So maybe all the meals weren’t adventurous while in Tokyo. Sometimes one simply needs junk comfort food… particularly one that’s been missed for over seven years! So yes, we broke down and chowed down at Krispy Kreme in Shibuya, Tokyo Japan.

I missed the whole Krispy Kreme movement due to growing up in “rural” Abilene, TX. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts were only ever something eaten slightly stale…sold rarely on early morning weekends in church parking lots when a youth group needed to raise money for a ski trip. Years later I stopped by a location once while living in Dallas, Texas and marveled at a melt-in-your-mouth fresh doughnut.

Cut to a few years later. We’ve been walking around Tokyo all day in the rain. We’re hungry, tired, in need of coffee. We round the corner to stop off at a local coffee shop and see a passing Japanese person briskly walking off with a Krispy Kreme logo’d bag. The possibility was too enticing to ignore.

We walked a bit in the direction of the female carrying the bag, and our eyes slowly began to make out the glow of green, red, and white. Our pace quickened and soon we were shaking off our umbrellas and staring in amazement at a fully operational, production line Krispy Kreme. This was a moment of weakness on a long trip, but oddly we were the only foreigners in the restaurant… the rest were all slightly pudgy Japanese people (well pudgy by Japanese standards ).

The line to order doughnuts was long, but our patience was rewarded with a steaming, hot sample fresh from the line. It vanished from my hands in a matter of seconds… a couple spots of white glaze stuck to the corner of my mouth the last signs the doughnut had ever existed.

I won’t say how many we ate, but I will say none topped the original. Sadly the fancier versions lacked the freshness of the plain ole original. Some were even sickly sweet, but thankfully I had smartly not sugared my coffee before eating and so enjoyed the duel between bitterness of the coffee and the saccharine sweetness of the doughnut.

Soon we were back out in the rain, but with extra energy (and probably an extra pound or two). Krispy Kreme may not be the most regionally specific thing to eat whilst in Japan… but that doesn’t make the doughnuts any harder to swallow.

Krispy Kreme Japan

Paul

A homey Western-style brunch in the heart of Tokyo

I may have mentioned before that breakfast is my favourite meal. So it is no surprise then that breakfast or brunch has become a weekend ritual for me – whether at home or abroad. And while I have had the most magnificent Japanese food while travelling in Japan, when I woke up this Sunday, I had an intense craving for a western-style breakfast… creamy eggs, hot coffee and buttery toast. Nothing else would do, not even Yakitori! And so we set off to find a place that had come recommended for a homey Western brunch, Good Honest Grub, in the heart of Tokyo’s Shibuya area.

Located just off Meiji Dori in the cutest little townhouse, sits Good Honest Grub. The owner, Don Foley, is from Newfoundland, Canada and has lived in Tokyo for 20 years running various restaurants. He has operated Good Honest Grub since 1999 serving a loyal group of customers the yummy brunch foods that keep them coming back.

We decided to try the classic Greek omelette with hash browns and toast (¥1600 / $16.80 USD) and the Grubwich, a breakfast sandwich of scrambled eggs, bacon on a toasted English muffin with bean salad and green salad (¥1300 / $13.75 USD).

Paul’s Greek omelet hit the spot. The classic flavors of spinach and feta cheese folded into light and fluffy eggs was well complemented by the rosemary scented potato hash browns (not the southern-style grated potato hash browns, but bite-sized oven-roasted red potatoes pieces with skin). A multigrain buttery toast completed the combination perfectly.

My Grubwich breakfast sandwich was also simple but well executed. I mean what better combination is there than scrambled eggs and bacon? And living in Asia now for a few years, it has been a while since I had an English muffin – what a treat to enjoy the combination of crispy edges and soft nooks and crannies filled with butter. It made me a little homesick by reminding me of my favorite breakfast from my local corner diner in NYC, Joe’s Jr diner on 6th Avenue in Greenwich Village.

Just when we made up our minds to get the check, Don told us about the desserts. We were all set to go, but after hearing descriptions of Apple Crumble with ice cream, Chocolate Zucchini Bread and the “you-gotta-try-it-cause-it-is-just-amazing” Carrot Cake, we changed our minds and stuck around for dessert. We tried the Carrot Cake (¥600 / $6.20 USD) and Don was right, WOW! It was both dense and chewy with crispy, buttery edges…topped off with just the right amount of rich, melt-in-your-mouth cheesecake frosting. This may just win my award for best-ever Carrot Cake.

We sat outside on the deck enjoying the fresh morning air, sipping our bottomless coffees and chatting with Don when he ambled over to give refills. We learned that Don, besides being the owner, also has a hand in every detail from doing a lot of the actual cooking himself to tasting every dish before it goes out to the customers…”if it isn’t right, it doesn’t go out,” Don says. And it is this combination of the homey, welcoming vibe and the good, solid food that keeps his regulars and other wanderers like ourselves coming back week after week.

Homey, hearty and yummy, everything brunch should be. And don’t forget to try the Carrot Cake!

Note: Don gave the best and simplest directions to find….look for the Lawson’s 100 on the corner of Meiji Dori, and then see the signboard on the corner. Just 10 meters up lies Good Honest Grub.

Good Honest Grub
2-20-8 Higashi, Shibuya-ku
Tokyo, Japan
+81 (0)3 3797 9877

NOTE: Open 10:30-4:30 on Saturday, Sunday, and Public Holidays so plan accordingly!

Hey all,
As we move along into healthy week, I thought I’d do a little roundup of drink information for you. A few years back when I was still living in Coppell, Texas I started trying to live a healthier life. I was running to the gym every other day and supplementing meals with smoothies. I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t losing weight. I was doing everything right…or so I thought. The smoothie was actually my problem….

You see I picked up a smoothie from the gym’s attached smoothie shop and chose on taste preferences, not on carefully researched information. I figured I’d upsize since I was choosing a “healthy” smoothie drink over a value meal. I chose the 32 oz Peanut Butter Smoothie. It was rich, thick, and filled me up nicely. But I wasn’t losing weight, I was gaining as the weeks wore on.

One day at the Starbucks I managed, a customer asked to see the nutritional information of a drink she regularly ordered. She was shocked to find her twice a day treat contained over 600 calories. After that revelation we decided to promote customers to actually look into the nutritional information of some of the drinks they regularly consumed. The next time I was at the smoothie shop I decided to follow suit. I was equally horrified to find out that my “healthy” smoothie contained over 1200 Calories!!! A BIG MAC has only 450, fries around 220, and a coke around 150-200. Ignoring what that meal would do to my internal parts, it’s stunning to think from a raw weight gain/loss standpoint I was better off with the McDonald’s meal over the smoothie.

Here are some other Healthy Drink Pointers for you.

Smoothies:
So maybe I chose unwisely up top, but there are healthy smoothies out there. Look for recipes from reputable sources that also post calorie information. If you visit a shop ask to see their nutritional charts, if they don’t have them, choose another smoothie stand… they might be so tasty because they add in some unhealthy options to bring you back.
Smoothie Myths
Breakfast Smoothies
Healthy Smoothies from Eating Well

Coffee:
The healthiest drink at Starbucks (or other coffee shop) is an espresso shot followed by the plain ole drip coffee. A tall coffee has only around 100-150 calories. An Americano (half coffee half hot water) is also a very healthy option. Next up is the Cappuccino due to the fact that the milk is heavily foamed and not as dense as the regular Latte (same exact ingredients, just different heating of the milk). The Coffee Frappuccino Blended Coffee (not “frap” – how’s that for remembering my Starbucks brand awareness training?) is actually quite low for what it is at around only 240 Calories or so.

The Venti’s on some drinks get quickly into the 3-400 calorie range so keep your drinks small. Avoid the added whip creams and ask for less pumps of the sweeteners if you can handle a stronger coffee flavor. Ask for non-fat milk instead of whole….I don’t remember exactly but part of me feels like the Soy milk actually has more calories, but I would need to see the fact sheet again. Stay away from the Universal Beverage Base Drinks at all cost (Frappuccino Blended Creams). They are made with non-fat milk, but are the worse drink items on the menu. I don’t think they still carry this drink, but there was a Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino Blended Cream and I think the Venti of that topped in at over 750 calories if not more with all the whip, chocolate drizzle, etc.
NY Times on Health Benefits of Coffee

Wine:
Wine is everyone’s darling these days thanks to many published health reports stating it’s benefits. Everyone can quote some fact on red wine, but they often miss the fine print. Any benefits you gain from wine are quickly lost when you head over the two glass of day recommendation. The long-term negative benefits to your body when you go over two greatly outweigh the benefits gained. To quote from Winepros.org:

The keys to the beneficial aspects of wine drinking are regularity and moderation. The importance of this pattern of consumption this is almost impossible to over-emphasize. Overindulgence can be considerably more harmful than total abstinence.

Water:
This should be fairly obvious, but many people ignore water throughout their days, particularly here in hot, humid Asia. There’s debate going on right now as to some effects of water and how much should come from other sources such as fruits and others, but there’s no debate that we need it in our lives. So occasionally try to ignore the other drinks and opt for a glass of plain old water.
Mayo Clinic on Water

Tea:
I don’t think we need to sell our Asian readers on the benefits of Tea. The history with Teas here goes back many generations. For our non-Asian readers here are some links explaining why you should add more Tea into your daily routine…and for my faithful Texas readers it’s not just about the differences between “Sweet” and “Non-Sweet” Tea
Tea Association of the USA
Tea & Health Wiki

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

Hey all,

Coffee. You either need, love, or can’t stand it. Oddly, I worked for two years as a manager at a Starbucks and never really touched the stuff. I liked the odd French Press of select coffee beans that would come through the store, but generally drank an Iced Chai Tea Latte instead (easy to make, hard for others to screw up, and didn’t want to join the addicts who kept me gainfully employed).

Since leaving Starbucks I’ve begun to appreciate a quality cup of coffee, late, cappuccino. With the knowledge I gained at Starbucks (ignoring the corporate nonsense they tried to program into us about over roasted coffee) I was able to develop an appreciation for all types of coffee.

Unfortunately, coffee suffers as much as wine from the outside influence of over-opinionated snobs who like to push their personal agenda on a drinking public not suited to their particular tastes. The assertion that anything but black coffee for men is somehow “girly”, the condescending looks when ordering a coffee with flavored syrups, etc. It’s a personal drink and should be flavored to the drinkers palette. Not everyone enjoys a full flavored Indonesian coffee.

As with anything in life you enjoy regularly a little knowledge of what’s going on increases your awareness and heightens enjoyment. So here are some links from around the web on coffee, enjoyment, brewing, and various other coffee tips to hopefully add to your enjoyment of this simple pleasure.

The basics : Brew the Best Possible Coffee Without Breaking the Bank

Adding some flavor to your brew : Herbal Tea Adds a Flavorful Kick to Your Coffee

Some things you can do with your grounds once done enjoying : Multipurpose Coffee Grounds

Storage tips : For Better Coffee, Store Your Beans

If you want to really push the limits of enjoyment : DIY Home Roasting

Roll Your Own Frappuccinos (The store bought bottle kind.)

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Not the cereal on-the-go breakfast, but the something eggy, something cheesy, maybe a pancake here or there and endless cups of coffee kind of breakfast. Breakfast for lunch is good. Breakfast for dinner is better. But a proper leisurely weekend breakfast is simply divine.

With my it-doesn’t-get-any-better-than-breakfast mindset it was natural that I had to check out what Time Out Singapore called “the best breakfast in Singapore.” And so it was that this Sunday we found ourselves strolling to Robertson Quay to Epicurious to see what all the fuss was about.

We sat outside, as everyone does, at one of the several hodge-podge, mismatching table sets. As one would expect at 11am on a Sunday the place is a bit overrun – the crowd being made up of couples, friends meeting up, families with kids, with some folks even bringing their dogs! As a result, it took a good long bit before we were able to capture the waiter’s attention to order.

I ordered the Full Monty aka Hobb’s Choice ($20SGD – pics up top) which is a full on English-style breakfast with three fried eggs, sausage, bacon, grilled tomato, grilled mushrooms, baked beans, buttered toast, orange juice and coffee. Paul decided on the Breakfast Burrito ($12SGD) including two scrambled eggs with chorizo, tomato, cheddar cheese and tomato chilli relish, wrapped in a flour tortilla with a side of salsa. Water was served in repurposed liquor bottles – which Paul found alarming at first after seeing a mom pour her child from a bottle of Absolute Mandarin…that is until he realized it was water.

It was a good thing they offered the Sunday paper, because service is to put it politely…quite leisurely. We actually asked for our own bottle of water but in the end it never arrived and for the remainder of the meal we served ourselves from the stand by the door.

When coffee arrived I was unexpectedly delighted by the homey coffee cups decorated with roosters and then ultimately quite pleased with the quality of the coffee – a nice rich brew signified by the crema on top. This perhaps was the highlight of the meal…

Paul found his burrito good, but a tad bland. And he was also disappointed by the chopped onions and tomatoes passing themselves off as salsa. Paul wished that the chorizo had been spicier and would have preferred it to be chopped rather than included as big chunks, giving the aromatic sausage an opportunity to permeate the burrito.

Unfortunately my eggs ordered well done, clarified in description by “please, no runny yolks,” stumped the chef. The first batch sent out was so overcooked that it was in fact burnt in appearance in and flavour. And then when I requested a re-do, the second batch was over-easy and therefore runny. I gave up and did not ask for yet another, but it seems the restaurant wanted to make sure we were pleased and tried yet a third time. The result was perfectly cooked eggs, but they arrived only after I had finished and was ready for the check. Not only was this disappointing, but also some other aspects of the meal were less than ideal – the bacon was undercooked and the orange juice a bit watery. The sausage and potatoes were rather average, but interestingly enough, the grilled tomato and mushrooms were excellent and became the unwitting stars of the show.

This one is too burnt...

This one is too runny....

This one is just right...

Lest I think that our experience was isolated, our neighbour ordered the baked eggs and upon lifting their blanket of cheese found them to be undercooked enough to also be sent back.

Top be fair, Epicurious did appease my sense of indignity by removing my dish from the bill without my even having to ask – which was a unexpected bit of service that made me feel better, knowing they acknowledged the severity of the [repeated] mistakes. I mean, fried eggs are about as easy as it gets in the kitchen.

So with all this said, can I recommend Epicurious ? Being a breakfast lover, I wanted to like Epicurious. In fact, I wanted to love it. I wanted to make it my regular weekend haunt – bringing friends, family, visitors.

In talking to the couple seated next to us who sent back the baked eggs, they reassured us that Epicurious has been around for years and that they had been regular patrons for quite some time. If not for the personal voucher from these friendly Australians I am honestly not sure I would have the patience to try again. But I still need a favourite breakfast haunt, so who knows…maybe I can find it in myself to give them another chance. I believe in second chances – especially when it comes to breakfast.

Morning Glory – Time Out Singapore on breakfast at Epicurious

All in Good Taste – Time Out Singapore’s round-up of top restaurants

Epicurious
#01-02 The Quayside
60 Robertson Quay
Singapore 238252
Telephone:  +65 6734 7720
www.epicurious.com.sg

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