2 loaves | ThumbsForFood

2 loaves is a bakery that is nestled in the neighbourhood of Commonwealth. This unassuming small bakery offers an array of bakes such as cookies, cakes, banana bread and more. 

When we first stepped into this bakery, the displays on the counter placed in the centre of the shop were the first thing that caught our eyes. We really like how the cakes were delectably displayed as it really whets the appetite. The only thing about 2 loaves is that they did not have any seats available for patrons who wish to dine in. However, this might change in the near future as they have plans to add a few seats.

Bakes on Display 

We tried their Strawberry Cheesecake. It was really rich in flavour and moist. What I really liked was also the crust of the cheesecake that complemented really well with the cheese layer. The strawberry in the cake created balance to the cake.

Strawberry Cheesecake

We also tried the Banana Chocolate Loaf. They have other flavours such as S'mores as well as Chocolate base cake with banana fillings to cater to different preferences. The load wasn't too sweet which was good. It was quite dense and is definitely a loaf that is suitable for sharing.

Banana Chocolate Loaf

For takeaway, 2 loaves uses environmental-friendly paper boxes. I really like their boxes and it makes the cakes and loaf suitable as gifts.

Takeaway

We bought back green tea cookies as well. It was really good and addictive. Do give it a try when you visit 2 loaves!

Cookies

Overall, we feel that 2 loaves is an unpretentious bakery that serves up good bakes. Do visit this place if you are in the area to try out their specials. They also accept orders for whole cakes and large orders. :)

Exterior of shop

2 loaves 

#01-388, 46-3 Commonwealth Drive

Contact: 92311400

Opening hours:

1030-2030 (Tues-Sat)

1230-2030 (Sun)

Closed on Mondays

Cheers, 

Y

Butterscotch Cafe (Bukit Merah) | ThumbsForFood

We visited Butterscotch when it first opened its doors in the neighbourhood of Bukit Merah. It is always exciting when you find a relatively new cafe! 

Coffee with Table decoration

Butterscotch Cafe is actually quite a small and cozy cafe nestled under the blocks. When you enter Butterscotch, you will be welcomed with warm orange lighting with simple furniture.

Interior of Butterscotch Cafe

Interior of cafe

They also serve up desserts that are placed in their glass displays. When we were there, there doesn't seem to be a wide variety of desserts on display. However, from what I saw in recent postings from their Facebook, they do offer more desserts now. I would love to pay Butterscotch another visit to try out their their sweets.

Cakes on Display

Butterscotch on Social Media

We were there for desserts that day and thus, we ordered their Churros ($11). The Churros served in Butterscotch is thick and has a distinct cinnamon fragrance. It is served with a chocolate dip which we found it a little measly in amount relative to the amount of Churros served. Nevertheless, it was delicious when served hot. I would say that this is a good snack to share with friends so that you won't get too sick from sugar-overload.

Churros

Churros with Chocolate Dip

I ordered some Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows. I totally love that they included such huge marshmallows atop the drink! It was rich and thick, just the way I like my hot chocolate to be!

Hot Chocolate with mallows 

We actually ordered their Signature Soufflé ($14) as well but we were all too hungry and I forgot to snap a shot of it. The soufflé was made quite perfectly but, we felt for the price, it was not very satisfying in quantity.

I wouldn't say the Truffle Fries were the best I've eaten. However, if you are craving for some, Butterscotch serves up some.

Truffle Fries

Butterscotch Cafe is actually Halal-certified. I find that it offers a good variety of desserts and brunch items suitable for Muslims who have never had the chance to try Truffle fries and Soufflé. Overall, we would say that Butterscotch is a comfortable cafe which you may want to pop-in if you're in the area!

Cheers,
Y

The Lawn | ThumbsForFood

Hello! its finally mid-week. Luckily for those working and schooling, it is going to be a short week this week with Good Friday! Okay, today we are going to introduce something different from usual. The Lawn Grill & Salad Cafe is located at Biopolis, just a ten minutes walk from Buona Vista Mrt. There is also a shuttle bus in! 

The idea for The Lawn actually came after a trip to California where they saw that salad-eating can be much more interesting than just having cold, processed meat over the salad. I have always agreed to the old saying that “What’s good for you is almost certainly not going to taste good”. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how savoury the food at The Lawn tasted. I would say The Lawn definitely has provided us with a more delicious alternative to healthy food. 

You can fully customise your salad or rice by choosing the grill and dressings. Yes, the price is affordable for the nice ambience and healthy food you get! 

For the salad, you also get to choose 5 toppings. I really like that they have cheddar cheese as one of the options because I am a real fan of cheese. I miss the days when I went US for exchange and they have cheddar and mozzarella cheese on the counter. My whole salad would just be covered with cheese and it was so so yummy. Of course, they have nuts, olives, eggs, raisins, etc. It all depends on your personal preference! 

I am a seafood lover and so I picked the Chargrilled Prawns as my grill option. I was happy with the portion of the salad as it looked good and plentiful. Just look at the prawns okay, they are really yummy!

Yes, the staff was really nice to let us sample all the available sauces. It was really interesting dipping my salad into the different dressings. For a healthier option, I would suggest the Citrus flavour which was refreshing and light. However, my friend thought that it was a bit too sour for her. Other dressings which scored points with us were the Red Island and the Honeyball. There are so many options, so try it for yourself! 

Look at this big bowl of salad with the generous toppings! :D 

We also had the Soup of the day, which happened to be Pumpkin Soup. I am a person who needs some soup to go along with my meal, thus the choice to order the soup. It was okay, nothing special though!

Well, this was my favourite dish of the day. The olive fried rice with Ben's beef ribs. There were two choices for beef; one was this and the other was the beef cuts. The staff explained to us that the beef cuts were on the sour side while this was more of spicy and savoury. We really liked this dish, especially the beef. It was really easy to bite and well-marinated. It sort of reminded me of the one I had at Chipotle Mexican Grill. One additional plus factor was the mushrooms on top of the rice! I would recommend this to anyone going there for lunch or dinner! I will certainly be back for this again :D 

Yes, The Lawn has a huge outdoor space with grass carpets. I think it would be a nice place to chill after work, when the sun has gone down.

Oh yes, they do delivery within a radius of 2km as well! So, if you are lazy and stay/work around Biopolis, you can always call for delivery!

They have The Tiramisu Hero's tiramisu there as well! I have always wanted to try it, so I decided to just have a try there. It cost $7.50 and we all felt that it was a little too overpriced for the size and quality of the tiramisu! But the packaging was really nice though!

I think the photos would have done enough a job telling you how comfy the place is! Really nice decorations and peaceful ambience. Overall, I feel that the food plus the ambience are worth returning back for. Even a non-salad lover like me fell for the salad! And for people who don't mind the calories, why not try the rice combination with the yummy grill?

So, Meat your Greens at The Lawn!

The Lawn Salad & Grill Cafe
31 Biopolis Way,
Nanos #01-07,
Singapore 138669

For eateries who may like to feature your restaurants here, you may drop us a short write-up about what you offer at thumbsforfood@gmail.com!

Cheers,
Z

Cupcake Engineer (Cluny Court) | ThumbsForFood

Cupcake craze has been rife in Singapore. As we were in the area to try Societe Canteen (Do look out for our upcoming review), we decided to give Cupcake Engineer a try. Did it pass our taste test? Read on to find out more!

It is a pretty small shop that is situated in Cluny Court. It does not have much seating capacity in the store. Outdoors, there are two tables with 4 seating capacity each. Hence, not exactly a place to chillout, but more of a takeaway store. 

Opening Hours and shop interior

I understand that the concept is where an Engineering Graduate, Rachel, who set up this shop to "engineer" cupcakes that are of unique flavors. And yes, indeed the cupcakes are quite special in flavor. They have like Horlicks, Bandung, Matcha and even Spicy Chocolate.

Flavors in-store

Cupcakes on display

Each cupcake is priced at $4! And yes, that's quite expensive considering that the price of 12 cupcakes is at $3 and Plain Vanilla ones are at $3.50. They have a few drinks choices, but, nothing fancy.

Menu

 Time for taste test...

Hot Chocolate, as you can see below is decorated with a chili. The frosting on top was not very even and pretty to look at. And no, we did not appreciate the taste of the chocolate cupcake infused with chili flavor. It just wasn't our kind of cupcake.

Hot Chocolate Cupcake

Ho-Ho-Ho-rlicks was our other choice. It is decorated with cream and topped with a chocolate ball. Firstly, the cupcake was disappointing. It did not have a horlick flavor that it was trying to have. We believe that the cream on the cupcake is very important and essential as it is supposed to complement the cupcake. However, it was too oily and buttery. All in all, no horlicks taste plus chocolate ball tasted like Maltesers.

Ho-Ho-Ho-rlicks

Overall, we think the concept of creating unique flavored cupcakes is one that is good and different. However, we feel that taste of the cupcake is still of utmost important. If the taste of the cupcake isn't up to the mark, then, it is not worth a try. For $4, the cupcakes are priced too high.

Our Ratings: 5/10

501 Bukit Timah Road

#01-03A Cluny Court

Tel: 9647 4732

Do visit our other cupcake post for Plain Vanilla. Do look out for more cupcakes review!

Cheers, Y

Venues' Special: Star Vista | ThumbsForFood

Today's post is different from our usual food reviews. We are going to have a Venue's Special where we will introduce what's there to eat at a certain place/mall. So, today, it will be a new mall at Buona Vista called Star Vista. The design of the mall is uniquely integrated into the natural environment in the area. I will be introducing some special eateries in the mall that might entice you!

As this mall is newly opened, not all the dining places are open yet. So, we would update this post regularly. Do look out for updates on food places that we will be trying in this mall!

B1

Fresh-Healthy Cafe
www.cafefresh.com
6694 0884
#B1-37

Fresh Healthy Cafe serves nutritious and healthy food such as smoothies, sandwiches, panini, e.t.c. They are dedicated to serve wholesome food made from natural ingredients that are eco-friendly as well. Their packaging is also environmentally friendly. Those who wish to dine a sumptuous and healthy meal, do try this cafe out! You can access their menu here.

Canton Paradise Teahouse
www.paradisegroup.com.sg
6694 2915
#B1-45/46

Canton Paradise prides themselves in serving authentic Cantonese dishes. They serve congee, dimsum, roast meat and many more Hong Kong classic dishes. If you are craving for some Cantonese food, this would probably be your dining choice.

Itacho Sushi
www.tasteofjapan.com.hk
6694 0880
#B1-12

Itacho is chief chef in Japanese. Sushi is served instantly when customers order. Hence, the sushi it serves is fresh and tasty. We have not tried the Itacho at this branch, but, at Plaza Singapura and Ion Orchard. It's has a wide variety of sushi and sashimi. For sushi lovers, Itacho is a place you might want to consider.

-18C
www.minus18c.com
6684 0112
#B1-06

-18C serves Frozen Yogurt and you can choose the toppings you want. It promises 100% natural ingredients with no preservatives, artificial sweeteners or coloring! So you'll feel assured enjoying a cup of Froyo in this humid and sunny Singapore.

Sofries
#B1-05

Sofries is from Sogurt that is also available on the same level of the mall. Sofries offer 15 different flavored dips with different type of fries that you can choose from. Cereal Fries is their recommendation. So if you're in for a snack, do try it out!

Xi Men Jie
#B1-05

Taiwanese street food is available from Xi Men Jie. Street Food is served and are priced at affordable prices. If you're a fan of Taiwanese food, do give it a try and see whether it is different from the more commonly found Shihlin.

Menya Musashi 
www.menyamusahi.com.sg
6694 2515
#B1-08

The shop is named after a legendary Samurai. It's soup broth is creamier than other ramen ad comes in white, red and black versions. It's signature is it's Tonkatsu broth. It is established in Japan since 1996 and has since become a household name. For ramen lovers, seems like you've got yourself a good place.

Level One

Jamaica Blue
www.jamaicablue.com
6694 4592
#01-32/K1

Jamaica Blue is a cafe that serves pastries, cakes as well as main course. The highlight would be its coffee! For our review of Jamaica Blue, click HERE.

Pinnochio (Bar Gelataria)
#01-47/48
6694 5727

Pinocchio is a gelato cafe. It allows customers to choose their own flavors and toppings. What is unique is that it is Pinnochio-themed. So, do not tell lies lest your nose grow long in Pinnochio!

Boston Seafood Shack
6694 3984
#01-46

Boston Seafood Shack, from it's name, you will know that it serves Seafood in Boston style. Boston Premium Lobstah Rolls is their recommendation. If you're in favor of some fish and chips and American-styled platters, Boston Seafood Shack might be your choice.

District 10 Bar Tapas Restaurant
www.district10.com.sg
6694 2884
#01-42/K3

District 10 serves more than 35 tapas and pinchos in its 80-seater restaurant. It's specials include Grilled Argentinean Rib-eye and Pizza with Iberico Ham Rocket and Pamesan Cheese. It has many other Spanish dishes that will whet your appetite. What's more, it has a resident DJ that will spice up your meal with some music. This place sounds like a good place to chill-out with some friends.

EspresSoup
espressoup.asia
6994 4352
#01-41

Similar to the concept of Soup Spoon, EspresSoup serves a variety of soups in bread-bowls. Also, EspresSoup's soup does not contain MSG. It's only preservative used is Mayonnaise. When the weather is rainy and hot, you might just want to warm yourself with a bowl of soup.

Hot Tomato Cafe and Grill
www.hottomato.com.sg
6684 1810
#01-21

As the name suggests, Hot Tomato serves many main courses that are grilled such as Sirloin Steak and Norwegian Salmon. It also serves a variety of desserts. Besides that, its food is cooked with Olive Oil and spiced with herbs. It is not pre-cooked nor do they use trans fat. From my understanding, food is priced at affordable prices and they do have promotions in-store.

Level Two

Bornga
6694 4696
#02-24

BORNGA is a renowned BBQ restaurant in Korea and it's first restaurant in Singapore is set up right here in Star Vista. It is led by celebrity chef Jong Won PAIK. Chef Paik's recipes and marinades is renowned in other countries. Korean food lovers, this would be a good place to try out since it has such a resounding reputation.

Brotzeit- German Bier Bar and Restaurant
6694 3652
#02-17/19

Brotzeit is known for it's friendly, unpretentious service in a comfortable dining setting. It serves german food with beer. A good place to hangout with your buddies for some drinks.

CoCo Ichibanya
www.cocothailand.com
6579 2457

CoCo Ichibanya is Japan's no.1 curry house with more than 30 years of experience. Spiciness level, kinds of sauce and number of toppings is all within your control and preference.

Lee's Taiwanese
www.leestaiwanese.com
#02-08

Lee's Taiwanese hopes to bring Keelung Night Market's food into Singapore. It serves authentic Taiwanese food. Even the sauces are imported direct from Taiwan so that the taste of the food is not compromised. Besides food, it also serves authentic Taiwanese desserts and drinks. For those missing the food in Taiwan, this would probably be a good place for you to reminisce.

Morganfield's
www.morganfields.com
6694 3635
#02-03

First outlet in Singapore is right here in Star Vista. The restaurant boosts a large space of indoor and alfresco dining. It's concept is from American Barbeque where their signature is pork ribs named Sticky Bones. It seems like a place suitable for large groups and gatherings with family and friends.

Porn's Sexy.Thai.Food.
www.porns.com.sg
6694 2501
#02-09

Porn's is opened by a Chinese TV host in Singapore, Pornsak. They pride themselves by cooking curry and Thai Soups one bowl at a time, albeit slow but tasty. We walked past Porn's and I noticed the decoration is inspired from Graffiti Art that is more dynamic and youthful. It aims to be more chic and trendy.

Senor Taco
6694 2320
#02-22

Senor Taco will have a modern, authentic Mexican ambience with a variety of Latin and English pop, dance and R&B music to hype up the atmosphere. It serves a wide range of street food and Mexican specialties with Singapore's widest range of premium tequila. It seems like a good place to meetup and have a fun dinner with friends.

Yomenya Goemon
www.n-rs.com.sg
6694 3570
#02-04

For our review on Yomenya Goemon, click HERE. Yomenya Goemon serves Japanese pasta and fusion pasta. Something special about this place is that you use chopsticks to eat your pasta. Up to the challenge?

Awfully Chocolate
www.awfullychocolate.com/singapore/
6694 4805
#02-18

Awfully Chocolate is hardly unknown to anyone in Singapore. In this branch at Star Vista, you can dine in after your purchase. It is a good place to have some chocolate desserts after your dinner.

Blackball
www.blackball.com.sg
6694 3070
#02-14/15

The first time I ate Blackball was in Malaysia and I got to say it was love at first taste! Super good Taiwanese dessert that is unique and different from any other kinds of dessert. The Signature combo boosts grass jelly, sweet potato and yam balls which will leave you craving for it. Do look out for our review on Blackball in Star Vista!


OVERALL, Star Vista is a spacious and comfortable mall that has many new eateries that are firsts in Singapore. The many dining places are what makes it attractive and alluring. If you're a student in NUS or someone working at the Biopolis, Star Vista would be a great place to hangout after work and school with friends. We are pretty sure it will be a popular mall in near future. We are sure to frequent the mall to try out the various restaurants, so be sure to pop by this post for updates!

We hope you like our Special Post. You can write into thumbsforfood@gmail.com for any feedback or recommendations!

Till next time,
Y

Yomenya Goemon (The Star Vista) | ThumbsForFood

Remember our previous review on Jamaica Blue in Star Vista? We also visited the Yomenya Goemon Spaghetti there! 

Yomenya Goemon is a chain of Japanese Pasta shop. So far, apart from Star Vista, I know that there is one in Citylink. Having heard that the pasta is good, we decided to give it a try.

The outlet at Star Vista is pretty small with some outdoor area and indoor seats. The restaurant design is kept modern and simple which somehow brings out it's theme of fusion. I like that their kitchen has glass panels for customers to peer in and see how the chef cooks. 

Interior and Kitchen

High ceilings that makes restaurant feel more spacious

We were attracted by their Standard Chartered Credit Card Promotion of $16 set meal (originally $19; inclusive of drink, salad and soup). It seems like a good deal. After that, we realized that the set meal with desserts ($21) seems to be more worth it as the desserts itself costs $6. If you would like to have desserts, the $21 meal seems to be a better option.

We decided to order a $16 meal and a $21 meal. The salad is really not bad. I like the dressing that is appetising and definitely made me feel more hungry!

Salad, Soup and Drink included in the set

We decided to try a pasta from the Japanese Pasta section since they are well-known for it. They also have Western-styled ones as well and we tried one pasta from the section too!

Duck Pasta, is from the Japanese Section. It was one of our choices as we read from a review that it was good. The taste of the pasta was infused with the aroma of duck. However, the ducks pieces were disappointing because they were too small and most of it was the skin of the duck rather than the meat. The pasta was well cooked in the sense that it wasn't to dry or bland and thus, it compensated the disappointing duck slices. I guess we wouldn't order this pasta in future, maybe try something else that has better ingredients.

Noodles that are cooked just nice

For Western-styled pasta, the Soup Spaghetti really caught my eye since I preferred wetter Spaghetti than dry ones! Mediterranean Tomato Cream Soup Spaghetti with Fresh Seafood was my choice since I am an avid Seafood lover. I got to say it is good! I really like that the seafood was fresh and it came with mussels, squid, prawn and clams! And the sauce, I really liked it. It is thick, yet when you eat it, you won't be sick of it. If you are a lover of seafood and wet pasta, you got to try this!

Wholesome seafood ingredients!

We ended off with Chocolate cake with ice cream. We were contemplating between this and the strawberry dessert. However, we were tempted by the chocolate one, so we chose it! It is NOT A LAVA CAKE. But, it is quite nice! I like the texture of the chocolate and appreciated that it was dark chocolate. The bitterness of the dark chocolate went well with the sweetness of the icecream and cream and the sourness of the strawberry. I think I would be so tempted to get the dessert set the next time I visit again!

I think that the Standard Chartered deal attracted the crowd. For it to flourish and open quite a few outlets in Singapore, it really has to have some substance and quality in food. And that's how I guess it managed to attract a pool of regulars. If you are craving for some spaghetti (not other types of pasta like linguini or fusilli), do consider trying Yomenya Goemon! It has other outlets in Singapore as well like Marina Bay Link Mall and Citylink. I heard there's one in 313 as well. 

As this is a chain of restaurant, please take note that there might be varying standards in other outlets.

Our Ratings: 8/10 (for it's value for money and wide variety)

Must Tries: Mediterranean Tomato Cream Soup Spaghetti with Fresh Seafood