Located just a few steps from Apartment Coffee, Glacier is a new minimalist botanical-themed cafe in Lavender.

The Lavender neighbourhood is home to many wonderful cafes and several new cafes have opened in the area recently including of Habitat Coffee, and Pacto by Parchmen.

Opened by the team behind Onalu—a bagel specialist at SMU—Glacier is an all-white cafe which offers the standard cafe fare, coffee and desserts.

Glacier’s menu is small and concise, with prices ranging from S$16 to S$24 for a main course. Some of the dishes that you can look forward to are:

• Glacier’s French Toast (S$16)
• Smoked Salmon & Avocado Toast (S$19)
• Salmon Mentaiko Truffle Grain Bowl (S$20)
• Pandan Mochi Waffle with Gula Melaka & Coconut (from S$12)
• Glacier Big Breakfast (S$24)
• Seafood Vongole Pasta (S$23)

The Glacier’s Big Breakfast comes with perfectly-cooked scrambled eggs that are runny, bacon strips, German pork bratwurst, roasted truffle baby potatoes, mushrooms, salad and brioche toast.

The Seafood Vongole Pasta features pan-seared scallops and a pretty generous serving of clams and crab meat.

There are also 12 gelato flavours available and some of the more interesting flavours include Shizuoka Genmaicha, Bluepea Lemongrass Pandan, and Smoked Milk.

Glacier opens till 1am on Fridays and Saturdays, you can have desserts and supper with your friends until late.

Glacier
161 Lavender Street #01-09
Singapore 338750
Sun to Thu: 10am to 10pm
Fri & Sat:10am to 1am

We haven’t been this excited about a new cafe in a while, until Simplicité by Fresh Fruits Lab came along. This new Parisian-style cafe in the East of Singapore was previously Fresh Fruits Lab, and recently underwent a major revamp.

Staying at the top of their game and always slaying, the owner—who is our good friend—strives to bring diners value-for-money quality fare in a relaxing atmosphere. Its menu offers a range of modern European favourites, with a good selection of mocktails and cocktails too. Fans of Fresh Fruits Lab will also be happy to know that they have retained several popular dishes on the menu.

Let’s just say they are a Parisian-style cafe in the day, and a laid-back neighbourhood bar at night. Simplicité by Fresh Fruits Lab is definitely our of our new favourite cafes in the East of Singapore.

Simplicité’s spanking new space is decked in monochrome colours and is very Instagram-worthy; every corner is a possible photo spot. French rattan chairs line the outdoors and that’s where you can enjoy a nice meal with your furkids at this pet-friendly cafe.

What we love about Simplicité by Fresh Fruits Lab:

• Chic Parisian-style cafe in the East of Singapore
• Pet-friendly cafe where you can bring your furkids along for a meal
• Affordable beer and cocktails—S$10 Asashi draft
• Amazing French-style Duck Confit which is perfectly-executed
• S$10 Angel Hair Pasta

The food is impressive! You know how some cafes only look good “on the outside”, but their food is mediocre, and you’d never return after taking your OOTDs? This won’t be the case at Simplicite, we can guarantee that.

Highlights include Angel Hair Pasta (S$10), Crabmeat Aglio Olio (S$19), Duck Confit (S$28), Salmon Meunière, French Bone-in Pork Loin with Garlic Butter Herb (S$20), Smashed Avocado on Brioche with Poached Eggs (S$16).

There is a S$10 Angel Hair Pasta under the appetizer menu that you have to try, too. Adorned with edible flowers, this elegant dish looks too pretty to be eaten.

On its menu, our favourite is the Duck Confit (S$28). In one glance, it may look pricey for a cafe, but actually, you really have to order this. What you would get is a perfectly-executed French-style Duck Confit.

Featuring a big and fat drumstick, the Duck Confit is so close to what you would get in France—crispy and salty skin, fork tender meat, accompanied with creamy mash and grilled vegetables. Parfait!

Simplicité by Fresh Fruits Lab serves brunch until 3pm daily and they are affordably priced between S$14 to S$18. The brunch options include Messy Breakfast (S$18), Eggs Benedict (S$15), and Brioche French Toast (S$15).

Smashed Avo (S$16) may be a common brunch dish, but Simplicité’s rendition is definitely not common. Served with a poached egg and mint sauce atop a thick slice of brioche, this dish is a clear winner. The toasted brioche was so buttery and good, we were tempted to ask for an extra slice!

Anyone remembers the super popular FFL Burger? If you’ve missed it, or haven’t tried it, Simplicité has refined this bestselling dish and it is now simply known as the Double Cheeseburger (S$20). It is better and bigger than before, with two juicy patties now!

Simplicité also has a wide array of drinks—from coffee, mocktails to cocktails, everything was a sight to behold. The Rose Latte won our hearts with its aesthetics and flavour.

You can also get a pint of Asahi draft at only S$10, while cocktails start from S$14. Be sure to order the signature La Simplicite (S$16) cocktail which comes with quite a show. We won’t spoil it for you, just get ready to take more photos and videos of the beautiful gin & tonic.

If you are just looking for a space for a simple midday perk-me-up, get yourself a basket of assorted Simplicite Bakes (S$10.5)—which includes Pain Au Chocolat, Croissant, Orange Snail, Raspberry Claw, Blueberry Braid, Apple Braid—a cup of latte, and pretend you are in Paris.

Simplicité by Fresh Fruits Lab
351 Changi Rd, Singapore 419818
Tel: +65 6677 6741

Lee’s Confectionery, the newest gem in the West of Singapore, is tucked away in a quiet neighbourhood of Jurong East. Near the entrance of an HDB carpark, it’s a sight that would intrigue many. Its glass walls display a stark white interior that plays up its minimalist decor as well as a glass display filled with an assortment of gorgeous haute pastries.

Lee’s Confectionery is not just a pretty rarity in the West of Singapore. It’s an exhibition of passion and a work of heart and soul, fuelled with a sense of nostalgia.

Stepping past the doors of Lee’s Confectionery, you’ll see a young man hunched behind the counter constructing pastries like a sculptor. Lee Yin Quan has been running a one-man show here since he opened the classy café last December and he sells elegant patisseries that are made to order.

Instead of trays of the day’s bakes, Lee’s Confectionery has a long glass case of seven exquisitely designed pastries on display. They not only add to the aesthetic look of uncluttered and clean simplicity but are also a testament to Lee’s attention to quality.

His insistence on making each piece upon order is to ensure that the original texture of each pastry isn’t lost to sitting in its moisture and to keep it from the subtle staleness from baking in batches.

Jiao (S$8), named after the Chinese translation of banana, is a very experiential dessert. A thin film of white chocolate was sprayed on, making a shell that cracks with a crisp as your teeth sink into a moist and fluffy banana sponge cake.

Jiao is injected with banana compote and creamy mascarpone. As Lee confirmed, it’s essentially like a traditional banana cake upgraded to haute pastry. The sponge was light and mildly flavoured. Slices of banana were sprinkled with caramelised brown sugar but the overall sweetness of Jiao was balanced by its tart compote and its base of cinnamon oat crumble.

Tart (S$8) was the best part of our trip. The base of its crisp tart shell was lined with almonds and layered with cream that had a citrus flavour without any artificial taste. Its tanginess, nuttiness, and baked cookie flavour was a very pleasant combination.

Lee’s attempt at finding kaya another partner other than toast is Puff (S$7) which is earl grey-infused kaya clasped between pastry puffs. Kaya is cooked with earl grey leaves to create a spread that has the fragrance of earl grey but with the essence of coconut and pandan of kaya. Take in its generous centre—thick, sweet, and very smooth—together with the hint of bitterness of flaky feuilletines that have a sugary glaze and crispy croissant-like crunch. 

The current selection also includes Beri (S$8) which is Lee’s favourite but, as he sighs while saying, also the most complicated to create. It’s a chou filled with tea-infused cream cheese and mascarpone then topped with a shortbread cookie and strawberry jam-filled dome.

The owner Lee Yin Quan spent two years in Paris learning under the award-winning chef patissier Nina Métayer in the two Michelin starred-Restaurant Jean-François Piège, and famed chef patissier François Perret in Ritz Paris. He returned to reunite with family and embarked on this first solo venture in the heartlands of the West to give back to where he grew up in.

Lee’s Confectionery
343 Jurong East Street 31, #01-59
Singapore 600343
Tel: +65 9183 8447
Wed to Mon: 12pm – 10pm
Sat & Sun: 11am – 10pm
(Closed on Tuesdays)
Nearest Station: Chinese Garden