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Characterised by the marshmallow-on-sticks they give with every drink ordered, it’s becoming a gimmick that drew people in, including myself, just to satisfy that craving of a roasted marshmallow at typical BBQ sessions.

Conveniently located across the street from Telok Blangah MRT station, it’s an overhead bridge away, and you’d just have to walk to the end of the stretch passing by those old school shops. Be prepared to wait around for sets though or to share the communal table as it’s a really small space with only about 20 seats or so.

Lemon Meringue Pie ($4.80)

I’m still on the hunt for good lemon meringue tarts, and this never fails to attract me with its pretty appearance. A tad disappointing though, with the meringue being too heavy and the lemon curd tasted a tad too sharp, greeted with a sharp tang then overwhelmed with sweetness after that. The only consolation was the crispy base to go with the soft insides.

Verdict: 6.0/10

Giving in to the gimmick, I’d ordered a rose latte just to get the roasted marshmallow. :P

Perfectly roasted to give a warm and gooey inside, while remaining crisp on the outside, this doesn’t get to enjoy much camera-time. Have it while it’s still hot!

The rose latte that came was far from what I’d expected. Having tried rose lattes elsewhere, I was expected a usual latte infused with rose flavour. Astonished to see a pink drink approaching us, it was worse to find that it tasted just like Bandung (Rose syrup). The only difference was this was served warm and on the milkier side. Not a very pleasant surprise for me while expecting coffee for a little perk-me-up, though some may like it for a caffeine-free and slightly sweet drink.

Verdict: 5.0/10

This is not for the faint-hearted! Waffles drizzled with condensed milk sounds sinful enough, then topped with milo powder? For those who’re fans of milo dinosaur, this would probably sit well with you as some might not enjoy the overwhelming sweetness of it. I would have preferred the waffles to be slightly crispier so that the condensed milk can melt into it. This was just a pretty soggy piece that wasn’t all that impressive, except with the heavily fattening combination!   

Verdict: 6.5/10

This place didn’t quite manage to impress, with its rather cramped and uncomfortable seating. We managed to get one of the private tables instead of the long communal table in the middle and found it uneasy to keep bending down to eat, that it would probably have been better if we’d sat on the floor. The desserts weren’t exactly the kind to bring me back either, unless I have the craving for marshmallows.  

With my occasional cravings for crabs, my friends brought me over to another ulu corner of Singapore, known for their Black Pepper Crab. After a ten minute walk from Eunos MRT station (sometimes I really wonder why crab places couldn’t be more accessible!), we were quite surprised to find this rather rundown coffee shop by the corner, dimly lit yet bustling with people.

And indeed, on every single table, we spotted black pepper crabs! Having a chilli crab fan with us, we decided to order 4 crabs, splitted into 2 black pepper and 2 chilli. Pity they don’t serve mantous to go along for that complete crabbing experience!

Highly anticipated, the smell of it captivated us already! I was expecting a sharp peppery taste to it, but was surprisingly greeted by its subtle fragrance and a growing spiciness. The crabs weren’t really much of a focal point for us that night as it was pretty small and wasn’t fleshy enough. It’s really a love-hate relationship with such ‘scrawny crabs’ since it’s so hard to get them out and sometimes the little bit of flesh inside probably just isn’t worth the effort. I’m really a great fan of Ga-Hock’s big fleshy crabs so this definitely paled in comparison. The sauce, however, was finger-lickin’ good! Smooth and not overpowering, I loved the fragrance of it, and the subtle spice that grows onto you.

In all fairness, this hasn’t been their specialty and it’s more of to cater to so many chilli crab fans out there. For those who’re looking for a spicy one, this would suit you well, though it didn’t quite have the distinct layers of taste of chilli crab. It was quite a flat taste, just a monotonous spiciness that didn’t gel in quite well with the sweetness of the sauce. Not an impressive one, so don’t expect too much if you’re planning on ordering this! We ended up being too addicted to the black pepper sauce that we took the crabs from here to dip in the black pepper.

I’m usually a fan of pork ribs in tze char stalls cos it’s so fuss-free to eat it! No bones, tender and usually a sweet sauce to go with it, it’s just simple yet satisfying food that’s hard to go wrong. This hit everything but it was just overly sweet that I almost cringed at my first bite. Would have been good to fry the skin for a crispy finish before topping with the sauce. Good to have your rice or drinks in hand while having this!

     
With only the Black Pepper Crab that managed to impress with the sauce, we were quite disappointed with the rest. For crab lovers, this might not be the place to visit if having fleshy juicy flesh is of your priority (I'm still a fan of Ga-Hock for those fatilicious crabs!). At least it is for me, so while the black pepper sauce was satisfying, the crabs itself weren't impressive for me. We probably wouldn't return unless we're having a severe black pepper craving!

We were just full from our high tea snacks over at SPR.MKT, but decided to pop by after checking out their Facebook and got tempted by their candy bar pie.

Looking at this and think of peanut butter nougat, salted caramel and chocolate tart base, how can anyone with a sweet tooth resist this sinful indulgence? Rich with a strong taste of peanut butter, it was a sticky chewy sweetness with caramel, paired with a moist chocolate crust, perfect for the sweet tooth cravings.

Do be prepared with a glass of water by the side though, as a few mouthfuls can get you jelat easily, with the overwhelming rich flavours involved. It would have been perfect if the saltish part of the salted caramel came through stronger to strike a balance, as it got a tad toooo sweet for us after a while. Great for the peanut butter lover, a richer rendition of the snickers bar for that quick sugar rush over coffee session!

A look at the dark crusts and a whiff of the espresso was half a battle won. Moist and soft slice of banana bread, it went perfectly well with the espresso butter. We loved the strong yet not overpowering espresso taste in it, and just a subtle banana flavour in the bread. Have a taste of the crust that’s slightly charred, perfecto! A good combination, don’t expect a strong banana taste in the bread (though I would personally prefer that), and it would have been better if the bread was warmer for serving!

Craving for some high tea treats before heading to town, we decided to explore the Tanjong Pagar cafes that have been long overdue on our list.

Off we went to this rather odd sounding café near Amoy Street Food Centre, for those who’re wondering, it’s simply Supermarket, less the vowels and jazzed up with a lil’ of that cool factor. It’s pretty easy to have missed it without a very visible signboard at its entrance. In fact, I’d continued walking upon seeing it from opposite, thinking it was some travel-related business in it, until tmcy stopped us to take a closer look.

A chic and arty layout with some daily utensils, cooking crockeries for sale and art installation pieces, it was very much a lifestyle café, perfect for the slow afternoon or lazy weekends.

This looked too tempting on the display that we had to give it a shot. Served slightly warm with the vanilla sauce on the side, it helped to keep it crisp on the top as you drizzle the sauce yourself. We loved the surprise mini chocolate croissants on top, leaving us with flaky crispy pastry flakes for the contrast with soft pudding on the inside. We like how it wasn’t too sweet, and bonus was when you ate it with the chocolate croissants in one mouthful! We would have preferred it warmer though everything else managed to satisfy our palate pretty well!

Just as I’ve been searching for good truffle fries, I’ve just been introduced to one of the best in town (though pretty pricey!) It looked promising when we were greeted with a strong fragrance of truffle, and served with shoestring fries, instead of fat fries where it tends to be harder to absorb the flavour.

You know how some truffle fries are simply lightly sprinkled with truffle oil on top that it just tastes like normal fries beyond the first layer? And some that are just too overwhelming that it gets jelat after a while? (which my friend calls it the ‘petroleum taste’) Well, this had neither of those. Every single fry was doused with truffle that was subtle yet addictive, and we loved how there were real truffle bits served in it. It wasn’t overpowering, and it remained crisp right down to the last fry standing! Forget the super big pile at P.S Café, forget the popular one at Au Chocolat, this is the one to come to when you’re unwilling to settle for just any truffle fries. A satisfying one, at least for me, this is my top choice so far! (but if you’ve come across any other good ones, please share with us!)

We haven’t tried the mains to determine the overall standards, though the sides selection were good enough to bring us back for a second time. Be sure to try the truffle fries on your visit!