Strangers' Reunion at Kampong Bahru Road (Outram)

Strangers' Reunion is a cafe located at Kampong Bahru Road, opposite Singapore General Hospital. There has been alot of hype about this cafe online as it was opened by Singapore National Barista Championship winner Ryan Tan.

When we arrived at around 1145 am on a weekday, the brightly lite cafe was already filled to the brim. We had to share a table with another group - strangers (the name of the cafe =P). The cafe was not what I imagined it to be; cozy, quiet.

Instead, it was crowded, noisy and squeezy especially if you are seated at the row of table with sofa and cushion (right part of above photo). Those who were seated there had to move their tables to allow their friends to access the sofa area and also for their friends to leave.

Menu (a)

Menu (b)

The menu.

Left to right: Cafe Mocha $5.50 and Cappuccino $4.90

My partner ordered a Cafe Mocha $5.50 while I ordered a Cappuccino $4.90. Both beverages were disappointing. The Cappuccino (which i ordered) was too milky and the distinct richness and taste of espresso was missing.

Truffle Fries $12.90

The Truffles Fries $12.90 came with grated truffle, truffled aioli and parmesan. It was a pity consistency was lacking (some fries were hard while some were soggy), if not this would have been a great side dish.

Buttermilk Waffles with Artisan Greek Yogurt & Fresh Fruits $12.90

Since we had heard so much about the buttermilk waffles, we had to order one to try for ourselves. We ordered the Buttermilk Waffles with Artisan Greek Yogurt & Fresh Fruits $12.90. So beautiful and enticing in appearance! However, the thick, fluffy waffle did not match up to our expectations as it lacked flavour and fragrance. 

Needless to say, I was not impressed with the food and drinks we had at Strangers' Reunion. I do not understand the hype. As we left, we noticed that there was a long queue outside, waiting for their turn fora table in the cafe (on a weekday)!! There must be something worth going back for, I wonder what was it. Well, everyone has differing taste; as the saying goes one man's poison is another man's meat. 

Strangers' Reunion at Kampong Bahru Road (Outram)

33/35/37 Kampong Bahru Road (shop-house along the road, opposite Singapore General Hospital)

Singapore 169355

Tel: 6222 4869

Opening Hours: Wed to Mon 9am to 10pm

                          Closed on Tue

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Black Canyon Coffee at Indra Square (Thailand, Bangkok)

Black Canyon Coffee is a well-known Thai restaurant chain incorporated in 1993 in Thailand. The restaurant chain specialises in more than just coffee. Besides offering a variety of coffee such as espresso, cappuccino, mocha and latte, Black Canyon Coffee also serves food (ranging from Thai to Western cuisines), sandwiches, desserts (ice cream) and other drinks.

Today, Black Canyon Coffee is a leading global coffee and foods restaurant chain with more than 240 branches in Thailand. In Thailand, it is the largest operator and serves more than one million cups of coffee annually. In addition, it has 45 branches in 8 countries (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Burma, United Arab Emirates, Cambodia, Laos and Philippines). In Singapore, Black Canyon Coffee is located at Fusionopolis at Connexis Tower. 

Black Canyon Coffee is virtually everywhere in Bangkok, in nearly every shopping malls. Everywhere you go, you are likely to see it. We visited its outlet at Indra Square, which is near our hotel; Baiyoke Boutique Hotel for breakfast. Black Canyon Coffee at Indra Square is located just next to KFC and is open 24 hours daily!

Hot Mocha 70 Baht (S$2.92)

At Black Canyon Coffee, one cannot leave this place without trying their coffee. Its tagline is "Black Canyon Coffee: A drink from paradise... avaliable on Earth".

The Hot Mocha 70 Baht (S$2.92) a classic chocolaty espresso with hot milk was served with alphabet shaped biscuits.

Cappuccino 70 Baht (S$2.92)

The Cappuccino 70 Baht (S$2.92) was also served with alphabet shaped biscuits.

Mocha Choc Chip Frappe 80 Baht (S$3.33)

The Mocha Choc Chip Frappe 80 Baht (S$3.33) was one our favourite. It was sweet with a distinctive coffee aroma and flavour and the chocolate chips made it so addictive and at the same time gave a different texture.

Ham and Cheese Supreme Sandwich 95 Baht (S$3.96)

As this was for breakfast, we ordered some sandwiches to share. The Ham and Cheese Supreme Sandwich 95 Baht (S$3.96) was served with fries. It was a pretty decent sandwich which was hard to go wrong as long as the ingredients were fresh. The sandwich was also toasted slightly such that it had a crisp exterior while the interior was soft and warm. I thought that they executed this sandwich well, even thought it seems to be something simple. The fries were ordinary.

American Club Sandwich 125 Baht (S$5.21)

We also ordered an American Club Sandwich 125 Baht (S$5.21) which was recommended on the menu to share. This sandwich was also served with fries.

American Club Sandwich 125 Baht (S$5.21)

The American Club Sandwich was not bad too. The vegetables (i.e. lettuce and tomatoes) used were fresh! This maybe quite a mouthful for some as there's 3 layers of bread in it.

Thai Style Fried Noodle with Prawn (Pad Thai) 97 Baht (S$4.04)

The staff highly recommended the Thai Style Fried Noodle with Prawn (Pad Thai) 97 Baht (S$4.04). Black Canyon Coffee was the winner of the Pad Thai World Championship back in 2009.

To be frank, the Phad Thai was disappointing. We had high expectations for this dish. The Phad Thai was too sweet and tangy, tasted as if too much tomato sauce or ketchup was added. We all agreed that it was not our cup of tea.

Stir Fried Noodles with Chicken (Kua Gai) 78 Baht (S$3.25)

The Stir Fried Noodles with Chicken (Kua Gai) 78 Baht (S$3.25) fared much better. The kway teow (wide flat rice noodles) was well fried, each piece was tasty and had a slight smokey aroma.

Well, as this is a restaurant chain, the prices charged for the food is considered reasonable. Food wise although the Phad Thai was disappointing, the rest of the food were decent. This may not be a die die must try restaurant, but its certainly worth a try if you do not know what to go for and would like to avoid street food.

We also visited Black Canyon Coffee located at the basement of Platinum Fashion Mall. If you need a break from all the shopping or caffeine, you know where to go.

Left to right: Blackpuccino Frappe 75 Baht (S$3.13), Black Canyon Frappe 75 Baht (S$3.13) 

We ordered Blackpuccino Frappe 75 Baht (S$3.13) and Black Canyon Frappe 75 Baht (S$3.13) and had them in takeaway cups so that we could drink and shop!

Ordering the Blackpuccino Frappe was a big mistake as it had a strong bitter after taste. On the other hand, the Black Canyon Frappe was a hit among us. It was refreshing. The aroma and richness of the coffee was unmistakable and had us longing for more of it.

Having tried their coffee on two occasions, I can now understand why they have so many outlets in Thailand! 

Black Canyon Coffee at Indra Square (Thailand, Bangkok)
1st floor of Indra Square (next to KFC)
120/126, Ratchaprarop Road
Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 686 0118
Open Hours: Daily 24 Hours
Website

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Tiong Bahru Bakery by Gontran Cherrier (Raffles City Shopping Centre)

Tiong Bahru Bakery by Gontran Cherrier is a bakery cafe set up by Spa Espirit Group. It is the same group which owns a number of restaurants such as Open Door Policy, Skinny Pizza and Demspey House. Tiong Bahru Bakery first opened in Tiong Bahru estate now has a second outlet located in Raffles City Shopping Centre. 

Tiong Bahru Bakery at Raffles City Shopping Centre has been enjoying a brisk business ever since it has opened at the bustling location. 

First Anniversary Promotion

Coincidentally, on the day of visit (3rd Aug 2013) it was their first anniversary at Raffles City. As such, they had a $1 Mini Kouign Amann promotion. 

The products offerings are proudly displayed. Customers who are interested to buy something (no matter how many) would need to go through this entire stretch where they would be enticed with a visual display of a whole range of food such as bread, pastries, cakes, sandwiches, desserts and coffee. What a smart move! 

Drinks

Tiong Bahru Bakery offers a while variety of drinks and coffee which are displayed at the cashier.

We ordered 'Magic' coffee, Mini Kouic-N Amann and a Plain Croissant.

'Magic' Coffee $6.50

The 'Magic' Coffee $6.50 was a hybrid between a latte and macchiato. The coffee from the Forty Hands was aromatic and quite decent. 

Plain Croissant $3.20

Croissant  one of the items which has been highly raved about. The Plain Croissant was not exactly cheap as it cost $3.20. 

The exterior of the Croissant was beautifully baked. It was crisp and flaky. The interior was soft, light and fluffy. Taste wise, it was simple with just the right buttery fragrant to make you keep longing for more. Certainly, one of the better Croissant I have eaten. I like how they kept it simple and original with no fanciful alterations, just the way it should be. Price wise, I would agree that its not cheap. But, it was worth it. Simple yet delicious! 

Mini Kouign Amann $1

As mentioned earlier, Tiong Bahru Bakery was celebrating it's first anniversary in Raffles City and had a $1 Mini Kouign Amann promotion! As such, we ordered one to share. If you are curious why the promotion was only for Kouign Amann. The reason was because the Kouign Amann is their bestseller. 

The Mini Kouign Amann was addictive. Made from bread dough with butter and sugar folded, it was a crisp round pastry with caramelised sugar coating its exterior. The interior was buttery and sweet with a hint of saltiness. The partner liked it so much that we ordered four more pieces to bring back home to indulge. 

For me, I thought that both the Mini Kouign Amann and Plain Croissant were equally good and worth indulging in when we are around the area during tea time. We will be back! 

Tiong Bahru Bakery by Gontran Cherrier (Raffles City Shopping Centre)

252 North Bridge Road

#B1-11/12 Raffles City Shopping Centre

Singapore 179103 

Tel: +65 6333 4160

Opening Hours: Daily 9am to 10pm

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Tiong Bahru Bakery by Gontran Cherrier (Tiong Bahru)

56 Eng Hoon Street #01-70

Singapore 160056

Tel: +65 6220 3430

Opening Hours: Daily 8am to 8pm

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Good Morning Nanyang Cafe 早安南洋 (Sembawang) 2nd Post

*Edited on Aug 2013: Good Morning Nanyang Cafe at Sembawang Shopping Centre has closed*

It has been almost one and a half years since I came back to Good Morning Nanyang Cafe. Good Morning Nanyang Cafe has a similar business model to Toast Box, Killiney and Ya kun, specialising in breakfast sets such as kaya toast, coffee, tea and half-boiled eggs. In addition, they also ventured into serving Local Delights such as Laksa, Mee Siam, Egg Noodles and Mee Rebus. A smart move as they not only capture the breakfast crowd but also ensure that they capture the lunch and dinner crowd with these piping hot dishes. 

As usual we visited its branch at Sembawang Shopping Centre on Saturday at 9am in the morning. The cafe was full of customers. We had to wait a short while before we could get a table. Although Good Morning Nanyang Cafe was not big in terms of floor area, they had many tables and chairs position systematically in rows. Coupled with the fact that the turnover was fast, I noticed that most customers did not have to wait more than 5 minutes for a table. 

The process to order and collect orders are similiar to their competitors (i.e. Ya Kun, Toast Box). Customers will be required to proceed to the counter to queue and make their orders. After that they would be required to collect their drinks, half boiled eggs and a queue tag number. The queue tag number is used by the serving staff to identify the customers who have ordered toasts and/or local delights items (items that would require sometime to prepare). 

Good Morning Nanyang Cafe decoration is simple with a rustic feel.

The Toast Sets.

Local Delights.

I ordered Set C - Orange Ciabatta Toast which is priced at $5.20. I was served with two half-boiled eggs, Orange Ciabatta Toast and a cup of coffee or tea. 

2 Half-Boiled Eggs 

Ya Kun's half boiled eggs are still the best. They are always big and perfectly cooked. In this case, I felt that Good Morning Nanyang Cafe's version is slightly undercooked as some of the egg white were still transparent. Nevertheless, this was still quite well-executed and delicious. I have encountered much worse off half boiled eggs. The main issue I have with Good Morning Nanyang Cafe's eggs were that I wish the staff would crack the eggs for us like Ya Kun instead of requiring customers to do it themselves. 

Orange Ciabatta Toast

Orange Ciabatta Toast

The Orange Ciabatta Toast was the highlight. This was the reason why we came back to Good Morning Nanyang Cafe.

Ciabatta is an Italian white bread made from yeast and flour, normally elongated in shape. In this case, it was flat and baked into a square shape. In addition, as it's name suggested, it was infused with orange flavour which is likely from to have come from orange peel. The Orange Ciabatta Toast was served with butter and kaya spread sandwiching two pieces of toast. The kaya is freshly made daily. It had a more aromatic compared to Ya Kun's with more coconut flavour. Shiok! This is a must try when you are at Good Morning Nanyang Cafe.

Coffee

The coffee was much better than the tea I had during my previous visit. In addition, it was aromatic.

If you are interested to read about my review on their Laksa and Mee Rebus, you may click here for my previous post.

I would strongly recommend Good Morning Nanyang Cafe's Orange Ciabatta Toast. It will be an entirely different foodie experience compared to Ya Kun's toast. 

Sembawang Shopping Centre Shuttle Bus 

Sembawang Shopping Centre Management has recently changed the free Sembawang Shopping Centre Shuttle Bus Service routes (effective date - 18 Feb 2013). Quite sad to note that the shuttle bus no longer ply the route near my house. It is now less convenient for my family and I to visit the shopping mall. Used to visit patronise Giant, Gong Cha, Daiso, Popular and of course Good Morning Nanyang Cafe quite often. With the change, I am unlikely to visit the shopping mall anytime soon. After all, I have another shopping mall 10 minutes walk away. I wish that the management will revert to the original bus route. But well, that's very unlikely..

Good Morning Nanyang Cafe 早安南洋 (Sembawang)
604 Sembawang Road
#01-01 Sembawang Shopping Centre
Tel: 8133 1882
Opening Hours: Mon–Fri 9am – 9pm
Sat–Sun & PH  8.30am – 9pm
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Good Morning Nanyang Cafe 早安南洋 ( Hong Lim Green Community Centre)

20, Upper Pickering Street Singapore

Tel: 8133 1882

Opening Hours: Mon–Fri 730am – 730pm 

                          Sat, Sun & PH 830am – 530pm

Good Morning Nanyang Cafe 早安南洋 (Turf City)
200 Turf Club Road
The Grandstand #01-34A
Tel: 8133 1882
Opening Hours: Daily 9am to 9pm

Hotel Saravana Bhavan (Chennai, India)

Just back from Hong Kong. First to clear backlog from India. Stay tuned for food to eat in Hong Kong at later posts.

Hotel Saravana Bhavan is a restaurant chain based in Chennai serving South Indian vegetarian cuisine. In India, restaurants are called 'hotels'. Hotel Saravana Bhavan was found in 1981 in Chennai (of course). Today, it has 24 outlets in Chennai and multiple outlets all world wide including UAE, USA, UK, Canada, Malaysia, France..many more and even Singapore with 4 outlets. To be honest, I have never seen this restaurant in Singapore.

In Chennai, this hotel (restaurant) is very popular. In fact, my Singaporean friend based in Chennai told me that the coffee here is very good. Hence, since we were nearby, we had to try it.

Entrance

Cashier

This is where you pay.

This is where you make your orders and wait for the food as it is self-service.

Notice the round tables without chairs at the foreground? This is where people can just stand around and drink their coffee or tea. In the background, there are tables and chairs for patrons to eat their meals.

Menu

Look at the variety of items available! So many dishes.

Special Coffee

Special Pure Filter Coffee (INR 24 per cup)

Tata~! 3 cups of Special Pure Filter Coffee! There was another order for a cup of Special Tea. But let's start with the coffee first.

Noticed how the Special Pure Filter Coffee was served. Here's how you are supposed to drink it. Pour the coffee into the metal container holding the metal cup. (Be careful, it is hot as the container is made of metal.) Then pour the coffee from the metal container back into the metal cup. Do it as many times as required to cool it down. Reminds me of Teh Tarik. I just did it once and then tried it. The coffee was very     aromatic. Shiok! You got to try it if you are in India. I certainty want to try the coffee served by the hotel in Singapore. Moreover, it provided a fun experience too!

Foreground: Special Tea (INR 24 per cup)

The Special Tea arrived much later. Did not try it. Looks normal. I am glad I tried the coffee instead.

I got to check out it's outlets in Singapore one day and see if they serve such a coffee here. Good coffee with fun experience! Who knows, the food might be fantastic too.

Outlets in Singapore

Outlets in Chennai

Hotel Saravana Bhavan (Chennai, India)
Website 

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