A look in at Homebodies

The creators of our favourite cafe, Henry Congressional, have started a side project at Boat Quay called Homebodies. No, they don't have the awesome pandan chiffon cake or flourless chocolate cake, but they do have some fantastic coffee, specialty hotdogs and, of course, craft beer!

 

Homebodies
60a Boat Quay, Singapore

9169 2821

Farewell for now: Henry Congressional

One of Mky's favourite coffee joints of the year, Henry Congressional, has closed its doors on the 30th of December 2012. They are currently sourcing for a new venue in April and will update their Facebook page once new information is out.

This is a great place to pop by for a ristretto coffee or 2, savour some of their delectable bites and still walk away without feeling the pinch to your pocket. That is, unless you try some of their specially imported beers that can cost over $25 a pop.

We tried their amazing scones on this last visit there. It's a pity we didn't try them sooner! These tasty bites are put into the over upon your order, so they come out nice and toasty. They smell buttery and delicious. And being cut into 4 pieces before baking, they're crunchy on the outside. You get more crunch than the regular scones elsewhere. We can probably modify scones of our own in future after seeing this little innovation.

We wish the owners every success in looking for a new place and we look forward to visiting the next Congressional!

Read our earlier review here.

Strangers' Reunion

We finally got to visit this indie coffee joint owned by a friend of mine. It's quite a tiny space, filled with eclectic furniture that don't match. The coffee was great (Mky said it was better than what she had at Jewel Coffee), and we also tried the Red Velvet Cake which Mky really loved cos it was fluffy and not over-dark in colour. I liked the sweet icing. =9 Check out the latte artwork above, really lovely.
However, due to the small enclosed area (and perhaps we were just at a really crowded time), the sound control was horrible. Mky and I could hardly hear each other speak. I walked up to the counter to place my order (apparently you should just sit at your table and wait for someone to take your order), and got a really rude look from one of the staff who seemed to be quite affected by the maddening crowd. I don't blame her, but I can tell you, it turned me off immediately.

The coffee is recommended, but try to visit during less hectic periods.

Strangers' Reunion
37 Kampong Bahru

 Tel: 62224869

Perfect Afternoon "Tea"

 

Henry Congressional is a really interesting place. Stripped bare minimalist, eclectic, yet filled with personal touches that encourages one to sit back and relax - be at home. On approaching the cafe, the glass facade (as seen above), shrouded by a white semi-transparent sheet, gives an impression of an American diner.

Mky was lured to this cafe by the coffee, pandan cake and the flourless chocolate cake. Our friends also recommended trying their American imported beer from Hair of the Dog brewing company. What? Beer in a coffee, cake and tea place? Rare yes, and it turns out that this actually makes for a really great combo for an afternoon tea for Mky and me. What with her coffee and pandan cake, and me with my beer and chocolate cake. =D

All confections found in this little cafe are home-baked by a tattooed guy. Turns out he used to be a sea-faring sailor, and he has some skills at cake-making! Flourless chocolate cakes are perfect for chocolate lovers like me who don't care much for cake. THIS is the kind of cake I love. Thick, no airy-fairy cakey bits getting in the way of the good stuff. And they serve them on those old-school metal plates too. See eclectic above.

Mky thought the pandan cake was divine. Pfft.. Pandan cake? People who love flourless choco cakes don't understand how exquisite a simple pandan cake can be. I'll let her add her comments later. *rolls eyes* hehe

Is that a fixie by the wall? Yea, along with the vacuum tube audio amplifier, the decor of Henry Congressional lures in the cool cats, and the hip-without-trying-to-be crowd. Me and Mky? We're just there to eat and drink. =) And by drink, check out the Westvleteren beer crate! How many places can boast of having a Westvleteren beer crate?? We're talking about Belgium monks churning out one of the best rated beers in the world here.

One thing to note, in the cafe, there are only 2 large tables and 1 smaller one against the wall. That's it. So it's pretty much a communal sitting kinda thing. Don't bring a large group there, you'll have problems with seating. The staff had to request for the customers to bunch up a little to create space for us.

Oh yes, then there's coffee. Mmm coffee. I'll let Mky comment on the coffee.

I chose to go for a cheap $9 St Bernardus 'wit' beer (actually, that was the most expensive thing we had there!), to cool me off from the warm afternoon heat. Nice and mellow. There's lots of craft beer choices, as mentioned, Hair of the Dog as well. Oh, the Westvleteren crate is just a show-off thing, I don't think they sell those. I wouldn't hand-cart those all the way from Belgium just to sell it either.

So since Mky skipped lunch, and I had mine pretty early on in the day, we decided to share one of their sandwiches. The rosemary chicken & watercress sandwich was pretty good. There's a huge chunk of grilled chicken in there, it was warm and it tasted great on the bed of watercress. I love the smell of the cheese, and the ciabatta that enveloped it was a perfectly crisp outer layer.

Seen on the wall of the cafe - "Henry Congressional: of or pertaining to the meeting of common folks for the appreciation of specialty coffee, tea & craft beer." This sort of spells out the intention of the place. Unfortunately, they'll only be around till Feb 2013, so head on over and check 'em out soon!

Henry Congressional

44 Holland Grove Road

9107 7547

Closed Mondays and Tuesdays,
Open till midnight on Fridays & Saturdays.

Jewel Coffee - a real gem in the CBD

 

If you've taken a stroll along Shenton Way, you'd probably already have seen this striking cafe opposite the SGX Building. "Jewel Coffee" in bold red words is framed by naked light bulbs that are reminiscent of a Hollywood starlet's dressing mirror. Seats are mostly outdoor al fresco with a few bar stools within the confines of the air-conditioned serving area.

We ordered the skinny cappuccino, El Carmen Estate blend from El Salvador. Strong chocolatey coco notes, dark and smooth. Rich and velvety mouth feel, when taken with skinny milk. If compared with beer, it would be akin to Stone Brewery's Russian Imperial Stout. $5.50.

The boss served us the Pork Cubes and asked about our thoughts on the coffee. He then suggested we try his other blend to find out the difference. He immediately went and brewed us a complimentary cup!

The Fried Pork Cubes were actually meaty pieces of pork collar, one of the tastiest cuts of pork available. If compared with Santouka's divine pork cheek dish, this would be a less tender version but just as flavorful. Do note that this dish, visually, fails to look appetizing. When it came, I just thought it looked like meat that was over-soaked in end-of-day oil. however, this is one of those dishes that warrants a try in order to really appreciate it. The marinade used with the fatty pork tastes quite Asian: vinegary, hints of dark/black sauce, possibly five spice powder. This results in a darned tasty and meaty bite! Only $10!

Jewel Coffee

1 Shenton Way

#01-07

 Tel: 66369452

House of Robert Timm's

Welcome to the House of Robert Timms at Wheelock Place. I'm sure the coffee drinkers out there would have come across this coffee label at your local Cold Storage. The cafe we're featuring here on the other hand, not only serves several types of their favourite coffee brews, they also do all-day breakfasts! They are located where the old Borders' Cafe used to be.

Mky told me about the time her colleagues brought her here once and since then, she's been raving about the Eggs Benedict. Look at the above shot and marvel at the gorgeousness of that runny poached egg! This dish is accompanied by smoked turkey breast, bacon, baked beans and a side of salad.

I had the 3-Way Toasts on the other hand - sauteed mixed mushrooms, bratwurst sausage and a poached egg on each slice of toast, accompanied by a portion of fresh vegetables. I really enjoyed savouring each toast slowly, mixing them up for a different sensation each time.

Whether you prefer to sit al fresco and watch the people and cars at the Paterson Road/Orchard Boulevard junction, or sit indoors in the surprisingly chilly air-conditioning, this cafe caters to whichever preference you may have.


501 Orchard Road, #01-02
Wheelock Place

Tel: +65 6735 9201

Cedele's Blueberry Hazelnut Cheesecake

This is Cedele's Blueberry Hazelnut Cheesecake. It is fantastic! And comes with real whole blueberries inside. Great for those who like substantial cakes that is at the same time not cloying due to the fruity slant. The crushed hazelnut topping also gives an added layer of texture and flavour.

S$46 for an 8" round cake, also available in slices.
Click here for more on the Cedele website.

Cedele

Cedele is a chain of bakery-cafes that we've been going to a lot recently, ever since Mky got her Cedele Card.  To Mky, Cedele is synonymous with tasty, wholesome fare, a convenient pit stop (we frequent the Rail Mall branch near her home) where she can get her quality salad greens + lean protein fix for a decent price.  We've both been quite fascinated with their salads and sandwiches, and after trying their pasta recently, I'm even more convinced its a place that everyone should put onto their list of regular eating places.

Their prices are not as friendly as some might like (the prices also vary depending on the branch you visit, ditto their menu - widest ranges are at the Great World/Takashimaya/Wheelock branches, which are also the most exorbitant in pricing), but considering the choice organic ingredients and fairly good quality (for the salads), its serves its function as a healthy place to refuel, if one makes sensible choices.

Pictured above is the creamy mushroom linguine dish from the Rail Mall branch of Cedele.  Creamy indeed! Chock-a-block with tasty fresh mushrooms.  Perfect, actually!  <-- Dky's fave!

Mky's Seabass and Grilled Shrimp Salad @ Takashimaya.  Based on experience, the branch at Taka seems to serve smaller portions than the Wheelock one, where the salad greens engulf a good half of the plate and more, for the same price.  Visibly less veggies in the above picture, though that may please some less fanatical veggie-eaters... =)  personally, Mky much prefers less-puny veggie portions (GREEN is IN!).

Other good eats we've tried include the Cedele Beef Burger (read: JUICY!!), the grilled chicken, avocado and brie sandwich on herb foccacia (Mky: Dky couldn't stop raving as he ravenously chomped through the sandwich, first time I've ever heard him rave about any kind of sandwich), the creamy mushroom soup (best enjoyed with a ton of the free-flow bread from bread bar, especially the chewy dark rye loaf) and the buttery moist, oblong-shaped muffins.

Mky also has a soft spot for their Depot's Brew (aka "One skinny coffee, please"; they didn't get it when she actually ordered "Depot's Brew" though that's what it's called on the menu board), and their fantabulous all-day breakfast sets (blueberry pancakes!).  Cedele also has its own range of organic ice-cream (available at some branches only), though we haven't given it a try to date, in our bid to eat lighter when possible.

                            Blueberry Hazelnut Cheesecake         Caramel Sea-salt Cheesecake

(These cake pictures were 'borrowed' from the Cedele website)

 On their bakery side, they've got some pretty decent cakes, bakes and pastries, rustic loaves of bread in various permutations, and kickass cheesecakes... such as the caramel sea-salt rendition which Mky received on her birthday.  Praise for the cake came fast and furious as forks dove in to fight for the last creamy bite... Dky's getting the Blueberry Hazelnut Cheesecake for his birthday tomorrow... reviews to come as an update to this post, stay tuned!

(Review above was mostly by Mky)

**Note** The Wheelock branch of Cedele has poor ventilation, expect to come out smelling a bit greasy and stale after a meal there...


398 Upper Bukit Timah Road
The Rail Mall
Tel: 6766 3253

The list of other Cedele branches can be found at their website here.

The Plain

Dean's Breakfast (can't remember if this was the full-sized or if they only had this size)..

We were brought to this cafe that serves all-day breakfast by friends Shu & Jo (with Serene) one Sunday afternoon. It was about 3.30pm and we hadn't yet had our lunch. Initially we were gonna stop here for a light snack before heading elsewhere for an early dinner, but after our hour-long tete-a-tete, we realized toast, eggs and hot chocolate can make us really full.. Plus the setting was ideal for a really nice catch-up over breakfast, no matter the time of day.

The Dean's Breakfast pictured above was really delicious. Emmenthal cheese on sourdough bread spread with vegemite was pungent and tasty, and topped with perfectly-done poached eggs. Poke the egg and have some runny yolk mixed in for an even stickier experience.

Humpty Dumpty & Vegemite Soldiers.... Pictured here with 1 egg missing.

Vegemite is something that all mothers should introduce into their child's breakfast. Mky and I reminisced about eating bread with Bovril/ Marmite/ Vegemite when we were kids - comfort food for sure! We had a minor issue with one of our half-boiled eggs, the staff needed reminding that we were short on one (and it finally arrived almost fully done). But Mky took her time and thoroughly savoured her single dippy egg.

Hot Drinking Chocolate best sipped slowly.. 

This place has a reputation for great coffee (some say one of the best), and a really chill-out ambience, inspired by Melbourne cafes. There's a mix of staff ranging from young and upbeat kids to an elderly lady who was very eager to please. Great service really!

The Plain
50 Craig Road, #01-01
Singapore 089688
Tel: 6225 4387