What to do in Singapore: Pasarbella

Everytime I've been to Pasarbella, I've never had my camera with me-- which is unfortunate considering how unbearably photogenic the entire place is.Pasarbella is a food market with plenty of individual stores and a grocer's section with organic goods.  I love the entire vibe of the place and the concept of it. When there's live music playing, the ambience is A+.

 There's so much food to choose from. If you're the indecisive type like I am, be prepared to spend a good 15 minutes paralysed by the sheer amount of choice. Food can be a little pricey, but it's really good.



































 My top recommendations:

• Bacon and onion quiche with quinoa salad from Nana's
• Penne al granchio from Da Paolo
• Pulled pork sandwich from Sea Salt Carribean
• Red velvet cake from Dutch Colony Coffee

Lunch time on weekends is when it's the most packed. I'd advise going earlier in the morning before the crowd hits! It's also pretty inaccessible if you don't drive, but there's a shuttle bus from Botanic Gardens MRT. Also, be sure to bring your camera- you're going to want to take pictures!

Pasarbella @ The GrandStand
200 Turf Club Rd, Singapore 287994
+65 6887 0077

cafes, food, Pasarbella, review, singapore, singpaore

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What to eat in Singapore: Plain Vanilla Bakery cupcakes

Well it's no secret that I love me a good cupcake. Of all the cupcake stores that have sprouted up on our little island, I dare say that Plain Vanilla is the country's best! I may be partial to them because of sentimental value I've attached to their homey little corner-- in JC, my dear friends and I used to frequent it so much. But even if it weren't for the fond memories, they'd still taste as good.

I don't know if their bakers are magical little elves, or if they sprinkle their cake batter with fairy dust, but trust me-- they're magic.

(Clockwise) Vanilla Bean, Salted Caramel, Red Velvet, Strawberry White Chocolate

These flavours are my personal favourites that I hardly stray away from. I'm not so much a fan of chocolate-based cupcakes, as you can see. I guess you could say... I'm a plain vanilla girl at heart. Eh, eh??

From the above, I'd have to say the most definite must-tries are the Vanilla Bean, Salted Caramel and Red Velvet. (yes I know that's almost all of them.)

A naked red velvet cupcake de-cased. It's always the one I reach for first (if you're taking notes). The thing I love about Plain Vanilla cupcakes is that the cake crumb is so moist and soft, and it springs perfectly into an aesthetically-pleasing hearty height that spills ever so seductively over the casing. Nobody reaches for a skimpy wimpy little cupcake, right? The icing could get a little too sweet for some but I'm not one to complain (more frosting please!)

DAT CRUMB. Never has a cross-section been so tempting.

And within minutes, this is all that's left...

Plain Vanilla Bakery

34A Lor Mambong, Holland Village, Singapore 277691

Tiong Bahru Estate • 1D Yong Siak Street, Singapore 168641

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food, photography, plain vanilla review, review, singapore, singpaore

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• London // Hummingbird Bakery // Lola's // Last Day •

We were taking a walk about the Old Spitalfield's Market when we realised Hummingbird Bakery was just a stone's throw away. Everyone has RAVED about Hummingbird's treats and it's frequently listed as a must-try. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling very well at that point in time, so I was craving a bowl of clear porridge more than I was a cupcake... (shock horror right).

One thing I've noticed about ang mohs and their cupcakes is that they LOVE to load on the frosting- it's like a 1:1 icing to cake ratio. I'm not too fond and I prefer a 1:3 ratio (am I really using math to talk about food?)







So we all just shared one lone slice of their famed red velvet cake. AND IT WAS SO SO good. Very moisty, soft crumb and not cloyingly sweet at all.

There's another bakery in London that's known for their cupcakes- Lola's Cupcakes. They were handing out free samples so I had a quarter, repping Singaporeans with my if-its-free-im-taking-it motto.

We stopped by a record store in Soho to pick up some CDs (they're so affordable over there!) and MY PHONE GOT STOLEN HERE :'( :'( :'( I'm pretty damn sure it was this young hispanic woman who stood REALLY close to me at one point. I didn't think twice about it because I thought I might have been blocking her way. Wasn't until 10 minutes after she left that I realised my phone was missing- and when we tried to call it, it had already been turned off... Bye bye phone forever. :'( Even though I've never been that attached to my phone, I was really upset about it because losing things suck. And it was the last day of the trip! Almost made it without any casualties. Ah well, lesson learned- never let your guard down- you're practically daring the universe to prove you wrong.













Dinner was at an Italian restaurant near our apartment. Overall, I really REALLY enjoyed myself on this holiday. Finally got all 5 members of the family together after missing my oldest brother for 4 months! I will always cherish quality time, talking about stupid things like we do when we're together and laughing like maniacs in the middle of an empty street. Words cannot aptly/sufficiently describe how incredibly blessed I feel to have been born into this family. Even though we fight sometimes, I know things will be always turn out okay and I know they'll always be there for me. End of excessive mushiness, good bye. :-)

food, London, travel

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• London // Brick Lane Part Deux •

We came back to Brick Lane the next morning because the previous evening's forays were insufficient. It turns out we had barely covered 40% of the shops! The first thing that we noticed was how CROWDED it was now that it was a weekend morning. There was a ridiculous queue outside this supposedly famous bagel shop. Sadly, my tummy could not bear to wait in line and we settled at a quiet cafe nearby for brunch.





Smashed avocado, cream cheese and cherry tomatoes on wholegrain toast, with a side of apple-pear-ginger juice.

We also came across a chocolate shop that sourced its cocoa from Africa I think and...... oh my lawd... totally drool-worthy CHOCOLATE.......



















Making a special appearance in this post is the best-damned-churros I have EVER had in my entire 19 years of existence. There weren't any lines at the churro cart (is churros a singular or plural word?) and so I decided to give it a try. The man was kind enough to give me two flavours- vanilla and caramel!

I think it's a well-known equation that cold weather + hot food = extra deliciousness. So imagine eating this piping hot, crisp-edged, cooked-to-perfection churro stuffed with luscious oozing caramel and vanilla cream in the middle of a cold, blustery day. I said, pretty loudly, "this is the best damned churro stick I've ever had" and promptly this long line formed at the stall. I'd like to think it was my doing (probably wasn't).





There are also plenty of middle eastern, chinese, indian, thai, vietnamese cuisine stalls set up there on the weekends so there's plenty of food to try. And that sums up my great experience at Brick Lane!

food, London, travel

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