Ronin

Dark and elusive, Ronin looks like a favourite brunch place for vampires. Except that no blood is served. I had quite a hard time finding Ronin because it doesn't have a signboard. There is only a sign outside stating its address 17 Hong Kong St. 

Visited at 11am on a Saturday morning and was very pleased to find quite an empty cafe. #victoryscored

Communal table spotted in the middle and several bar tables nearer to the open kitchen. Common sense says don't sit near the kitchen unless I want to smell like my food. 

A glance of the drinks menu and Wicked ($5.50) caught my eyes. Blink blink. It is actually a mocha mint which was refreshing and cooling, and surprisingly mint complements the mocha very well. I like that it is not bitter and yet not overly sweet. My friend got the pretty Matcha tone ($5.50) that had steamed milk on top of a thick layer of matcha. Which was highly raved as intense and nice.

We both ordered the brioche French toast ($14.50), a sumptuous brunch which comes with braised apples, bacon and hazelnut butter and syrup. I like the fluffy toast and the hazelnut butter sauce that drenches and complements it nicely. But the apple was too sour for me. 

Service was attentive too. I like that Ronin doesn't charge GST or service charge, which made our brunch pretty value for money. I think I'll go back for Wicked soon.

Address: 17 Hong Kong Street Singapore 059660

Common Man Coffee Roasters

Common Man Coffee Roasters is a cafe located at Martin Road. 

Which is ulu for those without a car. 

Which is a less crowded brunch place for those with a car. #justsaying

Anyway I was here to give a birthday treat to one of my "sisters". The sister who broke the sister code regularly #BoysOverSisters #GaveUp. The sister who had a week-long daily celebration starting from Monday. And the sister who scheduled my turn only six days later on a Sunday.

I could have wished her happy birthday like how someecards did. But I'm nice. Haha.

Common Man Coffee Roasters is the typical popular cafe that does not take reservations on weekends. 

But due to my good karma, we didn't have to queue when we reached at 12pm on Sunday. There was a short queue from 1pm though. 

I couldn't get a picture of the interior of the packed place but here's one from the Common Man Coffee Roasters's website. 

Patrons are mainly ang moh with kids and youngsters, the usual suspects. It can be really noisy so if you are looking for a quiet place, this ain't it.

Seats are mainly bar table style. There was a big common round table in the middle. But we are anti-social Asians so we were given one private corner next to the windows with plenty of natural light. 

Latte/Cappuccino ($5++ each)
I am no expert in coffee. But I love Common Man Coffee Roasters' version of cappuccino very much. Everything about the coffee hit the right notes with me, as if the barista and I had common wavelengths. The coffee doesn't leave a sourish/bitter after taste - my usual concern with most other coffees. It is light-bodied yet does its role well to wake me up on a Sunday. 

Organic eggs benedict ($24++)
My friend had the organic eggs benedict with braised ox cheeks and artisanal sourdough toast. She had nothing but praises for it. If you don't trust 99% of what I crapped on this blog, you can trust my friend who was probably a serious food critic in her previous life. 

I had a small bite of it. The ox cheeks were moist/tender and not overly gamey. And when soaked with the golden egg yolks and hollandaise sauce as well as the accompany toast, it was a wondrous mix. 

Brioche French toast ($18++)

I had my eyes set on the brioche French toast. The brioche French toast was served on a wooden board. Vibrant red raspberries and strawberries compote sat on top of soft warm golden brown brioche that is dusted sparingly yet with the right amount of icing sugar. The compote was not sour but sweet. 

End it off with some really smooth Kapiti vanilla ice cream that was melting slowly into the brioche toast. 

I loved the toast which was served warm, fluffy and crispy at the corners. Haven't had a really good French toast like this for a long time. 

Service speed was amazing for a Sunday crowd. We only had to wait for about 10 minutes for our food to come. 

What can I say?  Common Man Coffee Roasters has exceeded my expectations with its substantial and good quality food and coffee, as well as speedy customer service. It might be a bit expensive, but at least you don't get crappy food or service. This is certainly one of the better brunch places that I would highly recommend. 

Address:
22 Martin Road #01-00 Singapore 239058

Tel: 6836 4695

Octapas Spanish Tapas Bar

It was a dramatic and emotional Friday at work and I wanted needed to end it with alcohol at Octapas at Clarke Quay. 

I didn't take pics of the place because I didn't want to risk being beaten by some drunkard who caught me taking photos of him. So here're some pics of the place from Octapas website.

Red lighting provides the mood and ambience for relaxation. They have an alfresco dining area by the river..

As well as indoors that is set with bar tables..  Not really air-conditioned but I think it's cooler than outdoors.

We were seated right in front of the stage.. where a live band will perform at 10pm.

Since we are at a Spanish tapas place, we ordered lychee sangria ($15.50++, below). It came with a lychee fruit and tiny apple pieces, and tasted bittersweet. Just like my life on that miserable Friday. It was actually quite strong because I felt a little giddy after a while. Not because I'm a loser k.. My friend, who is a regular recurring drunkard experienced drinker and also a walking disaster when drunk  walking encyclopedia of alcohol, also found it strong.

The Grilled Octapas ($17.50++, below) which was grilled octopus and potatoes and supposedly seasoned with paprika. The reason why I said supposedly is because I didn't taste any paprika. The meat was a bit charred and tough. I suspect it was over grilled. You know, like how we over barbecue our food because we are not sure if it's cooked.. And the result is hard meat. The portion is rather small for 2 pax. 2.5/5

We ordered the Mariscos Paella ($38++, below). Basically it is seafood paella, comprising of squids, mussels, shrimps and fish. Served piping hot, the paella was quite tasty and they were quite generous with the seafood.  However I found the rice too mushy and wet. 3.5/5

We enjoyed the live band and they were seriously quite good! 

The music was a bit too loud for me but I believe it was because we were seated right in front of the band.

Whatever.

Overall, although the food was so-so, and the service was so-so (oh did I mention our prawns never came?),  it's still a great way to unwind and start the weekend with a live band. You can make song dedications too. Here's a short clip of the live band singing "All of me".

Life is better when you are drunk.

Because fish mermaids are too mainstream.

Address:  Blk D, #01-08 Clarke Quay,

River Valley Road, Singapore 179023

Dulcet and Studio

Located at the corner of Liang Court, Dulcet & Studio is a Japanese-Western fusion restaurant.. The name is quite interesting.. "Dulcet" supposedly means sweet and melodious.  And the "studio" refers to the baking classes that they hold. The restaurant is designed by a top Japan designer based out of Tokyo. Anyway, my expectations were raised significantly when I saw the colorful displays of cakes and pastries at the shopfront.. So tempting!

They have puddings too...

Not much people on a weekend..

I like the chill vibe of Dulcet & Studio. There's a sofa corner that looks comfy. Tip: They also have free wifi, another plus point.

This is a self-service place. You tick what you want to eat in the paper slip, pay at the counter, take your own cutlery, and wait for the food to be served.

I ordered the Black Pig Bolognese Fettucine ($13, below). Apparently this is Dulcet & Studio's signature dish. Their pasta is made in Hokkaido so it's different from the normal western pasta. The fettucine was a bit hard and chewy, not really to my liking. But the black pig bolognese was quite tasty, well marinated with the tomato based sauce. 3.5/5

My friend had the Full Size US Pork Chop Doria ($16, below). Doria is a Japanese type of food, similar to gratin but with a rice base. To me, it tasted like risotto. The tomato base was quite bland and diluted. I like the pork though which was juicy. 3/5

We waited for quite some time for our food to arrive, probably 20 minutes. My friend's order was Doria which it was indicated on the menu that it will take 15 minutes to prepare. On the other hand, my Black Pig Bolognese Fettucine did not have a minimum preparation time indicated on the menu. However, in the end, my friend's Doria came first before my Black Pig Bolognese Fettucine.

After a not-so-satisfying main course, we were looking forward to the desserts hoping they would help to end the dinner with a wow. We had the Pont Neuf ($5.20, below) which was a cream puff crispy on the outside but creamy and soft on the inside. Yumms! 4/5

Upon the strong recommendation of the service staff, we ordered Dulcet & Studio's signature dessert Fruit Scoop ($7, below). To be honest, it was quite a normal fruit cream cake to us.. Nothing to complain about it.. Until my friend spotted the "cake side" in the middle of the cake.. If you look carefully, there is a brown vertical line in the sponge. That's a cake skin. My friend claims a good bakery should not serve it to customers as the cake skin  is usually used to combine two cakes. 3/5

Overall, we went in with high expectations but actually it's quite average food to us. Not sure if it was because we order the wrong food. Cuz we googled and found quite a lot of good reviews on Dulcet & Studio. If I am in the vicinity again, I will order the matcha chiffon cake which was sadly not available during my visit. 

Address:

Liang Court

177 River Valley Road

#01-41/42