Nuffnang Lovin' X Criollo Cocoa Cafe

This is my second time attending an event invite, but this time round with pigg for
 Nuffnang Lovin' X Criollo Cocoa Cafe Latte Art Workshop

A simple little cafe located at Orchard Gateway where one could relax at after hours of shopping 

Rainbow cake! One of the attractive cakes that caught my attention at their display counter

The XXL burger looked really appetising on the menu 

My Cafe hopping buddy, Pigg sitting under the sunlight 

The first dish, Piperade, really got us curious as we have never seen it before. After a short introduction by the chef, we learned that this is actually a spanish dish made from red and  green peppers (piper), sauteed tomatoes, minced meat and topped with eggs that are put to bake. 

It is quite an interesting dish as it resembled tomato/minestrone soup where one would eat as an appetiser along with the toasts

Unlike the original, the Piperade here was rather watery, hence the comparison to minestrone soup. There is a light soury taste, which might be more acceptable for those that cannot handle the strong sourness of the original dish. The vegetables are cooked till soft, and can be a good topping when placed on the toasts provided.

This is a seemingly good recreation of the original Piperade by the chef, although we would love to try the real dish soon.

Up next, is Portobello Burger, the steak of all vegetable burgers! 

Like the Piperade above, this is our first time having a burger where the main portion of it is a huge mushroom. 

From far, the presentation of the mushroom looked like a dry piece of hamburger steak.

Upon biting into the burger, the mushroom juices oozes out splendidly. 

The softness of the buttered bun gives little resistance to the teeth, and goes very well with the mayo that is within the burger. 

When deconstructed, one would find that the burger gives a little surprise. In the mushroom, lies chopped vegetables, cooked till its as soft as the bun, then blanketed by a slice of cheese. 

The taste of the cheese was rather light, which does not over-shadow the savoriness of the mushroom nor the vegetables.

Lastly, the sides of the dish, the fries, warm and soft, are as delicious, or even better than the burger. Every bite of the fries leaves you craving for more ! 

It is suggested that you have the fries after the burger or you'll be full from the sides before touching the main dish.

Seafood Tagliatelle in Spicy Laksa Sauce, an interesting fusion of Italian and Asian cuisine. Laksa Pasta lovers can now get the best out of both worlds. It is a surprisingly good combination coupled with the fresh seafood of prawns and mussels. Unlike the usual cream base, the Laksa sauce will not make you feel nauseous and sick of the sauce. 

Finally the highlight of the event! Latte art workshop! We get a short introduction of latte art by the head barista before she gave a step by step demo. 

The automatic machine that dispenses coffee powder, we are using two shots of espresso for a cup of Cappuccino  

Stamp the coffee powder equally so it would not overflow when making espresso 

 

While the espresso is being made, quickly steam the milk whilst the coffee is fresh

And voila! Here is the barista's version! 

It looks easy but it actually took her 6 months to master the art 

Latte time! 

As the latte glass surface area is smaller than the Cappuccino cup, normally the art is drawn on instead of pouring method.

Time to try my hand at making my own cappuccino!

When all else fails, just draw... my version of latte art on cappuccino 

Pigg's turn to try 

Pigg's version: Failed too and the barista help to salvage it by making it into a...Flower!

Last but not least, Waffle time!

A fruity delight coupled with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, on top of a warm piece of freshly made waffle. This dish makes a good end to any meal, as the taste of sour and sweet calms your hectic and tiring day. 

Good news! In conjunction with SG50, Criollo Cocoa Cafe is offering special promotion, simply quote "nuffnangxcriollo"to enjoy 20% of your total bill!