Palate Pleasers N Tummy Teasers
Makan Post-it (3) - Marvelous Cream indeed!
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The recent spate of swelteringly HOT days have been compelling everyone to seek shelter at some air-conditioned place or other, and malls making up a sizeable percentage of such places in our concrete jungle would naturally see a surge in traffic. If you’re one of those who’ve taken cover at Citylink recently, you may have noticed a new shop literally at the end of the tunnel mall (Amazing how we manage to convert every space we’ve got into a mall of some sort). Brightly lit, with posters of 28 varieties of ice-cream assortments strategically adorning/surrounding the storefront, X and I were lured like kittens to cream 
And so we set foot in Marvelous Cream, gathering from its slogan that those 28 pretty little bowls of what looked like rojak passed off as dessert were in fact “premium ice cream mix with seasonal fruits and toppings (mixed atop a -16°c frosted marble top)”. If that sounds familiar it’s cos’ the concept’s similar to Ice Cream Chefs. You get to choose from a variety of 28 pre-matched ‘creations’ which are each made up of ice-cream (flavours differ for each ‘creation’) and 2 to 3 mix-ins of anything from fruits to sponge cake/tart/brownie, jelly, macarons and nuts.
After staring at the poster-menu for what must have been ages, we finally settled on creation No. 03 - Angel’s Parfait:
Comprising White Milk Cream (ice-cream) and mix-ins of strawberry, melon and smashed vanilla macaron bits, this is the perfect dessert to cool you down when the weather gets too hot to handle 
I especially liked how the bits of macaron added an interesting crunch to the ice-cream, which was just the right amount of sweetness. Prices start from $4.90 for a junior cup (pictured) and a waffle cone/bowl costs an additional $1. If none of their 28 creations interest you (you’re either one fussy bugger or a huge fan who has tried every single flavour), you also have the option of creating your very own ice-cream from $4.30 for a junior cup, with 1 free mix in.
Not the cheapest of ice-creams but definitely a novel cream to marvel at 
Marvelous Cream
#B1-04 Citylink Mall
Makan Post-it (2) - Tis’ the season to get hairy
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No, a reversal of the evolutionary process to look like our primate ancestors isn’t the new sexy. Getting your hands dirty is
First, the tools you’ll need:
Introducing your hairy subject:
(Steamed Hairy Crab - $39.90)
*Step-by-step process censored due to the gory, messy nature of mutilating (crab) parts*
Source of buried treasure unveiled:
Yup, that’s supposed to be the highlight of consuming hairy crabs - its rich, cholestrol-laden crab roe. Eaten with dark vinegar and ginger shreds, papilles thought it tasted no different from the roe of other crab species. Be prepared to expend some effort before you get a taste of hairy crab meat; you’ve got to literally snap every single leg of the crab and dig out the flesh with the tools pictured above. The end result is tiny shreds of crab meat, a plate covered in crab hair and tired fingers. Papilles concludes “Too much hassle for too little returns” 
For those who are curious about the taste of hairy crab, there was too little of it to leave an impression on my palate. I did recall though that it wasn’t as sweet and as tasty as I’d heard some people rave about. Still, if you’re looking for a first-hand experience of dissecting crabs, head down to Din Tai Fung now as these crabs are currently in season
Makan Post-it (1) - This nasi lemak’s worth every calorie!
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Work commitments and attempts to maintain a Life outside of it have resulted in an unfortunate situation of dwindling posts on this blog as our dear loyal readers would have noticed by now 
In a bid to rectify this, papilles has decided to launch what we call “Makan Post-its”; short posts meant to feature one or two specific foods in bite-sized reads. Hopefully this will help boost updates and new posts so keep checking back for more yeah
The humble and oh-so-commonly found nasi lemak has the honour of being featured in the 1st of our Makan Post-its And this particular one’s sure worth every single calorie…
Apologies for the less than enticing picture; hawker centres don’t afford the best lighting for food photography But take our word for it when we say that it tastes a whole lot better than it looks. The highlight and main draw of customers to this stall lies in its Cereal Chicken (pictured bottom left). The fragrance of cereal bits is the first thing that hits you, followed by the crisp and juicy textures as you chew on it. This version being a Chinese take on what was orignally a Malay dish, offers a whole variety of other ingredients you can choose to have with your nasi lemak. Kinda like economic rice but with added sin thanks to all that additional coconut milk. Other must-trys include their curry mixed vegetables, sambal french beans and deep-fried chicken wings
Look out for the above signboard or simply the long queue leading to it; the stall is located along one of the middle aisles of the hawker centre.
Sims Vista Market & Food Centre
49 Sims Place
Fancy having tea on the set of Brokeback Mountain?
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It’s one of those leisurely Sunday mornings and there you are sipping tea, taking in the surrounding greenery to the whir of murmurs from on-going conversations and the occasional rhythmic clacking of hooves on tar as a horse trotters by; all this whilst waiting for your breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast. Bet you didn’t think this was possible here in Singapore. Not unless you’ve heard of Riders Cafe
Housed on the premise of the Bukit Timah Saddle Club, the uninitatied probably won’t have a clue that a bustling cafe exists down what appears to be a long, narrow and dusty stretch of road, seemingly one which hasn’t heard the sound of tyres in awhile. This can’t be further from the truth. Arrive without making reservations and you can almost be assured of having to wait. Perhaps it’s the rustic charm of a cafe set in an old black and white colonial house complete with ceiling fans, or maybe it’s the view of green fields adorned with white fences where horses can occasionally be seen trotting about, or simply that it provides a respite from the hustle and bustle of a city that is Singapore; whatever it is, there’s no question that those who have been here just keep coming back
Unless you’re not one who’s big on ambience. Their menu was pretty limited, by my standards (though some may argue that it’s typical of a small cafe), offering mostly salads, sandwiches, a small selection of pasta and light bites. If you’re looking to have something heartier like steak or a rack of lamb, you’ll have to pop by after 6pm; even then, the selection of mains don’t extend beyond 5 or 6 items.
Here’s a peek at some of their fare:
Breakfast (8am - 2pm)
The cafe’s signature Riders Breakfast ($8.95) came with a choice of sausages/ham as well as home-cooked baked beans. Everything on the plate was mediocre save for the strawberry jam which was easily the best jam I’ve ever tasted 
And this is coming from someone who doesn’t even fancy jam! It tasted fresh and au-naturel sweet, unlike the usual stuff you get out of a bottle. Even I was surprised jam could taste so good
X’s Omelette ($7.95) was a tad overdone; we both prefer our omelettes a li’l on the creamy side You get to choose 2 ingredients to be added into your omelette (e.g. mushrooms, ham, sausages, cheese, etc) and a choice of toast/home-roasted potatoes as a side. Once again, it was the accompanying side which impressed - the potatoes were simply DELISH 
With just a sprinkling of herbs and possibly salt, it’s amazing how something so simple could taste so good!
Light Bites
These half-dozen Buffalo Wingers ($8.95) arrived slathered in what tasted like sweet & sour sauce The wings could be juicier and the marinade definately needs some tweaking.
One of the popular items. They serve it the way it’s supposed to be, with hand-cut chips, as you can see; unlike the usual Fish & Fries that’s served everywhere else. Also one of the items we’ve yet to try Updates when we next pop by!
And to end it all…
Dessert
This definitely didn’t make me feel like I’d died and gone to heaven 
Yes, they were generous with the fudge but I found the cake too dense and the chocolate just wasn’t dark enough for me. Overall, I felt it lacked oomph…and did I mention every other eatery appears to have a “Death by Chocolate” on their menu? Talk about popular food names 
Riders Cafe is another one of those places where you’ll need a car to get there, though once there, the ambience is simply unlike any place else on this island Remember to call to make reservations!
Riders Cafe
51 Fairways Drive (entrance along Eng Neo avenue)
Open 8am - 10pm, Tues to Sun.
Tel: 64669819
**Thanks to Ryan & Howe for the last 2 pics
