I blame SC for his lame pirate jokes.

Objective:
To find brunch near the "kitchen" for lunch.

Qualifying factors:
1. It was noon
2. I haven't had anything since ingesting alcohol the night before
3. We had the car
4. A place to buy ice-cream and cones for dessert
5. It's been awhile since we had a brunch meal
6. It was going to rain, AGAIN!

That is how we ended up at Arbite.

Unusual for a cafe, Arbite (pronounced as "ahr-bahyt") is located on the second floor along the commercial road of Serangoon Gardens. After climbing a flight of stairs, a customer is greeted with minimalistic brown and white decor. I felt like I walked into a party held at my friend's Melbourne studio. The floor space wasn't very wide so your personal space could feel a little invaded.
Arbite lives by the code to bring quality food without hefty price tags. I could see many residents flip-flopping in for food, with their cut off jeans and neighborhood tees. Without the fancy decor, overheads could be kept low (which then wouldn't cut into their running costs) and this translates into affordable food.

We couldn't hang around for long so this was a in and our brunch.

SC's lifeline - his gadgets

I went with Eggs Benedict. I always have a thing for the perfect poached egg. It has to be runny on the inside  but a cooked egg white to hold everything in until the fork pricks it for the cascade of yellowy yumminess. Ahh, the odes I could write to yummy eggs.

Arbite's Egg Benedict dish made the eggs just the way I like them. The brioche was good for soaking up the yolk but the sweetness in the bread got to me after a while. In the end I just ate the eggs with ham and left the bread on the side of my plate. Sweet bread and rich yolk? Not my preference.

Eggs Benedict before and after deflation

SC had the Smoked Salmon Smorgasbord. We were disappointed at the portion as we have encountered other places with a similar price point but had a few more pieces of salmon. He mentioned that it was a little salty for his taste. I am not sure what was added or maybe he had one caper one too many.

As for the serving staff, the "chi" of the particular day was not in alignment with the cosmos.They were flippant towards us as showed us our table and served us our orders. Maybe they were  harried due to the full house. Benefit of doubt given. We shall see during my next visit for pasta.

Personnel aside, it was an affordable brunch with a cosy setting which one could return for.

Arbite's wall hangings

PS: They do takeaway service as well. Not recommended for pasta unless you like your pasta all stuck together after it cools

Arbite
Address: 66 Serangoon Garden Way, Singapore 555962
Tel: +65 62870430
Website:  http://arbite.com.sg/home-s.php
Opening Hours: 11.30am - 3.00pm; 6.00pm - 10.30pm (Tues-Sat)
                         11.00am - 10.30pm (Sat-Sun)
                         Closed on Mondays
Getting there: Take MRT to Lorong Chuan (Circle Line) ► take bus 166 ► Alight at Serangoon Garden Circus roundabout near Chomp Chomp

Ina had been raving about this place with Vanilla Chantilly since I last met up with her and she promised to show me her Chantilly love the next time we met.

That's how I ended up in Keong Saik Snacks.

We met up for brunch yesterday, which involved me getting really lost around Outram Park, people staring at me as I stared wildly around and walking up and down the street looking for Keong Saik Road.  After she met me at the zebra crossing of Jean Yip's Loft, I followed her hungry footsteps to Keng Saik Snacks.

Keong Saik Sacks serves casual British inspired food and is garnering a name itself in the competitive Singapore brunch scene.  It is a joint collaboration between British celeb chef Jason Atherton and local hotelier Loh Lik Peng to house a restaurant in a refurbished Chinatown shophouse with hipster and cool looking interior deco. Look out for the hidden door if you use the bathroom on premise. You could get super disorientated if they close that wooden door. 

 When we arrived there, there was an array of comfort brunch dishes to choose from. One can get bored of the big breakfast choice served all over the island. I mean where else can you get a Beef & Guinness Pot Pie for brunch?!

Ina dived into her brunch before I could say, "Hey is that the Baba Ganoush?" She happily dipped her sourdough bread into the turkish egg and swirled it around. There goes the shot for the Turkish Eggs, with Baba Ganoush and Lentil Yogurt.

For me, I had a sudden craving for Parma Ham. I scanned the menu... hmmm... nope. But my eye caught something, Iberico Ham. Hey, isn't Iberico Ham made from acorn gorging free ranging black pigs from Spain? There is a sunny side egg too! Why not?

That is how I ended up with the Iberico Ham & Manchego cheese croque madame with sunny side-ups ($19). The ham was a nutty saltish flavour and went really well with mellow sheep cheese. Did you know that La Mancha region, where the cheese is made, sits on the Iberian peninsula, where the ham is from?

The portions aren't really huge so for the super hungry people like us *don't stand in between us and good food* we ordered freshly made hot doughnuts with cinnamon and vanilla chantilly ($10) to share. 

Of course there is the mandatory cup of coffee for me. 

I did feel like I stepped into one of those restaurants where you could be on good terms with the serving staff. One stopped by to check if everything was alright with our brunch and asked for feedback. Another asked if we would like any punch to celebrate our girls' day out. This establishment does not shy away from the fact that one could start drinking before lunch *no I do not support getting drunk all the time nor advocate alcoholism* . In fact they even serve a drink called Red Light Mary to chase away the morning hangovers after a Saturday night's worth of partaying.

It's had been one of my more expensive brunches in a while but hey, Iberico ham!
Indulgence once in a while keeps me from throttling my clients.

Keong Saik Snacks 
Address: 49 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089153
Tel: +65 6221 8338 (for enquiries only NO RESERVATIONs)
Web: www.keongsaiksnacks.com
Opening Hours: Weekend Brunch,  Saturdays, Sundays and PH (11am-4pm)
Price: $$

It was pouring cats and dogs. SkyC and I were tired after our practice at the range. What is the next thing to do?

Katong Laksa.

Ask anyone who have stayed in Singapore long enough about the turf war on who serves the best Katong Laksa. Coincidentally 2 "rivals" are right next to each other. *Feel my coconut cream, you cockle thief!!!*

Our plan was to eat both and then compare. It was raining too heavily to go anywhere and my pathetically bruised arm was starting to rot. Bow string accident, 'nuff said. However when we got there, 49 Famous Katong Laksa was closed and that place was under renovation! Noooooooo!! Our plans are foiled!

Grabbing a seat behind a pillar to shield us from the pelting rain, we ordered from 328 Katong Laksa.

Pearing out to check on the rain after we got our seats

There are photos of the lady proprietress with different movie/TV stars from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore plastered all over the walls.  From the style of dressing in the photos I would say circa '90s. Puffy hair, big shoulder pads and red lipstick. I am referring to the celebrities, not the lady boss.

We ordered the staple laksa, Otak and rojak. Did you ever feel more hungry than usual whenever you are caught in the rain? The Otak is a $1 a piece. Good meaty chunk of fish with the smokey taste from the grilled  banana leaf. SkyC taught me a way to eat Otak with Katong Laksa. Eat half on its own and throw the other half into the Laksa. It actually goes together quite well.

Katong Laksa is actually Nyonya laksa. So it is made out out of creamy coconut milk with cockles, bean sprouts, prawns, sliced fish cakes and fat bee hoon.

The taste at 328 is watered down and all I could taste was the coconut cream and bee hoon. To bring all the flavours together, you have to throw in a dash of their sambal (in a metal container on every table). With the addition of sambal, everything tasted a little sharper and better. Perhaps, I was cold and hungry.

It would have been great if I could have compared it with 49. But it was not meant to be. The Laksa gods have decreed it so

I wouldn't say that 328 left me with tears of joy although the Otak is pretty good. I would say that it's a good fix if you are ever caught in the rain in that area.

328 Katong Laksa
Address: No 216, East Coast Road, Singapore 428770 (opposite-ish of Roxy Square)
Opening Hours: 8am - 10pm
Tel : 97328163
Price: $

To spend my new age wandering alone on a Saturday afternoon gave me time to reflect on how the past year have been to me.

Coincidentally, a cafe that I have meaning to try out was located right across from where I was taking my refuge.

Forgot to take a picture during the day

When you enter the Book Cafe, it looks like any casual dining cafe with tiny tables and alfresco dining. However as you venture in, a dimly lit room with strategically placed lamps, couches, coffee tables and silent readers greet you. Walls of magazines and books are all available for browsing as you sit in your corner, escaping the harsh realities of the rat race.

Of course if there were more more natural light, it would have been great.

If you woke up late and don't want to lose out on reading time, this cafe serves all-day breakfast. So you can surf with their free wifi while eating warm hash browns. The free-wifi probably explains the explosion of laptops there.

Since it was close to 2pm by the time I got out of my cave, I decided to go with Bangers and Mash (mash potatoes with bratwurst sausage). Panda came a little later and he had the all-day breakfast.


The mash was not some instant nasty mush since you could still taste the uneven bits with every bite. The sausages were quite decent and went really well with the brown sauce.

The Chipolatas and Bacon with scrambled eggs, Japanese tomato, hash brown and toast hit the spot with Panda. The dish had no complaints on my part but neither was it to die for. Just an average standard brunch offering. However the part of the meal which caught my attention was the cafe lattes. No burnt taste and a decent sized cup ended the meal. Plus the coffee art was really cute.


Panda had an unfortunate encounter with the serving staff. She ignored him as she chatted with another staff and he waited there for a couple of minutes mentally willing her to take notice of him so that he can get the menu. She turned to him after her conversation and asked (with a surly face), "Oh, you want the menu right?" before handing it over. That is really bad hospitality service. After that he waited for her to come take our orders. Since no one bothered to come, I thought it was a self-service sort of cafe and went to order and pay. I am used to it as a few cafe practice this method.

What disturbed my inner zen was the same staff had a super bored face as I paid her. Did I not order enough so she feels that her time is wasted on me? I noticed near the end of the meal that the staff treated the Caucasians aka white folks, differently! When they called for the bill, she immediately sent the bill over and waited patiently as the diners sorted out the money.

It is hard to get a place that makes decent coffee nowadays and Book Cafe is one of these places. Hugging a warm mug to myself, while reading National Geographic on a weekend is a joy. I probably give the Book Cafe another try later in the year as I really do like the selection of reading material available and lay out of couches. Hopefully I won't get the same serving staff.

I don't want a place where the staff thinks I am unworthy of their attention.

The Book Cafe
Address: #01-02, Martin Road, Seng Kee Building, Robertson Quay, 239070 Singapore
Tel: +65 6887 5430
Email: info@thebookcafe.com.sg
Opening Hours: Sunday - Thursday (8.30am-10.30pm), Friday - Saturday (8.30am - 12 midnight)
Price : $$

Note: There were a couple of girls there who said quite loudly that they don't take pictures of their food because they are not food whores. (-__-) Ahemm... excuse me but there are some out there who actually write reviews. I said quite loudly in return, "I'm going to take pictures for my blog! Documentation of my life journey! Some people lead boring lives." After the  surly staff, I'm was put in a bitchy mood, plus I only had a camera phone to work with.