Island Cafe at Tangs Orchard

Island Cafe at Tangs Orchard 

Tucked away on the fourth floor of Tangs Orchard, is a rather unknown and definitely underrated gem of a cafe - the Island Cafe.

At first thought, it might seem random that this cafe is named Island Cafe. But upon savouring the menu, one did quickly find out the meaning behind its name. Island Cafe's greatest draw is its wonderful selection of Singapore's multicultural tastes. Every key Singaporean dish, from Briyani and Chicken Rice, to Claypot Stew and Laksa, you name it, it's there.

The best part of the deal is that Island Cafe offers all of these at many notches higher than what you would get along the streets, topped with delightful teas and house wines.

Here, I have with me their Crayfish Laksa. It was served to me with a big paper napkin. The napkin caught me off-guard, and definitely increased my good impression of this place - very thoughtful.

The crayfish was just the right size for me. And I truly enjoyed the well-balanced Laksa gravy. The gravy feels rich enough with coconut milk, yet not overwhelming. I was surprised by the quality of the sambal chill provided because it felt of pure shrimps. This Laksa easily looked this good when I randomly snapped a photo!

I also ordered a Morrocan mint tea. It is teabag tea that they imported, but with their own mint leaves added.

I had to try the white wine because of an offer going on, and it did not disappoint as well. The white wine tasted surprisingly smooth, leaning just a tad fruity-sour (suiting my taste bud).

All these good food and wine while enjoying the quiet view of Orchard Road from here, was quite a surreal experience for me, in Singapore.

You could have balcony-deck meals if you asked for them to sit you outside.

The indoors decor is pretty, and a real welcome, once you step in from the shopping mall side of Tangs Plaza.

The only gripe I have with this place, after visiting it a second time, is that I really do not enjoy the weird music played in the shopping mall outside. It is way to loud, leaning on punk, and very unsuitable for this sanctuary.

Rating: 9/10.
This is probably the ONLY place in Singapore where you can find the Top 10 Local Favourites of All Time, in restaurant-standard cooking and restaurant-standard setting. It is well-worth the price and the dishes I have tried have not disappoint. I will go back to try the other dishes, and I'd love to bring my overseas friends here to try out the local food.

If the Tangs Management ever reads this, then my suggestion would be for them to somehow change the music from outside. It is not very feasible because they sell speakers and games, bags and shoes for youths, on the 4th floor. But still, they have to find a way as it is really affecting the atmosphere in this beautiful cafe!

Average cost per person: $30. Read more "Island Cafe at Tangs Orchard ..."

Esquire Kitchen @Subang

I thought that it would hard to find a good place for Chinese food in this Muslim country, but strangely enough, there is one in a mall near my place, and I found it within the first week. =)

Esquire Kitchen - Sze Chuan & Shanghai style dishes

The menu.

Ambience & Setting
I find it quite normal. No specials done up to create any particular mood. Wooden furniture, and some hanging lamps.

The array of circular hanging lamps reminds me of the ramen restaurant, O-An in Singapore.

The general setting of furniture.

It's quite a large restaurant for me, because I seldom see places of this scale anymore is land scarce Singapore. The greatest contrast is that none of the eateries in Malaysia can be packed till you see a snaking queue outside. Not even during meal times. But the restaurants still earn enough to survive.

In Singapore, if the food is not good enough or if nobody knows about the place, and it doesn't get queues at meal times, that eatery can say byebye in a month's time.

Table setting. Can see that it's strangely quite bright at dinner time.

I am still not very used to having ultra long days here. The sky starts to bright at 8am, but remains like noon is never going to come. It is still cold and feels of early morning at 10am (the hottest in Singapore), feels warm at 12pm, and sun peaks at 2pm. The sun doesn't goes down until 8pm.

Service

To be honest, I am not sure if there is over here... ... I am okay with no smiling, plate banging etc. But food coming slowly is something my partner and I are really trying to get used to. I think the standards in general are quite equal on both sides of the causeway. It's the speed of food being ready that is quite different.

Our drinks.

This is how drinks and the sauces were served at first. Tea, hot or cold, is free flow.

Food

Mapo Tofu

I think this mapo tofu is okay. I was expecting it to be spicier since it's Sze Chuan style, and I also know mapo tofu dishes in Singapore to be on the chili hot side.

Huge plate.

I think it tastes pretty good and balance, but it is almost exactly like the sauce my mum uses for mapo tofu at home, those bottled ones from Lee Kum Kee etc. So if you are there to try food, not eat things you like, this is not something that needs to be looked out for.


Rating: 4/5
I make it a point to have some tofu now and then for my meals, and I like mapo sauce, so this is something I would normally call for.

Sze Chuan Sour & Spicy Soup

This totally looks like fish maw soup or shark fin's soup right??? hahahaha. And I can tell you it tastes the same too! LOL. But for those who do not take sour stuff, this is not for you. It is on the vinegary side, but is too my liking.

That's some hei mu er inside, which I like. =)

Rating: 4/5
It is well-balanced, with good texture.

Eggplant Sze Chuan Style

This is my favourite dish of all! I think this is a must try. It tastes sweet and salty at the same times, like a good plate of char kway teow, Singaporean style.

The eggplants are cooked to squishy soft, easy to eat and doesn't feels or taste like eggplants at all.

Rating: 5/5


Shanghai Mee

This is basically fried mee as we know it. It is not as sweet as the eggplant, but basically char kway teow as well. Pretty okay and Singaporean style.

Rating: 4/5

Dong Bo Rou

This is the star of the day that we really came for. =) Both partner and I walked round and round and round the mall trying to find the Sze Chuan restaurant that his colleagues brought him to on Day 1 here, just for this Dong Bo Rou.

And indeed, it is very nice as my partner told me.

The sauce is sweet salty kind, but not the same as that for the eggplant. The meat is so well cooked together with the fats in between (this is pork belly), that melts in your mouth.

Rating: 5/5
This is worth the trip!

Xiao Long Bao

Xiao Long Baos are one of my favourite Chinese snacks, and I'd try it as long as I see it on the menu. But this one is really disappointing. The skin breaks very easily, and is still sticky, as if not cooked well. The minced meat does not tastes too good either.

Rating: 2.5/5
I wouldn't order it again even if I were dying for xiao long bao.

Tau Fu Hwar

I am still in the Singapore mode, and reading ieatishootipost's post on tau huay all the time is really making me crave it every now and then. I have eaten two tau huays in Subang so far, and none of them are close to what we have in Singapore. I think the people here just don't go for the same tastes, are not as food crazy, do not demand so high standards, and face weaker competition too (like I said, if an eatery does not have business in Singapore, it closes, if an eatery does not have business in M'sia, they can still scrape by).

Anyway, this tau huay does have the bean taste and is smooth, but it is firm till it feels more like pudding or jelly, rather than the creamy or dissolvable ones I have back home.

Rating: 4/5
It would do for a tau huay crave.

Overall food rating: 9.4/10
The eggplant and dong bo rou are must-tries. The other dishes are generally nice and above average as well, and very Singaporean style, so this place is a good one to satisfy some Chinese taste craving.

I have also subsequently tried a number of their takeaway dian xin, and they are very nice! Do buy the char siew bao and walnut cookie! Read more "Esquire Kitchen @Subang..."

Ben & Nick's Diner @ Subang

haha, I actually managed to find good food on the first day here! Thanks to the introduction from my SO who has been here about two weeks.

We had tealight dinner at a bar called Ben & Nick's Diner, which is super convenient, and just under the building we live at. Pretty lucky that good food is at a stone's throw away!

B & N

I like the motto "Love Food, Hate Waste". Hard to disagree with it. =)

Settings

This place is quite the bar, with outdoors sitting, tealights, half pulled down blinds, romantic for a good date. =) It's also quiet enough for a small business talk, friend meetup, anything.

It also has well-set tables.

The standard Western cutlery setting.

Rating: 4.5/5

Mango Juice

Niceee! =)

This is thick, and felt like real juice, even though I think they still do add sugar. Definitely the drink if you like mango as much as we do.

Rating: 4.25/5

Fish 'N' Chips

Love it.

I was delighted though not exceedingly surprised to find good Fish 'n' Chips here, because I know that this dish generally tastes better in Malaysia (have no idea why).

The fish is crispy, and has a tasty batter, unlike the many plain and normally soggy ones in Singapore. The fish is also soft and yummy.

The fries are really well-cooked, but not salty at all. (It does seems that Malaysians do not salt their fries.) But I am fine with it, since I am not that fond of overly salted ones in kopitiams back home. If any flavoured is wanted, all you have to do is dip it in the tartar sauce, which is the standard tartar sauce taste.

I really like the fish a lot. Definitely better than Fish & Co., of which, I have not eaten a second time after I failed it on the first try. (I only recommend the Swordfish there... ..., and Sharkie Freeze.)

Rating: 4.5/5
At RM 13.90, this is one of the cheaper items on the menu of B & N. The pricing is Singapore standard.

Lamb Shank, ~RM 40... ...

My hp is not doing justice to the lamb shank.

This is yummy, this is a must try. My SO loves it so much. And true enough, when I tasted it, it was wow, since I know that lamb meat is not easy to cook deliciously.

The meat of this tears off really well, is soft yet cooked, and tasty without the fishy smell that lamb meat normally has.

This lamb shank also comes with homemade mashed potato, which I really like. The potato still has small cubes of potato inside the mashed bits, and tastes purely of potato with some butter. Good!

In fact, this tastes exactly like what my mum taught me to make. Basically, just boil the potatoes, peel it, mash it with a fork/spoon etc, then add butter/magarine, add some salt, pepper, cheese accordingly to suit your taste, mix well, and tadaa! Tasty and real mashed potatoes, not from powder like 7-eleven's or KFC, or perhaps, even Popeyes'. =)

Homemade. I don't really like powder mash potatoes. So this is good.

Rating: 5/5
This is a must try, and easily the star of B&N.


Overall rating: 9.25/10
Visit for good ambience and good food if you're in the area! Read more "Ben & Nick's Diner @ Subang..."

Good Morning Nanyang Cafe - A Fusion of Time

早安南洋 - 时光的撮合

人说:
往事已去不能重回,
将来未是只能期待,
今日眼前必要紧珍.

时光阶段真的无法并存吗?

那倒未必.

身座在唐城坊三楼的一间小型咖啡厅, 早安南洋, 就恰恰具备了时光桥梁的条件, 巧妙而几乎完美地撮合了过去与现在, 成功地赢得我的心.

如果说菜单是平面, 原汁原味摆在面前的食物是 3D, 意大利式 Ciabatta 白面包涂上香厚的加椰酱的混合种类食品是 4D, 那综合六十年代浓郁咖啡和千喜鲜橙味的情感必定是梦寐以求的 5D 佳肴.

Orange Ciabatta
The look of a toasted white bread is delightful as the colour white always is. When I accidentally shifted my head nearer to the bread for a sip of the coffee (which was served first), the strong kaya fragrance whiffed past my nose. I couldn't help but quickly put down the coffee so that I could taste the ciabatta.

On the first bite, I tasted orange. On the second, I tasted the light salt of the bread. On the third bite, I noticed the crunch of the toast. There was a gleeful new joy on the senses with each new mouthful. This is what I call effective layering, a basic to pave the way for tip top good food.

For those who like spreads, you will be glad that the kaya is served in very generous amount.

Rating: 4.9/5
Very close to perfection. But I was wondering if slightly tastier kaya (like more coconut ones or a teeny bit sweeter ones), would work better. I have no idea why, but this is quite the same as Ya Kun, which are both on the mild side of taste. The bread is perfect, so have to be careful that whatever kaya is used does not takes over the bread's pure taste.

Kopi
The Kopi is surprisingly unique. This is my first taste of slight charred java. This could be due to over-roasted coffee beans, of which, some purists might say that Good Morning Nanyang's Kopi is not good and blah blah. However, I think I have had quite enough of so-called perfect coffees, and I more than welcome something this special on the local kopi scene.

Moreover, I have a weak spot for food on the verge of "chao tar" (burnt/charred). So nice!!! (I just tasted "chao tar" ramen chashu today. Soooo Shiiiok ah!) I think the barbecue level is quite a challenging one to achieve in culinary terms, because when food burns, it burns QUICKLY, which is why cake is so easily spoiled in an un-monitored oven and cranky oven.

Apart from the bbq fragrance of their Kopi, my cuppa also tasted strong and thick enough, yet not over (as in espresso level). I also must applaud Good Morning Nanyang for not overpouring the milk and sugar. I hate cheap coffeeshop/hawker centre coffees because they all don't seem to care about what the cup of coffee tastes like, and simply add milk and sugar as if no need money. Super diabetic. *shivers* can't stand the sweetness outside. But Good Morning Nanyang absolutely tasted like a thoughtful cup. =) Really love everything about this coffee. I do not compare this with places like Oriole Cafe & Bar or Starbucks etc, because it's just different. I wouldn't even compare it with Old Town White Coffee, which is my personal No.1 and also one of my family's favourites (apart from Nescafe, Gold Kili, Indocafe, Cafe Nova, Japan UCC etc.) Good Morning Nanyang is truly one of a kind, and now, I find it quite on par with Old Town White Coffee. Really, really like the mild burnt taste.

Rating: 5/5
5/5 basically means my favourites or No.1s.


Synergy
Now, it comes to the point where I should explain my rave (in Chinese) above. I am super, duper inspired and always write in Chinese when I have a strong positive feelings for something.

I have the bad habit (or is it good habit?) of dipping bread, biscuits, and almost anything and everything (like French fries) into my drinks. So since I get 4 quarters of ciabatta, of course I couldn't let the chance run. hahaha. There goes the 2nd quarter of ciabatta into my coffee! (Don't dunk it like Oreo, bread is not firm enough, just dip lightly and remove immediately.) And WOW! When I tasted the orange and then the coffee, whoa, wow, whoa, orange really goes well with coffee. Especially since Good Morning Nanyang's Kopi is not espresso-strong, it doesn't kills the ciabatta.

For those of you who were as crazy as me during CNY, you would have tasted all the orange coffee/chocolate offerings by McCafe, Starbucks, Coffee Bean etc. And you would have already learnt that orange coffee/chocolate/mocha etc is an excellent combination if you can balance them. Otherwise, I would like to suggest trying Starbucks one. It's the best. Coffee Bean was not very nice. Haagen Dazs's orange chocolate ice cream was quite a failure as well.

Yes, that's why my poetic dedicated writing for Good Morning Nanyang. I do hope it's befitting enough. =) (Look out for my Ippudo one, I am shamelessly saying that it's good. haha.)

Raisin Scone
According to comments on ieatishootipost about Good Morning Nanyang, the scone is quite a popular item, and some are bent on waking up early and reaching there right on time (10.30am) to catch the freshly baked scones.

I personally am not fond of scones or things like muffins. Have always been quite disgusted by butter smells and butter tastes, and I will not eat butter creamed cakes, only fresh cream. But since the good reviews, I thought I should just give it a go.

And it turns out that like what they say, the scones at Good Morning Nanyang are not buttery at all. They are equally perfectly layered such that there is the scent of maple on smelling, and the sweetness of raisins on eating. It also has a biscuit-like crust but bread/cake-like soft layers inside. This makes for excellent texture in your mouth.

I also like the way this rather more Chinese style cafe serving butter and solid jam and a spread knife! Quite amazing, as Chinese are a bit stubborn when it comes to things like this. I find the butter really healthy as it's not those salty super yellow ones, but really quite the Western light ones you get on planes or hotel breakfast buffets. I am very happy with the solid jam that tastes so similar to McDonald's grape jam for Big Breakfast. Again, this is also like the hotel buffet kind. So thumbs up for Good Morning Nanyang on giving some healthy quality for traditional Singaporean Chinese breakfast/tea.

Rating: 4/5
Tasted not bad to a person who dislikes scones.

******

I couldn't help it but decided to order a Set Meal as there really is no excuse to not taste traditional bread from a traditional 60's style cafe.

Took Set A, which comprises of the olden day rectangular bread, 2 half-boiled eggs and a tea/kopi.

Teh-O
I deliberately chose Teh-O as I feel that there is no other way to taste a tea than pure blend. By rights, I should take Teh-O-Kosong, which means no sugar no milk, but it's not on the menu, so I didn't want to make a special request for it. I believe it would be possible though. (Kopi is normally a lot stronger, so one should still be able to sniff out the blend unless milk and sugar is added in diabetic amounts. It's not the same with teas which are more delicate, especially if it's Chinese Tea, Floral or Fruit Tea.)

According to comments, the Teh here is brewed from Lipton, so I don't think there is going to be much surprise. And true enough, there wasn't. I was slightly disappointed by the sugar smell when I accidentally shifted my head near the cup while eating the egg.

The moment I detected sugar, I knew the teh taste would be gone. =( Don't get me wrong, Good Morning Nanyang still does it very thoughtful by not being over with the sugar. It's probably the blend of tea to start with. I am rather sensitive with sweet and saltiness. My mum would probably call this level mild, and okay only, but I am calling it slightly sweet, since I only smell sugar, not tea. But this is Teh-O, not Teh-O-Kosong, so I may be over-expecting.


Rating: 3.5/5
Will do.

I'd love 'BOH' tea Cameroninan Blend to be on. But quite stupid since I can buy and boil a teabag myself. Also, this blend would cost quite a bit more. Not sure if people (most of Good Morning Nanyang's customers are uncles/aunties like Old Town) will pay for it. But for tea lovers out there, you do want to stock a box of this blend in your house! =))) Swept me off my feet, and snatched the 20 consecutive years crown from Lipton Yellow Label as my No.1 home tea. Gosh. Love Cameronian Blend so much. Nothing ever came quite close to Lipton over the two decades, due to the fact that I grew up on it.

Half-boiled Eggs
Again, I am not a fan of half-boiled eggs. haha, so you can really tell that, me, the Gen-Y is quite anti-60s breakfast. :PPP I think I only like white bread. No habit of drinking caffeine. Grew up learning that caffeine is BaD.

(Favourite is Western style sunny-side-up. LOL.)

So Good Morning Nanyang would be glad to know that I think their half-boiled eggs are good! Better than the ones my mum can achieve at home. It's really not easy to make good half-boiled eggs. Most people either get it too raw or too boiled, which is why I don't like it.

Seriously, how many times have you bought half-boiled and got something you'd rather not eat? Apart from the one at Canteen 2, NTU, there really is no other good half-boiled egg that I've eaten. (Canteen 2 is extremely famous for the breakfast bread and eggs, and also the waffles. Not sure if the standard is still there, but if any student goes in 4 years and haven't eaten them, really is lost out on food.)

I am so glad to know that I can now get my half-boiled egg fix from Good Morning Nanyang if I do for some weird reason crave them. (Really not a fan yeah.)

Some more ramblings: Those half-boiled you get at house downstairs coffeeshops are mostly bad because they give it to you in a plastic mug of hot water. For goodness sake, eggs cook easily, but they are never going to cook in 40-60 deg C water, which cools at a rate of maybe 1 deg/min? You can do a simple experiment by timing how long it takes when the water feels like room temperature water. And also, for goodness sake, putting a red plate over that plastic mug really isn't going to help keep the heat in, because the water is not boiling, hence no steam to simmer it, and most of the heat would escape from the biggest surface area, that is, the sides of that PLASTIC mug. It might help if they give you a wooden one, or thick ceramic (which is commercially unviable).

I didn't spy how Good Morning Nanyang cook their eggs, but whatever they do, they are able to control the heat well and get the timing right. =) The eggs crack very well into my plate, with a nice round shape, yet breaks easily upon slicing with the teaspoon, and flows without leaving solid yolk. This means it's all creamy inside. Excellent. There is a thin thin layer of white left on the shell, but it's really minimal, and I find it not worth me picking on, although some people may insist they want every single bit to flow out. Maybe I not a half-boiled egg fan, so I wouldn't really care about this detail...

The egg was also fresh, as it stays together good.

Rating: 4.75/5
I'd go for Good Morning Nanyang should I want a half-boiled egg fix.

Traditional Bread Toasted
Here comes the star that everybody is probably most interested in. (Sorry, I was quite full from ramen, so I didn't rush into eating this first.)

Like very a lot. Normally I only get 2 pieces cut in half with other set meals. Here, I get 4 slices, and 4 halves. Set A is $3.80, worth it. =)

BEWARE! One paragraph of me ranting. Skip it if you wish.
I think the biggest question is how does this compares with Ya Kun. To be honest, I am anti-Ya Kun. I am not going to pretend I am not biased and stuff. I am really anti-Ya Kun, because I find them too commercialized, and many outlets have probably lost the essence of Ah Kun along the way. I find them too overrated, as I was at no point in time smitten by their kopi, teh or roti. It's pretty much like Old Chang Kee. What 1956? Are you sure their curry pok tastes like that since 1956? It tastes like yucks right now, and a dozen other shops have better curry pok than OCK. Moreover, it's so unhealthy. I don't get the crowd.

Nevertheless, I have no choice but to admit that the bread at Ya Kun is crispier. Ya Kun's break into two cleanly like biscuits. BUT Good Morning Nanyang has an equal crisp in the mouth, if you don't try to break it in two.

As for the kaya, both are the same. Both are mild, non-coconutty, non-pandanny, not so sweet type. Those who are into nonya will find it bland. But non-nonya is definitely healthier.

Roti, Guyu, and Kaya.

Good Morning Nanyang spread the butter on the left, and the kaya on the right of the bread, while Ya Kun is that slab of butter one. Old Town White Coffee also does it in slabs of butter method, that leaves it to melt rather than spread the butter. Or you can open the pieces and spread it on your own. Not much difference to me though.

Serving is generous, be assured that your whole bread will get the spreads. If you are super into health, remember to ask for lesser. Otherwise the standard is very generous proportions. haha.

Rating: 4.5/5
Despite the unhealthiness, I do prefer slightly tastier kaya.

Service
Service is really good for a small scale family business. A lot better than some Japanese restaurants I've been to. I am impressed by their Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), as they periodically check and clear the tables. They also smile, even though I've grown quite accustomed to non-smiles by now. It's really a bonus to me.

Settings
As usual, I like marble top tables when it comes to old kopi. One of the good places to be at (other than 5 times more expensive Starbucks) in Chinatown! I don't quite like that place lah... Hard to walk, weird shops. So now I know where to go when I want to take a break if I go to Chinatown.

Overall
I really like the way they fuse time with youthful orange ciabatta and strong kopi. I walked from Raffles Place MRT, walk like crazy in the hot sun (because it looks near on the map). And all I want from the walk is good food. I got it! Thank you Good Morning Nanyang. I must repeat, the 5D Time Fusion dish! Must try Orange Ciabatta and Kopi.

At Delifrance Chinatown MRT exit (Chinatown Point), go into the aircon, turn to the left, and there, at the arrowed position. =)

Will I recommend it?
I already am. =)

Will I go back?
Yes, of course. Very convenient actually. Chinatown Point is just directly outside one of the exits (the one with Delifrance), and in fact visible the moment you enter the aircon of Chinatown Point. Can't miss it.

Overall rating: 9.5/10
Very good standards of food, service, and generous proportions, plus convenient location if you are in Chinatown.

PS: Seriously, where else can I get Starbucky ideas like orange ciabatta, cheap, good, and a lot, and sit in nostalgic kopi settings... ... haha. (Only other place I've eaten ciabatta is Bakerzin.)

If only there is nice tau huay and pandan cake there... hahahaha. I think I am very demanding. But it's a good idea since ieat has quite the perfect recipe for these, I heard. Read more "Good Morning Nanyang Cafe - A Fusion of Time..."