Photos by Swee of Make Your Calories Count
Friends in Punggol, you're in luck! Being centralites, it was our first time traveling all the way to Punggol, thinking to ourselves that the food better be worth our travel! Those who know me well would know that while I love checking out cafes, I'm as much of a skeptic every time I visit.
French Toast with scrambled eggs, back bacon, roasted cherry vine tomatoes and pumpkin mash.
Whip up your own breakfast with every part of it being customizable. The menu guides you through right from the type of bread, to type of eggs, vegetable and carbs. We loved the combination we chose where every single component was done well. Go for the pumpkin mash for something that you don't get easily elsewhere, we loved the texture with bits of pumpkin and the natural sweetness of it.
Served atop waffles instead of the classic muffins, this was a satisfying one that hit all the right notes. Perfectly poached eggs with salinity from the smoked salmon, textures were well-complemented by the slight crisp from the waffles underneath!
As simple as it seems, this packed a whole lot of flavour in each mouthful.
With generous chunks of crabmeat and al dente linguine, we loved the slightly spicy touch to it that was flavorful yet not overpowering.
This was simple comfort food done well!
What's a brunch menu without some coffee? We had our usual flat white and this made the mark with a velvety touch and robust flavour.
Enjoying a classic British way of having their coffee, this was comfort amidst the cold rainy day.
It has a strong dose of rum in it, hence at a pricier tag but absolutely worth it!
Special of the day, it was beautifully presented with a shimmery crust on the choux. Breaking open to the pistachio creme, we loved the natural taste without the artificial essence like what some places do, paired perfectly with the strawberries. It wasn't too sweet for us, with the right flavours and combination that won us over.
We're sure glad this was on the regular desserts menu as this was certainly a must-try! Served warm with fluffy banana cake paired with nutella on top, it came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream covered in almond flakes for the added texture. Cutting it open, we were pleasantly surprised with the ganache in the middle, and it was overflowing with chocolatey goodness! Looking at the photos now make us wanna go back and have it again!
Seeing passionfruit tarts on the display made me want to order it almost immediately! This reminded me of the one we've had at Carpenter and Cook previously, with a well-balanced curd that was just slightly sour yet not overwhelming to make your nose cringe. The tart base was nicely done as well, crusty to give a contrasting texture to the dessert, paired with macaron and meringue for a sweet finish!
Priced at $2 for 3 pieces within, one can hardly complain about this. With light vanilla cream encased in a soft fluffy puff, a small handy snack that's good to pop and worth every dollar paid!
We're all fans of croissants and this definitely made the cut for us. Crisp on the outside and fluffy within for a good old classic one, we loved that it had many layers inside so that it wasn't too airy and had a slightly chewy touch to it within. My next visit will probably see me getting a dozen of these back!
Shan, who's the one behind all the desserts and baked items later revealed that she had to throw away hundreds of croissants in her attempt to perfect it. Tested and proven, this was indeed a perfect version for our palates!
We were lucky enough to catch them trying out some new items and managed to try these chocolate cookies. With a strong chocolatey flavour and somewhat like Jenny Bakery from Hong Kong, these bite-sized treats literally melt in your mouth! If you're craving for Jenny's cookies, time to make a trip to Punggol for cookies without paying for the air tickets! We're hoping that these will make it on to the regular menu too, as sides or in takeaways boxes!
It is rare that we've had all dishes that were hits with us, and the portions were very much satisfying. To top it off, the ambience was perfect for a relaxing brunch, overlooking the river and greenery while enjoying the slight breeze. Unlike the usual cafes in Singapore where it's usually so cramped and vibrant, we'd enjoyed the spacious setting with a cosy and homely touch, achieving the objective of a true cafe experience!
On a sidenote, these photos were taken with Nikon D750, with thanks to Nikon Singapore! We loved the depth of colours and functions that can be controlled easily, making switches to alter ISO speed and aperture a breeze.
Overal Verdict: 8.5/10
Whisk and Paddle
10 Tebing Lane #01-01
Singapore 828836
(next to Popeye's)
http://whiskandpaddle.com.sg/
P.S. Thank you Jun Jie for inviting us, Shan for sharing your story and bakes with us, and your family for being such great hosts!