TOBY'S Kopi Toast Bakery at Tradehub21 Jurong East

TOBY'S Kopi Toast Bakery, also known previously as TOBY'S The Dessert Asylum is an American-styled cafe serving a wide range of delicious western food and awesome looking and tasty desserts at very affordable prices.

 

 

TOBY'S has recently introduced some locally inspired food like Hainanese curry rice, noodles and braised meat rice. This cafe is situated at a little corner of Tradehub21 and despite the inconvenience location, this cafe has attracted many customers even during dinner time with its generous and affordable menu. For MRT goers, the restaurant is abt a 20mins walk from JE MRT.

 

We ordered their value sets for dinner this evening.

 

1. Hainanese curry chicken cutlet & braised pork belly rice ($9.40) - a generous portion of Hainanese curry rice with crispy chicken cutlet and braised pork belly. The cutlet is freshly fried on the spot and its coated with cream crackers bits. The chicken cutlet was good but the braised pork belly could do better as it was a little hard. We love the runny sunny side up egg and braised cabbage though. With the price, we sincerely found it very value for money. Rating: 3.8/5

 

 

2. BBQ baby ribs ($10.90) - 1/2 slab of BBQ sauce marinated ribs. The ribs were tough and porky. Was rather disappointing. The fries and coleslaw were good though. Rating: 3.2/5

 

 

3. Battered button mushrooms ($6.90) - we love this appetiser dish best. The batter was light and not too thick with the mushrooms retaining its juiciness. It is accompanied with tartar sauce. Rating: 4/5

 

 

Each value set comes with a drink upon top up of $1. TOBY'S is a great cafe for a fulfilling and affordable meal, so do give this cafe a try!

 

A summary of what we had:

Hainanese curry chicken cutlet & braised pork belly rice

BBQ baby ribs

Battered button mushrooms

 

My overall ratings:

Food: 3.7/5

Price: 4/5

Service: 3.8/5

Ambience: 3.5/5

 

 

You can locate them here:

TOBY'S Kopi Toast Bakery

8 Boon Lay Way, #01-35, TradeHub 21, Singapore 609964

 

Restaurant - Western

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Noosh Noodle Bar & Grill at The Esplanade

NOOSH Noodle Bar and Grill, a Halal restaurant opened since 2016 and is located at The Esplanade. The restaurant brings together both Asian and Western cuisine in a CONTEMPORARY ambience, perfect for families and special occasions.

RESERVATIONS ARE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, GIVEN THE LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE. DINERS ARE ONLY ALLOWED 1.5HRS OF DINE-IN TIME. THE RESTAURANT WAS BUSTLING WITH DINERS DURING DINNER TIME WHEN WE WERE THERE. WE DECIDED TO TRY ALL OF THEIR CHEF RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. SIRACHA CHICKEN ($14.90) - boneless chicken pcs topped with fiery siracha sauce and mayo. The hotplate side dish was then flamed with melty mozzarella cheese. Delicious side to try. Rating: 4/5

 

 2. SATAY BEBEK PONTIANAK ( $12.90) - 6 sticks of duck satay grilled to perfect tenderness with homemade peanut sauce. A must try side. Rating: 4.2/5

 

3. Chicken rojak salad ($12.90) - tender grilled chicken thigh with fresh salad vegetables in rojak sauce. An interesting fusion dish. Rating: 3.9/5

 

4. Kung Pao fish and chips ($22.90) - 2 pcs of battered fish topped with kung pao sauce. Doesn't taste anything close to the Chinese kung pao. The fries were also lacking its crispness. Rating: 3.2/5

 

5. Bali chicken cutlet ($24.90) - tenderly grilled chicken thigh with sambal sauce and cheese. We loved the curly fries accompanying the main.  Rating: 4/5

 

6. Smoked duck lemak ($18.90) - a fiery dish not for non-spicy eaters. Love the lemak sauce accompanying the pasta. A unique fusion tasting pasta worth the try. Rating: 4/5

  

We were overall very satisfied with the food and with its ambience, Noosh is definitely a Halal restaurant worth trying.

 

A summary of what we had:

SIRACHA Chicken

SATAY BEBEK PONTIANAK

Chicken Rojak Salad

Kung Pao Fish and Chips

Bali Chicken Cutlet

Smoked Duck Lemak

 

My overall ratings:

Food: 4/5

Price: 3.5/5

Service: 3.8/5

Ambience: 3.9/5

 

 

You can locate them here:

Noosh Noodle Bar & Grill

8 Raffles Ave, #01-13B, Esplanade Mall, Singapore 039802

 

 

 

 

Restaurant - Halal

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MASA by Black Society at Great World City

MASA stands for Master in HK Cantonese and Taiwanese slang and MASA by Black Society is a master of artisanal dim sum. MASA aims to bring the traditional dim sum to a different level of creativity and dimension. 

MASA opened its first branch at Orchard 313. Its 2nd outlet was recently opened with all the grand opening of the revamped Great World City. Located opposite McDonald's, this cosy and foresty looking restaurant serves a series of fusion food and artisanal dim sum. 

Recently to attract more customers amid the Covid-19 situation, MASA offers a series of all day value set meal. We were served by very friendly staff and seated at a very cosy corner of the restaurant. MASA is a very good place for gathering with both family and frenz as the place is spacious and clean and quiet.

We ordered the following:

1. Fried chicken rice value set ($13.80) - crispy fried chicken lined with ginger bits. The cutlet was a little cold but fortunately still crispy. The egg fried rice was tasteless and the side fried vegetable tempura was cold and mushy. We enjoyed the hot pandan drink accompanying the set. Tasted a little like barley with strong pandan taste. Rating: 3.5/5

2. Sweet and sour pork ($16) - a highly recommended must order dish at MASA. This dish is fried with preserved ginger and was awesome in terms of flavour and texture. Thumbs up! Rating: 4/5

3. Spicy shumai ($5.50) - 2pcs of prawn shumai topped with floss. It was hard unlike other siew mai that we have eaten. Rating: 3/5

4. Dinosaur rice roll ($8.80) - 4 big pcs of chee cheong fun rolls stuffed crispy you tiao and popiah filling. A delicious rice roll to be considered. Rating: 3.8/5

We were not blown away by their dim sum dishes but had to to admit that their sweet and sour pork was good. Hopefully their food could be hotter and quality/taste be improved given their steep pricing.

A summary of what we had:

Fried chicken rice value set

Sweet and sour pork

Spicy shumai

Dinosaur rice roll

My overall ratings:

Food: 3.5/5

Price: 3/5

Service: 4/5

Ambience: 4/5

You can locate them here:

MASA by Black Society

Great World City, 1 Kim Seng Promenade, Singapore 237994

Restaurant - Fusion

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LECOQ at Church Street Raffles Place

LECOQ is a local yakitori bar and restaurant focusing mainly on chicken dishes. Besides serving drink snacks and sides, it also offers a fusion of Japanese and French cuisine dishes. Located along the bustling restaurant street at Capital Square, LECOQ is an affordable restaurant for many of the working class to chill after a hard day's work. 

The interior of the restaurant is modern and cosy. One can choose their outdoor alfresco dining on a cool evening to enjoy the drinks as well. We were there to celebrate Kev's birthday and had a great time with all the food ordered.

1. Mentaiko fries ($12) - delicious fries generously topped and flamed with mentaiko mayo and roe. Awesome combi deserving 2 thumbs up! Rating: 4.3/5

2. Mini mala chicken ($10) - sous vide chicken with mala sauce. The chicken is so tender and well done. Even better than the usual local boneless white chicken. Just wondering how they can make it so tender... Rating: 4.3/5

3. Salivating chicken ($16) - Sous vide chicken, mala sauce, innaniwa udon, cucumber, cabbage slaw, shoyu egg. It's a fusion chicken horfun in mala sauce. The combi was great but not for those who cannot take spicy. Rating: 4.3/5

4. Chicken katsu ($16) - Chicken katsu, curry, coleslaw, white rice, pickled daikon. The katsu was a little dry and overly fried but nevertheless still delicious. Rating: 3.9/5

5. Rosemary chicken ($16) - grilled chicken thigh, red wine sauce, mash and cabbage slaw. The thigh is so well marinated and tender. A very rich dish better for sharing. Rating: 4/5

6. Salmon mentai don ($18) - salmon, mentai sauce, tobiko, scallions, sushi rice, onsen egg. A very good mentai don which is highly recommended for mentaiko lovers. Rating: 4.3/5

7. Yakitori sticks - we ordered breast wasabi ($2.80), pork belly enoki ($3) and marbled beef ($6.80). The sticks are definitely highly recommended and goes very well with beer and drinks. The meat are all so tender even the breast. Rating: 4.3/5

Besides the great food, the drinks are also very affordable and the choices are great! LECOQ offers great ambience, food, service and drinks!! We would definitely be back for more of their dishes.

A summary of what we had:

Mentaiko fries

Mini mala chicken

Salivating chicken

Chicken katsu

Rosemary chicken

Salmon mentai don

Yakitori sticks

My overall ratings:

Food: 4.2/5

Price: 4.2/5

Service: 4/5

Ambience: 4/5

You can locate them here:

LECOQ

25 Church St, Singapore 049482

Restaurant - Japanese

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Bao Makers at Westgate Jurong East

Bao Makers was first founded in 2015 whereby traditional buns are infused with local and international flavours. The 1st branch was at Jiak Chuan Road and it has recently opened its 2nd store at Westgate Jurong East level 2. 

It is a small concept store at the entrance of Westgate level 2 with very clean furnishing, probably only taking about 25 seating at most. Ordering is done self-service at the counter and a table no stand will be provided. Besides selling baos, the restaurant also offers pastas and rice bowls plus many other sides. We ordered 2 mains and 1 side for dinner today.

1. Combo A ($12.80) - this combo comprises of 3 baos of your choice and salad. We opted for chilli crab bao, salted egg chicken bao and blackened chicken bao. The chilli crab bao is a must order. Fresh shredded crab meat with fried bao. Delicious! The salted egg chicken and blackened chicken is wrapped with steamed bao instead. Not as tasty as the chilli crab one. The salad was refreshing. Rating: 3.9/5

2. Mentaiko spaghetti with salmon ($12.80) - spaghetti deliciously drenched in rich mentaiko pasta sauce and topped with fried salmon and onsen egg. A dish created for mentaiko lover! Rating: 4.2/5

3. Kecap Manis chicken ($8.80) - generous portion of fried chicken pcs tossed in kecap sauce. It is sourish and appetizing and goes really well with a bowl of white rice. Rating: 4/5

All dishes are subjected to 7% gst. A little pity that the Westgate branch revamped the menu and removed the sushi rolls, else the salmon mentaiko roll is a must try and this is still available at the Jiak Chuan outlet. Do stay tuned for more review on the other dishes.

A summary of what we had:

Combo A

Mentaiko spaghetti with salmon

Kecap Manis chicken

My overall ratings:

Food: 4/5

Price: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Ambience: 4/5

You can locate them here:

Bao Makers

3 Gateway Drive, #02-49, Westgate, Singapore 608532

Restaurant - Western

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The Refinery at King George Ave (Lavender)

About 15mins walk from Lavender MRT exit B, The Refinery is a modern 3 story restaurant cum cafe cum pub that serves modern Fusion Japanese Western cuisine depending on the time of the day. There are 3 different time menus, brunch/lunch/dinner. 

On a cool Fri evening today, we made a reservation via Chope for 2. The restaurant was decorated with modern wooden furniture and I love the black sliding door with the empty oil barrels as decoration outside. At 630pm, there were already quite a no of people chilling out and eating dinner. Signature bowls are highly recommended during dinner time with many of their popular sides. We opted for the following:

1. Refinery Gyudon ($14) - truffle hon shimeiji mushrooms, tare marinated beef, garlic chips, takwan and Onsen egg. Awesome combination and highly recommended for truffle lovers. The bowl was generously topped with ingredients as well. Super yummy! Rating: 4.3/5

2. Wakame salad ($4) - Refreshing cucumber slices with seaweed in Japanese dressing. Super good side with the don. Rating: 4.2/5

3. Salted egg onion rings ($10) - battered onion rings with salted egg custard sauce. Goes tremendously well with a cup of cool beer. Loving it totally and it's a must order side dish to share. Rating: 4.3/5

4. Chicken nanban ($9) - salt and pepper karaage chunks with sweet vinegar dip and tartar sauce. Very tender and juicy and not overly fried. Has those eggy crumbs as well. Rating: 4/5

5. Macadamia coffee baller ($8.50) - signature coffee drink that is a must order. Iced coffee ball served in glass and hot milk is poured over it, melting it totally to become iced coffee. Rating: 4.5/5

All prices are subjected to GST and service charge. The ambience is awesome for friends gathering for dinner and drinks as well. We love this place and will definitely come back for more of their drinks and other food. So do stay tuned!

A summary of what we had:

Refinery Gyudon

Wakame salad

Salted egg onion rings

Chicken nanban

Macadamia coffee baller

My overall ratings:

Food: 4.3/5

Price: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Ambience: 4.2/5

You can locate them here:

The Refinery

115 King George Ave, Singapore 208561

Restaurant - Japanese

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Spicy Rock at Capitol Piazza

Spicy Rock at Capitol Piazza specialises in Japanese fusion food and provides an extensive menu where spice lovers can get their fix of numbing heat. One can choose the different spicy level for dishes like ramen and curry rice. With offers on Eatigo, we were entitled 30% discount on all food items except drinks. 

The restaurant was decorated in spicy red, with retro music playing in the background. The ambience was very comfortable, with ample space around and served by friendly staff. With the 3 of us, we decided to go for 4 dishes:

1. Chicken and cheese nabe (hotpot) ($29.80) - this dish features hearty ingredients in spicy broth and topped with shredded mozzarella cheese. There are chicken pieces, enoki mushrooms, onions, beansprouts, vegetables, tau poks and spring onions. The broth was spicy and the ingredients fully absorbed the soup broth to the max. Fortunately we had the cheese to neutralise the spiciness a little. Rating: 4/5

2. Chicken katsu beef curry rice ($16.90) - we opted for the mild version. The beef curry was thick and delicious and with the crispy chicken katsu, the combination was heavenly. The rice was good grain Japanese rice mixed with other healthy grains like quinoa, carrots etc. So sweet and delicious. Rating: 4.1/5

3. Chicken karaage (fried with salted egg chilli sauce) ($9.80) - 5 large juicy chicken pcs drizzled with homemade salted egg chilli sauce. We love the dish lots and lots and it's so appetizing. Rating: 4.2/5

4. Salmon and mentaiko roll ($9.80) - The roll consists of sweet tamago, silky salmon sashimi, greens, crabmeat, cream cheese and a generous helping of creamy Mentaiko sauce. We love the cream cheese combination with the rice. Rating: 4/5

We were very pleased with the food quality and portion overall and will definitely return to try the rest of the dishes when opportunity comes. So do stay tuned to more reviews from paulin munchies.

A summary of what we had:

Chicken and cheese nabe

Chicken katsu beef curry rice

Chicken karaage

Salmon and mentaiko roll

My overall ratings:

Food: 4.1/5

Price: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Ambience: 4/5

You can locate them here:

Spicy Rock

13 Stamford Road B2, Capitol Piazza, 51, Singapore 178905

Restaurant - Japanese

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Hawkerman at Funan Mall North Bridge Road

Hawkerman is a Halal certified eatery, housing 3 popular hawker brands - Tenderfresh, Warong Kim's and Ah Boy popiah, under one roof. Hawkerman provides a twist to its heritage taste and bring up some surprise to the traditional food. 

Ordering is self served at the counter and customers will be given a food buzzer for food collection. Prices are subjected to 7% gst and there is no service charge. There is a central counter to take cutlery and sharing plates plus sauces. We ordered 2 mains and 1 side for today's dinner.

1. Ah Boy's popiah with Chinese chicken sausage ($4.90) - deliciously rolled popiah with 7 ingredients aka known as rainbow ingredients topped with chicken lap cheong. The popiah is juicy and delicious and I will definitely be back to try the others like the maki floss popiah. Rating: 4/5

2. Chop chop hokkien mee ($9.90) - crisply fried chicken chop placed on topped on Warong Kim's fried hokkien mee. The sambal belacan chilli

accompanying the dish was awesome. The noodles are ok except lacking the fried pork lard taste. Noodle portion isn't a lot. Rating: 3.8/5

3. Tom Yum Boomerang lemak ($10.90) - generous portion of huge chicken thigh with tom yum marination. Love the tenderness of the chicken thigh which topped nasi lemak and some side condiments like ar char and ikan bilis peanut. Rating: 3.9/5

We are overall happy and pleased with the dinner and we would definitely be back to try the other recommended dishes.

A summary of what we had:

Ah Boy's popiah with Chinese chicken sausage

Chop chop hokkien mee

Tom Yum Boomerang lemak

My overall ratings:

Food: 3.9/5

Price: 3.9/5

Service: NA

Ambience: 3.5/5

You can locate them here:

Hawkerman

109 North Bridge Rd, #B2-18, Funan Mall, Singapore 179097

Restaurant - Halal

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Colonial Club Signatures at Paragon Orchard

Colonial Club offers cuisine of fusion expatriate and local ingredients, resulting in a delicious merger of foods. One could savour on a delectable mix of heritage cuisine, including Nonya dishes, Hainanese food and local food with British colonial flavour. 

Located at the basement of Paragon, this cosy nostalgic looking restaurant is tended by many friendly local staff. Self ordering is done by writing on the paper and the staff will key in your orders. We love the cosy colonial feel of the restaurant. Food was promptly served within 10mins upon ordering. We had 2 of their recommended main dishes and 1 vegetable.

1. Nasi lemak tower ($16.90) - bluepea nasi lemak rice stacked with otah, egg, cucumber and beef rendang. It is accompanied with archar and sambal chilli. The beef rendang was tenderly stewed and the overall combination was awesome as a whole. Loved the sambal chilli! Rating: 4/5

2. Hainanese chicken chop ($15.90) - huge pc of chicken cutlet battered with housemade crumbs and topped with tomato sweet sauce. The cutlet was a little dry on the outside and the sauce wasn't tasty enough. Portion was huge but was lacking in taste. Rating: 3.2/5

3. Nonya chap chye ($8.90) - expected to be a small bowl but it came by surprise a huge portion of awesomely stewed cabbage, black fungus and carrot dish. Taste was good and will go extremely well with sambal belacan dip. Rating: 3.8/5

Overall, Colonial Club offers quite a wide range of good local fusion cuisine for locals and expatriates in very comfortable environment. Highly recommended dish will be their nasi lemak tower.

We have yet to try the rest but given a chance, we would be back to try their other Nonya and Hainanese local cuisines and probably save our tummy for their dessert and drinks as well.

A summary of what we had:

Nasi lemak tower

Hainanese chicken chop

Nonya chap chye

My overall ratings:

Food: 3.5/5

Price: 3.2/5

Service: 4/5

Ambience: 4/5

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You can locate them here:

Colonial Club Signatures

290 Orchard Road, #B1-43, Paragon, Singapore 238859

Tel: +65 6219 35925, Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm

Restaurant - Western

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