Argentinian Beef Brunch at Bochinche (Martin Road)

Brunch is big in Singapore. At a wild guess there's probably hundreds of cafes all over the island serving up coffee, sausages, eggs, waffles and all the other 'usual suspects.' A lot of these cafes can tend to be a bit generic in the grub they serve up, though, which is why we're always excited to try something different - like the Argentinian-inspired fare served up at Bochinche!


The premises on Martin Road are huge (for Singaporean standards) with the larger indoor floor complemented by a small al fresco (cool, breezy) area. Bochinche also has a grilled Argentinian beef-focused Dinner menu. As we mentioned, we're here for the Brunch, though - starting with a Flat White and a Cappuccino ($6 each). The coffee is really similar to the java from the downstairs sister outlet Common Man Coffee Roasters - we wouldn't be surprised if it was the same beans, or even the same barista.


For mains we try the Chimichurri Burger v2.0 (Provologne cheese, bacon, tomoto, onions and egg, $29). Your mileage may vary, of course, but for me a burger needs to be eatable with two hands. The burger here is certainly not eatable with hands and so I end up using a fork and knife. Not cool.

Nevertheless, taste-wise the burger was uber delicious! Chopped up bone marrow is added into the mince, which gives the patty a wonderful depth of flavour that really is two thumbs up. Texturally it was disappointing, though. By the time I was halfway through the burger the juices had soaked the bottom patty into a papier-mâché-like paste, and the minced meat kept spilling out everywhere.


The 'mixed bag' theme continues to the Poached Eggs with braised ossobuco on toast ($25). We thought the eggs were gorgeous - perfectly poached with a lovely runny yolk, and the toast was sturdy and substantial enough to handle the juices. However the beef on it's own was rather lacking in the taste department, being very unevenly seasoned. Ossobuco is slow-cooked braised beef/veal shanks, by the way.


Since the mains come without any accompaniments, we order a side of Chips Provenzal (thick-cut chips with garlic and parsley, $10) - these had very nice flavour, with most of the chips having a good crisp on the crust. Would order again.


If you had been keeping track, you might have an inkling of what the final bill amount would be - $89.45 (after taxes and service charge) in total. For us this is very pricey, especially for a Brunch meal with really not that much food.

To conclude, the food and coffee here was pretty decent but very expensive, so we really don't see ourselves coming back - we'd much rather just save the elevator trip and eat at the cafe downstairs.

Bochinche is open from 11am-11pm on Tuesdays to Sundays (Brunch on weekends only). Reservations accepted but probably not required. Non-halal.

Terrific coffee in the Bedok Heartlands at Percolate.

Percolate (Cafe) is a bit of a misnomer. Actually a lot of a misnomer, since to percolate coffee is to let gravity drip through ground coffee beans - not unlike how drip coffee is brewed - but Percolate's coffees are mostly Espressos. It occupies two lots in a decidedly non-hipster row of shophouses a little behind the Bedok Sports Complex.


Decor is no-frills and the menu is limited - but prices are very reasonable and there's no GST or service charge. If you're used to having a favorite 'type' of espresso-based coffee i.e. latte, flat white, cappuccino, etc you might be a bit disappointed - Percolate only gives you a choice of size (3oz or 5oz) and whether you want your coffee black, white (with milk) or mocha (with chocolate).

Rest assured, though, that the coffee is excellent - served at just the right temperature, with a spot on balance of coffee intensity and the right hints of sour, bitter and a bit of sweet thrown in for good measure. Nice cream from the milk, too! $4 for 3oz and $4.50 for 5oz.


One day, I will learn how to appreciate black espresso. But not today.
The food offerings are a little spartan, with a handful of choices of cake, pastry and croissant sandwiches - no big breakfast with a plateful of sausages and bacon here. We tried the Curry Egg Mayo ($7) and Smoked Salmon Wasabi Cream Cheese ($9). Both were delicious, with the curry and wasabi adding a pleasantly spicy dimension, but the amount of egg/salmon in the croissants was perhaps a little on the low side.


Having wolfed down the croissants we try one of their speciality desserts - the Bittersweet (a shot of espresso over vanilla ice cream over a dark chocolate brownie, $7). It's deliciously great - we definitely see ourselves coming back to order this again.


Many cafes (particularly those marketing to the brunch crowd) focus on the food, with the coffee playing a supporting actor role. Percolate is exactly the opposite - the coffee here is the focus, the star, and the food options are there just so you can fill up your stomach afterwards. We definitely see ourselves coming back here regularly though - partly because it's walking distance from our place, partly because ~$15/person is a refreshing change of pace (at some cafes you can hit $50 a person), but mostly because the coffee really is superb.

Percolate is located at 136 Bedok North Avenue 3 #01-152B, Singapore 460136, closed on Tuesdays.

What to name our Boutique / Cafe? Why not Boufe?

I kid you not, the name of this Boutique / Cafe hybrid is simply "Boufe." Occupying a shoplot in the gorgeously retro Phoenix Park off Tanglin Road (think colonial-style bungalows with whitewashed walls), the shared entrance splits off to the boutique on the left and the cafe on the right. Since we're not a haute couture blog we'll concentrate solely on the food!


Boufe has an almost-all-white interior motif - all the furniture, walls and ceilings are white or close to white. Together with the huge windows it makes for a very airy, open feel in the dining area. Menu options are pretty basic, with little more than brunch basics like eggs benedict, croque monsieur, smoked salmon croissant, sides of truffle fries and crispy wings ... and of course a mandatory big breakfast. Here it's the Triple B (Boufe's Big Breakfast, $21 nett), and comes with sausages, mini croissant, salad, scrambled eggs, mushrooms and candied bacon. It's all pretty par for the course for the price, with the exception of the scrambled eggs which are a gorgeous serving of creamy, velvety deliciousness.


There's also a selection of single-portion cakes and desserts - like this Chocolate Tart ($5.50 nett). The tart is lined with a thick caramel paste that isn't too sweet, and the glaze/filling is suitably chocolate-y and moist.


We also tried the Strawberry Shortcake ($8.00 nett), which was pretty good! Sponge layers were light and fluffy and the whipped cream layers were smooth and not too sweet.


Naturally we washed it all down with coffee - Flat Whites and Lattes are $4.80 nett each. Our preference is for slightly more intense flavours, but the coffee was still pretty decent nevertheless.


The nett pricing brings us to $44.10 for two - which are very reasonable prices for brunch in cafes around town. Ambience is nice and chic and Boufe would be a great place to catch up with friends or impress a date - pity the location's a little out of the public transport net so it would be best if you drive or take a taxi. Non-halal.

Boufe Boutique Cafe
308 Tanglin Road, Phoenix Park, #01-01, S 247974.
Open from 10am on Sat/Sun (no reservations accepted on weekends, tends to fill up by 11am).

Brunch with a French Twist at La Vie en Rose

La Vie en Rose is French singer Édith Piaf's most iconic song - which made an appearance in that wonderful Pixar robot love animated film WALL-E. It also happens to be the name of a French restaurant on a bungalow up on a little 'hill' along Jalan Raja Chulan in KL. On weekends it serves up a brunch menu with a French twist that you probably won't be able to find anywhere else in the city!


All brunch orders come with this bread basket loaded with croissants, bread and danish pastries, all very accomplished breads - for example the croissants were crispy and buttery enough to eat on their own! The fig and berry preserves, home made yoghurt and butter were very good, too.


The Smokey brunch set (RM65) consists of Scrambled eggs with smoked Petuna trout, mushroom and duck bacon bruschetta, and duck confit shepherd's pie. Eggs were delicious and properly scrambled, and we thought the bruschetta was just divine. Shepherd's pie could have perhaps done with a little more time in the oven as it was a little too watery for our tastes.


Eggy costs RM60 and comes with a brioche of egg benedict, truffle scrambled eggs and grilled sausage. We really enjoyed the scrambled eggs here too; with just the right amount of chopped up truffle goodness without making it too pungent.


After polishing off all the food we're stuffed but still have some room to share a Cold Strawberry Soup with Vanilla Ice Cream (replacing basil sorbet which the kitchen didn't have) and almond crisp (RM20). It's cold, sweet, sour and refreshing all at the same time - although if you're not a fan of Strawberries' natural tartness then you'd probably be better off with a different choice.


Overall the meal lands squarely in the "on the high side" pricing territory; for which it gets a little difficult to say if it is 'worth the money.' What we can say is that we thoroughly enjoyed the food, ambience and service, and that the food is at least as good as any of the other top brunch places in the city.

La Vie en Rose is at 39 Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200 Kuala Lumpur. Brunch reservations probably not necessary as the dining room was only about half full when we went. No pork.

Tel: 03-2078 3883
Email: info@cuisine-studio.net

Lazy Saturday Brunch at House, Dempsey Hill

Oh wow this is only the second post for 2013, we're already three weeks into the new year! Between work and a few wedding photo sessions we simply haven't had the time to sit down and write proper blog posts.

There is always time for Brunch on weekends, though, so today we jumped in the car and headed over to House over at Dempsey Hill to laze the morning away!


Relaxing isn't complete without food, though, so we start off with an order of Curry Mustard Fries (SGD9). I'm not sure where the 'mustard' comes from since these are topped with a huge amount of curry powder, paprika and sea salt - but no mustard. They're nice and savory without being overly salty (like most of McDonald's shaker fries varieties).


House apparently serves "Singapore's Best Tou Sar Pao" (self-proclaimed, I believe), so we order one to try. At SGD2.50 it's not the cheapest Pao around, but it is pretty good. Bread is nice and fluffy, the Sar (paste) is smooth and has a nice balance of bitter and sweet.


Cappucino and Latte (SGD6 each) to wash down our breakfast - we thought the coffee here was good, but as we're not java aficionados, your mileage may vary.


Moving on to the meaty (as in, substantial) stuff - Eggs Benedict (Poached Eggs on biscuits with ham, baby spinach and Hollandaise sauce, SGD18). We weren't sure what ham was used, but it was distinctly absent taste-wise. If you weren't paying attention you possibly wouldn't even have noticed it was there at all! Other than that the eggs were well poached and nicely sauced.


We very much liked the Asparagus, Serrano Ham & Crumbed Egg (SGD22). Asparagus was nice and well cooked, and complemented the saltiness of the ham. We also liked the crumbed soft boiled egg with its' shaved sea salt and deliciously runny yolk. Would certainly order this again the next time we're here.


The overall bill came up to a not-exactly-cheap SGD74 for two people; but practically all the eateries in Dempsey Hill are priced pretty upmarket anyways. House is at 8D Dempsey Road, Singapore. We'd recommended taking a cab here if you don't have wheels as it's one of those annoying-to-get-to-by-public-transport places in Singapore.

Weekend Brunch is served at 11am-4pm on Saturdays and 9am-4pm on Sundays. Call them up at +65 64757787 to make reservations. Non-halal.

* All photos in this blogpost were taken with the Google Nexus 4 because we forgot to bring our DSLRs :(