Do you know - how long has Hoshino Coffee been in Singapore? They have just turned 4 and they are celebrating with a spankin' new menu. Hoshino Coffee is actually a major successful Japanese chain restaurant in Japan across several provinces! And you know the thing with the Japanese and their food... they spare no punches in making it excellent, so good you can't help but say - oishiiii!
Hoshino Coffee at one of their newer locations at Capitol Piazza - the ideal location includes three small private booths for all the catch-up conversations you don't want anyone else to hear! They come with a slider door. Private booths are available for everyone at a first-come-first-served basis, no reservation required. Seriously, all restaurants should have these private booths...!
I have always known them for their souffle pancakes, and the amazingly real-looking food display right outside all their stores. Little did I know, they are not just a dessert place, but they have an extensive array of Japanese lunch and dinner menu that totally carries their dedication to good quality.
To start our delightful meal, we were introduced to their drinks menu. Most people either get their matcha latte soft serve, hot matcha, iced tea or hand-dripped coffees. They have a lot of other drinks, but these are their customer favourites. The thing about their matcha is that it is hands-down the most serious matcha I have ever had in Singapore. It is incredibly thick and velvety. The matcha taste is so strong, it was fantastic quality with every drop. I haven't been to Japan yet, but apparently this is the expected standard that matcha should be. Thumbs up! If you love cold drinks, the matcha latte soft serve is a huge hit with guests, the soft serve is the milky sort and almost doubles up as a dessert. There is also a Iced Sakura latte soft serve, which I found it to be pretty (Instagram-worthy) but not as taste-worthy as the matcha ones.
In accordance of what we tried - the first dish we tried was the Hamburg Steak Plate (SGD17.80)! It is sealed in aluminium foil to bake to retain maximum moisture of the beef, which it did! It was so juicy and the sauce made it even more delicious! Admittedly, this is the least photogenic of them, but trust me, it tastes one of the best in their menu. So if you're the sort that prides on taste more than presentation, this will be the one that will appeal to you the most. The pasta was alright, it certainly wasn't their forte but I guess it's decent enough.
For a richer and denser taste, the Beef Stew Plate (SGD18.80) would be your choice! The stew was ultra thick and fragrant. While it is very delicious, it probably wouldn't be my choice because there was a strong contender:
They incorporated their talented souffles with their beef-centric menu, and there we have it! Beef stew doria within their fluffy souffles! It's called the Fuwa-fuwa Hoshino Souffle with Beef Stew Doria (SGD17)! Such a cute name with such a lovely dish. Tuck into the slight crispy exterior and then hit the fluffy souffle layers to get to the beef stew is hidden inside. It gets messy, but it's so yummy to have.
For dinner picks - I am most likely to go for this one: Beef stew omu rice (SGD16.80) because of the well-rounded elements in the whole dish. You get the beef stew from the previous few dishes, and then there's egg and rice to go with it, which would satisfy the carbo monster in me. They certainly know how to make omu rice that can make you tear with happiness, the omelette is just so soft, fluffy and lovely to go with the rice! I wonder what they put in there to make the texture so good.
I will talk about the Angus Beef Steak Plate (SGD21.80) and Omu Rice & Angus Beef Steak Plate with salad (SGD18.80) since they use the same angus beef for both dishes, just that the way they present it and the side dishes are different! So it's really up to your personal choice on what you like. The angus beef steak is done to a medium rare, and you can still see the pinkness! The juiciness level is not as consistent in every piece as I wished, but it is still pretty good with the sauce for the most part! Generally, both dishes are not bad.
For dessert, Hoshino has also come up with the Strawberry French Toast (SGD12.80) that will appeal to sweet-tooths! Softly baked French toast drizzled with a generous dose of maple syrup, accompanied by a dazzling party of strawberries and whipped cream, this is such a treat if you like sweet things! Please share this, I can't imagine finishing this entire thing by myself. These are the new menu items, and for a complete look, this is the menu:
When this dish, the Hoshino Spaghetti (SGD14), is set down on the table... I was laughing inwardly to myself because you know this is extremely familiar! There is no escape from being compared with Miam Miam Spaghetti when they look so similar, and I will just say... I didn't like Miam Miam's, and this one is way better because the pasta's texture and taste is al dente (versus rubbery) and not overly salty, and the ingredients in general felt more like the cooking proces is a tad more thoughtful. I might have caught Miam's on a bad day, but well, if I am in a pasta mood, I'll definitely go for this at Hoshino.
Some of the off-new-menu items we tried was the Omu Souffle on tomato risotto with shrimp and broccoli (SGD16) which was curiously delicious as well. It looked like something straight out of outerspace and accompanying the risotto with the fluffy omu cloud souffle is just heavenly (all puns fully intended). It is so fluffy, it literally jiggles when you move the bowl.
When things come out in a hot steaming pot, you know it's gonna be amazing - Hoshino Pot Baked Curry Rice (SGD15) is precisely one that wafts drool-worthy fragrance, and the richness of everything yummy coming together in one place. The rich curry sauce accompanying the rice and the runny egg... I mean, comfort food has never come in such incredible quality.
Do we stop at mains? The answer is NO. Vanilla Souffles (or Matcha Souffles) - come in chocolate or custard (SGD10.80) and they are enough to make me go weak-kneed and doe-eyed over it. It's not overly sweet, thank goodness, and even if it seems simple, it's a winner.
And obviously we don't stop at one dessert... and I saved the classic Double Pancake Souffle Style (SGD12) from Hoshino for the last. If you visit Hoshino without trying these, it's like going to Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower. There's more to Hoshino (just like there's more to Paris), but well, there's just something naggingly missing. OK simply put just GO FOR IT! You won't regret it.
Hoshino is running a 4th Anniversary Photo contest until 30 November!
All you have to do is take an appetizing and savoury photo of the new menu dishes from Hoshino Coffee and get a special reward of Original Coffee Bean from Japan, Coffee Mill and Original cup and saucer along with vouchers!
Just follow these steps to win:
1. Follow #hoshinocoffeesg on Instagram
2. Post your photo on Instagram with #hoshinonewmenu
(Please remember to set to Public!)
or
1. "Like" our Facebook page Hoshino Coffee Singapore
2. Post your photo to your Facebook account (please set to the public)
3. Tag Hoshino Coffee Singapore Page with #hoshinonewmenu
Hoshino Coffee is at multiple outlets including Capitol Piazza, Suntec City, Plaza Singapura, and more.
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I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!