[SPONSORED POST]: RIBENA® SPARKLING CANS

Hello! I'm back from my exams and hopefully I manage to pass my finance & tax without having to retake my mod while proceeding to my last semester of my university life. 

I know that it has been a while since I've updated my blog. I have so much I want to write up so keep your eye crossed for those! 

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Before I begin, I was super stocked when Media Flair and Suntory Beverage & Food Limited(SBF) contacted me to review my all time favourite drink- Ribena. I've been an avid fan of Ribena since I was a young girl. Also, if you remember I'd a review of Ribena's NEW Pineapple & Passionfruit Drink‏ back in September 2015 too.

Now, Ribena has recently introduced a sparkling vibrant of Singapore's all time favourite blackcurrant drink- Ribena® Sparkling Cans.

Quench your thirst with this fizzy goodness as it is free from artificial flavour and colour. This refreshing drink is naturally sweetened and flavoured by the freshest and finest New-Zealand-grown blackcurrants. One of nature's true superfoods, New Zealand blackcurrants boasts of high antioxidant levels, and various vitamins. With one of the lowest sugar levels as compared to other carbonated drinks. coupled with 24mg of Vitamin C content, Ribena® Sparkling Cans is a healthier choice, and the perfect beverage to be shared with your family and friends, and the sparkle of your life. 

 To be honest, I do not drink & do not like carbonated drinks. I am so accustomed to the sweet smooth liquid that Ribena carries but surprisingly after a few gulps, it does felt refreshing and certainly a best way to beat the heat too. Besides that, I like it that it is not too sweet and making it a guilt-free treat, it taste great and I can see it will appeal to most consumers. 

Ribena® Sparkling Cans is available at all leading supermarkets, convenience stores, and out-of-home premises island-wide. For more information on Ribena®, please visit https://www.facebook.com/ribenasingapore/?fref=t.

Thanks for reading

xoxo.

[Food Review]: Seriously Ice-cream Cafe

New kid in the hipster hood of Everton, located just a few shops away from Nylon Coffee Roasters is the 'Seriously Ice-cream cafe'.  

These ice-cream are made with the aim to be healthier- without preservatives and less sugar. 

Flavors changed periodically. New flavors creation on a weekly basis- the mystery flavor, guess it right and you will be given a free scoop of ice-cream! :)

During my visit, interesting flavors on display were Onde-Onde, Rose Pu'er, Miso Gula Melaka, Choco Curry, White pepper, Red velvet, Caramel Popcorn, French Vanilla, Bailey Cream Cheese and Strawberry Basil. 

The ice-cream here are of a slush-like consistency, the flavor takes an unconventional combination of two unrelated ingredients. It is more of an acquired taste. I would suggest, try them before making your purchase. Some may appeal to you, some may not. 

 Beside being an ice-cream parlor, there is also a retail section that sells various accessories like bags, glasses, bracelet, bowties etc. 

Had a scoop of Miso Gula Melaka and Rose Pu'er. The ice-cream was less creamier and pretty refreshing. Waffles was light, airy, crispy and taste exactly like waffles cone. 

WEDNESDAY SPECIAL!!!

I had their waffles on Wednesday special where it's at 1/2 price with purchase of 2 scoops of ice-cream.
Seriously delicious, very friendly owner, affordable pricing and great place to chill. 

Do come down and check it out! Get your scoops on their crispy and airy waffles if you desire :)

To locate:

Blk 4 Everton Park #01-44 

Singapore 080004 

Phone: 9621 6889 

Email: seriouslyicecream@gmail.com 

Mon: 12:30pm-9:00pm 

Wed - Thu: 12:30pm-9:00pm

Fri - Sat: 11:00am-11:00pm

Sun: 11:00am-9:00pm

[Food Review]: The much awaited vist to Sunday Folks

The best waffles in town, have you tried? 

Said to be the sister establishment of popular dessert parlor, Cremier. Barely one month old and the new ice cream parlor- 'Sunday Folks' has been causing a stir in Chip Bee Gardens, numerous people have constantly Instagrammed their famed waffles & soft serve ice-cream.

We were there on a Sunday afternoon and especially since it's a new outlet, the place was fully packed.  Without a proper queue system, it will most probably take you about an hour of not-so-surreptitiously standing by the table to get a seat so i suggest you to come earlier if you do not want to meet the crowd. 

'Sunday Folks' has a clean yet modern design. There isn't any clutter but a lot more spacious, such as high-counter in the middle of the parlor with menus placed on top. The interior is cozy and warm. Decor is very minimal, with a few flower vases on tables, some potted plants on shelves, wood & copper finishings and the usual spotlight lighting.

Water dispenser for Plain Water

The dessert counter{Some selection of cakes that changed daily}

 

The menu

{With the pre-fixed of 6 signature soft serve ice-cream to choose from: Dark Chocolate, Summer Strawberries, Roasted Pistachio, Earl Grey Lavender, Madagascar Vanilla and Seasalt Gula Melaka. Besides serving them with waffles, they also serve them in cone/cup with pre-selected toppings to choose from. For both ice-cream and waffles, the price are affordable although i do find that their cone/cup pricing to be slightly steep. 

Oh yes! Not to forget.......everyone's favorite- NO GST AND SERVICE CHARGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A wide range of toppings for customization!

{Standard toppings/sauce-$1.50 and Premium toppings- $1.90}

Belgian Waffles topped with a scoop of summer strawberry soft serve{$11.80}

Please do not ask me which flavor is the best because i think it boils down to personal preference... 

First impression? Very pretty and thankfully, instagram-worthy from almost every angle :P 

So there it is.....their famed waffles- MUST ORDER! Waffles was perfect- with a good crisp along the edges and fluffy interior that wasn't too soggy, definitely one of the best i have eaten. Along with that, the ice-cream was a dream- creamy and smooth. It does not melt easily too. As for the toppings, they are more than a mouthful. Each waffles comes with toppings like blueberries and strawberries but if you would like to have other more toppings, you can add them. Home-made sauces like caramel and chocolate hazelnut can be added too, proving there are truly endless way to have your ice-cream.

SeaSalt Cula Melaka{$7.20}

Came with a Sesame cracker atop, which was crispy, fragrant and packs a crunchy texture to the smooth soft serve, along with japanese mochi. The saltness was neutral. Soft-serve was stellar, smooth and flavorful.

If you have yet to visit 'Sunday Folks', please do! Trust me, you will not be disappointed. 

If waffles aren't your thing, there are other offerings too.

Cakes on the other hand, like Japanese matcha cake, matcha roll, were highly recommended too! 

Good food, good vibe...I'm definitely coming back again to try their cones and other flavors! 

'Sunday Folks' is located at 44 Jalan Merah Saga, #01-52, Chip Bee Gardens, Singapore

(nearest MRT: Holland Village, Circle Line). Opening hours: 12noon-10pm. Closed on Monday.

Keep a look out of the signboard as you might give it a miss if you weren't aware of your surroundings. 

Thanks for reading~ :) 

[Food Review]: Yellow Cup Coffee

Yellow Cup Coffee is located along Havelock Road, at Central Square. It's just across the road from Ministry of Manpower. Inspired by the bustling coffee culture of the Big Apple- New York City, Yellow Cup Coffee joined the ranks of many young and vibrant new cafes around the island with a goal to serve first-rate coffee to its customers. The cafe is styled in a pop-art concept, featuring many super heroes around. The cafe is quiet and spacious. 

The distinct yellow cup used were meant to evoke the feelings of happiness, cheeriness and be spotted a mile away by a one-eyed pirate. 

With an inventory of coffee beans sourced from Nicaragua, El Salvador and even Hawaiian, the lattes boasted impressively rich flavors and a thick crema. 

To ensure the quality of their coffee, Yellow Cup uses the top of the line La Marzocco Strada EP3Group Espresso Machine, and the coffee is calibrated daily with the optimal extraction with the pressure profiling technology of Strada to ensure that the coffee beans are not over or under extracted. 

Yellow Cup Coffee/Drinks menu

Menu for waffles, sandwiches, main dish + side dish

Gotten myself a cup of Hawaiian latte- $6.80

Beyond the super adorable coffee art, the coffee at Yellow Cup was fantastic. Although, i find that the coconut flavor was too artificial and disruptive, pretty much disrupting the taste of coffee beans. Overall, It was smooth blend, very fragrant, not too bitter nor acidic. I guess they found the balance between everything and created a magical brew. So lovely! 

Along with the latte, i had Fruity waffles- $8

Kind of disappointing...It doesn't taste as nice as it seems to be. The waffle base wasn't well-made, it was really dry. This was a straight-forward conclusion after biting into an excess of baked batter that was really tasteless and full of baking soda. It was crispy but that let alone really wasn't enough as there was no fluffy to talk about. 

Given how much effort and thought they have put in to decorate the cafe and inventing flavors for their menu, i'm sure they are one of those that deserve to go a long way in the cafe industry. For great coffee and affordable prices with an amazing ambience, New york Style- Yellow Cup Coffee is definitely worth a visit. They might be a bit rough around the edges at the moment in terms of their coffee/ food executions..but should get better in time.

To locate

Central Square, 20 Havelock Rd #01-09 S059765

Email: Sayhello@yellowcupcoffee.com

Website: www.yellowcupcoffee.com

[Cafehopping @ TaiPei] - Dazzling Cafe☆Honey toast 蜜糖土司專賣店☆

Originally a clothing and jewelry boutique, the owner of Dazzling decided to expand and start a cafe specializing in the infamous honey toast. There are now 9 Dazzling Cafes across Taiwan (in Taipei, Hsinchu, Taichung and Tainan).

The cafe is every girl's dream, chock full of pastel colors and sophisticated interior with very sleek and modern design features creating a charming ambience. Each branch has a different color scheme and overall feel. There's Dazzling Cafe Pink, Mint, Blueberry, Sunshine, Bubble, Kiwi, Ocean, Sky and Deluxe. Dazzling doesn't just provide its patrons with aesthetically pleasing honey toasts, their pasta and savory plates are surprisingly delectable.

We went to Dazzling Cafe Sunshine which was located in Xin Guang Mitsukoshi (台北信義新光三越A11) - Close to Taipei 101. With yellow tinted lights, wall frames and menus the cafe clearly resonated sunshine.




This is my 2nd time visiting Dazzling Cafe. My cousins and I had roughly decided what we wanted to order but there were just so many tempting options to choose from!
After a good 5 minutes of um-ing and ah-ing, we decided to go for the Chocolate Fantasy Honey Toast(巧可力嘉年华蜜糖土司) -NT$240.

The famous honey toast is absolutely sinful! I tried not to think about how many miles i'd have to run to get rid of all the fat gained from this. With a mix of warm honey toast, chocolate sauce, topped with strawberries and a scoop of chocolate ice-cream. It was...the perfect combination. The extravagant presentation was truly a work of art. The toast inside was cut up into pieces and nicely toasted with honey drizzled all over them. Sounds like heaven right?
My only complaint would be that it would be better if the scoop of ice-cream could be more because i find that the portion is much lesser than before.
Let me just warn you, as small as it looks on the photo, it is actually big enough for four people- so i would advise you to share :)

We also had Valrhona Chocolate Waffle(法美娜巧可力松饼)- NT$180.
A lil tad disappointment because i thought it would be topped off with ice-cream but it turns out to be vanilla. Although the waffle was crispy, it's sorta dry. I prefer waffle with a rich taste.
The dark chocolate tasted great but it was a bit too chocolatey and sweet for me.
 Overall, it just doesn't taste as good as it looks.

Along with the Honey Toast, we got a drink each.
 I went for the Hazelnut Cocoa(金莎榛果可可)－NT$160. The Hazelnut Cocoa tasted as good as it looks. The best way i could describe it would be- melting Nutella and Ferrero Rocher. The Hazenut wasn't too overpowering and you could also taste the chocolate. 

The ambiance of Dazzling cafe is very inviting. Definitely a cute and romantic spot for an afternoon date. If you haven't already checked out Dazzling Cafe, make sure to find your closest branch!

To locate:

Dazzling Cafe Pink (1店)
台北市大安區忠孝東路四段205巷7弄11號1樓
●可搭乘捷運至忠孝敦化站 2號出口

Dazzling Cafe Mint (2店)
台北市大安區忠孝東路四段248巷3號1樓
●可搭乘捷運至忠孝敦化站 3號出口

Dazzling Cafe Sunshine (3店)
台北市信義區松壽路11號2樓 (台北信義新光三越A11)
●可搭乘捷運至市政府站 3號出口

Dazzling Cafe Sky (4店)
台中市台中港路二段111號4樓 (台中新光三越) 
●可搭乘台中客運33、60、69、88、106、146、147至台中新光三越

Dazzling Cafe Deluxe (5店) (奢華蜜糖土司專賣店)
台北市松山區復興南路一段39號 (台北微風廣場-復興館 G樓)
●可搭乘捷運至忠孝復興站 5號出口

Dazzling Cafe Blueberry (6店)
台南市中西區中山路162號2F (台南新光三越中山店)
●可搭乘興南客運各線至[台南東站]總站下車，沿中山路步行5分鐘

Dazzling Cafe Bubble (7店)
新竹市東區西大路323號(新竹大遠百-遠東百貨)
●附有接駁車-火車站前，林森路台灣銀行or 中正路麥當勞門口有站牌可搭乘

Dazzling Cafe Kiwi (8店)
台北市北平西路3號2F(微風台北車站)
●可搭乘捷運至台北車站站，北車西三門2F

Dazzling cafe Ocean (9店）
高雄市前鎮區三多三路 213 號3F 
●可搭乘高雄捷運三多商圈站 3號出口 新光三越3F

Website: http://www.dazzlingdazzling.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/dazzling.cafe

Phone: +886 2 2731 5199

☆Thanks for reading☆

[Food Review]: The Stateland Cafe

Hello savory, pastries, cakes and sweet decadence! 

Today, i'm gonna introduce you a new cafe which is spotted in the hipster area of Haji and Bali lanes near Arab Street that is offering everything from pasta to dessert. 

Tadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa~

It's the 'STATELAND' cafe

Stateland cafe is a vintage-themed cafe, located at 30 Bali Lane, opened by 3 young man, in their 20s. After hearing so much ravings about em', i was eager to visit em' and 'fulfill' my long-awaited brunch. 

It was relatively crowded on a Saturday afternoon. The line was really long, probably about an hour of wait. As far as i know, It is usually 'full' during weekends- the place gets really busy though. 

Drop by on the weekdays if you do not want to meet the crowd.

The capacity of the cafe is limited because the cafe is really small. Nothing much fancy of the interior design, however, the cafe feels very well put together as compared to the other cafes. It is simple, uncluttered and cosy yet fully arranged. The interior was surrounded by wooden tables with steel legs. Everything (from the table, chairs and signage) was made from scratch from recycled wood and steel because their families are in the construction, metal and woodworks industries.

Picture frames- Picture of the fathers at work in their industries

Self-service// {Utensils} & {Free water}

The menu looked very impressive- almost overwhelmingly. There were many varieties to choose from and they were decently priced. 

Right now......let's talk about the desserts! The desserts are to die for.

They have a massive varieties than you can ever imagine in your wildest willy wonka-esque dreams and they are absolutely delicious. Everything is just so superb. 

I had the s'mores waffle while my friend had the classic waffle- both were amazing.

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The classic waffle with ice-cream($11.90)

Belgium waffles topped with frozen berries and a scoop of ice-cream. You can opt for the non ice-cream version too and it's only $9.90. Hot and crispy waffle topped with a cold vanilla ball- is jus marvelous. Had to finish every squarish inch of waffle before the cutlery can be put down :P

The s'mores($14.90)

Really impress with the creation- Something you wouldn't able to get in other cafes.

Delicious crispy s'mores waffle, stuffed with melted marshmallow and biscuits, topped with a scoop of chocolate ice-cream and toasted marshmallow- it was sooooooooooooooo good. 

The aroma of the freshly-made waffle made me even more eager to dig in. The ice-cream took it's time to melt as well, which was great! Usually, ice-cream just melts on waffles and everything ends up in a soggy mess. 

I was overwhelmed with their savory menu too. Decided to order one and try.

After indulging em', i would definitely come back for more. This is really incredibly amazing and tasty. 

You wouldn't want to miss it

STRONGLY RECOMMENDED

Agilo Olio// Spagetti tossed in olive oil, bird's eye chili, garlic and ham.

Overall review: Definitely a great ambience to chill at. Service at Stateland cafe is friendly and observant. Staff are generally attentive and friendly. Reasonable pricing for the high quality of food. 

Address: 30 Bali lane, Singapore 189866
Email: flagandsac@hotmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/statelandcafe
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/statelandcafe

Thanks for reading :)