Columbus Coffee Co

On a bus ride recently, I noticed that there was a new restaurant along Upper Thomson. I told my husband, "Eh think there's a new cafe called French Toast!" 

Yesterday, my husband rolled his eyes at me after we realised that French Toast was the school teaching French classes, and was not the new cafe, Columbus Coffee! 

Columbus Coffee is owned by the owners of Atlas Coffeehouse and Lunar Coffee Brewers. 

A quick glance of the menu demonstrated serious thought in planning the menu- no run-of-the-mill items, some innovative food and some comfort food. 

Cosy interior, and there is a big table that can suit large groups (probably fits more than 12).

The Soft Shell Crab Burger ($22) caught my attention. Although relatively pricey for a burger, I didn't think it was unfairly priced. This beautifully plated dish came with two substantial pieces of nicely deep fried soft shell crab, and what really perked up this dish was the mango pomegranate salsa - though small, these packed a punch- slightly sour, slightly sweet and the pomegranate added a welcome crunch. The brioche buns are also done just the way I like it- lightly buttered, lightly toasted and fluffy. The generous portion of curly fries were pretty addictive, although they were a little too salty.

It's a nice dining spot serving good food, with friendly service as well.

Columbus Coffee Co 
220 Upper Thomson Road
Singapore 574352
Tel No: 6253 6024 

Read More

Fatboy's The Burger Bar (Upper Thomson)

Before moving to my current abode, I used to live near another Fatboy's outlet. But, well, because it looked like I might potentially put on a few kilograms eating their burgers, I wasn't that interested in giving the burgers a try. 

However, as we were on a quest to try all the eateries along Upper Thomson, we decided that it was only right that we tried the burgers at Fatboy's.  

Their menu looked enticing, with a couple of arteries-clogging burgers. But the thing I was truly attracted to was the fact that you could build your own burger, with a good variety of toppings. 

I first chose the healthy sounding honey oat bun ($2), then chose toppings including portabello mushroom ($4.50), fried egg ($1.50), fried onion strings ($1.50), and topped it off with truffle mayo ($1.50). For my dream combination, this burger only cost $11, which is reasonably priced. The honey oat bun was thick and fluffy, the deep fried onion strings were rather addictive (except that it was a tad over deep fried, and a little dry), and the mushroom was juicy. However, the mushroom was slathered with a tad too much balsamic vinegar and it overwhelmed the otherwise earthy taste of the mushroom. All burgers came with fries. Now, if they ever want to expand their menu, please include fish!

If I were craving for burgers, I would bear this place in mind, simply because it is decently priced and the food is reasonably good. The wait for the food can be a little slow because they have delivery orders to handle as well.

Fatboy's The Burger Bar
187 Upper Thomson Road
Tel No: 6252 8780

Read More

Spice Sutra

We went to Spice Sutra one Sunday evening for dinner. It was surprisingly empty for a weekend dinner, and there were at most two tables occupied at any one time, which was a pity given that the food was pretty good. 

We had a difficult time choosing what we wanted because the menu was rather extensive.

We ordered the Plain / Delhi Naan ($4) and Tandoori Rooti ($3.50). They were served piping hot and were a perfect accompaniment to our main dishes.

Being the boring old me, I ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala ($17.90). In the menu, there were symbols showing whether the dish was spicy and if so, how spicy it was. Although there was no chilli sign next to this dish in the menu, this dish was spicy. The boneless grilled chicken was cooked in a rich tomatoes and cashew nut sauce. The chicken was very tender.

The food and service here is good. The person serving us could answer any questions we had about the menu, and was friendly.

Spice Sutra
Thomson Imperial Court
200 Upper Thomson Road
#01-03
Tel No: 6255 4730 

Read More

Nook & Cranny

One rainy evening, we headed to Nook & Cranny. The ambience is perfect for rainy days. People were just sitting around, using their laptops or doing their assignments. There was one teacher, who was visibly frustrated with the scripts that she was marking. The grief that we inflict upon our teachers. 

They have a seating area outside as well.

We ordered the Nook Wings ($8.50). Yes, these are decent crispy wings, but a little too salty for my liking. Plus, once I had tried Lola's Cafe's Honey Paprika Crispy Wings, these cannot really compare.

As I had over-eaten for the previous meal, I decided to get a simple and hard-to-get-wrong Aglio e Olio ($12.90). The addition of chilli gave the dish some needed punch. I had wished that fresh herbs were used instead of these dried herbs. It was otherwise, again, decent.

My husband got himself the Chicken Bleu ($15.50) which consisted of boneless chicken thigh stuffed with bacon and cheese, served with orzo. The chicken was very easy to tear apart and had a layer of cheese generously spread over it. The first time we ever had Orzo was in Greece. Although it is the size of short grained rice, it is soft and soaks up some of that cheese.

The food here is decent. But if anything, I would be here to spend an entire afternoon just chilling, rather than being here because of good food.

Nook & Cranny
Thomson V One
9 Sin Ming Road
Tel No: 6452 7449 

Read More