Absinthe Cafe - Paris

AKA the "Grandma/Grandpa" Spot
Since leaving Paris many have asked what I miss most about it.  The list of what I don't miss is longer and easier to compile. I admit though, after three years I started to love the place a bit.  During a recent layover in Charles de Gaulle, on a slow crawl from Singapore to NY, I observed myself from afar. What would I do with my six hours in Paris?  I zipped by metro into the city on autopilot and walked into my "local", Absinthe Cafe.  It was like I never left - there were Grandma and Grandpa welcoming me to breakfast, all warmth and smiles.

Little Spoon - Bangkok

Monsoon Protection
Sunny Bangkok can take a turn for the soggier faster than you can duck into a cafe for cover.  When I sat down at Little Spoon I was a bit damp but fared better than most.  Thai rain attacks from all angles - even upwards.  The unfortunate were stuck outside, caught like laundry in a violent rinse cycle.  I patted myself dry while waiting for my latte and blueberry cream cake to arrive.

Smitten Coffee and Tea Bar - Singapore

I Thought I Was Having the "Big One"
Smitten is another of the hip Singaporean cafes to open recently.  They do it right - good, rich coffee, nice cakes and snacks, cool contemporary interior.  There's just one problem....  price.  When they handed me the bill I almost had a heart attack.

Coutume Cafe - Paris

Finally!
After so many tartines and croissants and dark Parisian swill pretending to be coffee, a real breakfast!  I downed the velvety scrambled and spread the entire golden brick on my whole wheat toast.  Coutume cafe is known for their coffee, but I give them credit for their breakfast.  It's the kind that leads to a deep, satisfying nap.

The Pigeon Hole - Singapore

The Cool Cafe Wars Are Brewing
It's like 00's NYC all over again.  Here in Singapore a cool cafe opens weekly.  In an eyeblink, we've gotten The Pigeon Hole, Loysel's Toy, Sarnies, Orange Thimble, Drips, Smitten and undoubtedly a few others while I wrote this post.  If you're an office-less worker like me the Pigeon Hole is remote-bot heaven. They have comfortable tables, coffee and free wifi.  After 20 minutes of work and 40 minutes of net-surfing I dug into their signature chocolate bread-and-butter pudding.  It's described on the menu as velvety creme brulee topped with chunks of fluffy buttery croissant and chocolate chips.  I wonder, is that really a croissant on top or pieces of you tiao?  The latter, I hope - that would be cooler.

Swindle Factory - Fukuoka, Japan

It Helps to Be Forgetful
"Who goes on vacation for two weeks and forgets their wallet?"  It was a fair question, one I'd asked myself before she gave voice to my inner thoughts.  I wasn't sure if she was mad or scared.  Is there a small tumor wriggling it's elbows inside my grey matter?  Or is it early onset alzheimers?  Or, was it a devious plot, she suggested, to keep from paying for her shopping?  At our hotel, after coffee at Swindle Factory, the debate was put to rest.  I couldn't find my camera - I'd left it behind.  We tracked back to fetch it and decided to stay for dinner.  Thanks to my creeping senility we filled up on Hayashi rice and pasta.

Loysel's Toy Cafe - Singapore

Hi, I'm Lactose!
I have a buddy who never quite finishes his sentences.  If you ask him to have a latte he'll say "I can't, I'm lactose."  He's missing the all important "intolerant", which imparts a noticeably different spin.  I've been intolerant my whole life but have chosen to pretend otherwise.  However, with a nod to the power of milk sugars, I've been trying to warm up to soy.  Loysel's Toy Cafe makes a great soy latte and that's no easy feat.  Their strong espresso tastes as if it's mixed with milk.

40 Hands - Singapore

Outsourcing the Hobby
Puff List readers realize I don't know what I'm talking about and my photos are crap.  I'm no pro, this is a hobby - one that can be very time consuming.  At 40 Hands, I accidentally stumbled into an epiphany - I may be able to outsource some of the work.  I was there for brunch with Dodo and her friends MC and Pirate Pixels, two photo fanatics.  They whipped out their expensive cameras and were like food paparazzi.  In this post, I'm using their shots and you can definitely tell the difference - notice the beautiful depth of field in Pirate's egg cocotte.

Cafe Ole - Taipei

The Coffee-Crazed are My Kinda People
I immediately noticed all the cafes in Taipei.  They're everywhere and that warms a man's heart.  There's nothing better than lazing in a cafe, drinking coffee, surfing the net, flipping through magazines, wasting time.  It's the template for my retirement.  I don't think I could live in a city where it isn't possible.  NY excels at it, Paris fails - not enough free wifi.  Singapore is coming along - though they need more free wifi.  Taipei, it turns out, does pretty well, Cafe Ole being a good example.  We went a few times, surrounded by hip Taipei-ers (Taipanese?) and enjoyed it to the fullest.

DEPUR - Paris

Un Pause Gourmande

Depur stands for "drole endroit pour un recontre", which literally means "strange place for an encounter" but I prefer to translate it "funny running into you here."  Feels like they came up with "depur" and then found a sentence that fit it.  Nevertheless, I stopped in for a "pause gourmande" otherwise known as "snack."  Not any old American snack like a Snickers or a 1,000 calorie bucket of fries, no, something healthy.  A tomato with a cheese hat.

Cafe Luluc - Brooklyn

Best Pancakes in Brooklyn?
No, I wouldn't go that far - but best pancakes on Smith Street, for sure.  The Puffin just arrived from a 20hr Singapore to NY flight and a pancake breakfast at Cafe Luluc was near the top of her list.  The conversation went like this: "Babe, I just flew half-way around the world, are you gonna make me pancakes?"  Me (eyes rolling): "Yeah, I have to go buy ingredients, if you don't mind waiting."  Her: "Never mind, we can go to Luluc."  She brought me a present - a new camera.  The kind that's not dummy-proof, so forgive me as I try to learn the right combination of aperture, focal length and ISO (and I'm not even sure those are the correct terms...)

Iris Cafe - Brooklyn

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Paris Posts...
...to go to the best place on Earth - Iris Cafe. I dreamt about their breakfast all night, about the sticky buns, the coffee and the bacon. This little place has captured my attention like no other. They make food that's the culinary version of a sharp head-butt to the face or a punch in the stomach that knocks the wind out of you. The flavors are strong and memorable - there is no "suggestion" of this or "hint" of that.

Flor Patisserie - Singapore

It's a Matter of Taste
Imagine yourself in a dream, floating high above the earth. You're not scared, you feel safe and happy. The sun is warm and bright, causing you to squint. It's beauty like you've never seen, all the colors are glowing. Sugary white clouds billow around you, beckoning you, and in your dream state you know they're edible. You close your eyes, open your mouth and gently bite. How does it taste?

Wheat Baumkuchen - Singapore

Treecake from Germany via Japan
If you've not been to Germany or Japan you may not be familiar with baumkuchen, or "tree cake", so named due to its layered rings. Wheat Baumkuchen is a recently opened cafe in Toa Payoh that specializes in nothing but. I dropped in for one on my way to the nearby golf range hoping it might lengthen me a few yards.

Bambini Trust Cafe - Sydney

Hit by a Truck
Changing time zones is hard enough but going from summer to winter adds insult to injury. I hadn't anticipated this on the 7 hr flight from Singapore to Sydney, I was busy with thoughts of murder. A few rows back, a two year-old Chinese boy screeched and tugged wildly at grandma's hair without reproach - the one child policy gone awry. By the time I cleared customs and wandered into the 40 degree chill, I felt like I'd been in a car accident. Perfect time for what they in Oz call "brekkie."

Amelie Cafe - Penang, Malaysia

Cute, but not the Swiftest
It took me a while but I finally got the recycling theme at Amelie. They use recycled everything - from the jars in which they serve their lattes to the furniture and menus. We were parched from wandering around nearby Khoo Kongsi and this was a perfect place to sit back, relax and sip some cool drinks. Just don't be in a rush - if you cannot make the tenuous connection, let me help you: Amelie is a French name and France ain't synonymous with speedy service. There is one chef for fifteen people, about the maximum this tiny cafe can accomodate.

Royal Bar - Paris

Laying Back in Cut
You realize that Paris is a ghost town in August, right? I hope you didn't just arrive here on vacation! I'm escaping sleepy-ville in a few days myself before everything shuts down. It's time for vacation! I've started the downshift from work-think to non-think and found a venue that was up to the task: Royal Bar. I enjoyed the soothing jazz soundtrack, soft lighting, coffee and desserts. Most of all, I got a kick out of the characters.

Le Sévigné - Paris

Current CM Crown-Holder!
I love croque madames. Who doesn't? A fried egg on top of a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. The previous croque madame crown holder was Cafe des Anges but their title was revoked. I'm glad to have found a worthy recipient. The version at Le Sévigné has all the right touches: runny yolk, melty cheese, hot ham and excellent, cooked-but-not-too-cooked bread.

Iris Cafe - Brooklyn

Newbie Cafe Test Run
When I was young and had game, I used to play ball on Columbia Place. It was a nice run where I tested my skills against the Puerto Rican and Middleastern kids from the other side of the BQE. The court became a victim of mindless 90's gentrification - it was torn up and replaced by a dog run and herb garden. Now, a decade and a half later even more has changed - I've become one of those type who gets all excited about trying out a new cafe - this one just 50 feet from where I used to float my patented finger rolls.

Kki - Singapore

A Sweet Slice of Japan
This freshly opened Japanese-style cafe, pronounced "cakey", impresses. It's not just the clean, bright, modern interior and the friendly service. It's not only the delicious franco-japanese pastries like my domed choco-coffee cake shown below. What is most amazing.....