It was only a matter of time before our Sunday brunch group broke from the main island and ventured over to the Disneyland-like island of Sentosa. I was apprehensive at first. The island is almost too planned and organized, meaning there’s little to be found or discovered. Plus with the cost of rent on the island I’m sure there’s never going to be an undiscovered hole in the wall serving up great food at amazing prices. We decided to set aside our cynical nature and answer one question – could we find good value on the island (factoring in extra travel costs, entrance to island fees, etc)? Surprisingly we did.

Braise was a bit hard to find… or maybe that was just our horrible Comfort Cab driver (don’t get me started on these guys lately). After driving around for 45 minutes or so and actually calling the restaurant 3 different times we managed to be dropped off near the restaurant and had to walk about 5 minutes in the rain to the restaurant. To be perfectly honest this had set me back and I worried if the restaurant could possibly please at this point.

Braise shares it’s location with Silkroad and is located on the second floor. We stepped inside to find a simple, modern space. The architecture featured walls of glass with tables and benches in white, giving an open, bright feeling to the dining area.

As I looked over the menu my spirits began to lift a bit. Braise offers a combo buffet / meal. The menu is divided up into courses with the first course of Entrees all you can eat. Dishes off the Entree menu varied and came out in large portions for the table to share. Dishes included a lovely Caesar Salad (lots of crispy bacon here surprised me… I’m normally not a Caesar Salad fan).

Pan Fried Crab Cakes with Curry Aioli

Spanish Olive and Parma Ham

Soup of the Day

Charmoula Squid

Crispy Soft Shell Crab with Orange-Ginger Dressing. This dish was a slight miss. The soft shell crab wasn’t crispy… probably had been waiting to come out for a bit and was a bit mushy in texture (not in a good soft shell crab way).

And a Pan Seared Foie Gras with Carmalized Banana and Chocolate Sauce (you only get one of these, which is honestly enough as the banana combined with the foie gras is actually a bit heavy and rich together and lacks anything acidic to cut the fattiness of the foie gras).

Once you’ve decided you’ve had your fill of the Entrees, you move on to either Eggs or Pancakes. You can choose to have your eggs done in a number of styles including Benedict, Scrambled, Fried, or Crispy with Sausage, Bacon, or Cured Salmon. The sides actually come out for all to share and enjoy and are again refillable.

Everyone who ordered pancakes had theirs come out a bit burned. To be fair, they didn’t taste as burned as they look in these photos and were actually quite light and fresh tasting… with just a hint of char.

After breakfast its time to move on to the mains. There’s a nice selection of dishes going from seafood to beef, though nothing for vegetarians. Those at the table who ordered the Sauteed Black Pepper Slipper Lobster with Angel Hair all seemed to enjoy their dish more than anyone else.

The Roast of the Day that day was a Wagyu steak. I was excited to eat it until it came out. I like medium rare to rare steaks but this one came out looking a bit odd and had an almost tartar like texture. It was decent, but not what it could have been.

There was also an Oven-Baked Codfish with Tapenade Crust & Mustard Beurre Blanc

Duck Leg Confit with Gratin Potato & Orange Sauce

As if all that food wasn’t enough, after the Mains it’s time for desserts. There are standard dessert fairs including a lovely Chocolate Lava Cake with Coffee Ice Cream.

Classic Tiramisu

and a nice change of pace with a Cheese Selection from a Trolley. Careful, this isn’t a playing it safe cheese menu and features some truly stinky cheeses (to the delight of Dutch friend).

All of this totals out at only 68++ per person if you’re opting only for mixed drinks and juices. For 118++ you can make it a boozy brunch with a free flow of Diebolt Vallois Champagne. It was a great Sunday brunch, despite our initial troubles finding the spot and longer than normal travel times coming to the island. It was a joy to sit and dine, watching Singaporeans frolic on the beach or playing net ball. The staff was courteous and attentive without being overbearing, allowing us to dine at a leisurely pace. I’d recommend it as a brunch destination, particularly with larger groups.

Braise
60 Palawan Beach Walk
Level 2 Sentosa, Singapore, Singapore
+65 6271 1929

Our normal breakfast group was a bit thin this week… which was unfortunate for those who couldn’t make it because it was a highly enjoyable meal / experience. Sunday brunch at Graze is something we’ll be returning to enjoy soon.

Graze is located way out (for us) in the Rochester Park area of Singapore. The drive doesn’t take that long and you’re rewarded with a peaceful and serene outdoor dining area. I called ahead to make reservations earlier in the week (recommended) and was given a choice of outdoor or indoor seating. I asked the hostess which she thought was better and she suggested outdoor. I’m glad she did as it’s very pleasant outside (it’s covered so don’t worry about rain interruptions).

We’ve been to a few brunch spots and I’ve had difficulty with the menus because sometimes nothing really sounds good to me at the time. Graze was different in that I wanted just about everything on the menu. Unfortunately there were only four of us so we were limited a bit in our sampling of the menu.

We started with very smooth and creamy cappuccinos and complimentary toast (come before 12 to order breakfast / brunch).

I led the way with my usual – a burger. I have a soft spot for fried eggs on burgers so couldn’t pass this one up (sadly no pineapple). The meat was good, but fell apart a bit…something I don’t actually mind so much as I can at least be assured it’s not a pre-fab patty .

Joe also picked his usual, Eggs Benedict. They’re offered two ways – Classic or Salmon with Smoked Spinach. Joe’s a classic guy and his tastes were rewarded with this selection. Among the best he’s had in Singapore so far.

Kalpana went a bit off the path of the tried and true breakfast assortment, selecting the Avocado and Tomato on Grain Toast with Olive Oil and Rocket Salad. The Avocado came in amazing, large, green chunks…would love to have a guacamole from this place.

She also ordered the Eggs on Request and asked them to be filled with chillis. The dish tasted good, but looked a bit odd in presentation.

Joanna went all in, ordering the Cast Iron Pan – Bratworst, Smoked Bacon, Mushroom, Tomato, Country Potato, Fried Egg, Baked Beans, and Plum Chili Salsa. It was a sight to behold, but unfortunately suffered slightly from the pan. Obviously not all the dishes are cooked to order in the pan, but once dropped some can get a little over-browned / pver-cooked on the bottom.

We should have ordered the Dessert Sampler as so many of them sounded great, but instead ordered separately. Joe and I both went for the chocolate creme brulee with honeycomb ice cream. It was super rich with a dense pudding texture …. not a creme brulee, but good

Joanna ordered the Green Apple, Roasted Pinneapple, and Sour Cherry Crumble with Bourbon Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. It was good, but the ice cream didn’t taste like Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and was very close to the “honeycomb” ice cream.

All in all Graze is a highly recommended brunch spot for us. I could see Epicurious being a more visited location for us, with Graze being more of a special treat kind of place (prices are a bit higher). The setting is perfect for a comfy Sunday afternoon, lazily enjoying a hearty breakfast. Service can be a bit slow, so come prepared for that and you’ll enjoy your time there.

Also of note is the Sunday BBQ. Starting at noon you can order off a special Sunday BBQ menu that looks amazing. We will definitely be going back to try this out. The mashed potatoes, corn on cob, and meat dishes coming out of the kitchen to the late comers looked incredible….so look for that review soon.

Anyone else have an experience with Graze?

Graze
Address 4 Rochester Park
Open Sun 9.30am-3pm Tue-Sun 6.30pm-1am
Telephone 6775 9000

Hey all,
Our first visit to Time Out’s breakfast of the year, Epicurious, left us feeling slightly frustrated. After a couple months of sampling other breakfast options around town, the timing seemed right to venture back and see if possibly our expectations were too high before, it was a bad day, someone was sick etc…

I have to say, short of one recurring mistake, this time Epicurious was completely redeemed.

This time we went with the breakfast gang so more dishes were ordered and sampled. I think Epicurious is made for this kind of breakfast. If you’re busy talking with friends, joking, laughing enjoying the early morning breeze…the timing of the food is perfect.

Service was notably better this time around as well. Our servers filled our water bottle probably 15 times during the meal, remembered everyone’s orders and placement, and were really on top of things. This was almost a complete 180 from our first visit.

Joe, our “eggs benedict guy”, ordered up his usual….finally an eggs benedict actually served on an english muffin! According to Joe these were the best he’s had in Singapore, and good for him, they’re also about 10-15 SGD less than the other offerings.

Kalpana had the smoked salmon. Good flavor, but if you’re not a huge fan of capers you might steer clear of this one as the flavor can be a bit intense if you’re not expecting the salty punch these little guys carry.

I went with the burrito again. Don’t know why I didn’t venture out. It was the same as last time…not great, but not bad in any way as well. I still wish they’d use a spicier chorizo and have more chunks throughout the burrito….also maybe a zesty cheese in there as well. But then again, I lived in Santa Fe for three years eating green chilli enchiladas for breakfast, green chili cheeseburgers, and even green chili fettuccini Alfredo (won’t be repeating that one)… so maybe my Latin food cravings don’t represent most folks tastes.

Lyan ordered the baked eggs and toast soldiers. The taste of the eggs was good, but the toast soldiers were basically hunks of bread.. Lyan felt a bit let down…he really wanted little soldier formed out of bread

I can’t remember who ordered the pancakes, but they were fluffy and fresh. I think the next time I go I’ll be ordering these guys. They just look like the perfect start to a Sunday.

The only downside to the breakfast was once again the Hobb’s Choice. Surely lightning wouldn’t strike twice…it did. But less so this time. The eggs came out runny the first time. The server promptly took the plate back and within a few short minutes Joanna had perfectly cooked eggs (she prefers fried but not runny).

Coffees, OJ, and Teas were all fresh and fast. The serving of tea comes in a tea press which is a nice touch.

We ordered desserts of brownies and ice creams and various other menu items, but by this point the conversation was rolling, jokes flying across the table, bellies full, cravings for afternoon naps creeping up on us…I just didn’t have it in me to take any more pictures (or maybe I just forgot, but the above sounds better I think).

In the end we left the restaurant full, happy, and with remarkably thicker wallets than from other brunch places. After starter drinks, mains, desserts, finishing coffees, etc we still only came out to about 30 SGD a head. That’s a pretty remarkable deal in Singapore now that we’ve seen some of the other options out there.

Epicurious
#01-02 The Quayside
60 Robertson Quay
Singapore 238252
Telephone:  +65 6734 7720

Note: Breakfast starts at 9am Saturday and Sunday. No reservations for weekend breakfast.

I left not as excited. Part of this was expectations based off the nightclub and, I hate to say it, part of this came down to poor execution.

The location near a horse ranch and farm is ideal. The road leading up to the restaurant is lined with tall trees and lush greenery, hiding the city skyline from view. The large white building looks like an old plantation house. There’s seating indoors and outside under fans surrounded by the landscaping. So far a perfect brunch place….

We took our seats inside, anticipating a quality, enjoyable Sunday brunch afternoon… and then we were greeted by the clown, making balloon animals. Our group was the first on the scene inside, and with no other tables to impress, the ladies of our table were treated to well-made (though slightly misplaced for our group) balloon jewelry. I was presented with a balloon rifle – I have to admit it kept me entertained much longer than it should have

We quickly realized that the Sunday brunch would not be bringing in the same crowd as the Friday nightclub. As we waited for the rest of our group to arrive, the building quickly filled with families… lots of families and lots of kids. Certainly not a bad thing in itself, but something you should be aware of if brunching after a solid Saturday night out or when looking for a peaceful, slower paced brunch option.

We ordered coffees and mains. There were many good brunch and full menu items on the menu so selection was difficult for a few of us (don’t worry we’ll be narrowing the list down for you in just a bit). The coffees arrived and the servers were clueless as to who the coffees went to, even with us raising our hands to motion the coffee over. The female head waitor stepped in and cleared the confusion, but it was obvious some of the staff here needs a bit more training. I wouldn’t complain if we were dining at California Pizza Kitchen, but with some dishes topping out at 30 SGD (plus 10 & 7 %) I expect everything on point. There was a large group celebrating outside and some large 15+ tops inside so I’ll give them a slight pass on service, but will say the coffee and main ordering processes were already a bit off when it was just our group inside. The White Rabbit is widely criticized online for their service, but it completely blew this place away (maybe they swapped servers?)

Some of the food came out very quickly. The first on the scene was Lemon Hotcakes (14SGD). They looked vibrant and fresh on the plate. Thankfully the hotcakes themselves weren’t infused with lemon, but it was actually the whipped cream topping on the side that had an essence of lemon. Actually a solid menu item and a good value price wise.

Next out were the salads. Caroline ordered the Seared Tuna Salad (21 SGD). The plate was colorful and fresh. Caroline said it was a very decent salad.

Kalpana opted for the Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken (19 SGD). Unfortunately she wasn’t so lucky. Her exact words were, “I had the Chicken Caesar from Carl’s Jr earlier this week and it was better.”

I went with the Mini Mimolette Wagyu Burgers (28 SGD). Burgers were just barely OK. The texture and flavor reminded me more of a sloppy joe than a quality burger (PS Cafe). The fries, however stole the show and everyone enjoyed them a lot (can be ordered as a heaping side plate for 10 SGD). The dish as a whole was easily the worst value of the afternoon.

Monica went with the Toasted Sesame Honey Chicken Sandwich (18 SGD) and was equally unimpressed. I think she maybe ate 1/3 of it before giving up and deciding to hold out for dessert. It sounded really lovely on the menu, but the dish served to us didn’t resemble the description at all.

Next out was Joanna’s Croque Madame (18 SGD). It featured layers and layers of ham coated in cheese… she gave it points for being rich and satisfying overall, but subtracted points because it was basic and simple in flavor – and not a traditional rendition of a Croque Madame.

Joe’s eyes lit up when he saw Joanna’s plate arrive at the table. They quickly sank like a dog watching his master leave in a fully packed car as his plate was lowered to the table in front of him. Joe is our “Eggs Benedict” guy. He’s ordered them at every place we’ve visited so far… and these were the worst. According to Joe the ham was most likely packaged at best and probably processed, the hollandaise was crusty on top and separating, and the overall plating lacked imagination and precision.

Lyon ordered the Farmer’s Breakfast (20 SGD). He said it was a good “diner breakfast”. On the menu it sounded like lots of food, ordering he realized he had read to hastily and didn’t realize all the options were choices not all included. At Irish Pubs farmer’s breakfasts are usually massive ordeals that cause one’s heart to flutter upon finishing due to the amounts of food…this one was sparse and lacked quality ingredients.

Some of us were satisfied and ended the meal with another coffee. Remember when I said Monica was the least satisfied and thought she’d treat herself instead to a dessert? She discovered there was no real dessert menu for brunch. You could order the hotcakes or from an assortment of cupcakes, muffins, etc. So she went for the chocolate cupcake… only to again be disappointed. “Super Dry” was all she had to say

All in all it was a bit of a let-down. I’m sorry the review is a bit negative…but sadly I’ve restrained myself a bit and tried to find a few nice things to say throughout. There were a couple dishes that were decent and a few that were failures. The environment was well-suited to a Sunday family outing or brunch for those in the area. The fries were heads and shoulders better than the “famous Barracks fries”. But considering the long cab ride to the location from where we live, the prices, and the quality of the foods served – we won’t be returning soon (unless it’s to dance some late Friday night).

Mimolette
55 Fairways Drive
Phone: 6467 7748

Another week, another brunch.

After having driven past the building for months, we finally succumbed to siren song of the large converted church – The White Rabbit on Dempsey Hill. Could The White Rabbit possibly live up to the hype of the location, setting, menu, and slightly pretentious website?

The White Rabbit is located in the Dempsey Hill area in an old converted church building. I thought it was only fitting to change up the usual review style to reflect this

The 10 Commandments of The White Rabbit:

Thou shall not take pictures of the interior.

They have a neat interior for sure…but nothing that out of the ordinary. For some reason they have a no photography stance when it comes to the building which is a shame because I’d love to have made them look better online

Thou shall start with a coffee and not a mixed drink.

The cappuccino was stellar, but after we made the unfortunate decision to spice up breakfast with a brunch favorite – the Bloody Mary. Unfortunately the Bloody Mary was surprisingly bad and not at all authentic…. they should describe it to say it is Bloody Mary-inspired as it is not a true rendition. Very disappointing for a Bloody Mary lover – Celery was brown and the drink overall was sweet and sugary. Bloody Mary is a savory drink guys, not a dessert. It looked pretty though

Thou shall order a salad to begin.

All the salads were fresh and featured solid ingredients. They were inventive and not too traditional… a minor quibble but the Spinach salad could have benefited from more crunch of some kind but was still enjoyable.

Thou shall partake in the breaking of bread with friends.

A nice touch before the meal is that the server come by with a selection of fresh rolls. Not just one variety is offered but you’re given a choice and all were tasty.

Thou shall not covet thy neighbors breakfast.

Some of us (Kalpana) made a better selection when it came time for mains. Her plate was full of color and creativity and made us all wish we had ordered the salmon as well. Joe and I both went for Eggs Benedict. They weren’t traditional but not bad either. On the menu they sounded like we were getting more though.

Thou shall not commit the sin of mediocrity in macaroni and cheese.

I really believe that Joanna chose this place solely on the hopes of the mac and cheese. It sounded great and is a signature item on the menu for some online reviewers. According to Joanna however, “the mac and cheese was good, not great… the truffles had very little flavor which is surprising because truffles inherently are supposed to be powerful. I can make a 100% better version at home which is sad, because when I dine out I like the level of performance to be higher than my own. Or said another way, why should I order something out that I can easily make better at home?”

Thou should really try the Baked Alaska.

Joe was the envy of the table with this selection. The Baked Alaska was a great dessert. Not at all the flavors I expected from the description and the looks of the outside. I expected it to be more like a meringue and it was anything but inside. Very nice dessert.

Thou shall not drink of the grape soda.

The Bloody Mary wasn’t good, but that was down a lot to expectations on our part (maybe not completely even if it were presented another way I still wouldn’t have enjoyed it). The one true failure of the meal was the added Grape Soda with the Peanut Butter Tart. I asked the waitress what was up with the Grape Soda before ordering as I wasn’t sure if it was inside or on the side of the dessert. She said it was a little side drink to balance out the richness of the fudge or something to that extent. To quote Top Chef again – we had just watched an episode where Tom C was railing on the trend of tiny drinks with desserts… calling them unnecessary. This tiny drink actually detracted from the overall dish and offered nothing redeeming and in fact pulled the rest of the plate down. Joe said it was probably dishwater and I kind of think he’s right.

Thou shall be patient with thy wait staff.

Multiple online reviews give this place bad marks for service. We were actually surprised, maybe since expectations were low, but I found the service as good if not better than most Singapore brunch locations… particularly the others on Dempsey. I only note it here because it’s something consistently stated online… but maybe they took the criticisms to heart and re-trained staff? Our service was courteous and prompt without overwhelming us.

Thou shall make a reservation.

As with all hot brunch spots in Singapore, make a reservation to ensure you get a spot and don’t have to wait.

To me The White Rabbit suffers a bit from the setup. I recently finished watching Top Chef Season 4 (last time I bring it up, promise) and during the “restaurant wars challenge” one of the judges made a good observation that when a restaurant sets the bar high diners walk in expecting to be blown away. The setting, menus, website, and prices say this is going to be an elevated experience. This is good and bad as you’ll see from reviews online. I think these days people will go in with a critical mindset because they’re expecting lots and the prices match. If prices were a few dollars lower, the interior were somehow relaxed a bit, and service was always as good as we experienced (maybe a bit speedier) The White Rabbit would have a waiting list and be a premier brunch location.

The parts of our meal that went off well, went off really well. The parts that didn’t were at best not worthy of the price and in the case of the Grape Soda (granted a small part of the dessert) were truly terrible. I’d recommend anyone go once. It’s up to you if you want to venture down the rabbit hole again after that

The White Rabbit
39C Harding Rd
Singapore, 249541, Singapore
+65 6473 9965

Located a bit outside the more populated sections of Dempsey Hill, PS Cafe feels remote in it’s lush natural surroundings. Thankfully the setting is calm and relaxing because our meal there took quite a bit of time.

Part of that was on us. We came to a restaurant with a solid reputation for Sat/Sun brunches at a peak brunch time, but still… without reservation we had a 45 minute wait for a table (quoted 30). That wasn’t so bad, what was bad was the overall service. We had to wait another 15 minutes or so to order. During our wait for the table we had all but memorized the menu, so could have ordered as soon as we made contact with the seat.

When the food came it was great. I seem to be on an insatiable quest to find the perfect burger in Singapore and PS Cafe’s “Brunch Burger” is one of the best I’ve found so far – as it should be for 29 SGD!. It’s a Wagyu/beef blend burger topped with fried egg, bacon, wilted spinach,  and Camembert cheese on a great bun. The fries that come with it are nice wedges and served with a special aioli sauce that had an essence of lemongrass to it… a really solid meal.

Our visitor from Germany had the eggs benedict. She said they were nicely done, but suffered slightly since the muffin wasn’t toasted.

Stephen and Allexia shared a plate of the PS Big Bacon and Eggs and the Blueberry Pancakes. The fried egg came out cooked wrong but they quickly replaced and nailed it on the second attempt. Bacon was well cooked and not too crispy or too soggy. The pancakes were a bit of a miss though and can easily be skipped.

Joanna went with the PS Breakfast Club Sandwich, I think lured by the Turkish bread. Good sandwich and great baked beans.

PS Cafe has a lovely location, food (minus the pancakes) that’s actually worth the prices asked, and only misses  a complete, enthusiastic recommendation due to the service. If I’m wanting to have a relaxing Saturday brunch with friends I don’t want to break conversation every few minutes as I attempt to flag down an obviously overworked waiter who can’t manage his section. But if you venture out a bit later the crowds were dissipating and I think it would be a great experience.

I will go back (later or earlier) as there’s more to try. None at the table sampled any of the teas from the large tea slection being offered. We also were too full from our generous portions to tackle one of the insanely large slices of cakes and brownies – these things were the size of Stephen King novels!

PS Cafe
28B Harding Road (Dempsey Hill Area)
90708782