Riciaz: Food Review

2020

Riciaz Cafe Twime

As a promise to keep living my life fully, I'm serving you big time brunch news!

Over the past week I've tried a few cafes which I haven't had a chance to in the past and let's dig in (with your eyes)! This is the order of cafes which are my most fav, to the norm. I wouldn't say least since all the food is still pretty decent.

Forty Hands at Tiong Bahru

First and my favourite so far. The egg's ben with steak and roasted potatoes is just the perfect combination one can ask for! Usually at brunch places, it's normally served with smoked salmon, but here, you have an option to have it with steak or spinach, which is more unique.

Obviously, I went for the meat and this was 10/10 my palette, especially with the spicy potatoes option. The bread was soft, and the egg wasn't too runny, the steak was flavourful — it really felt like eating a healthy burger.

Not only the food here tastes amazing, any place with soy / oat milk options for drinks.. I'm in! Matcha ftw, can't be more satisfied with it.

Overall, I would 10/10 come back just to have the same thing, again and again, and probably try their desserts after.

Mother Dough at Bugis

Funny story, I saw people carrying this white packaging with their logo from this bakery but I did not know about this place until I walked past it, so this was an unexpected find...

I love how dainty this bakery is, even though it is quite narrow inside and honestly, their bakes look amazing so you wouldn't even care if the space is small or not! I came here to hopefully find some chocolate cookie, which is what they're famous for but wasn't successful on my first try... I bought their malt cookie instead, which tastes good too, but I would prefer it as a breakfast option.

Not to fear, I did try the chocolate cookie on my second try today, and it lived up to its name! Excited to try more of their bakes in the future! New unexpected fav bakery right here, sorry Tiong Bahru Bakery!

Next up on the review,

Tolido's Espresso Nook

Earlier last week, I've tried their pasta, and it was just so so. This week, I went to try their rosti with bratwurst and their pandan pancake, not forgetting to order the chai latte.

I must say, the food that day, was good. One of the best rostis I've tried so far, so much better from Oriole Cafe in Somerset.... That was a big disappointment in contrast with this.

The Pandan pancakes remind me alot of Kue Serabi, which actually tastes really similar, and a plus point to have a taste of home. Equal of balance of savoury and sweet makes Pat happy.

Craftsmen Specialty Coffee

Didn't plan on coming here but it just happened because the weather was too hot and I just needed aircon and food. Ordered some savoury waffles (because I was craving for it) and the parma ham pizza. The pizza was a better choice than the waffles, and they come in 3 sizes, so I got regular for 2.

I would rate the food as just 6/10. It was decent, but maybe not something I would go back for. Something to tick off my brunch list at least.

Lastly, on today's bubble tea news. Oh its Heytea, supposingly one of my top favourites. Tried their new seasonal menu of Bailey's Boboshake. I love bailey's and I love bubble tea, I was expecting alot from my order. This costs $9.90, which is pretty pricey and yet, I'm left with a feeling of disappointment.

This tastes like an ice blended version which I did not like, I prefer bbt to be smooth, and the added whipped cream and nuts didn't help at all. You have boba, you have nuts, you have bailey's inside the drink already. This is too much. A 3/10.

So next time you go to Heytea, just get the brown sugar bobo, that's your best bet.

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, by Riciaz

2019

A Weeekend in JB

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, by Riciaz

2019

Keong Saik Food Hunt | Don Ho and The Guild

Ba De Ya, It's September! Just to liven up the mood like the song, let me write a foodie blog entry after a long while.

A weekday dinner at Don Ho. What I love about the place, is obviously the interior and how the menu is categorised into land, earth and sea. I met my friend who was on her business trip to Singapore and decided on the day to go here.

Even with reservations, we're still only be offered the bar table or the tables outside, so make sure if you want to visit, maybe call them about a day earlier to specify where you want to sit.

From the Menu: Braised Beef Cheeks, Charred Octopus, paired with a cocktail Akala and Prosecco.

I must say, this restaurant fits me very well! Yes it can get a little noisy on a weekday dinner, but the food and drinks were just excellent! Similar to tapas portions, we can order a few dishes to share. Out of the dishes, the truffle mash that came together with the beef cheeks was so flavourful, and I don't mind having more if they do add it that on the menu!

So by coincidence, I also found out that this place in the day is a salad bar and deli called Loloku, which I've always been wanting to try to but didn't get the chance.

Food Rating: 9/10

Don Ho - Social Kitchen and Bar

1 Keong Saik Road

089109 Singapore

Next round will be The Guild. I came across this place by accident while scrolling Instagram, and that there was a Chef's special menu from the resto's partner resto in HK just for 2 days, and hey I dropped in to try!

From the Menu: Salisbury Rubbed Hanger Steak

2-days Chef's Special: Mapo Burrata and Black Pepper Chicken's Giblet Poutine

As a starter I find that the Mapo Burrata was salty, I know it is supposed to be a fusion dish but I guess it's my tastebuds that doesn't really suit Chinese food. Next is what I've been wanting to try, the Poutine. So in my mind I already have a generalisation of how Poutine tastes like after having those in London food markets, but this was just fries and sauce put on top of it. Not really what I was anticipating.

Anyways, the steak saved the overall experience and was definitely the highlight of the night. Tender and juicy, it pairs well with the roasted garlic aioli and pesto sauce. Having garlic aioli reminds me of the food at Leon, which I often ate during my break while working part time in London, oh how I miss those days.

So if anyone of you who is visiting, just order the steak to be safe and maybe get some beers, which they are famous for but at the same time I didn't order because I'm not a beer person.

Food Rating: 7/10

The Guild

55 Keong Saik Road

Singapore 089158

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, by Riciaz

2017

Did you say Salted Egg? Recommendations from my Indonesian friends

The salted egg crazy has been going for a period now but I never had the chance to taste it since I was in the UK for the past few years. Although the craze had hit many different countries, I can say that Indonesians are crazily OBSESSED with everything that is defined as "NGE HITS", which means in trend.

If 1 person likes it, the other 10 will like it too and then soon the whole country likes it too. That is how we roll.

The first thing that everyone said to me when I told my friends I was going to Singapore. "Pat, do you like salted egg?" "Pat, if you go to Singapore, try the salted egg at Sim Lim." "Pat, you have to get Irvins!" Yes I've heard all of you and I've take on this food tasting missions while I am still jobless.. sobz... SO SOMEBODY, if you are reading this and thinks I have potential in my design and writing skills, please hire me :)

Even to me who stayed here since young did not know about these restaurants, neither do my SG friends. So kudos to you all my Indonesian friends for surpassing me in the knowledge of SG.

First in the recommended list, Taste Good at Sim Lim Square!

Taste Good 好味小厨

Sim Lim Square #02-04

What can I say, a generous serving, I do like the taste of this Salted Egg Chicken Rice as it is more spicy and there wasn't too much sauce as compared to the one at Cui Xiang Yuan (next on the review list), which makes the individual flavour of the chicken stand out more.

If you want to get your stomach full fast, then this is a very good lunch deal for only $5.50, equivalent to around £3!! For £3 in London, it is just a cost of a sandwich at Pret A Manger.

Earlier this week, I had the same menu as well. This time, at a hawker at Cambridge Road, between Farrer Park and Novena.

You may find the restaurant here:

翠香园菜馆 Cui Xiang Yuan

Foodpark, Blk 43 Cambridge Road #01-09 S 210043

Cui Xiang Yuan (CXY) Restaurant a.k.a the Salted Egg Auntie as how people call it since she does delivery to homes with a minimum order amount. Since this was the first time trying the salted egg chicken rice, I thought this was okay~ It was not the kind that I will come back to eat again.

The sauce was poured over the rice and it turned out to be rather sweet. My friends had different preferences and commented that the one at Sim Lim was sweeter but after trying Taste Good, I find that this at CXY is much sweeter. Personally, I do like Taste Good better.

Here is the number if you want to take it down.

Last of the salted egg posts is the ever so popular munchies - Irvins Salted Egg Potato Chips and Fish Skin.

They sell it from booths at 313 Somerset and also at the airport, and recently found out that there is another one at Vivo City after going there with my friend.

I was lucky enough to get into the queue at 313, with the last few packets of potato chips being sold. The first impression was like, it is pricey, $8 for a 105g pack but since many people rave about it so much I'm sure its pretty worth it.

I think when I opened it it was only half to 3/4 full and since I was still new to the taste, I felt that it tastes abit weird. I personally don't think this was worth to buy, and I might try some more salted egg chips from different brands to compare and why this brand became so successful.

That comes to the end of this post. I haven't been able to try that much salted egg places for me to write a very detailed review, and you can't expect me to eat the same flavour everyday right? I still crave my ban mian, prata and brunch food.

And to my fellow readers and if you are Indonesian and you are ever so adventurous to try and cook up a snack for yourself... I suggest cooking Emping Telur Asin/ Salted Egg Emping. I received a snack once but I don't know where the other party bought it from so if anyone is able to cook it for themselves, the combination is much more brilliant than with potato chips.

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, by Riciaz

2017

Pretty Places, Pretty meals @ Boufe Boutique Cafe

Hello readers!

I've finally come back to Singapore this past week and it has been a great time catching up with a few of my closest friends and relieving my craving taste buds for the clean and fresh local food here. Not to mention, I had an upset stomach after the street food in Jakarta just a few days before coming to Singapore.

Tucked away in a complex near Tanglin stands Boufe Boutique Cafe, a place I learnt from my junior Enabelle while asking about a location for my upcoming birthday ideas. To be very honest, I'm not quite sure that I will actually be celebrating it - the reason simply being as I don't have anyone to celebrate it with. All these years that have gone by without me here brought about many changes in friendships that I treasure deeply. People do change, and I can't stop them - I guess this is the start of adulthood where we just have to practice the habit of being by yourself and appreciate yourself even more.

It will be a much better idea if I had stayed in Jakarta all the way till my birthday is over, at least I'm able to celebrate it with my family but at the same time, the pressure of finding a job is haunting me. Sometimes I think about it day and night, even dawn when I saw a job listing and have not completed my application.

Anyways that is that for my personal life story, my food review starts here...

I went to the cafe together with my friend Elizabeth where she had the Triple B and I got my smoked salmon croissant. Just a brief side note, I was craving for smoked salmon like 2 or 3 weeks before in Jakarta but they only sell the frozen ones there, which will not taste as good if it was fresh. Just imagine how I savoured that croissant.

I will probably call this cafe a home for peculiar food because they do many unconventional cakes and drinks like what I had below, the Charcoal Lemonade, which does not taste like Lemonade but more of a mixture with what I believe was coconut water. After all, what matters is how appealing the colours make the food appear.

Lastly comes the highlight of the meal: The Cosmos Cake a.k.a paint your own galaxy, which I failed terribly - identified by the blue mousse cake at the very last picture in this post but saved it still with my composition skills ayeeeee :D

TIP* Pour the colour mixture unevenly and when you think the cake is beautiful enough, STAHHP. My cake became all blue because I thought I had to finish pouring the mixture.

Overall I think this is the most instagrammable food cafe I tried ever since I came back to Singapore and remember that they do give a free cake 3 days before or after your birthday. So if you are looking for a pretty cute and clean looking themed cafe and also have some fun in DIY cakes, you can find this at:

308 Tanglin Road,

Phoenix Park #01-01

Singapore 247974