Category Archives: Location – Marina Square

Tuk Tuk Cha, the Thai Milk Tea, Coffee and Golden Toast Specialist

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Tuk Tuk Cha, the Thai Milk Tea, Coffee and Golden Toast Specialist

Address: 3 Temasek Boulevard #02-605A Suntec City Tower 3

Opening hours: 10.00 am to 9.00 pm daily

Introduction

Tuk Tuk Cha, a sister F&B business of Thai Boat Noodle at Bedok Point, specialises in Thai milk tea and toasts and they officially opened their door for business on 4 July 2015.

Tuk Tuk Cha is not exactly a sit-down cafe but more of a snack bar situated at Suntec City. Tuk Tuk Cha mainly offers Thai-style beverages like Thai Milk Tea, Thai Coffee and also Thai Green Milk Tea. They also offer savoury and sweet toast, together with Mango Sticky Rice, Papaya Salad. The Tuk Tuk converted dining table is their trademark that can not be missed.

Tuk Tuk Cha’ s Menu – click to enlarge

Golden Toast (Pandan Kaya Dip and Custard and Taro Kaya)

Their Pandan Kaya Golden Toast is definitely my favourite. The butter infused bread cube is quite remarkable, with the edges toasted to crisp while retaining a soft spongy center. Among the two flavours, i very much prefer the home-made pandan kaya over the Yam.

Unlike the pandan kaya, I felt that the Yam flavour is too mild and at first bite, it’s overpowered by the buttery bread. It’s quite a different story for the pandan.

Their pandan kaya is something different from our usual Kaya. It’s more creamy and has a very strong pandan flavour. This dip is not overly sweet and goes very well with the toasted bread cube. This dip is wiped completely clean by the time I finished the toast.

Sticky Rice Mango

At $6.00, it comes with a very reasonable serving of Mango. I have no complain for the Mango – thickly cut, juicy and sweet. I also like the pandan fragrance and a little savoury flavour from the glutinous rice. There’s quite some standard for such a food stand and the only complain is, the rice falls apart a little too easily.

Tom Yum Toast – Chicken Floss $2.50

This tom yum toast taste much better than it looks. It’s abit lacking in term of presentation but definitely not in taste. The sweet chicken floss is infused with a drench of spicy Tom Yum sauce, giving the toast of a mix of sour, spicy and sweet flavours. Note that the spicy level is higher than average, and that is what made it enjoyable.

Ice Thai Milk Coffee / Tea ($3.20 for a large size)

I prefer their Ice Coffee more than their tea. I like to highlight that like a true blue Thai Milk Tea / Coffee, Tuk Tuk Cha’s version is much sweeter than our Singapore version . I ordered a less sweet version during my subsequent visit.

I really like the strong coffee fragrance and the sugar level made this an instant energy booster. As for the tea, i feel it’s a little lacking in term of the richness in the milk taste.

Conclusion

I find that their concept is quite good, instead of doing as cafe style, they do in like a Ya Kun style and enables them to keep the price low. Among all, I like their golden toast the best. In Singapore, many similar bread toast is either too crispy or not cripsy enough but Tuk Tuk Cha’s is just to my liking.

Price wise, it’s very reasonable. $3.20 for a large ice milk coffee and $3.80 for their butter toast and despite the low price, the quality isn’t lacking either. This new addition in the mall gives me one more reason to be excited with the newly renovated Suntec City.

Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay at MBS (with menu)

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Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay at MBS

Address: Bay Level, L1-81 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands

Opening hour: Daily lunch 11:30am – 5:30pm, Daily dinner Sun to Wed 5:30pm – 10pm, Thu to Sat 5:30pm – 12am

Introduction

Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay in Singapore is it’s fifth branches, with it’s first branch being at Bread Street in London. Everyone knows about Gordon Ramsay but obviously he will not be the chef of this restaurant. This branch is headed by Chef Sabrina Stillhart, who had worked in London, the original Bread Street branch.

It’s situated at Level 1 of the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands that is at the far end of the mall that is nearer to Raffles Place. The restaurant offers a good view of our Marina Bay and definitely a good spot to catch a some firework actions at the comfort of your seat in the restaurant during this National Day period.

The main course range from $26++ for a fish and chips and up to $180++ for a premium steak and most of them are priced at about $40++

Bread Street Kitchen Menu – Click to enlarge

Dingley Dell Pork Chop $44++

I was a bit caught unaware when the waitress asked for the doneness of my Pork Chop so I went for the safe option of medium well. After doing some research, I come to know that Pork Chop indeed can be served in different doneness but unlike beef, medium is the rawest you can go.

This dish does not come with a side dish and this slab of meat cost me about $51.50 nett. For a pork chop standard, the Bread Street Kitchen one is pretty succulent and tender. It’s well grilled and lightly flavoured with salt and pepper and part of the surface is grilled to char for a delightful flavour. The slab of meat also comes with a cut of the pig’s skin. However i’m not too impressed cus the grilled skin is a little greasy. Taste wise, it’s pretty decent but the price wise, I wouldn’t consider it as value for money.

Grilled Baby Chicken, Chimichurri Sauce, Burnt Lemon $34++

This is one of the most affordable dishes at Bread Street Kitchen, at about $40 nett for a baby chicken, with no side dishes as well. No doubt this chicken is indeed tender, i think there’s nothing too fancy about it. Just some good old grilled chicken. For the Chimichurri sauce, it’s a sauce originated from Argentina that is specially paired with grilled meat. It is made of finely-chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, and white vinegar. Although the tangy kick is quite interesting when it’s paired with the grilled Chicken, the star of the show, the grilled chicken is still only decent. I would say there is still plenty of room to justify for it’s price tag.

Macoroni Cheese with Garlic Roasted Crumbs $16++

This is actually my favourite savoury dish of the day and it cost about $18 nett. I like the strong cheese flavour and the good creamy texture. The Macoroni is soft, freshly baked and cheese-infused. It’s a pity that portion wise, it’s barely good enough for one pax.

Coffee and White Chocolate Parfait with Poached Black Berries $18++

Parfait refers to a frozen dessert made from a base of sugar syrup, egg, and cream. The cream is very well done, with just the right creamy texture and level of sweetness. The add-on of the coffee crumbles added another tinge of fragrance to the already delightful cream layer. I would say I rather enjoyed this dessert.

Ricotta and Dark Chocolate Cannoli with Morello Cherries $20++

Cannoli is a kind of tube-shape fried pasty filled with a sweet creamy filling. The ricotta cheese cream was not what I expected. It has a grainy texture, which i personally prefers something smoother.

It’s moderately sweet with a very mild taste of cheese. If only the cheese flavour can be stronger. I think this is pale in comparison to the Parfait dessert. Not the most enjoyable dessert that i had.

Conclusion

At a glance, the main course doesn’t seems too pricey for a MBS-celebrity-chef-owned restaurant. However if you think about it, the main course does not come with a side, and a portion of fries cost $12++. My grilled baby chicken would be about $54 nett with a side dish. Honestly, with the price that i pay, the meal was not as satisfying as expected.

Badass Pork Chop Knief

Taste wise, on the contuary to many online reviews saying how cannot make it the main courses are, I feel that the dishes are skillfully prepared, just that they are unable to justify it’s price tag. Some of the sauces used are actually quite brilliant and it’s something i’d never tried before but it’s just not catered to our local’s taste bud. For example, we don’t normally pair our pork chop with sourish Bearnaise sauce, which is a mix of Egg Yolk, Butter and White Wine Vinegar.

If you ask me, will I visit Bread Street Kitchen very soon? Once is quite enough for the hype i think. I still very much enjoy my non-celebrity, affordable and most importantly, satisfying restaurant meals. I don’t think much can be done in term of pricing, however in order to attract crowd to return, I think there’s still some fine tuning to suit the taste bud of our locals.

St. Marc Cafe – Simple and delightful pleasure

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St. Marc Cafe (Vivo Branch)

Address: 1 Harbourfront Walk #01-108-110 Vivo City

Opening hours: 10:00am – 10:00pm (Mon to Thu, Sun) 10:00am – 10:30pm (Fri, Sat)

St. Marc Cafe (Marina Square Branch)

Address: 6 Raffles Boulevard #02-105/184/185 Marina Square

Opening hours: 10:00am – 10:00pm (Everyday)

Introduction

There are two branches in Singapore and i personally prefers the Marina Square branch as it is more spacious with a larger seating capacity, so there’s no or little waiting time to get a seat. This branch is only opposite Lady M Confections. I was attracted by the colorful display of their desserts outside their shop and decided to have a try.

Click to enlarge

St. Marc Cafe mainly serve bread, pasty, sandwiches, soft serve and their most popular Chococro and Little Fuji. Their soft serve dessert mainly range from S$6.30 for the little Fuji to S$8.80 for their Choco Banana Split. I thought St. Marc Cafe is an ideal place to have rest and to re-energise myself with a quick sugar boost.

St. Marc Cafe’s items are not exactly the most premium or the most special of all. However, their simple and yet delightful dishes are the reasons why i re-visited this cafe again. It’s the piping hot Chococro chocolate filling that attracted me back, and the crispy biscuit-like crust of the Little Fuji that made me want to visit this place again.

Little Fuji – S$6.30

I actually think this is one of the star of the show of St. Marc Cafe. Many people are either ordering this Little Fuji, or the Choco Banana Fuji, with added chocolate sauce and banana.

So what exactly is the Little Fuji? It’s a freshly toasted buttery flavor croissant dough with soft serve with caramel sauce. There is always at 5 to 10 minutes of waiting time for this Little Fuji and to collect at the counter when it’s ready.  Therefore Little Fuji is always served piping hot and it’s duper crispy.

It’s arguable that the ice-cream taste a little like McDonald’s but what does it matter when the combination of the croissant with soft serve is too good to nitpick.

The Signature Original Chococro (S$2.40)

By the name Chococro, it actually stands for Chocolate Croissant. Best part about this? When it’s freshly out from the oven, or at the minimum, it’s warm.

Somehow a pastry can’t go too wrong when there is warm molten hazelnut chocolate and warm crispy croissant involved.  This is quite an ideal snack to go with a cup of latte even if you are feeling a little full from a meal. The portion is just right, and the chocolate is not too greasy so it’s almost always a good time to have a Chococro.

Seasonal Flavor – Matcha Daifuku Chococro (S$2.60)

Daifuku (大福) literally means “Great Luck”. Daifuku is a Japanese confection consisting of a small round mochi stuffed with sweetened red bean paste. So a Matcha Daifuku Chococro is a actually a confection within a pastry. I initially thought the white filling is green bean paste but i think it’s actually mochi, and was stuff into the croissant together with the red bean paste and matcha cream. This is a rather interesting flavor which is not easily found elsewhere. Catch it before there’s a change in season.

Salsa Egg and Custard Bread (S$3.50)

Apart from sweet stuff, St. Marc also offers some savory items like sandwich and bread. There are actually plenty of ingredients in the Salsa Egg Bread – salsa sauce, mayonnaise, bacon slices, pepper and whole egg. It’s almost as good as it looks and only too bad the egg is quite well cooked. It would be best if the egg is only half cooked with the runny egg yolk. The price is also not exactly the cheapest in it’s class.

Custard Bread with Almond Flakes (S$2.60)

This bread is rather pricey at $2.60, but you will be able to tell the difference between a $2.60 and $1.50. The warm creamy custard flows out from the bread upon cutting it into two. Comparing to ordinary custard, this one has a stronger and aromatic milk taste. The bread’s texture is similar to Barcook’s Raisin Cheese but a little bit softer. This or Chococro at the same price of S$2.60? After some consideration, Chococro will be my choice! But this is actually not bad too.

Conclusion

I still ordered their Little Fuji or Chococro for my subsequent visits. I personally prefer their croissant dishes rather than their bread. St. Marc Cafe’s ambiance is very similar to Starbucks or Coffeebean kind of ambiance and can reasonably sit for as long as i like. The one thing i like about St. Marc Cafe is their patrons can get free cold water from their water dispenser. This means that i can get to rest in this cafe, and spending only S$2.60 on one Chococro, and to rehydrate myself for free.

Once again, i need to emphasis that St. Marc cafe is not offering the most special kind of pastry, or the nicest pastry in Singapore. Their dishes are some very safe recipe that can’t go wrong easily. I personally like them for the reasonable price and the overall comfort offered to their patrons. Sometimes, life’s simple pleasure can be the best kind.

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Lady M Confections Singapore – Crepe Cakes, Strawberry Shortcake and more

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Lady M Confections Singapore

Marina Square Shopping Mall, 6 Raffles Boulevard #02-103

Opening hours: 11.00 am – 9.00 pm

Introduction

Lady M Confections Singapore markets itself as a popular confectionery situated in New York. This is only their fifth outlet worldwide and best known for their signature light cream crepe cake. They also offer other dessertss like strawberry shortcake, chocolate and vanilla checkerboard cake, baked cheesecake, Eclair, Mont Blanc, and many more.

The checkers. Looks good, and the chocolate layer is good, but it’s actually an ordinary sponge cake in the center.

I visited this place on a weekday evening at about 6.15pm and i was rather surprised that there was not much crowd. Probably the crowd will come after dinner? Apart from the signature crepe cake and strawberry short cake, i asked for recommendation from the counter staff and this guy recommended their banana mille feuille.

*Update 24 June 2014*

New menu with indicated price. The green tea crepe cake has became part of their regular menu and Lady M is now selling savoury items. I haven’t try it though, but it looks pretty expensive to pay $21.06 net for a ham and cheese sandwich.

Updated Menu: Click to enlarge

Green Tea Crepe Cake ($8.50)

For people who don’t like something too sweet and creamy, their Green Tea Crepe Cake is a better choice than the original crepe cake. Many said that the green tea version is better than the original. For me, i thought the green tea taste is a little too heavy though, but i figure out that those who really like green tea may like this. I still prefer the original crepe cake.

Signature Crepe Cake (S$7.50 S$8.00)

Lady M’s signature crepe cake took around ten hours of preparation before serving in the restaurant which they proudly boast that their crepe is so thin and finely prepared that there are at least twenty layers of crepes and cream in every slice of Lady M’s crepe cake.

The cream is really soft and smooth, until some point, if it’s left in the open for a while, the crepe cake will just collapse when I try to cut it with the fork. I recommend them to provide fork and knife for this cake.

The fillings had a very light aromatic cream taste followed by a bit of sweet condensed milk after-taste. I thought it would be really ideal if the cream can just be a little less sweet. The paper-thin crepe is really good. Much much better than some that I had tried some where the crepe is so thick that I can feel that I am biting on the flour.

If i am comparing this to the very well-known Malacca’s Nadeje crepe cake, and not mentioning about the price, i much prefer the texture of Nadeje’s. Here are some photos of Nadeje’s crepe cakes:

Their crepe cake can be sliced through beautifully by using just a fork and therefore I can taste the well-defined crepe and the layering of their aromatic cream with every bite. But I thought it’s because Nadeje kept their cakes slightly chilled. To be fair, Lady M’s crepe cake fares better than quite some of the crepe cakes that I had.

Strawberry short cake (S$7.50 S$8.50)

This cake is also one of their specialties. The best part of this cake is for it’s center sponge cake portion and I can say that it’s not too exaggerating to say that it literally melts in my mouth. I quite like the overall texture of the cake, with a layer of strawberry puree at the center with thinly sliced sweet sour strawberries mixed into the cream.

And for those who are going to try this out, can you tell me did you taste a tinge of hazelnut in it’s cream? I know it’s weird, but i really tasted some kind of nut taste in the cream.

Banana Mille Feuille (S$8.00 S$8.50)

Their mille feuille is unlike the traditional mille feuille, the strudel pastry is crushed and sprinkled generously on a thick layer of cream and sliced banana. I thought the cream would be infused with banana but it didn’t so this cake did not surprise me as much. The cream taste really fresh and somewhat similar to the crepe cake’s cream but with a layer of vanilla sponge cake in the middle. This taste quite decent, but if you ask me, i will choose the crepe cake over this anytime.

Gâteau aux Marrons (S$7.50)

I did a look up for Gâteau aux Marrons (pronounced as Gair Two Ox Meh Ron) and it means “Brown/Chestnut Cake” in French. The top layer is covered with sweet chestnut infused cream topped with crushed walnut, and it’s slightly, only slightly sweet for my preference. Another layer of non-sweetened cream is sandwiched by two layers of almond flour.

I like the Almond flour layer very much, easily the best part of the cake. I think the whole idea is to not eat the layers separately, like what i did, as i wanted to taste what exactly are these layers, so that the sweet cream layer will balance with the non-sweetened cream. The taste of this cake is rather refreshing and glad that i tried this.

Conclusion

*update on 24 June 2014*

It had been lest than 9 months and i noticed that price for most cakes had increased. The strawberry short cake increased it price from $8.75 net to $9.95 net and that’s a 13.7% increase. It seems not as worth it as before, especially with so many new cafes popping up that offers similar dessert at a much more reasonable price.

Apparently, seems like Lady M did not bring on the hype that i was expecting, which is a good thing. I don’t want to queue for 120 minutes just for some Dim Sum. Anyway, I thought Lady M is quite decent, and may come to my mind if i am looking for a decent dessert in Marina/Suntec area.

Probably i will also feast on the crepe cake immediately when it’s served. I wonder did i take too long to shoot the cake and that is why the cream melted. Lady M, can you also serve me with a knife next time so that i won’t make a mess out of my crepe cake.

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