Showing posts with label Croffle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Croffle. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

L’Espresso @ Goodwood Park Hotel - Afternoon Tea Buffet with English Classics and European Delights

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From now until the end of April, L'Espresso at Goodwood Park Hotel presents an Afternoon Tea Buffet featuring English Classics and European Delights. You can indulge in a delectable array of European-themed sweets and savouries alongside traditional English Classics, which include quintessential sandwiches, a live Carving Station, and more. L'Espresso also introduces its latest Scone Bar, offering a delightful selection of freshly baked scones in assorted flavours.

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Seafood Croquettes

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Prawn Twister

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Golden Crispy Battered Fish Fillet

The Hot Delights section is where you will find all the scrumptious fried morsels, such as Golden Crispy Battered Fish Fillet, Seafood Croquettes, and Prawn Twister. Each item is served with its respective pairing sauce — Tartar Sauce & Malt Vinegar for the English touch, Rémoulade for a French flair, and Roasted Garlic Aioli for a taste of Spain.

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Spanish-style Chicken Drumettes

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Pork Schnitzel

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Grilled Bratwurst with Sauerkraut

For some meatier delicacies, there are Spanish-style Chicken Drumettes, Swiss-style Pork Schnitzel with Cheese, and Grilled Bratwurst with Sauerkraut. The Pork Schnitzel, reminiscent of the one I enjoyed in Vienna, was a delightful surprise. It was well executed - perfectly flat as it should be, with a tender texture that made each bite pleasurable.

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Sourdough Pizza Margherita

Not forgetting the Italian touch, you can savour the Sourdough Pizza Margherita, where the simplicity of the ingredients accentuates the sourdough crust's airy texture.

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Beef Bourguignon

One of the standout offerings was this French Beef Bourguignon. It was hearty and flavoursome, featuring tender beef cubes alongside chunks of moreish courgettes and soft, sweet carrots.

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Croffle Herb-roasted NZ Beef Tenderloin

The Chef Action Station is also a key highlight of this buffet, offering freshly made Croffle topped with Herb-roasted NZ Beef Tenderloin. While the tenderloin was commendable, some inconsistencies were noted. My first plate was delighting with thin slices of beef tenderloin, yet the second serving was disappointing with an overdone tenderloin and a thicker cut.

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Prawn Cocktail with Fresh Mango

Under the Sandwiches section, selections include Finger Sandwiches, Open-Faced Sandwiches and Croissant Sandwiches. Similar to hot delights, you get both a touch of English and European flavours — Prawn Cocktail with Fresh Mango & Lime Zest (English), Ham & Swiss Cheese (Swiss), Bocadillo de Atún (Tuna & Egg) (Spanish) and Basil Pesto Caprese (Italian).

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Herb & Garlic Cheese Tartlet with Cranberry Compote, Smoked Salmon Bruschetta with Mascarpone

The Open Sandwiches offers dainty Herb & Garlic Cheese Tartlet with Cranberry Compote and Smoked Salmon Bruschetta with Mascarpone. I like how each small bite was so packed with mouthfeel and flavours.

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Salmon Gravlax

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Charcuterie

I visited this section the most for the luscious slices of Salmon Gravlax. The chilled section also offers a selection of Charcuterie with Pickles & Mustard.

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Plain, Raisin, Coffee, Apricot, Pistachio & Maple Pecan Scone

As mentioned, a brand new Scone Bar has been added to the buffet menu, presenting an assortment of scones with new flavours such as Coffee, Apricot, Pistachio, and Maple Pecan alongside classics like Plain and Raisin. The Plain remained my top choice, followed by Maple Pecan for the additional nuttiness, which worked well with the wide selection of condiments, which even includes Lemon Curd and Caramel Banana, among others.

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Tarta De Manzana

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Desserts

I enjoyed the wide variety of desserts from various parts of Europe. The German Donauwellen (Marble Cake) was yummy with tart cherries embedded. The Spanish Tarta De Manzana (Apple Tart) is a must-try, boasting a layer of beautiful custard base topped with apples. Equally satisfying was the Swiss Apricot Cake, which highlighted the flavours of the summer fruit.

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Limited-time Chef Specials will be available only twice during Monday to Thursday seatings and once during each seating from Friday to Sunday and Public Holidays. What was served during my visit was Creamy Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry and Peppermint & Strawberry Lollipop.

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Afternoon Tea Buffet with English Classics and European Delights
8 March – 30 April 2024
Mon-Thu: 2pm - 5:30pm ($65 per adult/ $39 per child)
Fri-Sun & PH: 12pm - 2:30pm, 3pm - 5:30pm ($68 per adult/ $40.80 per child)

Photograph and written by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food.


L'Espresso
Goodwood Park Hotel
22 Scotts Road
Singapore 228221
Tel: +65 67301746
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line, TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Thu: 2pm - 5:30pm 
Fri-Sun & PH: 12pm - 2:30pm, 3pm - 5:30pm (

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit 1. Walk down Scotts Road to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]

Friday, March 5, 2021

The Chir Cafe + Bar @ Holland Village – Brand New Korean Fusion Concept Dishing Up Brunch, Dinner, And All-day Pastas

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Cafe by day and resto-bar by night, The Chir Cafe + Bar is an all-new eatery opening at Holland Village just late last year. The same folks who brought popular South Korean fried chicken franchise, Chir Chir Fusion Chicken Factory to Singapore, conceptualised it. The menu is a fun, eclectic fusion of Korean and Western cuisines.

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Chir Chicken Croffle 4.2/5

Available for Brunch and Dinner, the Chir Chicken Croffle ($17.50) features succulent deep-fried chicken thigh and fluffy golden-brown croffles. Interestingly, the waffles are baked using croissant dough, which makes it fluffy and chewy inside, yet crispy and flaky on the outside, akin to a croissant. Drizzle some homemade maple butter syrup, and it makes for a scrumptious sweet-and-savoury pairing.

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Fondue Chicken Burger 4/5

The Fondue Chicken Burger ($15.50) comes with a juicy slab of fried chicken thigh, grilled pineapple, onion marmalade and fresh rocket, sandwiched between toasted burger buns. The entire stack is then doused in a nacho cheese sauce and served with a side of shoestring fries - an ultimate dream for the cheese lovers. The Fondue Chicken Burger is available for Brunch and Dinner.

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Three Mushroom Truffle Pasta 4/5

The Three Mushroom Truffle Pasta ($18.50) features al dente linguine with a creamy and fragrant black truffle cream sauce clinging to its every strand. A mix of juicy shiitake, button, and portobello mushrooms complete this classic truffle pasta dish.

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Cheese Spam Fries 3.8/5

For sides, we had the Cheese Spam Fries ($14). The thick strips of fried spam are fried nicely with a crispy exterior and fluffy insides. It is perfectly paired with some ranch cheese sauce.

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Iced Sea Salt Caramel Latte 3.8/5, Summer Cooler 4/5

On top of the standard lattes and cappuccinos, customers can also find unconventional concoctions, such as the Sea Salt Caramel Latte ($6.50 for iced). The fragrant caramel infused espresso is topped with freshly crushed sea salt. Craft beers and soju are also available by the bottle, while house pour red and white wines can be purchased by the glass ($15) or bottle ($70). We had the Summer Cooler ($16), a refreshing cocktail with sweet fruity notes from the green grape soju, perfect for unwinding over the rich, hearty dishes.

Photos and words by Crystal. A girl who likes to eat, photograph, and write about food and dreams about travelling around the world one day. Note: This is an invited tasting.


The Chir Cafe + Bar
Holland Village
26A Lorong Mambong
Singapore 277685
Tel: +65 62359950
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Holland Village (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 11am - 1030pm
Sat-Sun: 930am - 1030pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Holland Village MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to Lorong Liput. Walk down Lorong Luput. Turn right onto Lorong Mambong. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Costa 269 @ Holland Village - Croffle (Croissant + Waffle)

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Costa Singapore’s newest flagship store at Holland Village, has launched the brand’s first café style outlet with a hot kitchen, Costa269. That means your order will be made fresh on the spot and not simply grabbing off from the display shelf and pop into the oven or worse still microwave. Apart from offering the classic breakfast favourites, as a London coffeeshop, the menu also draws inspiration from the British's.

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Like any other Costa outlets, the interior of their flagship store is just as stunning. Double storey high, the place is so much more conducive than its neighbouring one. Croissants seems to be the love of our century. Despite tasting just as delicious on its own, it was meld with donuts (Cronuts), before somebody decided to impregnated it with sinfully indulgent lava-ish fillings. This flaky, fluffy and buttery viennoiserie-pastry seems to behold infinite possibilities. Over here at Costa, croissants has once again stretched its boundaries and evolutionized into Croffle, the star of their brunch menu.

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The Great Croffle Fry-Up ($17) embodies Costa’s British heritage - A sunny-side up egg sat atop the croffle, with side sautéed mushrooms and a beef sausage made from ground beef, tomatoes and onions. Though the croffle takes on a waffle persona, I like the fact that its crescent identity remains. I was surprised by the sound of that crispiness as I sunk my cutlery into the croffle, especially at the edges and where the grooves were. Sweet and buttery like croissant with flaky layers, but a relatively denser and chewier body of a waffle. For those who usually find croissant too airy too be satisfying, this could be perhaps the solution to that. Not a preserved meat person, the beef sausage was surprisingly likable, due to its meaty texture that has a rather balanced flavours of sweet and savouriness. Perhaps, I wasn't expecting much from a sausage from a chain café. Fans of fried chicken waffle, this should definitely be in your check list.

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Other classic items such as Avocado on Toast ($11) and The Salmon & Scramble Bagel ($14) are healthy options to go for. I assume that avocado is a pretty pricey ingredient due to its perishable nature, hence seeing it on the menu was surprising. Although it seems to be a plain Jane compared to the others in the list, I like the elegance of it and the fact that I have started off my day, or even ended my day with such clean goodness. I would recommend adding sautéed mushrooms, which were just as good as any other served in bistros.

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I'm not a fan of bagel as I find given its dense body, the ingredients that come with it are often too little to balance it, which is the case for theirs. The portion of the salmon and eggs need some beefing up.

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You can also simply skip the typical savoury brunch and head straight to their Very Berry Croffle ($11). We had our served with an enormous scoop of salted caramel ice cream (you can also choose chocolate or vanilla), and topped with sliced strawberries and blueberries dusted with icing sugar. The croffle remains quite crispy under the icy cold ice cream, unlike waffles which tend to become soggy after a while. The combination of the ice cream, berries and the flaky, buttery croffle was quite divine. It would have surpassed my expectations more if it is served with a berry-based sauce rather than a ordinary maple syrup. Afterall, it is called very Berry, and especially when they have a hot kitchen to do it.

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Compared to their ready-made items, this brunch menu is definitely many times more enticing. I thought the hot kitchen is slightly under utilised with their current range, before I got to know that the outlet will soon be introducing new items like craft beers and a grill-led menu. As a testbed for their future stores and given the location which they have chosen, the success of this concept will definitely positioned them a level higher than its competitors.

Written by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Costa 269
Holland Village
269 Holland Avenue
Singapore 278990
Tel: +65 68014538
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Holland Village (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 7am - 11pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Holland Village MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk straight to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]