Review of Nook House of Pancakes

I saw a Facebook ad for Nook House of Pancakes and clicked on it. I am glad I did because I ended up dragging my friends there for brunch one weekend morning and I really enjoyed it. It was a novel experience, being able to design, and dare I say, cook my own pancakes. I wish I could say it brought back happy childhood memories of making pancakes with my mum but in truth, we probably shared more experiences eating McDonalds pancakes together rather than making our own. So Nook, for me, was a chance to create all those childhood experiences you are expected to have. 

Anyways, on to the food...

The pancakes come in 6 different flavors, original buttermilk, chocolate, banana, strawberry, blueberry (new! not yet  *officially* on the menu) and pandan (for those who crave a little local flavor to spice up your ang-moh breakfast). You also get to choose 3 different toppings (a mixture of fruits, cream cheese and sweet treats) to go with your pancakes. On top of that, if you still have room for extras, you can always add sides which are the usual breakfast suspects of bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes etc. 

I shared my meal with KH since the pancake servings were for 2 ($25-28) although I sort of wish they came in portions for 1 so that I didn't have to beg/force someone to have pancakes for breakfast too. KH has always prefered his mains savory rather than sweet but he was "sweet" enough to consent to share the pancake set with me. The fact that they did offer an option of savory sides, BACON & EGGS ($5)!!!, did help sway him to my pancakes cause. They were very generous with their serving of BACON & EGGS and much to my delight it kept KH occupied while I unleashed my creativity on the pan armed with two colored bottles of pancake batter. I made butterflies, stars, flowers, hearts ... everything a six-year-old arts-and-crafts student would have drawn, I did with pancake batter. 

        

The pancakes actually tasted pretty good, not too oily which I like. I couldn't really taste the strawberry or blueberry flavor in the pancakes but they had a tint of sweetness to them. Also, I like the fact that you can experiment with how long you want to cook your pancakes for or how thick you prefer them to be. Going through this process made me realized that I like my pancakes slightly thinner so they would be a little crispy on the outside. Cooking your own pancakes, you'd definitely get to try a wide variety of different texture pancakes (made from the same batter no less). 

I highly recommend disrupting your usual weekend McDonalds breakfast to try Nook! 

Fun Fact: We spent a while chatting to the boss, Dawn Lim, and learnt that she was an ex-air stewardess before she started this pancake joint. What inspired the name Nook was her travels overseas where families would gather around small breakfast nooks (or make-shift kitchen tables at a corner of a room) to have a cosy meal together before starting the day.

Reviewed by Amanda Lim on Oct 5 2012.

Rating:4

Address: Bukit Timah , 21 Lorong kilat #01-03 Singapore
Phone: 6466 1811
Website: HERE

Review of Tiong Bahru Bakery

                         

   


Weekends are precious, especially when you start working. Unlike those days when we were students, back then we were our own bosses (in a way) and had the autonomy to manage our own time (even if that means secretly skipping some classes). Hence, when the weekend finally arrives I'll do my best to make sure it is well spent. Although it can be oh-so tempting to want to sleep in on a Saturday morning, I think I  have finally found my motivation for waking up early - A Good Brunch. 

This weekend my cousin suggested a place for us to brunch at called Tiong Bahru Bakery. She was quite insistent that we visit the original one at Tiong Bahru and not the other outlet at City Hall even though the latter was clearly more accessible. After eating there today, I am glad she did. The Tiong Bahru joint was much brighter and lively than the one I had brisked past at City Hall. Then downside was that it was way more crowded but the staff was efficient and the line moved pretty quickly. 

Now onto the food...

The Pastry: 

I had the Kouign Aman. Think of a light croissant - crispy, buttery layers topped with salt and caramel. More tasty than their plain croissant and not too sweet, which I liked. They also provided an assortment of fruity jams at the side (self-service). I picked a dark, pump colored one which I suspected was a mixture of fig and blueberries. 

 Kouign Aman (left), suspected Fig-Blueberry jam (top-left), The Speciality Bun with Bacon (right)

The Sandwich: 

KH had "The Speciality Bun with Bacon" and not being a big fan of bacon, I only took a small bite out of it. It consisted of bacon as its name suggests, onions, rocket salad and sun-dried tomatoes. The bacon strip was neither deep fried nor salty but still tasted good. A much healthier way of consuming bacon has been invented (hurray!). The bun was really soft and not heated. Personally, I prefer my carbs hot and crusty but this was ok too. 

The Beverage:

The coffee was divine (probably the best part of my meal). I had a simple latte. Later, I learnt that the coffee was provided by Forty Hands (also part of the Food Collective owned by Spa Esprit Group.) Fun Fact: This is the same group behind the concept of House @Dempsey and Skinny Pizza, both of which I enjoy. Definitely looking forward to checking out their other food joints that I haven't tried, like Open Door Policy  and Forty Hands. 

Overall: 3.5/5 

Overall, I think it's a pretty decent place for an afternoon tea or a light snack if you are around the area (Tiong Bahru can be pretty far and there's not much to do around there except eat *again* at other places, which we almost did at Rachel's outrageous suggestion if our bellies weren't at the brink of exploding).

Reviewed by Amanda Lim on Sep 9 2012.

Rating: 4