The Coffee Academics Revisited

We went Raffles City Shopping Centre over the weekend to have late lunch, and decided on the coffee specialty store from Hong Kong. Saw customers at the table beside me eating Crispy Fish Fillet Tacos, which looked delicious so I ordered that. Crunchy taco shells went well with the fish fillet topped with chipotle mayonnaise that was not too cloying. Taste was accentuated by the fresh mango salsa – both sweet and tart at the same time, and coriander leaves. While I could neither rave about the accompanying seasonal greens nor fault the crispy curly fries, they were perfect when interspersed between mouthfuls (or bites, if you prefer) of tacos. My dining companion, who has not tried The Coffee Academics before, went for the Academics Breakfast. A hard-to-go-wrong dish consisting of pork bockwurst sausage, Pio Tosini Prosciutto di Parma, homemade baked beans, roasted baby potatoes and choice of eggs served with toasted bread and seasonal garden greens.

The Coffee Academics

The Coffee Academics opened a 2nd branch in Singapore after Scotts Square, beside Tiong Bahru Bakery at the basement of Raffles City Shopping Centre. A dining companion chose this highly-rated coffee specialty store from Hong Kong only because of its lunch sets, consisting a pasta or pizza (choose from 3 options) and coffee/tea. As the Academics Breakfast was priced almost twice that of the lunch set, we settled for the obvious. Three of us shared the Fungi Pizza, Shrimps Arrabiata and Academics Cinnamon Churros. We could neither rave about the thin crust tomato-based pizza with succulent shiitake mushrooms and mozzarella cheese, nor fault the al dente spaghetti with spicy tomato sauce and small frozen shrimps. The four churros, served with a scoop of lovely TCA blend gelato and too-watery chocolate dipping sauce, cost more than a lunch set and was not worth the amount we paid for it. Both the Long Black and Cappuccino did not disappoint – smooth, medium-bodied and not too acidic.

Paradise Teochew Restaurant

Paradise Group is not an unfamiliar name in Singapore, along with Crystal Jade and Imperial Treasure. About a year ago, it opened Paradise Teochew Restaurant on the 3rd floor of Chinese Swimming Club's Sports Complex at Amber Road. Its 2nd branch, also on the 3rd floor, took over the space previously occupied by Crystal Jade Pristine at Scotts Square. As we were there for dinner on a weekend, did not have a chance to try its dim sum. Instead, we ordered braised sliced duck (Irish fat duck) and sautéed scallop with asparagus in XO sauce. The former came atop surprisingly good braised beancurd, was tender and not as salty as the latter. Lightly flavoured without being bland, and not too oily. While I had these dishes with plain white rice, a dining companion ate porridge with condiments and another tried its sliced pomfret porridge. Nothing to rave about or fault, and overall a pleasant experience.

London Fat Duck

Do not confuse London Fat Duck with Four Seasons Chinese Restaurant and the acclaimed Fat Duck restaurant in Bray, England, by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal. Four Seasons Chinese Restaurant is a Hong Kong-style restaurant well-known for its roast duck, from London and located on the 2nd floor of Capitol Piazza. While London Fat Duck is a joint venture between the Fei Siong and Akashi groups, located opposite Maison Kayser at the basement of Scotts Square. Fei Siong's stable of restaurants include Eat and Legendary Hong Kong at Jurong Point. Other than the Akashi Japanese Restaurant, Akashi's include Akanoya at Orchard Parade Hotel, Gyoza-Ya and Sushi Goshin at Robinsons Orchard. A chef with experience in Hong Kong's Yung Kee was hired to roast the "wagyu of ducks" supplied by a farm in Ireland.

Wild Honey

While I loved Wild Honey for its hearty all-day breakfast and interior designs, could not say the same of its queues and price tag – drinks are not included, and please add service charge despite having to queue at the counter to order. First tried its signature English (another is European Eggs Benedict) breakfast at Mandarin Gallery and subsequently at Scotts Square where seats could be reserved and orders were taken at the table, and preferred it to the Canadian one. The former included soft and fluffy brioche, lovely sautéed mushrooms and breakfast potatoes with Cumberland pork sausage, grilled vine ripened tomato and scrambled eggs I could not fault as well as back bacon and Dad's baked beans I could not rave about. And the latter paled in comparison, with a stack of three thick pancakes that I found too cloying after a while despite eating it drizzled with imported Canadian maple syrup and between mouths of Canadian back bacon and yummy wild forest berry compote.

Maison Kayser Revisited

After lovely dine-in and takeaway experiences at Scotts Square's Maison Kayser, I decided to visit the branch at Wheelock Place. Located at B2 beside Nam Nam Noodle Bar, it is just across Paterson Link from Ion Orchard where Marks & Spencer used to be. My order of Original Blend Coffee had a nice aroma of roasted beans and was bitter with muted acidity. Neither too strong nor light, it was good enough sans condiments and served with Financier – there was an aroma of butter, the taste of which I found too overwhelming. Lacking a crisp on the outside and an aroma possibly because the Pain Au Chocolat was cold, it was not as fluffy on the inside as its croissant that was named the best by Paris newspaper Le Figaro. Still airy and soft, the lightness was somehow missing. While the chocolate was sweet and rich, it was overall a tad disappointing. Unlike its Croissant Praline which still had the same nice texture, with the bonus of a smooth hazelnuts and praline cream reminiscent of Nutella.

Sushi Ichi

When I read that Sushi Ichi has been awarded the prestigious Michelin Star award in Singapore Business Review, I knew I had to try the restaurant hailing from Ginza in Tokyo. Located on the 2nd floor of Scotts Square, it boosts lots of wood against a cream palette typical of Japanese interior design. According to the website, its Noren curtain at the entrance features dye and weaving techniques passed down from ancient Japan. Was there for lunch on a weekday and stepping in, we were warmly greeted by staff and seated at a sushi counter behind which a seasonal flower arrangement stood out. This and the tiny vase of each chopstick holder holding a stalk of different flower are aspects of ikebana included in Kyo-ryori that goes beyond mere eating. In fact, Kyoto Kaiseki Ryori evolved from traditional tea ceremony and comprises small food portions served with bitter tea. Other details include hexagonal Cyprus chopsticks and beautiful ceramic tableware.

Marukin Ramen

Tucked away in a quiet corner at the basement of Scotts Square is Marukin Ramen, renowned for its slow-cooked homemade soup created from high quality ingredients. Ultrafine springy noodles with a crunchy texture just the way founder Hiroshi Kusuda wants it to be, are machine-made at its factory. According to the website, it was founded in 1994 to fondly replicate unique flavours authentic to the Kitakyushu city in Japan. The famous Tokyo ramen chain restaurant's 1st and only outlet in Singapore is helmed by Chef Tetsuya Tsuyuki, who also trains kitchen staff and is responsible for the expansion in Tokyo and Shanghai. Here, customers wait to be seated and food is served to the table but orders are taken and paid for at the counter. Bright tiles and logo stood out against lots of wood in the almost empty place, which is not enclosed. A pity it is not halal-certified by Muis as the menu claimed no pork, lard and alcohol are used in its food preparation.

Maison Kayser

According to its website, a new bread is created for every new bakery. And each shop has a unique layout and décor to reflect the neighbourhood, city and country. All breads, pastries and brioches are prepared using in-house techniques with an exclusive leaven followed by slow kneading and long (traditional and natural) fermentation before they are shaped by hand and baked on-site daily. Quoting Chef Eric Kayser, "Good bread doesn't lie: it says everything about the quality of its ingredients and the know-how of its creator." Natural products, such as liquid leaven that offers a range of aromas devoid of acidity, are used as far as possible at every step in production. In fact, butter is tailor-made with a dairy producer in Japan just so the croissant can be as good as those in France. To meet demand, new openings in Japan had to limit every customer to no more than two croissants each. Such success meant I had to try Maison Kayser when it came to our shores.