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.

Dutch Baby Café

Located at the basement of Paragon, Dutch Baby Café is opened by Japan Foods Holding who also owns Ajisen Ramen and Menya Musashi among other brands. Models of the food and drinks are displayed at its entrance, just like many Japanese restaurants and cafés such as Chabuton and SaintMarc Café. Recess in the wall reminiscent of red bricks, served as display shelves. Together with bench seats against wooden tables and chairs, the place exudes a homely feel. As its name suggests, Dutch Baby Cafe serves Dutch Baby pancakes made with eggs, flour, sugar and milk. Available as either sweet or savoury, they are served on hot cast iron pans straight out from the oven. According to its website, Dutch Baby pancakes originated from Germany and were reintroduced in the United States. The name was a result of the American owner's daughter pronouncing Deutsche as Dutch.

My order of Maple Grapefruit had succulent lemon chicken and crunchy lettuce accentuated by juicy grapefruit and orange – the former with a bitter aftertaste and the latter a tad sour, drizzled with sweet maple syrup. Loved the aroma of egg in the pancake and preferred its crispy sides to the bottom layer which was not pillow-soft as described. The place also offers fruit tarts from Fruit Paradise and omelette combo plates where you get fries and side salad with choice of rice or bread, scrambled egg or sunny side up, and pork cutlet or chicken steak or demi-glace hamburg. I visited on another weekend to try its pork cutlet omurice. Could neither rave about the not-too-oily-or-dry pork cutlet nor fault the perfectly-cooked rice and omelette. Except maybe that the rice should be inside the omelette.

Nassim Hill Bakery Bistro Bar

It was a lazy Saturday morning when we decided to have a late breakfast at Nassim Hill Bakery Bistro Bar. Saw a few empty tables as we walked into the bustling place but was told those were reserved and there were no available seats. Wondered aloud why others managed to reserve when its website clearly states that reservations are only accepted from 3pm onwards on Saturdays and Sundays. Staff however could not be bothered to explain or make an attempt to say, re-arrange the non-reserved tables. In fact, the service (except for that of the boss or manager in-charge) disgusted us so much that we would not be back. Especially since similar food choices could be found at nearby Dempsey, Hediard at Tudor Court and Benjamin Browns Bakery & Bistro at Forum The Shopping Mall. Most reviews raved about its bread from Freshly Baked by Le Bijoux but I could just visit the bakery itself at Killiney Road, couldn't I?

Food For Thought

Used to have family outings to Singapore Botanic Gardens where we would breathe in fresh air, walk and run in the park. Once, I was offered a chocolate but my initial happiness upon receiving one as a child soon turned to disappointment as it had melted. Have always been a fussy eater since young and eat neither melted chocolate nor ice-cream. At a tender age when I did not know they could be re-frozen, I gave away the chocolate. I did not care that it was safe-kept for me in the cooler box, which I thought was just a container to store and carry the drinks, until it was later returned to me. My eyes lit up and I happily ate the no-longer-melted chocolate. A childhood memory deeply etched in my mind and fondly recalled during my recent visit to the tourist attraction I have not been to in ages.

Scoops & Slices

Happened to be in the area on a hot day when I decided to drop by Scoops & Slices, instead of the familiar Baskin-Robbins and Udders also at Novena, for homemade ice-cream. Its baby blue logo, dark wooden tables and black sofas stood out against the mostly-white space that also reflected light. So the simply-furnished café is bright and spacious with an all-glass frontage, white cabinets and walls (tables and chairs too) as well as light homogenous tiled flooring.

Au Chocolat

I was hungry and looking for a place to lunch in The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands when a made-in-Singapore French-inspired bistro-cum-confiserie caught my eye. With façade reminiscent of a café on chic Parisian street and reasonably-priced items on its menu (considering how expensive food can be in the area), I decided to try its all-day breakfast since there were available seats. Looking around while waiting for my Aebleskivers to arrive, I saw trains running above me in mid-air. Details of the whimsical restaurant, themed around the adventures of a free-spirited 8-year-old and her two dogs in chocolate fantasyland, could be seen in intricate drawings on the ceiling. Loved how fun such as large blobs of molten chocolate hanging from the ceiling, was intertwined with the laid-back ambience and old-world charm (think brick walls, colourful stained glass panels, mock fireplace and mosaic tiles).

&Made by Bruno Ménard Revisited

After a thumbs-up experience at &Made by Bruno Ménard last month, I said I would be back to try other items on the menu. Happened to be at Pacific Plaza on a Saturday afternoon and was deciding between The 3 Little Pigs and Lollipop Waffle. The former seemed too much as dinner would probably be in another two hours or so, but the latter too little as my light breakfast was more than four hours ago. In the end, I settled for The 3 Little Pigs. The place was bustling with many people waiting for seats during lunch time but by the time I was there, the crowd had eased. Not to say it was empty but there were a few available tables for two.

Yesterdae

After my waste of caffeine intake at Dean & Deluca (oh, and did I mention that the double macchiato came in a paper cup?) and being let down by the macchiato at &Made by Bruno Ménard, was recommended to try the coffee at Yesterdae. Tucked away in a quiet HDB estate near the PIE where traffic jams are the norm during peak hours, the café is simply furnished with bright colours (blue and green walls and chairs) against the mostly neutral palette. Together, different tables and chairs gave the place a laid-back charm with shelves of books and magazines to while away lazy afternoons. There were coasters, potted plant and tissue box on every table with outdoor seating separated by an all-glass frontage. Interesting details include the water dispenser in the form of a mini beer-barrel, a retro-looking clock and telephone reminiscent of yesterday (pun intended).