Staying in the North requires a certain amount of attitude. Residents of the North usually get mocked for the 'lack' of places to head to for food, but the flourishing stretch at Upper Thomson Road has such a variety of cafes, eateries and bistros to check out!
One such cafe is Habitat Coffee, which the Ng family checked out for dinner a couple of months back. The cafe is rather small in seating area (probably sits about 25) and is rather popular so do take note that you probably need to wait for a table! The small cafe does provide a real cozy atmosphere. You can choose to dine at the tables right in front of the cake counter and coffee machines, which is quite enjoyable as you can peer at the hustling activities as the barista prepares your drinks. The servers are all rather young (mostly students doing part-time work I suppose)! I feel that they could be a bit friendlier and welcoming as people step into their premises.
Here's a regular Cappuccino (S$4.90). The coffee is commendable; it is not too bitter or acidic, and the caffeine is quite well-bodied. There was a touch too much milk in this though.
For the choice of food, it's the usual cafe fare with pastas, sandwiches and cakes, with additional sides such as Truffle fries, Bruschetta, salads and House-made Churros. There is also a Brunch menu for Tuesdays - Fridays (11.30am - 5pm) and Weekends (All day), where you can order Egg Benedicts and pancakes!
Take Shitake (S$12)
Done in an Aglio Olio style, the shiitake mushrooms were pan-fried with a generous amount of chopped garlic along with thick linguine pasta. The kick from the chili was considerable, so if you do not take spicy food, you'd probably want to skip this.
Cheesymara (S$16)
One for the meat & pasta lover! The cheese in the sausage is not staggering as the black pepper bits provide a balance to the keen cheesiness. There seems to be a disjuncture of the pasta from the meat, as the pasta exists on its own without anything to tie it to the sausages and bacon.
Truffle Al Funghi (S$17)
A lot of cream and parmesan cheese used in this dish to create the sort of creaminess Singaporeans have a preference for. The baby spinach provides a good lift from the intensely heavy taste.
Truffle Fries (S$8)
Not very memorable, could give a skip to be honest!
Eggs Tomato Relish (S$15)
Comforting and heart-warming, this Tunisian style poached eggs in tomato salsa and lots of herbs are perfect for a rainy day after a hard day's work. Dip in with buttered sourdough slices and slop up slightly spicy and tangy eggy mixture. Star of the night!
Mommy and Daddy!
Ng family out in full force. Hehe
Habitat Coffee is located at 233 Upper Thomson Rd S(574355)
Tel no.: 6456 2567
Opening Hours:
Tuesdays - Fridays : 11.30am - 10.30pm
Saturdays - Sundays: 10.30am - 10.30pm
Closed on Mondays
Crossed the road over to Salted Caramel for dessert.
Dark chocolate with stout, Nutella and Salted caramel for the first plate
The dark chocolate with stout tends to get too overwhelming after a bit, because the stout flavour is rather heavy. Nutella is, needless to say, for the Nutella addicts! And Salted Caramel, of course, is great with its astounding balance between savoury and sweet. I love how the mixture can get somewhat a bit smoky when swirled around in the mouth.
Rum & Raisin, Lychee and Salted Caramel for the second plate!
Lychee is the best for a light palate, and it's not sweet at all! Almost leaning to a sorbet, and the fruity lychee taste is just delightful.
'twas a good night. I think we all gained about 3kg that night! :D
Labels: Food Entries, Habitat Coffee, icecreammakesmefeellikealittlekid, Salted Caramel, the ng family, Upper thomson road
