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.

It's time to entice your tastebuds with a whole new Earle Swensen's experience!

My parents and I have this huge fetish over Swensens.

Our usuals would always be: 

a "Topless 5" (5 scoops of ice cream with your choice of flavours)

And not forgetting their U.S. Fries which is one of their best sellers!

But besides all the family restaurant outlets that they have in the neighbourhoods, have any of you tried Earle Swensen's before?

Well I did, and I was certainly tempted to revisit there again.

Thanks to Celine, I tagged along with her for a food-tasting session at Vivocity's Earle Swensen's! 

The session was to introduce some of their new menu items, and just so you know, the menu changes a couple of times annually!

Definitely aroused my curiosity to go back and try those new menu items.

Seated in the restaurant, we were accompanied by a beautiful sight overlooking the exterior view of Sentosa.

Personally, ambience is one of the most important factors that I feel makes the dining experience more enjoyable.

define drinks; 

a liquid to quench your thirst

To give our tastebuds some warm-up, we started off with the Lychee Glacier.

Ice blended into a smooth yet icy texture was sure a tough job, but Earle Swensen's definitely did it right.

Beautiful violet color topped with lychee fruit, I can feel my throat drying up already.

define appetizers; 

food to stimulate your appetite

If you love eating chicken drumlets,

the new Oven Roasted Drumlets are right for you!

Available in Teriyaki & Sriracha glaze, whether you're a sweet or spicy food eater,

this is one that I recommend not to miss it!

appetizers; Breaded Scallops.

Doesn't sound interesting enough?

Best paired together with their whole new Salted Egg Yolk Dip!

Crispy on the outside, soft & pipin' hot on the inside.

It was pretty much a 7/10 rating for me though, as I pretty much prefer a stronger taste for the dip.

appetizers; Popcorn Squid

With Salted Egg Yolk Dip again!

This was the bomb, in fact I liked this more than the scallops!

The baby squids were well coated, every bite is filled with a crunchy texture.

And since it's popcorn-sized, it doesn't hurt to have more than one..right? ;)

define mains; 

the highlight of all the dishes.

Smoked Salmon Pasta

If you've ever dined out with me before, you would know that I am never a fan of cream based pasta.

It kind of makes me feel sick of the taste within a short period of time.

So to play safe, it's Aglio Olio or tomato-based.

But this definitely got me blown away.

With a slight saltiness from the smoked salmon, a light cream sauce, smooth linguine pasta and mushrooms, it definitely made me want more of it.

The tinge of saltiness from the smoked salmon made the cream sauce much more flavorful, without making the entire dish over creamy-like.

I finished everything, including the sauce.

This shows how good it is!

A must-try!

define desserts;

a sweet treat to end the flavorful meal.

Stylo Milo Sundae

Are you a malt fan or not?

I am someone who will always look forward to the desserts at the end.

No matter how stuffed I am.

I guess this is what they mean by all females have 2 different stomachs for savoury and sweet treats.

Not all, but I definitely am :p

All Swensen's ice cream are now changed to gelato, making it a healthier option for all of you sweet-tooth people out there.

The texture of the gelato was so smooth and has a slight creamy texture, glides through your throat when you swallow it.

I love how all the sundaes always looks so pretty and appetizing *heart flutters*

Together with the cereal crunch sandwiched between the scoops of ice cream, a creamy and crunchy texture made this dessert a pleasant one.

The con of the gelato, was that the milo taste was not strong and distinctive enough to taste it, unless it goes together with the cereal toppings.

Nevertheless, I finished it too as the milo taste gets stronger till you reach the bottom of that sundae :P

Earle Swensen's still never fails to surprise me with their new dishes and the same old favorites that I have.

A big thank you to Celine and Earle Swensen's for this amazing food tasting session!

& not forgetting;

my readers who have to endure my lengthy descriptions.

goodbye & have a slurpin' good time,

cynnie.

Everything with biscuits and chocolate..is just delish to me!

I'm back guys!

how have you guys been doing?

I pretty much miss my life as a blogger nowadays... attending events, meeting new blogger friends and enjoying every single moment of those interactions.

For studies, sacrifices had to be made unfortunately.

But I was glad to be able to tag along with Chloe the other day for a really special event which I believe and will categorize as one of my most amazing media event.

I love sweet, floury, crunchy stuff.

So I love biscuits.

& I love chocolate too.

Those chocolate just got to be purely good stuff on its own.

Where to find?! :(

Before I land myself into depression mood...

I'm glad Julie came into my life.

And Julie brought a new friend called Hershey.

So what do you have?

Julie's biscuits X Hershey's chocolate.

My chocolate biscuits finally existed!

One of those damn good stuff - Chocolate Fudge cookies.

one of my love from all the other flavors because it's just so chocolate-y!

*erh hmm as I'm blogging, I'm munching on it.*

Don't be jealous because... I will tell you where to get it later :)

Sneak peeks of the event location!

Just look at those boxes and boxes of cookies.

I need those Christmas Trees made with cookies.

Okay I got to admit.

I used to hate cookies.

And now I love it.

Probably I always end up can't finding my favorite bread pudding at buffets in the States..

I had to rely on cookies.

AND DID I MENTION THOSE COOKIES ARE AMAZING?!

It just taste different.

So now I'm glad, I can find other cookies to substitute it besides Famous Amos.

Yes, that's gorgeous Chloe.

Ultimate beauty and I'm glad to know her like really!

And courtesy of Spinelli as our event was held there!

I wish that box in my hand can be brought home.

Oh yes, please smile when you eat those cookies.

because these cookies are meaningful.

Mr Martin Ang from Julie's company who made his appearance to introduce this new product!

What he said, made me had a resolution to love Julie's and Hershey's even more.

Part of the profits from Hershey's goes towards helping out the children in the United States, creating happier places for them such as Hershey's Theme Park, schools etc.

Julie's likewise, is a household brand of Malaysia. And every biscuit is baked with love.

I believe so when I ate them.

I could feel the love and so I hope you do too.

Trust me, these cookies will make you want more.

And the best surprise of all, X'mas is approaching and they even prepared X'mas gifts for us!

All nicely wrapped.

If this isn't called Sincerity, I don't know what else does.

With all the other bloggers!

They were all really approachable and nice to interact with.

And that definitely forced me out of my turtle shell.

Bloggers at work.

Hahaha :D

sO long since i tried taking close up shots of sweet treats with my DSLR...

so these are some random ones.

And wonderful thanks for the buffet offered!

Remember the gift that they gave?

Powerbank with love.

It was unexpected and even though Julie's biscuits are something that we buy off the shelves not like a restaurant, the customer service itself is amazing this way.

Tadah! Finally, meet the 4 Heavenly Kings co-created by 2 companies filled with compassion for the society.

Introducing Chocolate Waffles, Chocolate Fudge Cookies, Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies and Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Cookies.

If you always loved butter waffles biscuits, this is a must try!

A twist to our ordinary butter waffle biscuit, simply chocolate-licious!

I love nuts. Peanuts, Almonds, Macadamia nut...

how can I afford missing HAZELNUTS?

Yes I am nuts now talking about nuts.

And if you think chocolate is like your world, you wouldn't regret eating this.

Because I didn't.

For the healthier option, choose oat!

They are now available in all local supermarkets so visit the nearest one, grab one and start munching!

I love indulging in this because it really makes me smile thinking about the happier kids in the States, and how satisfied my tummy really is for the chocolate-y goodness.

But my biggest regret and apologies to my readers...

I always finished it before I could take a shot of how it looks like....

:(

I will take the shots next time!

Meanwhile, let me grab another packet.

Goodbye and continue eating with love,

cynnie.