Top 5 Cupcakes you have to try in Singapore

Pretty cupcakes are very instagram-worthy. But are they calories-worthy too? I will give a big fat 'YES' because I love the combination of the fluffiness and the moist richness that send me straight to cloud nine!

So here's my mini guide on the top 5 cupcakes that you have to try before we say byebye to 2013.

The Trans Hotel - Where Luxury meets Style in Bandung

Bandung city is known for its breezy weather and street after street of factory outlets. After a long day of hardcore shopping, wouldn't you love to sink yourself in plush and comfortable bed and have a good rest for another day of shopping?? I was in for a pleasant surprise after being recommended to stay at this luxury hotel earlier this month at The Trans Luxury Hotel.

Friendly Service Crew & Delectable Dessert at Maison Ikkoku

A winning formula for a cafe is great coffee + friendly customer service + awesome food & dessert. Maison Ikkoku located near the Sultan mosque nailed all three and I especially love the small alfresco area with enough fans to beat the humid weather!

Kluang Coffee Powder Factory - From Coffee Beans to A Cup Of Kopi-O

Visiting this 40 year-old coffee factory at Kluang brought me back to my childhood days where my father would buy traditional coffee powder from a small stall at a wet market in Clementi. I didn't know how to appreciate a steaming cup of black goodness back then but I sure do now given that I can't even survive without a cuppa to get through my day!

Here at Kluang Coffee Powder Factory, I was able to enjoy and appreciate a cup of freshly brewed kopi-o after witnessing the hard work put into the roasting process.

Kluang Rail Coffee - You Have To Try When At Kluang

It's not easy to miss this rustic coffee shop if you take a KTM to Kluang station. What I like about this humble eatery is the simple local foodfare that are both tasty and economical.

Probably the best resort in the world - Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa

I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of staying at this luxurious resort for almost a week for work and it was simply amazeballs! If you're thinking of heading to Phuket for a nice beach getaway, this is it! 

Every corner at Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa is so picturesque and tranquil, my hard disk is bursting with the truckload of photos taken at the resort! It was like a dream come true to work at such an awesome resort and I am very, very impressed with the top-notch customer service by the event coordinator and all the staff at the resort. It was my virgin experience staying at a resort by Marriott and it definitely left a very lasting and fantastic impression in me!

New cafe at Killiney: Artisan Boulangerie Co.

There was this day where I had dinner at a coffeeshop along Killiney Road and I saw this western style cafe from opposite the road and I told my partner to check it out after our dinner. Never did I expect to find so many choices of pies, sourdough loaves, pies, sandwiches and even quality, decent coffee at this 3-month old cafe at affordable prices! 

My partner and I were spoilt for choice! But we decided to have light desserts that will not be too heavy on our palette (and hips). The pear & almond tart was really delicious! I like that the tart base was not too flaky and the almond filling goes very well with the pear. Perfect with a cup of coffee. The chocolate eclair on the other hand, was not up to my liking. The crust was a tad too hard and even though the chocolate mousse filling was fantastic, it didn't make me wanna finish up the whole thing in seconds.  

Food aside, I really love the whole stylish and simplistic decor of the whole cafe with a very warm and cosy ambience. The lady serving at the counter was very patient as she recommended some top favorites to us and I truly appreciate such service staff who are polite, speaks well and welcoming! We had a little chat with the counter staff and got to know that it's only opened for about 3 months.

There's bread tasting available at the counter and prices range from $4 - $10 for the bread and $2 - $10+ for the pastries, tarts and sandwiches. This is definitely a place I want to bring my friends to for dessert and coffee after a watching a movie or a day of shopping!

Artisan Boulangerie Co.
118 Killiney Road
Open from 8am to 10pm daily
Call: 6444-1986

Artisan Boulangerie Co. FB page
www.artisanbakery.com.sg/

Artisan Boulangerie Co.

T&K Seafood- Not to be missed in Bangkok!

If I were to sum up T&K Seafood in 4 words, it would be "Cheap and good until......" That was quite a Chinese way of putting it across, but it is a Thai-Chinese restaurant after all. No frill, just good seafood with an extremely affordable price tag to boot.

We wanted to be adventurous and decided to walk from Hua Lamphong BTS station to this eatery. It's about 10 minutes walk, and you know you it's the right place when you see people clad in lime green T-shirts working the grill and washing plates and running around like busy bee. 

The fish is crispy as it can get, and the meat is very tender, very fresh without the sea salt taste. There's this green pesto-like sauce that is super spicy but it adds a refreshing kick to the fish and even the grilled prawns.

You have not been to Bangkok if you didn't try their tom yum koong. People who seriously can't take spice is excused but you can always request for nit noi spicy, which means a little bit spicy. It's not as sour as the ones we have here back in SG, but the spiciness really had me reaching for the coconut juice after each mouthful. I love the generous ingredients in the tom yum, the light fragrance of the coconut milk, and the robust broth that boasts a chockful of the sweetness from the seafood.

The Thai version of yellow curry is actually somewhat like our local chili crab paste, without the spiciness. It's a more subdued dish but I like the curry egg paste which goes super well with the fried rice and fresh prawns. 

All these for just 800 baht for the 2 of us - Super duper affordable and fresh seafood cooked Thai-style at a old shophouse. As authentic as it can get, I assure you. Even though the trip there and back to the bustling Pratunam area is quite long, I think it's worth to try such awesome seafood at a very interesting location.

T&K Seafood
49 - 41 Soi Phadung Dao, Chinatown, Bangkok
Nearest BTS: Hua Lamphong
Open daily from 6.00pm to 2.00am

A day at Thong Lo, Bangkok

Sawadeekaaaa! I'm back with 2 food places to share in the Land of Smiles and I felt this compelling need to blog about these 2 makan places because I love the ambience, they gave my tastebuds a jolly good time with all the awesome flavours and they are not at the heart of the shopping action, which is great for a wind down and catchup with the social media.

If you have a jam-packed schedule of shopping and more shopping in Bangkok, the one place you have to check out is Greyhound Cafe. It's a fusion of Thai and Western cuisine that blended really well and tastefully together without creating any pot hole in your wallet.

I gotta be honest that I expected these anorexic-looking spicy chicken wings (110 baht) to disappoint my tastebuds because they looked so dry! But BOY, was I in for a spicy and juicy kick! The chicken was succulent and juicy and I guess the petite wings were much easier to be enjoyed than regular sized ones. A must-order from the starters/appetizers menu definitely!

This tangled mess of spicy and flavourful and oh-so-tasty spaghetti (220 baht) with basil leaves and juicy chicken and mushrooms left a burning sensation on my tastebuds! I highly suspected that the spice originated from the stem of green balls and decided to not touch it at all. I reluctantly exchanged my Thai-style spaghetti for pesto pasta with my partner halfway through my plate because my tastebuds couldn't handle the spice anymore! You have been warned.

The pesto pasta (220 baht) was a delight, not too oily and superbly tasty without the MSG-overload aftermath. I especially love the fresh seafood of crunchy shrimps and nicely cooked scallops. It was definitely a great mix to the Thai spaghetti that we ordered. 

Another must-order is this Thai ice tea blended drink (100 baht). It's a sweet though thankfully not overly sweet and refreshing treat after a tasty meal. Addresses to find this awesome cafe is right at the end of this post.

After Greyhound Cafe, we walked a bit further up towards a small building called Seen Space at Soi 13 for desserts at Mr Jones' Orphanage! Feast your eyes people!

Can't help but to be reminded of the #hashtag video with Justin Timberlake when I saw these cupcakes. #omnomnomnom

I couldn't help but to gush and squeal inwardly at every photo I took, just look at these gorgeous-looking cakes and pastries and tarts and cupcakes and OMG the M&M cake looked so yummy!

I thought that the Chocky Mud Pie with vanilla ice cream (135 baht) was quite addictive though the gooey mixture of melted chocolate with fudge cake was a little too thick and heavy, it goes perfectly well with the ice cream. 

The Strawberry Sponge Cake (120 baht) on the other hand, was a little too dry and not spongy enough for me. In the end we dipped the sponge cake into the chocolate mud pie to finish it off! Strawberries + chocolate = WIN.

We were pretty amused by the name of this dessert - Custard Cow's Poo (120 baht) and decided to give it a try anyways! It turned out to be the highlight of this high tea session! I love the chewy texture, which kinda reminded me of nyonya kueh kueh and though it was a little bit too sweet, it was pretty perfect with the tangy strawberries and black coffee. 

Although I should have tried more types of cakes to give a more accurate conclusion of the desserts here, I do not think that the dessert are as yummy as they are presented. However, I will definitely recommend you guys to spend a lazy afternoon here because I felt like I stepped into some whimsical wonderland here and there's this magical feel to this whole place, which I have not find in Singapore yet. Moreover, the sofa chairs are really comfortable and the coffee was surprisingly good!

Do let me know if you have tried other kinds of dessert which left you with a better impression as I would love to try it the next time I'm in Bangkok!

Next up! Affordable and fresh seafood in Bangkok - stay tuned for that!

Greyhound Cafe
J Avenue @ Thong Lo Soi 15
(Nearest BTS Station: Thong Lo)

Emporium, 2F @ Khlong Toei
(BTS Station: Phrom Phong)

Siam Center, Ground Floor
(BTS Station: Siam)

Opening Hours:
11.00am - 9.00pm daily

Mr Jones' Orphanage
Siam Center, 2F
(BTS Station: Siam)

Opening Hours:
11.00am - 9.00pm daily

Seen Space @ Thong Lo Soi 13
(Nearest BTS Station: Thong Lo)

Opening Hours:
11.00am - 10.00pm daily