J.CO Donuts & Coffee, Bugis Junction

When I was new here in Singapore, I was really surprised at how much the locals love donuts. And I say this because I didn't think they were fond of donuts because most of them are so thin (so unfair!). They would really fall in line for hours just to get their box of donuts. And everytime a new donut shop would open, people would make such a big deal about it.


So here comes another donut shop - J.Co. The first time I saw J.Co was in Pavilion in Kuala Lumpur late last year. So I thought it was a malaysian brand, but the website says their first store was in Indonesia. They now have more than 40 outlets across Asia. Watch out Manila! They are opening soon in the Philippines.

So being a big fan of Krispy Kreme and Go Nuts donuts in Manila, I wanted to give my verdict on these intriguing donuts.


We ordered a piece each of "Don Mochino" ($1.30), "Alcapone" ($1.30), & "Glazzy" ($1.20), plus "Green Tea Freeze" ($6). Then to our delight, we got a complimentary Glazzy donut. Yey! hehe.



Now my verdict -
I actually find their donuts a bit bland. Yes they were light and fluffy, but too light to be honest. Donuts are supposed to make you feel guilty. Compared to the donuts in Manila, the ones I've tasted in the US are even more oily and sweet. In my honest opinion, there are some foods best left fattening. Donuts are supposed to be a "treat", a comfort food. But these donuts were like the healthy version. True enough, their website says they value healthy ingredients and products that have health value. I mean if you wanted health food then eat fruits or vegetables right? I'm not making a big fuss about it, it's just that I feel donuts should remain donuts. That's just my opinion. :-)


Also, whenever I eat donuts I really am after the taste of the dough. Toppings should just compliment the bread not overpower it. Haha I can't believe I'm so emotionally affected by these "healthy" donuts hehehe.


Overall, J.Co was good. I was really impressed with the interior of the cafe. Even better than most fine dining restos. The seats were mostly couches and lounge chairs and the decor was eye-candy. But if I were to pick my favorite donut, I would still choose the artery-clogging Krispy Kreme :-P

Here is my rating for J.Co:

Ambiance - 5
Service - NA
Food - 3
Presentation - NA
Value for Money - 4.5
OVERALL - 4.17

ADDRESS
B1, 200 Victoria Street, Bugis Junction

Singapore 188021
RESERVATIONS
68847412

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Siam Kitchen, Bugis Junction

What I love about Singapore is the vast variety of food - be it Asian, Western, Mediterranean, etc. In Manila, most of the grub is either Italian, American or Japanese. Eversince I got here, I learned to love thai, indonesian and malay food.

Siam was actually the old name of the Kingdom of Thailand until 1949 (thanks to wikipedia, hehe). I've actually tried Siam Kitchen in Marine Parade last year and I fondly remember it as a good eat, so I think they deserve a slot in my food blog (haha).

While browsing through the menu, we were given complimentary "keropok". In filipino, kropek. I love munchies! hehe.

For starters, we ordered "Woonsen Pad Thai Talay" ($8.90) - An alternative version of the ever popular pad thai but stir-fried with glass noodles and seafood. This is actually under the main courses but to us its a starter, hehehe. This was YUMMY. The glass noodle variety was suitably very good. There were generous portions of shrimp, fish fillet and squid. Very "Arroy"! (delicious/tasty in thai).

Zach ordered "Kuey Teow Look Chin" ($7.90) - Clear noodle soup with fish balls, "full of hearty goodness, great for kids and adults who want a break from all the spiciness" - as what the menu claims. Also quite good. There was a lot of beef and it was very tender. Zach says it was flavorful yet subtle. I actually thought the balls were beef but the menu says its fish. Nevertheless, it was good.

I ordered "Gang Keaw Wan Gai" ($8.90) - Green curry with chicken, baby eggplant and sweet basil leaves. Regrettably, this dish fares poorly with the other 2 dishes. The portions of chicken were so small I don't think it would add up to a chicken breast. There was too much sauce instead of meat or veggies. Eggplant is fairly cheap so I don't know why they scrimped on it.

Overall, not too bad. The pad thai swept me to cloud nine. The more I got excited that in a few days I will taste authentic thai food in phuket. So watch out for that.

Here is my rating for Siam:

Ambiance - 3

Service - 3.5

Food- 3.5

Presentation - 2

Value for Money - 3.5

OVERALL - 3.1

Parco Bugis Junction

#02-46

Telephone: (65) 6337-3777

Website: http://www.siamkitchen.com.sg

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Fisherio's Fish 'N' Chips, Bugis Junction

I noticed here in Singapore, there are throves of stores selling fish 'n' chips. From restos to hawker stalls, they are everywhere. Which I actually like. Ironically, in Manila, there are only a few select places where you can buy quality fish n chips. To think that the Philippines harvests a lot of seafood all year round.


Fisherios at Bugis Junction looked inviting so we tried it. We wanted to order regular fish n chips but the proactive service crew offered us the chicken and fish combo ($9.90) since we were going to share.


Utterly disappointing. First of all, I don't know why they had to wrap it in paper when we were going to eat it there. Second, the serving was so freaking small for its price. You can buy bigger and better fish and chips at the hawkers for half the price. Heck, even Astons' crispy chicken had 2 sidings for half the price. More so, you could count the number of fries with your fingers. The only consolation was the unlimited tartar, chili and ketchup.

Here is my dismal rating for Fisherios:

Ambiance - NA
Service - NA
Food - 2
Presentation - 1.5
Value for Money - 1.5
OVERALL - 1.67

Address:200 Victoria Street

#B1-K15 Bugis Junction

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NYDC Cafe & Restaurant, Bugis Junction

So finally I was able to go back to the gym tonight. As a reward, I decided to go to NYDC for dessert hehehe. Since we already had fish soup for dinner, might as well have something sinful for dessert (remember the food exchange? hehehe). We actually wanted to go to TCC but the place was packed. While looking for Coffee Bean, we stumbled at NYDC . So off we went.



Immediately as you enter the cafe, the glorious-looking cakes are displayed. For some reason, the server made us sit at a blind corner of the cafe. Then when we were ready to order, they couldn't see us so we had to wait till someone actually passed by. Very bad service. To think the place was half-full since it was past 10pm.


We ordered their combo dessert. I had "Bugs fav" ($9.80) - Warm pineapple carrot cake and macadamia nut ice cream topped with pistachio nuts and almond flakes. I think what they meant by "fav" was fave - as in favorite. It says their ice cream is home-made. Nothing special. It was nutty but bland. The cake was not bad but not outstanding. Quite moist though. I only ate half coz I didn't want to waste my exercise for a not-so-good dessert.


Zach had the "Jazzy Brownie" ($8.95) - French vanilla ice cream built on a warm ultimate chocolate brownie. Tertiary students "fav" as they claim. Defintely, not my "fav". The brownie was moist indeed but not fudgy nor "ultimately chocolate-y".

In the end, we had to get up and pay at the cashier because no one of the 8 servers (yes i counted) could see us from where we were seated. So that was it. I had high hopes for NYDC but it ended on a sour note, rather than a sweet one. The place was nicely decorated though, it looked like a typical american diner.

Here is my rating for NYDC:

Ambiance - 3
Service - 1
Food - 2.5
Presentation - 2
Value for money - 2
OVERALL - 2.1

ADDRESS
#02-47/48, 200 Victoria Street, Bugis Junction

Singapore 188021

RESERVATIONS
63333161

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