Joe and Dough

Mention a sandwich lunch and one is often likely to get a lukewarm response – the thought of cold, clammy, premade sandwiches is often not greatly appetising. In the UK, however, the sandwich is probably the number 1 choice for grab-n-go lunches. For me, I remember the days I spent chomping down “gourmet” Pret-A-Manger sandwiches (complete with crisp bacon and which, to this day, I still love and adore) in freezing cold London weather, and thinking to myself, how nice it would be, if we had a similar outlet in Singapore. Well, Pret-A-Manger came and went, and still, sandwiches aren’t that popular in Singapore. Some time back (before FoodsmithOne and I started this blog), we chanced upon a sandwich shop at Hitachi Tower down in Raffles Place called Joe and Dough. Sandwich-phobes need not worry – their sandwiches aren’t the cold, pre-wrapped sandwiches, but rather, are hot and toasted, and made with artisan bread.

My favourite at Joe and Dough is the Teriyaki Chicken, which is essentially a ciabatta filled with teriyaki chicken, pineapple slices (from the tin), and roasted zucchini slices. Topped with a thin slathering of mayonnaise, the combination of the sweet / savoury teriyaki sauce and the slightly tart pineapple slices sends me straight to sandwich heaven. The crisp toasted ciabatta bread is so well-baked that I’m often tempted to just buy the ciabatta on its own.

I’ve also tried the Bacon Mushroom Melt which is served on homemade Swiss zorf bread (pretty close to brioche in texture). Other offerings also include a Cajun Chicken (served on a fougasse) and the English Bratwurst and Onions (served on a wholemeal panini). But being the boring old person I am, I still often find myself ordering the Teriyaki Chicken over and over again. The ciabatta is just so yummy (and yes, I know I am repeating myself but I really can’t help harping on it), you really must try it to test for yourself.

Joe and Dough
16 Collyer Quay
Hitachi Tower #02-05
Tel: +65 6438 2115

The Canopy @ Aramsa

Nestled in the lush greenery of Bishan Park, the Canopy @ Aramsa is a nice place to have a relaxing afternoon drink or a late weekend breakfast. On my 2 separate visits there (both for weekend breakfasts), the restaurant was not overly crowded, so it was a pleasure not having to raise your voice to hear what your companion had to say.

On my previous visit there, I sampled the Eggs Benedict. While I can’t quite recall how the dish was presented (and I can’t seem to find any pictures of that meal), what did leave an impression was the hollandaise sauce. Now I’m not a connoisseur of hollandaise sauce, but I’ve tried to make it and I do know how difficult it is to put together a good one. The hollandaise sauce that accompanied the Eggs Benedict served at the Canopy was slightly tangy, with a rich and buttery flavour to the sauce. This certainly did not come out of a catering service pack, and I remember being surprised by the smoothness of the sauce. It certainly left an impression on me and this was one of the reasons that got me visiting the restaurant again.

My recent visit there allowed me to try out the juices offered by the Canopy. For those who are not familiar with the Canopy, it’s run by the Aramsa Spa people, so there is a slight focus on healthy living (minus the eggs benedict) on it’s menu (the Canopy’s sister restaurant, Green Room, serves vegetarian cuisine). I had the Strawberry Orange Nectar, while my partner had the Refresh Juice (a blend of strawberries and red apple). Unfortunately, both juices did not do the job for either of us. For me, the Strawberry Orange Nectar was icy (it was meant to be a smoothie, but one could taste the un-crushed ice pellets swirling around in one’s mouth) while the Refresh Juice was slightly on the bland side (as was the Strawberry Orange Nectar). For the price we were paying for the drinks, I’d say these were not worth the order.

For food items, my partner chose the simple dish of Toast with Butter and Preserves. Surprisingly, the multigrain bread served had a nice texture to it, while the white bread had a decent crust that was toasted to a good crispness. What we didn’t like about the dish were the preserves that accompanied the bread. The jam and marmalade both came in mini foil tubs (not unlike what you get with airline food), and the preserves both did not do the bread any justice. The 3 slices of (artisan) bread accompanied with uninspired jam and marmalade set us back S$7, which to us, was a tad on the high side.

The other dish that we sampled that day was the Sweet Corn Fritter. I liked the concept behind the dish – this seemed to be like a pancake with loads of sweet corn piled inside the batter. The sweet corn was, as the name suggests, sweet. The batter, however, was a little too dense for me and didn’t have that fluffiness that a pancake usually has. Of course, I may be wrong about the chef’s inspiration behind the dish, but I do think that if he had used a regular pancake batter and mixed in the sweet corn he usually uses, it would have made for a better dish. Accompanying the healthy fritter (it’s really not a fritter in the sense of goreng pisang (or banana fritters)), were very crispy rashers of bacon and fresh spinach. The saltiness and crispiness from the bacon provided a perfect complement to the sweet corn.

Nice quiet places are sometimes hard to come by, and the Canopy at Aramsa is one of those places. My 2 experiences at the Canopy left me reasonably satisfied with the food, and the quietness of the surroundings provided a welcome reprieve from the busy and bustling city that is Singapore. If you happen to be in the area and are looking for a nice quiet place to spend a lazy weekend afternoon, do consider dropping by at the Canopy at Aramsa for a cup of coffee.

Canopy Garden Dining & Bar
Bishan Park II
1382 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1
6556 1533