The High Life

My friend, ex-Royalefam-intern Eileen took me out on Saturday for some feasting! Like me, she loves to eat, and so is definitely my number 1 eating tour guide for Singapore!

As she loves eggs, we went to an all-day breakfast cafe called Hatched! From the decor to the menu, the place is totally eggcentric =P

Hahahaha! I love this - "Friends of Eggs" - they probably won't be good friends anymore after they find out the path their 'friends' have led them down - straight into my belly!

I had the Burly Benedict, a strange mannish take on the classic Eggs Benedict poached eggs on English muffins with corned wagyu beef and mornay sauce. Who knew you could get wagyu beef in corned version!? That seemed to me to be wasting perfectly good wagyu beef - and isn't this defeating the purpose somewhat? The pickling process would surely mask that delicate wagyu flavour.

Nonetheless, it piqued my curiosity enough to make me give it a go! It surprised me - all that expected wagyu tenderness was still there - it wasn't tough as most corned meats turn out. Those tiny rivulets of intra-muscular fat were also all still present, leading to a deeper mouth-feel. The vinegar flavour was also not as strong as I had expected; there wasn't much wagyu flavour left, but it was not too tangy or salty. Overall a good impression!

I'm doubtful of the choice to use mornay sauce though - it was a bit too creamy and with not enough salt. 

Sauteed potatoes with caramelised onions were not bad - potatoes could have been a bit crispier and the onions were charred in places, with that unpleasant burnt bitterness.

Also had a latte - not bad!

All in all, though, a yum and filling breakfast - something that reminds me of many cafe breakfasts back in Auckland.

Here's a pic of Eileen's delish-looking Smoked Royale eggs benedict:

After brunch we took a cab out to the trendy area of Dempsey Hill. This is a small subdivision of cafes, bars and restaurants and a popular hangout for the wealthy expats. Everything here is expensive! New Zealand prices almost, but the interiors are decored with a touch of class.

The place we went is called HOUSE:

Everything an expat could wish for under one roof!

The menus are themed to a morning newspaper - stylishly executed and very fun to read!

Complete with full-page 'advertisements', headlines and bylines! So fun!

This is the desserts magazine!

And there's much  more! Its such a beautiful menu... I wanted to steal a copy for the coffee table at home!

Here are the desserts we ordered:

Charred grapefruit, lemon curd meringue tart with crunchy green tea base.

Decadent bittersweet chocolate tart.

Warm strawberry shortcake.

Cherry Ripe slice - layered coconut/dark chocolate with cherry.

Fantastically indulgent, daaaaaaahling! Really really good, high quality desserts here, though the prices ran to about the same as in an upmarket Auckland cafe - $6 - $10 for a dessert, $15 - $25 for a meal. I'd recommend anyone to come here and try, and the surroundings are lush and peaceful up on the hill.

Thanks so much to Eileen and her friends for a relaxing afternoon out!