Dessert Bowl 一碗甜品 at Serangoon Gardens

It was a really hot day when we were exploring Serangoon Gardens one fine weekend afternoon, and we were craving for desserts. We wanted something cool to beat the scorching heat, yet not too pricey as we were saving up for upcoming expensive dinners. Hence, we were delighted to find a small dessert place called Dessert Bowl, which is located on the 2nd floor of a row of shophouses near the main cluster of supper places. We could even smell the scent (or fragrance, depending on preference) of fruits while walking up the stairs to the shop!

Retro photos of Hong Kong along the stairway! These photos invoke nostalgic feeling indeed.

The interior of Dessert Bowl reminds us of Hong Kong, with street scene miniatures and photos on display and wooden tables that look similar to those in Hong Kong dessert shops. After all, Dessert Bowl specializes in Hong Kong style desserts such as Mango Pomelo Sago and durian desserts. For those who love fruits and are fans of Hui Lau Shan 許留山. you will be spoiled for choice with the variety of fruit desserts available on the menu.

Look out for the baby photo smiling at you on the menu!

During our visit, we were handed a card with the menu saying that the mangoes are sour today. Really love it when business owners pay attention to details like this in customer service!

Perhaps one of the best durian mousse in Singapore, this Durian Mousse (S$5) tastes as good as it looks. This delectable dessert consists of silky durian mousse topped with a dollop of durian flesh, contributing to a heavenly mix of textures and tastes. The durian mousse tastes milky, thick and creamy with a pleasant slushie-like texture, while the durian flesh is not too sweet and provides a good taste balance with the durian mousse such that the dessert does not taste overly jelat. It tastes so good and balanced that I could literally clean off the whole bowl of durian mousse by myself!

The Pulau Hitam with Coconut (S$4.50) is a slight twist to the traditional dessert, topped with a scoop of coconut ice cream. The dessert is smooth on the throat, but could get a bit jelat due to the lack of contrast in taste.

We wanted to try the mango desserts, but we don't fancy sour mangoes. We would love to try the Mango Pomelo Sago and Mango Ai-Yu on our next visit!


If you are looking for a relatively affordable place to hang out after a meal or supper with friends, we highly recommend checking out Dessert Bowl for desserts. There are comfortable red sofas near the window where you can chill out with friends and watch people walk by while you enjoy your bowl of Durian Mousse. Definitely better than the usual waffles and ice cream in cafes!

Dessert Bowl
80A Serangoon Garden Way
Singapore 555976

Opening Hours: 
Tuesdays to Thursdays: 1pm - 10.30pm
Fridays to Sundays: 1pm - 1am
Closed on Mondays

Fatcat Ice Cream Bar Plated Desserts

Hweecat meow.

I'm back! Yes, it's been long -  I was away in Taipei and Hong Kong with roomiecat on the first half of November, then Cat and I got busy with work and our 2nd anniversary cum engagement party. Oh yes, we are engaged - in both senses!

One of our resolutions is to source deeper and try out more food places beyond our comfort zones. So, our first review of 2016 shall be on Fatcat Ice Cream Bar, one of the most featured cafes on Instagram.

Fatcat Ice Cream Bar is well known for their Instagram-worthy gourmet Charcoal Waffles with salted egg yolk custard. What caught our attention, however, were the plated desserts which screams "fine dining" and "innovation". These plated desserts are seasonal to keep the menu fresh, so we just had to try these desserts before they get replaced.

If you love s'mores and toasted marshmallows, you would love this Reverse Smores (S$10) which looks like a campfire. This plated dessert features banana caramel sorbet sitting on a chocolate cookie base, wrapped up in a lightly-torched marshmallow and garnished by a bed of chocolate twigs and caramel espresso tuile. Take a bite of the tuile before digging into the gooey marshmallow for a cold pleasant surprise!

Summer Days (S$14) is reminiscent of summer and winter, with flowers, berries and white snow-like desserts. This plated berry-based dessert consists of yoghurt base, strawberry sponge and lychee sorbet topped with berries, flowers and strawberry tuiles. What we enjoyed most about the dessert is the popping sensation from the popping candies!

(Apologies for the flashlight; it was dark and I was using phone flashlight while taking this shot.)

The Indian-inspired Faux Passionfruit (S$18) is so magical - it is probably one of our favourite desserts so far. The dessert comes in two parts - the pre-dessert and the main. The pre-dessert consists of a pair of passionfruit bonbons which arrive at our table in a dramatic way - filled with dry ice smoke which flows over your table when the bell jar is removed. The passionfruit flavour bursts in your mouth when the white chocolate shell is broken - delightful indeed!

The main is a majestic display of creativity in terms of flavours and sensation. Within the purple white chocolate ball contains a fiery burst of passionfruit and curry - yes curry - that goes incredibly well with the coconut mousse and curry soil. The homegrown floral garnishes are not just pretty additions to the dessert plating but also edible and adds a subtle herbal scent to the dessert. It feels as if we are having a main course for dessert - in a very good way of course.

Harry Potter fans should pay attention to this as their interpretation of Butterbeer (S$14) is phasing out soon for newer creations. Proclaimed to be "Flown in fresh via Owl Post from the Three Broomstick in Hogsmeade", this alcoholic drink consists of Hoegaarden beer, butter foam, and "magic" which mixes the beer and the butter foam in a dramatic fashion. It is indeed better tasting than beer, but we are limited to two shots of butter foam. Oh well, their Butterbeer ice-cream does a good job in satisfying Butterbeer cravings too!

Fatcat Ice Cream Bar is well-featured on social networks for their photogenic desserts and deservedly so, and the service is pretty good with the service staff describing and explaining the plated desserts as much as possible. We have not tried the Gourmet Charcoal Waffles yet, but we know we fat cats will be back at Fatcat for more desserts soon.

Fatcat Ice Cream Bar
Blk 416 Bedok North Avenue 2
#01-25
Singapore 460416

Opening Hours:
Check their Facebook page.

Movie Date "Inside Out" at The Cathay feat. Soi 55

We went out on a movie date at The Cathay to watch "Inside Out", a Pixar animation film which personifies emotions and illustrates the mental architecture of a girl named Riley. "Inside Out" is arguably the best movie that we have watched in a long time since "Up" (also by Pixar), as its ingenious and realistic depiction of "psychoevolutionary" theory is relatable to both children and adults alike. We were laughing and "aww"-ing throughout the movie in our couple seats, while also busily analysing the movie with reference to the brain model we know of (such as the Memory Dump, Core Memories, Personality Islands etc.). Definitely a must-watch movie of the year!

If you haven't watched "Inside Out" yet or want to watch it again, do grab your tickets fast before the movie ends its run. (:

Credits: Disney/Pixar

Cat figures his primary emotion is more of Disgust, while my primary emotion is Joy - just like Riley!

Before entering the cinema, I grabbed a cup of Thai Iced Milk Tea (also known as Cha Yen) (S$3.90 each) from the newly-opened Soi 55 branch near the ticketing counters. The catch? You can bring any drink bought from this Soi 55 branch into the cinema (legally)! The price for the drinks are hence a little higher than those sold at Golden Shoe Food Centre, but the Cha Yen tastes as good as it looks.

Soi 55 Thai Iced Milk Tea!

Between Thai Iced Milk Tea and Coke, which drink would you prefer to bring into the cinema for the movies?

Revisit to Espuma Lab

Cat meow. Decided to drop by my favourite Espuma Lab. Today's espuma potato foam was a little too watery but still ok on the whole.

Jeun VirtueFarm

What comes to your mind when someone mentions Chinese vegetarian food in Singapore food centres? Run-of-the-mill vegetarian beehoon, oil-laden vegetables, or maybe the colouring-laden gluten passing off as mock char siew. It does get pretty boring, especially when you are on a vegetarian diet and crave for tasty vegetarian versions of typical hawker fare.

Jeun VirtueFarm 浚德田 is a relatively new stall at 79A Circuit Road Food Centre which sells vegan renditions of local noodles stall favourites. The stall is run by young hawkerpreneurs who treat their trade as an art form - instrumentals could be heard from the background as the young noodle chef cooks the noodles with skilled precision. The menu is simple and clear: shiitake minced meat noodles and Fuzhou fishball noodles (update: they now serve shrimp and squid ball noodles too!). The serving trays look quintessentially modern Japanese.

Fuzhou fishball noodles

The Fuzhou fishball noodles (S$4.50) is taste-wise very close to its non-vegan cousin. The noodles are thin and springy like la mian, while the Fuzhou fishball is stuffed with finer "bak chor" ("minced meat") fillings that produce a pleasant umami taste. The chilli sauce tastes surprisingly savoury - it's not just one-dimensionally spicy. Yum.

Shiitake minced meat noodles

The shiitake minced meat noodles (S$4.50) has a more refined texture and taste compared to the typical non-vegan bak chor mee that are commonly served in Singapore. The "bak chor" is similar to the Fuzhou fishball fillings, with a more minced and less fatty texture compared to minced meat. The shiitake mushrooms are deliciously seasoned with thick brown savoury sauce, which is not too salty and balances the taste of the springy noodles.

There is also the option of upsizing your noodles (option of +S$0.50 and +S$1.00) and adding fried wantons (S$1.00 for 3 pieces) to your choice of noodles. The fried wantons do not seem to have much "minced meat" fillings, but the fried wanton skins are pretty crispy. Pretty good, considering these are vegan-friendly snacks.

The folks at Jeun VirtueFarm impress us with their delicious vegan-friendly versions of local noodles at fairly affordable prices. In fact, the noodles taste even better than their non-vegan counterparts. Bak chor mee at food centres is never going to be the same again.

Jeun VirtueFarm 浚德田 

Jeun VirtueFarm 浚德田
79A Circuit Road Food Centre
#01-84
Singapore 371079

Opening Hours:
Mondays - Saturdays: 5:30 pm - 10:30 pm

Real Food at The Central

I have a confession to make: I am a sucker for anything related to healthy eating. While I love eating a wide variety of food, I prefer indulging in healthy and wholesome meals which are delicious and guilt-free on the stomach. I'm also interested in non-conventional menus as well as food which involve minimal chemical processing. (:

One major qualm I have about conventional food is that I don't know the food source and how the plants and animals are treated and fed in farms. On the other hand, food that are healthy/vegan/organic/gluten-free/non-conventional tend to be more expensive compared to conventional food. ):

Is organic/vegan food always = more pricey?

Let's compare with cafes, for a start.

E'spuma Lab

Update: The guys at E'spuma Lab have decided not to continue their lease at PoMo. ):

Hweecat meow.

Cat usually does not particularly like fine-dining. However, today's post involves a casual diner at PoMo which uses fine-dining culinary techniques in its dishes - at wallet-friendly prices! Think gastronomic techniques like sous vide and espuma at hawker prices.

E'spuma Lab seems like one of those 'atas' (i.e. high-class) diners at first glance. Situated near the entrance at level 1 of PoMo, it has a very clean look with sous vide and espuma equipment at the shop front. What attracts Cat most is the price of its food offerings - you can get a decent Western fusion set meal with a bowl of soup and ice lemon tea/coffee/tea for less than S$10 (for most items)! 

Ever since we discovered E'spuma Lab in early May, we usually drop by for a fuss-free dinner after frequenting the Ya Kun Kaya Toast branch at PoMo. Since then, E'spuma Lab has been officially launched with a media tasting, and has since expanded their menu to include more pricey items such as salmon and steak (and not forgetting changes in dish presentation).

The Cream of Mushroom with Sautéed Shiitake (S$3.80 ala carte, served as part of set meal) is smooth with a strong taste of shiitake mushrooms. There used to be some shrimp and crisp bits in the soup; nevertheless, the soup tastes consistently good on our visits. For ala carte, the soup is served with mini French baguettes.

Mushroom Soup (on first visit in May)

Mushroom Soup as part of set meal

The Sous Vide Eggs (S$3.80) comes with two options: Sautéed Mushrooms and Smoked Norwegian Salmon. The eggs are cooked perfectly soft with runny yolk, demonstrating the advantage of the sous vide technique in cooking consistency. The Sautéed Mushrooms Sous Vide Eggs are topped with puffed wild rice and truffle crumble, providing some complexity in texture. In short, heavenly.

Sous Vide Eggs with Sautéed Mushrooms

The Smoked Norwegian Salmon Sous Vide Eggs are topped with crispy salmon skin and ginger shoyu. The smoked Norwegian salmon wasn't fantastic, but we like the crispy salmon skin as it tastes light and not too oily. A pity that we were served the wrong order on that particular visit and the poor young chef accidentally served our eggs with a broken yolk.

Sous Vide Eggs with Smoked Norwegian Salmon

We also tried some of the mains as part of the set meal. Our personal favourites are the E'spuma Potato Foams (S$6.80 ala carte) which come in three options: Curry Chicken, Beef Rendang and Sautéed Mushrooms. The potato foams are also served with mini French baguettes.

You might ask, why eat foam for dinner? Well, treat it as if you are eating something similar to mashed potatoes, but a little more smooth. The texture of the potato emulsion is very rich and soft, yet does not cloud the flavour of the toppings. In fact, the potato emulsion is excellent with Curry Chicken! :D

Curry Chicken with E'spuma Potato Foam (on first visit in May)

The other mains we tried are the Spaghetti with Swedish Meat Balls and E'spuma Caramelised Onion Sauce (S$6.80 ala carte) and Fragrant Rice Served with Pan Seared Sous Vide Chicken Breast and E'spuma Pesto Sauce (S$6.80 ala carte) (which was replaced with spaghetti as they ran out of rice on that particular visit, and which I conveniently did not take a photo of). These two dishes aren't spectacular; the meat balls were dry and the chicken breast merely tasted acceptable, but we liked the espuma sauces.

Spaghetti with Swedish Meat Balls and E'spuma Caramelised Onion Sauce

Our verdict? E'spuma Lab has done a pretty good job of introducing fine-dining gastronomy to the masses with Western fusion dishes. With decent fine-dining offerings at surprisingly wallet-friendly prices, even Cat wouldn't mind multiple visits. :D

E'spuma Lab
1 Selegie Road
#01-20/21
PoMo

Opening Hours: Mondays - Saturdays 11am - 9pm

P.S. Glossary of some gastronomic terms used:

Sous vide is a method of cooking food sealed in airtight plastic bags in a water bath or in a consistent temperature lower than conventional cooking temperatures, in order to cook the item equally and retain moisture.

Espuma is the Spanish term for foam or froth that is specifically created with the use of a siphon bottle. This molecular gastronomic technique allows for creation of foams without an emulsifying agent and hence achieves an unadulterated flavour of the ingredients used.

Cat eats Hokkien Mee again at Eunos

Cat just had a wonderful breakfast / lunch / brunch at my Hokkien mee stall. It was delicious and totally value for money. Best of all, I took away all the prawns and sotong for that extra eggs and less seafood cholesterol and toxins, in doing so justifying eating more eggs. Besides, it's still early in the morning now.


Cat returned home totally full and realizing that reduced oil in any sort of zichar is always a great idea.

Remove the prawns and sotong, add more eggs to this...

In the mean time, Cat wants to write a chilli crab policy about eating crabs with Hweecat, because Cat does not really like crabs, esp not peeling them, but Hweecat loves them.

1. In general only one crab will be ordered, I do not eat crabs in general.

2. You may either peel the crab for me, or eat it all up yourself, take it as I am pampering you, but remember do not try to "offer" or "force" me to eat the crab by my own peeling. Exception, the crab roe or eggs, I will definitely help myself.

3. The chilli gravy with mantou or rice is what I am interested in. The main reason for me to eat chilli crab is this.

Chilli crab, perfect with fried mantou.

4. It sounds like I am giving you all the nicest parts which is not worth it for me when the bill comes. It is true, but I am not exactly so noble; the logic is, I take it as modern marketing strategy. I am interested in the sauce and not interested in the crab. I take it as I am paying for the fact that there is now someone to eat the crab for me. You see, previously I never ordered chilli crab cos there is nobody to eat the crab, so it is still worth it for me; this is modern marketing strategy, in the absolute and relative value of things.

5. As crabs are seasonal, please time your crab escapades properly so as to minimize costs. They are after all still rather expensive, whether in season or not.


Comments from Hweecat: Cat brought me to the above-mentioned Hokkien mee place in Eunos for lunch. It's actually the famous Kim's Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee along Jalan Eunos. This version of Hokkien prawn mee is drier and not too bad, though I prefer my Hokkien prawn mee to be a little wetter. Very generous with fried lard.

Anyway, Cat and Hweecat are planning a food excursion to feast on chilli crab. Any recommendations? (: