Homebased

Christmas special!
- Woven rattan storage
- Smoked bacon jam
- Lightly spiced apple sauce
- Ceramic coaster
- Golden teaspoon
- Crackers

@thejamistry

Previously tried their sticky lo mi fan ($20), a traditional dish paying homage to their Ah ma (grandma)‘s signature dish. They’ve released an 𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐥𝐨 𝐦𝐢 𝐟𝐚𝐧 ($33) that combines delicious glutinous rice, shrimps, mushrooms, Lap Cheong, and soft chewy abalone. Besides the textural contrast from crunchy peanuts and spring onions, we loved the pairing with their homemade aromatic and crisp chilli flakes - 𝐡𝐚𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐦 ($9/jar).

📍 @sticky.lomifan

Daily Catch
⭐️ 3.5/5 ⭐️
🍴A local online seafood speciality mart offering a large range of decently priced fresh seafood direct to one’s doorstep.

𝐊𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐰 ($18.90) - Generous assortment of seafood such as scampi, squid, shellfish, and baby crab. While we enjoyed the sweet scampi and chewy lala, found the other ingredients to be tougher and dry. The soup base was mostly spicy (guessing the pack to contain mostly gochugaru), but was fragranced by the extra seafood ‘juice’. We added extra 𝐀𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐢 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐬 ($6.90) which were sweet and juicy, along with miso paste, onions, and mushrooms to make for a hearty and comforting soup.

𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐛 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐬 ($30/400g) - Effortful to peel but worth it for the naturally sweet and tender meat, albeit a tad dry.

𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫 ($22.90/kg) - Simply steamed it with some preserved vegetables, garlic, and ginger, and enjoyed the naturally chewy and soft fish meat.

The entire seafood feast required simple prep and worked out to under $12/pax, which is real affordable!

📍@thedailycatchsg. Contact via Facebook (link in their bio) or WhatsApp 8809 6361 to order.

[GIFT] Thank you Jordan from the #thedailycatchsg for an enjoyable seafood feast 🦀🐟🦐

Insta: cafehoppingkids

This home-based business serves refreshing bowls of organic acai generously topped with fruits/ superfood. We liked that the açaí was smooth (not icy) and not too sweet. All the bowls came loaded with delicious toppings, although we personally felt that a larger acai:topping ratio would have better balance.

They offer 6 curated bowls, on top of a custom ($12) option. Lovers of fruits can go with Colourful Magic - banana , kiwi, strawberry, crunchy granola - or Happy Berry - strawberry, blueberry, raspberry and dried goji berry.

We enjoyed Crazy Nutty that had generous topping of crunchy and fresh nuts - Brazilian, macadamia, walnuts etc. with cocoa nibs and peanut butter for a richer, deeper flavour.

📍@rainbowl_bar. www.rainbowlbar.com. Minimum order of $25. $10 islandwide delivery.

Crepe cakes ($25/3)
⭐️ 3.5/5 ⭐️
🍴50-60 layers of paper thin and even layers of crepes and cream, a delight not just for the eyes but also the tastebuds. Texture-wise, we enjoyed the soft layers and smooth cream that was easy to cut through. Each crepe layer remained distinct, allowing for textural contrast and an enjoyable bite.

We liked that all the cakes were not too sweet. Our general favourite among the 3 was the Belgian dark chocolate which had the richest flavour. While we would have preferred for slightly darker chocolate, it was enjoyable and not too sweet. We found the other two to be lighter and creamier. The French cream had subtle cheese aroma while we couldn’t quite make out any tea flavour in Nation Teh and would have preferred it to be more prominent.

These cakes are available in large size of 8” (20cm) from $58.

📍@ec1992_sg. DM or order via www.ec1992.com

Cookies ($8)
⭐️ 4/5 ⭐️
🍴These are some of the best crunchy “famous Amos like” cookies we’ve tried in recent times! They were highly addictive, very crisp, and not overly sweet (way less sweet than famous Amos and just how we like it). It’s tough to choose a favourite among the 3 flavours we tried. The espressso had distinct coffee aroma and was the least sweet. The almonds provided for added crunchy texture while we loved the salty and crunchy balance the pretzels provided.

Would repurchase for when the cookie cravings hit, which is kind of always 😂

📍@mdmdough. DM them on Instagram to order. $8 islandwide delivery or free delivery with $80 spent

Insta: cafehoppingkids

Basque cheesecake ($50/7”)
⭐️ 3.5/5 ⭐️
🍴💭 Recently been wondering if the burnt cheesecake trend will ever end 😂. Offering a “Japanese” style burnt cheesecake, The Last Piece’s rendition was dense and rich. The rich cheese flavour, refreshing zest, and limited ‘burnt’ caramelization resulted in a cake that felt more of a hybrid between oozy basque cakes that we have become familiar with in Singapore, and classic NY style cheesecake that is firmer, rich, but less creamy.

We personally found that the pieces could get a tad cloying and would have appreciated some element of crumble/ berries to cut through the richness. Their rendition will likely suit those who prefer richer cheesecakes.

📍@thelastpiececake, free islandwide delivery. DM to order.

This was expertly executed and definitely one of the better crumbles we’ve had. It had a crisp crunchy top and bottom layer, more buttery bites as a “middle layer”, and softer stewed cinnamon apples encased within. The layers were distinct yet came together in one perfect bite. We liked that the apples weren’t overdone and retained a good chew, while the dessert on the whole was at the right sweetness level. Our minor two feedback would be for the apples to have a bit more ‘zing’ and sourness (which she noted to have a green apple version), and for a higher apple:crumble ratio. Would recommend having this toasted and with ice cream for the classic hot/cold pairing!

📍@dbcakes._ DM or message 92260801 or 81006517 to order.

Freshly baked in Singapore, Heritage Bakes offers traditional kuehs made from premium ingredients and zero preservatives.

𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐊𝐮𝐞𝐡 𝐥𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥 (3.5 ⭐️; $59/22cm) - When eaten fresh, we found them to have a more subtle butter aroma. Would recommend keeping them fridged and having them 1-2 days later as the butter flavour definitely got more fragrant and stronger with time!

Our favourite was the dried fruit that added sweet-sourness, crunchy bites, and burst of juiciness for added moisture. The prunes also added a nice (but mild) sourness while the thin almond slices added texture contrast albeit light on the nutty flavour. Texture-wise, we did find them to be on the drier side. If kept in the fridge, they harden up so do bring to room temp first/personally recommend warming in the microwave for a softer texture and stronger buttery flavour. This 4 in 1 Kueh lapis of 49 bite-sized cubes is great for those who enjoy a variety! Do note that they also offer single flavour versions at the same price or $57 for original.

𝐋𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧 ($48/22cm; 4 ⭐️) - Enjoyably moist, fluffy and soft cake of 2 layers - vanilla & blackforest. Made from egg yolk, premium European butter, and raspberry jam, this stayed soft and moist even after being fridged! It was aromatic without being overly sweet or oily and would likely be a treat suitable across all ages! If nitpicking, we would have appreciated slightly more of the raspberry jam and even distribution to enhance the sweet-sour flavour contrast and enjoyable bites from the tiny berry bits.

They also offer Kueh Lapis Surabaya ($58) which is the above with an additional third layer of Mocha.

📍@heritage_bakes. Free islandwide delivery with every order! DM or WhatsApp 9098 0741 to order.

Scones ($25/8)
⭐️ 3.5-4/5 ⭐️
🍴Would usually go for classic scones with a side of jam and tea, but Aesora’s uniquely flavoured versions were not only intriguing but yummy. Tried them heated two ways and while microwave retained a softer and airier texture, toasting at 150deg gave a nice exterior crisp albeit drier.

Among the 4 flavours, the general favourite was 𝐥𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞 that waffled with strong lychee fragrance. Did find it to be slightly sweet, and made even sweeter by the sugar topping - perhaps the latter could have been omitted for better sugar balance. 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜 was a scones stuffed with chestnut purée blended by the baker herself, and we liked that it was just the right sweetness level. We found it to taste more like tau sar (lotus paste) than chestnut, although that still suited us well.

Have never been a huge fan of 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 but this would suit those who are - our dad, for instance, highly enjoyed the chunky but not overpowering mint chocolate bits. They also offer a savory option of 𝐩𝐢𝐳𝐳𝐚 that was pretty cheesy with the incorporation of cheddar and parmesan, balanced out by tomato. We couldn’t quite discern the bacon and thought that addition of some herbs/ bacon bits would have truly checked the ‘pizza’ box.

📍@aesora_scones. DM or WhatsApp to order.

Cornflake cookies ($8) ⭐️ 4.5/5 ⭐️
Earl grey cookies ($8) ⭐️ 3.5/5 ⭐️
🍴First saw this on @singaporeliciouz and glad I got to try them! Fully agree that these bite-sized cookies are highly addictive and yummy, making for a great anytime-of-the-day-snack. The #cornflakecookie was our general favourite with the crispy cornflake bits balanced with the buttery cookie and having just the right level of sweetness. While the #earlgreycookies were also tasty and addictive, we found them a bit too buttery and would have preferred for the tea flavour to be stronger.
📍@sasawhisk, DM to order

Garlic cheese bread ($7/2; $13/4)
⭐️ 3.5/5 ⭐️
🍴These Korean garlic cheese bread were so fragrant, we couldn’t help but bite into one right after opening the box 😂. They were highly flavourful, with a really strong garlic taste that left a lingering garlic aroma (probably not the best to eat before a date 😂). We liked the mixture of 3 types of cheese - cream cheese, parmesan, and mozzarella - that gave more complexity and richness. However, the cheese wasn’t the most evenly spread, and we would have preferred for slightly more cheese to balance the strong garlic. Texture-wise, we all enjoyed the soft texture of the bread that wasn’t dense while having a nice chew to them. While they were enjoyable at room temperature, we also enjoyed toasting them for a few minutes to get them warm. Another minor feedback was that they were a tad too oily for our palette. While these bread were well-executed, they weren’t particularly mind-blowing and are more comfort-style bread to make for a yummy breakfast/ afternoon snack
⚠️ These #garliccheesebread are halal ☺️
📍@tokoppang. DM them to order. Self collection / delivery options available.

Insta: cafehoppingkids