Where to eat in Melbourne

This is my fourth trip to Australia and the first to Melbourne, known for its coffee culture and cool cafés. It does not matter whether you prefer to be close to nature along the Great Ocean Road, drink wine to your heart's content at the vineyards or shop 'til you drop. We need to take a break and refuel ourselves – tried and loved the ice-cream at both Dooley's Ice Cream and Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery. If you are visiting Brighton Bathing Boxes and/or St Kilda Beach, drop by Claypots Seafood Bar that a travel companion found to be the best meal of our trip. Other than freshly-shucked plump oysters at Queen Victoria Market, there are also other lovely eats that I tried:

Lovely Cafés in Asia-Pacific

The café culture is here to stay, both in Singapore and overseas. It matters not whether you are a coffee and/or tea drinker (or neither) but that we slow down our pace and take time to catch up with our thoughts, family and friends. We may plan to visit a café, a particular one even, or just need a place to rest our tired feet. Sometimes, we chance upon a lovely café with a decent menu at a reasonable price. What better way then, than to sip a cuppa and watch the world go by while nibbling on small and not-so-small bites?

Perth, Australia
It was a planned trip to Padbury's Café Restaurant for breakfast. I loved its interior and exterior – one of the oldest surviving commercial and residential buildings in Guildford, built in 1869. All the dishes we ordered were beautifully plated and deliciously fresh, from the sweet to the savoury such as Big Paddy's, Magic Mushroom and Padbury's Benedict. Of course, we had to order Our Famous Meringue Munro Pancakes. No complaints about the drinks and pretty latte art too.

Seoul, South Korea

As my travel companions and I did not manage to visit Garosu-gil during our first trip to Seoul, we decided to do so during the second time. Chanced upon SkinFood Café located above its concept store and settled on the quiet space with cheerful yellow accents against wooden furniture, white bricked walls and tiles. Did not expect much of its food and drinks since this is a cosmetic and skincare brand but they tasted surprisingly decent, and were also Instagram-worthy.

Taipei, Taiwan

My travel companions and I penned down in our itinerary that we would café-hop at Yongkang Street, just like we did in Garosu-gil. We were still full from lunch at Kao Chi when we walked past Smoothie House and gave it a miss. Continued walking down the street, saw 8% Ice Bistro and chose this as the sky was threatening to rain. Lovely place to chillax with good gelato and dessert, and enjoy coffee as-is, iced or in powder form – pour from shot glass onto lemon slice and have them together.

What and Where to Eat in Hong Kong (Part II)

...continued from What and Where to Eat in Hong Kong (Part I)

Roast meat and wonton noodles
You cannot go wrong with roast meat and wonton noodles. Have tried at random places on different trips and not come across unpalatable ones. Maybe we were lucky but the one that I like and always go back to is Yung Kee – recommended by a local during our 1st trip to Hong Kong many years back. Its signatures included charcoal roasted goose and crispy roasted pigeon, which I fell in love with and never failed to order. Thin crisp skin with tender meat that was neither too dry nor oily, its taste was accentuated when dipped in the accompanying salt though some may find this combination too salty. Fret not if so since it is just as good as-is. A travel companion found the dim sum here the best that we had during our trip. Hong Kong's wonton noodles are not served with char siu and the wonton consists of prawns, not meat. At Mak's Noodle, the noodles were springy and wonton succulent but a tad salty and of the same standard as Singapore's.

Hashida Garo

Tokyo's Hashida is headed by Master Sushi Chef, Tokio Hashida while its 1st restaurant outside Japan is helmed by his son, Chef Kenjiro Hashida. Better known as Hatch (pronounced as Haa-chi), he has since opened a 2nd establishment in Singapore to reach a wider audience with his culinary creations and share his personal passion for the visual arts. Both are located at Mandarin Gallery – Hashida Sushi on the 2nd floor and Hashida Garo on the 4th. Though the latter is a place where desserts meet art, main course is also offered as part of its set menu served with Wagashi of the day and hand-picked Japanese tea of the day. These are, however, only available during lunch and dinner times and the first-flush-tea harvested once a year is not refillable. Garo means gallery in Japanese and this "unique multi-faceted space aims to hold a visual and gastronomic feast for the senses through a creative amalgamation of food with art". As my dining companions and I were there for dinner on a weekend a few months back, the menu may have changed since.

The Daily Scoop

Having tried The Daily Scoop at Sunset Way many years ago, I was delighted to see the ice-cream parlour at Chip Bee Gardens. A few minutes' walk from Holland Village MRT Station, this is one of the more conveniently-located branches if you do not own a pair of wheels or two. It can also be found at Sembawang Cottage, and School of the Arts or SOTA. Every batch of ice cream is hand-churned, unlike commercial brands like Ben & Jerry's and Häagen Dazs. Not too different from I Scream, Island Creamery and Udders. Cartooned drawings stood out against white panelled and bricked walls in the brightly-lit café with glass frontage and lots of wood – chairs with back rests (there are a few orange metallic stools too), floor, round and square tables. Flavours here include Cha Earl Grey, Lychee Martini and Salted Mr Brown among others. I settled for Latte Chocomallow on a chocolate-coated cone. Loved the strong taste of coffee in the creamy smooth ice-cream with chocolate-covered marshmallow.

Dazzling Café

A queue started at 8.30am even though Dazzling Café was supposed to start operating from noon. As the only tenant opened on the first floor of Capitol Piazza, there were hoardings all around as its neighbours were still undergoing construction/renovation works. Yes, this is the hype of the Taiwanese café known for its instagram-worthy thick toast. With no intention of sniffling glue and eating dust, I waited 'til this month to finally drop by. It was for lunch on a weekday and we could be seated immediately. Ordered a main course each as well as an appetiser and two desserts for sharing. Pleasantly surprised that most of the dishes were better than expected – could neither rave about nor fault The Usuals (poached eggs, cream spinach and parma ham on brioche toast with hollandaise and micro herbs) and the recommended Mentaiko Spaghetti in Cream Sauce.

Laurent’s Café – Full Menu in Orchard

My dining companions and I were looking for a place to eat dinner on a weekend when we chanced upon Laurent's Café, tucked away in a quiet corner at the basement of Robinsons Orchard where Costa Coffee used to be. Most of us have tried the sweets from Laurent Bernard Chocolatier, with presence in Robertson Quay and Portsdown as well as takeaway counters at Takashimaya and Hitachi Tower. But not its savoury dishes and decided to give it a shot. As brunch was only served 'til 6pm, we settled for other items on the menu. We started with cold Laurent's Lemonade (orange, lemon, grapefruit, lime juice, brown sugar and soda), hot Double Cappuccino and my disappointing Café Mocha that was too diluted for my liking. Ordered a French Onion Soup and Lobster Bisque for sharing – the former was nothing like the one my dining companion had in France while the latter also turned out very different from all the versions we had in Singapore, France and other parts of Europe.

Durian Fiesta 2015

This is not the first year that Goodwood Park Hotel is offering a mouth-watering array of novel durian delights. While I have tried its signature Durian Mousse Cake before (and was not impressed), was enticed enough by the instagram-worthy Durian Rainbow Ice Cream Cake that my dining companion and I dropped by recently. We ordered that, a slice of Durian Cappuccino Cake and two pieces of its signature Durian Puffs. Durian Rainbow Ice Cream Cake was made up of durian ice-cream wrapped with a thin slice of dry rainbow cake that looked better than it tasted. I have had better durian ice-cream and rainbow cake. As much as I love both coffee and durian, could not discern the former in Durian Cappuccino Cake unless the layers are eaten separately. Am not a fan of profiteroles and these Durian Puffs were good but not enough to change my mind on that. Also had Hazelnut Coffee, which was interesting and came with chocolate almond cookie, at L'Espresso.

Henri Charpentier

After a picnic at Singapore Botanic Gardens on a weekend evening, we decided to go Dempsey Hill for a cuppa coffee and/or desserts. In the end, we settled on Henri Charpentier – a renowned French-inspired Japanese patisserie since 1969. Run by Suzette Corporation, this is its first foray outside Japan where there are 82 branches. Opened last year, the 4,400 sq ft place restaurant was quiet when we visited. Walking down a covered walkway with fuschia carpet, we stepped into an extravagantly furnished place decked in royalty purple and more fuschia. Chandeliers and drapery hanging from the ceiling, together with comfortable armchairs and couches on heavily carpeted floor, screamed lavish opulence. I started with Blend Coffee while the rest mostly had Royal Milk Tea.

Patisserie G

My dining companion and I were at Millenia Walk over the weekend when we chanced upon a signboard which reads "eggs until 4pm daily". Prominently displayed outside Patisserie G, opened by Gwen Lim, and known for its desserts. There was an available table or two, so we decided to step in. Lots of wood could be seen – from the tables and chairs (was that Atomi's Hiroshima by Maruni?) to counters, shelves and flooring. Ordered scrambled eggs en cocotte with pork sausage, mushrooms and chose butter croissant over toasted brioche. Could neither rave about the three creamy scrambled freedom range eggs nor fault the sausage. While the sautéed mushrooms were lovely, it paled in comparison to the croissant. Its buttery crust was so crispy and flaky with a soft, airy and fluffy inside that I could eat it on its own. And not stop until it was gone.

Dolce Tokyo

After dinner, my dining companions and I were looking for another place to chill out when we chanced upon Dolce Tokyo. Opened by Ministry of Food, the Japanese-Italian café can be found on the 3rd floor of Bugis Junction and 313@Somerset. It was the latter that we visited, and ordered two desserts for sharing. Chocolate Brownie Grande, served in a stone bowl that reminded me of Korean bibimbap, had a scoop of smooth gelato on top of sweet and dense (but not overly so) brownie with caramelised banana cut lengthwise and sweet sliced strawberries as well as gyuuhi and marshmallows lightly-toasted so it had a nice charred aroma and melted in the mouth. We chose black sesame over vanilla, chocolate and the default-if-you-forgot-to-choose matcha for our gelato. Could not fault Abekawa Macha Zen – Hokkaido red bean paste with Japanese rice dumpling topped with Hokkaido green tea gelato and toasted mochi. Oh, and there are savoury items on the menu too.

Lady M

There are four branches of Lady M in the United States, three of which are in New York and the other is in Los Angeles, and two in Singapore. Opened last September, the 1st branch at Marina Square's Dining Edition on the 2nd floor has no kitchen space (cakes are apparently too complicated to be prepared with the limited countertop space and instead delivered daily from its central kitchen). The 2nd, a late-night joint, opened recently at One Fullerton. According to the website, it prides itself on creating the freshest and finest cakes and confectionery delights. Combining French pastry techniques with Japanese etiquette of precision, they are handmade following recipes refined over the years to provide the highest quality in taste and appearance. It is known as the original creator of the well-known mille crêpe cake with 20 layers of paper-thin handmade crepe interspersed with light pastry cream – vanilla, chocolate, citron, coconut, green tea, marron and strawberry.

The Marmalade Pantry

Walked around Ion Orchard after dinner on a weekday, looking for a place to have either drinks or desserts and was down to two choices – The Marmalade Pantry on the 3rd floor or jones the grocer on the 4th. 1st ate at the former years ago in Holland Village (it has since closed and in 2011, The Marmalade Group merged with Refinery Concepts to form TheBigIdea) and remembered the food was good though a tad expensive. Loved its simple white menu with black prints on a clipboard too but my last dining experience at this branch left an impression for the wrong reasons and I have not been back since. However, I was tempted enough by the Lemon Meringue Sponge Cake on its menu that I decided to give it another chance. Though the open-concept place was most of the time packed when I passed by, empty seats seemed to be beckoning my dining companions and I. So in we went and sat comfortably on cushioned bench seats and wooden chairs with backrest.

Ah Chew Desserts

After dinner in the Bugis vicinity one evening, my dining companions and I dropped by Ji De Chi for Mango with Pomelo Sago. This was many years ago and there was no turning back since. I have subsequently visited both branches at Liang Seah Street and Jurong Point (there is another one at Plaza Singapura) and tried its Durian with Pomelo Sago, Mango Baked Puff Rolls and Durian in Sticky Rice Rolls. However, there was a long queue when I was there yesterday so we decided to try Ah Chew Desserts on the same street instead. Not that there was no queue, but it seemed shorter and I recently saw drooling pictures and rave reviews on its desserts. It was a short wait before we were seated at a hard ebony wood table with a menu pasted on it underneath a glass cover. Upon deciding what to eat from the dazzling choices available, we proceeded to join another queue at the order counter in the shop space next door.

BeansTalk and BlackBall

As I read The Sunday Times review on BeansTalk, I thought $2 for Taiwanese beancurd with 6 toppings was a good deal. No harm trying if I happened to be in Toa Payoh and have stomach space for it but alas, months have since passed me by. So when I saw another branch at Jurong East Temporary Interchange, decided to try it. Known as BeansTalk Signature, it was topped with grass jelly, pinto beans, red and green beans, roasted peanuts and taro balls. Silky beancurd was mediocre and left a strange taste on my tongue. Atop was grass jelly, beans and nuts I could neither rave about nor fault. Preferred BlackBall's grass jelly made with Mesona grass from Guan Xi, Taiwan – smooth and slippery enough to glide down my throat, not too sweet though some might find it a tad bitter. BeansTalk's colourful taro balls were chewy, just like that from BlackBall which also came with sweet potato balls. Though they were good, better ones could be found at Malaysia's Snowflakes.

Update: BeansTalk has been rebranded as Nine Fresh Desserts Taiwan.

Ladurée Revisited

It has been a week since the renowned luxury patisserie chain credited for inventing the double-decker macarons opened at Ngee Ann City, commonly referred to as its anchor tenant Takashimaya. Snaking queues could be seen at both the counter on 1st floor between Chanel and Louis Vuitton, and the boutique on 2nd floor. These are well-managed by staff despite having to split the queues so as not to block the escalators and other shops within the shopping mall. Without a tea salon for dine-in, I wondered why the queue was slow-moving. While some customers knew exactly what they wanted, others were not sure of the cost and packaging options. Hence, they could only ask the staff upon reaching the counter before deciding on the number of pieces and flavours to get. No matter how many the customers bought (a few were helping family and friends get their hands on the dainty macarons, might as well) and how fast the staff packed, there is only one cashier at each location.

Things you might want to know before joining the queue

New Kid on the Block – Ladurée

You might have already heard that renowned luxury patisserie chain Ladurée has opened today in Singapore. With a counter on the 1st floor of Takashimaya Shopping Centre, Ngee Ann City, between Chanel and Louis Vuitton and a boutique on the 2nd floor (will mostly be closed on 16-17 April for a private event). The former sells macarons while the latter, not a dine-in café, also carries non-food items such as home fragrances, tote bags and trinkets. Founded in 1862 and bought over in 1993 by French company Holder Group who also owns Paul bakery, it already has presence in Asia – Japan, South Korea and most recently Hong Kong. So this, in collaboration with luxury watch retailer The Hour Glass, marks its 1st foray into South-east Asia. Paul is on the 3rd floor of the same shopping mall while The Hour Glass has a shop on the 1st floor.

Black Coffee Dessert Bar

Black Coffee Dessert Bar was opened in 2009 by a few friends fanatic about coffee, food and vintage furniture. According to the website, there are two branches at Hitachi Tower and TripleOne Somerset though the latter has since closed. I have been to both, ordering its Valrhona Chocolate Banana Cake, Valrhona Dark Chocolate Tart and Chocolate Rum Affogato at the former. At the latter, I had its all-day breakfast, Valrhona Chocolate Cupcake with Nutella Frosting, and Macchiato. Other than tables made up of old television sets with sheets of glass on top, there were also gramophone, lamps, old-school clocks and retro-looking display cases. Together, different tables and chairs (including re-holstered old-style sofa) gave cosy vibes to the old-world charm of both places.