Showing posts with label breakfast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breakfast. Show all posts

Jul 6, 2011

Wild Honey, Mandarin Gallery



During the time I've been away from Singapore, a spate of All-Day Breakfast cafes have been springing up- such as Hatched, Strictly Pancakes and Wild Honey. While this concept is nothing new in Perth (where I live most of the time), it seems that this craze has caught the attention of many Singaporeans, in particular the yuppie and twenty-something crowd. Wild Honey is an all-breakfast cafe located on the third floor of Mandarin Gallery: be warned, they have a no-reservation policy so be prepared to wait. Some reviews I've read of this place have mentioned up to 1.5 hour waits during busy periods (I only had to wait 10 minutes, yay!). The interior of the cafe is vintage-styled and filled with sofas set around small circular tables. Dim lighting and plump cushions complete the look, lending the cafe a distinctive coziness. 

I ordered the European Breakfast ($18), which is Wild Honey's interpretation of Eggs Benedict (I did mention that I'm a fan of Eggs Benedict in my earlier post, didn't I?).  I have to admit I found the price rather steep for Breakfast ($18 for breakfast, really!? And this is coming from me, living in Perth!). I also ordered an Iced Coffee and my breakfast partner decided on the English Breakfast ($22) with OJ. 

The Eggs Benedict  was made of sautéed mushrooms and poached eggs wrapped in prosciutto (cured uncooked ham) that sat on toasted brioche, topped with hollandaise sauce. The eggs were poached to perfection and unlike Aussie poached eggs, they didn't literally explode when you cut into them (always a positive to remain a neat eater). The proscuitto added a smoky savory taste that went very well with the brioche, eggs and hollandaise sauce in my opinion (this is a first having Eggs Benedict with brioche, but I quite enjoyed it!). Although I loved the mushrooms, I felt that they didn't add much to the dish. Fresh spinach(!!) would have been a much better option, so I thought.

I also have to say that I was rather disappointed with the Iced Coffee ($7). It was mediocre and like most places in Singapore, I was literally served with a glass of black Coffee with ice and sugar syrup. Where is my iced-latte style coffee?! For $7 I would have expected something like that at the very least.

My friend ordered the English breakfast, which he swears is Legendary. Apparently he's already tried it but simply NEEDED to have it again after seeing the menu (which is on an iPad). The breakfast classic contains scrambled eggs, sausages, sautéed mushrooms, baked beans, fried bacon, tomato, a side of potatoes and toast. He didn't want to eat his tomato so I did the honors - and boy, was that tomato fresh. BEST TOMATO EVER (and I don't normally like tomatoes).

While I still think that Wild Honey is overpriced, I might return - if only to try their Tunisian or Mexican breakfast.

Recommended for: Cozy tête à têtes, Couples, Small gatherings


View Larger Map

Wild Honey
333A Mandarin Gallery 

#03-02 Orchard Road
Singapore 238897
Tel: 6235 3900

Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 9 AM - 10.30 PM
Saturday & Sunday: 8 AM - 10.30 PM


Jun 29, 2011

Cafe 140, Bunbury




Cafe 140 boasts lovely Eggs Benedict if I may say so (after all, this is only the second time I've had it). Tucked in the corner of Stirling & Victoria Street in Bunbury, this modern and chic cafe is easily missed but an old friend A.L. had recommended it to me as the "best place to have lunch in Bunbury". I ordered the Eggs Benedict ($15.95), which like any traditional Eggs Benedict included english muffin halves crowned with bacon, poached eggs and a creamy Hollandaise sauce. However, the Cafe140 version adds spinach leaves to the dish, giving it a refreshing and unexpected texture and depth. Couple this with the perfect balance of buttery-creamy sauce and my favorite poached eggs? Baby, we have a winner!

Andrew ordered the Omelette ($14.95), which consisted of two cheeses fried with eggs, two thick slices of toast and onion jam. I admit we treated the onion jam with caution (any chef knows that onions make people tear up!). However, the savory-sweet treat wasn't what we had expected at all and we were quite pleasantly surprised at the way that the different flavors combined in this dish.


The only shortcoming was the coffee. I ordered the Flat White ($3.80) - to all you non-aussies, that's pretty much a different version of a Latte. Basically, it tasted like the good old Flat White coffee I get at university... i.e. not worth the money. A little unfortunate, as the food was really delicious! After 3 hours of driving on an empty stomach, the filling portions hit the right spot, believe me. If I were ever to go down Bunbury way again, Cafe 140 would definitely be on my worthwhile-detour list.

Recommended for Cozy tête à têtes, Large gatherings, catch ups with old friends


View Larger Map

Cafe 140
140 Victoria Street
Bunbury, 6230
Tel: (08) 9721 2254

Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 7 AM - 4.30 PM
Saturday: 8 AM - 3 PM
Sunday: 8.30 AM - 2 PM

Cafe 140 on Urbanspoon

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...