Call me country bumpkin but whilst I am sure many of you would have already tried out, tasted and enjoyed the ambience of
Carpenter and Cook - a vintage home store and artisan bakery located at Bukit Timah in Singapore, this was certainly my first visit to this unique cafe. Introduced to it by Cheryl who took me there, of course I had to do a fashion post whilst out in this unique store( please see my outfit of the day below).
Opened in mid 2012 by 3 good friends ( Pheobe, Shenn & Eunice) who wanted to make the collection of vintage stuff and furniture something bigger than just personal collectables. Hence the concept of
Carpenter and Cook was born, where they could fill a whole shop with vintage stuff and yet feed people with delicious cakes and bakes.
In all honesty, it is not the first of such concept cafes here in Singapore, however what had me thrilled with this particular place was that even the sitting arrangement was so relax. Although there were individual 2 or 3 seater tables, however groups of people were expected to share the larger tables. My friend Cheryl and I had to share a table with a group of girls who are from Lasalle College of Arts, majoring in Fashion Business and we ended up chatting away and enjoying each others' company. It is certainly one of those quaint places in the midst of a residential estate that makes it so unique and attractive. Less commercial in feel perhaps and more homely and friendly in terms of service and presentation.
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| Our new friends from Lasalle College of Arts. |
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| Cheryl and I enjoying our Brioche and Quiche...yum yum!! |
What caught my eye and attention to this unique Patisserie is that every plate, cup and saucer is different and all handpicked by the 3 beautiful owners. Waiting numbers are kids tool box kit of screwdriver, hammers or kitchen utensils etc.. tied to a vintage tin cup with a number on it.
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| Calling cards are done uniquely like vintage price tags. |
For those of you who are truly into vintage furniture and collectables, you will be thrilled to note that every item you see in this cafe is available for sale. Here are a few glimpses. They also provide services such as for parties, styling services, vintage props and decor for weddings, parties and even photoshoots.
Food selection is a little limited as it's not a restaurant per se, however key favourites such as the Fruit Tarts, Brioche, Quiche was certainly tasty.
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| Unique tables out of old sewing machines |
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| Check out the cute school desks outside the Cafe. |
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Lace Jacket : H&M
Fringe Skirt : ZASS
Ring : Quiet Riot
Necklace : Amber Avenue
Shoes : Old, own |
I for one certainly enjoyed my afternoon tea at Carpenter and Cook and will certainly be back for more. Hope to see you there soon!
Carpenter and Cook
Operating hours are:
Tuesdays - Fridays: 12pm - 10pm
Saturdays: 10am - 10pm
Sundays: 10am - 7pm
Closed on Mondays
( Contact details please refer to pic on Calling Card above)
Love,
Simone
Hi everyone!
How quickly the week has flown by and I just realised that amidst all the rushing around for the next launch for Foster Bay - " Girl Generation" ( launching tonight at 8pm) with photoshoots and backend prep, it's already the weekend and it's my BIRTHDAY!!!
Wow...another year older ( well feels like 10yrs anyway!!!) and this is usually a time when I start to get a lil down cos I start to worry too much about whether I managed to fulfill my goals and aspirations in the year just passed and what I intend to do in the future.
Anyway my dear husband organised a nice quiet dinner just Dad, Mom and us at Bruno's Pizzeria & Grill at 338 Tanjong Katong Road. A nice cosy restaurant, but packed on a Sunday night with couples and families. Dad said " the food must be good then" since this was the first time we were trying it out eventhough we just live round the corner from them.
Service was good, though at times I had to translate a lil for my English husband who found it a lil difficult to understand the local accented servers. However the delight of the evening was certainly in the quality of food served. As mentioned, it's not the decor or location that sells for Bruno's but after our first try there, we can most confidently say that the food is certainly worth every dollar of it and the quantity is more than one can ask for. We had to ask to doggie bag our main course as well as starter cos it was just too much for either one of us to finish off our own main courses, let alone with the starters.
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| Baked 1/2 dozen Escargot |
To start, as a treat I ordered from the specials list - 1/2 dozen Escargots which was done to perfection with garlic butter and pesto sauce, whilst the rest of my family had the Fruitti De Mare Fritto ( Deep Fried Prawn & Calamari platter).
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| Pollo Alla Romana - Pan fried Chicken Breast with melted Mozarella Cheese and Sage Sauce, with Parma Ham |
Dad had the Chicken breast called " Pollo Alla Romana" of which the chicken breast was pan fried and served with a rich creamy sage sauce, and topped with parma ham. This dish was served with a side salad and mash potato. Mom on the other hand decided to have the "Americana" pizza which was typically a Hawaiian pizza but obviously done with nice shaved ham and obviously thin crusted.
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| Ravioli Al Funghi Porcini Creama - Stuffed Pasta with Porcini mushroom in cream sauce with white truffle oil |
For me, I had my sights set on the Ravioli Al Funghi Porcini Creama, simply because I am a lover of any dish made with truffle oil and therefore immediately gravitated to this choice and even asked for an extra dose of truffle oil ( albeit at an additional cost of S$ 2) but it was certainly worth it! Rich and creamy, the Ravioli's were large and well stuffed and the mushrooms added that extra oomph to the dish. It was a lil too heavy for me to eat it in one go, but somehow managed to at least stuff myself with 3/4 of that portion. Am sure had we not had any starters, it would be an appropriate portion for anyone to finish.
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| Linguine Gamberoni E Creama Di Aragosta - Linguine with King Prawn cooked in pink lobster sauce |
My dear husband Frank, cleaned out his main course with much delight. He had the Linguine Gamberoni E Creama Di Aragosta which was linguine with King Prawns ( and my were they large!) cooked in pink lobster sauce. As hoteliers, we obviously had many opportunities in our life to taste good food and in his case, he was amazed for a small suburban restaurant like this to serve such good portions and tasty dishes. Bruno's could have easily been setup in a hotel setting at a much higher rate with its food quality.
We later found out that they do offer reasonably priced 2 or 3 course lunch sets from tuesday to fridays from S$ 13.90+++ per person.
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| The Birthday girl in her Foster Bay Chiffon Panel Pleat Dress in Purple |
So enough on the food, most of you would be wondering " What did the Style Architect wear on this big day?" Well my friends let me tell you, it was no easy decision and I had to change at least 3 times before finally making the wise decision to wear my own FOSTER BAY outfit, simply because I get to make my wish on my birthday, so am hoping that by wearing Foster Bay, I would add that lil extra luck to the business too. I also wanted to showcase to some of you who had commented to me before that they felt Foster Bay's outfits were only for younger girls and catered to smaller size ladies ( S-M). But you can easily see, and I'm not afraid to admit - a standard US 8/ UK 12 and I think I have done a pretty good job showcasing this Foster Bay outfit, right?
So here are a few more pics of the big day for me and I hope you enjoyed this unsual post of mine merging both lifestyle and fashion. Enjoy!
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Watch : BCBG Max Azria
Earrings : Swarovski ( thanks to Beverley) |
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Clutch : Bought at a flea market for S$ 12
Heels : Xquisis |
Have a pleasant week ahead!
Love,
Simone
Bruno's Pizzeria & Grill
338 Tanjong Katong Road
Singapore 437110
Tel : 6440 4525
Website : http://brunospizzeriagrill.sg
Happy mid week everyone!
Surprise surprise! This time I'm going to share with you a Lifestyle post rather than my usual Fashion Posts. Was at the pre-opening of a new restaurant - TABLE MANNERS, over the weekend at Changi City Point, Singapore, and I said to myself " I have to share this new dining option to my friends."
Nestled in the new Changi City Point shopping mall amidst a beautiful outdoor garden, the ambience was cool, chic and inviting with both indoor and outdoor dining ( not to worry about the heat as the owners have it all thought out with lots of ceiling fans for the outdoor dining areas to cool you down).
Conceptualise by the same owners of Bar Stories @ Haji Lane, the 5 owners of the restaurant, Gerry, Sandra, Berlin, Gwen and Jane were extremely hospitable and constantly ensured we were well looked after.
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| Me & Sandra ( one of the owners). Love the cute poster.... |
What struck me the most about this restaurant as compared to other chic cafes and restaurants about town, is its menu. For lunch, you are able to mix and match your items to fit your budget as well as your tastebuds and this concept was catered for the working crowd / shopping crowd on the go. We all know how health conscious we are slowly getting as a society in our eating habits and here you are able to determine how much vege, carbs or meat you would like on your plate? E.g if you are a meat eater, you could select the combination where it displays a larger number of meat icons on the menu ( such as Set C or Set D as you see attached) of which you are entitled to select the corresponding amount of that item ( like 2x if there are 2 meat icons) and you're done for a meaty lunch. Similarly if you like variety ( like most asians do) with their meal, you could work with the combination of Set B or Set D where you can select a nice variety of vege, meat and carb dishes.
Prices are so reasonable starting from S$ 9 for a lunch set and you can always add on extras like side dishes, soups, salads or even desserts. Talking about desserts, I tried the Creme Brulee and my word - it was divine! Not too sweet and the crusty top layer was flamed to perfection!! Just thinking about it makes my mouth drool.
For dinner, it is mainly a-la carte menu with less of the mix and match options however portions are just right and the flavor of their dishes are PERFECT!
Unique touches such as the napkins as well as a retail division within the store, makes it a restaurant much talked about. On every paper napkin is a print of a gentleman's bow tie of which a cleverly tucked in napkin presents a cute picture of the diner " wearing a bow tie". Like mine?
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| Me enjoying a cocktail and the cute bow tie napkin |
What also makes this restaurant different from the rest is that they are also very environmentally conscious. Therefore the retail section of their restaurant is retailing the WASARA brand -specially made in Japan waterproof disposable paper plates and cups as well as additional tableware items e.g bowls, saucers, milk/sauce holders, various size serving plates etc.. for your party needs, that is made up of Bamboo and Reed pulp. These "use and throw" items are so uniquely designed and stylish you probably would have them washed out and re-used instead!
So, today being their Opening Day ( 1 August 2012), the great team at Table Manners are offering fans who " Like" their facebook page ( www.facebook.com/Tablemanners.sg) a 20% off their total bill from 1 - 31 August 2012.
Wishing you a gastronomical experience and remember to mind your " TABLE MANNERS"!!
Table Manners
5 Changi Business Park Central 1
#01-68/69
Singapore 486038
Reservations : 6604 7669
Email : info@tablemanners.com.sg
Love, Simone
