Restaurant Standard Food at Salute Coffeeshop at Bukit Merah Lane 1

Salute Coffeeshop is definitely not your typical kopitiam. Tables are wrapped in picnic blue graham cloths; stalls have beautiful menus; and most importantly, Salute is a haberdashery of world cuisine and gourmet food. Salute Coffeeshop is proud to serve food of restaurant standards at affordable prices of below $20. We were very excited to be part of the bustling scene on a Friday evening, and we picked our favourites amidst the wide offerings here.

French - Immanuel French Kitchen

The menu of Immanuel French Kitchen is pretty, simple and focused. We were immediately drawn to the red labels and unanimously decided on the french duck leg confit. Duck confit is very much the national dish of France, if you would put away the (gruesome) foie gras aside, and is the test that every French food place has to pass with nothing short of flying colours.

Indeed, the duck confit ($14.90) at Immanuel French Kitchen put us on cloud nine. The skin was cooked to a crisp, while the meat remained tender and soft in its own oil. The meat separated from the bone very easily, and melted right away in our mouths. The mash potatoes was a creamy blend of happiness and was nicely complemented by the braised cabbage.

☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Immanuel French Kitchen

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German - Stew Küche

Stew Küche, or Stew Kitchen, is hard to miss with its sprawling signboard across two shopfronts at Salute Coffeeshop. It serves German food, and a good selection of German craft beers. It also boasts a friendly fleet of staff that would help to arrange and secure seats for you at the coffeeshop with 170 seats.

The staff from Stew Kuche recommended the half pork knuckle ($15) for the two of us to share. We were told that the whole pork knuckle was more suitable for a party of four, and we thought if they had underestimated us (hah).

Boy, we were glad to have heed their advice. Though half, the pork knuckle was HUGE. The skin was deep fried to perfection- it was crackling very loudly in our mouths. In contrast, the meat remained juicy and moist. I absolutely loved the whipped potato that came with the pork knuckle - there were huge chunks of potatoes and held together with bits of onion and black pepper. Very, very hearty. There was also an interesting twist to the national German dish- achar is also served as a side. The sour and slightly spicy preserved vegetable gave an interesting blend and texture to the pork too.

☁☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Stew Kuche

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Fushion - Mian

Mian, which has a mobile food truck called the travelling cow selling ramen burgers, had also settled down at Salute Coffeeshop. The menu of Mian is not for the unadventurous or faint-hearted. They challenge conventions and the curious.

The seafood laksa linguine ($12) boost a spicy and creamy homemade sauce that tasted like a cross between traditional laksa gravy and tomyum soup. There were generous portions of shrimps, sotong and fishcake, and the best part was the crabmeat salad that topped it all off. This dish may get a little gelat after a while given its thick sauce, so it is best to share.

However, the truffle fries (add $1 with every main course) at Mian was nothing out of the ordinary. We would have loved the fries to be crispier, and the taste of the truffle to be stronger.

☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Mian

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Belgian - Seasalt

If you love the concept of Brussels Sprouts at Boat Quay, Seasalt tries to be the counterpart in this coffeeshop. Seasalt offers seafood in a pot, served in a variety of sauces and with french loaf as a staple.

We ordered mussels in white wine (vino, $14) but we could not fathom where the white wine went. It was neither in the sauce, nor in the mussels themselves. Perhaps we had the taste (standard) of Brussels Sprouts in mind, and Seasalt fell short of our expectations. In fact, it fell flat. The mussels were pretty small, and more thought could have been placed in the taste of the sauce. This dish was ordinary, and needed a bit more work.

☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Seasalt

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Unlike conventional kopitiams, there is no drinks stall at Salute Coffeeshop. But fret not, drinks selection include craft beers from Stew Küche or bubble tea from Eskimo. Things are really done differently here at this new age coffeeshop.

Another stall worth mentioning at Salute Coffeeshop is Two Wings. The recipe of the chicken wings served at Two Wings is claimed to be the same as the once famous Carona Chicken Rice that was at one point in all major foodcourts around the island. We would be back at Salute soon, and would definitely give Two Wings a try the next time round.

It is heartening to see these young entrepreneurs putting their passion and heart into the F&B industry, and to have them all come together at a single location that exudes such vibrancy and energy. You have to experience Salute Coffeeshop for yourself - now.

SINGAPORE FOOD BLOG REVIEW BY KUMORY

☁☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Salute Coffeeshop

Blk 119 Bukit Merah Lane 1

Opening times vary from stall to stall

Miam Miam at Bugis Junction

Miam Miam, "yum yum" in French, is yummy in all aspects. The cover of the menu is already an orgasmic sight- beautiful, beautiful typography. What follows inside is pure food porn. Everything was screaming for our attention, and we were so compelled to have them all!

At Miam Miam, the visual delight did not just stop at the menu. We were equally wowed when our orders arrived.

Miam Miam Spaghetti was a fireworks display. The bed of yellow pasta was showered with generous portions of orange frankfurters and bacon; red tomatoes; green spinach and finally, topped with a white runny egg with sprinkles of chilli flakes and sesame seeds by the side. The pasta is tossed with french butter, shoyu and Miam Miam's secret broth. We do not know what went into the secret broth, but we do know that we love it.

Miam Miam Riz Noir Squid Ink Rice was another pretty sight. Yellow, fluffy omelette blanketing the black squid-inked seafood rice. Both the egg and the seafood went really well together, it was like a perfect match of surf and turf; french and japanese.

Miam Miam Souffle De Nuage looked really homely, like what Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother would bake for her when she goes to visit. The fluffy cloud of egg and cheese melted in our mouths, and tomato sauteed rice beneath it warmed our hearts. However, this became a little overwhelming after a while, and it was not without difficulty to finish it. For a rice and egg combi, we would prefer the Miam Miam Riz Noir Squid Ink Rice.

Miam Miam's French Toast was a chef's recommendation on the menu and we decided to go for it. We were shocked to realise that the white cream on top of the french toast was not ice cream but whipped cream, but all guilt was gone after the first bite. It was simply heavenly. The whipped cream was fluffy and light; melted on the piping hot toasted bread and seeped right through; and went really well with the maple syrup. We wolfed these down in no time - whipped cream and maple syrup and all.

Miam Miam Matcha Smoothie with Red Bean Cream paled in terms of flavour as compared to the Miam Miam French Toast. The taste of the matcha was not as strong as we liked it to be, and the red bean in the red bean cream was negligible.

Miam Miam Haze is earl grey tea with steam milk and vanilla syrup. It is also known by its fanciful name, the London Fog. The tea was a tad watered down, and could have been much creamier. It seems like Miam Miam is able to hit the right notes with its food offerings, and not so much for its beverages.

Go for the savouries in this French-Japanese/Japanese-French Cafe. The pasta and squid ink rice will definitely make you go "Miam Miam!".

Singapore Food Blog Review by Kumory

☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Miam Miam Bugis Junction

#02-14 Bugis Junction

200 Victoria Street Singapore

1130am to 10pm daily

,http://miam.sg/

Yogyakarta - Nanamia Pizzeria

Neither Galen nor I has set foot on the continent of Europe. We would, definitely/eventually. Until then, we would give Nanamia Pizzeria in Yogyakarta the honour of being our favourite Italian restaurant. It's so yummy I'm drooling as I'm writing this!

Nanamia is located near Jalan Cenderawasih and is a good place for dinner after all the shopping at local boutiques and tea at the hipster cafes. Galen and I walked to Nanamia from our homebase at Tigalima Homestay and it took us only about 10 minutes. We arrived slightly after 5pm as we intended for an early dinner, and the alfresco area was already full.

The menu is a beautifully typewritten pamphlet that guests can take home. Nanamia has an extensive selection of pizzas, pastas and paninis and an additional menu that features the chef's recommendations and new creations. Spiciness level of the dishes are clearly labelled, and there is a fair share of vegetarian options too. There's something for everyone!

Galen and I have a sour tooth when it comes to beverages. Milky tooth for me sometimes hee. Anyway, very naturally, the Poco Zenzero and Pome Menta were screaming "Choose us, choose us!" Poco Zenzero was a interesting blend of apple, cucumber and ginger. I never thought that cucumber and ginger could go so well together, perhaps due to the popular chinese belief that cucumber is 'cooling' while ginger is 'heaty'. However, sometimes it takes both ends of the extremes to make an excellent average.  Poco Zenzero is definitely one of those. The Pome Menta, a blend of apple, melon and mint, also satisfied my milky tooth. The mint added a level of crisp to the froth of apple and melon- awesome!

Like the other restaurants in Yogyakarta, all the dishes were served at the same time. This saves the awkwardness of conversations like: "You can start first"; "Oh, it's okay, I'll wait for yours to be served too"; "Oh no, I don't mind, you can start eating"; "Oh, it's fine, really"... okay you get the idea.

Galen had the Felluccine el Pesto- a very fine blend of fresh basil, garlic, parmesan and pinenut. This is very unlike the pesto sauce that we had before- it is light, yet flavourful at the same time. The hint of pinenuts gave a very rounded and smooth aftertaste.

I can never say no to chilli, salmon or cream pasta, so the natural choice for me was Penne Salmone, without a second thought. I'm usually not a fan of penne but this totally debunked my impression of them being hard and dry on the inside. The penne was soft, yet not mushy, and the insides were generously filled with spicy cream sauce. The salmon cubes were perfect too- soft and flaky, cooked to the T!

I wanted mushrooms in the pizza while Galen wanted beef, so we settled for the Calzone al Forno which had those with fresh tomatoes, paprika, onion and mozzarella. Lots of mozzarella in fact. The crust of the pizza was thin and crispy, with a hint of the wood from the tradtional woodstove that Nanamia prides themselves in. This is easily one of the best pizzas that we have ever had!

We stayed at Nanamia until after sunset (the lighting says it all). Dessert was creme brulee which was another perfect execution. The custard and caramel was a heavenly match which melted in our mouths almost as immediately as it melted our hearts. Really. The coffees were such lifesavers too, we were beginning to miss good Italian coffee and these totally rocked it for us.

Nanamia Pizzeria is a must-go in Yogyakarta. A must-must-must-go. Not to be missed. Or you'll live to regret. And did I mention that it is very affordable too? For the huge spread that we had, the total was about IDR180,000. Now, just put Nanamia on your wanderlust list already.

Yogyakarta Food Blog Review by Kumory

☁☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Nanamia Pizzeria

Jl. Moses Gatotkaca B 10-17, Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia

+62 274 556494

Yogyakarta - Cafes at Jalan Prawirotaman

Littered with homestays, cafes and restaurants, Jalan Prawirotaman in Yogyakarta is the best place to spend a late afternoon. Galen and I walked from the Palace and Water Castle, and it took around 15 minutes.

Streets of Yogyakarta exudes a timeless, nostalgic charm. Galen and I agreed that time seems to tick and tock by slower in Yogyakarta. Yogyakarta allowed us to really slow down, take a closer look at the environment, and pondered about the stories of every crock and nook.

We decided to spend the slow afternoon at Ministry of Coffee. It is a stand-alone 2 storey building with a cafe at the front, and a homestay at the back. The interior of the cafe was cosy and there was a selection of newspapers, magazines and games in the library on the second floor.

We decided on a table at the alfresco area. Ministry of coffee offers a wide variety of coffee and tea, and a selection of sandwiches and hot dishes like pasta. The ice latte was frothy and milky, and was such a huge relief in the sweltering Yogyakarta heat. Yogyakarta newspaper was my company for the afternoon, while Galen embarked on an adventure with Mr Sherlock Holmes.

We moved on to Cafe Viavia for dinner. It was just a 3 minute stroll down Jalan Prawirotaman. We were greeted by this cheery, colourful wall which was an exact replica of its website!

We chose a table on the second storey of the cafe. There was a little kitchen on the second storey too, for cooking lessons! There was a caucasian couple who was busying themselves with Indonesian dishes while we sipped on our traditional drinks - Es soda gimbera and Es dewet.

We watched the sunset from where we sat. The temperature was dropping as the sky turned dark, birds were chirping, and there was some chanting from a distant mosque. Every sunset should be like this, isn't it? And not in a crowded train, packed with fellow minions in monkey suits carrying blank expressions while engaged with their smartphones. Anyway, I digress.

Mains were steak with mushroom sauce and sauteed spinach, and seafood marinara pasta with garlic bread. The steak was a little on the chewy side, but the mushroom and spinach were awesome. The pasta was hearty- the tomatoes were really fresh!

Dessert was passionfruit lemon cheesecake from the Viavia bakery. This was simply lipsmacking. The cheese was smooth and rich, and perfectly balanced with a hint of sourness from the passionfruit and lemon. It was easily one of the best cheesecakes I've ever had!

Plan to spend half a day at Jalan Prawirotaman. The little establishments here have the charm of freezing time and reaching to the little quiet spot in your heart. The spot which you might have neglected.

Yogyakarta Food Blog Review by Kumory

Ministry of Coffee

Address: Jalan Prawirotaman 1/15a, Yogyakarta

Email: management@ministryofcoffee.com

Cafe Viavia Jogja

Address: Jalan Prawirotaman 30, Yogyakarta

Phone: (62) 274 386557