Tag: cafes

Welcome To The Dark Side – These 13 Black Foods Will Surely Soot Your Tastebuds

Black – we love to wear it, we love it on makeup, we love to… eat it?

Black coloured foods seem to be the next big food trend and we think you’ll be seeing more of these dark, moody foods all over your Insta-feeds. From sinful desserts to devilish mains, with foods as black as our hearts, we’re not going to say no.

We’ve rounded up some of the blackest foods in Singapore, so let your inner goth come alive with these cold, black treats.

1. 黑 “Hei” Rice ($22) – Paddy Hills

This signature dish consists of the OG black food, squid ink pasta, tossed with a generous amount of crayfish, scallops, prawns, clams, and squid. The pasta is infused with the natural taste of the sea from the squid ink, and the sauce is briny and flavourful. While squid ink pasta is not hard to find across our little island, this is one of the better squid ink pastas you can get in Singapore.

Pasta Brava
Address: 11 Craig Road, Singapore
Opening Hours: Mon – Sat: 11.45am – 2.15 pm (lunch), 6.15pm – 10.15pm (dinner); Closed on Sun & PH

4. Squid Ink Panini with King Crab and Prawns ($14) – Dolcetto by Basilico

Black Magic[/caption]

You may have chanced upon this all-black dessert before. Now, it’s back again in all its glory. The magic unfolds in an intricately designed medley of black sesame panna cotta, squid ink profiterole, crispy charcoal biscuit, lace tulle, black berries, with a chocolate wand. A tasty and quirky combination that works wonders!

Platform 1094
Address: 1094 Serangoon Road, Singapore 328192
Opening Hours: Tue – Fri: 11am – 10pm; Sat & Sun: 10am to 10pm; Closed on Mon

10. Foie Gras Macaron ($12) – Hashida Garo

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To beat the heat, come to the dark side with KokoPanda’s black frozen yoghurt, made with charcoal and roasted coconut husk.

It’s a tangy, refreshing and absolutely yummy alternative to ice cream. What’s more, it’s also a much healthier choice as it comes topped with superfoods. These include dried strawberry, apple, pear, persimmon and Jeju tangerine, as well as caviar bubbles made with real fruit juice.

A single topping with the base froyo will cost $4.90, while a froyo with 3 toppings will cost $5.90, with additional toppings priced at $0.80 each.

KokoPanda
Address: 68 Orchard Road, #B2-60, Plaza Singapura, Singapore 238839
Opening Hours: Mon – Sun: 10am – 10pm

12. Homemade Black Soy Ice Cream ($4.90 for Regular, with 2 toppings) – Dofu

This grand tower consists of fine milk shavings topped with a generous layer of black sesame and kinako powder, a heap of red beans, and a scoop of ice cream. Feast your eyes on the Black Sesame Bingsu, a slayer at Nunsongyee Korean Dessert Café that for good reason, has garnered its own fan club.

Nunsongyee Korean Dessert Café
Address: 534 North Bridge Road, Singapore 188749 | #02-25 Century Square, 2 Tampines Central 5, Singapore 529509 | 227 Upper Thompson Road Singapore 574359 | The Midtown Singapore, 1187 Upper Serangoon Road #01-14, Singapore 534785
Opening Hours: 24 hours daily (North Bridge Road branch) | Mon – Sun: 12pm – 10pm (Century Square branch)

It seems when it comes to food, black is now the new black. With all the multi-coloured and ombre foods and drinks we’ve been seeing lately, this is definitely a refreshing and much welcomed change.

If you’re in the mood to try something new, check out these deliciously dark eats. And of course, make sure to bring a mirror with you–you don’t want to be out in public with black stuff all over your teeth!

Also read 8 Instagram-Worthy Drinks That Will Have Your Followers Spamming The Like Button

7 Oozy Choux Pastries That Will Have You Scrambling To Lick Everything Up

Is there anything better than sinking your teeth into a creamy, oozy choux pastry? No matter the shape or size, they’re a guaranteed flavour bomb!

For all you sweet tooths out there, we’ve put together a list of 7 places where you can get your hands (and lips!) on these tasty cream puffs!

1. Châteraisé Singapore

Originally from Japan, the immensely popular Châteraisé patisserie opened up in Singapore in April 2015. The outlets offer a huge variety of cakes and pastries, including their famed Double Fantasy Cream Puff ($1.90).

Filled with Hokkaido cream and egg custard, they occasionally offer flavours like sweet potato and matcha. This palm-sized pastry is possibly the best thing you can get for under $2!

Châteraisé
Outlets: Jurong East, Shaw House, Novena Square 2, Serangoon Nex, City Square Mall, CityLink, Chinatown Point
Opening Hours: Daily, 10am – 10pm
Website

2. Pulse Patisserie

Combining the classic French pastry with the local passion for salted egg yolk, the Salted Egg Yolk Cream Puff ($12 for a half dozen) was born. Pulse Patisserie’s bite-sized creations have a cookie crust top that gives it a crisp texture, perfectly complementing the unique sweet-savoury filling inside.

It’ll probably get messy, but where good food is concerned, who cares! These pretty, petite golden puffs are perfect for a snack, especially when accompanied with a hot cuppa.

Pulse Patisserie 
Address: 180 Depot Road #01-06, The Interlace, Singapore 109684
Opening Hours: Mon, Wed – Fri, 11am – 7pm; Sat, 9am – 7pm; Sun, 9am – 5pm
Website

3. Angela May Food Chapters

Among other sweet treats, you’ll find a range of sweet and savoury choux pastries at Angela May Food Chapters. Not afraid to push the boundaries of pastry, the puffs here contain unconventional ingredients like cucumber, jasmine, mint, sesame, ricotta, and even prawns!

[caption id="attachment_23746" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Image Credit: 6. Les Délices

Translating into “The Delights” in French,  choux pastries are the specialty of Les Délices. Crisp on the outside and hollow and chewy in the middle, it’s perfect for filling up with their delicious pastry creams.

[caption id="attachment_24786" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Image Source: Burpple[/caption]

Their signature puffs come in 3 different flavours – Valrhona Guanaja Choux, Matcha Choux, Earl Grey Choux ($5.90 each). Topped with a crunchy cookie layer, it’s definitely a treat for both the eyes and the tastebuds.

Les Délices
Address: 333 Kreta Ayer Road, Singapore 080333
Opening hours: Mon, 12.30pm – 5.30pm; Tue – Thu, 12.30pm – 10pm; Fri – Sat, 12.30pm – 10.30pm
Image Credit: Website

If any of these delicate creations grab your fancy, head down to these top spots for one (or more) delicious choux pastry to sweeten up your day!

Also read 10 Uniquely Singaporean Cocktails You Can’t Find Anywhere Else In The World

(Top Image Credit: Anakjajan)

These 8 Social Enterprise Eateries Serve Food From The Heart

If there’s one thing Singaporeans share, it’s a common love for food. Local eateries are constantly competing to whet our appetites with new flavours, but some have taken their fare one step further by making a social enterprise out of their businesses.

Whether it’s providing employment opportunities to the marginalised or donating profits to the less fortunate, these eateries have made it their mission to do good.

Check out these 8 social enterprise eateries! The causes they stand for only give us more reason to head out to try the cuisines they have to offer.

1. Art Bar

Get your daily coffee fix at Art Bar, a community project with Starbucks Singapore. Art Bar trains young adults with autism to handle cash and work the coffee machine, and ultimately, become fully-fledged baristas!

Art Bar is one of the various job sites at the E2C campus of Enabling Village. Enabling Village is a cosy community in Singapore where people with different disabilities can move independently, feel accepted for who they are, and be valued for their contributions.

While you’re there, you must try the rich, chocolatey and moist Double Chocolate Chip Muffin. It goes especially well with the Cafe Latte! Other drinks include Cafe Americano, Cafe Mocha and Milo Smoothie.

Art Bar
Where: The Art Faculty By Pathlight, 01-07 Enabling Village, 20 Lengkok Bahru
Hours: 9am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday; closed on Sunday
Phone: 6513 0706
This quiet bao shop just off Upper Thomson Road is more than just another dim sum shop. Its owner, Madam Sarah Tan helps the less fortunate by giving them employment and having them make and sell their steamed buns. 

[caption id="attachment_23044" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Image credit:

Choon Ming Bao Dian
Where:
203 Toa Payoh North, #01- 1121, Singapore 310203
122 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3, Singapore 560122
628 Ang Mo Kio Market & Food Centre, #01-91, Singapore 560628
Facebook

3. Crossings Cafe

The aptly named Crossings Cafe seeks to provide employment opportunities, personal development and dignity to the disadvantaged. The hope is that they will be able to cross boundaries and chart more paths in society.

Crossings Cafe
Where: 55 Waterloo Street, Singapore 187954
Open: Mon-Fri 8am-10pm; Sat-Sun 10am-10pm
Phone: 6336 6203
Email: [email protected]
Facebook

4. Dignity Kitchen

Tucked away in Serangoon is Singapore’s first ever hawker training school. It gives practical training to people with disabilities, so they can secure stable jobs as chefs or hawkers!

80% of its staff is disabled, and another 20% is made up of the elderly and the poor–all of which are able to achieve financial independence working here.

Dignity Kitchen is home to Singaporean favourites like rojak, chicken rice, baked goods and local desserts. You can even pre-order bento boxes for large scale events here!

Dignity Kitchen
Where: Blk 267 Serangoon Avenue 3, #02-02, Singapore 550267
Phone: 8189 7678
Email: [email protected]
Facebook

5. Eighteen Chefs

Opened by an ex-convict himself, Eighteen Chefs inspires troubled youths and people with conviction backgrounds to find positive ways to reintegrate back into society.

6. Joan Bowen Cafe

Originally opened by the owners to fulfil their special needs daughter’s wish to be a chef, Joan Bowen Café has since employed more than 10 special needs youths.

is another cosy social enterprise that provides training and employment opportunities to the disadvantaged, so they can be integrated back into society.

[caption id="attachment_23050" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Image Credit:

Those working in this establishment include people with physical or hearing impairments, recovering stroke patients and mature, vulnerable individuals.

Expect Singaporean favourites like fish head curry, beef rendang, soup kambing, hainanese chicken rice, dry laksa, char kway teow, fried carrot cake, chap chye, and many more!

New Rasa Singapura
Where: 56 Tanglin Road B1-02 Tanglin Post Office Singapore 247964  (opposite Tanglin Mall)
Open: 12noon-10pm; Closed Sundays and public holidays
Phone: 9818 8102
Facebook

8. Qita In The Park

A contagious passion to help the less fortunate was what drove the owner, Genevieve, to leave her cushy lawyer job to run a social enterprise of her own. 

[caption id="attachment_23051" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Image Credit: This cafe-cum-retail shop showcases beautiful artwork on its walls for sale, in support of the artists at Pathlight. Singapore-themed gifts made by home-bound women and senior citizens are also on display. 

Qita In The Park
Where: 20 Upper Pickering Street, Telok Ayer Hong Lim Green Community Centre
Open: 7.30am to 6pm, weekdays; 9am to 3pm, Saturday; closed on Sunday.
Phone: 6225 4318
Email: [email protected]
Facebook

These eateries are doing a world of good for those who truly need it, and it has definitely warmed our hearts. If it’s warmed yours too, come show your support for those less fortunate and taste what they have to offer!

Not only will you leave with a full belly, your heart will also be full.

Also, read Bon Appétit! 6 Legit French restaurants In Singapore That Won’t Burn A Big Hole In Your Wallet

6 Cafes So Fancy Even Your Atas Friend Will Approve

Cafes in Singapore are a dime a dozen. Be it in the hipster neighbourhoods or heartland estates, cafes are almost ubiquitously found in every part of Singapore. However, it seems that the ambience and interior design of a cafe play an important role in drawing the crowds while the food menu is put on the back-burner. These days, fancy cafes seemingly have an unspoken smart-casual dress code with their elaborate interior and atmosphere.

If you are on the prowl for places to finally wear that perfect #ootd-worthy outfit, here are 6 cafes so fancy even your atas friend will approve!

1. The Coffee Academics

Highly rated coffee specialty store from Hong Kong, The Coffee Academics finally opened its first outlet in Singapore in 2015. Interestingly, their impressive interior goes beyond mere spacious and splendid.

The interior of The Coffee Academics looks like a mash-up of a fancy cafe and science laboratory, yet the different design themes within the cafe complement each other in perfect harmony.

At one end, there is a Japanese-style table with tatami-like seats, perhaps catering to the affluent Japanese tai-tais. The other corner is filled with bar-like tables while the rest of the dining tables are spread out across its spacious interior.

Naturally, coffee would be their signature here, with seven coffee-making stations located around the cafe. Complement your coffee with their extensive selection of food, ranging from all-day breakfasts, pizzas and delectable desserts. Its swanky interior will no doubt make you want to put on your sassiest outfit!

The Coffee Academics
Address: 6 Scotts Road, Scotts Square, #02-01/02, Singapore 228209
Opening hours: Daily, 9am – 9pm
Credit: Credit: Website

3. Boufe Boutique Cafe

Boufe Boutique Cafe is located deep within Phoenix Park. While getting here is going to prove quite a walk, the effort will certainly be worth it.

This boutique cafe will certainly blow you away with their sleek white-black minimalist interior and furniture. Naturally, its hipster feel will make you want to whip out your best weekend brunch outfit for that #ootd shot with Boufe’s gorgeous interior.

[caption id="attachment_21135" align="aligncenter" width="5415"] Credit: Credit: 4. Populus Coffee & Food Co.

Joining the slew of hipster cafes along Neil Road is Populus Coffee & Food Co. Despite being around for less than two years, this brainchild of the folks behind the Department of Caffeine has been garnering a lot of attention on social media and amongst cafe-hoppers.

[caption id="attachment_21152" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Credit: dreamfoodblog.wordpress.com[/caption]

Together with their industrial-chic lamps and geometric-tiled walls, the sheer size of its interior is enough to amaze you. Furthermore, their appealing decor adorned with plants and enhanced with natural light makes it an ideal place for you to take those instagram-worthy shots.

[caption id="attachment_21179" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Credit: Credit: 6. Wild Honey

Wild Honey is certainly no stranger to cafe-hoppers, boasting two outlets – one at Mandarin Gallery and another at Scotts Square. Their clientale comprises mainly of well-dressed girlfriends having brunch, glamorous-looking couples on dates or rich tai-tais with their expensive-looking handbags.

[caption id="attachment_21192" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Credit: Credit: prettyhungry.me[/caption]

On top of the beautiful decor, Wild honey is also all about beautiful breakfasts. Their hearty all-day breakfasts, albeit on the slightly pricier end, will surely not disappoint!

Wild Honey
Address: #03-01/02 Mandarin Gallery, 333A Orchard Rd, Singapore 238897
Opening hours: Sun – Thu 9am – 9pm, Fri & Sat 9am – 10pm
Serious Foodies Only: Here Are The Best Restaurants In Singapore For 2016

Got A Minute? Here’s How You Can Save Yourself From A Disastrous Dining Experience

What can you do in a minute? You can make your bed, do 20 burpees, stretch your body good, prepare instant coffee… But what if we were to tell you that in one minute you could also save yourself from making a bad dining decision? Not buying the idea? Wait till you check out The Minute List!

What’s unique about The Minute List is that all the venues have been curated by Chefs, Bartenders and Baristas that live and breathe all things food, booze and coffee in the city AND instead of endless words and the occasional photo all the content is Video, all compiled for your viewing and eating pleasure!

All you have to do is head to their website (The Minute List), choose according to category (restaurant, bar or cafe) and pick one that interests you. A minute long video will pop up. Like what you see? Just navigate to the ‘About’ icon to find out about the eatery. You can also click on ‘book’ to make a reservation.

The films are easily viewable on your mobile so you can whet your appetite on the way out the door, share with friends where to grab a drink after work or with the extended content see how the best bartenders in town make a Pina Colada.

Let’s be honest. How many of us here have made dining plans and were left disappointed by the quality of the food and ambience?

With The Minute List, you’re not only checking out recommendations by the makers and creators behind Singapore’s F&B scene, but you can also scrutinise the ambience of the place for one good minute beforehand. Life is too short for bad food and trust us, you don’t wanna pick the wrong place with the wrong ambience for your date or any other special occasion.

The best part of all, if your partner and you can’t decide what to eat, all it takes is just a few videos and minutes to choose where you’ll be heading for dinner. The Minute List, saving you from bad food, a minute at a time.

The Minute List
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Brought to you by Discover SG x The Minute List

(Header image credit: The Minute List)

Also read: 5 Exceedingly Unique Dining Places – Restaurants With A Twist