Boyutei @ Ann Siang Hill - New French-Japanese Cafe By One-Michelin Starred Whitegrass And Tea Artisans Hvala

Boyutei is an exciting new collaboration between the one-Michelin starred Whitegrass and tea artisans Hvala. Their menu sees French-Japanese fusion cuisine ranging from sandos to sweet and savoury crepes. The savoury items are crafted by Whitegrass Head Chef Takuya Yamashita, while Hvala focuses on their area of expertise, desserts and beverages.

Wagyu Sukiyaki Tamago Sando

There are 4 types of sandos currently. The Wagyu Sukiyaki Tamago Sando ($24) has slices of braised wagyu beef, red onions, cabbage, chives, and an onsen egg served on toasted brioche.

Ebi Katsu Sando 3/5

The Ebi Katsu Sando ($22) has a thick and crunchy ebi katsu with tomatoes, cabbage, a drizzle of tartar sauce, and homemade chilli. Apart from the beef and prawn options, the other 2 sandos are chicken and veggie.

Cha Soba 3/5

For a noodle dish, the Cha Soba ($24) is presented with kinshi tamago strips and slices of unagi with momiji oroshi. The wedge of lemon helps to add some brightness to the dish.

Niku Miso Chazuke 

Served with a side of dashi broth, the Niku Miso Chazuke ($18) has Japanese white rice paired with moromi miso flavoured minced beef and a mix of chives and crispy genmai bits. Flavours here are lighter.

Seafood Mentaiko Crepe 3.5/5

One of the highlights of Boyutei's menu would be their lineup of crepes that carry strong French-Japanese fusion. The Seafood Mentaiko Crepe ($22) has a mix of prawns, squid, bacon, cabbage and tomato enveloped in a thin and soft crepe with a slight chew. It's finished with mentaiko mayo and shredded nori.

Fans of matcha desserts will be familiar with Hvala. They've brought a wide range of teas from an exclusive partner farm and are showcasing them here through the beverages and newly conceptualised plated desserts.

Goma Matcha Crepe 4.5/5

In the Goma Matcha Crepe ($14), you will find a layer of bittersweet matcha pastry cream between the matcha crepe, topped with matcha ice cream and goma crumbles. The goma crumbles were roasty and fragrant, helping to tie all the elements together nicely.

Matcha Goma Garden 4.2/5

If you are a fan of warabi mochi, the Matcha Goma Garden ($17) has a fun assembly of them, together with matcha ice cream, cinnamon sand and a handcrafted goma nama chocolate. The pieces of warabi mochi were soft, while the nama chocolate was decadent with a subtle roasty fragrance.

Black Forest Tart 4/5

The Black Forest Tart ($17) offers something different with its dark chocolate fondant, cherry compote, chocolate soil and rum ice cream. The mini bursts of sweet cherry in the bittersweet dark chocolate were a pleasant surprise.

Matcha Latte, Sakura Smoked Cold Brew Tea

Drinks wise, there’s a whole range of Chinese teas, Japanese teas, cold brews, straight matcha and lattes. Hvala’s classic Matcha Latte ($9) is available alongside Genmaicha and Hojicha Lattes. You can customise your ice and sugar levels, as well as if you’d prefer the use of fresh milk or oat milk.

The Sakura Smoked Cold Brew Tea ($12) is an interesting drink. You will first meet with a light smoky aroma before hints of sakura and sour cherry come through.

Photos and words by Jo. A girl who loves her Mala (麻辣) at Da La (大辣), discovering hidden food gems and a good cup of matcha latte. Note: This is an invited tasting.


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Boyutei
28 Ann Siang Road
#01-02
Singapore 069708
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Telok Ayer (DT Line), Chinatown (DT Line, NE Line), Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Telok Ayer MRT station. Take Exit A. Turn left and walk down Cross Street. Turn left onto Amoy Street. Continue to the end of Amoy Street. Climb the stairs beside Siang Cho Keong Temple, up Ann Siang Hill. Walk to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit G. Walk down Maxwell Road towards Kadayanallur Street (beside URA building). Turn right onto Kadayanallur Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]

3) Alight at Chinatown MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk down Pagoda Street to South Bridge Road. Cross the road and turn right. Walk down South Bridge Road. Turn left onto Ann Siang Hill. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

SKAI @ Swissotel The Stamford Singapore - Launches New Skai High Tea With Sweeping Views Of The City Skyline

Enjoy a luxurious afternoon tea experience accompanied by impressive skyline views from the 70th floor of Singapore’s acclaimed Swissotel The Stamford, as Contemporary grill and restaurant, SKAI launches its latest traditional English afternoon tea available from 14 October 2019 onwards. The curated selection of exquisite treats is inspired by English afternoon tea rituals and accented with Japanese and Asian culinary sensibilities for that perfect afternoon indulgence.

The afternoon tea menu serves up a variety of sweet and savoury snacks on an elegant 3-tiered stand. Savouries include the Asparagus Feta Quiche, Loch Fyne Smoked Salmon with Trout Roe, Maitake Truffle with Celeriac on Flat Bread, and Truffle Egg Yolk Gel on Brioche.

One of my favourite picks goes to the fresh Lobster Roll with ikura and celery, sandwiched in between a soft buttery charcoal bread roll. The succulent, bouncy lobster meat was a welcoming contrast to the softness of the bread roll. Another calorie-worthy treat is the unbelievably creamy slab of foie gras sandwiched in between mini polo buns.

The other two tiers on the serving platter were packed with an array of dainty sweets, which ranges from the Sugarless Dark Chocolate Bonbon, Cocoa Bean Ruby Chantilly to the Raspberry Cream Cheese Macarons.

Exquisitely presented, lovers of matcha will love the Matcha Tea Mascarpone, which features a soft globule of matcha dessert, as well as a matcha flavoured chocolate stick piped with more matcha cream on top, which adds on a generous hit of green tea aroma.

The Candied Black Bean Sesame has a roasty earthiness from the black sesame flavour, which makes it a perfect accompaniment to the sweetness of the candied black bean.

My favourite is the 72% Chocolate Sable Tart, which comes in a sable chocolate tart encasing chocolate cream, and generously showered in a mountain of chocolate crumbles. Not overly sweet yet sufficiently rich, the lusciously smooth cream adds a textural dimension to the crumbly sable tart and chocolate crumbs.

Fans of fruity flavours will love the Mango and Strawberry Gateau. A delicious, well-crafted representation, the shape is reminiscent of the mango fruit. Mango lovers will enjoy this dessert which has a delicate soft texture and a rich mango aroma.

An English Afternoon Tea doesn't get more traditional with the obligatory scones with lemon curd, Devonshire cream and strawberry jam. Buttery and crumbly just the way it should be.

Situated at one of the highest points on the 70th floor for your afternoon tea indulgence, the elegant space at SKAI serves as the perfect respite with sweeping city views and seamless service. Sink into absolute bliss as you dig into the scrumptious high tea delights. The SKAI High Tea is available from Friday to Sunday, 3pm-5pm and is priced at S$60++ per person with choice for TWG tea or Suzuki coffee.

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.


SKAI
Swissotel The Stamford
2 Stamford Road
Level 70 The Stamford
Singapore 178882
Facebook
Website
Tel: +65 63388585
Nearest MRT: City Hall (EW Line, NS Line)

Opening hours:
Fri-Sun: 3 - 5pm

Directions:
1) Alight at City Hall MRT station. Take Exit A or C. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Dal.komm Coffee @ Funan Mall - Unveils Its Fourth Outlet With New Menu Of Exclusive Offerings

Popular Korean coffee chain, Dal.komm Coffee launched its latest outlet at the newly opened Funan Mall, Singapore’s newest lifestyle and creative hub. To celebrate the outlet opening, there will be two exclusive outlet beverages, as well as new menu items, including a delectable selection of savoury bites.

Matcha Red Bean Latte 4/5

The Funan outlet features two exclusive outlet drinks, which highlights a special ingredient - Korean red beans or ‘pat', which represents luck and prosperity in Korean culture. We had the Matcha Red Bean Latte ($8.90), which pairs sweet Korean red bean paste with the slightly-bitter premium green tea in an unequalled classic combination.

Matcha Coffee Cube 4/5

Besides the celebratory red bean treats, the outlet also presents highly-anticipated additions to its beverage menu with the popular Matcha Cube series. A uniquely dal.komm creation, the Matcha Coffee Cube ($8.90). It combines the coffee-flavoured cubes which gradually melt into the creamy and milky green tea concoction below, adding to the beautiful intense bittersweetness, while keeping the beverage ice-cold and flavourful.

Diners can expect a variety of other enticing drink options such as the Matcha Chocolate Mint Latte ($8 regular/ $8.50 large), the Matcha Chocolate Mixture ($8 regular/ $8.50 large) as well as the refreshing and fruity carbonated beverages, Grapefruit Ade, Strawberry Lemon Ade, and Yuzu Citron Ade ($7.50 each).

Breaded Dory Cruffin 3.5/5

dal.komm will be padding up its menu with more delicious treats that are great for dining-in, or for a quick meal on-the-go. We had the Breaded Dory Cruffin ($10.90) which comprises a crispy baked dory fish. The fish is drizzled with sweet bulgogi sauce sandwiched in between flaky, buttery golden brown cruffin buns, and served with fresh greens.

Signature Crab Ebiko Croissant 3.8/5

The Signature Crab Ebiko Croissant ($9.90) features a flaky, buttery croissant filled with generous amounts of crab stick and ebiko, cloaked in luscious mayonnaise, and served with fresh greens.

Other exclusive meal items include the fiery Signature Ssamjang Chicken Cruffin ($10.90), and Ssamjang Chicken Pizza ($12.90), as well as the Ham and Cheese Croissant ($5.90), and hearty sandwiches (from $4.90).

Come August 2019, patrons will have the opportunity to experience Creative Technology’s newest Super X-Fi (SXFI) audio products at the dal.komm Funan outlet as part of a collaboration between dal.komm Coffee Singapore and the digital entertainment company, known for their cutting-edge audio technology.

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.


Dal.komm Coffee
107 North Bridge Road
#03-17
Singapore 179105
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: City Hall (EW Line, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 930am - 930pm

Direction:
1) Alight at City Hall MRT station. Take Exit D. Turn left and walk down North Bridge Road. Cross the road at the junction of North Bridge Road and Coleman Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

The Alley Luxe @ Cineleisure - The Alley's First Ever Premium Lifestyle Concept With Signature Beverages And European Baked Pastries

This May, The Alley makes its mark in Singapore with the launch of its first-ever premium concept - The Alley Luxe at its first flagship store at Cineleisure. This premium lifestyle cafe concept will showcase The Alley's finest collection of beverages, as well as an array of exquisite European baked pastries such as croissants, cruffins and kouign-amann. Customers get to enjoy the scenic view of Orchard Road as they indulge in The Alley's signature beverages and mouth-watering baked pastries. The Alley’s flagship store will open on the 18th of May 2019, at Orchard Cineleisure Level 2.

Brown Sugar Deerioca Fresh Milk 4.2/5, Matcha Brown Sugar Deerioca Fresh Milk 4.5/5

Renowned for its signature Brown Sugar Deerioca series, The Alley continues to amaze with soft, chewy pearls meticulously brewed for over 4 hours with their all-natural brown sugar, and complete with Japanese grade fresh milk for the perfect brown sugar fresh milk experience. Go for their Brown Sugar Deerioca Fresh Milk ($5.30) or Matcha Brown Sugar Deerioca Fresh Milk ($6.30) which boasts a robust bittersweet matcha flavour. Remember to suck on the brown sugar pearls at the bottom of the cup first to experience that warm, rich caramelised soft pearls before mixing the cold milk together with the warm brown sugar pearls for a satisfying cup.

Royal No. 9 Milk Tea 4/5

Garden Milk Tea 4/5

The milk tea series, Garden Milk Tea ($5.30) and Royal No. 9 Milk Tea ($4.30) boasts a rich assam tea aroma with a roasted, milky flavour, and complete with soft, chewy pearls. The Garden Milk Tea comes with an additional blanket of oreo crumbs atop and mint leaves, resembling a 'garden', which also adds some crunchy texture to the drink as well.

Snow Strawberry Lulu 4/5

The all-new Lulu series features a concoction of fresh fruits and tea, finished off with a dollop of snow velvet cream that will surely delight all fruit tea with its refreshing and fragrant taste. The Snow Strawberry Lulu ($6.30) is light with a well-balanced tangy-sweetness from the freshly brewed white peach oolong tea and fresh strawberries added to form a perfect blend of flavours.

Snow Velvet Peach Oolong Tea 4.2/5

For something light and refreshing, go for their Snow Velvet Peach Oolong Tea ($5.80) which features oolong tea freshly brewed from the oolong tea leaves upon order and tops with a creamy snow velvet cap. Twist the cap to sip on the foam and use a straw for drinking the tea separately, and you get to enjoy the natural taste of the tea.

Aurora Series: Northern Lights 4.2/5

An eye-catching bottle of ice blended drink - the Aurora series: Northern Lights ($8.80) features a wonder infusion of tea and fresh fruits which includes apple vinegar, grapes and butterfly blue pea to form a beautiful gradient of colours. Not just instagrammable, it scores on the taste as well!

The Alley Luxe also introduces a new lineup of European baked pastries such as the Almond Croissant, Sausage and Cheese Croissant, Cruffins (salted caramel, lemon meringue, kaya and chocolate flavours) and Kouign-Amann. The cruffins are a croissant-muffin hybrid and boast flaky external layers, fluffy insides and slightly sweet yet flavourful centres.

Having opened its very first outlet in 2013, The Alley has come a remarkable way with more than 300 outlets around the world today, in places like Toronto, Los Angeles, Paris, Mainland China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan etc. The Alley commits to create only the finest beverages and uphold an extremely high standard in its choice of ingredients, placing great attention in quality, from the hand harvesting of tea plants to the choice of ingredients and ratios. As a leading trendsetter of artisanal tea, the brand continues to make waves in the international food and beverage scene with its signature beverages that everyone loves.

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 Alley Luxe
Cineleisure Orchard
8 Grange Road
#02-06A/B
Singapore 239695
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Somerset (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily 12pm to 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Somerset MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to Grange Road. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Lewin Terrace @ Fort Canning - Brings Back Indulgent Oh! Matcha Season Of Ichigo New Afternoon Delight Dessert Buffet

Highly raved for its exquisite dessert series, Lewin Terrace at Fort Canning has launched their matcha, as well as Ichigo (strawberry) dessert buffet previously on separate occasions. This time, you can have the both worlds as they return with a fresh new theme - The Oh! Matcha Season of Ichigo Afternoon Delight Dessert Buffet.

Available from 9 January to 29 March 2019, Lewin Terrace has teamed up with stylist Med Kärlek Inc to present a dazzling array of delectable desserts which features a combination of the best of Japan's staples with Uji Match and Chitose Ichigo.

Diners can anticipate a range of Japanese sweet treats made from home-grown brand Matchaya's Matcha powders such as the Uji Matcha Pudding, Baked Matcha Cheesecake, Uji Matcha Madeleine, Sencha Jelly with Matcha syrup. Made using premium grade Japanese Matcha leaves from Uji - they have a distinct, full-bodied bittersweet flavour which is great for matcha lovers. Now, you don't to fly all the way to Japan to enjoy these goodness.

Try the Baked Matcha Cheesecake which sports a soft matcha cake centre and a crumbly buttery crust. It scores both on flavour and aroma with just the right amount of matcha added to it.

The Uji Matcha Madeleine has a denser texture with a nice matcha aroma to the sugary pieces. The spread does not end here, but also include the Mixed Berries Tart, Mixed Berries Mille Feuille, Ichigo Chiffon, Ichigo Tiramisu, Mixed Berry Jelly, and Ichigo Clafoutis.

One of the favourite french pastries - the Mixed Berries Mille Feuille features crunchy thin layers of puff pastry, crème chantilly and fresh berries giving it a good mix of textures

The Fresh Berries Tart features slices of pound cake with whipped cream and fresh berries atop to add a tinge of strawberry sweetness to the dessert.

The Ichigo Tiramisu features a combination of diced strawberries with mascarpone cheese in small shot glasses.

The Ichigo Chiffon has a soft and fluffy texture, with a light strawberry fragrance.

For those craving for something chocolatey, there are also the classic Chocolate Pound Cake and Chocolate Macaron.

Besides the scrumptious spread of pastries displayed on the dessert table, all diners are also treated to an exclusive box of hand-made treats, Ichigo Daifuku and Charcoal Matcha Roll Cake served in a special box. While the Charcoal Matcha Roll Cake sports a nice aroma with its matcha cream, I felt that the cake has a stodgier texture, lacking the fluffiness of the usual swiss roll that one would expect.

A serving of Ichigo and Matcha Ice Cream will also be served to all guests upon order. Creamy and light enough to end your meal on a pleasant note.

Apart from the indulgent ala carte dessert menu, Lewin Terrace also offers a 3-course lunch menu ($58++) which comes with an appetizer and main, as well as a 4-course menu ($88++) which comes with 2 mains of fish and meat options. The appetiser of Truffle Mushroom Soup with Onsen Egg is a consistent favourite around the table. The creaminess of the soup binds the different flavours together - the earthiness of the mushroom and truffle fragrance in a perfect combination. The truffle shavings adds a more pronounced truffle flavour to the dish, while the runny onsen eggs acts as an essential finishing touch to gel all the elements together.

The main dish is their Signature Cod Saikyoyaki, with a Japanese-style soft and tender cod fish soaked in flavourful miso broth. Lastly, round off the meal on a sweet ending with their dessert buffet.

Oh! Matcha Season of Ichigo is available Wednesday to Friday, 1pm to 3pm from 9 January to 29 March 2019 at $38++ per pax for the a la carte Dessert Buffet. The 3 Course Set Lunch including Dessert Buffet is priced at $58++ (from 12pm onwards).

Words and photos 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.


Lewin Terrace
21 Lewin Terrace
Singapore 179290
Tel: +65 63339905
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: City Hall (EW Line, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sun: 12pm - 3pm, 630pm - 1100pm
(Closed on Mon)

Direction: 
1) Alight at City Hall MRT station. Take Exit B. Take left onto North Bridge. Walk to the traffic light junction of North Bridge Road and Coleman Street. Cross the road towards Peninsula Plaza and continue walking towards the junction of Coleman Street and Hill Street. Cross the road to the central fire station. Continue on Coleman Street until Singapore Philatelic Museum. Look out for the metal gate before the museum, turn left in and take the stairs to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]