Cartoon cafes
Pompompurin
Forget whitewashed walls, Scandinavian furniture and bare-bulb chandliers—cute and cuter is the name of the game here. From Hello Kitty Cafe‘s first orchid-themed outlet at Changi Airport Terminal 3 to the new Pompompurin cafe at Orchard Central, you can have your favorite Sanrio character served to you on a plate (and eat it too). Just be prepared for eye-rolls from your sensible friends. (The few, the brave.)
Cheese Tarts
PrimaDeli
You no longer have to lug boxes of these calorie-busters from sojourns to Hong Kong, Bangkok or Seoul. Hokkaido-based confectionary shop Bake is opening its Southeast Asian flagship store at Ion Orchard on Apr 29. Now, if you can’t wait to get your hands on the brand’s famous chilled cheese tarts, PrimaDeli has launched a selection of lava cheese tarts that come in original and (what else?) salted egg flavors, available in limited quantities at all outlets.
Croissants with crazy fillings
Photo credit: Pang Kok Keong
Remember the salted egg croissants from Flavour Flings which sparked a queueing frenzy? After launching their own version of the savory French pastry, Antoinette‘s chef Pang Kok Keong is on a roll. He has since pushed out several fancy fillings and flavors, ranging from the popular chili crab and matcha, to charcoal kaya and quatre fromages, with aged cheddar, gruyere, parmesan and mozzarella.
Fried chicken
Chir Chir Fusion Chicken Factory
Singapore’s love affair with fried chicken continues with Bjorn Shen’s trashy/messy Thai concoctions at Bird Bird and Korean chimaek chain Chir Chir Fusion Chicken Factory‘s new honey butter chicken dish. And at one of the hottest places to dine at right now, Timbre + is setting Instagram on fire with salted egg chicken wings from Two Wings.
Fries with crazy toppings
Redpan
Sure, fries topped with cheese/mayonnaise/beef chilli may not be a new concept, but we’ve noticed a trend of unusual toppings on cafe and restaurant menus. From kimchi cheese to marshmallows with salted duck egg cream sauce, we’ve got a full list of souped-up fries for carb fiends here.
Fusion bao
Full of Luck Club
While there has always been a handful of places like 40 Hands and Neon Pigeon offering East-West renditions of the popular Chinese pulled pork bun on the side, it seems like the tea-time favorite is becoming a menu highlight. At Bao Makers, a relatively new Jalan Besar cafe, diners have a choice of braised pork belly, salted egg shrimp, teriyaki chicken, nanban chicken and chili crab. And opening soon is Full of Luck Club, a Cantonese-inspired eatery offering five different variations like salted egg yolk prawn, smoked duck and kung pao fried chicken. Yum.
