Tea Break at Baba Chews Bar and Eatery @ East Coast

Address: 86 East Coast Road #01-01, Katong Square, Singapore 428788

Tel: 6723 2025

Website: https://babachews.com.sg/

Operation Hours

Daily 6.30am to 10.30pm

Baba Chews Bar & Eatery pay tribute to Mr. Chew Joo Chiat, in this beautiful heritage-rich neighbourhood. They serve up Peranakan, Malacca and Western dishes and drinks. The interior is intricately beautiful, and service is quite heartwarming.

I was here on a Sunday afternoon after a work event. To be frank, quite surprised by the lack of customers / diners here as most other cafes in the Katong / Joo Chiat stretch are crowded. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the quietness.

Started with a hot pot of Honey Lemon Tea (SGD$5.00); the cup was vintage-Asian style, almost transporting me back in time.

I also had a glass of Pinot Grigio (SGD$15.00). They have quite a good selection of wine, and also cocktails.

As I'd taken brunch and would be taking dinner soon, I settled for just a slice of cake. I had wanted to try the exotic sounding Butterfly Blue Pea Osmanthus Chocolate Cake (SGD$12.00) but to my disappointment,  it wasn't available. 

So I settled for the Ondeh Ondeh Cake (SGD$12.00) - soft layers of aromatic, pandan kaya cake with gula melaka, and topped with hardened coconut cream (so it was lovely, like icing on the cake literally) and coconut shavings.  While it made for a lovely sweet treat, I liked that it wasn't cloyingly so.

Enjoyed my chilling out experience here alot, and can foresee myself coming back for lunch and drinks someday soon again.

Now, moving on, if you like Baba Chews Bar & Eatery, and this gorgeous neighborhood filled with cafes, restaurants and close to the sea, let's see what NEW LAUNCHES / PROJECTS are here so you can make this your homegrounds:

• Amber Park - an iconic development with 592 units in total, currently left with last 8 units of 5-bedroom apartments. This is a freehold project by CDL. Expected T.O.P. in mid 2023 so you can move in soon.

• The Line @ Tanjong Rhu - another eye catching development you can spot from afar, offering sea views, bay views or greenery views. Also a freehold project, The Line has obtained T.O.P. so you can view actual units and move in soon.

• Liv @ MB --gorgeous project by Bukit Sembawang, at Mountbatten area surrounded by huge landed homes. Thoughtful designs and gorgeous landscaping made this project so popular; there's only 14% left so don't miss your chance to grab it. Expected T.O.P. in 2024.

• Meyer Mansion - needs no introduction! A luxurious condo by Guocoland with just 200 exclusive units and breathtaking landscaping. Whether you get the sea viewed units, the pool view units or the landed facing units- there's a good view for every unit. Freehold, and expected T.O.P. to be in mid-2024. Nicely coinciding with the opening up of Katong Park MRT near it.

• Tembusu Grand is a brand new condo with a total of 638 units, developed by CDL and MCL Land. It sits at a prime location near reputable schools, and is close to Tanjong Katong, for ease of finding food and lifestyle needs. Preview of this project starts on 26 March 2023 and you can secure a VVIP pass with me.

• The Continuum @ Thiam Siew - brand nnew condo with 816 units, is freehold, and developed by Hoi Hup & Sunway. Preview of this project starts on 30 March 2023 and you can secure a VVIP pass with me.

• Atlassia @ Joo Chiat area - enjoy freehold residences surrounded by conservation shophouses for maximum heritage charm. Joo Chiat area is vibrant for food, art and lifestyle enjoyment.

• K Suites @ Telok Kurau - tranquil and low density living, freehold, and within 1km to Tao Nan School. There are only 19 exclusive units for this project, with 3 to 5 bedroom types.

Lunch at Lao Beijing (老北京食堂) @ Novena Square

238 Thomson Road #02-11 / 12 Novena Square Shopping Mall, Singapore 307683

Tel: 6358 4466

Website: http://www.laobeijing.com.sg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TungLokGroup

Lao Beijing is part of the TungLok Group, specialising in Northern Chinese cuisine such as noodles, crispy skin roast duck, steamed dumplings etc.  They used to have more outlets but it seems there's only the Velocity Novena Square outlet left.  Service was rather friendly, and decor gives a very vintage heritage feel.

Appetiser was interesting Pickled Pumpkin (SGD$2.00) slices (mom insisted it tasted like papaya instead). crunchy and sweet with light tinge of spiciness.

The Pork & Chive Dumplings (SGD$6.00) were pretty good and melty, tender minced pork wrapped in soft flour skin.

Braised Pork Rice (SGD$3.50) was decent, with delectable bits of tiny braised pork cubes and half a soft-braised egg. I thought a little more gravy might transform the simple rice dish better.

Finally, Wanton Noodles (SGD$12.00) made with fresh shrimp dumplings, springy la mian noodles and a whole braised egg. Taste was a little bland but portion was very generous.

Overall a pleasant dining experience here at Lao Beijing (Olde Peking Dining Hall) - a lot has changed since my last dining experience there nearly a decade ago.

Lunch at Sufood Vegetarian Restaurant @ City Hall

252 North Bridge Road, #02-19, Raffles City Shopping Centre, Singapore 179103

Tel: 6333 5338

Website: https://www.sufood.com.sg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sufood.singapore/

Lunch with another client, this time a vegetarian, who strongly recommended Sufood Restaurant to me.

The restaurant is nestled in a corner of Raffles City Shopping Centre, near the escalators and spa services. Simple in design, with friendly service crew, they specialise in curated vegetarian dining with an emphasis on wholesome food.

They have various 4-course set meals (SGD$25.80), 6-course set meals (SGD$31.80) and 8-course set meals ($36.80).

We started with the Wholesome Trio (SGD$4.90, if ordered as an a la carte item).
Pleasing to the eyes and utterly palatable, this trio consists of Cherry Tomato Jelly, White Water Snowflake with Red. Pepper, Japanese Yuca Root with Blueberry Sauce.

Then we had Energized Salad with Avocado and Macadamia, a simple but tasty salad of fresh ingredients and crunch.

We also enjoyed a nutritious Miso-Kombu Soup with Shimeiji Mushrooms and Lotus Seed, and Sufood's signature Rosemary Breadsticks.

The chosen mains was Chickpea Rice Burger with Sweet Potato Fries (SGD$13.80 if ordered as a la carte).

Finally, dessert of Earl Grey Ice-cream Cookie Sandwich, which was creamy and decadent, the perfect ending to our meal.

Happy to have discovered this lovely place with healthy, tasty meatless meals, I will definitely come back to Sufood again.

Lunch at Ichiban Boshi @ Suntec City

3 Temasek Boulevard, #B1-111, Suntec City Fountain area, Singapore 038983

Tel: 6238 7088

Website: https://www.ichibanboshi.com.sg/en/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IchibanBoshiNovenaSquare/

Been a huge fan of Ichiban Boshi Japanese Restaurant for over a decade, always enjoying their delectable Japanese dishes that are wallet-friendly. From sashimi to rice bowls (don) to Japanese Curry and Lobster Salad Sushi etc- they never failed to be my comfort food.

Ichiban Boshi is a Japanese chain restaurant with 13 outlets in Singapore, and I daresay I have tried most of them over the years.  Happy to review that standard is consistent across the restaurants, and consistent over the years. You can read a couple of previous reviews here and here.

Recently they had a promotion where different outlets served a different specialty menu; and I love the Buckwheat Soba one at Suntec City. One dish in particular had me returning time and again - the cold Natto Buckwheat Soba dish.

Now natto means fermented soy beans so there's a saltish taste that you either love or hate. The rest of the ingredients include cut ladies' fingers, shredded seaweed, poached egg, canned enoki mushrooms and spring onions. Toss everything together and enjoy the flavoursome dish with different textures of crunchy ladies' fingers, smooth buckwheat, texturized natto, etc - very addictive to eat; and healthy to enjoy.

Other enjoyable dishes for me here are also their Sashimi Platter (one may choose the types of fish or seafood you like), the Chawanmushi aka steamed egg custard, and conveyor belt sushi.

I look forward to dining at their restaurants soon again.

Lunch at Sun with Moon Japanese Dining & Cafe at Orchard

501 Orchard Road, #03-15, Wheelock Place, Singapore 238880

Tel: 6733 6636

Website: https://www.sunwithmoon.com.sg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sunwithmoondining

Sun with Moon Japanese Dining and Cafe is another favorite restaurant of mine, whenever I have craving for contemporary Japanese cuisine. I am glad they are still around after so many years, so I can still enjoy the delectable food as well as excellent thoughtful service here.

Combining the natural elements of sun and the moon, this cafe restaurant is the epitome of Japanese savoir faire, and its concept hails straight from Tokyo. You can read my past review here.

Being heavily pregnant then, the staff were very concerned when I tried to order items containing raw stuff (i.e. sashimi, or even torched items); in fact they managed to talk me out of it. So I started with Agadeshi Tofu (SGD$6.80) - four silken pieces of crisp-skinned beancurd in tasty Dashi (Japanese soya) sauce, topped with bonito flakes, grated radish and spring onions.

Next, some nutritious Kaisen Chawan Mushi (SGD$12.80) - came with prawn, gingko nut and mushrooms hidden in big bowl of palatable steamed egg custard,  and served with sweet crab ankake sauce.

Following that, Foie Gras Millefeuille (SGD$15.80) - incredibly melty grilled Foie Gras with sweet soy sauce served on flaky millefeuille pastry and a bed of lettuce. Love the texturized dish that was ever so addictive.

Finally, Avocado Soft Shell Crab Roll (SGD$9.90 for 4 pieces / SGD$18.80 for 8 pieces) with crunchy cucumber, crispy soft shell Crab, buttery avocado slices and topped with flying fish roe for that explosive deliciousness. Needless to say, a dish that came highly recommended.

Love Sun with Moon Japanese Dining and Cafe; and will be back soon again for more meals.

Dinner and cake at Drips Bakery Cafe @ Tiong Bahru [takeaway]

82 Tiong Poh Road, #01-05, Singapore 160082 

Tel: 6222 0400 / 9766 8188

Website: https://www.drips.com.sg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dripsbakerycafe

Drips Bakery Cafe is a cafe located in Tiong Bahru, and caught my attention when I was searching for Blackforest cake delivery during this stay-home Circuit Breaker period.

Placed an order and my 600grams Blackforest Cake (SGD$50.00) was delivered to my doorstep, with 3 days advance order. Delivery was FOC as I managed to hit the minimum SGD$60.00 order.

Layers of chocolate and cream sponge soaked in Cognac, with hidden branded cherries that added the crunchy juiciness, topped by rich layering of cream, more brandied cherries, and chocolate shavings. Definitely decadant and palatable; strong hints of liqueur so they are generous with it.

The Carbonara (SGD$13.80) was a thing of  beauty; linguine pasta bathed in cream sauce, bacon slices, and topped with golden ebiko that added touches of crunch. Pasta was tasty; appreciated that sauce was served on the side.

Finally, the Chicken Stew (SGD$13.80) with rice and vegetables. The dish was very tasty and chunks of chicken were generous as well; carrots were boiled soft and easy to eat too. I just didn't like that there was a lot of chicken skin in the stew; had to discard them piece by piece.

Overall, enjoyed the items at Drips Bakery Cafe alot and look forward to visiting when Circuit Breaker Phase 2 sets in.

Dinner at Two Bakers Cafe @ Serangoon

9 Teck Chye Terrace, Singapore 545720

Tel: 6241 6393

Website: http://two-bakers.com/teck-chye-terrace

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twobakerssingapore/

When Two Bakers Cafe started in Horne Road (Lavender), I visited twice and enjoyed their food and desserts very much. Review can be found here.

We visited the outlet at Serangoon this time round, longish layout and filled with hearty diners.

Drinks were served first,  interesting thirst quenchers such as Sour Plum Smoothie (SGD$9.00) and Iced Lavender Peach (SGD$9.00)

Mon Beau started with a delicious Ribeye Steak Don. Generous serving of marinated rib-eye steak, fresh cucumber slices, daikon radish, and a 62-degree celsius sous vide egg.

I had the Fish Tacos - fried fish with salsa flanked by crispy hard shell tacos.

Moving on to desserts, we had the Yuzu Lemon Tart (SGD$8.50) - yuzu lemon curd, sable tart shell, candied orange peel, dehydrated lemon and chantilly cream. A refreshing zesty dessert.

The "Min Jiang Kueh" Crepe Cake (SGD$8.50) was an interesting creation, turning a hawker pastry into an "atas" version composed of crepe layers, salted caramel chantilly cream, peanut butter and topped with ground roast peanuts.

Next, another rendition of a traditional Peranakan delight transformed into modernity - Ondeh Ondeh (SGD$8.50). This lovely sphere of pandan sponge was filled with gula melaka jelly and covered with dessicated coconut.

Finally, Chocolate Rice Cake (SGD$8.50). The exterior was coated with chocolate rice and appeared deceptively simple, but the interior was packed with goodness - 64% Valhorna chocolate mousse, white chocolate cremeux, cacao nibs and chocolate sponge cake. Rich and fulfilling.

Overall, happy to be back here at Two Bakers Cafe again, albeit a different outlet. Good service, nice ambience and awesome food still prevailed.