The Cafe Expedition

We all look forward to the weekend for various reasons.

Though it might only be two days, and technically (that is, if we want to be specific) only a mere 48 hours, it feels as if time does stop. For two whole days, your time is stretched, you are a bit more calm and you naturally have more time to do the things you've been planning to do all week.

Of course that's only a given if you do not have to work overtime or rush a deadline on a Saturday or Sunday. To sum it up - weekends are a luxury of many who are working and I am well aware of that especially since I relinquished my undergraduate status about 8 months ago.

Most of the time, I spend my weekends at home, relaxing with a cup of tea and a book. Mornings are spent reading the newspapers with soothing tunes chiming out of my speakers. At times there's work to be completed so I immediately switch on my laptop and busy myself for the rest of the day.

Then there are lovely weekends where my friends and I plan outings together and those, ah those are another thing altogether. Especially when it concerns the taste buds.

For some reason, I'm totally sold on the idea of weekend brunch. I would however admit that it's only a recent occurence to me. I never understood the idea because I like having my three meals and the anticipation that builds up as I think of what to eat for those three meals. I know it does sound really stupid but brunch just shortens my choices. Or at least that was what I used to think.

I won't deny it - I can be quite the greedy girl. I enjoy my meals thoroughly (delicious and tasty ones of course). Eating to me can never be a chore simply because I not only enjoy the process of consuming food that's carefully prepared, but also the excitement that comes with each bite or each new dish that I'm trying for the first time. This then leads me to another reason why I'm so eager to explore new eating grounds and if you love food as much as I do, I'm sure I don't need to explain further.

Also, other than the quality of the food and the ambience of the place, another major factor is of course the company.

Trust me, nothing dampens a bright perky sunny-side up (complete with crisp toasty bread!) than a companion who pushes his/her food around with a fork without ever intending to let that piece of food see the insides of his/her tightly sealed mouth. It might sound harsh but I see no joy in dining with someone who cannot understand why God created food. Believe me, I will cry if I ever have to eat pellets in place of food.

On a happier note, I will say that I have no lack of friends who share the same joy as I. The joy that is instantly recognisable from the tone of voice, a gleaming pair of eyes radiating with anticipation of what is to come from the kitchen, or a ready tummy all revved up to go. I really am thankful for these friends. You hear me (or rather read) mention them once in a while in this little space on cyberworld and alot of times, I wish I could share more with you, like the smells we smelled or the savoury, sweet, salty, spicy, sour tastes that we experienced and so on. But alas a simple blog can only do so much.

I know what I can do is to continue to supply you with photos (taken with the best of my ability, hopefully meeting your expectations) and wax lyrical with descriptive language. I try my best to make you salivate as do I, when I await for the food to arrive on my table, after a torturing time lounging in the well permeated smells of deliciousness.

Today is no different. Here's a peek into one of those planned weekends I have, and one filled with tasty things.

But first, let me introduce to you someone you most probably already know (since I mention her so often) especially if you had ordered cupcakes/cookies from me last year.

This is Butterscotch:



One half of Cocoa & Butterscotch which we created last year, this perky girl is a great friend of mine. She requested to remain anonymous, so you shall not get to see who she is. But yes, she is none other than my best friend Dot. Dot's a designer, and a very talented one at that. She's cool, quirky, cheerful, and upbeat and the best thing is that she loves food about as much as I do. And oh, she also has great fashion sense (in my opinion) and I always consult her whenever I face a style dilemma.

So anyway, she called me up two weeks ago asking me if we could go explore cafes for a project she's working on. So after discussing a bit on where we were going to go, it was set. The date, time and place of what was to be the first official documented Adventures of Cocoa & Butterscotch was born.

This first adventure was to be named The Cafe Expedition.

And so on a bright sunny Saturday last weekend, we set foot into town and proceeded to roam cafes, with a hungry vengence...




Yes we completed this expedition on foot. We are quite the energetic pair and love putting our sturdy feet to good use. :)

We went to three cafes located at two different places.

There was Dempsey Hill:



It was clearly touted as a paradise of which we have no violent objections. It is quite the charmer. I've been here before so it was nice to be back.

The two places we visited there was Barracks:




and of course (unsurprisingly!) PS. Cafe:




The other location was at Tanglin Shopping Centre. You should be careful not to judge this nondescript location because trust me, it will astound you with a gem such as this:



It claims to be the first deli in Singapore and although I do not have any evidence, I might as well believe it to be true. What gives, you ask?

Plenty it seems. From the chocolate peanut butter milkshake to their hearty sandwiches that come with a tame mound of coleslaw - everything here at Steeple's is authentic; authentically quaint and worthy of its 'first deli in Singapore' status.

A quick scan of their interiors send me back into the time machine. I would dare say that if I were to assume what a deli in the 80's would look like, this would be it. Afterall, they supposedly opened in 1981. Again, though I might not be able to prove that, I have photos to show:








Check out the chalkboard menu design and the ceiling-hung lamps. What about the wood furnishing and counter seats.



I loved every nook and cranny of this deli. I would describe it as a mild establishment with good food worthy of praise that need not be trumpeted out loud in order to lure steady customers. I do believe this place has a reputation for its sandwiches, burgers and milkshakes (yes I did google).

We had the BLT:




We chose rye bread and ordered a serving of sauerkraut to go with it:



It was memorable. Not so much 'knock your socks off' kind of memorable but more so in a home-style warm and fuzzy way. It's the place you would go to if you just want to down a sandwich with a good milkshake to go. In any case, the seating here will not allow you to lounge or chill-out long, unless you want to be the bane of other customers waiting for their turn at a delectable Steeple's Deli burger.

Of course it will not be fair to compare Steeple's Deli to PS. cafe, so I shall not. Instead, I will ramble on about the merits of the latter, on its own, as a gorgeous place to spend your entire Saturday afternoon at:



Don't ask me why but this area was closed when we were there. I forgot to take photos of the other section where we sat, but well, you can imagine yes :) Although you would forget that I even mentioned the decor when you see this baby:



The PS. burger is a sin worth commiting. It might very well be that apple in the garden of Eden that ever dieter craves they could chow on without having it affect their waistlines.

Indeed it is huge and it does look like it contains 5000 calories (or maybe more!). But you see, the cool thing about dining with someone who's game enough to eat bacon (fats and all) is that they are up for anything you offer, including a humongous burger that comes with crazy-good fries.

So the burger is a combination of juicy wagyu beef, crisp and smoky bacon, cheese, egg, spinach and tomato all packed in a big sesame seed bun. The buns are spread with a garlicky butter of sorts (if I remember correctly!) and act sas a neutral foil to the chockful of fillings.

The burger was shared among us and I was so excited that I happily announced to Dot that the burger was arriving as soon as I spotted the waitress carrying it and walking in our direction. Such is the extent of my greed - I have to spot my food because I cannot wait to have it.

That burger lived up to every ounce of our expectations. The meat was perfect, the bacon oh-so-good (i think it speaks for itself, really. bacon is bacon is bacon is divine) and the whole marriage of spinach with the rest of the ingredients is worthy of a silent W-O-W, mouthed with great effect.

Before I move on to the next eating venue, let me fawn over this elegant piece of china:



I had the digestive tea in this pretty little tea cup. I really like it. Then again, I love everything English don't I? I looked at the bottom of the cup and it said Queen Anne, Made in England. So hey, it's legit. Perfect prim and proper teacup ideal of those English afternoon teas. Hmmm..

Okay, you would think that after that burger, there was no way we could fit dessert into our satisfied tummies eh?

We did indeed feel full and therefore skip dessert at PS. Cafe, we couldn't help but order a strawberry shortcake when we sat down at Barracks after roaming round Dempsey for an hour or two. In that short time, I bought myself a bottle of Tetsuya Truffle Salt from Culina, while Dot bought some pistachio fairy floss from Jones the Grocer. Pretty efficient girls we are, aren't we? I do think we managed to squeeze out alot out of that Saturday last week.

Here's the strawberry shortcake with a shot of vanilla bean cream at the side for us to eat with the cake:




It was a relatively nice cake. No fireworks there although we did like that they presented it in a mess tin, which coincided with the Barracks theme. The two plump strawberries on top were appealing too.

We hung out at Barracks for quite a while because it started to pour, very heavily. We explored the place, we sat down a the sofa and looked out at the rain, patiently waiting for it to lighten up. When it finally did, it was about 5pm and we headed back to Orchard for some window shopping before going to Changi Village for somemore sinful food:



Fried oysters. Gosh, this oil-laden dish is heart-stopping (both sense of the word I'm afraid and happy to report). It is true how the tastiest foods are the most unhealthiest but when it comes to me and Dot, I don't think we care too much about it. Remember, moderation is the magic word. Don't worry, we don't have this everyday.

After dinner at Changi Village, we headed home with a big smile and a satiated tummy coupled with that occasional satisfying burp of course :)

P.S. We hope to have more food expeditions and will share them with you as we go along. For more photos, see our Cocoa & Butterscotch site. Have a great week!

________________________________________

Steeple Deli
#02-25, Tanglin Shopping Centre
19 Tanglin Road
Tel: +65 6737 0701

PS. Cafe
28B Harding Road
Tel: +65 6479 3343

Barracks
8D Dempsey Road
Tanglin Village
Tel: +65 6475 7787

Cocoa & Butterscotch says thanks!

Frequent readers of my blog will know that Dorothy (a.k.a. Dot) and I have been doing up cupcake tiers and baking cupcakes that match them. The cool thing is the customisation part and all our customers have been really happy with their tiers, thanks to Dorothy's creative talent. It gives us great joy knowing that our tiers and cupcakes are making a difference and putting smiles on people's faces.

Us being a two-girlie team behind Cocoa & Butterscotch, we really strive to make this world a happy yummy place (yea that's our tagline!) via our simple rustic 'from-the-heart' type of service & goods.

To be honest, it's a real challenge juggling school & work (yea, Dot's a full-time graphic designer) with baking and making tiers from scratch. But I do try my best to meet as many requests as possible. And allow me to take this opportunity to thank everyone out there who has given us your support, either by buying our stuff or just dropping comments or emails or even reading this! :) I really do appreciate all the love... yes I do.

I guess this blog has opened more doors for me than I thought possible and I hope to one day be able to really go all out and finally do my own thing, be it a real bakery/cafe/eatery of sorts. I am no gourmand, that I can safely admit, but what I do know is that I am passionate about food, and it's lovely to see so many like-minded people around who believe in me and even bother to read this lil 'ol blog of mine. So thank you all once again!

So there, it's something I have been wanting to post for a long time now! Especially since I know how much faith alot of you have in us. Dot and I are planning something a bit bigger for next year but nothing's confirmed but I just wanted to give you a head's up so that you know that we are always thinking of you, our dearest reader!

And here's a shout out to Thea's mum whose birthday was last Friday! Happy Birthday Thea's Mum! (Sorry I don't know her name!). Thea's our recent customer and she was so sweet - she wanted a two-tiered cupcake tier with cupcakes to surprise her mum on her birthday. Dot and I suggested an English-themed tier and Thea liked the idea, and so we came up with something quite sweet and quaint:




Black lace, white ribbons, yellow floral patterns and a touch of grassy green to go with it...




Don't you think it looks pretty? It reminds me of a summery afternoon by the English countryside. Ahhh...




It was refreshing, doing a two-leveled cupcake tier instead of the usual 3-leveled ones. I guess it's more befitting, since Thea wanted a simple one to celebrate with her family of four. I heard from her that her mum really liked the tier and the lemon cupcakes! yay!



So there you have it, one more tier in our list of merry-making endeavours.

Cocoa & Butterscotch are once again really happy to know that there are people out there who appreciate the simpler and sweeter things in life :)

Something green, white & yellow

Cocoa & Butterscotch's recent project was very green, white, and yellow.

Our sweet customer wanted to surprise her parents with a lovely garden themed cupcake tier & lemon-y cupcakes for their anniversary this week.

We almost couldn't meet the request because of my busy school week and Dot's tight schedule at work but I'm really glad I said yes. I mean, how could I turn down such a sweet request?

So in the end, it all panned out nicely. The tier turned out amazing. Check out the 'grass' Dot used for the tiers and the summer flowers, together with matching ribbons and details.



I really love the tier. To be honest, I wish I could keep it for myself. haha....

Don't you think it's beautiful?



And cupcake tiers need to be filled with cupcakes no?

So I baked some... And my customer's parents like lemon-y stuff so she asked for lemon cupcakes. I gave her lemon cupcakes filled with lemon curd and frosted with lemon buttercream. She wanted some flower decor so I got some white icing flowers to go with the yellow buttercream.



I don't know about you, but I am not a huge fan of large amounts of icing. I know it looks beautiful, to see so much colour on top of these little cakes... but really, who eats so much icing? That's why I always use just enough.... and my frosting's not really sweet - just nice to get that flavour. I added lemon zest and lemon juice to this one. Came out yum :)



Okay, I know you're wondering if I made those flowers. I'd love to say I did but I'd be a big fat liar... So there you go, I bought them. :)

Aren't they lovely?



I don't think anyone can bear to eat it. I know I wouldn't. I'd just keep them forever... My sister thought it was clay though!



Ah... am pretty happy with this garden themed project.

That's the beauty of custom-made tiers, you decide what the theme is, the colours and how you want the entire feel to be. You choose, and Cocoa & Butterscotch makes it for you. It's as simple as that!

I hope my customer & her parents + family enjoyed the cupcakes & liked the tier as much as I did.

Enjoy the weekend ya'll!

Every cupcake needs a tier

I'm feeling very excited. So excited that I have to share it with you!

Cocoa & Butterscotch now offers customised cupcake tiers and we just had our first order!

It's for the lovely birthday girl Clara :)

Hi Clara, if you're reading this, here's wishing you a Happy Birthday once again! We really hope you liked the tier.

Here are more photos:



In case you're wondering about the design, well it's original and based on Clara's two favourite colours: blue and white. The birthday tag you see up there is designed by Dot, my favouritest designer in the whole world who happens to be my best friend and baking partner-in-crime! She's awesome - was the one who conceptualised the entire tier actually. Kudos girl!

Here's a shot of the entire tier with a vintage feel (after some colour tweaking). I like it because it makes the blue pop!



And so you must be wondering what are these two girls doing? First they sell cupcakes, cookies and lemon curd, and now they sell cupcake tiers too?

Hey, why not ya? Both of us noticed a surging trend for cupcakes instead of the usual cake. Weddings now order cupcakes and some rather celebrate birthdays with little cuppies. So we thought why not provide a customised cupcake tier option for those of you who order our cupcakes!

It's pretty easy really. Just let us know your prefered colour combinations, what feel you'd like and viola, we will conjure one up for you in no time :D

Of course this option is only for those who order our cupcakes. Seriously, a tier really makes all the difference. I wish I had one for my own birthday! haha...

So, if you have a birthday coming up and would love to have a tier of your own, complete with cupcakes, then email us at cocoabutterscotch@gmail.com

Oh, and you really don't need to wait for a birthday to get one :) These tiers are perfect for afternoon tea parties too.

Do check back on our Cocoa & Butterscotch site for more updates!

Now the KitchenAid rests...

It's 3:05pm on a Sunday dated 22 July and two girls were having lunch at MOS Burger @ Compass Point. Suddenly, one of them looks at the other and suddenly two smiles just broke out.

"We did it!"

Yes we did it. We baked for two whole weeks and packaged God knows how many cupcakes, muffins & cookies. I smelt like cookies and cupcakes for most of the two weeks. And I do think the butter has seeped into my pores. Maybe that's why I feel heavier! This is what happens when you don't have time for lunch and simply feast on your own cupcakes and cookies. Trust me, the smell just calls out to me. But it's okay, I have time to go back to my usual running regime. hahaha....

So how does it feel? Good actually. Both Dot and I are satisfied with the bake sale and we're glad we did it. Honestly, without her help, and constant push I probably wouldn't have lasted the two weeks. I've had two previous bakesales both of which was a solo stint. Now that I have my dear Butterscotch, it's so much more fun. She's not just my lovely assistant but my cheerleader of a friend. I couldn't have asked for a better partner. When it comes to baking, lots of patience is needed! Especially since there's the oven there and you know how edgy people get when it's hot. I know I do. I admit there were times where I just felt agitated for no rhyme or reason. And when that happens, it's good that the people around you understand and remind you of why you're doing this.

This July Bake Sale was Cocoa & Butterscotch's first venture and trust me, there'll be lots more good things to come. In the mean time, I have one small favour to ask of those who bought our baked stuff:

If you're free, drop a comment or email us personally at cocoabutterscotch@gmail.com to tell us what you thought of our cookies, cupcakes, muffins & lemon curd. Feedback is always good! oh yes, and you can always tell us what you like (or not) about the packaging too!

Oh, and THANK YOU for all your support. It was a great pleasure meeting you personally. I'm sorry I couldn't meet you all - but that means you've met Dot :) (that's in case you were wondering). Yea, sometimes when you bake, the oven doesn't have a pause button!

There you have it, a closing post to end our July Bake Sale.

Though we are currently not taking any more orders, we welcome customised orders (ie. weddings) and we're still selling our lemon curd but at a smaller scale - $10 per small bottle.

Take care ya'll and have a fantastic week!

bleu & jaune

One week of baking and i'm really feeling it.

and there's still one more week to go!

i'm a perpetual cookie/cupcake scented girl - seriously.

it's getting to me. i haven't had time to run or do much. when i'm not baking, i'm resting. when i'm not doing anything, i'm baking. it's just me, the Brandt oven, a cool white trusty KitchenAid, my two capable hands and Dot.

thank God it's only two weeks.

yea ya, you're wondering, Cheryl! if you cannot 'tahan' (malay for endure) two weeks, how are you going to become an actual pastry chef!

hmmm. good observation.

answer: i don't know!

i'm just taking it as it comes. maybe it's because i don't have industrial-sized equipment. imagine how smoothsailing everything would be if i had huge ovens and huge mixers!?

anyhow, enough day-dreaming. this bakesale, i've sold 3 jars of lemon curd. wonder why it isn't popular. you should taste some. trust me, once you've had a teaspoonful, you'd want an entire jar. try it with some vanilla ice-cream - the result is phenomenal!



Cocoa & Butterscotch do love our blueberries and lemons!

Bleu & Jaune - enchanting both of them!

Do visit our official site: Cocoa & Butterscotch for some beautiful wallpapers designed by Butterscotch (D0t).

Here's a montage of what i mean:



looks untidy here but you should check them all out!

Bakin' & bakin'

Been baking for 4 days straight but it feels as though I've been baking for weeks!

A typical day begins with me taking the butter out of the fridge at about 7am and me going back to sleep for a bit. I wake at 9am then start to prep the ingredients. The flour gets sifted, the eggs get beaten, the muffin pans get lined and I get my apron and start to get ready for the day ahead.

Surprisingly, things haven't been that hectic. I'm usually done before 6pm. It's been smooth sailing as well - thanks to Dot :) She manages almost all of the packaging. We're pretty satisfied with the way things are going. I've gotten positive feedback about our goods.

But of course, we always appreciate more feedback. So you, if you have bought our stuff and tasted them, please feel free to leave comments ya...

Here's more shots for you to munch on...



Sprinkling crumble topping onto the blueberry muffins.

Man oh man, there's nothing more exciting than exploded blueberry muffins.

Dot and I go ga-ga over them:



I guess their name: Blueberry Burst is befitting!

Then there's our Swirly Whirly Nutella Cupcakes.



I have so much fun doing the swirls. That's the best part :)

I get a kick out of seeing the final product after it gets baked.



There are alot more photos but I'll post them up another time.

For more information, visit my Cocoa & Butterscotch site. We have some cool wallpapers you can download from there too! :)

Tata...

Cocoa & Butterscotch bakin'

Sorry for the lack of updates.

Dot and I have been really busy. Try and imagine two girls trying to bake cookies and cupcakes by the hundreds and you'll understand why I don't have time to blog!

The July Bake Sale has started - the baking I mean.

Last month I collected orders for 5 items and I'm distributing the goods this week and next. It's a huge feat but we'll manage. I'm just glad I'm not alone this time round. Dot has been really patient and really helpful. She's my lovely assistant. Without her help, I think I'd have died. haha. Thanks babe, love ya!

So anyhow, here's some snapshots so you have an idea just what we've been up to:



That's our Skippety Nuts cookie - loads of them.

And here's how our jars look like...


Cocoa & Butterscotch - Together We will make this world a HAPPY, YUMMY place!



:)

All right, back to the kitchen to slave over the hot oven and my aunt's beautiful dutiful KitchenAid.

Cheerios!

Me Cocoa, She Butterscotch

Morning!

We would like to introduce ourselves properly once and for all :)

Hi, I'm Cocoa, the one on the left and I'm the sporty one. I love the sun, sand and sea. In my free time, I run, blade, cycle and most of the time, when I'm not doing anything, I'm chilling out with my best friend Butterscotch. As you would have guessed, I not only bake, but write as well. I love to write! It's my biggest passion, and baking comes after it.

Hi, I'm Butterscotch! As you can see, I'm a tad shorter than Cocoa. I don't run as much as her but I play tennis and I skateboard. Am a rocker chick at heart, though you can't really tell. I'm a freelance graphic designer and I got influenced by Cocoa and am excited to be baking and working alongside with her!

Together, we make up Cocoa & Butterscotch, a girlie partnership that will make the world a happier yummier place.

We bake, we design, we write, and we will put a smile to your faces with our favourite things!

Cocoa & Butterscotch is really an establishment that caters to your homely needs. We girls won't sell what we don't like. Our products are all natural, with no preservatives and all ingredients are of the best quality.

We welcome all feedback too!

Oh, and in case you were wondering why we are named Cocoa & Butterscotch...hmm we don't really have a reason. Both of us were brainstorming one day and decided on something that sounded tasty and sounded as if they could be eaten together! hahhahaa

And so... there you have it! The story behind Cocoa & Butterscotch.

This marks the beginning of an exciting journey and we're so glad to have you with us.

Hope on board ya'll! :o)