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.

Lunch at Redpan Restaurant @ Marina Square

6 Raffles Boulevard, #02-03 / 04 Marina Square, Singapore 039594

Tel: 6255 5850

Website: https://www.redpan.sg

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

Met a client turned friend for lunch, and she recommended the beautiful Redpan Restaurant. It was not easy to find though the customer service counter is just in front, nut I was glad when I found it, delighting in its elegant red-black settings.

Red is for Singapore and passion, and Pan is an essential culinary item.

Designed by DP Architects, an established homegrown architecture firm with five decades of international design experience, redpan conveys a sense of chic with custom-made wooden curves and design accents like the custom-designed hanging glass feature comprising 2,000 glass pieces.

They focus on modern Singaporean fusion dishes, serving quality food at reasonable prices. Drinks are served here as well. Service was quite pleasant.

I had the flavourful Seared Salmon Edamame Salad (SGD$19.00). Seared Norwegian Salmon, salad greens, edamame, orange slices, corn and miso sesame dressing. Healthy and delicious, perfect for lunch or a starter before the mains.

The Spinach and Cheese Qaesadillas (SGD$9.00) comes with side salad - a simple combination of grilled tortillas, baby spinach and feta cheese. Yummy and light,  another perfect choice lunch or as an appetizer.

Many interesting items on the menu, such as "Char Siew" Nachos,  "Bak Chor" Foie Gras Mee, Prawn and "Hae Bi Hiam" Pasta, etc, all created with local favorite ingredients. I will definitely be back to try more.

Dinner at Wine & Chef @ Tanjong Pagar [Revisit]

7 Keong Saik Street, Singapore 089115

Tel: 6221 9279

Website: http://sgwinecellar.com

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

We decided to revisit Wine and Chef for our monthly wine gathering. To share a little about Wine and Chef, it is an unpretentious, laid- back bistro serving a wide array of interesting Italian Wine, as well as palatable Italian-inspired, "Hokkien" Chinese dishes. So yes, you may call them fusionized.  You may also check out previous review here, to get an idea of what they served.

We started with a bottle of red wine, the Piceno Rosso Fillelu Montepulciano (SGD$45.00). Lovely cherry fruit notes tinged with mild spicy hints.

My all-time favourite starter is a good Chacuterie and Cheese Board, and we had it here. An assortment of Cured Ham and Cheese with condiments. Cured Ham selection includes Prosciutto di Parma, Truffle Salami, Coopa Ham and Speck (SGD$10.00 per ham or SGD$32.00 for assorted platter). I appreciated that their Cured Ham was not very salty; taste was really just nice.

For Cheese, there are Brillat Savarin, Truffle Gouda, Aged Comte and Gorgonzola (SGD$9.00 per cheese or SGD$30.00 for assorted platter). The Truffle Gouza stole the show with its earthly aroma.

There were also Shrimp Paste Chicken Drumlets (SGD$10.00) with honey and soy glaze, deep-fried to a lovely golden hue with a crispy exterior.

Next, Seared Foie Gras (SGD$16.00) with sea salt, pistachio, served on toasted ciabatta with a side of Apple & thyme brandy compote. One of those butter-textured, flavorsome items I could easily eat 10 of.

For mains, we tried the Salmon Risotto (SGD$20.00) - soy and coriander cured salmon fillet and fish roe on a bed of mascarpone barley risotto. It was simply tasty; the barley grains adding texturized bite to the dish.

Lastly, "Bak Chor Mee" Linguine (SGD$24.00), an "atas-ication" of a favourite local hawker dish. Springy strands of linguine pasta tossed in bean paste sauce, with spicy minced chicken meat, Iberico pork lard and truffle-infused wantons (deep-fried meat dumplings). Delightful dish that connected with the palate perfectly.

Another bottle of Sweet Sparkling Wine aka "Happy Drinks", to complete the evening, and we concluded the meal, relishing in yet another happy dining experience at Wine And Chef.

Lunch at Mahota Kitchen (Lavender / Tampines)

809 French Road, Level 3, Kitchener Complex, Singapore 200809

Tel: 6299 6809

2 Tampines Central 5, #01-11, Century Square, Singapore 529509

Tel: 6260 8018

Website: http://www.mahota.sg

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

Mahota Kitchen is a stunning restaurant focusing on organic food items such as free range beef, and own-grown vegetables. They promise "value, variety and knowledge", and draws strongly on the belief that good food should be enjoyed in a communal setting. I fell in love with the spacious rustic, garden-themed diner.

Service is good - you are being greeted the moment you enter, and the crew attends to our requests efficiently. Besides the dining area, there's also the Mahota Market, TCM Clinic and Seminar Room. They also have another outlet at Century Square (Tampines), which I frequent as well.

Desserts are interesting, with items such as Vegan Black Forest Cake, Sweet Potato Cake, Salted Caramel Jelly Cake and Earl Grey Chocolate Mousse Cake, etc.

My Matcha Latte was unsweetened, enabling me to enjoy the pure aroma of green tea froth, a refreshing change from those cloying, too-milky ones that most cafes usually serve.

They have a variety of Tea served in pots as well. I like the quaint little black teapot they use, looking so raw and yet exotic.

They also have interesting blended juices and organic wine selection to choose from.

Starters comprised Honey Truffle Mixed Sweet Potato Fries (SGD$8.00). Crispy and sweet, making for good light bites.

The Baked Cauliflower with Parmigiano (SGD$6.00) were very good to eat, especially when paired with a good tea or glass of White Wine.

Crispy Milk Baby Octopus with Tartar Sauce (SGD$8.00) had a palatable charm of its own, melting on the tongue deliciously.

We also enjoyed the Crispy Mixed Mushroom in Bamboo Charcoal Powder (SGD$6.00), giving the earthy notes some hints of smokiness.

Kale Roasted Organic Lacto Chicken Salad (SGD$16.00) was a delicious and healthy dish made up of quail eggs, cherry tomatoes, avocado, sliced orange, Cumin organic quinoa corn, and roasted walnuts with pommery salad dressing.

Then we had the Aglio Olio Pasta with Grilled Miso Octopus (SGD$26.00); one could choose between handmade spinach tagliatelle or handmade pumpkin linguine. Palatable pasta dish bursting forth with flavours.

Another dish to be savoured was Red Wine Braised Beef Cheeks (SGD$19.00), served on a bed of truffle mashed potato and seasonal vegetables.

Then there was my long-craved Garlic Duck Leg Confit with Pineapple Sauce (SGD$18.00). Crackling exterior with tender flesh.

Last but not least, I really dug the Creamy Risotto with Grilled Scallops. Springy scallops redolent of the briny sea, creamy rice infused with parmigiano cheese, and mixed with sweet corn as well as mushrooms.

Dessert also includes the delicious and healthy Sweet Potato Cake, Yogurt Cake, etc.

Not hard to see why I keep coming back to Mahota Kitchen for their healthy, scrumptious food items, can you?

Afternoon Tea at Mellower Coffee @ Bugis

108 Middle Road #01-01 / #02-01 The Prospex, Singapore 188967

Tel: 6255 0820

Website: http://www.mellowercoffee.com/EN/index.aspx

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

Mellower Coffee's flagship outlet at Robinson Road (reviews here and here) was once my go-to place whenever I needed an afternoon cup of coffee, or cakes with friends. I don't hang around CBD area as often now, but was happy to pop by Mellower's 2nd outlet at Middle Road, Bugis. That is a really big and spacious outlet with 2 stories, located kind of opposite the National Library.

I was here for a work-related meeting so no cakes :)  But there were pretty drinks for sure.  The Sweet Little Rain (SGD$9.80) was as pretty as I'd remembered it - dreamy fluffy of candy floss dangled on a line, dripping its sweetness into the dark coffee.

The Rosy Nose (SGD$9.80) was a festive special from the remnants of Christmas, an utterly gorgeous blend of latte and rose syrup (bandung).

Finally, an Iced Mocha and a couple of cakes to conclude the day, a fruitful one if I may say.

And Latte as well as Passion Cheesecake. Always a delight to be here for their delectable drinks and desserts- can easily see why they are packed everyday.

Overall, we enjoyed the quiet serenity, spaciousness, quality beverages and friendly service of Mellower Coffee once more.