Best Eats In Serangoon, Kovan, Hougang
Butter Bread, opened by an ex-Shangri-La chief baker, offers artisanal croissants baked using butter specially imported from France. It opens from 1 pm till sold out, and is so popular that a queue had already formed when I was there at around 12.50 pm.ย
Instead of the standard Butter Croissant, I picked the ๐๐ฎ๐บ & ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ($4.50). It lived up to expectations. Its inviting buttery fragrance whetted my appetite, before its flakey, crispy texture delighted by taste buds. The addition of the ham and cheese made it even more satisfying.ย
At $4 each, I initially baulked at the price of the ๐๐ด๐ด ๐ง๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐, but once I bit into it, it was so worth it. Instead of the traditional crumbly tart shell, this egg tart has a croissant-like pastry encasing the egg custard. The pastry was immaculate while the soft and smooth egg custard was divine. It wasn't overly sweet, which was a bonus.
The last item we tried was the ๐๐ผ๐ท๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ($4.50). The scintillating scent of the hojicha was immediately apparent, and its crumbly texture looked promising. However I found it too dense and dry, thus it was our least favourite item.
Despite being a takeaway-only unit and its prices being higher than most other bakeries, Butter Bread's popularity is testament to its high quality bakes. I'll be back to try its other items.ย
๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐
1187 Upper Serangoon Road
Unit 01-44 The Midtown
Singapore 533971
The ๐ฅ๐ผ๐๐๐ถ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ด๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ($8.90) didn't disappoint too. Any rosti that costs under $10 is automatically a win. Crispy outside and fluffy inside, the rosti was excellent. Overall a good brunch, but since this is a kopi tiam setting -- bonus: a rubbish truck stopped next to my table to clear the trash halfway through my meal -- comparisons with restaurants are unfair.
๐๐ซ๐๐๐ค๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐
941 Upper Serangoon Road
Singapore 534709
Back at Breakfast Club for some budget brunch. The ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ($9.90), consisting of a sausage, scrambled eggs, toast, baked beans, hashbrown and cherry tomatoes, was scrumptiously satisfying. The crazily crispy hashbrown, in particular, stood out.
๐๐ซ๐๐๐ค๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐
941 Upper Serangoon Road
Singapore 534709
The ๐๐๐บ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ was a denser cake stuffed with bananas and pineapples, and topped with cream cheese frosting. My personal preference is lighter, fluffier cakes, so I didn't really fancy this cake even though the fruits made it quite delightful.
๐๐จ๐ฅ๐'๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐
5 Simon Road
Singapore 545893
Among the two cakes we ordered at Lola's Cafe, we preferred the ๐๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ. The rosewater sponge was layered with buttercream, embedded with lychees and pistachios, and adorned with rose petals. Very refreshing and delicious!
๐๐จ๐ฅ๐'๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐
5 Simon Road
Singapore 545893
First time trying the ๐ฆ๐บ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐น๐บ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฆ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ป๐ธ ๐ฅ๐ผ๐น๐น at Tiong Bahru Bakery, and I was impressed. Not only did the bright pink of the salmon stand out against the midnight black of the roll, the flavours were amazing too. Smoked salmon with cream cheese is just heavenly. The tender salmon also provided a nice textural contrast to the crispy roll. Definitelyย would have this again!
It's with great sadness when I read that Ah Seah Teochew Porridge would be ceasing operations on 19th June due to manpower issues. This eatery is an institution, having been around for 58 years. There's a sense of homeliness and nostalgia whenever I step in, and there isn't another eatery quite like Ah Seah. The decor may not be the prettiest and the food may not be the tastiest, but the sheer number of dishes on offer (easily 40 or more) distinguishes Ah Seah from other ๐ง๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ stalls.ย
We dropped by for one last hurrah and ordered some popular dishes. Steamed fish may be a luxury, but it's the most popular dish here as there were only two left. (I'm broke, so didn't order the fish.) The Minced Pork, Braised Duck, Spinach, Long Beans and Braised Tofu were nothing to shout about, but we could taste the assiduousness and dedication in every bite of the simple, well-executed fare.ย
What caught the eyeย wereย the meatballs. Oddly-shaped and asymmetrical, they were the antithesis to the sleek, perfectly spherical fishballsย that are now commonplace. These meatballs looked primitive by comparison. But they were bouncy and juicy, and hand-making dozens of these everyday, in addition to preparing 40 other dishes, demands our respect.
Dining at @ahseahteochew is like visiting my grandmother's house when I was a kid. She would cook lots of dishes while everyone -- uncles, aunties, cousins -- would take turns to sit at the table for dinner. Nothing fancy, just homely, heartwarming meals with loved ones. There isn't another eatery quite like Ah Seah.
๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐จ๐๐ก๐๐ฐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐
31 Teck Chye Terrace
Singapore 545731
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โฆ๏ธ๐พ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐๐
๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐ (๐พ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐บ)โฆ๏ธ
Babba is a new addition to Jalan Riang, a stretch of eateries hidden within an enclave of landed houses nearby Serangoon MRT Station. Cafe by day and Peranakan restaurant by night, I popped by for breakfast.
The breakfast/ brunch menu is pretty lean, with only six items on offer. The Homemade Kaya Butter Toast & Eggs has been doing the rounds on social media, but I was loathe to pay $12 for something you can get at a kopi tiam for under $4. It's just kaya, folks, not Japanese A5 Wagyu beef.
I picked the ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐ ($8), which came with a choice of toast (I had the Sourdough) and eggs (I chose scrambled). The ๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต was well toasted, with crispy edges and a fluffy centre. The ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ด๐ด๐ were divine, fantastically fragrant and creamy.
To beef it up, I added a ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ($6), ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ ๐๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐บ๐ ($5) and some ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป (3 pcs, $5.50). The sausage was ok, while I liked the earthiness of the mushrooms. The undisputed star, however, was the bacon. Other places serve paper-thin slices of bacon that are overly greasy, but Babba's bacon was THICK and not oily at all. It was seductively scrumptious.
I also ordered the ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ผ ($4.50) but it was too acidic and sour for my liking. Overall I loved the food at @babba.sg and would like to try the dinner menu, although the prices tend to be on the steeper side.
๐๐๐๐๐
15-9 Jalan Riang
Singapore 358987
The ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ฒ was another winner. Cutting apart the crispy, flakey cube, the marvellous matcha cream oozed out ostensibly. The disc of yuzu flavoured white chocolate on top added a refreshing zest. The amalgamation of flavours and textures was truly epic!
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ค
9 Yio Chu Kang Road
Unit 01-55 Spaceย @ Kovan
Singapore 545523
Matcha madness at The Bread Rack. Red bean plus matcha is by no means a revolutionary combination, but the ๐๐ฑ๐๐๐ธ๐ถ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ really hit the nail on the head. Wedged in between the croissant was matcha cream and some red beans together with a gargantuan slice of butter. The croissant was further topped with matcha powder and more red beans. A gloriously gastronomic experience!ย
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ค
9 Yio Chu Kang Road
Unit 01-55 Spaceย @ Kovan
Singapore 545523
The ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ธ ($10) cost more than the second bowl by virtue of having three more char siew slices. While they tasted pretty good, we felt they were on the leaner side and a more fatty cut would have made them more delectable. We chose Shoyu and dry for this, but the use of shoyu was too liberal here, thus the noodles were too salty for our liking.
In conclusion, our favouriteย bowl was Miso soup one. The flavourful soup alone was worth the price, and the ample toppings were a bonus. Skip the $10 bowl, as the char siew slices weren't mind-blowing enough to warrant getting more of them.ย
๐๐ข ๐๐ฎ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ค
Blk 511 Hougang Ave 10
Singapore 530511
The ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ธ ($7) had a choice of Shoyu or Miso, and soup or dry. We went with Miso and soup for this. In addition to the sliced pork, minced pork, meatballs and mock abalone that the former had, this came with two slices of ramen-style char siew. We unanimously agreed that the orange-hued soup, robust and moderately spicy, was the outstanding element in this dish.
๐๐ข ๐๐ฎ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ค
Blk 511 Hougang Ave 10
Singapore 530511
Level 5 Burppler · 60 Reviews