Plain Vanilla at The Plain

There was a cake shop- Plain Vanilla that was putting up a showcase of cakes at The Plain today.

I could not stay long enough to sample them but did they look good.

Don't tell me you are not drooling.

Location: 34A Lorong Mambong Holland Village
Website: http://www.plainvanillabakery.com/

Selfish Gene

This opened sometime last week. I was quite bewildered by the name. Why would anyone call their cafe Selfish Gene?

A couple of black boards in the cafe gave the hint. Gene is the owner of which he is selfish because… I will let you go there and find out for yourself.

Unimportant details aside, I was pleasantly surprised by this new find.

 Cappuccino

The coffee was really quite good. It was light and smooth. My only slight complaint was the froth. Upon speaking to the owner and barista, I was told they used Green Fields milk. This is the same problem with many other cafes that use Green Fields milk (look at Oriole) The barista said they also use Highlander Coffee Beans of which Green Fields milk work best with. Maybe this is so because the beans don't seem to be that strong and using a lighter milk will be better with such beans. I'm not completely convinced though. I like my froth with more robust texture.

Pesto with poached egg and toast ~ $10

This was pretty good as well. The poached egg gave the dish texture. Pesto came on a crunchy piece of toast. I'm not sure what the red stuff is and if it is necessary….

Banana cake with peanut butter sauce and crumble ~ $7

This was pretty yummy. The sweet cake with the salty peanut butter sauce. Again, there is a play with textures with the crumble. The owners here just understand textures which is something most places lack in cooking. My only suggestion to the owner was if the banana bread could be warm or toasted. I'm used to eating my banana bread warm. 

I spoke to the owner and found out that he and another staff used to work in the St Pierre's Kitchen. This is the fine dining restaurant by chef Emmanuel Stroobant. Its quite a good restaurant (although I would say too over hyped). So its no surprise then that the food in this place is quite good and the use of textures in food is understood here.

Subsequent visits

The barista did 2 lattes for me to compare. One latte used Green fields milk and the other Pura milk. Green fields milk is used generally as the barista feels that it suits the highlander beans better in terms of taste. After tasting the 2 lattes using different milk, I still like Pura milk better. Pura milk is from Australia and provides a richer foam and a creamer latte. Highlander beans produce quite a mild coffee and perhaps from that angle Greenfield does blend well with the coffee made from those beans.

I was quite touched that the barista made me 2 coffees to try and made an effort to see what I preferred as a customer.

Other dishes I have had there:

Lemon Meringue Pie

The crust of this was good although I would have liked it more crumbly. Lemon curd was nice and tart. The pie had a nice meringue burnt top. Most places only make lemon tart and not the Meringue Pie so this was quite nice. 

The desserts in this place are a good size.

Bread and Butter Pudding

I don't like bread and butter pudding unless it is a good one. This is good. Creme anglaise makes the pudding richer and cuts through the sour berries. Good combination of flavors and well thought through.

Website: http://selfishgenecafe.com/

Location: 40 Craig Road

Opening hours: 10am- 6pm except tuesdays

Contact Number: 64231324

Amici Italian Restaurant

Amici is set in a shophouse in Craig Road that also has a charming little front courtyard.

On sight, it looks inviting and relaxing.

In the restaurant

We had sunday brunch there at about noon.

Egg Omelette and toast

My friend had this for brunch. I didn't have a bite but it looked pretty ordinary. My friend said it was ok but she could make it at home which says a lot about the dish.

Salami and eggplant on toast

This was fine but was actually very boring and unspectacular. Again, it is something that can be recreated at home without too much fuss.

Big Breakfast

My husband had this and the coffee. The coffee was really quite badly done. Big breakfast- ham, eggs, toast, bacon. I think that when big breakfast is served in restaurants it needs to be done with a twist or with very fresh ingredients. 

Mixed cured meats $24

I felt a bit cheated by this. $24 for a couple of slices laid out. It would have been ok if the quality was great but it wasn't. 

I'm not a fan of the white stuff called lardo which is cured strips of fat. However, what I have heard is that the lardo in Italy is really very good so don't be completely put off by it. 

Mortadella which is the cured meat that looks like ham. It is pork sausage which in this case has pieces of green olives in it. This tastes like it comes from cold storage.

The parma ham is the real disappointment cos I have tasted better parma ham from cold storage. Good parma ham is rich in taste and has a sweetness to it underneath the saltiness. In this case, the parma ham was almost bland. I have never tasted a bland parma ham.

The Salami was slightly spicy and this was the same stuff I think that they put on my toast. The Salami flavor wasn't bad. I quite liked it. 

Overall, this first experience isn't beckoning me to return. The Plain and a new cafe Selfish Gene are only a few doors down and both serve good coffee and breakfast. I think this place will have to lift their game on both food and coffee to compete at a brunch level. 

Location: 11 Craig Road

Miz Japanese Restaurant

Tanjong Pagar is a hot spot for restaurants but its growth market at the moment seems to be for Japanese food. I can count 3 Japanese eateries that have opened up in the area within the last 4 months.

Miz is one of the many Japanese restaurants in Tanjong Pagar. In fact, it is just opposite Meii Sushi. I think Miz opened about a year and half ago, so I would say that it is one of the "older" Japanese establishments in the area. It also happens to be one of my favourite dinner spots.

Some dishes i had for dinner tonight

 Grilled Salmon Belly $15

This was very good. The grilled Salmon Belly melted in my mouth due to the fat content. There was a sort of radish ponzu accompaniment that went well with the salmon belly.

Chilled garlic Udon

This is usually one of my favourite dishes there but tonight it fell a bit short of the usual standard. The butter and garlic flavour seemed a bit weak compared to normal. This combination with udon is usually very good and a must try.

Ark shellfish sashimi $25

The presentation is almost a work of art. The shellfish is crunchy, sweet and fresh. Its very similar to geoduck. However, the amount at $25 per hit is a bit too much for me. For that reason I'm not sure if I will have it again.

Another dishes that I recommend here:
The Prawns Tempura. The batter they use here is light and crispy.
The Oyster Dynamite. Oysters are baked with Japanese Mayo and fish roe. The Mayo has a tart sweetness that enhances the flavour of the oyster.

Location: 7 Craig Road
Opening hours: Mon - Fri 1130am - 12am, Sat - Sun 12pm - 10pm
Contact Number: 62255761
Prices: About $25- $40 for dinner depending on what is ordered.

Sweety Moments

The shop just opened about a week ago. It replaced Pink which was a health conscious cafe.

In Tanjong Pagar, rental is high and so is the turnover. You constantly get new shops in the area that replace old ones.

My husband and I decided to try it on the first day.

Deco of the shop is plain compared to most places in the area. In fact, now I think it is quite strange given the fact that it is still hidden by the old Pink sign. It almost doesn't want customers to find the place.

We ordered a black glutinous rice with ice cream (about $5) and a fried mango ice cream (about $3.50).

Glutinous rice was tasteless and ice cream was melting when brought out

Fried mango ice cream was a sad looking puff with sour mango ice cream.

This is possibly the worst dessert shop I have been to in a while. I cannot take it seriously.

I have no pictures to prove it. But I'm NOT intending to go back as far as I'm concerned.

If you feel curious enough, you can find out for yourself.


Location: Ground Floor 4 Craig Road (this is so that you will not step into the place to try!!)
Prices: $3-$5 for dessert

The Plain

This is my regular Saturday morning breakfast spot.

The Plain has a simple unpretentious Melbourne style feel to it. So it will be no surprise that the the owner Vincent learnt his cafe trade from Melbourne, Australia.

The strengths of the Plain is without a doubt its coffee. Good milk froth and well extracted coffee at about $4 per hit, it makes this place hard to beat. Especially since the general market price for even coffee half the quality of this one is about $6. The fact that Vincent engages with his customers is also part of the charm.

You can just see the quality of the froth in the picture below. Bad frothing means plenty of bubbles. Good froth produces a meringue type feel to the cappuccino.

Breakfast selection is limited but whatever you order will be of decent quality.

Some Regular picks for Breakfast

The Toastie

1)The Toastie is a classic tomato, cheese, ham on toast. The bread is crusty and fresh, tomatoes ripe and with the right cheese. All the good fresh ingredients needed for a good toastie of simplicity.

2) Dean's breakfast is toast with vegemite, cheese and poached eggs.

3) Fruit Salad with yogurt

Other things available

1) Summer breeze. This is a refreshing fruit iced tea. Vincent's concoction

2) Cakes. It's hard to know what is available that day. Vincent's sister in law makes good desserts at a decent price.

Website: http://www.theplain.com.sg/location

Prices: About $15 per pax for breakfast & Coffee. Very decent value for good quality

Location: Ground Floor 50 Craig Road