In my opinion, Australian cafes serves one of the best breakfast and coffee. It has always appears to me that they serve healthy and hearty food with the options of having it gluten free and using the local produces.

Chez Dré is a modern bakery & café that specialises in French bakery and breakfast. Chez Dré is the hard work of Andrea (Dre) Reiss, built after extensive time and experience working in some of the most esteemed restaurants in London and Paris. 

The café it split into two sections, indoor area and a courtyard where the main entrance is. It offers a family friendly atmosphere with baby chairs available and a dog friendly courtyard. We waited for less than 20 minutes to have our table and I was glad to have it indoors near the windows.

Eggs Your Way | A$10.5 (gluten friendly option available | A$1.0) - poached, coddled, scrambled or fried with croissant or toasted sourdough. We ordered scrambled eggs and got omelette-like eggs, it was decent. Furthermore, it’s a pity that we came all the way here for its croissant and it’s sold out. Saw them baking a new batch but they mentioned that it was for a la carte and even if I want to top it up, they wouldn’t allow. To me, I think they were pretty stringent and it kind of ruin my experience.

On the other hand, the highly raved for one of the best Croque Monsieur | A$13.5 here was nicely done and it definitely rocked my boat. Béchamel grilled sourdough sandwiched with smoked ham, emmental cheese and dijon mustard. That warm cheesy centred with the crusty sourdough…couldn’t have it other way.

Brioche French Toast | A$17.5 were amazingly good, especially the crisp exterior and buttered centre. It goes along with crème brulee mascarpone, strawberries, pistachio praline, raspberry coulis and meringue. Overall I loved the sweet and sour balance together with the accompaniments that gave it more texture. It would be something worth looking forward to if you are dining here.

Besides the mains and good coffee, the bakery also sells artisan breads for take away. No wonder it’s known for its breads when all these are baked in-house using traditional techniques which comprises of organic flours and overnight fermentation.

For sweeter pastries, head over to their sister café, Bibelot, located next door. We were too full to stuff anymore food and we had activities lined up that day like shopping at the South Melbourne Market and attending Planetshakers service.

Address: Rear of 285-287 Coventry Street, South Melbourne 3205

Opening Hours:

Daily: 7.00am - 4.00pm

(Kitchen closed: weekdays: 3:00pm, weekends: 3.30pm)

Holiday Trading (28 Dec 2015 - 11 Jan 2016):

Daily: 8:00am - 3:00pm (kitchen closes at 2:30pm)

www.facebook.com/chezdre

Living up to their mantra, Melissa and Wesley aims to create and serve cakes that are made with quality ingredients and comes with a friendly price tag too. With that said, they try to move out of the fancy bakeries found in Singapore and craft a taste of their memories with a touch of elegance.

Cream and Custard café is located approximately five mintues away from Tiong Bahru station, exit B. Be prepared to bask away in the minimalist and cosy setting, and indulge with some freshly baked pastries. Note that the cakes are made in limited quantities each day, offering only five to six servings per cake flavour.

Why not start with the legendary cake which was first created by Black Star Pastry in Sydney, Australia. Just months ago, I had the chance to taste it and I got to say I fell deeply in love with it ever since (review on that will be up soon).

I was really hyped to try Cream and Custard’s rendition of the famous Strawberry Watermelon Cake | $6.8, keeping it light with two layers of almond dacquoise, fresh rose, whipped cream and watermelon. Finished it off with fresh strawberries, grapes, blueberries and rose petals atop. It came off a little disappointing as the bottom layer slides off the cake.

If I were to be compared it with Black Star’s, I'm sticking to the original for the reason that it is more refreshing and brings forth a hint of sweetness (sweeter watermelon maybe?). In addition, the layers of almond dacquoise are made to crisp unlike Cream and Custard’s. However, I would like to emphasise that this is my own opinion and there are people who have tried the original and still prefers Cream and Custard’s. If no comparison were to be made, I would say it’s quite well done and I won't mind coming back for more.

Next in the line up, we had Pure | $6.8 - made from a combination of lychee and passion fruit mousse cake. If you fancy a lighter taste, this would be for you. Followed by Sundae | $6.8 - a creamy mascarpone cheese mousse topped with a layer of strawberry mousse glazed and lastly covered with milk chocolate ganache. It tasted like a de-constructed cheesecake.

Featuring Melissa’s most recent recreation, The Black Ball | $9.8, it is inspired while she was traveling in London. This dessert involves you pouring their signature hot dark chocolate sauce over the dark chocolate sphere. Slowly revealing the passion fruit curd and 66% valrhona chocolate mousse layered intermittently with homemade crumble. An ideal dessert meant to please dark chocolate lovers.

Another proud creation, Triple Chocolate Devil | $6.8 (left) which consist of 66% valrhona dark chocolate mousse with a layer of melt-in-your-mouth raspberry jelly centres, and coated with 70% valrhona dark chocolate ganache infused with Belgium chocolate bailey’s glazed with glossy dark chocolate glaze. Don't forget to eat till the centre as the taste differs from your first bite.

Address: Block 46, Jalan Bukit Ho Swee, #01-894, Singapore 160046

Opening Hours:

Mon-Sat: 11:00am - 9:00pm

www.facebook.com/creamandcustardsg/

..Hosted Meal..

Penang food lovers rejoice when York Hotel Singapore hits 30! To embark its 30th anniversary celebration, White Rose Café will be featuring the local favourites - Penang Hawkers’ Fare this year. Expect nothing less when you have hawkers who have been hand-picked for their expertise and dedication to their craft.

Due to popular demand for more variety by customers, the buffet has increased the number of stalls over the years, bringing the number to 12 stalls this year for the joyous occasion. Besides a showcase of Penang’s favourite street food, new sizzling dishes are also introduced such as Pasembur – a Chinese-Indian style salad with shredded cucumbers and a variety of fritters cloaked in a tantalising sauce made with sweet potatoes, crushed peanuts and chillies.

When it comes to Penang food, the only dish in my mind had to be Assam Laksa. The hearty bowl consist of thick rice noodles steeped in a tangy tamarind fish-based broth, together with pineapple, cucumber and Bunga kantan (torch ginger); which gives the dish its distinctive fragrance and lashings of fresh hae-ko (prawn paste) provide the crowning glory.

Also do check out the a la minute live cooking and preparation of Oyster Omelette. A combination of  rice flour batter, eggs and a generous amount of oysters gives you a wok aromatic orh-jian (oyster omelette). I was lucky to get the crispy omelette part!

The Nasi Lemak with Nonya Chicken Kapitan is another dish I fancy. Plated with fragrant nasi lemak rice and paired with a succulent Nonya chicken Kapitan - an adaptation of the dry-style chicken curry, besides the usual condiments of homemade sambal chilli and crispy ikan bilis.

Now it comes to the highlight of the meal, dessert time! Ban Chang Kueh over here is a must try dish! Always lined with customers queueing for this sinful dessert. Why would I say it’s sinful? Well, this piping hot golden brown with crisp edges pancakes contains a generous spoonful of margarine, ground peanuts and sugar. It’s so crispy hence expect a mess savouring it!

Or choose to chill with these cold desserts such as Ice Kachang with Sarsi syrup and Chendol. The nostalgic Ice Ball were specially made by the cute and friendly dessert counter uncle and with much emphasise that it will only be available at York Hotel.

Weekdays: $29++/adult, $20++/ child below 12 years old

Weekends: $33++/adult, $23++/child below 12 years old

Do note, they do not take reservations and it’s only for walk-ins.

Address: White Rose Café @ York Hotel 21 Mount Elizabeth, S228516 

Opening Hours:

Lunch: 12:00pm - 2.30pm

Dinner: 6.30pm - 10:00pm

www.facebook.com/yorkhotel.singapore

..Hosted Meal..

The team behind Tantric Bar has brought you a brand new pizza restaurant called Peppermint Park. They aim to outshine other pizza restaurants with their innovation of Asian flavours such as Sambal Seafood. Since Peppermint Park is located beside or rather inside Tantric Bar, the restaurant also offers a range of exclusive bottled sodas to go with the food.

Best of all, you don’t have to wait till the weekends to chill cause Peppermint Park is open till 3am on weekdays. Talk about midnight hunger pangs!

The menu consist largely on 12 inches hand-stretched pizzas, the best-sellers from the lot are the Sambal Seafood (which is my favourite) and Bruschetta.

The Sambal Seafood | $24.9 is created to please the Asian palette with the iconic home-made sambal sauce with squid, prawn, crabstick, and topped with arugula. Unquestionably unique to Peppermint Park and I must say the sambal goes well with the pizza. The sambal’s spiciness is half compared to the usual and brings a hint of sweetness as well.

In contrast, Bruschetta | $22.9 is a twist from Italian’s famous appetiser, tomato bruschetta on baguette. This pizza is crowned with a mixture of pork sausage, beef pepperoni, plum tomato, chopped garlic, thyme and balsamic vinegar. I love the idea of placing a scoop of chopped garlic with tomato in the centre of each slice of the pizza, it gives off a different texture in addition to the aroma.

For the sides, we got to try Fisherman's Pie and Wings Platter which are not released in their current menu.

The Fisherman's Pie | $14.9 is like the rendition of Sambal Seafood Pizza. It includes the similar seafood atop of mashed potato and finished with the final touch of melted cheese. Another combination that satisfies my taste buds.

Wings Platter | $12.0 is a mishmash platter of their existing wings with new ones. Consisting of spicy drumlets, crispy drumlets and honey wings. There’s something familiar about the spicy drumlets, as it does taste pretty similar to one of the known restaurant that serves them too. 

It is occasionally made with love by the PR and fellow foodie-friend, Gabriel. We were lucky to have him bake for us during the tasting session.

As mentioned earlier, you may enjoy your meal with the range of exclusive bottled sodas or go for Herrljunga Cider | $14.0 like us. 

It is a nice place to chill, go before the crowd comes around 10pm. Thank you for having me over for tasting.

Don't say I bojio, flash my Instagram post or quote 'NKIKICHUA' to enjoy 10% off total bill from Sunday to Thursday. This will be valid till 30th April 2016.

www.facebook.com/pages/Peppermint-Park/1646968438904574

GoroGoro Steamboat & Korean Buffet Restaurant is helmed by the team that managed I'm Kim Korean BBQ and Kokomama Marketplace which are both located in School of The Arts (SOTA). Being the new venture, GoroGoro takes on a new location in Orchard Gateway @ Emerald, accessible via the lift in Crate & Barrel.

Besides having a strategic location, they are also distancing themselves from the pricey image of typical steamboat buffet restaurants situated in town area, by providing a light-hearted gleeful dining experience without having to burn a hole in your pockets.

The name GoroGoro came from the sound our hungry/empty stomach makes, it also signify the sound of steamboat broth boiling. Hence the brand is represented by a cute hungry monster, and each broth has its own mini mascot providing the fun element. Having said that, they offer six soup broth to choose from, namely Ginseng Chicken, Beauty Collagen, Mala, Tomyum, Tomato and Vegetarian. 

It comes with two soup and my first pick would be Vegetarian as it is light and tasted like Japanese oden or rather white radish soup, followed by Beauty Collagen which also has a lighter taste as compared to those thick collagen soup.

If you want an additional soup, you can top it up at $5++ per table. Looking for something spicier, go for Mala though it isn't very spicy in my opinion. Whereas, the rest of the soups tends to be saltier, if that fits your palette, give it a try.

You can expect up to 50 selections of fresh meats, vegetables, drinks & Korean savouries for weekday lunch and over 70 choices for dinners and weekend dining.

Do note that the tasting session was held on a weekday dinner and I would say the buffet offers quite an extensive variety, especially so for the steamboat spread. All the essential steamboat ingredients are here!

Eat to your heart’s content with these Meat Madness counter containing from pork, chicken, beef and seafood such as squid.

Not forgetting the Korean savouries - cooked food at the buffet line. A long stretch of dishes to choose from, I personally recommend the Korean Fried Chicken and the Korean Soy Chicken. It’s usually gone in minutes but thank goodness it’s being replenished quite timely. Other dishes includes Japchae and Korean pancake.

Drinks, fruits and condiments range are decent. Glad there’s Korean Brown Rice Barley drink too!

Address: Orchard Gateway @ Emerald, 218 Orchard Road, #04-01, Singapore 238851

Opening Hours:

Mon-Fri: 11:30am - 2:30pm, 5:00pm - 10:30pm

Sat-Sun: 11:30am - 3:30pm, 5:00pm - 10:30pm

https://www.facebook.com/GoroGoro.Asia/

..Hosted Meal..

Fourplay Kitchen & Bar is an 80 seater bar situated in Joo Chiat area. They serve delightful bar food and are dedicated to provide affordable dishes. Housed in a cosy yet rustic setting with classic 90s music playing in the background just makes you want to stay and chill. EPL live will also be screen here, likewise they include a wide selection of alcoholic drinks such as whisky, sake and draft beers.

There are two routes I would suggest to Fourplay Kitchen & Bar, as the nearest mall / icon is the i12 shopping complex and it’s a 2mins walk from there.

- Train to Paya Lebar station followed by bus no.40 (approx. 30mins) to the bus stop opposite i12 shopping complex.

- Train to Dakota station followed by bus no.32 (approx. 25mins) to the bus stop opposite i12 shopping complex.

The meal started with Fourplay’s Foursome Burgers, The Fourplay | $16.8 which is made up of a donut bun, hash brown, a homemade beef patty stuffed with cheddar, a sunny side up, topped with light mixed salad, cheddar cheese, BBQ sauce and garlic aioli and the finish it off with crispy calamari ring atop. It comes with fries at the side too. A donut burger? How interesting is that! Although it’s more sinful this way but it’s also yummier. The first time I would finish an entire burger for a tasting session.

I can totally understand why Tom Yum Goong | $18.0 is their signature dish under the oven baked pizza section. An authentic Thai tom yum based sauce made from scratch, spread with sliced squid rings, pineapple chunks and mozzarella cheese. The spiciness from the tom yum base gives that kick that Singaporeans would love. Beware, it get spicier after one slice.

Seafood in a Bag | $24.0 got us thinking of seafood in a bucket, in fact its baked tomato based spaghetti with king tiger prawns, squid rings and mussels. The tomato sauce is so thick that it somewhat identical to lobster bisque (lighter version). I got to say they are pretty generous with the seafood, it’s fresh and succulent.

Fourplay Kitchen & Bar: 467 Joo Chiat Road, Singapore 427678

Opening Hours:

Mon: 5:00pm - 12:00am

Tue-Thu: 11:00am - 12:00am

Fri-Sun: 11:00am - 1:00am

www.facebook.com/fourplaykitchenandbar/

..Hosted Meal..