Kong Café – Minimalist, Simple Brunch

Discovered Kong Cafe while surfing Instagram – initially intruiged by their all-day happy hour promotion of 3 bottles of beer for $18. I soon learnt that they also serve coffee, brunch & dinner fare so I decided to pay them a visit.

Their menu is plastered all over their walls near the cashier, & I took some time to read through them.

Kong Café’s paper menus stuck on their walls

Eventually, I ordered the Scrambled Eggs on Sourdough Toast, which unfortunately is not available on its own. It’s mandatory to order an add-on, which I think is quite a shame because I didn’t actually want any of them – Hummus, Sausage, Homemade Chutney, Bacon. I decided on the sausage in the end, making my Scrambled Eggs on Sourdough Toast with Sausage $13.50 nett.

Scrambled Eggs on Sourdough Toast with Sausage

This was served very quickly. It honestly doesn’t look like much, but it tastes pretty good. The scrambled eggs are creamy & slightly runny, just the way I like them. I just admit that the sausage gives the dish saltiness in good proportion. The sliced sourdough bread was impressively toasted to perfection! Crust not too hard (still easy to bite into), & the soft part of the bread pillowy & fluffy.

I do hope they consider putting just Scrambled Eggs on Sourdough Toast on its own on the menu. I’d frequent this place more often if they did.

Ordered a Flat White ($5.50 nett small, $6.50 nett large) to go with my brunch; got the large one at a promotional price of $6.00 nett. Pleasantly surprised at how easy this is to drink, yet has that oomph of a double shot of coffee to kick you awake. Would return here again for the coffee, to just spend time chillin’ here.

The interior decor here is bare & minimalist; the floor-to-ceiling windows that face the main road (Dunearn Road) let a lot of light in, which makes the space bright & welcoming.

It wasn’t crowded on a Saturday afternoon when I visited, & a nice chill playlist plays softly in the background while customers chit chat or do work. There is a study area of 8 small tables on one side, & the remaining other tables have “No Studying” signs next to them.

Parking is free (though limited) at Sime Darby Centre on weekends – the parking lot is on level 2 right outside Cold Storage. But if you’re taking transport, Kong Cafe is right next to King Albert Park MRT.

💳 Accepts credit cards
🌬 Air-conditioned seats only
📶 Free WiFi available
💦 Water is not chargeable
🙋🏻‍♀️ No service charge
🚫 No GST

Winestone – Great for Date Night, Even Better with 1-for-1!

Winestone is a little out of the way to get to, but the ambience here makes up for it. Somewhat classy, but not pompous or stuffy. You could dine here with a friend, a date, or for business.

I dined here in the evening, which isn’t the most ideal for food photography – but I reckon the floor to ceiling glass windows will give you ample natural light in the mornings!

Burpple Beyond’s 1-for-1 brought me here; I was dead set on their pastas, & had a bit of dilemma on what to order from their Taste of Italy menu. Everything sounded good.

Eventually ordered the Ragout Tagliatelle ($25.00++) & Fettuccine Ai Funghi ($22.00++) to share with my friend. I originally thought these wouldn’t fill me up when they were served, but I was wrong.

Being a beef lover, I thought I’d enjoy the ragout more, as it is generally a hearty solid dish right up my alley. I generally prefer shredded meat ragout over minced meat ones, & this was minced meat town. I did enjoy my half of this while it lasted, but on a comparative basis, it was definitely heavier on the palate which I can’t guarantee everyone would appreciate.

Don’t look down on the Fettuccine Ai Funghi ($22.00++) for being a vegetarian dish. This was delightful. A great mix of juicy sliced mushrooms & confit tomatoes, with creaminess from the ricotta cheese & some acidity from balsamic vinegar that cuts through the heaviness of this dish. What a winner.

💳 Accepts credit cards
🌬 Air-conditioned seats available
☀ Al fresco seats available
🍽 Burpple Beyond partner

📱 Accepts reservations – I used Hungrygowhere, also available on Chope
🏩 Located inside Novotel Singapore on Stevens
💦 Water is not chargeable

Burpple Beyond Giveaway!

Burpple Beyond is rolling out their new Premium & Lite plans, & I’m giving away 1 of each to 2 lucky winners. Visit the contest posts on @wobblethebui & Bui Bui Eats below to participate! Giveaway closes 8th Oct 2019.

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<< GIVEAWAY CLOSED! Winners will be contacted shortly ☺ >> #BurppleBeyond is rolling out their new Premium & Lite plans, & I'm giving away #BurppleBeyondNewPlans to 2 lucky winners. All you have to do is: 1) Like @wobblethebui & @burpple on Instagram. 2) Follow Bui Bui Eats on Facebook – easy clickable link on my profile. 3) On both contest posts, tag the friends you'll want to dine with, with your new Burpple Beyond plan. The more, the merrier! Contest ends next Tuesday, 8 Oct 2019 at 23:59hrs (Singapore time), & winners will be notified within the next week. Prize takes the form of a gift code & must be redeemed by 31 Oct 2019. It is only valid for Burpple users with no active Burpple Beyond plan. Good luck! 💕

A post shared by Bui Bui Eats (@wobblethebui) on Sep 30, 2019 at 6:50pm PDT

Happy Shucking Hour at The Oyster Bank

Took me a while to get acknowledged by the staff at The Oyster Bank – waiting at the “please wait to be seated” sign for almost 5 minutes didn’t exactly give me a very good first impression to begin with.

Happy Hour here is from 12 – 9PM daily, & Happy Shucking Hour is 5 – 8PM on weekdays, 3 – 6PM on weekends. Double reasons to be happy. This was the reason why I came here in the first place.

During Happy Shucking Hour, naked oysters go at $2++ a pop (usual price $3.90++). You can order a maximum of 6 naked oysters per drink.

I ordered a glass of Somerton Cabernet Sauvignon ($10++ HH / $13++ U.P.); was shocked to find a glass of white wine delivered to me. They messed that up, but nothing unforgivable lah. Sent it back & got a glass of the correct wine shortly after.

The oysters are pretty delicious; not crazy plump, but I love how they are quite creamy & with a hint of brineyness to them. Wine was not bad, so in all I’d return for Happy (Shucking or otherwise) Hour again.

💳 Accepts credit cards
🌬 Air-conditioned seats only
🛋 Bar & table seats available
📶 Free WiFi (Funan is a CapitaLand Mall)

50% Off at Ash and Elm

There’s still time to take advantage of Chope’s deal at Ash & Elm! For the month of August (2019), all items on their “From the Pan” menu are at 50% off of you book via Chope & use the code CE8AE. Valid for dinner only, & other Terms & Conditions apply – check the Chope app for more details.

It was my first time here & I was impressed by the ambiance. It’s a nice place to go on a date… Then again, I expect no less, it being located inside the lovely InterContinental Singapore.

Inside Ash & Elm Singapore — Ash & Elm – good for date nights

I had the Hand-cut Wagyu Beef Burger ($39++) with the patty done medium rare; chowed down on it & enjoyed it from start to finish. It wasn’t soggy at the end, & the bun remained quite fluffy & soft. The caramelised onions gave this a balanced sweetness, & in all this is a well-rounded burger.

Served with a side of thick-cut fries which were okay (average lah), & a side of coleslaw which was too acidic.. I didn’t enjoy that nor finish it. & I rarely don’t finish food. The star of the show, rightfully, is the burger!

Ash & Elm's Hand-cut Wagyu Beef Burger — Delicious Wagyu Beef Burger

I nibbled on my friend’s Black Cod Fillet À La Plancha ($48++) out of curiosity, & of course politeness cos she asked I wanted to 😂 The texture of the fish was on point, but it was a little too salty for both our liking. I would’ve expected more from it at this price point, especially since its one of the Chef’s Specialties. But the saffron pearl couscous was lovely.

Let’s just say I’m glad I dined here with a 50% off discount thanks to Chope. I’d say give this one a miss, unless they can fix the saltiness. Because the texture is awesome, as a nicely done cod should be.

Ash & Elm's Black Cod Fillet À La Plancha — Tender cod but way too salty

Sautéed Mushrooms ($10++) weren’t eligible for the half-off discount, but this was a great add on. Loved how juicy these were!

Ash & Elm's Sautéed Mushrooms — Juicy mushrooms are a great side dish

Lastly (though served at the start not end of one’s meal), this isn’t going to be a deal breaker for most diners.. But their bread here isn’t fabulous. I usually wipe the bread bowls clean, but not this time. Perhaps it’s just not to my liking – I like full thiccc carby bread, not so much flatbread crackers. Probably boils down to personal preference.

Ash & Elm's Bread Basket — Didn’t wipe the bread basket clean like I usually do

💳 Accepts credit cards
🌬 Air-conditioned seats only
🖥 Accepts reservations – I used Chope
🏩 Located inside Hotel Intercontinental
💦 Water is not chargeable