Craftsmen Coffee (Jelita Mall)

Coffee lovers would likely have heard of Craftsmen Coffee, a well-loved café brand with several outlets across the island. This time, we gathered at their outlet on the 2nd level of Jelita Mall, ready for some good coffee, food and conversation.

Craftsmen Coffee

Kicking off with the bites, we had the Sesame Chicken Wings, available in portions of 5 or 10 pieces. The wings were well-marinated and fried to a beautiful golden brown, then sprinkled with roasted sesame seeds for extra aroma. They were served with a side of kombu mayo, which added a savory umami touch to each bite.

Sesame Chicken Wings - $13 (5 Pcs)

We also had the Chicken Pops, served in a basket alongside the same kombu mayo dip. These bite-sized pieces were crispy on the outside and tender within an easy, addictive snack to share over coffee.

Chicken Pops - $12

The Cheesy Salmon Fries gave me a whole new perspective on fries. I never knew that smoked salmon, shoestring fries, mixed cheese, and a touch of Dijon mustard could come together so well, a surprisingly tasty and satisfying combination.

Cheesy Salmon Fries - $13

The Messy Burger truly lived up to its name, it looked like a glorious mess, but it tasted absolutely fantastic. The juicy Angus beef patty was slathered with a generous amount of Bolognese sauce that spilled over the sides, giving it that perfectly “untidy” charm. The burger came loaded with sweet relish, gherkins, cheddar, and chipotle mayo, all tucked between a soft brioche bun, and served with a side of shoestring fries.

Messy Beef Burger - $22

The presentation of the Creamy Vodka Tiger Prawns was a pleasant surprise, the entire dish was blanketed with a generous layer of Parmesan shavings.

Creamy Vodka Tiger Prawns - $24

We had to gently dig in with our forks to unveil the creamy linguine hidden beneath. The dish featured a rich blend of vodka, tomato paste, fresh basil, Parmesan, cream, and linguine, creating a luscious and flavorful combination.

Yums!

This Breakfast Baked Eggs instantly reminded me of a hearty shakshuka. The dish came bubbling in a small casserole, featuring a rich housemade tomato base loaded with bacon, pork bratwurst, baked beans, and wild mushrooms. Crowned with a perfectly done sous-vide egg, it offered a comforting mix of smoky, savoury, and tangy notes. 

Breakfast Baked Eggs - $21

The side of toasted sourdough was just right for soaking up the luscious sauce, making every bite satisfyingly wholesome.

Let's dip it!

The Happy Breakfast truly lives up to its name, a perfect and complete meal that fills the tummy to the brim. Our plate came loaded with hearty favourites: crispy bacon, juicy pork bratwurst, golden hashbrown, roasted baby potatoes, wild mushrooms, and a refreshing side salad. We went with scrambled eggs and a muffin on the side, completing this wholesome and satisfying breakfast feast.

Happy Breakfast - $25

The Steak & Eggs breakfast was a real treat, hearty and indulgent in every bite. It featured tender slices of ribeye steak served alongside two perfectly cooked sunny-side-up eggs and roasted baby potatoes. Diners can choose between chimichurri or creamy mushroom peppercorn sauce; we went with the chimichurri, which added a bright, herby kick that paired beautifully with the juicy ribeye. A satisfying start for anyone who loves a meaty morning plate.

Steak & Eggs - $28

The Fish & Fries looked absolutely appetising with its golden battered sea bass resting on a bed of crispy shoestring fries. A quick squeeze of lemon brightened up the flavours, while the creamy tartar sauce made each bite even more enjoyable. Simple yet satisfying. a classic done right.

Fish & Fries - $24

The House Rosti was an interesting and delightful dish, served with a dollop of sour cream and a choice of eggs. What made it even better was the option to pair it with smoked salmon, pork bratwurst & bacon, or smoked duck and naturally, we went for the smoked duck. The crisp golden rosti, creamy sour cream, and tender slices of duck came together beautifully for a satisfying breakfast twist.

House Rosti with Smoked Duck - $22

Besides the usual coffee and tea selections, the café offers an intriguing range of Specialty Drinks and a Cloud Series, available hot or iced. The Cinnamon Bun Latte ($8) truly stood out, it tasted just like a cinnamon bun, layered with maple sea salt cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. For something adventurous, the Salted Cola Coffee ($7) combined espresso and cola with a touch of sea salt, creating a fizzy yet bold fusion. The Cloud Series featured drinks like Matcha Cloud ($10), Taro Cloud ($10), and Orange Cloud ($10). Each topped with the café’s signature maple sea salt cream, giving every sip a velvety, slightly savoury finish.

We tried quite a few, Orange Cloud, Salted Cola Coffee, Roasted Almond ($7), Matcha Cloud, Taro Cloud, Acai Smoothie ($10), and Cinnamon Bun Latte. Each had its own charm, but all shared a common theme of creativity and balance, making this café’s beverage lineup a refreshing standout.

Our Beverages

Signing off with desserts, we had the Apple Compote, a delightful French toast creation topped with apple cream cheese, almond slices, and a dusting of cinnamon powder. Drizzled generously with maple syrup and crowned with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, it was the perfect sweet ending, warm, creamy, and comforting in every bite.

Apple Compote - $16

The Berry Bang Waffle was a vibrant and indulgent treat, a crisp buttermilk waffle topped with a colourful mix of fresh berries, roasted nuts, and coconut flakes. Drizzled with gula melaka for that local touch and crowned with a scoop of salted caramel ice cream, it struck a lovely balance of sweetness, nuttiness, and creaminess in every bite.

Berry Bang Waffle - $19

The café itself was quite cosy and peaceful, a great spot for those seeking a quiet place to relax or catch up over brunch without the usual crowd and noise. However, one downside was the carpark, which can be quite expensive, so it’s worth taking note if you’re driving there.

Craftsmen Coffee (Jelita Mall)
Location: 293 Holland Rd, #02-04, Singapore 278628
Website

Sin Kee Famous Chicken Rice

We used to patronise Sin Kee's Famous Chicken Rice stall when they were at the defunct Margaret Drive Food Center. It was so popular then that we had to wait quite some time for our meal. We discovered that Sin Kee Famous Chicken Rice is located at this coffee shop when I was there for a meal at Kin Hoi (Original) Famous Thai Food especially when the TV screen keep flashing the owner's picture with our former president.

Stall of Sin Kee Famous Chicken Rice

We ordered a 2 pax version of poached chicken. As good as the previous time I had many years back, their chicken still remains tender and juicy, leaving up to their namesake. Pairing this smooth and delicious chicken with the plate of fragrant white rice that is packed with a tad of ginger flavours makes the meal perfect.

Poached Chicken

It was not my favourite order but due to that the dining partner enjoyed it. The internal organs were well prepared and mixed in the fragrant sauce. 

Chicken Visera - $3

Bean Sprouts - $3

Here's our meal. Even the chilli sauce is up to the standard. Sin Kee Famous Chicken Rice still holds a special position in my heart despite there are so many chicken rice stalls around. 

Our Meal

With quite many stalls around, I'm glad that I had found the familiar faces from the chicken rice stall. I will be back soon.

Rating: 3.25 / 5

Sin Kee Famous Chicken Rice
Location: 6 Holland Cl, #01-36, Singapore 271006

Kin Hoi (Original) Famous Thai Food

With so many Restaurants serving Thai Food in Singapore, what make Kin Hoi stands out from others its that they are offering Thai dishes of original Taste and have interesting items in the menu. While Direct Translation from the name "Kin Hoi", it means "Eat Shellfish".

Kin Hoi

The Thai Grilled Pork Neck is a popular street food dish in Thailand known for its juicy and flavourful profile. It is tender and juicy in nature, well marinated in a mixture of Thai Spices and sauces before being grilled. The charred and smoky exterior added depth to the dish. The charred exteior contrasts beautifully with the tender interior of the pork. 

Thai Grilled Pork Neck - $15

Their House Special Vermicelli Claypot with Crayfish was cooked with their own authentic secret blend of traditional herbs and spices paired with the yummy deep sea indo-pacific crayfish.

Noodles with Crayfish - $18

Not a common dish on a Thai Menu, this 150g of awesome goodness was flame-grilled to medium rare, a total addiction to us that we repeated the order.

Kin Hoi's Original Melting Beef - $12 (170 - 200g)

We seldom had this in Singapore as not many places offer this dish. This 500g of Juicy Full Shelled Cockles was paired with Kin Hoi's Signature Chilli Sauce. Very addictive indeed.

Cockles - $15

A delightful fusion of flavours and textures. The sweetness of crabmeat would complement the savoury taste of the fluffy egg omelette with slight crisp. The tender and plump crabmeat provide a contrast in the texture, adding chewiness to each bite. The dish taste good on its own even without pairing with a bowl of white rice.

Thai Fluffy Crabmeat Omelette - $16.80

Enjoy Thai Food with a good spread from Kin Hoi. Fan of cockles or gong gong will be happier too to have these items on their menu too.

Rating: 3.25 / 5

Kin Hoi (Original) Famous Thai Food
Location: 6 Holland Close, #01-36 Singapore 271006
Website

VietSmith

We spotted this Vietnamese Kitchen during our first visit to One Holland Village and set my eyes on it hoping it would find back the taste similar to the defunct Pho Hoa that used to be located in Holland Village as that reason used to give me every reason to be back in Holland Village.

VietSmith

We joined the queue and waited for about half an hour before we were seated.

The Art of Pho

The Lemongrass prawn dish offers a delightful combination of savoury aromatic of typical Vietnamese Cuisine. The marinated prawns in its combination of ingredients were springy and pierced through with a lemongrass stalk. The dish was served with pickled and chilli in fish sauce.

Lemongrass Prawn 香茅虾 - $14.90

The popular and refreshing appetizer or snack, wrapped up by translucent rice wrappers filled with fresh herbs, vermicelli noodles, shrimp and other ingredients makes up the basic of Vietnamese fresh shrimp rolls. Do you like to other this light and appetizing snack too?

Fresh Shrimp Roll with Shrimp (2pcs) 鲜越南虾卷 （两条）- $7.90

Iced Homemade Lemongrass Tea 冰自制香茅茶 & Iced Coco Nut Latte - $4 & $6.90

Here's a delightful Vietnamese dish that combines the sweetness of coconut milk with the savoury taste of prawns. These mini pancakes are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, making them a perfect snack or appetizer. 

Savoury Prawn & Coconut Mini Pancake 迷你虾煎饼 - $14.90

Enjoy the flavourful prawn in the mini pancakes with some spring onions and coconut milk over them.

Do you love them too?

Dip them into the sauce

Here's the bowl of Traditional Pho in Soup. The soup was light and we felt that it still had room for improvement in its broth. 

Sliced Beef, Beef Tendon, Beef Meatball, Honeycomb Beef Tripe
牛肉片，牛筋，牛肉丸，蜂窝牛肚 - $16.90

Ingredients

While Pho is always my "to go" dish in Vietnamese Cuisine, VietSmith had their Pho up another level by giving the option of serving Wagyu Beef. I ordered the Wagyu Beef slices with Beef Meatball.

Wagyu Beef, Beef Meatball  和牛，牛肉丸 - $21.90

Despite the "upgrade" in their beef, we felt that the bowl of Pho was pretty ordinary. Perhaps what we had from the hawkers was better.

Wagyu Beef

I'm still missing a good bowl of Pho. Overall, the food was rather a standard fare. It's time to explore somewhere else.

Rating: 3 / 5

VietSmith
Location: One Holland Village, 7 Holland Village Way, #03-25/26 Singapore 275748

Want Food

While the social media pop-ups with this Taiwanese Food in my feeds as well as my friends, its hard to resist especially when one of our favourite cuisines is Taiwanese Food. Want Food is easily spotted as it is located at the end of the stretch of shophouses. 

Want Food

Their Menu is limited and not much selection. Winter Melon Tea was not too sweet and both drinks were to my liking.

Winter Melon Tea & Pearl Black Milk Tea - $3 & $4.90

We had another popular Taiwanese snack - The Salty Crispy Chicken. It lacked the aroma and crispiness that we were looking for like those from the Taiwanese night market. 

Salty Crispy Chicken - $8.90

I opted to have the mix Mee Sua so I could have the taste of oysters as well as its intestines. No doubt that the intestines were cleaned well without any gamey taste and plump oysters were given. I still find that the Mee Sua lacked the punch its taste.

Mix Mee Sua - $6.90 (Small)

The bowl of Braised Minced Pork rice contained a good proportion of meat and braised sauce to rice ratio. While having the pork belly with a melt-in-your-mouth texture without being too fatty. Decent!

Braised Minced Pork Rice - $7.90

This is my favourite Pork Sausage with the brand "Black Bridge" while in Taiwan. It has a unique taste as compared to the usual ones we had in Singapore. The serving portion here was simply too little for my consumption! Haha.

Taiwanese Pork Sausage - $3.90

The Pancake that is wrapped with Crispy Cheese and Pork Floss was pretty savoury.  Not a bad choice if you are looking for some Taiwanese Pancake.

Crispy Cheese & Pork Floss Pancake - $6

All in all, I find that the Taiwanese Food was pretty standard and items on the menu were limited. There are many more selections of Taiwanese Eateries out there.

 

Rating: 3 / 5

WANt Food Holland Village 恋恋湾味 Taiwanese Delights
Location: 25 Lor Liput, #01, Singapore 277735
Nearest Station: Holland Village (CC21)

Sunday Folks

Whenever we were in the vicinity and thinking of Ice Cream for our after meals, Sunday Folks will come to our mind straight away. 

Dark Chocolate Ferrero was rich and had a velvety texture. It contains nuts and is made up of hazelnuts as well as 55% of Chocolate Couverture. Toppings include ground hazelnuts, caramel marshmallows and homemade chocolate sauce. Yummy!

Dark Chocolate Ferrero - $11.50

If you prefer the Dark Chocolate Ferrero without Waffle, you may want to order this in a cup. It is a scaled-down version with nuts and marshmallows.

Ferrero in Cup - $8.50

Another all-time favourite of ours will be their Sea Salt Gula Melaka. It does not contain egg and this Gula Melaka was produced together with Hand-harvested sea salt. Glat that it was not too salty. The toppings on the waffle include Gula Melaka Mochi, Chocolate Mikado Sticks and Gula Melaka Sauce.

Sea Salt Gula Melaka - $11.50

For those who love the taste of Tea and Lavender, you may want to order their Earl Grey Lavender that is topped with Toasted Almond Thins and fresh strawberries. The Almond Thins had added a delicious caramel brittle crunch to the soft serve. Do note that this contains eggs. 

Earl Grey Lavender - $11.50

Have you tried having Cold Brewed Coffee with tonic water? This taste pretty refreshing with some Lime and Tonic Water.

Cold Brew Lime Tonic - $7.50

The Yuzu Mousse cake was layered with sweet lychee cream, matcha sponge and yuzu zest. It was decorated with blueberries, lemon slices and herbs. It strikes a good balance with the refreshing notes of yuzu and the sweet fruity fragrance of lychee. While the subtle bitterness of matcha lends a good contrast to the rest of the flavours. 

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Winter Yuzu & Lychee Cake - $9

With so many Ice Cream cafe around us daily, we will not forget the quality of Ice Cream provided by Sunday Folks.

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Published on 21 July 2015

Sunday Folks is by the same owner of Creamier in Toa Payoh Lorong 1. It is a beautifully designed place situated in Chip Bee Garden, serving special flavoured ice cream, aromatic delicious waffles, coffee and tea.

Sunday Folks

The Interior is L-Shaped, simply designed with wooden furnishings, hanging track lights and cemented flooring,  a resemblance of semi-industrial concept.

Interior

Another side of its Interior

And as you flipped to the back of its menu, it mentioned that Not all those who wanders are lost.

Menu

This portion of Sunday Folks is rather interesting as we took our own drinking water. Water was taken from the golden tap with a sparrow as its knob.

drinking Tap

Ta-da, here's the unlimited serving of our drinking water.

Complimentary Plain Water

These Belgian Waffles were freshly baked upon order and requires at least 15 minutes of waiting time. Paired with fruits like strawberries, blueberries and drizzled with maple syrup as well as chocolate hazelnut sauce.

Waffles with Ice Cream - $11.80 (Double Slice)

Out of the 6 flavours available (Summer Strawberries / Roasted Pistachio / Earl Grey Lavender / Madagascan Vanilla / Sea Salt Gula Melaka & Dark Chocolate), I had the Sea Salt Gula Melaka. The soft serve ice cream is creamy and smooth without having an overpowering taste of Gula Melaka. However, if you have it together with the waffle, the sweetness of the waffle will somehow supersede the light flavours from the ice cream. However, I must highlight that the Belgian Waffles were good.

Top View

Since it is located on the quieter side of Holland Village, it will be an ideal place for gathering and catching up with friends.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Sunday Folks
Location: Chip Bee Garden, 44 Jalan Merah Saga #01-52 Singapore 278116
Website