20 Tuesday, August 17 2010 ●
THE NEW PAPER
Show Makan Sites
TUCK & SHOP REPORT: KENNETH GOH
kengohsz@sph.com.sg
E
ATING and shopping are the two big-
gest Singaporean pastimes. Where can
you eat while you shop? Or shop while
you eat? Here are our suggestions:
National Geographic Cafe
#01-19, VivoCity
It’s open from 10am to 10pm daily
An eclectic mix of cultures awaits food “ex-
plorers”. The menu is a mishmash of interna-
tional flavours, with Spanish influences.
While you tuck in, seductive Middle Eastern
music plays in the background.
The cafe serves mainly pinchos, bite-sized
snacks served with bread slices. They’re ideal
for quelling mid-shopping hunger pangs.
The mini beef burger ($8) is a popular
choice. Perched daintily on organic whole-
meal bread is a beef disc, roasted to medium
rare. The sweet caramelised onions offset the
intense gaminess of the beef morsels.
Almost everything – not just the food – at
the cafe, from the antique tables to tea cups,
are for sale. Just approach the staff for prices.
After eating, you can explore the store’s
sprawling compound. There are monthly pho-
to exhibitions, an open “auditorium” screen-
ing nature documentaries and a freezing
chamber for customers to try winter clothes.
Egg3 Cafe
231 Mountbatten Road, Guillemard
Crescent entrance, Block D, #01-06/07
It’s open from 10am to 9pm Tuesday to
Thursday and Sunday, and till 10pm on
Friday and Saturday. It’s closed on Monday
This is the kind of place where people can
linger for hours and not be bored.
On the menu is a straightforward collec-
tion of Western cuisine.
50% discount for seniors
IT’S lovely to see senior citizens get
rewarded.
This time around, it’s in the form of a
half-priced lunch.
At River View Hotel’s River Garden Coffee
TNP PICTURES: LUKE YAN, DAMIAN TAN
WHEN THE TUMMY RUMBLES: (Clockwise from main picture) Kki and The Drom House, those 60 years old and above will get
Shop, National Geographic Cafe, Egg3 Cafe. a 50 per cent discount off the $30.80 price
New to the menu is the pan-seared chick-
en with mushroom sauce ($15.90).
A succulent slab of chicken, which rests on
a bed of crunchy rocket leaves, is surrounded
by potato wedges and creamy mushroom
sauce. The crown of alfalfa and cherry toma-
toes lift the meatiness of the bird.
For dessert, the lava cake ($6.50) is a safe
bet. The decadent cake is pumped with choco-
late fudge.
While waiting, diners can check out the
quirky homeware and furniture items that are
on sale.
Seating space is generous, with cozy arm-
chairs, lounge sofas and benches. The cafe is
also well stocked with magazines.
Kki and The Drom Shop
7 Ann Siang Hill
It’s open from noon to 7pm Tuesday to
Sunday and till 4pm on Saturday. It’s closed
on Monday.
The bare white palette of this cosy store al-
lows the whimsically-crafted cakes and acces-
sories to take centrestage.
Sharing shop space are Kki, which serves
Japanese-inspired French cakes, and The
Drom Shop, which has quirky knick-knacks.
While the bakery’s decor whispers mini-
malist, the attention lavished on each “edible
art piece” is meticulous.
The cakes feature enigmatic but pleasing
marriages of flavours. Imagine coconut and
passion fruit flavours in a mousse cake.
Take Antoinette ($8), for example, which is
named after a friend who likes chocolate and
mango. The tear drop-shaped cake has tangy
mango puree encased in velvety white choco-
late mousse. The burst of mango adds a tangy
pizzazz to the subtly sweet mousse.
In the other corner is The Little Drom
Shop. It stocks vintage eye candies like
hand-sewn tote bags, purses, badges, dresses,
notebooks and Polaroid cameras. The collec-
tion is updated monthly.
tag for the international buffet.
This works out to $18.15 per person,
after you factor in all the taxes.
This is valid from Monday to Saturday
from noon to 3pm. The discount ends next
month.
The hotel is at 382 Havelock Road and
you can call 6349 4871 for reservations.