why, i'm at raffles, darlin'

high tea at raffles is a thing of beauty, indeed.  i don't know why, what it is about high tea, but i adore it.  i

love getting dressed up in the afternoon and sitting around a posh table with my girlfriends, eating next to nothing, and sipping tea.    and it always seems that the old colonies seem do 'english' better than the english.  i've been to high tea in london. and its good.  but it's almost common, an everyday thing, housed in busy shopping malls or in hotel lobbies beside rushed business commuters coming and going. but in india,and more so in asia its majestic.  almost as if its been stuck in a time warp, jetting high tea goers back to the 1930's to how high tea was when it was trying so hard to be so perfectly british for those expats away from britain.  LOVE IT!

so i was uber excited to meet laura and lizzie at raffles.  i made the reservation a week in advance. crazy, i know. but it's that busy.  raffles is gorgeous. full stop.  what a magnificent hotel.  just chock full of old world elegance. its the type of place where you can just breathe in the past, the elegance, the money dripping off the walls.  the tiffin room is no exception with its high high ceilings, marble columns, polished silverware, crisp white linens and exceptional service. ok. one exception.  the chairs were odd.  straight backed, so straight backed they kinda leaned forward making one almost slouch to be comfortable.  you couldn't sit up straight and be comfortable.  and you certainly couldn't lean back, cross your legs and relax.  odd the slightest angle makes the chair all wrong. we all ended up resting on our elbows on the table (oh my word, the manners!) 

two small 3 tiered dessert rings elegantly (and by that i mean frugally) displaying petite finger sandwiches, freshly baked pastries and scones served with clotted cream and homemade jams were placed on the table, and we were given a choice of tea or coffee.  sadly no elaborate choice of what tea we would like.  just english or chinese tea.  huh.

and... like most things in asia... the cakes and scones were beautiful.. and pretty much tasteless.  can you

believe we didn't finish the top tier with the desserts? they weren't good enough even to eat.  but never fear, we didn't starve, because, because, they also have a buffet.  now we are talking.  and what a buffet!  the same small desserts as are on the table, plus a whole row of chinese dumpling and dim sum, an area of baked desserts such as apple crumble and bread pudding with vanilla sauce, another area of indian curries and rice and a whole table of gorgeous fruit salads and fresh tropical (well local) fruits.  fantastic!  we all loaded our plates and gorged. elegantly of course.

our conversation was of course, elegant and refined to match our high tea settings.  we discussed how the use of squatter toilets is prolific in asia and why asians (mostly PRC's i am told) tend to think that they are more sanitary than a regular throne mechanism. so much so that there are posters in many local washrooms asking people not to stand on the throne seat and squat.  what? why would you even think to do that? how would you do that? how to balance and not break the seat?  and spillage? splashing?  W.T.F.!!?!?

there are two seatings at 3.30pm and 4.30pm. raffles quotes its high tea at $55 for adults. however, everyone in our party paid $65 each. huh. however, IMHO, damn worth it.  a lovely afternoon. even it was raining non stop outside, it was non stop luxurious gastric enjoyment inside. make sure you book early.  its usually full. and dress up. 'smart casual' is the recommended dress code. seriously, they remind you when you make a reservation.  no shoes, no shorts, no smart casual, no service.

and so i'm giving high tea at raffles 41/2 stars cause hello?  high. tea. at. raffles.

Raffles Hotel Singapore
1 Beach Road
Tel: +65 6337 1886

canopy o' loveliness (and high prices)

i was so excited! it was my turn!  the girls were coming to my neck of the woods.  and i had just the place.  i was drooling with excitement. (or was that sweat?) either way, every time i jog through bishan park it calls to me. canopy. its just so pretty. a small gorgeous little bistro style restaurant with a huge lanaii area surrounded by lush greenery.  and on the weekend mornings, its always full of happy laughing families sipping tea and groups of friends relaxing and basking the the loveliness that is sunday morning brunch.  and AND to make this restaurant sound even cooler, is it apparently australian owned : so legitimate aussie tucker and AND they have a green room cafe  which serves only live and vegan food.  did i tell you i was excited!

i met our gang, laura, kathy and lizzie.  lizzie is laura's roommate and a very welcome addition!  claire double booked us with her kid's play date.  guess who won?

i always thought that canopy in the middle of bishan park was close.  but that was when i was by myself in my running shoes, jogging in the cool early morning hours or the cool evening hours.  i actually never made the walk at high noon with 3 non-locals.  it was long.  and hot.  and we all melted.  eventually we made it.  i think i apologized non-stop for the length.  i just never realized it was such a damn long walk. like half an hour, maybe more.

whatever.  we arrived.  i hadn't made reservations. i actually thought i would stop that morning during my sunday morning jog.  but i was either distracted by the multitudes of tai-chi groups exercising in my usually almost deserted park or the restaurant wasn't open.  i'm sticking with the later.  no worries.  there was a lovely table just for 4 in the air conditioning.  and sit. and relax.

so the menu is lovely.  i checked it online before i went so i knew what i was going to order.  i was excited (did i mention that?) because like a typical aussie restaurant it offered a plethra of sides, like baked beans, and hash browns, and roasted roma tomtatoes, and sauteed spinach.  my breakfast tea was served in a tea pot. we all ordered tea. and we all got our unmatched tea pots. i love it when restuarnts served tea in pots.  and i love the mismatched style. its seems more homey that way, quaint, yet cool at the same time.

the ladies ordered: buttermilk pancakes for laura (duh) eggs 'the way you like it' for kathy, and eggs florentine  for lizzie.

the food arrived a bit scattered, we had to wait for kathy's dish for a few minutes. i love that when everyone has their meal in front of them but one, and everyone desperately tries to keep the conversation going as if it doesn't bother them that their food is getting cold while the one who doesn't have food pretends she is interested in the conversation, when she is mortified everyone is waiting for her food and she can't stop thinking about when is the damn food going to arrive.

but it did and we all ate. and it was delicious.  except my hash brown. the menu actually just said hash brown.  i had assumed that they would be cut up potatoes fried, but it was in fact a deep fried hash brown patty, just like macdonald's. but half the size.  and i only got one.  odd.  and i didn't order toast.  actually come to think of it, i have yet to be offered a side of toast, at any of the places i have been yet.  and its not listed on the sides.  that is odd no?  usually a plate of toast is a given. a constant. huh.

but... here's the good part.. well besides the conversation.. since its an aussie restaurant.. its got aussie desserts.  and oh yes.. we did partake. me and laura split the toffee pudding, cause how can you not? indeed.  one bit was all i needed. i know, i know its not vegan.      `

lizzie had creme brulee. she wanted creme caramel but they didn't have any. she was not impressed, with no creme caramel and her bland creme brulee.  kathy had apple crumble.

and the conversation part, i know, you're dying to ask. what ever did we talk about this time.  well, what else?  men.  it is quite an interesting topic, no?  and it would seem that all four of us, 5 if you count cathy are all in different places at different ages.  lizzie is convinced that men are ruled by one thing only, and we all know what that is. which is why we shall never understand them. true, right?  sometimes i think i do.. i think i've got it than bam.. shot out of left field.  but then, what do i know?

i know that canopy has a fantastic view. a lovely ambience.  ok but slightly, no greatly over priced food.  sort of slow service. lovely tea pots.  small portions (which in my book are actually good. i'm not a fan of the big american style pig out).  and patience.  we sat there for at least 3 hours ordering again.. and again.. and again!

and so... i'm giving canopy 4 stars.  well, i want to for the decor alone.  in the middle of a tropical forest.  and the toffee pudding.  yum.  but one hashbrown?  for $30? (the hashbrown alone wasn't $30, just my bill with 4 sides, pot of tea and 1/2 toffee pudding came to about that)  and they wouldn't refill my pot of tea with water, i'd have to order a whole new pot for $10? ok.  you're right. 3 1/2 stars.

Canopy Garden Dining & Bar
Bishan Park 2  1382 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1
Tel: 6556 1533

huh. brunch 2.

our second brunch outing found us in laura's neck of the woods.  we met at ajlunied MRT and walked a bit (ok a fairways) down sims road then turned onto still road. we were a bit wary of finding a place for brunch as the street was one of those busy, high traffic roads, but then we saw this place with a large covered lanaii area full of retro sofas and chairs and a big BRUNCH sign in the window. the place was empty, it was still early (if 11:00 am is early, of course it is on a sunday morning) and the staff were waiting for us at the door.  they recommended we sit inside as it was air conditioned.  and they recommended we sit on the sofas, as they only had two tables, both fairly uncomfortable looking.  the decor was sparse, modern retro chic, i guess is what you call it. the menu was interesting.  actually fantastic choices, but we couldn't understand the link between the odd large chinese face paintings (two, maybe chinese demons, abstract-ive-ish) and the lyrics to monkees songs all over the menu, and the retro steel american outdoor patio chairs (circa 1950) painted in bright colours.  odd.  no. 'electic'.

some of us ordered coffee, some water, i ordered english breakfast tea, as we chatted.  we are all pretty new to singapore and are just getting our footings, so we had the regular, where do you find this, how do you like that.   but here is the cool part; while we were discussing nothing in particular, the chef himself came out to welcome us to his restaurant.  i think it might be new.  and he took our orders.  and.. AND.. i told him i was vegan and he didn't even flinch! we went through the menu of which there were no options and i asked if he could do a dish with potatoes and vegetables and he suggested a potato flan.  YAY!

the food was quick.  and good.  mine lacked a bit of taste. could have used ketchup.  there were about 3 servers but no one came over to see if we were ok.  the chef came out though to ask if everything was ok, but i wasn't about to ask the chef, who just cooked a special meal for me, for ketchup.  suck it up buttercup.

we all enjoyed our meals.  claire did get her eggs benedict and liked it.  laura had pancakes and said they were good.  and our new bruncher kathy had eggs over easy; which really weren't over easy, more like fried.  she tried to explain the difference to our server, but eventually gave up. whatever, eggs are eggs, i guess.

kathy has been busy for the past weeks and so wasn't able to come to our first brunch meeting, but as the conversation progressed the truth came out.  she wasn't busy.. she was hung over.  ha!  ok, you'll have to understand the context. we are (now) four middle aged women.  some are over 30.  some over 40. so our nights (and there were alot and they were good) of clubbing and our days (again way too many to have to remember) of hang overs are pretty much over.  sometimes i think cathy wakes up too early with her toddler to a throbbing headache from too many glasses of chardonnay the night before, but that's about it.  so katy told us that she had found a group on singaporeexpats.com for over 40 people to meet up and she finally went and met up with a crazy bunch of expats at the fullerton hotel roof top.  where francois (the host) proceeded to ply them all with way too much wine and champagne and when the lantern became too dull they headed down into the belly of singapore and danced the rest of the night away at a gay bar.  too funny.  if you met katy you would understand our shocked (and highly amused) faces.  it's not that she's not cool. she is. tremendously. just in a kinda more straight laced cute kinda way.

so yeah. so the restaurant was ok. better than brekko. the chef's attitude was fantastic.  the company, as always, awesome.  the price, a bit steep, but then, hello? customized vegan dish. the bathrooms were clean.. and not too far away.  yes, that is an issue. sometimes restaurants are located in a mall and have only the mall's toilet which forces one to actually leave the restaurant and walk for possibly miles in search of the public vestibules.  however, this is singapore and even the public toilets are usually immaculate.  but yes.. where was i? the bathrooms were connected to the restaurant.  the only real draw back besides kinda bland food was that the restaurant is located on a rather busy street. although the lanaii is huge, lovely and just begs for someone to veg out on its numerous couches and arm chairs, no one really wants to sit listening to the sound of traffic without air conditioning.

and so i am giving this brunch 31/2 stars.  it was a delightful find.  especially the chef.  and fantastic conversation.  waaay better than brekko, more open, cleaner, upscaler, quieter, relaxing-er.....and an ok price. and next time, i'll bring ketchup. 

NAME**
near aljunied MRT


** i have no idea what the hell this restaurant was called.  it was on street with a large brunch sign in the window. and lots of weird references to mickey dolenz of the monkees. if i ever return i will pay closer attention.  in the meantime, if anyone can tell me the name, i'll send you... something. :)

** update:  laura lives down the street from this place.  sadly, like davy jones the cutest monkey of the monkees, this restaurant is no more. :(

breko...blah-ko

our very first meeting of the 'brunch club'.  me, claire and laura met up at the new holland village mrt station and wandered into holland village looking for breko cafe.  and we walked right past it.  it's name was on the awning that we were walking under.  no worries.  we turned around and found it, eventually.

we hadn't made a reservation, being new at this brunch thing.  and it was pretty busy on a sunday morning at 11 am.  especially a sunday morning before a big aussie rugby game.  but we scored one of the tables upstairs with the couches with strict orders that we be out by 1:00. fair enough.

so the ambiance was cool.  aussie-wannabe, with odd little non-aussie touches.  the fans kept the place from sweltering.  i overheard a man complaining to one of the wait staff upon entering of the lack of real breakfast choices. he merely wanted yogurt and muesli.  and at the time, i wasn't fussed.  because i wanted a real brunch.  not just yogurt and muesli.


but when the menu came, i understood his frustration.  it was a weird menu.  with somethings that were close to what i was craving, but not really.  claire is a massive eggs benedict connoisseur, but there was no eggs benedict because there were no english muffins.  however, the wait staff suggested she could have it on toast.

laura ordered pancakes.  can't go wrong there.

and i ordered....  damn.  what the hell was i going to order? it was all eggs and meat or really nothing.  i can usually get the chef to combine an order of hash browns with the vegetables from an omelette.  but there were no vegetable omelettes on the menu.  really no vegetables.  serious.  not even in the sides.

so i eventually ordered a side of mushrooms and a side of home fries.  yep.  and english breakfast tea and a mango ice.

huh.  the food was rather fast.  and somewhat together.  although laura's pancakes had a fried egg on top.  and clarie's eggs were cold.  and my sides were bizarre.  yep. i had a basket of fries and a massive bowl of fried mushrooms.  and the mango ice was essentially a mango popsicle in soda water, so i guess when it melts the flavour accentuates the soda water.  huh.

yeah. it was... um.. ok.  the conversation was excellent.  even though there was a giant t.v over my head that turned on around 12:30 for pre-match coverage and a group of aussie blokes converged, rather loudly around our small little couched haven.

and the funniest thing was the bill.  both laura and claire's meals came as sets.  so their tea or coffee and juice was included.  mine however was not a set.  so i had basically a crap meal. and while their meal came out to just under $7.00 each, i had to pay separately for home fries, mushrooms, mango ice thing, and tea.  two cups of tea.  my meal came to just under $30.00.  awesome.

so............. i am giving breko cafe 3 stars.  its an ok place for ok food.  a cool place i think to hang out.  its relaxed and comfortable. and a good location. but come on.. would a few vegetables kill ya?

breko cafe  
38 lorong mambong, holland village
http://www.brekocafe.com