Hatched

Date : 23 September 2012

Address: 26 Evans Road (Evans Lodge) 

Website : Hatched 

Opening Hours: Tue - Thurs 8am to 10pm, Fri & Sat 8am to 11pm, Sunday 8am to 10pm, Closed on Mondays  

Nearest MRT: Botanic Gardens 

I have wanted to try this place since last year but never got it because I was lazy to travel all the way to Bukit Timah. On that beauuuuutiful morning, after an exhilarating ride on my uncle's new found love (his harley baby), we stepped into Hatched for some early sunday breakfast. 

I must say the food (And coffee) didn't match up to my expectations one bit, which was a pity. It's a good thing the company i enjoyed made up for the mediocre breakfast. 

Sir Benedict - S$12 for one, S$18 for 2
Poached egg on english muffin, with hollandaise sauce and black forest ham. Served with homemade mash. 

I had high hopes for this one after eavesdropping on the conversation next to me. This lady was proclaiming how badly was craving for this since the day before. 

It was honestly very "meh" to me. The ham was tough and the sauce was bland. The muffin wasn't very fresh either. Everything was "meh" 

Usual Suspect - S$15
Sausages, sunny side ups, toast, baked beans and potatoes. 

 Come on. Let's face it. I could make this and it would turn out the same. 

For 15? It's a real rip off! 

Latte - $5 

 Too milky, could hardly taste coffee in it. Don't really even know if this was coffee. 

Pancakes - $12 

 The pancakes were fluffy and warm ( thank goodness they were ) but other than that, nothing much to rave about. 

I think the point is I feel the hype about this place is highly overrated!! The place looks comfortable and cosy, and the staff are acceptably polite but the food and the coffee??? Way below any standard to rave about. Besides, it's all the way in Bukit Timah. Will I ever be back? No. Not till they've improved their menu. 

I think if this place weren't so "highly recommended" to me, i wouldn't have been so disappointed. If I were to give the place the benefit of the doubt......perhaps I tried the wrong items. Then again, I don't usually like coming back to places with bad lattes haha. 

Try this place if you'd like, let me know if you think differently! 

Societe Canteen

Date: 15 August 2012

Address: 501 Bukit Timah Road , #01-05B, Cluny Court

Opening Hours: Tue-Fri 10am - 7pm, Sat & Sun 8am - 7pm, Closed on Mondays

Nearest MRT: Botanic Gardens 

  

A new indie cafe just opened in June 2012 by an aussie guy and since my friend and I were next door at La Petite's for lunch, we decided to visit the place for a short while. 

For now, they don't serve any food on weekdays because they haven't found a chef yet. 

They do however, serve brunch on weekends and a few of their items include things like Eggs Benedict for S$15 and Big breakfast for S$18. 

I tried the Latte S$4.50 and it was nice but a little too milky for me. 

Perhaps I should have tried the other stronger coffee like the Piccolo latte. 

Decoration's minimalistic and comfortable, some of the paintings (if not all) on the wall are up for grabs if you fancy one and wanna buy it home. 

I'm eager for them to get a chef so I can try their food! For now, it's a nice place to have a coffee and do some work or read a book in peace.

La Petite

Date: 15 August 2012

Address: 10 Jalan Serene, Serene Centre #01-05 

Opening hours: Tue - Sun 11:30-2:30 5:30-9:50, Closed on Mondays 

Nearest MRT: Botanic Gardens 

La Petite is a hidden gem in the corner of Serene Centre, next to Island Creamery. 

A very friendly bearded french chef greeted us with a warm "Hello!" 

He looked oddly out of place, as if he stepped out from a cafe on a street in Paris and into this cafeteria looking restaurant in Singapore. 

But his warm smile and grandfather looks welcomed us nicely and started our splendid time spent there.

Everyone gets a free piece of bread which was warm, perfectly baked and fragrant. I actually regret not having asked if they sold bread. 

This is meant to be an appetizer but who says you can't have appetizers for lunch? 

I'm not a big eater so I decided this was enough to fill my stomach and boy did it taste AWESOME. 

The Ravioli with prawns and foie gras (S$15) WAS AMAZING. 

The creamy sauce was not exactly like carbonara, it was sweet and not too salty. The prawns were fresh and there was just a pinch of foie gras to complement everything. 

Ahhhhhhhh, so good. 

My companion ordered the dory fish in basquais sauce and rice S$13 

The fish was as it should be, fresh and tasty. The sauce was slightly sour and lemoney, went perfect with the sweetness of the fish. The rice was meh, okay. Nothing much about it, i've heard they serve good butter rice. I shall have a go at it next time. 

I didn't take a picture of the interior but this is how the exterior looks like and as you can see, it's just a nice unpretentious, fuss-free place to go to for good food at reasonable prices. The staff are great and helpful too. 

If you like duck confit, do go ahead and try it because it's ACTUALLY better than Saveur's. I can't believe I just said that either, cos I hadn't tasted better duck confit than theirs before trying Petite's. I would however prefer Saveur's mashed potatoes to Petite's diced ones. 

I wish i had (have) a bigger appetite so I could do a review of it for you guys but trust me when I say i'll be back soon for more!