d'Good Cafe

Met up with Shannen at d'Good Cafe at Holland Village for lunch a few days before I left for New York. The first time I visited the cafe was to just chill with an iced latte while reading a magazine. I reached there quite early this time round, so I tried their hot latte while waiting for Shannen to reach.

Poor girl was in crutches and the lift door to the cafe was jammed so she was trapped for a good 5 minutes or so with other people inside ><

One thing to point out is their ordering system. You order at the counter and they'll give you a buzzer. Once it buzzes, you collect your food and/or drinks. It can be quite a hassle sometimes, because the cafe has two levels and those sitting on the higher level would have to walk up and down, back and forth, just to get their food or drinks. Alternatively, you could use their lift if you're lazy, but obviously it can malfunction at times. 

Cute decor around the order counter!

Both of us ordered a main with a drink each.

Café latté ($5.60)

Earl-Lavender Tea Latté ($7, I think?)

Steak and Cheese Pie ($10.50)

Baked Chicken Pesto ($14)

I love their coffee and tea here! There's a pretty decent variety of coffee beans and they offer a custom blend of your choice, but at a pricey cost of $12.

Other than their beverages, the food served here is average, or even below average. I didn't get to try Shannen's steak pie, but I definitely would not order the Baked Chicken Pesto again. It was disappointing, because I was expecting at the very least a golden crusted baked chicken, and not some under-seasoned and what appears to be boiled chicken. Not saying that it was boiled and not baked. The appearance just doesn't match the name of the dish.

I've heard that the cakes here are pretty good, but I didn't get a chance to try them because we were too full at the end of our meal. I know they've got some signature cakes, so hopefully I'll pop by one day to try some of them. 

But if you're into a place to sit down, chill, have a cuppa and read a book or something, d'Good Cafe is a good option to keep in mind. The seating area is rather spaced out and the noise level is moderate, so it's also a good place to catch up with old friends and not be interrupted with other people's chatter.

d'Good Cafe

273 Holland Avenue, #02-01/02, Singapore 278992

Tel: 62199807

Strangers' Reunion

In the past few years, numerous cafes have popped up in Singapore, and it has been a trend for Singaporeans to go, what is now termed, 'cafe hopping'. I've heard of a few with rave reviews, while some have unfortunately closed their doors.

Being in the F&B industry myself, it's difficult to find the time to visit new places because on your rare off days, all you just wanna do is to sleep under the covers for as long as possible and laze at home. And there is also the high probability that your rare off days, usually weekdays, unfortunately do not coincide with the off days of most of your other peers, i.e. weekends, which makes meet ups with friends really complicated.

So I'm really grateful that I finally have a month's break, not only to settle my stuff in the Big Apple (I'll blog more on this later), but to just relax and really do nothing.

Met up with one of my closest friends' for lunch at Strangers' Reunion.

They've become so popular that they've expanded! Just that I think their old space is currently used as a resting area for their staff during breaks. As with all the hype this cafe hot spot has been receiving, despite us arriving around 3.30pm on a weekday, it was still really packed! 

Photo courtesy of @irunaroundnaked

Cafe Latte ($4.90) and Seven-Spiced Chai Latte ($5.90)

Za'atar-spiced Eggplant Fritters with Lemon Yoghurt ($12.90) 

Coming from a person who does not like to eat eggplant, these were pretty awesome! A little pricey but this would be great for sharing. Only criticism would be that the za'atar spice weren't evenly coated on the fritters, so eating the unseasoned ones made the experience kind of bland.

Parma Ham Eggs Benedict ($19.90)

These sure didn't disappoint, with the warm toasted English muffin, luscious poached eggs and a rich hollandaise sauce. I've never had a Benedict with parma ham before, so this was a good change from the usual Canadian bacon, albeit a much pricey alternative I must say. I wished they were a little bit more generous with the parma ham though.

Poor Shannen had to reorder her main items THRICE! First two she wanted was sold out, with the waitress coming back and forth with the menu, so we settled for trying their special, Red Velvet Waffles.

Red Velvet Buttermilk Waffles with Pistachio Tuile & Chocolate Fudge ($14.90)

I've heard that the buttermilk waffles served at Strangers' Reunion are phenomenal, so obviously we had high expectations for it. As a red velvet buttermilk waffle, it was pretty sub-par. Nothing spectacular. It could have just stayed as a regular buttermilk waffle. I really did like the pistachio tuile though! 

Photo courtesy of @irunaroundnaked

It's been so long since I last met up with this girl one-on-one. I really enjoy talking with you for hours on end, covering numerous amounts of topics so effortlessly. Time passes by too fast!! Love you long time xx

It won't be all peace and quiet at this cafe, but it's definitely a go-to place for good food, coffee and to catch up with old friends. 

Strangers' Reunion

33/35/37 Kampong Bahru Rd, Singapore 169355

Tel: 6222 4869

A new beginning

It's been a long while, and so much has changed, since I last blogged. So I was thinking that perhaps this new year calls for a fresh start, to start blogging again with a newfound perspective on life and new experiences I know I'd be going through this year.

So for a start, why coffee and crafts? 

They are both things I love and enjoy. I can say that even though my knowledge of coffee might be limited, I do know how to appreciate a good cuppa here and there. I've also always wanted to do a barista course but never found the opportunity to do so, as of yet. As for the craft side, I am a self-proclaim hoarder and addict when it comes to buying anything related to craft. Put me in a craft shop and I would just spend hours in there, not only grabbing anything that appeals to me, but also running craft ideas through my head and contemplating whether certain items are worth the purchase. I can safely say that more than half of the craft items I have bought over the years are still either brand new or is stored away in my craft box or bag at home, waiting for the opportune moment to arise and be used. It also does not help that my generous friends are so kind enough to feed me with my addiction by gifting me with various craft merchandise as well. 

Another question I asked myself was: what is the purpose of this space?

I guess just like my old blog, I really wanted a space to record down what I've been up to in life, be it in words or photographs. Having taken probably a three-year hiatus from my previous blog, I really missed recording down events that have taken place in my life in a virtual platform in the form of a blog. I regretted not doing so for my university life, which was an incredible journey by the way, and I guess I only have photographs on Facebook as memories to get by. 

I know having the word 'coffee' in the blog address might seem like I'd be doing some cafe hoppings or something related to coffee, but no. Unfortunately, in the long run at least, I would not have the leisure of time to do cafe hoppings around Singapore because of my future work life. Working hours would be irregular and sleeping time would be precious. You get the point. But for now, you might just see some short reviews on places I will visit in the months to come because I am currently on a month's break and will be working in a foreign land for six months starting this February. 

I really hope I do not disappoint on this, but I'm thinking of dedicating a portion of this blog to share DIY craft projects I might have for birthdays or gifts for celebratory occasions like Valentine's day, Christmas and so on. I know it will be difficult for me to find the time to do these side projects due to work, but hopefully there will be some energy left in me to carry out craft projects despite the long hours at work :)

Okay, this seems like a promising short introduction to a new blog. So here's to new beginnings in the new year!