Singapore - Food diary (May to Aug 2020)

on
Back to our weekly routine to hunt for good food during weekend! It's a blessing that everything seems heading to a positive side now...

Halcyon & Crane
Address: 290 Orchard Rd, #03-09 The Paragon, Singapore 238859.
Opening hours: 9am to 9.30pm daily



We visited Halcyon & Crane before the (semi) lock-down in Singapore began on 7 Apr. It was a rather crowded Saturday afternoon. Luckily, we made a reservation through Chope app and got our table immediately without further wait. Moreover, Chope was offering 1-for-1 main dishes so long as you make payment using a POSB/DBS card or Paylah.

Sitting at level 3 of the Paragon, it is a perfect stop to satisfy your growling stomach after shopping hauls. To be honest, I couldn't even pronounce the name of the cafe properly at first glance (apologies for my poor English XD). After getting help from Google Master, I found out that Halycon refers to a Greek mythical bird that symbolises serenity and bliss whereas crane is a type of bird that's regarded as a symbol of happiness and eternal youth in Asia. In line with its name, the cafe serves delicious Western-Asian fusion cuisine.

We were enticed by the relaxed vibe of the cafe, likely due to the open area concept as well as the homely and classy interiors with the wide use of marble/bronze/bamboo. Food wise, we were rather satisfied (see full review below). 

Latte ($7). One thing that I am looking forward to every weekend. And this one didn't disappoint at all. The complimentary chocolate cookie was equally amazing. If you are adventurous, there are plenty of options for fancy coffee here such as Tiramisu Coffee and Orange Yuzu Passionfruit Coffee Cubes Latte.

Dan Dan Spaghetti ($22). Well, I was blown away at the first bite because it tasted like authentic Dan Dan noodles from a Sichuan Chinese restaurant, but in pasta version. You can also customise the level of spiciness, which's absolutely great news for me. 

Mentaiko Fries ($15). Perfect appetiser for sharing and best enjoyed when piping hot. The portion was just too big for 2 persons and hopefully, they would consider offering a petite version. Nonetheless, this was heavenly good - a generous amount of Mentaiko on top of the crispy fries. 

Portobello Florentine ($22). This was the least outstanding dish among all but we still enjoyed it. More importantly, it's a healthy dish with a lot of greens. 


Address: 390 Orchard Road, 01-03 Palais Renaissance, 238871.
Opening hours: 8am to 10.30pm daily

This was the first cafe we visited after Singapore Circuit Breaker ended. Without me realising, there are actually 3 branches of Merci Marcel nationwide (the other two locations being Tiong Bahru and Club Street). All of them are picture-perfect, especially for girls who like to take OOTDs. 

For those who love natural daylight, you may opt for outdoor seating. However, if you come during weekends when this French lifestyle cafe is often crowded, you might not have the choice to select your table unless you are willing to wait. 

While ambiance definitely is one of the key contributors to an enjoyable cafe visit, we do consider food quality as another factor that keeps us coming back to the same cafe. Unless the food is really outstanding, we prefer to explore new cafes given there are simply too many options out there. So how would we rate the food here? 

  1. Ravioles de Royans (small; $18) - This was definitely my favourite dish of the day. The French dumplings filled with cheese topped with creamy white sauce are to die for. While the portion was not too big, I found it hard to finish the entire dish on my own as the taste was so rich that you got bored of it after a while (at least for me). Good for sharing indeed. 
  2. Energy pancakes ($15) - I actually quite liked this too, particularly the creamy peanut butter sauce (NB: I'm a total sucker for peanut butter). All in all, chocolate, bananas and pancakes will just never go wrong together, and peanut butter is a plus point. 
  3. Homemade fries ($10) - Best to dig in while the fries are still piping hot, as they get soggy after some time. The truffle mayo sauce was heavenly good, and my only wish was they would serve more sauce. 
  4. Hot latte ($6) - I admit that I am not a coffee expert, and won't make complaints unless the coffee is too acidic/tastes really bad. The latte here was quite good in my humble opinion. 
Back to the question, I am keen to visit their other branches, especially Tiong Bahru one that has been highly recommended by my colleagues. 

I really like the vibrant wallpaper at the back. 

The most popular photo spot is not to be missed. Digress a little, I am so in love with this fun (yet work-appropriate) striped dress from the Closet Lover. 

Plain Vanilla (Tiong Bahru branch)
Address: 1D Yong Siak St, Singapore 168641.
Opening hours: 8am to 9pm daily

Always wanted to visit the cafe and finally, I had the opportunity to do so! I had been attracted by the tiffany blue bicycles in front of the shop whenever I walk past the cafe (my workplace was just nearby).

Please see below the summary of our food review here:
  1. Salted caramel cupcake ($4) - I have to say that Plain Vanilla is famous for cupcakes for a good reason. This is so yummy, highly recommend it! I particularly like the salted caramel frosting, and the cupcake is not overly sweet. 
  2. New potatoes ($8) - Great comfort food. Slightly overpriced (judging from the fact that I can easily replicate the dish at home, hmm...).
  3. Butterscotch banana cake slice ($8.50) - The cake body is very dense and rich in flavours, but if I was only allowed to choose one, I would still go for cupcakes. 
  4. Hot latte ($5) -  As mentioned earlier, my staple drink during each cafe visit. The coffee here was not bad either. 

We got this pretty bouquet of baby breath from Tiong Bahru market. 



The cute little bookshop next to Plain Vanilla. The pastel colour scheme is so adorable.
 
And we have come to the end of this post, see you next time! :)

Comments

Post a Comment