Toast Box

Address: Food Republic, 4th Floor, Wisma Atria, Orchard Road, Singapore

Toast Box is one of my favourite cheap breakfast joint in Singapore. They are all over the island but I usually frequent the Wisma Atria outlet simply because of its close proximity to home. It is also one of the larger outlets.

As the name suggests, the shop is popular for its roasted thick toast which comes with a variety of sauces ranging from kaya butter to chocolate and milo. Delicious for breakfast or morning and afternoon tea. They also sell hot pineapple bun with a slab of melting butter.

You can get them in a set with a hot drink and two soft boiled eggs for $3.50. I usually ask for my eggs to be fully cooked because the runny version of the eggs mixed with thick cameral soy sauce and white pepper simply does not appeal to me. Their hot milk tea (called “teh" in Singapore) is sweetened with condensed milk and it taste like teh-tarik (“pulled tea”). The coffee always smell nice and the lady who makes the coffee would “pull” the coffee from one pot to another until the coffee flavour is dense enough to make the drink. Try yuan-yang (mixed tea and coffee) as an alternative.

Verdict: Cheap & delicious, great for breakfast or tea time.

Bill: SGD$3.50 for a set.

The Marmalade Pantry

Address: Unit B1-08 to 11, Palais Renaissance, 390 Orchard Road, Singapore 238871
Tel: (65) 6734 2700

The close proximity of this hidden jewel from my apartment has finally compelled me to make my way down the stairs for a Sunday brunch. The Marmalade Pantry’s motto “good things to eat” has neatly sum up my brunch experience at the open café nestled in the atrium of Palais Renaissance.

The modern and minimalist design by Albano Daminato created an airy, bright and cosy open space dining experience for the Sunday brunch goers. Imagine modern wooden furnishings, milk chocolate leather sofa, beige wood table, oatmeal hand-glazed tiles and designer chairs – what a simple yet charming combination for a gentle lazy Sunday wake up call. The crowd was vastly different from PS Café which tends to attract a lot of young families with toddlers and prams and making it a more vibrant (or noisy – depending how you look at it) atmosphere.

The sign of an Illy coffee bean grinder was comforting to see, and I immediately ordered a cup of latte without hesitation. The coffee was nice but still not on par with Melbourne. I leisurely flipped through Harpers Bazar and Vogue (I can never understand cafes which does not have their own newspaper and magazine racks) while sipping my latte. The service was standard but the extra credit goes towards the waiter who was both witty and cheerful. The french toast with caramelised apples fig & honey ice cream was heavenly. I have never remembered having such a delicious french toast before. It was think, crispy yet soft, and was totally scrumptiously sinful when drizzled with maple syrup and matched with figs and ice cream. It was so nice that I wanted to order another one!

Verdict: Lovely and cosy open space surroundings with piles of magazines for your leisure readings. Illy coffees and an interesting all day brunch menu. Definitely an excellent Sunday brunch with a very reasonable price tag. Must try the cupcakes from their pantry (recipes from the New York cupcake queen, Joanna Corsaro) – Cloud 9, Limonata, Chocolate Deluxe and Elvis – take your pick!

Bill: French toast SGD$11++ and Coffee SGD$5++.

Post 97

Address: Cosmos Building, 9 - 11 Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2810 9333

It has never occured to me that Post 97 actually does breakfast. So picture my puzzled look when the admin manager told us that their Head wants to meet us for breakfast when we've landed in Hong Kong. Two thoughts came to mind - either I was reading the wrong thing or I was thinking of another bar at LKF which shares the same name. Turns out, it was indeed Post 97 at LKF, and guess what, it really serves up breakfast! Surprise.

Post 97 has been around in LKF for a very long time, and judging by the morning crowd, it is definitely a successful old-timer in the area. Beneath the Italian inspired bar restaurant is the once popular Club 97 (which from memory used to be the hippest and coolest place in town - but that was about 10 years ago).

The cosy and laid-back atmopshere of the place made it an excellent environment for a catch-up with friends, and even a first meeting with a potential boss! The breakfast menu serves up classics such as Eggs Benedict (which was nicely prepared) and some lighter fare, with bottomless coffee (brewed coffee only - bummer for all espresso lovers) until 11.30am (such an American concept!). One of us ordered a spinanch salad which was so fresh that I could smell the peppery scent from his plate. The only pity was, it was really what it says: spinach salad drizzled with lemon oil dressing. I would have expected them to be a bit more creative than that - and I'm not sure what happened to the rest of the bits and pieces that were suppose to be in it.

Verdict: Cosy and laid-back restaurant with an all-day menu excellent for business lunch or dinner, and finishing the night with drinks at the bar. Breakfast for weekends.

Bill: Total for 3 - unknown; boss paid. Egg Benedict - HKD$85. Other main dishes (lunch/dinner) are around HKD$98-150 plus service charges.

PS Cafe

Address: 28 Harding Road, Singapore
Telephone: +65 9070 8782

I've always been a frequent patron of this popular cafe situated at the foot of Dempsey Hill, Singapore's latest place to be. Despite its rise-to-stardom address, it is quite a nice hideaway surrounded by lush green trees and shrubs. There are two entrances to PS cafe, one of which is a winding board walk littered with countless delightfully spring-is-in-the-air frangipani.

Ever since it's first opening, PS Cafe has come a long way to making positive improvements. From mediocre coffee to not-bad-a latte (the froth is pretty consistent, but the coffee still lack crema, a pity), average poached egg (tasted like overnight boiled egg) and portobello stack (bacon so tough that you don't want to chew) to lovely coconut and caraway waffles (homemade, wholemeal, crispy) drizzled with maple syrup and accompanied with honey blasted bacon (deliciously sweet and savory) and topped with a cooked banana (just nice).

Judging by the popularity of this place (you can't book for Sunday brunch so it's either you come early or you can sit around it's old-school style lounge area for 15-30mintues before you get a table), it would be wrong for me to say it isn't one of the best Sunday brunch Singapore can offer. Personally, I think it does have a very relaxing get-in-touch-with-nature venue (it's trump card), the staffs are super doper efficient (thumbs up for that - though they could be a little more friendlier), and the food are better than average (I still think there's room for improvement before it can really impress me).

Verdict: Relaxing Sunday brunch amid a lush surrounding - a nice getaway from the hustle and bustle of Singapore.

Bill: Brunch Main SGD$22-26++; Coffee/Tea SGD$4-6++; Milkshakes: SGD$9.90++