The Lokal Part 2 | ThumbsForFood



Hello everyone! We wrote a brief post on The Lokal previously. We did not have the chance to try out the brunch items, so we just had to head back again to have brunch.

 



We headed there on a Saturday afternoon and we had to wait a while for a table for 6. The place was, as usual, bustling with the strong aroma of coffee in the background.

 

Grilled Sausages with homemade sauerkraut, sautéed potatos, fried egg and onion jam $23. I love the onion jam as it goes well with the savoury sausages. This is definitely a dish to order if you love good sausages. What makes the dish stand out is the wonderful sides that compliments the main character.

Plate of smoked mackerel & salmon, pickles and pita bread $22. If you are looking for something unique, this is the dish for you. I have never had smoked mackerel before and even the smoked salmon tasted different because they actually smoke it (Is that the right term?) themselves. I like it that both the mackerel and salmon are not too salty as well!

Salad of roasted pumpkin, French beans, quinoa, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, beetroot, house vinagarette $16. This has got to be my favourite dish at The Lokal. To be honest, I am not a salad fan but I love pumpkins and anything related to pumpkins. There are so many ingredients in the salad that every mouth was full of surprise. A dish for the health-conscious!

Breakfast burger with pork belly, broken omelette, spinach and chilli jam $23. I was quite disappointed when the pork belly came in a fried form. I find this dish pretty ordinary and probably wouldn't order this dish on my next visit.

Roast beef on rye, caramelised onions, watercress and grain mustard crème fraiche $19. The beef was soft but I do not like rye bread in general, so this is definitely not my top choice!

Overall, I had a pleasant experience at The Lokal. I really like the décor and ambience of the café; reminded me of my Melbourne days! The prices are on the steep side though but I would definitely revisit if there's no queue!

Have a good week ahead!

The Lokal
136 Neil Road Singapore 088865
Tel: +65 6423 9918

Cheers,
Z

Sin Lee Foods | ThumbsForFood

Sin Lee Foods opened its door in the Bukit Ho Swee neighbourhood. The cafe's exterior was eye-catching with it's traditional old-school signboard coupled with modern black framed entrance. It really stood out in contrast with its surroundings. 

Entrance of cafe

The indoor seating capacity of Sin Lee is quite limited. We really like the raw, industrial feeling of the bricked walls and concrete floors. The wooden furniture, black furnishing and warm filament bulbs complement by creating a warm and cozy touch to the whole cafe.

Interior of the cafe

Interior of the cafe

We tried the Flat white which was very aromatic and smooth. The cafe art looked kind of abstract though. The prices of the drinks were quite standard cafe prices ranging from about $5.50 onwards. They have iced versions for those who prefer something cold.

Flat White

We tried the Raspberry Lemonade as well. It was a fizzy version and the raspberry flavour was syrup. I would love it better if they had used fresh raspberries instead. Nevertheless, it was a refreshing drink. Well, I guess, I will probably stick to iced coffee in future.

Raspberry Lemonade

Boneless Fried Chicken with Cheddar Waffle was our choice for the afternoon. As it was for our tea break, we decided to share the main. The chicken was really juicy and tender. The batter was not too thick and complemented with the chicken well. We loved the texture of the waffle, which we hypothesised was due to the addition of cheddar. 

We felt the price was a little steep though, priced at $21.90. I personally preferred the waffles on its own rather than eating it with the melted butter maple syrup.

Fried Chicken and Waffle

 As we were there on a weekday afternoon, there weren't many patrons. However, we would expect there to be a crowd on weekends. They have alfresco outdoor seating area that could accommodate more people. I guess on these days when the weather is so sweltering hot, I would prefer to sit indoors.

Overall, we feel that the price of food in Sin Lee is quite steep. The food quality is good but, we are still undecided whether it is worth the price.

Outdoors Dining Area

Do look out for more of our posts on other new cafes! 

Sin Lee Foods

Blk 4 Jalan Bukit Ho Swee

#01-164

Singapore 162004

6377 3170

Opening hours: 

Tues-Sun 10am-9pm

Cheers, 

Y

The Lokal | Thumbsforfood

The Lokal is a newly opened cafe in June, located on Neil Road. When you step into the Lokal, the whole vibe, music and feeling of the cafe makes one feel like you're in Australia. Even the staff's greeting was "How's it going?" instead of the usual "Hello". 

Interior of cafe

To order your food, you can just proceed to the counter. The staff were very friendly and patient in recommending us their signature desserts and drinks. Food and drinks will be served to your table after ordering.

Drink and Service Counter

We were there on a weekend afternoon, after brunch hours when they were on their first few weeks of opening. Hence, it wasn't very packed. The kitchen was kind of open concept, where patrons can see the chefs cooking up dishes in the kitchen. There is also a bar top in front of the kitchen where patrons can sit and chat with the friendly chefs at work. 

Kitchen

As we were there that day for only drinks and desserts, we did not try their much raved about brunch menu. 

Some of my friends chose their bottled drinks, ginger ale and lemmy lemonade ($4 each). They were quite refreshing and suitable for a hot day.

Refreshing drinks

For those who prefer some beer to cool down, Lokal serves up draft beer. If I'm not mistaken, a pint goes for about $10-12.

Draft beer

Granny Smith Apple Juice ($6), is good for those who prefer something healthier. They have other freshly squeezed juices like orange juices, watermelon and grapefruit as well. It was really quite sour and I could tell that there wasn't any sugar syrup added in it. 

We did not try their coffee but, their coffee are from Sarnies and seems to be of quite good standard. Would love to try it next time!

Granny Smith Apple Juice

We actually ordered the Banana Bread and Berries Crumble but, was given the Sticky Date Pudding on the house as they took quite sometime to prepare the desserts. Well, it was worth the wait!

The desserts were served hot and we could smell them from our seats as they came out of the oven. First up was sticky date pudding, served with caramel and some ice-cream. I really like hot desserts actually because they warm the tummy and goes really well with ice-cream.  Wonder how they do up the sticky date pudding so well!

Sticky date pudding

The banana cake was topped with fresh caramelised banana and served with some vanilla ice-cream It was really good as well. It wasn't too sweet and complemented very well with the banana toppings on it. Will definitely order this again!

Banana Cake 

The Apple and Berries Crumble really had generous serving of berries. It was really quite sour actually and we felt it will be better with more crumble to balance off the sourness of the berries. We celebrated our friend's birthday there and they kindly wrote Happy Bday in chocolate. Such thoughtfulness!

Apple and Berries Crumble

Overall, we really enjoyed the desserts there. We would love to come back here again to try out their brunch menus and burgers! 

The Lokal
136 Neil Road Singapore 088865
Tel: +65 6423 9918
Opening Hours:
Monday to Fridays: 8am-6pm
Weekends: 10am-4pm

Cheers,
Y

Cove Stadium (Quayside Isle) | ThumbsForFood

One of the benefits of having an off day on a weekday is that you'll be able to get to enjoy some Weekday Lunch Promotion! As we were in Sentosa, we decided to make our way to the recent popular destination in Singapore, Quayside Isle for a meal. 

If you do not drive, you can hop onto a Shuttle Bus from Beach station (with a frequency of 30mins) and take a walk to Quayside Isle from Sentosa Cove. After walking around the area, we decided to try out Cove Stadium as we were not only attracted to it's very cool sports-themed interior but, also it's lunch promotion. 

Entrance of Cove Stadium

We absolutely adore the interior of Cove Stadium with it's open and spacious interior, coupled with a clean modern industrial look. We could imagine how alluring it is at night especially for sports fans who would like to catch the latest matches with a group of friends.

Bar and interior

Interior

Full length panes, snookers table & comfy seats

They have Happy Hour from Mondays to Fridays from opening to 10pm. Besides that, they have other drinks promotion ongoing daily. You can visit their website here to find out more about their drinks promotions. We had a 1-for-1 draft Kronenbourg that day.

1-for-1 selected beers for Happy Hour

For their Weekday Lunch Deal, you can choose from 2 courses at $18 or 3 courses at $21. We went for the 3 course deal.

For starters, we chose the Salad over the Soup of the Day. The salad consisted of Greens served with some grilled pieces of chicken. We liked that the greens were fresh and the chicken well-marinated.

Salad

For mains, if I am not mistaken, you get to choose from some selected dishes. We chose the Bacon Spaghetti in Aglio Olio Style. We felt that the pasta was cooked well and well-flavored. However, our qualm would be that the ingredients were not as generous as we would like. 

Bacon Spaghetti in Aglio Olio style

Desserts wise, we chose the Strawberry Compote. The dessert was good. It wasn't too sweet yet preserving the natural flavour of Strawberry.

Strawberry Compote

For $21, we thought the lunch deal was really quite worth it. Moreover, prices are nett! 

We decided to try their Signature Cove Wagyu Burger. The presentation made the dish looked really appetising! It was served with some salad and a helpful of fries. We felt the patty was a tat too dry that day. I though adding some cheese into the burger will improve the overall flavour of the burger. For $38, we felt the price was a bit too steep. The portion was generous but, we didn't felt like the beef was really of quality.

Cove Wagyu Burger 

Generous portion (we feel good for two to share)

Overall, we felt that Cove Stadium's Lunch Deal was really good! Plus, their drinks promotion was really attractive as well. If you are with a large group, you may consider their bucket deals. A bonus to the place is that you can choose the al fresco seats to enjoy the beautiful quayside scenery! The food and drinks here are without any taxes as well. We would love to visit this place at night with a group of friends again!

Scenery of Quayside Isle

Cove Stadium
#01-04/05, Quayside Isle, Sentosa Cove
31 Ocean Way

Monday to Thursdays: 12pm - 1am
Friday to Sunday: 12pm-2am

Cheers,
Y

Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood | ThumbsForFood

I guess Tzi Char lovers would have heard of Ban Leong Wah Hoe tucked in Casuarina Road. Having heard much about this place, we were psyched to try this place for the first time.

La La ($10) was the steamed version with chill padi and gravy. The gravy was a little sour-spicy, which made the dish really appetising, yet it does not rob the natural freshness of the La La. The La La was fresh albeit a little small sized. Would definitely order this dish the next time round again. 

La La

Next, we tried their signature dish, Har Cheong Gai ($8). I must say the Har Cheong Gai's marinade was probably the winning factor of this dish. The outside was crisp and the inside was juicy. This dish is best eaten when served hot.

Har Cheong Gai ($8)

Another must-try from Ban Leong is their Mee Sua ($8). It was kind of unusual because one would expect the Mee Sua too be clumpy or stuck together. However, it was quite the opposite. The texture of the mee sua was more chewy and tangy. It was fried with some prawns, sotong, fishcake, egg, bean sprouts and quail eggs.

Mee Sua

We also ordered some vegetables ($8). The vegetables was not overcooked and not too salty. I liked that the dishes in Ban Leong are not too salty, yet, tasty and fragrant. 

The Fried Butter Crab was a recommendation. It was not your usual crab with black pepper/chili gravy. Rather, it was deep fried and had butter crisps atop it. We found the crab to be quite disappointing as the meat was quite hard to peel away from the shell. I would still prefer the good old chill crab or Creamy Salted Egg type. Heard that their chill crab is good; shall try it the next time round!

Fried Butter Crab

Ban Leong is not air-conditioned but I felt that the ventilation was quite good with many ceiling fans present. It has quite a huge seating capacity but tends to fill up to the brim easily on weekend dinner time.

Interior

We find that Ban Leong offers slightly different Tzi Char dishes such as their Mee Sua and Fried Crab. We like that dishes are served hot. We would recommend this place for family dining or large group gatherings so that a variety of dishes can be ordered for sharing.

Have a favorite Tzi Char place to share? Drop us a comment below or email us at thumbsforfood@gmail.com! We would love to hear from you!

Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood
122 Casuarina Road
64522824
5pm- 130am

Cheers,
Y

Carvers & Co. | ThumbsForFood

Carvers & Co., is a new bistro that will be officially opening its doors this Sunday, 8th June. We were thus, honoured to be invited to try out this new place.

Carvers & Co. joins many new cafes and restaurants in the Katong/ East Coast road area. It is run by chef and fitness trainer, Sarah Lin. She was inspired by the cooking techniques and tradition through her farm stay in Southern Italy which was later fuelled by her own passion for cooking for friends through "supper clubs" and other events.

Exterior of Carvers & Co.

As we entered the restaurant, we realised that the space was actually quite small and cozy. It has a seating capacity of about 40 people. Furniture were arranged in a way that encouraged communal dining in groups. The interior was decorated with paintings, some shelves and the colours of the place made the place feel friendly and welcoming.

Interior

Display

Paintings on the wall

Table decoration

Carvers' & Co. serve a range of drinks. The highlight would be their coffee. The coffee here are brewed with beans roasted by Common Man Coffee Roasters. You may also speak to the barista and staff to request for pour-overs featuring single origin coffee beans from reputable roaster around the world. These coffee are specially hand-picked by Carvers & Co. and vary from time to time.

If you are interested in learning more about coffee, they have coffee cupping sessions that welcome anyone to join on certain afternoons. Check out their Facebook page for more details!

We tried their Flat White which was aromatic and not too acidic. They offer other drinks such as craft beers, organic colas and wine for those who prefer something else.

Flat White

We tried one of the craft beers, called Palm beer which is a Belgium beer. The beer is supposed to go well with the candied bacon. They also recommend the Massachusetts Pale Ale (No.9) but it was out of stock for the night. 

We really liked the Candied Bacon which kind of taste like "Bakkwa". It is a good snack to go with some beer. The bacon is baked in honey and paprika which brings out the malty flavour of the beer, making it creamier.

Candied Bacon

Next up, is their signature brunch item, Truffled Egg-in-the-Hole Toast with Bacon Jam. It is usually served with Candied Bacon as well. Brioche bread is used in this dish where the centre of it has a hole where the pour in a fresh egg. The truffle taste was consistent and we felt sufficient. On the side, bacon jam is served atop a crouton. It was our first time tasting bacon jam and we really liked how the salty bacon was emulsified into a jam that had a balance of both sweet and salty flavours. 

Truffled Egg-in-the-Hole Toast with Bacon Jam

Bacon Jam

Another signature brunch item is the Peanut Butter & Banana Fench Toast. It is served with maple syrup and toasted walnuts. I felt that the edges of the toast were a little too burnt. Other than that, it was really a pleaser especially for those who have a sweet tooth. Really, banana and peanut butter makes a killer combination.

Peanut Butter & Banana French Toast

Signature Brunch Items

Carvers & Co. also prides itself with their signature hearty roast meats that can be enjoyed individually or ordered whole and shared. Their choice of roasts varies weekly. You can order their Carvers' Plate which consists of Gammon Ham and carvings of Roast of the Day served with caramelized onions and potato hash. Half a roast is usually at $80 for 4-6 people while a whole roast is at $150 for 8 to 10 people. 

Thyme and Rosemary Turkey with a Cider Glaze was served that night. Just look at how beautifully roasted it was! The skin of the turkey was glowing from its marinade.

Thyme and Rosemary Turkey with a Cider Glaze

The turkey was served with Creamy Mash and Caramelised Carrots.

Sides with Turkey

The Creamy Mash was really creamy, smooth and tasty. I'm sure it will be a popular side dish on its own.

Creamy Mash

Personally, I don't really like carrots when they are too raw because the raw carrot flavour is too overpowering for me. Mmmm, but, caramelised carrots are hard not to enjoy because they are sweet and crunchy! The raw flavour of the carrot is totally nonexistent.

Caramelised Carrots

The turkey skin was a favourite amongst the foodies present for it is one of the most flavourful part of the turkey. Turkey meat tends to be generally drier and tougher. We could taste some of the fragrance of the herbs used in the meat but, I felt could be made more tender. I wonder if a pairing of some homemade gravy and cranberry sauce might add more flavour?

Turkey meat

One of their other signature roast is Porketta with Crackling and Apple Chutney. Porketta, or otherwise also known as Porchetta is actually an Italian tradition where the body of the pig is emptied and arranged with stuffing and roasted. The porketta is seasoned with herbs such as garlic and rosemary. The crackling of the Porketta was the highlight as it so light, crispy and tasty. The meat is well-seasoned but I thought it could do with more moisture.

Porketta

Porketta carved meat with Crispy Skin

Summer Panzenella is one of the two salads that Carvers & Co. offer currently. It is a  tuscan tomato and bread salad tossed with basil and fried capers. The addition of fried capers is not commonly found in salads but, I found it gave the dish a distinct sour and savory taste. 

Summer Panzenella Salad

We got to try their fries with garlic aioli and anchovies. It was an interesting combination of anchovies with fries. I thought it was refreshing pair and enjoyed the combination. 

Fries with Garlic Aioli and Anchovies

We felt the Wagyu Steak was the highlight for the night for us. The portion shown below is for 2. If I am not mistaken a portion for 2 is at $75. It really is a generous portion! I enjoyed the garlic and caramelized sides as they give a good balance to the red meat. The doneness was medium which we felt appropriate. It was done evenly and the meat was really tender. We would recommend this dish for all steak lovers! The price is also pretty reasonable for the quality and portion!

Wagyu Steak

Wagyu Steak

Last but not least, our tasting night ended off with Berries crumble served with Ice Cream! It was served hot and the sourness of the berries went well with the sweetness of the crumble and ice-cream.

Berries Crumble and Ice Cream

We would like to thank Sarah, Kimberly and the team for the invite. We gained some knowledge of coffee as well during the cupping session. We would love to visit Carvers & Co. again to try out their other items on the menu.

Carvers & Co. 

Opening Hours

Tuesdays to Sundays, 10am to 10pm (last orders at 9.30pm)

Brunch 10am to 2.30pm
Snacks 2.30pm to 6pm
Dinner 6pm to 9.30pm

Address

43 East Coast Road

Singapore 428764

Reservations

6348 0448 or commune@carversand.co

Web

www.carversand.co

​Social Media

Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/CarversandCo

​Instagram @carversco

 

Upcoming Promotions

Father’s Day (15 June) – Further details will be available at Carvers & Co. Facebook page

Cheers, 

Y