There’s good reason to be cautious when trying out a new place during this phase Neil Road is having – well-dressed casual eateries selling overpriced plates. Patterned walls, jagged copper pipes for lights and a mixture of wood and white colours match the modern-day cafe look.

Taking into account the neighbourhood’s price range ascent, there’s range in the food available – delhi chicken sandwiches and chicken rice donburi to beef ragu pappardelle. The pulled pork grain bowl ($18) – with quinoa, bulgar wheat and pearl barley – came with furikake baby corn, red cabbage and apple slaw, grilled zucchini slices, roasted butternut squash cubes, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. The pulled pork grain bowl is tender, and the meat falls apart like a relaxed fabric. The quinoa was cooked right, the grilled eggplant and cherry tomatoes grilled just enough to not be dry and rubbery. The cubed butternut squash was soft and sweet, and there’s a very light dressing on the red cabbage and apple slaw.

My Ethiopia Kochere Dumerso filter coffee ($6.50), supplied by 2° North Coffee Co here in Singapore, is mild enough to comfortably drink with no additives like milk and sugar. If you’re not one to drink a coffee straight, there’s a lot to discover going au natural.

The dark chocolate sundae ($14), is a bit expensive for a dessert, but serves enough flavour to savour. Served in a small enough bowl to not feel like you’ve ordered a tall American sundae, is the sinful side after such a fresh lunch. The dark chocolate ice cream is soft-serve smooth, enough to fool you into thinking you’re eating a heavier mousse.The drizzled passionfruit curd is a nice, sour kick that tastes better than it looks. There’s a sprinkle of popping candy on top that occasionally pops between bites. Hazelnut crumbs and honeycomb pieces bring a crunch, with flowery meringue bites and whipped cream softening the blow. The raspberry purée keeps mostly to itself at the bottom for a sweet finish.

In a new location since October, Huber’s Butchery and (now larger) Bistro, helmed by members of the affable Huber family, offers cheese and bread sections, vegetables, fruit and herbs mainly from Australia, barbecue grills with accessories, plus Aussietipples. There is even a bespoke sausage service, complete with viewing-window. The proof is inthe eating! With seating indoors or outdoors, Huber’s Bistro is nestled by the edible herb and flower garden, near a tree-shaded children’s playground.

My friends and I enjoyed the bundner teller, comprising Swissstyle air-dried beef, raw bacon and ham served with cheese, gherkins, silverskin onions andrye bread ($14.80). A warm roast beef sandwich hits the right spot with its mustard-horseradish dressing. Australian lamb chops ($24) tempt, as does Australian angus fillet steak topped with café de paris butter, served with vegetables and chips (fries) ($28). For children, meatloaf, noodles or meat balls are available.

Image courtesy Raelene Tan

Chocolate waffles

Until the opening of Coney Island, Punggol wasn’t seen as a drawcard for weekend visits. Being one of the northernmost points of Singapore, Whisk and Paddle was a pleasant surprise when discovering it near a fried chicken chain and a prawn fishing establishment – standing out as a bit of a welcomed sore thumb. Outside the cafe appears to be a mixture of a covered outside family cafe on the right, and a relaxed indoor bar on the left.

The location offers a great view of Punggol Serangoon Reservoir’s mostly untouched greenery. Sitting on the outside table to a panoramic green landscape, there’s plenty of covered space to seat groups and families.

There’s a kids area to keep fidgety young children entertained, and a darts machine inside for a cooler place to wind down. In a sense the place is trying to cover all bases, and I assume the vibe becomes a little more energetic as the sun goes down – there’s a bar just across that looks to be more of a party place.

The menu offers tastes from thin crust pizzas and pastas to bar bites and desserts. The pulled pork pizza ($18.80) on a thin crust was cheesy, with a mild tomato paste as a base.

Waffles can be made with your typical batter, or chocolate for an extra dollar. With a Movenpick vanilla ice-cream scoop on top, the chocolate waffle ($10.80) was crunchy and made with a good batter – though was only half of what would’ve been a whole waffle.

The drinks list includes a few varieties of beer, wines by the glass and bottle, as well as cocktails of their own – including a Yee-Haa ($16), which consists of Asahi beer, tequila and lemon. Since this was a feed before a walk in the sun, the green apple juice ($6.50) was refreshing to sip on while staring at the river. Finishing off the lunch with a smooth latte ($5.50) was a nice touch, sitting back on the chair and soaking in the atmosphere.

The outside dining area

Hidden away to the far side of Orchard Central is a quiet tea shop with an incredible list of flavours to try – all Numi Tea, a California-based organic tea brand. Opting for the Dragon Lily flower tea ($10.50 a pot) – where a large flower acts as your tea bag – the white tea’s sweet and earthy taste was emphasised by the wooden mugs given to drink out of. The Basil Mint tea ($6.50 a pot) – one of the many choices of strange teas like broccoli cilantro and carrot curry – smelled incredible, made from a pu-erh tea with a reddish colour.

Running with a Christmas theme, the berry chicken sandwich ($12.80) was triple-decker in height, with dried cranberries, fresh coleslaw, lettuce and tomato. On the side was BBQ crisps and slices of lettuce and slaw covered in too much mayonnaise.Ice-creams on offer were made with tea flavours.

The chamomile lemon ice-cream ($4.80 per scoop) was supposed to be a sorbet, but tasted more like ice-cream – though there were ice particles in parts.