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

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

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