A shout-out to those working in Singapore’s CBD because we are introducing to you a new coffee bar at Amoy Street, for you to get your daily fix of caffeine.

Officially launched on 25 September 2017, Upside Down Coffee Alternatives is a beautiful café space where you will discover quality brews which are crafted and poured by their main barista, Ivan. And on every Friday in October, you can get your hands on a batch brew for just S$1; what are you waiting for?

Behind Upside Down Coffee Alternatives lies the mission to create an alternate dimension where patrons can put aside any pressing thoughts in their mind and channel their complete focus on their great cup of coffee. This coffee joint also keeps things fresh and exciting with seasonal blends that are on a rotational basis.

Coffee options on their menu include the Espresso (S$4), Long Black (S$5), Mocha (S$6) and the Batch Brew (S$4) which is only available until 2pm.

Two seasonal beverages that you can look forward to are the Cold Drip & Tonic (S$7) which features natural gin-inspired flavours, juniper berries, coriander seeds and citrus peel; and the Ultraviolet (S$6.50— a delightful infusion of lychee and lime in cold-brew hibiscus tea.

Dropping by for a light tea snack? Well then, pair your coffee, tea or drink with Upside Down Coffee Alternatives’ Homemade Banana Bread which is freshly baked every day. Alternatively, you can enjoy a healthy Granola Parfait (S$10) or a Mini Sweet Potato Doughnut, too.

Upside Down Coffee Alternatives
115 Amoy Street, Lobby Space
Singapore 069935
Tel: +65 8826 6907
Mon to Fri: 8am – 4.30pm
Sat: 12pm – 6pm
Nearest Station: Telok Ayer

All images are credited to Upside Down Coffee Alternatives.

Specialty cocktail bar Employees Only is an exceptionally popular bar in The Big Apple. The nightlife destination has been around for more than a decade—a testimony that it has long since established a special place in the hearts of New Yorkers.

The World’s 50 Best Bars has reconfirmed its status in the competitive industry by ranking it fourth on earth.

Employees Only opened its first international outpost in Singapore’s Amoy Street and the opening sees co-founder Igor Hadzismajlovic, principal bartender Steve Schneider and executive chef Julia Jaksic, moving from The Empire State to our sunny island.

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The A-team strives to present a memorable experience similar to its flagship bar in NYC.

Cocktail connoisseurs can now have a taste of the legendary speakeasy’s signature concoctions such as Ready Fire Aim and Employees Only’s Manhattan.

The former is a mixture of fresh lime juice, homemade honey-pineapple syrup, mezcal and dashes of Hellfire Bitters, while the latter is an infusion of Angostura Bitters, Italian vermouth, rye whiskey and orange curaçao.

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Source: Employees Only Singapore

Bartenders of Employees Only will continue donning their iconic white jackets and the tradition of offering complimentary chicken soup at closing time will live on.

With its strategic CBD location, Employees Only Singapore is already very well-received amongst the nearby working executives. But the bar is an IT place whereby people will travel specially for.

Employees Only
112 Amoy Street
Singapore 069932
Tel: +65 6221 7357
Mon to Fri: 5pm – 1am
Sat: 5pm – 2am
Sun: 6pm – 1am
Nearest Station: Telok Ayer

About the writer:
Hui Jun Ng is a staff writer for ladyironchef. She previously worked in the food and marketing industry. She loves travelling and enjoys exploring underrated destinations. In her free time, you will find her indulging in coffee and her all-time favourite local dish – bak chor mee.

Chick Can Rotisserie is a new establishment which prides itself in whipping up Canadian-style Roasted Chicken and Poutine—it is one place to head to for comfort, rustic Western food.

Located along Amoy Street—just a 5-minute walk from Telok Ayer station—Chick Can is a cosy and wallet-friendly option for those who work in the Central Business District.

We were pleasantly surprised that all the items on the menu are below S$20, with the exception of the Half Chicken Meal (S$22+) which can easily feed three to four people. As if that is not enticing enough, you don’t have to pay for service charge at Chick Can Rotisserie too!

From now until 30 November 2016, our readers can quote “ladyironchef” to enjoy 40% off the second main course during dinner (6pm to 10pm). This promotion is valid for dine-in and takeaway.

The self-service concept at Chick Can Rotisserie is a simple one—you grab the menu and decide on what you want, tell the friendly staff over the counter and a buzzer will be given so you know when to collect your food.

Otherwise, have a Chick Can meal in the comforts of your home or during lazy days in the office by opting for takeaway. You can also get your roasted chicken delivered via Foodpanda.

MOZZARELLA CHEESE STICKS

Start your meal with some appetisers; well they make great finger food to go with your beer.

Of course, with every tasty North American food, comes a cheesy appetiser. The Mozzarella Cheese Sticks (S$7, regular/S$12, large) were delicious. Have it immediately and you can break and stretch the cheese, dip it into the marinara sauce on the side and enjoy it. We loved the golden herb crust on the sticks as well as it added to the overall flavour in each bite.

CHICK CAN’S CHICKEN WINGS 

Also, appetisers/ beer snack always mean we need our chicken wings. The Chicken Wings at Chick Can Rotisserie are specially marinated and served piping hot with BBQ sauce or ranch dressing. These crispy delights are going at S$7.50+ for four and S$13+ for eight.

CHILLI CHICKEN DIP

This is a twist of our favourite chilli crab sauce, but with chicken slices. We enjoyed the strong sweet and spicy flavour of the sauce which was meant as a dip for the toasted bread. A perfect savoury snack for those who are there for drinks.

AUTHENTIC POUTINE

There are not many places in Singapore where you can find authentic Poutine—a Canadian dish which originated from Québec.

For the uninitiated, Poutine is made with French fries and cheese curds sprinkled on top, then topped off with a drizzle of light brown sauce. Imagine our delight when we found out that it is part of Chick Can Rotisserie’s menu!

You can choose to have your Poutine in various styles and we went for Poutine with Chicken (S$12.50+).

The fresh cut fries are crispy on the outside with soft interiors, and goes well with the generous portions of chicken cubes and twirling cheese curds doused in brown gravy. There is a good balance between the main ingredients which made it a hit among those at the table.

ROTISSERIE CHICKEN & SIDES

Chicken is a staple in Asian cuisines. And precisely because this is our ultimate comfort food, we had very high expectations for their Roast Chicken. So how did it fare?

Most rotisserie chickens tend to be a little on the dry side but this is definitely not the case at Chick Can.

Each chicken is lightly seasoned to keep the original taste of the meat. It is then slow-roasted in a rotisserie oven specially imported from Canada to achieve the perfect result—juicy meat and crispy skin.

There are three options: Quarter Leg Meal (S$16.50), Quarter Breast Meal (S$18.50) and Half Chicken Meal (S$22+).

We shared the Half Chicken Meal and it came with a toasted bun, a side dish of your choice, coleslaw and dipping sauce. You get to choose between salads, Rice Pilaf and French Fries for sides. It is indeed a huge portion that can easily feed two to three people.

The half chicken is roasted to lip-smacking perfection with its crispy reddish brown skin that envelops succulent, tender chicken meat. We could really hear the skin crack as we dug into it with knives! Try it with the traditional brown dipping sauce. We loved the Asian dipping sauce which is similar to the Thai sweet chilli sauce.

CHICKEN PIE WITH COLESLAW

The Chicken Pie with Coleslaw (S$12) reminds us of home. It was simple, hearty and we loved the flaky crust combined with the massive chunks of chicken and vegetables inside. It also comes with a side of coleslaw to complete your meal.

BAKED RICE/PASTA, SANDWICHES AND WRAPS

Roasted chicken aside, Chick Can Rotisserie also offers two baked dishes—Chicken Baked Rice (S$15) and the Chicken Baked Pasta (S$15). Also, you can expect dishes such as Club Sandwich with Chicken (S$15), BBQ Chicken Wrap (S$15) and Spicy Chicken Wrap (S$15).

SUGAR PIE

All of us agreed that the Sugar Pie (S$6.50+) at Chick Can Rotisserie is a wonderful option for those with a sweet tooth. It is unabashedly sweet and comes accompanied with smooth whipped cream. The classic French-Canadian pie is served warm from the oven to our table and was demolished within minutes.

From now until 30 November 2016, our readers can quote “ladyironchef” to enjoy 40% off the second main course during dinner (6pm to 10pm). This promotion is valid for dine-in and takeaway.

Chick Can – Rotisserie
82 Amoy Street
#01-00
Singapore 069901
Tel: +65 6221 8598
Mon to Sat: 11am – 10pm
Sun: Closed
Nearest Station: Telok Ayer

This post is brought to you by Chick Can Rotisserie.

New York’s cloak-and-dagger burger restaurant – Burger Joint – makes its debut in Singapore this week, with its first outlet at Amoy Street. The outlet will have a similar inconspicuous entry point, with a back entrance on Gemmill Lane instead of a flashy store front.

This follows their signature style, with their first outlet in New York City – at Le Parker Meridien – mysteriously located behind a curtain of the hotel lobby. Opening on 03 May 2016, the Singapore outlet will be their sixth outlet worldwide.

Proudly deemed as a burger restaurant without all the fluff of gourmet burgers, Burger Joint makes genuinely unpretentious burgers that have left the harshest of critics in awe.

They have been known to refer to their burgers as anti-gourmet burgers. Although there is nothing wrong with a tasty gourmet burger, the main idea of the burgers at Burger Joint is just to serve some honest and delicious burgers – maybe even the best one you will ever have.

Rest assured that everything was done to make sure that the burgers you have in Singapore will be the exact replica of what you can get in New York.

Although the official Singapore menu and prices are not released yet, it has been said that prices will be kept lower than the average prices of regular gourmet burgers, around the S$15 mark.

The opening of Burger Joint could mean big competition for many other burger restaurants in Singapore and we are all the more excited for even better burgers to hit our island.

Burger Joint
115 Amoy Street
#01-03
Singapore 069935
Nearest Station: Telok Ayer

Photos from burgerjointny.com

Heading up to level 2 of 73 Amoy Street to Dapper Coffee was a tiny setback, especially after trudging through Singapore’s humid weather. But the cosy space made up for the “hike”, and we spent an idyllic afternoon at the cafe over great coffee.

The swanky interior resembles a cool British pub. The coffee aroma that filled the air was alluring and we were thankful for the good range of different coffee to choose from.

Let’s see what the hype about Dapper Coffee is all about.

We ordered a cold brew coffee – perfect option for a crazily humid afternoon. Their cold brew coffee was listed as S$7. But upon taking a seat, the barista came up to us and told us that they only had a drink called Gold Cold Brew (S$10) available.

Skepticism levels were higher than ever. We agreed to it and before we could enquire more, he sprinted off to grab our drink. When we saw that the drink came in a tiny minuscule bottle, it really didn’t look like much. He swished and swirled the little glass jar and then the magic happened.

We were told that this drink has something called ‘unicorn tears’; of course, he declined to unveil the “secret ingredients”. What we saw were tiny gold particles, much smaller than gold flakes, inside of the glass. However pretty it was, it was still a tiny bit gimmicky.

We poured it out to have a taste and we had our answer – it was an exceptional cold brew. But we are sure about one thing – the ‘unicorn tears’ did nothing for us, except a little visual appeal. The coffee was strong and intense, basically more of a cold brew espresso instead.

Dapper Coffee also offers a range of cakes that includes Salted Egg Yolk Sesame Cake and Mango Avocado Cake for you to pair your coffee with.

Will we return here? Very likely, but we will probably stick to our usual latte. The extra S$3 was not worth it.

Dapper Coffee
73A Amoy Street
Second floor
Singapore 069892
Tel: +65 9005 4790
Mon to Fri: 8am – 5pm
Weekends: Closed
Nearest Station: Telok Ayer

About the writer:
Cheryl is a staff writer for ladyironchef. She loves a good steak and an even better cuppa. She eats just about anything and everything. In her free time, she regularly starts on sci-fi or fantasy movie marathons.