Brunch @ Whale & Cloud

June 29, 2014 in European (cafe)

“Many will seek but not all shall find.” That is exactly what’s written on their instagram profile. And I must say, it’s true. For one, they have no website. Just an instagram account. It was by sheer chance that I learnt of them while I did my usual instagram-profile-hopping.

Two, it’s not easy locating their entrance! Their entrance is in fact the back door of unit 48. If you managed to park along Niven Road, please walk towards Rex Cinema (Merchant Road) to get to the back alley. We took off in the wrong direction and ended up taking a big detour. Alternatively, if you are taking the public transport (bus / cab), you can alight in front of Hotel 81 Selegie, cut across Hotel 81 (Oh yes, go through Hotel 81) and enter the (shared) back alley to see the blue door of Whale & Cloud immediately.

Uh huh, my friend and I cleverly thought of cutting through Hotel 81. It was by luck that Whale & Cloud is just behind Hotel 81. Keke.

Trying to enter Whale & Cloud is an experience in itself too. Their door is kept locked. Upon reaching, we had to knock, wait for a while before the door was opened for us. Thinking back, it was kinda funny cause when the staff opened the door for my friend and I, she had a surprised look. Well… A hidden gem like Whale & Cloud wouldn be kept long as a secret.

And the whole secrecy of their existence, together with their address having a ¾ , I couldn help but think of Harry Potter and the Platform 9¾.


There’s no menu. Instead, smacked in the centre of the space is a table where baked goodies offered for the day are placed. There was only one staff on duty, who was also the barista that took our coffee orders.

And we ordered:-

1) Carrot cake, $4 (above) – Cake was moist, not overly dense with generous amount of chopped walnuts. My friend felt the cake was a little sweet, but I liked it as it is.

2) Latte (above) – Comes with complimentary old school biscuits!

Our carrot cake was priced at $4, while payment for coffee is by tipping.

I will definitely recommend checking out Whale & Cloud for the experience of trying to locate them, ambience of the cafe and yummy baked goodies. I liked how it felt like we were entering a green house which effect was achieved with the exposed red bricks for the earth-soil feel (haha), potted plants hanging from the ceiling and most importantly, the place being lit with natural light entering through the glass ceiling.

Whale & Cloud makes an ideal place to sip coffee, enjoy a slice of cake while reading a book. Do come with a friend, although I wont encourage coming in a big group as the layout does not allow big groups to huddle. And with word getting round (fast), I am expecting them to get pretty crowded soon (we were told they are into their 2nd month of operation) which would not be a good thing because the very small cafe’s charm lies in its serenity.

I am hoping in the near future, Whale & Cloud will consider opening during weekdays.

WHALE AND CLOUD
48¾ Niven Road, Singapore
Overall: 7
Opening hours:-
Food/Beverage: 7
Selected weekends
Ambience: 7
Value: 7
* Follow their instagram for updates
Service: 6

Dinner @ NOX – Dine in the Dark

October 28, 2013 in European

I was immediately intrigued when I learnt of NOX from the newsletter sent by Burpple. While the concept of dining in the dark may not be new in other countries, it’s definitely something fresh in Singapore. In fact, as the date of our dinner neared, I got a little nervous. I would text my friend “What if I poke the fork into my face instead?”, “What if I panic in the dark?”, etc. Keke.

I managed to find my way (to the restaurant) from Bugis MRT. It’s a 15 minute walk, but it was well worth for what was to come. And as though they were trying to be consistent with their ‘dine-in-the-dark’ concept, the shop front was not brightly lit.

Upon stepping in, we were led to the lounge area. We were given the drinks menu before we were presented the menu which is a fixed 3-courses menu.

As it is a mystery menu where one will need to guess the dishes and ingredients used (after the dinner), the menu was ambiguous.

Of all, we only got to see our amuse bouche (above) which we consumed at the lounge area.

After putting our belongings in the lockers, we were led up to the second level by the visually impaired staff. The higher we climbed (the stairs), the more we could not see. But the staff were very professional. He kept checking on us, informing us of what’s more to come (like more steps), etc. And once we reached the top of the flight, we could not see anything. Except for the red dots from the emergency exit lights which did nothing to help our vision in the darkness.

For each course, there’s four dishes. Which means there’s a lot of food! Not that we are complaining cause everything tasted so good. And it was a challenge trying to identify what we were eating without being able to see what’s laid in front of us. Although I must say my friend and I fared pretty well. Haha. I guess it helped that I know of the chef’s background, which thou shall not spoil the fun by sharing. =)

And from the drinks menu, we ordered:-

1) Skippy dip, $20 (above) – I accidentally ordered this as “Skinny dip”. Haha. This is a must try. Imagine creamy rich peanut butter! Very nice! Remember to drink this with a little of the forth.

2) Jealousy looms, $20 (above) – Comprised of sourz apple, kwai feh and lemon. This was so so for me.

3) Ignite my passion, $20 (above) – As described in the menu, it is a blend of passion fruit puree, lime, lemon, mint, rum and spices. Definitely top points for presentation.

Overall, it’s an enjoyable experience! We had lots of fun. Definitely recommend everyone to experience this at least once. In fact, it will be more fun to come in bigger groups. While we were giving our guess after the dinner, the friendly female staff shared with us her experience when they had their turn in trying it out before the launch of NOX. She shared of how her colleagues will steal her cutlery, etc. So yes! Do check NOX out!

NOX – DINE IN THE DARK
269 Beach Road, Singapore
6298 0708, Website
Overall: 7.5
Opening hours:-
Food/Beverage: 7
Lunch : To contact for group bookings
Ambience: 7
Mon – Sun : 18:00 – 23:00 (Dinner)
Value: 8
Service: 8

Dinner @ Akanoya Robatayaki

March 11, 2008 in Japanese

Went to the newly opened Japanese restaurant by the group behind Akashi at Orchard Parade Hotel. The chefs are actually kneeling as they cook, and because we are sitting quite a distance from them, they would use these long wooden spoons to pass us our orders. Yes, it’s counter seating and there are 3 of such small U-shaped counters. Makes sense since the chefs are kneeling and cant pass us our food in too-long spoons. Haha. And the arrangement contributed to the restaurant being cosy/intimate as everyone has full view of the chef in charge of their counter.

My friend being a regular at Akashi, we allowed the chef to decided what to be served. Omaske style, you can say:-









A very unique experience. The atmosphere is very lively as all the staff (both chef and waiting staff) will be greeting costumers loudly, shouting orders, acknowledging orders loudly, etc. And halfway through the dinner, the staff started clapping and we were asked to join in too.

The traditional way of drinking sake. Sake is poured excessively such that some would overflow into the wooden box. This gesture is to show the host’s generosity. And after we finish our glass cup of sake, we are to pour the excess Saké from the wooden box into our cup, before the whole cycle repeats. So yes! I learnt something new. Haha.

AKANOYA ROBATAYAKI
1 Tanglin Road, Orchard Parade Hotel, #01-01, Singapore
6732 1866, Website
Overall: 7.5
Opening hours:-
Food/Beverage: 8
Mon – Sun : 18:00 – 01:30
Ambience: 8
Value: 7
Service: 7