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Sunday, July 26, 2015

Beautiful morning.

Morning treats with Nuffnang x Criollo Cocoa Cafe

Being a morning person, I can never do without my breakfast.
Breakfast? Yes, please!

I was absolutely elated to join a group of Nuffnangers over a good cup of latte, brunch and sharing our blogging interests.
My twin, Sharlene, accompanied me to this morning event and we made our way to 
Orchard Gateway.

Where's brunch at?

Criollo Cocoa Cafe!



Beautifully located near the "tube" of Orchard Gateway & overlooking the bustling roads of Somerset,
it was absolutely a pleasant sight to go along while enjoying my breakkie.

Minimalistic cafe interiors,

chalkboard menus,

& sauce dispensing area.
(Psst...In love with the Heinz Tomato Dispenser as it definitely enhanced the American cafe feels!)




Cake display cases, checked.
Sharlene and my eyes were glued to the cakes the moment we arrived at the cafe.

Middle Eastern X French Fusion Baked Egg Dish

Oops, my apologies that I did not get the name of this dish.
However, this baked egg dish was something that I have never tried before.
I love runny, poached or scrambled eggs.
Baked eggs? Hmm, I wonder.

This did not appear fanciful, but what beneath it was the goodness.
Made up of 
Tomatoes, 
Peppers, 
Paprika(my favorite spice!), 
Onions 
and of course Eggs,

It was like pizza toppings thrown into a bowl without the pizza dough.
This dish was a fusion of Middle Eastern and Europe, with the baked eggs concept and the spices mainly used in this dish.

Look at all that ingredients!
Honestly speaking, I was quite disappointed upon seeing that fully cooked egg..
But it turns out to be runny with the yolks oozing out onto the tomato base.
Yumzin my tummy!


 Served alongside with slices of garlic baguette, I love dipping crispy stuff into dips,
like how you would dip your fries into curry sauce.
Saying this makes me crave for some fries now.

 Portobello Mushroom Burger

I never had burgers in cafes in my entire life before.
Because the burgers are usually made with juicy, tender beef patties & I'm here like,
no beef please.
It does definitely looks delicious though.
Until fairy godmother heard the voices of people who doesn't eat beef,
patties became Portobello mushrooms which are
as HUGE as the size of a beef patty
& has a similar color to it.

You never guessed that would be a mushroom right?
Pedo smile*

& talking about fries,
I had fries!
 Perhaps I have had too much of truffle fries or cheese fries, these fries felt a tad bit salty for my tastebuds.
Otherwise, the crispiness of the fries was on point.

Just look at that melted cheese resting on that fat mushroom.

Not the best cross-section of the burger, but the taste otherwise definitely did not fail!
The mushroom tasted fresh, juicy and easy to sink your teeth into.
Now you won't appear unglamorous having your burger in front of your date with all that ingredients falling all over the place.
Just imagine that beef/mushroom flying to your date's face.
Oops.

The burger buns were nicely grilled with butter too, making it slightly crispier at the top and soft on the inside.
The other bloggers and I couldn't stop raving about the buns!

& that's my beautiful twin, one of my best companion till date as well.

Alright, goodness gracious.
Compared to my gracious looking twin, I am totally the opposite.
Let's say unglamorous.

Pasta with a Singapore Twist, Seafood Laksa Linguine


Generous serving of fresh prawns and mussels, this laksa pasta really caught our eye when it was served on our dining tables.
Imagine your usual soupy laksa, now served in a drier version with Italian pasta and seafood.
Not the usual clams, white vermicelli, bean sprouts, fish cakes and tau pok.
Want to bring your grandparents or parents on a cafe date?
Criollo Cocoa Cafe might have something in store for them with this!

The pasta was well-cooked, simply well-coated with the laksa base.
The prawns were fresh, as reviewed by my twin just because I can't have prawns(sigh).
Reviewed by some of the other bloggers, this pasta was a tad bit spicy for them.
Non-spicy lovers do watch out!
Spicy food lovers, go ahead because I loved the spiciness.

Chocolate overloaded waffles

Not gonna express my love for chocolate again, so this is definitely something I loved!

Waffles always deserve top shots.

Chocolate waffles, topped with chocolate ice cream, strawberries & macarons.
Sweet treats for our savoury & spicy meals!


Waffles was crisp and fluffy,
Ice cream melted a bit fast for us because we took too long to take our shots,
Macarons...we couldn't tell the flavour because our tastebuds have been on a roller coaster ride.

 Before getting into a food coma, we had a glimpse of how latte art was made!



For your single & double shots of caffeine.





 
I love watching the part when warm milk dispenses out from the machines.
Simply makes me excited.


Heart shape maybe?



Definitely not the usual latte art seen!
In love with this latte art drawn by the barista.
A reflection of 2 lovers.
How beautiful.

Every bonding brings along new friends!
Was so pleased to have met Andy & Sheryl (@hannistellar) sharing our experiences in the blogging industry.
A big thanks to Nuffnang for holding this event
& Criollo Cocoa Cafe for hosting us with their specialties and place!

Besides reading about it...why not try it out yourself?

Look for Criollo Cocoa Cafe at:
Orchard Gateway, 277 Orchard Road #02-01
Singapore 238858

Attention to all thepurpledaisies readers!
Criollo Cocoa Cafe is currently offering SG50 promotions for you guys!
Simply quote "NuffnangXCriollo" to enjoy 20% discount off your total bill.

What's better than good food, good company and a perfect morning?

Have a good cup of coffee & enjoy your weekends guys!
SG50 is just 2 weeks away, time to share some love!

goodbye,
cynnie.



Thursday, July 23, 2015

Monochrome Fusion Bistro: When Western meets Asian

I love cafes that gives off a cosy feel.
With orange lightings, fluffy cushions, chalk boards, cushioned seats, coloured walls or walls with paintings and decor hung up.

Hey, wait a minute.
This cafe is so not the usual cafes that we see.
Think Monochrome; & you think of Monochrome Fusion Bistro.
Located at South Bridge Road, this cafe can be easily found beside Maxwell Food Centre.
It is situated between Tanjong Pagar and Chinatown MRT station, making it much more accessible from either MRT stations.


A modern, sophisticated outlook, this cafe gives off a classy yet simplistic ambience.
With everything black & white, I was really curious what this cafe have to offer.


Even the white walls have paintings, but the paintings are black and white too.


Tasting partner of the day - Zipeng! (@zippyzipeng)
Thanks to him for the invite :)


If you have been to Thailand(which I have never been to before sigh pie), their menu is designed like a magazine which makes it a really refreshing concept from the usual menus we have!
I've heard that such concepts are used as brochures/pamphlets in Thailand too, is it?
Well, I guess I need to find out soon!


Busy "moving the furnitures of the cafe" to get the perfect artsy fartsy shot


Ta-dah!
Mocha & Iced mocha for the day to kill the heat.
On a side note, I love how the cafe is decorated with polaroids making the cafe more homely & lovely.

TIME FOR FOOD.

Did someone say...Truffle Fries?

If I see truffle fries on the menu, I'm not letting go of the menu until I order it.
Served pipin' hot to our table, the smell of truffle oil was so detectable at a sniff.
Definitely what I look for when having truffle fries!

Recently listed as one of the recommended Truffle Fries by thehoneycombers.com,
I would recommend getting this to kickstart your meal!

 Squid Ink Risotto


I love eating Risotto actually, but I was honestly worried when we decided to try the Squid Ink Risotto.
My worry? Black teeth stain HAHAH.
But we decided on it anyway, and I really loved the presentation of it.
Topped with pan-seared scallops, this was acceptable but not the main highlight of our meal.
We prefer a slightly moister risotto which this was a tad bit dryer.
But having enquired the co-owner of the cafe, their Risotto is designed to be slightly dryer such that diners who are not fans of traditional Risotto can try this dish!
So non-lovers of Risotto, you might want to give this a go.

 Chili Crab Linguine

Thinking about SG50, this dish definitely reminded me of Singapore.
I love eating pasta and Linguine is one of my fav.
And with a chili crab base?
It's a must order!

I loved how the linguine goes well with the texture of the chili crab sauce(similar to a tomato sauce texture), accentuating the flavor of the chili crab sauce.
I failed to try the soft shell crab though, which Zipeng kind of liked it so I'm guessing it's well-cooked!
Just look at the crunchiness of the soft shell crab...makes me want to have it so badly too :(

 Pizza with an Asian Twist...Pork Belly Pizza!

This...I couldn't have enough of this.
The highlight of our food-tasting lunch.
We were so close to not ordering it judging by the amount we ordered, but we are glad we did!
I am not a fan of pork belly because it usually leaves me feeling queasy.
But this did not leave me with that after feeling.
The pizza crust was on point, crispy, yet it doesn't turn soft like how some pizzas do after being left cold for a while.
It remained flavourful even when it was no longer hot, and the crust just made me want to have more.
Pizza or non-pizza lovers, this is a must-try in my opinion!


 With that...

No one ends a meal without some sweet treats.

Churrofles anyone?


In Universal Studios Singapore, I would never fail to get their churros topped with cinnamon sugar.
I love waffles too, especially with ice-cream...I need no more description about it.
How about the marriage of churros and waffles?
The perfect idea!

Churrofles topped with caramelised bananas, Vanilla Ice Cream and assuming some meringue crumbs on top of the ice cream,
this waffle was well-balanced.
The waffle ain't too sweet, yet complemented with the sweetness of the ice-cream, so you don't get sick of it...until you finish the entire thing.
I bet this taste way better when it's hot though, ours got soggy and chewy because we took too long to take photos of it.
My bad, lesson learnt!

Being just a 5 months old cafe, I believe this cafe has reached a certain level of standard and with their earnest thoughts to improve on the quality of the food,
I see much potential in this cafe!
Definitely returning for more of their pizzas!

Look for them at:

Monochrome Fusion Bistro

Address: 291 South Bridge Rd, 058836
Contact: 6221 1798
Opening Hours: 12pm-10pm (Mon-Sun)

Let me know your reviews about them!

goodbye,
cynnie.