SmokeShack Roast of the Day, S$10.90

Ok, perhaps, that was an overly bold statement to make for a first visit. But the two subs we shared were really delish.

Smoke Shack is different from other sandwich shops in that they smoke their own meats. Here, you get freshly smoked ham, smoked bacon, smoked lamb, smoked duck…you get the idea.

What a gorgeous hunk!

Now, I’m not a big fan of beef, but the roast beef sandwich really blew my socks off! The star of this mega production was undoubtedly the gorgeously pink slices of tender, juicy bovine flesh, accompanied by a competent supporting cast of ciabatta, sauteed onion, herb butter, lettuce, and tomato.

If I remember correctly, the SmokeShack Roast of the Day is available only on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Smoked Duck, Blue Cheese & Apple, S$7.90

Sandwich Number 2 wasn’t quite as mind-blowing, but I just had to get it cos me loves smoked duck!

Initially, I was apprehensive of the blue cheese, cos I’m not a fan of pungent cheeses. Fortunately, the entire ensemble was a harmonious blend of textures and sweet, salty flavors. The caramelized apple could have been more caramelized, but that’s just a minor nit-pick.

Well, I’ll definitely be back to try the rest of Smoke Shack’s New York-style sandwiches, which are a rarity here in Singapore. They’ve got Big Apple classics like Reuben (rye bread, corned beef, sauerkraut) and New Yorker (rye bread, pastrami, cheese, coleslaw). The Montivideo (steak, ham, bacon, roasted peppers, mozzarella) looks enticing too.

Most customers pack their sandwiches to go, as it’s a really tiny shop with cramped seating, so come early if you wanna eat in.

Smoke Shack
146 Market Street
#01-33 Market Street Carpark
Singapore 048945
Tel: +65 6557 2214

Mon–Fri: 10.30am to 7.30pm
Delivery available within CBD
Click on this link for their menu

Today’s breakfast received a BIG thumbs-up from hubby!

The secret to a delicious otah sandwich is to use good quality ingredients.

1. Start with premium bread. Here, I used Queen Bread (S$4.00 per loaf) from Sun Moulin Bakery at B1 of Isetan Scotts.
2. Get good otah. These were from Lee Wee & Brothers at B1 of TANGS Orchard. I prefer banana leaf otah (S$1.10 each) cos it’s more shiok!
3. Instead of butter, I smeared the bread with mayo and added romaine lettuce for a refreshing touch.
4. Trim off the crust, slice sandwich in half, and voila! A yummy otah sandwich is ready! So easy to make, right?

3-tier afternoon tea set, S$38

Anyway, prior to that, we both had a somewhat trying time (work + family issues). So we said, hey, why not splurge a bit and reward ourselves? And what’s more indulgent than leisurely afternoon tea at the glitzy Ritz?

On weekdays, Chihuly Lounge at the Ritz Carlton serves traditional afternoon tea (S$36.00++ per set). It’s presented in an elegant, gilded 3-tiered tray stand. Each set has 12 pieces of dainty savouries and pastries (the tray above holds 2 sets of afternoon tea).

What's afternoon tea without tea?

You get to choose from a variety of gourmet teas. Tea is free-flow, and you can opt for another blend after finishing a pot. Alternatively, there’s coffee. Camemberu and I tried three different kinds of tea: vanilla, Earl Grey, and jasmine.

Condiments for tea: lemon wedge, heart-shaped sugars, cream

Look at the elegant table setting! It’s a bit hard to see, but the sugar (white and raw) cubes are heart-shaped. They are, literally, little sweethearts!

Mini pots of Hediard honey and jams

More luxury, in the form of Hediard honey and jams (strawberry, apricot, marmalade). The jams were delicious!

Top tier

We couldn’t wait to start on the food! The selection is probably rotated day-to-day. The top tier was sandwiches. From foreground:

1. Egg mayo on herbed roll — Egg mayo sounds plebeian, but a sprinkle of caviar gave it a touch of aristocracy. The soft, aromatic bread roll was also lovely.
2. Pastrami with tomato on tomato bun — We weren’t expecting an explosion of intense flavors from the tomato! It was possibly marinated or roasted tomato. Immensely juicy, and went very well with the pastrami. My fav of the three!
3. Smoked salmon & roe on brioche — Can’t go wrong with smoked salmon. Loved how the roe “popped” and released their briny sweetness in the mouth.

Smoked salmon & roe on brioche

These mini sandwiches were rather ordinary. But they tasted extra good with the use of premium quality ingredients. The fresh, artisan breads made a big difference as well.

Middle tier

Second tier wasn’t as impressive. From left: raisin scones (would have tasted better if warm), crab croquette (rich with crabmeat, but didn’t quite like the mushy interior), chicken wrap with cream cheese & fresh fig (ok), and potato truffle tart (also ok).

Bottom tier

The mini pastries (from foreground): coffee mille feuille, lemon custard tart, chocolate cake, and cheesecake.

When we tasted the lemon custard tart, both Camemberu and I wondered out loud, “Eh, it smells like salted egg yolk!” How strange!

Actually, the tart was my favorite item cos of the tangy custard and buttery crust. But that salted egg yolk scent was still surreal!

Mini cheesecake

Perhaps we were expecting to be blown away, but the sweets were just alright. Definitely more than decent, but not wow.

We thought the dainty morsels wouldn’t fill us up, but surprising, they did. Guess three pots of tea helped too.

It was indeed a very relaxing and indulgent afternoon. Chihuly Lounge is spacious and airy, with tall windows and lush greenery outside. The decor is classy, but feels cozy. I especially enjoyed the soft sunlight streaming in through the glass roof.

Service was excellent as well. The wait staff refilled our tea cups frequently, always attentive but never intrusive.

This was certainly a very extravagant outing. If you consider just the food, it might seem overpriced. But if you take into account all the details that make up the whole experience, it was absolutely worth it. Well, at least it was for us. We had a fabulous time!

Any suggestions where should we go for our next tai-tai outing?

Chihuly Lounge
The Ritz Carlton, Millenia Singapore
7 Raffles Avenue
Singapore 039799
Tel: (65) 6434 5288, 6337 8888 (main line)
URL: http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Singapore/Default.htm

Daily: 9.30am – 1.30am
Traditional afternoon tea is served Mon to Fri: 2.30pm – 5pm
Weekend afternoon tea buffet is served on Sat & Sun: 2.30pm – 5pm

Crunchy peanut butter + golden honey = yummy!

“Can we have a simple breakfast tomorrow, say plain bread with some kind of spread?” requested hubby yesterday. Heh, I think he’s getting a bit scared of my breakfast experiments.

Actually, Rick can happily eat bread for breakfast everyday. But not me! I prefer Asian breakfasts. How shall I convince him that porridge/congee is a delicious breakfast option? Hmm……

Crispy pork floss sandwiched between two slices of Gardenia white bread.

This is a quick and tasty breakfast sandwich. Just butter two slices of white sandwich bread, spread crispy pork floss generously over one slice, and cover with the other.

In case you’re wondering, I bought the pork floss from Bee Cheng Hiang (S$5.00 for a 100g pack).

They have several variations. I prefer the mildly crispy kind, which is in-between the traditional non-crispy pork floss and a super crispy one. I think the non-crispy type has a boring texture, whereas the super crispy one is too hard, hence more suitable for snacking.

Isn't Frostee an ice cream?

BTW, I’m still scratching my head over this weird product name. Krispee Frostee?? What has Frostee got to do with pork floss?

Eat fresh!

I remember that when Subway first started out in Singapore, it was met with cool reception. Firstly, we were more into rice and noodles rather than sandwiches. Secondly, who would want to pay 5 bucks for just a sandwich when we could have a full meal (main course + beverage) at the hawker centre or foodcourt for less? Even if people were willing to shell out that kind of money, we’d rather go for fast food, something we’re more familiar with.

A few years down the road, we now see Subway outlets mushrooming across the island. Reasons for this surge in popularity are:

1. Evolving tastebuds;
2. Change in lifestyle – people are more health-conscious, so Subway’s veggie-loaded sandwiches are a healthier option over fast food and hawker/foodcourt food;
3. Increase in prices of fast food and hawker/foodcourt food, plus cheaper meal deals for Subway, make Subway more attractively priced now.

Oven-roasted chicken breast 6" meal, S$6.50

Ok, boring thesis over! When it comes to Subway, hubby and I have the same preference. Funnily, our favorite is one of the cheapest items. Our default order: Cold Cut Trio, Italian bread, all veggies except green chilli and olive, honey mustard+sweet onion+mayo, and briefly warmed in the oven, thanks!

This time, we decided to be more adventurous and try their new value sets. Each meal comes with a 6-inch sandwich, 22oz drink, and two cookies or bag of chips.

The chicken breast wasn’t dry and stringy as I’d feared; actually it was quite moist and tender. The whole thing reminds me of Burger King’s Chicken Whopper.

Ham 6" meal, S$5.90

No surprises on the ham sandwich. Actually, it was very boring, and I wouldn’t order it again. Cold Cut Trio, with its mix of bologna, ham, and salami (even though they’re all turkey), is so much nicer!

Not as much veggies as I prefer

Maybe it was an off-day for this outlet, for our sandwich wasn’t totally satisfactory. The bread was a bit too dry, there was very little lettuce, the veggies weren’t as fresh as usual, and the sub seemed hastily assembled. They ran out of cookies too; only oatmeal raisin was available. I remember having better assembled subs at The Amara and Raffles City outlets. Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed differing standards among the outlets?

Subway (Harbourfront Centre branch)
#02-82 Harbourfront Centre
No. 1 Maritime Square
Singapore 099253
Tel: (65) 6270 4929
URL: www.subway.com.sg

Mon-Sat: 8am to 10pm
Sun & public holidays: 9am to 10pm

Ham & cheese on walnut raisin, S$7.20.

If I had to choose between rice or bread, it’s definitely rice. Yes, I’m a rice person. I get withdrawal symptoms from going without rice for more than two consecutive days!

Yet, after an unplanned visit to Freshly Baked, I found myself thinking of nothing but bread. Grabbing a late lunch, I’d expected nothing extraordinary out of a simple BLT on wholemeal bread.

But Freshly Baked’s wholemeal bread simply blew me away! Soft, fluffy, light, and so incredibly delicious that I kept pinching myself, “How is this possible? It’s nothing like the rough, stodgy wholemeal bread I’ve hated all my life!”

Freshly Baked by Le Bijoux is the baby of Chef Audrey Tan, who, in her own words, is a baker not much into style but more into substance. A woman after my own heart, indeed! No wonder I instantly felt so at home in her cosy, down-to-earth deli-bakery.

Seeing me so greedily enthusiastically enjoying my sandwich and taking photos, Audrey generously brought out samples of other breads for me to try.

One of her top-sellers, the walnut raisin loaf is soft and chewy, and neither too light nor too dense. Audrey says that she blends some of the raisins before adding them to the bread dough. No wonder each bite is bursting with flavor! It tastes like something Mom would make (if Mom could bake!).

Freshly baked ciabatta.

The airy ciabatta is another winner. It goes with just about anything!

Freshly baked baguette.

I can just imagine dipping slices of the crusty baguette into chicken curry. Yums!

Freshly baked dark rye bread with dried fig & cranberry.

Now, I usually shun rye bread because it tends to be heavy, but Audrey’s lighter version has converted me into a fan! Love, love, love the addition of dried figs!

Good enough to eat on their own, I was truly impressed by Audrey’s stunning breads. Made without any preservatives, they only have a shelf-life of 2 to 3 days. No worries! They won’t survive that long on my kitchen table anyway!

At lunch-time, the sandwiches are very popular. They aren’t that fancy, but consistently fresh and wholesome! Bestsellers are the BLT (bacon, lettuce, tomato), ham and cheese, smoked salmon, and corned beef.

I thought pairing savory shaved ham and Emmenthal cheese with the sweet walnut raisin loaf (see the 1st pic) was a stroke of genius! The unexpected addition of creamy avocado in the BLT (S$6.90) worked too!

Soups are also available ala carte or as part of a soup+sandwich+drink set, but personally, I’d rather skip the soup and pick a dessert! Hmm, no, make that two!

Freshly baked cakes.

Reflecting her personality, her cakes aren’t fanciful, colorful creations, but classic favs like tiramisu, apple crumble, and black forest chocolate Swiss roll.

Crunchy salted caramel choc tart, S$4.50.

This is a must-try! Although I’d prefer the tart crust to be thinner and more buttery, the salted caramel and chocolate filling was divine! Smooth and well-rounded flavors without being too sweet or jelak (cloying).

Cross-section of tart.

Forgive my clumsy cutting skill; I mangled the poor tart! The crunchy part of the tart comes from the delectable Valrhona chocolate balls. It was so fun munching on the crisp chocolate balls as they went pop! pop! pop! in the mouth!

Macaron, S$1.50.

Now, I’m not the best person to judge macarons, but the raspberry (purple) macaron I tried seemed like the real deal. It was crisp when I bit into it, but pleasantly chewy inside. The whole thing wasn’t too sweet, but there wasn’t much flavor either.

Chocolate banana crumble muffin, S$1.80.

This is basically a chocolate muffin, but embedded with slices of banana and topped with crumble for extra texture!

Marble cake.

I was also happy to see old-fashioned butter cakes like marble cake and sugee cake! Haven’t tried this yet! Next time!

Donuts.

The mini donuts looked so adorable I couldn’t resist stealing a shot!

Almond cranberry financiers.

This is another item I wanna try next time.

Oatmeal raisin cookies.

Ooh, is anyone thinking of cookies with ice-cold milk? I am!

Phew, going through these images, I realize there’s actually a mind-boggling variety of breads, cakes, and cookies churned out at Fr

eshly Baked. In fact, there are other items I didn’t shoot, as well as others that are rotated daily.

“Bijoux” means jewels in French. Yes, I’m already planning my next visit to discover what other gems there are at Freshly Baked!

Freshly Baked by Le Bijoux
57 Killiney Road
Singapore 239520
Tel: (65) 6735 3298
URL: www.freshlybaked.com.sg

Mon-Fri: 8am to 8pm
Sat: 8am to 6pm
Sun: Closed

The next thing I like is their mission. No, their mission isn’t milking the money out of customers, but rather, giving back to the community. A business with a heart. I like!

Another thing I like is they charge you S$0 for plain water. Indeed, one of their philosophies is “We don’t like being told to pay for plain water”. How refreshing in an increasingly “sorry we don’t serve water” trend!

Slow roasted pulled pork sandwich with soup of the day (S$8.90).

Great first impressions, but what about the food? At first glance, it’s a small selection of Western sandwiches, soups, salads, and desserts, but upon closer inspection, there’s a lot of local influences like the braised pork belly sandwich, obviously inspired by the Hokkien kong bak pau.

A less sinful alternative would be the pulled pork sandwich (picture above). Lovely torn slivers of tender pork shoulder dressed in sweet-savoury barbeque sauce. The menu says it comes with “slices of sweet potato”, but there were only two small knobs of it. The baby spinach leaves were also missing. Could it be that the 1/2 portioned sandwich in the combo set is a watered-down version?

The soup of the day, onion potato chowder (I think), was scrumptious to the last drop. Lovely balance between chunky and smooth, it was naturally sweet-tasting with bits of crumbly potato. Loved every bit of it! Also saw a huge pile of freshly sliced shitake mushrooms being prepped for the house soup. I’m making a mental note to try that next time.

Basil pesto chicken sandwich with Chinese Caesar salad (S$8.90).

More Asian elements in the Caesar salad, like the soy-sauce braised soft boiled egg, fried ikan bilis (anchovies) and peanuts, and sesame soy sauce dressing. Loved the quivery center of the eggs, but the dressing didn’t quite work for me.

The chicken sandwich was also a bit of a hit and miss. The grilled aubergine and chicken slices were rather bland, but the basil pesto pleasantly fragrant.

Dense durian mousse cake (S$6.00).

Many of Food For Thought’s cakes are supplied by talented home bakers, such as the dense durian cake. Indeed, it tasted very homey. No artificial smell of durian essence, just a naturally light whiff of fragrance from the durian pulp. The sponge was delightfully light. Just wished the layers of durian fresh cream had been thicker.

Though not outstanding, the food we had was creative, fresh-tasting, and reasonably priced. There’s also a great vibe here, no doubt from the happy, smiling staff. If I’m in the area, I’ll drop in to show my support for this charming, little diner.

Food For Thought
420 North Bridge Road
North Bridge Centre
#01-06
Singapore 188727
Tel: (65) 6338 8724
URL: http://www.foodforthought.com.sg/