Rubber ducky in your bowl? Or how about Arrowtooth fish instead? Whatever your choice may be today, our Munchy Monday will cover it! Featuring Non Entrée Desserts and Murphy’s Cafe, take your pick from mains to desserts today!
Non Entrée Desserts
by Vincent Tan and Jethro Wegener
Have you ever wondered where you can find a rubber ducky, a tropical island, and a radioactive stick of dynamite altogether in a single place? Taking seed in the creative minds behind Non Entrée Desserts, it is here that you can experience all that above through their innovative use of ingredients and presentation. With a chef that has honed his craft in the professional kitchens of Basilico, Regent Hotel and Equinox, this young dessert shop springs a surprise on all dessert lovers!
Food:
Served up first, in a small yellow ‘bathtub’, sat a little yellow ducky in a bed of foam. The Rubber Ducky ($12.90), as aptly named, really stood out for its unique presentation – beautifully moulded from mango sorbet (how can a ducky with foam on its head not look cute?). Soft and luscious, the sorbet was delightful, like eating fresh mango with a burst of tropical flavour. Its name is Exotic, made in-house by Non Entrée Desserts themselves, it combines mango, pineapple and passionfruit with a tinge of yuzu. The foam, infused with lemongrass, added a pleasing fragrance and a lovely sour tang, which gave the dessert some extra depth of flavours. We felt tempted to play with our food, much like a kid during bath time, but unfortunately if we delay, the ducky would cease to exist! While the ducky was pretty much the focus of the dessert, the other components were not to be dismissed as well. For example, in the ducky’s bath, sago is used as a base and this gives the dessert a nice chewy texture. There was also crème fraiche (soured cream) featured here that was like high quality mango pudding – milky, velvety smooth and rich in flavour. It helped counteract the tropical sweetness of the sorbet, which in turn, made us irresistibly take bite after bite. One very small disappointment was felt by the child in us because the ducky was not really rubbery, or floating, but that would likely have made the dessert inedible.
Next, we were served a delicate tropical island – Tropicana ($15.90). Made of coconut mousse, coconut crisps, pineapple chutney, passion fruit coulis, mascarpone lime sorbet and biscuit crumbs for a great crunch, the presentation was elegant like a Michelin Star main course from a fancy restaurant. With edible flowers and micro herbs giving colour and character to the plate and bringing across the tropical feel, the divinely brittle coconut crisps crumbled in our mouths, leaving the gentle fragrance and sweetness of coconut. Dotted with drops of passionfruit coulis, these were wonderfully fresh, bursting with fruity flavour, while the mousse was creamy and melt-in-your-mouth. Despite it being a dessert, the sweetness was maintained to a minimal with the pineapple chutney being less sweet than you might imagine it to be, which adds a nice soft hint of pineapple and an added chunky texture to the dish. Paired with the mascarpone that was soft, milky and cold, this was mixed with a tinge of lovely fresh lime, and hence, gave a overall glorious taste sensation in the mouth as the textures and flavours to be blended together brilliantly into one.
Lastly, we tried the Chocolate-hazelnut Gelato, served with the conviction of the restaurant’s strong emphasis on quality ingredients. Made using a real Carpigiani gelato machine, the scoop was decadent and smooth, with a thick dark-chocolatey taste. The hazelnuts gave the velvety gelato a good bit of crunchy feel, akin to eating a really good bar of chocolate and hitting all the cravings for creaminess and chocolatey flavour, all in a single cool package.
Price:
Unfortunately for us, we did not manage to enjoy their New Year TNT-shaped dessert (which you can sneak a peek on their Facebook) or their sell-out Kaya Gelato (served with crunchy bread toast!). However, it is clear that for a combination of creative desserts, Non Entrée Desserts is a place to that is definitely worth visiting, especially so if you are a instagram lover!
Ambience:
Right from the outside, the cheery ambiance can be felt with its bright colours that draw the eye immediately. Inside, a softer atmosphere is presented, with a classic chic English coffee shop feel emitting throughout the whole place. Vintage chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and old typewriters and sewing machines decorate the shelves, with the good quality wooden and leather furniture adding a touch of sophistication and accompaniment to the whole place. A graffiti-like painting of a cake-happy rhino adds a touch of quirkiness to set itself apart from others, offering something slightly different and offbeat, while funky music plays gently in the background.
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Non Entrée Dessert Cafe
204 Rangoon Rd, Singapore 218451
Opening hours: Tuesdays – Thursday: 2.00pm – 10.00pm
Friday: 2.00pm – 11.00pm
Saturday: 12.00pm – 11.00pm
Sunday: 12.00pm – 10.00pm
Murphy’s Cafe
by Hong Ziru
Authentic UK comfort food and signatures are rare finds on our local soils, which was why we were thrilled when we managed to chance upon this homely and rustic abode – Murphy’s, nestled in the quiet and tranquil neighbourhood of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10. as with any establishment known for UK comfort food, it is no stranger to us that Murphy’s speciality, recommended to us too, that the must have here would be the Murphy’s Fish and Chips ($16).
Unlike the usual fare of fish and chips which features dory, Murphy’s Fish and Chips uses the Arrowtooth fish, which has a significantly firmer texture and therefore give you a much fuller taste in every mouthful. The layer of batter is thin and yet crunchy, not all all moist and chewy even after some time. In fact, it literally melts in the mouth, leaving behind a frangrance which is just tantalising, minus the guilt of the thought of your arteries clogging. That said, if you are feeling the tug in your stomach, Murphy’s do also offer the option of their in-house special batter ($1 top-up, non-oily variant), so you won’t feel like a sinner at the end of the meal. The side of fresh greens with cherry tomatoes, drizzled with a sourish vinaigrette also made for a refreshing change in taste should you require one halfway through your meal too.
Coffee here is hard to pass up on, considering how they are from Brewer’s (Black Gold Selection variant) which we learnt is one of the biggest coffee suppliers here in Singapore, and was recommended by the in-house barista. We tried their Latte (cold, $5) and Mocha (hot, $6). The latte here has a mild acidity that comes across as slightly sharp, probably because it was more condensed and served cold. As such, the flavour of the coffee comes across as much more full-bodied, and coupled with the smooth and fragrant milk folded in too, those provided a nice contrast to the taste, thereby making it a delicious cup of thirst quencher to have, no matter the time of the day.
The mocha on the other hand, had a lesser acidity which was nicely balanced out with the chocolate and milk components. We would recommend that you pair this with Murphy’s dessert too, such as the Summer Berry Yogurt Tart ($6.50) as the tartness from the yogurt and berries, which blends in harmoniously with the white chocolate flakes and with the crunchiness from the biscuit base, goes really well with the chocolatey mocha. As such, the sweetness of both provide a lovely end for a satisfying meal – sans any regrets from a sugar overdose really!
Ambience
Rustic with a industrial vibe to it, Murphy’s walls are of partially exposed red bricks, accompanied with exposed conduits – a purposeful interior design according to owner, who is a contractor as well and who did the interior designing of Murphy’s. The floors are of grey with waterproofing to keep the construction element constant, along with simple wooden furnitures and chairs with customized aged steampunkish piping as backings.
Along the walls are lined with owner’s brother’s personal collection of knick-knacks, such as clocks, books, tea sets, biscuit tins, gramaphones (still workable) and quaint vintage paraphenalia. According to the owner, his brother has a cafe in UK too, which was why Murphy’s was designed to reflect it in a certain way.
Gracing the background for the cafe, house music is played softly on their customized sound system, which gives the place an overall homely feel. For a chill out or to have a gathering or even a quiet afternoon of studying, this cafe makes for a great place to visit.
We heard that Murphy might be considering to have a new home elsewhere some time in the future, although as of now, they will still be there. Wherever they may be, we hope they continue on with maintaining this comfortable and warm atmosphere which they are having at their current residence now – that, which makes Murphy’s, Murphy’s.
Pricing
Food range from $9 – $16 while drinks come in from $5 – $12. It is no doubt that the price range is a little on the high side, but this is as such as it is scaled to the huge and generous portions of food served which is enough for 2 – 3 persons to share. We feel that it is pretty affordable for the quality they offer.
Besides coffee and tea, drinks-wise, they do offerbeverages like ciders (the flavors they offer are quite extensive), and some of which are non-alcoholic. Just a shout-out too, Murphy’s is having a permanent promo of free drinks (not the ciders!) along with any orders of a main course on every Tuesday to Thursday, so those looking for an affordable deal of generous portions, this is the very thing for you.
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Murphy’s Cafe
32 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, Singapore 560532
Opening hours: Monday – Friday: 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm
Saturday – Sunday: 11am – 10pm
