The Coffee Daily - a nostalgic haven

Nostalgic.. Vintage..

Often or so, we city dwellers, are looking for a break from the hustle and bustle..

Somewhere in the neighborhood yet hidden and not too crowded..

I have found this picture perfect place hidden in Brighton crescent (a stone throw away from Serangoon Gardens)

It is nostalgic with the vintage odd sized and patterned chairs, painted white with wood setting, with black white pictures hanging freely and framed.

Soft soothing jazz classics helps to pull in the extra sensory experience!

You will relaxingly sit back, order a cuppa, and then indulge in your own space, free from stress, free from crowd, and free from the counting of time..

Because over here, time just slowly slips by, without any hurry.

I've had my fare shares of cafes, including forty hands, loysels's toy cafe etc.

But the reason why I keep coming back here is simple.

Simply put, there is an elaborated simplicity - meaning, the owners take pride in maintaining and upkeeping the place, every piece of furniture and item played in this cafe is a well thought design (which includes a nostalgic 70's thermo flask as water dispenser)

Yet, everything is minimalistic, not overwhelming and gives you a sense of simplicity and peace from the moment you step in.

The service is good and the owners are friendly but knows how to give you space to be by yourself and immerse in the peace you need.

I love this place and I am not sharing about it for you all to overcrowd it, but rather, to share this peaceful haven to people who yearns for a place as such.

The Coffee Daily

75, Brighton Crescent

Singapore 559216

Antoinette - an Italian Patisserie charm

Antoinette
Location: The Scarlet Hotel
Address: 33, Erskine Road
#01-02/03
Tel: 6557 0417
www.antoinette.com.sg




I Love the Italian Patisserie furnishing of this quaint little cafe.
It gives me an escape from the usual hustle and bustle cafes in Singapore.
Fulfilling my little fantasy of being out of the country even if it lasts for only a few hours..


Having found my perfect cozy spot, I can't wait to have my first brew of the day and immerse into a complete holiday relaxtion over Brunch.

My selection- The Vert d Osmanthus $8.00/pot
A beautifully crafted sencha that has the enchanting scent of summer-fresh flowers and the taste of ripe nectarines. Maofeng green tea is used as a base for this osmanthus flower blend. Expect slightly grassy notes, a well balances astringency & the subtle yet unmistakable profile of fresh summer nectarines.

I love this tea. It's natural sweetness is brought out with a well balance. Calming and smooth on the palates. I did not have to put in any sugar cubes to sweeten it. This tea will definitely drift to my mind whenever I have future cravings for tea.




All Day Breakfast
I ordered: Poached eggs with Scottish Smoked Salmon $11.50


This dish turned out rather disappointing for me..
$11.50 was the price tag with additional of $3 for poached egg.
What came with this price tag was a portion of simple greens, a slice of plain toast which is halved, 2 poached eggs. There was a generous amount of Smoked Salmon, however, they had marinated it is Capers and olive which does not go well for me to eat with toast. I prefer it to be the regular classic smoked salmon which will be able to round up the poached egg and toast better.
The taste is a hidden mismatch to me and I found it hard to swallow. The greens were browning as well and plain without any dressing.
I will skip this dish for my next visits. I hope that the lackluster standard is only isolated to this dish.
If the same substandard goes for the sandwiches or crepes, I will surely be crestfallen as Antoniette is a brainchild of an much acclaimed chef whom have gotten good reviews for his works.





A beacon of light was shined onto my taste experience with the help of Antoniette's signature cake which is named after it.
Antoniette: $9.00
Milk chocolate mousse infused with earl grey tea. Chocolate biscuit. Raspberry coulis. Dark chocolate earl grey tea cremeux . Earl grey tea crumble




Luxuriously smooth, the infusion of Earl Grey Tea and Chocolate brings you a combined feeling of both joy and relaxation.

I built my likings on the rich yet not over-poweringly thick chocolate such as Awfully Chocloate and Max Brenner.

The superior chocolate grade is worth your penny. I presume this is why some people are willing to extend their budget on artisan cakes and patisseries.. Its about indulging in the finer grade ingredients.
A few notches above Canele and Bakerzinn, may be the reason why this cake is priced at $9.00 and deemed worthy.

Other sweets such as cookies, chocolates, Macaroons and other delicate cakes are also available.


During times when you have the spare cash, or perhaps the release of your paycheck, do consider checking out Antoniette.
Antoniette could not be a better spot for you to indulge on a romantic private get-away escaping from the Singapore crowd. A place where you can let time slip while you glaze into each other's eyes tenderly with a pot of tea, feeding on desserts with soft giggles while the Italian Jazz plays in the background.

Singles, don't fret. Having said that this is a romantic spot, it is also a nice place to catch up with a close friend and enjoy the day together over brunch or high-tea.

Forty Hands Cafe. A Hidden spot. Book readers will love

Blk 78, Yong Siak Street
#01-12
tel: 6225 8545
website: http://www.40handscoffee.com/

Chocolate tarts, carrot cakes and muffins are glamorously placed in a dome shaped glass cover and proudly displayed on the cabinet of sinful indulgences.

I lost my focus, undecided at what to order as they are all calling out for my attention!
The thought of a chocolatey good tart which is hard to get is pretty tempting..

and so is my all time favorite carrot cake..

that's not all.. The gigantic cookies are giving me glistering smiles and tempting me...

I glanced up and down, left and right.. undecided.
This is all before the wider selection of Salads and Sandwiches!
I wanted to try out their Sandwiches too, but I was pretty filled up from my breakfast.

After struggling for a couple of minutes, I made my choice...
It's swirls brought me on a holiday in Malibu, and topped it with a crown of glorious white cream with orange zest that served me a cocktail on the beach.
Looking at it and the thought of it just brought me to a fantasy holiday!

the choice.. Jamaican Swirl
Conclusion:
exactly like my dream above. It is tasty yet not heavy. Has a strong character yet appetizing.
I couldn't bear to put down the fork and kept going at it until it vanished within a short interval.

I ordered a Latte to complete the fantasy.

ahhhh~ yes~ boy was it good! Full-bodied. Intense. Aromatic. Heavy but yet brings me up to heaven.
At this instance, how I wish I am better versed in Barista notes to give you a better description of the height of enjoyment at the coffee.
I brought me love together with the foam drawing.

Forty hands has a courtyard area as well, but it can get rather hot from the lack of wind flow.

My preferred seating is indoors with the slightly whimsical contradicting graffiti.


1 of the other reasons why is it fully packed and an idea weekend lazy cafe brunch/high-tea spot despite it being located in a pretty hidden place is because Books actually is just directly opposite it .

I hopped in, browsed around at the vintage stuffs they have on display and for sale, as well as purchased 2 books for my reading pleasure.





I checked back in to forty hands after getting my books and ordered Pear Cider to accompany me through to evening.
The pear cider is not to my liking. I've had better ciders. This did not make it to my re-try list.

ReStore Cafe

There's a new list of new Cafes that have invaded the Cafe scene in S'pore bringing us closer to the Auzzie relaxing Coffee Culture.
I drew out my list and picked ReStore as my 1st stop.

ReStore
124 Tanjong Pagar Road
Tue - Sun, 12pm - 7pm
Closed on Mondays
6222 3510

Restore is a new Vintage Furniture Cafe which infuses a relaxing sit back with jazz playing on while you have tasty breakfast and shop at the same time.
Perfect place for getting away from the crowd and just having an alone time with a book or chat with intimate ones


My fave drink is Cafe Latte and It is always my top choice for a lazy afternoon coffee


I read that their bagels are freshly baked and was hoping to try out the Cinnamon Raisin bagel which comes with cream cheese spread at $5.50.

It was a tug between the Bagel and the Waffles.
The waffles gave a hard pull at the last second which drew victory over bagel.
So here's my choice.
I selected the Canadian Waffles served with cream and Maple syrup and topped it with a scoop of homemade Vanilla ice-cream $8.80

While waiting for the waffles to take its form in the waffle mold, the sweet fragrant smell escaped out and filled the whole place with the aroma of fresh breakfast bliss.

Yumz, it was really good! The waffles was done just nice and it was Delicious!
While my mouth and nose were enjoying the Latte and Waffles, my eyes took pleasure and kept themselves entertained with the display of retro looking restored chairs.

The chairs are up for sale, most of it averaging at $200++

The place sits about 20-25 pax

The tables are for sale too!

ahhh, won't it be nice a similar reading corner like this at home?

the menu is very simple and basic with 2 food items- Bagel and Waffles, but its good enough for me ^^

Bel Mondo - South Italian Cuisine

address: 9,Raffles Boulevard
#01-09, Millenia Walk
tel: 6336 3348

We were Strolling along the stretch of restaurants from Millenia Walk leading to Paulaner.
Our meeting with Bel Mondo was not planned nor expected. It was a casual bump in.
I ordered number 17 listed on the Menu that reads "Linguine with Crabmeat Flambe with Brandy in tomato cream sauce"
Every single word reads Irresistible to me and I just HAD to order it!
The dish came out exactly like I had pictured it to be.
The was generous mass of crabmeat, the sauce was nice with mix of herbs, tomato and cream all mixed in one.
I'm truly satisfied with this order :)
Linguine Al Granchino - $19.00


Mushroom Pizza was ordered to be placed on the table.
It gets a average/fair grading from me.
I like thin crust pizza but the base of this pizza poses a slight difficulty in slicing through.
The portion of Mushroom was inadequate.
Taste wise is ok in a edible term but I would not recommend you to order the pizza here as you can get better ones elsewhere.
Fungi Pizza - $16.00

Tagliatelle Gamberi - $20.00

Calamari Fritti - $12.00


Bel Mondo do not spot the best ambience nor setting, but if you happen to be at Millenia walk for a casual dining with your friends and wanting to opt out of having Japanese Cuisine, you can hop in for a feel good pasta to warm your heart and tummy. But other dishes may be a risk that yoiu are willing to bear