Saybons

68 Orchard Road #B2-30/31/32 ( near Carls' Junior)

Plaza Singapura

Singapore 238839

Saybons is easy to spot. It has that cheerful blue signboard with white-washed furniture, brightly lit eating area and an open-concept kitchen. French-inspired, it serves up crepes, salads and soups. There wasn’t even much of a crowd, and that spot right there is so good for people watching. We made it our “light lunch” destination after school!

Light is not cheap though. Our total bill was $22, and everything was pretty much self-serve except when the chef leaves the kitchen to pass you your crepe. We had the meal, which was crepe with a choice of bread and a soup. Paul had his bacon crepe while I had the “DIY crepe”, and I chose avocado and smoked salmon as my fillings. We both had sundried tomato bread as side. Soup was fresh tomato for me and lobster bisque for him, which was interestingly enough, served in coffee cups.

Crepe: The skin was chewy though tasteless, but one thing that saved our meal was the generous serving of fillings. They did not scrimp on the freshness of the ingredients too. And at around $6-7, I had my crepe with "premium" ingredients like salmon & avocado, which was definitely value for money.

Soup: Paul’s soup is good for the seafood lovers, and I quite like it too, since the fishiness wasn’t that strong. There were thin shreds of ingredients visible in the soup, and the texture of the soup here is lighter than those from Soup Spoon. They are also lighter in colour too. Healthier, perhaps?

My tomato soup was not as flavourful as the tangy tomato soup from Soup Spoon, but I liked how light it tasted. No bloated feeling after the whole cup. Portion was just right too, and great as a side since we can dip our bread into the soup. That mushy goodness- so filling and delicious!

We might come back again since they are SO MANY choices of crepes to choose from. Plenty of permutations and combinations, and the other sides on the menu look quite good too. Maybe another of our “light lunch” in town when we end school late and haven’t had lunch and is nearing dinnertime.

Total bill was $22 (incl. GST & Scv Charge)]

In conclusion,

Food: B+

Service: B

Ambience: B+

Value-for-$: B

Overall grade: B

Apples given:

House, barracks and camp

8D Dempsey Road

Sorry for the slow updates. School has started for both of us and we are starting to feel the heat of this rat race. Tutorials, readings, essays and projects, it’s a one-way spiral staircase up.

Anyway, we still want (and love) to eat despite all that madness going on, so we managed to squeeze in a few updates today! This post will be on House, Barracks and Camp, which we visited 3 days ago for our 9^th month celebration. Yes, another excuse to eat.

Located at the atas Dempsey area, we drove there on a weekday night and there wasn’t much of a crowd. Barely any cars in the car-park located near Dempsey 6&7, there were plenty of lots to choose from. Similarly, we needn’t wait long for our seat at the restaurant, which was good since we were starving.

The service was rather prompt and this Filipino waitress serving us was helpful, and I reckon she had worked in Singapore for a couple of years as she managed to hold a relatively long conversation with us. When we asked about the “Vintage Tea Party high tea buffet”, she was rather helpful and could tell us what was served. We also asked for recommendations and she rattled off immediately. Thumbs up for that!

An array of cake choices was also on display in the middle of the restaurant, and not in the typical refrigerated glass display at the counter in most other cafes. Meaning, these cakes aren’t served cold! That kind of piqued my interest so we ordered cakes as well for dessert.

In all, we had a Wild Truffles Mushroom Skinny pizza, squid ink paella, truffle fries, flourless chocolate cake and strawberry shortcake. Food took about 10 minutes to arrive, and we soaked in the ambience as we waited. The décor reminded me of the one in The Plain, typical Melbourne style with lightbulbs hanging off wires draped across the ceiling. Nestled among lush greenery, the ambience was absolutely laidback and chilled out.

Wild Truffles Mushroom pizza ($25): this was a total gastronomical delight. We love our mushrooms, and especially if they came with cheese. What could go wrong with good old parmesan cheese sprinkled atop roasted mushrooms and eaten with thin, crispy pizza crust made moutheringly fragrant with garlic and truffle oil? This is a pizza that I could eat on and on and not feel guilty, or at least since it was not the usual thick flour dough some pizzerias serve. 

Squid Ink Paella ($29): We jumped on this since there was a “red heart” signifying a "chef’s recommendation" beside it on the menu, and our helpful waitstaff recommended this dish when we asked. Since we love our squid ink, we ordered it without second thoughts. It was honestly, our first time eating paella so we are not sure what to compare this against, but one thing for sure was, the seafood was extremely fresh. Crunchy and brimming with flavor in every bite, we enjoyed the squid and prawns tossed into this hearty dish.

Truffle fries ($11): this was a really addictive side that we had. When it was just served and piping hot, the flavor just wasn’t strong enough. Maybe it was just the heat these fries were still encased in, but they just tasted like normal Macdees with an extra tinge of flavor, that’s all. But when cooled, the flavor seemed to jump out at us, and we were so hooked we busily fed ourselves one stick after another of this. 

Desserts: I don’t know about you, but we love our cakes served cold. Desserts are meant to be cold right? All those cakes, pastries, ice kachang and chendol, they are served icy cold, supposedly to douse the flames of a hearty meal. When I saw the cakes displayed out in the middle of the walkway, I was rather surprised. A look at the menu, and we realized the strawberry shortcake ($9.50) is even served warm.

When it arrived, it came with vanilla bean cream to be poured over it. It gave me that little cheap thrill of “designing” my own cake. The topmost layer had a sugar coating that provided a little crunch, but what was disappointing, to me at least, was the strong taste of strawberry jam. That typical strawberry jam taste that is not exceedingly sweet but rather muted. It reminded me of some old-school bread with jam breakfast. The strawberries were kind of sour too, but of course to no fault of the baker.

I preferred the flourless chocolate cake ($9.50) though. It was like a mini giant: small slice, but really tall. The layer of chocolate was visibly thick, enveloping the two layers of sponge cake in between. This was a delight to look at and I could imagine how luxurious it tasted without even tucking in. 

Flourless means… I don’t know what’s the difference exactly, but although the chocolate was good, it was kind of heavy on the palate and we left a small bit of it untouched.

Total bill came up to about $99, the most expensive one Paul and I had thus far. We love the ambience, the service of the lady serving us, and the availability of parking lots, but we might not come back for dinner again. I could get skinny pizza from Raffles City too, but I must say that the brunch menu looks promising. 


If we would make a revisit, it would be for a lazy Sunday brunch with pretty teacups, scones and blueberry jam. Oh the joy.

Total bill was $99 (incl. GST & Scv Charge)]

In conclusion,

Food: B

Service: B+

Ambience: A

Value-for-$: B-

Overall grade: B+

Apples given:

Din Tai Fung

252 North Bridge Road, #B1- 08
Raffles City Shopping Centre, 
Singapore.

For lunch, we decided on Din Tai Fung for some traditional la mian and xiao long bao. It was our 3^rd, or 4^th time there, and their xiao long bao is a must-order each time we visit. Just don’t order the shao mai. The last time we did, it looked like a crumpled orange dumpling, which didn’t appeal to the sight, and of course the palate. Lesson learnt, so we settled for our la mian and the standard xlb fare. Joy had the noodles with vegetable pork dumplings while Paul had his with pork dumplings.

Service was quite prompt, since we needn’t flail our arms desperately to get their attention. We were shown the table only 10 minutes after arriving, but were given the menu and checklist to check our items that we wanted to order.

The waiting time for food was short, and we ate the xlb first. As usual, we were extra careful with it as we juggled it with whatever minimal chopstick skills we had, careful not to rip the skin and waste the soupy goodness. Thankfully, we managed to get the little gem nestled on our spoon without much effort. There are steps for eating this, together with the vinegar and ginger slices. I didn’t want those, because I like mine in its unadulterated state. Taking a bite into top part of the bao, we sucked up the meaty broth within. It was so good. The stock was strong, fragrant and extremely appetizing. No prizes for guessing what went next. The whole xlb went down in one swoop.

Paul mentioned something about the xlbs here – he can only stomach so many of them. Maybe 5? Or maximum 6. These beauties are so chockfull of flavor and pack much punch with their tasty pork fillings; it gets overwhelming when he tried eating too much. We had the 6-in-a-basket, so it’s just three each. Just nice to get the best out of the serving, and we wouldn’t overeat.

La mian is the usual standard, with fragrant, clear soup that doesn’t have that noodle smell which I hate, fortunately. Crystal Jade soup noodles have that artificial smell/ taste and I know the noodle is the culprit. The vegetable dumplings are good for those whom love their veggies, as the vegetable smell is quite pungent. The pork dumplings were “springy” and had generous servings of pork housed within each dumpling. We were glad it didn’t disappoint.

We will go back again, but not sure when exactly. No idea about the other food items on the menu too. They looked like standard Chinese restaurant fare, with vegetables, tofu and fried rice. We love the xlb here, and it will make its appearance on our table the next time we visit for sure!

Total bill was $33 (incl. GST & Scv Charge)]

In conclusion,

Food: B

Service: B

Ambience: B-

Value-for-$: B+ 

Overall grade: B 

Apples given:

Vegan Burg

44 Jalan Eunos 

Singapore 419502

It’s finally the weekend! I wanted to have something light after overeating the weekdays away, so Veganburg popped up in mind.  It was fairly crowded for a weekday dinner, and there were a couple of angmoh families eating too. Maybe one of the few who can live without their monstrous-sized cheese and beef burgers?

It wasn’t that difficult to make a choice because honestly, coming from meat eaters, everything on the menu looks err… pretty much the same to us. Wholesome rye bread? Check.

Healthy vegan burgers bursting with proteins, beta carotene, vitamins B and antioxidants? Check.

Organic teas? Check that too.

We settled for cracked pepper mayo and char-grilled satay, together with vegan franks and crispy potato & spinach pops as sides. Drink was a beetroot carrot juice. 

We got our number block and food was served shortly in camping tins, reminiscent of the army times (but quite unfortunately for Paul hahaha!). The stark difference between the burgers here and those in our usual burger joints was, there wasn’t that delectable and appetizing aroma that wafts to your nose when the food arrived, enticing you to shut up and chow down. The mushroomy smell of the patties was the strongest, and there’s where the heavy carnivores will sorely miss their meats.

Service was limited to the counter, but good enough since it isn’t on the bill.  

In short, we feel that even though VeganBurg is good for a shot at tasting what flavors a “First-in-the-World Vegan Burger” kitchen can conjure up to pass off as a burger, this isn’t the best place to go to if you need your meat or require dinner to be a truly satisfying affair. That said, I can foresee it’s a first, and last time for Paul. 

Rocky Master

402 North Bridge Road, 

Jun Xin Building, 

Singapore

We wandered along the roads of Bugis today, feeling peckish and hungry for a bite on this wet Sunday. With no particular cuisine in mind, we decided on Food for Thought after reading that they serve up good, comfort food like pasta and pizzas. Unfortunately, it was closed, so we walked further down to Rocky Master, making this visit our second time there.

We browsed through the menu outside (a good way to introduce the food and rid the awkwardness of walking in and not knowing what to expect) and found food that we didn’t mind trying. Prices were within the $5-$10 range, which was quite affordable.

The café doesn’t serve the typical western fare, with the likes of chicken chop or steak, but dishes that are easily executed, simple, and wouldn’t go very wrong. It served familiar fare like pancakes, pizzas, pastas and sandwiches, food that you didn’t mind having if you didn’t have anything else in mind. That said, there was an allure to this café, as they seem to differentiate themselves from the others by having food with flavors not usually assembled together. Apple and tuna sandwich. Heard of it? This kind of uniqueness and creativity, are what keep palates guessing.

The café didn’t seem to specialize in any kind of dishes, so we decided to try its Mocha Delight, Pita with Cajun chicken and triple-decker sandwich, which makes for a relatively healthy lunch this Sunday afternoon. Not that crowded for a weekend, we sauntered in and found ourselves a comfortable spot. Not noisy too, it was good enough for us on a lazy afternoon, with food and each other for company. We even got a loud “Bye!” from the waitstaff at the counter as we left. Excellent for a chill out after visiting the library nearby, we think.

Joy says:

My Cajun chicken with tortilla was typical café fare. Looking its best when presented on the tray, I tucked into my serving of salsa first. Tangy tomatoes paired with refreshing cucumber – the best combination to whet an appetite. The tortilla skin was a no-brainer, but the chicken was rather well-done. It was moist and rather smooth in texture. Sour cream was provided for dipping, and it could get a little messy since the tortilla couldn’t hold the fillings very well.

I tried the mocha delight too. Very thick consistency, and it’s the kind of coffee that you get extremely thirsty after drinking. Not a bad choice, but would have preferred it to be lighter. Maybe coffee isn’t a niche area for the café afterall.

I would go back again to try the pies or muffins as they look so appealing in the glass display. Other than that, no compelling reason to make it a destination on worth travelling down for. Service was acceptable too, at least with efficient and ready-to-serve attitude from the waitstaff.

Grade: B+

De Burg

Blk 10 Ghim Moh Road,

#01-78, 

Stall #3 

It’s our second time at De Burg’s, not for a revisit, but for a second shot at (hopefully) tucking into its raved burgers. The first time we went, all its patties were sold out and they were preparing for dinner. Probably it was the ungodly 4pm we turned up at its doors, but we were too awed by glowing reviews in the media – blogs, social and print alike, to pass up on this place. Since we were in the west this time, we decided to stop by and taste burgers with that Midas touch to see what the fuss was all about.   

No ambience to speak of (it was a kopitiam anyway), no frills in ordering, but there was service present. You could feel the pride in the chefs as one of them stayed furrowed in his cooking, while the other assembled the burger, and smiled to us when he saw us standing at the counter.

There was something for everyone on the menu, from the beef eaters to the vegetarians, and even finger food for small-eaters or as fillers for growling tummies. A plus point for being located in a kopitiam, is the presence of a staple drinks stall which serves affordable alcohol, which makes for an ultimate beer-and-burger chow down experience.

Joy had the Asian chicken burger which was chicken patty with salted egg yolk, while Paul had its namesake, the De Burg burger, which was grilled AUS beef patty, with cheese, bacon and Portobello mushroom.

Our total bill worked out to about $29 (5% off for NTU students), which was expensive for two items considering kopitiam settings. But for the kind of service received, food served and ingredients used, it was considered reasonable. After all, it was by taste standards that De Burg managed to earn its accolade as one of the best burgers in Singapore.  

But we think, one of the best? Yes, maybe in the West. 

Joy says:

Being a non-beef eater, I had limited offerings to choose from, but they do have lamb burgers, which are also on par with their beef- in terms of limelight given.  Nevertheless, I settled for chicken burger, partly because I was curious about the salted egg yolk , and partly because I still believe no one does a Portobello better than my Handburger.

My burger came and the first thing I noticed was how “un-chicken” it looked. Having eaten chicken burgers at other food joints, I always had my chicken in its original, unadulterated state, save for the glossy sheens of sauce, or the occasional grill marks on it. But this one, just unfortunately reminded me of MacDonald’s chicken, but thicker, darker and more visually appealing.

Taste wise, the salted egg yolk sauce did not disappoint. It complemented the chicken so well. Being slightly peppery, it added that savoury kick to the chicken. Coupled with lettuce and bun, that lethal combination was tasty enough to make me finish up the entire burger in 10 minutes. The meat was slightly tough though, and I noticed how densely packed the patty was. Although not juicy enough, it was just plenty-of-chicken-goodness-stuffed-into-one, which left me feeling full and satisfied.

Honestly, I don’t know if I should go back. If I do, it would be for the blue crab burger, but if I don’t, it just means me putting the money into a more centralized establishment, which also serves up a storm with its burgers. 

Grade: B-

Paul says: 

It's amazing, really, to be able to find a place that offers gourmet burgers at your neighbourhood coffeeshop. It's rather steep price wise but you have to take into account the ingredients used after all. I believe that you pay for what you eat here. You get wild rocket and purple lettuce instead of your everday-market-lettuce both in your burger and as a salad side. Now that's quality. Fries have little strips of potato skin still stuck on them. Yum! I love those. Just like Carl's Jr's fries. In addition to those, you can have a free flow of sauces from the counter. You have three sauces to choose from- tomato, chilli and yellow mustard. Yes, you don't have to use those sauces sparingly. It's free flow. Just dip those fries in and into your mouth!

Now, the burger looked massive when I first got it. For a cool $17.85(w/o the civil servant/student 5% discount.), that's the least I should expect. The size of Joy's chicken burger paled miserably in comparison to mine. A case of David and Goliath perhaps? Now, give the burger its respect when it's due and CHOW DOWN! if possible. I did. This burger was very rich in flavourful, very tasty. But it's a longshot to call it the BEST burger in Singapore. In my honest opinion, I feel that Foo House produces the BEST burger. Yes, it's a monster of a burger in every way possible. I'm salivating just at the thought of it. Oooo. As compared to Foo House, my 200g beef patty was made by default. Well done. Pretty disappointed there as Foo House gave me the liberty to choose how I liked my beef done. I like my patties juicy and a little red in the inside. The patty from De Burg was a tad too dry from my liking. Well, its juciness level is on par with Carl's Jr. I'm not saying that the burger isn't good. I've just tasted better ones. How fortunate of me. The bacon was crispy yes. But it took a little too long in the deep fryer. I feel that the Portobello Mushroom saved the whole burger. Its juciness and natural flavour definitely aided matters and it was a godly combination. The flavours complemented each other really well. It's like eating a premium mushroom swiss double. The melted cheese was not as generous as that of Foo house and the sesame-seed buns were a bit too charred for my liking. 


I have to commend the service over here. The person serving me was attentive and warm, always serving me with a smile. A pleasant surprise, especially in a coffee shop.


With that said, De Burg certainly has its positives. It's rich in taste but it just falls short of being the BEST burger in Singapore. I will come back to this place to maybe request for my beef patty to be done medium? Maybe it will put more of a fight then. Just maybe...
Grade: B

Total bill was $29 (incl. GST, No Scv Charge)]

In conclusion,

Food: B

Service: B+

Ambience: A

Value-for-$: B 

Overall grade: B 

Apples given:

The Plain

50 Craig Road, #01-01
Singapore 089688

Having brunch is a luxury, and we both have an unbridled lust for it.

Lesser people to jostle with, shorter time to chow down, and slightly more attention from the wait staff, which translates to a happy meal and happier diners.

It was slightly difficult to locate this cafe along the five foot way because it passes off so well as an interior design shop with its unassuming shopfront, and the absence of a signboard doesn't quite help matters. Thankfully we spotted the "50 Craig Road" sign on the shophouse above and with eyes fixated on that sign, we managed to locate the really obscure cafe. It is right beside an antiques shop, and don't be fooled by a huge CHAN & GOH sign plastered outside. Just keep calm and open the door on the left. 

Interior of The Plain is well, plain. But there is beauty in simplicity even with its grey-washed walls and simple menu. Lighting was bright and gave a warm, orange glow to the whole café, which made it conducive to chill and chat for a longer time. We didn’t take long to ponder over what we wanted to have, since the menu wasn’t very varied and the items were pretty much the same.

Joy had the humpty dumpty & vegemite soldiers which are dippy eggs with vegemite on buttered toasts sticks while Paul had darling's eggs which are poached eggs with ham, cheese & roma tomatoes on sourdough toast. For drinks, we had cappuccino and hot chocolate.

We took seats at the communal table with other angmohs, also folks who love a brunch at 1.30pm. Some publications were also available on the table. Service was good, and they didn’t charge for it, but there was a tip box at the counter. No pinoys or tiongs this time round, just Singaporeans manning tables and taking orders. Finally it feels like home.

Joy says:

My brunch was a simple one, just eggs and toast with vegemite. Eggs were well, brainless, since they were relatively simpler to prepare than poached ones. My toast was crispy but the vegemite was way tooooooo salty. For $5.50, I would rather have the eggs at OldTown, and toast my own ciabatta at home. Oh well, I am paying for the ambience.

One good thing though, is the coffee. The art on it was so pretty! I dare say this is better than the one at Oriole, or at least to my taste buds. This cuppa was less acidic, with more of the roasted coffee bean fragrance. Mmmmm!

Paul says:

Let's be frank. The food isn't fantastic. The dishes( or at least those that I tried) can be done by oneself, except those heavenly poached eggs. But if there's anything that would keep me coming back to this cafe, it must be the decor. The decor is just amazing. It takes me to a different world with its indie/modern-chic interior. I was just so sucked into the whole chill-out vibes that this place emanates. From those hanging light bulbs that give out a warm, orange glow to wooden tables(like those from Ikea) with thick imported magazines of interior 
designs that I could only dream of. There's even a copy of the Sunday Times Herald. Though backdated. But they've really put in an immense amount of effort to make those angmohs feel at home. Yes, there were many of them. As such, it's really a good measure of how good this cafe is. 


My brunch consisted of 2 slices of lightly toasted sourdough topped with a slice of ham each, roma tomatoes and cheese melted over them. Oh, and there's of course my poached eggs( though not as nice as those that I've sampled at Rider's-those are DA BOMB). The cheese wasn't fully melted, much to my dismay. And the bread felt as though it was left out in the cold for some time( the cheese has hardened too). Waiting for the poached eggs to be prepared maybe? Hot Chocolate was ok too. Not overly thick as well. Just nice. 


Service was impeccable in my opinion. The wait staff were all dressed in indie-inspired outfits and they spoke in clear fluent English, tending to our needs. Major plus point. This place is inspired by cafes in Melbourne, which means that you have to tell the cashier your order and they will charge you accordingly. They must have an huge amount of trust in their customers definitely. 


I must say again. Their decor has left me hugely impressed, together with the warmth and courtesy of the wait staff. This place hasn't seen the last of us yet. We will be back. To chill out and just soak in the splendor of this place.
Grade: B 

Total bill was $26.50 (incl. GST, No Scv Charge)]

In conclusion,

Food: B-

Service: B

Ambience: A

Value-for-$: B- 

Overall grade: B 

Apples given: