, but unfortunately was burnt and left a bitter taste. 

If you're downtown and crave some international breakfast, Wild Honey's always a great option.

Overall Rating -Hot

1. Taste: 7/10
2. Price: Moderate Price, 6.5/10
3. Decor: 9/10
4. Service: 9/10