Sunday, October 28, 2012

Paris Baguette Cafe @ Wisma Atria

I can't believe I was at Wisma Atria three times within the past week. Anyhow, when a colleague said she wanted to try this Korean cafe at Wisma, I exclaimed, "Oh yes there's a new cafe there isn't it! But I thought it's a Parisian cafe?" So then we argued for a while. Turns out it's a French-inspired bakery cafe from Korea which has been there for 25 years. Half of the service staff here are Koreans and I suspect the bakers themselves too. 

You will not miss this cafe with its neon sign if you take the escalators up in Wisma. This cafe replaced Din Tai Fung, which moved up to the food court level. One thing I didn't like about this place is that it's free seating! Like food court style.

The sheer variety of breads makes me bubble over with possibilities



Cakes that look too pretty to resist


Their own printed serviettes, a simple, classy design
 

The menu was a bit flimsy (4 pages, 2 on main courses and 2 on drinks) but I don't blame them; most of the choices are on display. We tried the Green Ginger Lemon Tea ($11), a zesty flavour combined with the familiar and soothing green tea taste.   


Strawberry Shortcake ($7.50) - Oh we were spoilt for choice and in the end we settled for this, and it didn't disappoint. Light, elegant, and fluffy. Like how a strawberry shortcake should taste like, you know.

 

 Shaved ice with red bean and mochi $9 - Nothing much to rave about, this was like high-class ice kachang. It was refreshing though.


Cutely packaged milk pudding - I'm a fool for nice packaging ;) 


Cafe Mocha ($6.50) - I really liked this. So I was really miffed when the service staff cleared away my half-full cup :(

Hot Dutch Pancake ($17), with gelato, whipped cream and fruits, sinfully sweet but so good. I especially liked the pancake because it's so different from the usual pancake/waffles we usually have. This is somewhat like prata but also a bit syrupy sweet and crispy. I don't remember seeing this in Holland though! 



We wanted something warm and soupy so the Seafood Chowder ($6?) in the display case beckoned us. The counter staff said she would heat it up for us but she didn't...and we found out after we had a sip so... too late and we didn't want to demand for a new one so we made do with it. The broth was decent but the bread was just too tough. The Wake Up Jane is actually ham, egg and potatoes baked with cheese on a slice of white bread. Not too bad but it was cold like the chowder!



435 Orchard Road
Wisma Atria, #02-48/53
6836 2010

Friday, October 26, 2012

Wild Honey @ Scotts Square

The family went for brunch at Wild Honey one fine Sunday morning. One good thing about the Scotts Square branch is that they take reservations! No snaking queues for the aged parents. 


The interior looked quite cozy, though we chose to sit outside. It was a cool day so the heat didn't get to us. With the breeze and laid-back feel outdoors, it definitely didn't feel like we were in Singapore! (Minus the view of Orchard Road, haha!) 

 

The sis had the French-Pressed Coffee, which was good. 


The classic English breakfast $22 - (hidden) scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, grilled tomato, potatoes, mushrooms and giant baked beans. This satisfied. 


The Mocha tasted a bit strange, perhaps not sweet and chocolatey enough. I liked the heart though.
 

Boulevard St. Michel $22 - We really like the thick fluffy French toast, the blob on the left is a parmesan-crusted poached egg, while that on the right is a spinach and cheese souffle. I really liked the sauce on top, a wonderfully tangy and appetizing mix of tomatoes, onions, and unknown spices. The tomatoes were so juicy they spurted when you sink your teeth into them.
 

What was meant as desserts but actually arrived first. Scones (my favourite!) with raspberry jam and butter and apple tea bread (somewhat of a mix between cake and bread).   


 Norwegian ($26) - essentially two poached eggs wrapped with smoked salmon sitting on top of giant slabs of avocado, drizzled with hollandaise sauce and salmon roe, on whole-wheat brioche.

Tunisian - Another signature, comes in a pan of shakshouka (tomato, onion, red pepper and chili), 2 sunny side ups and Chorizo sausage. Goes well with bread. 
 

We had no issues with the service. Although we were seated outdoors, the service staff came around regularly to check on whether we needed water refills so we could catch their attention fairly easily while having the privacy to ourselves.

Wild Honey
Scotts Square #03-01
Tel: 6636 1816
Open Sundays to Thursdays from 9am to 9pm;
Fridays to Saturdays from 9am to 10pm

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Koh Grill & Sushi Bar @ Wisma Atria

I haven't found out about a craving-worthy Japanese restaurant in a while. Recently I've been seeing this restaurant appear in quite a few blogs and receiving good reviews so I thought, I must try this out! 

The lunch queue on a Sunday afternoon at late 1-ish pm was waning off (doesn't mean it's no good!). Located on the food court floor, I thought the prices would be near food court prices as well. Prices are actually mid-range and well worth every cent of it.

 

Aspara Buta Yaki ($10)
 Asparagus wrapped in grilled pork slices - No fatty bacon for me, this is real stuff!


Mini Chasoba ($4) (Not mini at all and I love the texture), Garlic Fried Rice ($5) (decent; can skip the next time!) and Gindara Yaki Special ($16) - grilled cod fish topped with cheese and mentai, so smooth it slips off your tongue down your throat


SHIOK!!! Maki ($16.80) - 8 pieces; that's really the name of the dish, and it was definitely SHIOK. Oh so good, aburi salmon maki wrapped with unagi, topped with a layer of cheese and mayonnaise sauce and mentai, sprinkled with fish roe to perfect the dish. At first glance $16.80 is pretty pricey for maki but trust me, it's definitely worth it.  


Koh Grill & Sushi Bar
#04-21, Wisma Atria
435 Orchard Road
91803805 


How much spent: $55.45 for 2 pax 
Would I go back there again? Can't wait!