The Tastemaker Store | ThumbsForFood

The Tastemaker Store is quite a recent addition to Singapore's cafe scene. It is actually walking distance to Sin Lee Foods, that we introduced in our previous post. 

Business was quite brisk on a weekday afternoon. The interior of Tastemaker is kept simple with soft furnishings of potted plants placed around the shop as well as hanging from the ceiling. It felt comfortable and seems like a good place for doing work as it was well lit.

Interior of Tastemaker

Interior of cafe

They have various bakes from Maple & Market that is displayed in the glass display near the counter. We did not try the bakes that day as we wanted to try their more unique dishes. We think that perhaps they should add a corner for a free iced water dispenser. We always appreciate cafe s that serve free water.

Bakes from Maple & Market

We ordered their Lemon Curd with Clotted Cream on Muffin Buns ($3). It was really unique as we have not seen this in other cafes. The lemon wasn't too sweet nor sour, in fact it was in perfect balance. It was served with half boiled eggs. We dipped the muffin buns into the half boiled egg and it was quite a refreshing combination. 

Lemon Curd with clotted cream toast

The eggs were not exactly half-boiled that day. But, we kind of like it because the yolk was in a nicely curded form. 

Eggs

 For drinks, we chose the Matcha Latte. It wasn't out of the world but, quite a comfortable companion for food.

Matcha Latte

The must-try dish is perhaps the Yam Cake ($3.80). Again, this is not commonly found in other cafes. Yam cake is a local dish. It is served with chilli that was adequately spicy and had the kick! The yam cake was really chunky with filling of salted egg, yam and seems like some pieces of luncheon. It is quite filling of you eat the whole slice on your own.

Yam Cake

Overall, we find the Tastemaker Store sells quite unique food that is affordable and suitable for the general public. It's unpretentious, simple and hassle-free. 

The Tastemaker Store

Blk 22 Havelock Road#01-705 Singapore 160022 

Opening Hours: 9am – 9pm Daily

Exterior

Cheers, Y

The Dispensary (Tiong Bahru) | ThumbsForFood

The Dispensary is one of the newest cafes in the Tiong Bahru area. It is quite known that this new cafe is refurbished from an old chinese medical hall. Hence, it is not difficult to spot the cafe from its decorations and interior. What we liked about the cafe is that a lot of effort is placed in retaining the old medical hall's decor. The shop front is spacious with a lot of natural light illuminating the cafe, giving the place a fresh yet reminiscent feel. 

Interior of The Dispensary

Displays 

Decoration

We explored the whole cafe and realised that they had an alfresco area situated at their rooftop balcony. It was spacious and inviting. However, the heat was a little too overwhelming that day so we decided to sit indoors. Otherwise, this space would definitely be a favorite for those who enjoy basking in natural light with a cuppa and cake.

Alfresco Rooftop

We decided to try their one of their cupcakes, Chocolate Storm and their homemade Kueh Lapis. Chocolate storm is a chocolate cupcake topped with chocolate cream cheese and a macaron. As the name suggests, everything is chocolate. Yet, when you taste the cream, you could definitely taste the hint of cheese. I would say it wasn't really fantastic amidst the other cupcake competitors. You could try their other flavors and let me know how you feel!

Chocolate Storm and Kueh Lapis

I will strongly recommend The Dispensary cake to patrons of this cafe! What we normally see in cafes are red velvet cakes so, when I saw that this cake was a Black Velvet cake, I was really curious. What I really like is the light cream cheese frosting around the cake. It went really well with the black velvet. I didn't mind that it wasn't too chocolatey as I enjoyed the texture and combination. Yes, it was so good that we had two slices! The little round chocolate balls complemented the cake really well too.

The Dispensary

A must try!

 The Blueberry Cheese on the other hand paled in comparison. The cake was good but was not as attractive. The almonds on the cake gave the cake a crisp texture. I would definitely appreciate if there were more blueberries in the cheese layer. Nonetheless, the cheese was smooth and not too sweet. For those who are looking for something light, this could possibly be a choice.

The Blueberry Cheese

 We ordered Mocha, Latte and Vanilla Latte. As we chose the dine-in option, we were quite surprised that the coffee was served in disposable cups. Well, could it be that these cups were more easily dispensable? We felt that the coffee was mediocre and putting them in disposable cups were quite a pity as they had pretty latte art. If we hadn't lifted up the lid, we would not discover the pretty designs.

Coffee

The Dispensary sells other cakes as well as you can see from the picture below. I would think that a main attraction of their cakes is their cream cheese layers. I would think that it would go well with any type of cakes. I look forward to trying out their Carrot Cake the next time around!

Various cakes on display

Overall, we find that The Dispensary serves good cakes and provide a comfortable dining ambience for patrons. It serves to preserve the old while adding elements of the new. The Dispensary also accepts orders from customers and you can request for any flavors and they will try their best to make one for you! I will definitely be back to try their other cakes!

69 Tiong Bahru Road
Singapore 168723
Tel: 6536 0225
Fax: 6536 0355
Email: bake@thedispensary.com.sg

Business Hours:
Tues to Thurs 10am to 10pm
Fri & Sat 10am to 10:30pm
Sun 9am to 7pm
Closed on Monday

Love, Y

Old Tiong Bahru Bak Kut Teh | ThumbsForFood

Hello to our readers out there! Hope you had a great week [: As most of us know, the Tiong Bahru area has become one of the popular places to do cafe-hunting or just chill amidst its old architectures. Today, we shall bring to you this Old Tiong Bahru Bak Kut Teh which I have always wanted to try. It is located just opposite the Tiong Bahru Market, and a few steps away from Dough & Grains. Read our review on this special bread shop after this! 

Fish Slices in Bak Kut Teh Soup. Well, I am not an avid fan of pork, so I will always have a bowl of fish BKT when I eat BKT. To start off with, I must say that the soup is really disappointing. The pepper taste was not there and it just tasted really bland. For me, I also did not like this particular fish so this bowl wasn't appealing to me.

Dang Ou. They are really generous with the vegetables and I like the way they handle the vegetables. The whole texture was quite good!

Pork Ribs Bak Kut Teh. Yes, this is the whole main point. But, as I mentioned earlier, the meat wasn't enough to make up for the poor standard of the soup.

Pig Trotters. This is the best dish and it is really good. The pig trotters was really well-handled, with no traces of hair or any smell. The black sauce was so good that I basically ignored the other dishes. If you are there, try this!

Salted Vegetables. This is not the way I like my salted vegetables to be done. I like those that are really soft, having been boiled over for hours. But, maybe some of you will prefer this!

Beancurd Skin. This is the other best thing that I liked. Really nice, soaked in the same sauce as the pig trotters! Went really well with my rice! And, point is I don't really eat this normally!

All in all, I think this is definitely not up to my standards for a nice bowl of bak kut teh. However, I might just return for the pig trotters and tau kee (beancurd skin) which was really tasty!

Our ratings of Old Tiong Bahru Bak Kut Teh: 5.5/10

Old Tiong Bahru Bak Kut Teh
Blk 58, Seng Poh Road, #01-31
Singapore 160058
6.30am to 9pm
Closed Monday
62244990

Love, 
Z

Dough & Grains (Tiong Bahru) | ThumbsForFood

After a period of HIATUS, we're back introducing you our great finds! 

Today, I'm going to introduce to you a special bakery, which produces bread with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) concept. It's the first bakery with such a concept in town. Curious what kind of bread do they produce? 

Dough and grains actually produce quite a large variety of breads, tarts and pastries, as you can see below. And do read the labels on the shelves for description of the various bread and their health benefits.

Large variety of bread

We tried the Chinese Yam Tart ($1.90). Chinese Yam is known as huai shan and it is normally used in Chinese dishes. Who would have thought tat it can be made into a tart? It is said to enhance digestive and kidney system. The taste of it? The Chinese Yam taste is really not very strong. What I like is the texture of the tart, especially the crust.

We tried 3 different buns as well. Homemade Sweet Potato ($1.70) is the one on the top of the picture. It's actually a Chef Specialty. The bread texture was a little chewy. The Sweet Potato taste could be stronger. But really, it was not too bad. 

The bun with a cross in the middle is not exactly a TCM bun. It is actually for those who are not so adventurous and looking for a simple bread. Mashed Potato bun is its name. It has mashed potato and ham. Really yummy, but, not as healthy. It will be a favorite among kids. 

The black bun is Black Pearl ($1.90). As the name suggests, the herbs used to make the bread is indeed packed with nutrients and valuable for health. It has Bamboo charcoal, Shou Wu and Walnut. Its benefits is to make one look youthful and prevent grey hair. Definitely will be a favorite amongst people who want to anti-age!

Sweet Potato, Mashed Potato and Black Pearl

There is one more bread to recommend which is the Wolfberry Chrysanthemum ($1.90). I do not have a picture of it, sadly. Well, my friend loves this bread because of it's light taste infused in the good-textured bun! Do give it a try!

Shop Front

Overall, it's a place more suitable for takeaways. It has a wide range of tarts and pastries as well. I'm sure to try their tarts next time!

For it's innovation and creativity, Dough & Grains is definitely worth your try!

Our Rating: 7.8/10

Dough & Grains
71 Seng Poh Rd
Opening hours: 7.30am- 8.30pm
6225 5223

Love,
Y

Flock Cafe (Tiong Bahru) | ThumbsForFood

It has been long since we had a post on cafes right? If you are a cafe hunter, then this post is for you! I think most of us have known that the Tiong Bahru area has become pretty much a hip place for cafes and of course, for people to just chill and hangout at.

Before I forget, I would like to wish everyone an early Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year ^^ Have a great Merry Christmas Eve today!

Recently, there is the new addition of Flock Cafe. They serve up All-Day Breakfasts, salads and sandwiches. As they are still pretty new, I would recommend that you head over soon before the crowd gets there! I like the minimalist decor of the cafe although it would not fit the cosy criteria.

Iced Mocha $5.5. Personally, I am a believer of Hot coffee as I feel that the taste is best preserved without adding anything else like ice. But, the weather that day was really too warm for me to keep to my principle and so I had this Iced Mocha.

The display of the pastries

French Toast $8.9.  My first reaction to ordering French Toast was: "What?! I can do it myself!" Yes, I am also a believer of eating what I can't do up at home. I was pleasantly surprised when it came! It was really nice and even with all the strawberries and bananas, it wasn't too sweet at all. Please try this when you are there [:

I was there for a short tea break and only managed to try these items! But, I would definitely be back again for more. Most importantly, I feel that they serve up food and coffee at pretty reasonable prices!

Our ratings of Flock Cafe: 7.8/10

Flock Cafe
78 Moh Guan Terrace
#01-25 Tiong Bahru Estate
S162078

Forty Hands (Tiong Bahru) | ThumbsForFood

40 Hands Cafe has been around for quite a while. It is located in Tiong Bahru, on Yong Siak Street. For first-timers around that area, you might need to navigate your way around the rows of vintage shophouses. It is highly recommended for its coffee.

I really like the design of the shop and the surrounding buildings around the cafe. It feels out of Singapore. Somehow, walking along the streets of this hidden part of Tiong Bahru can always magically lift my moods up. There is a vintage book shop right opposite the cafe, called Books Actually. For book and coffee lovers, a trip down the estate would defnitely be worthwhile for you! 

Tau Sar Pau $2.00. Well, this is definitely more expensive than the normal Tau Sar Pau you see outside. I would say, its worth trying. You can judge for yourself after you have tried it!

Mocha $6.50.

Latte $5.

The Big Boy Breakfast $18. Special thing about this was the sambal sauce at the side! I like the plate that it was served in [:

Eggs Benedicts $12. Definitely not the best Eggs Benedicts you can find in Singapore. I mean, if you are there for the coffee and craving for some of these, then no harm having it! 

I have been there several times, sometimes for brunch and other times for tea. Other things on their menu would be the Truffle Fries, sandwiches and cakes. The sandwiches are pretty awesome too.

Living in the vicinity certainly has many benefits. Having such fabulous coffee within a stone's throw walk from home makes me feel lazy to venture out of the area on my free days. Also, there are many other cafes around this area, such as Orange Thimble and Tiong Bahru Bakery, which we have also shared previously. 

For people who have not been to this part of Tiong Bahru, you will definitely not regret making a trip down! 

Our ratings of Forty Hands Cafe: 8/10

Must Tries: Tau Sar Pau, Coffee, The Big Boy Breakfast

Forty Hands Cafe

Blk78 Yong Siak Street

#01-12 Singapore

Tel: +65 6225 8545

Operating Hours:
Closed on Monday.
Tuesdays: 0830-1830
Wednesdays & Thursdays: 0830-2200
Fridays & Saturdays: 0830-2300
Sundays: 0830-1830

Cheers,
Z