Official Photographer - Bernard Wee
Offical Groomer: Awesome Pawsome
Fetch-Box Singapore
Merry Christmas From The Wong Dogs
It has been a crazy
two months and this Christmas, I am blessed to be able to spend quality time with
family and the boys on Christmas Eve. Initially, the plan was to head to Gardens By The Bay and
take in the festive lights and festivities. But when I heard that there
was an event due to happen in the evening, I scrapped the idea (no way am I
going to jostle with the crowd and risk being stuck in traffic on the
expressway!) and headed to Paw Pet-radise Café for dinner and wait for
midnight.
Such quiet moments as
the time ticked down to midnight, it was a time of reflection and mulling. Am I
perfect as a person? Far from it! Do I want to achieve more? Definitely! There
have been bumps along the way, some I would call road hazards. There have been
disappointments, there are some which have been met with indifference. Whatever
it is, I cannot wait to see what is in store for the rest of the year and the
start of 2015!
The best part, Cory
and Cole are accompanying me! Woots!
XOXO MERRY CHRISTMAS,
EVERYONE!
Labels: cafe, christmas, dogs, dogsofinstasg, miniature schnauzer, mixed breed, paw petradise, pet cafe, pets, singapore special, the wong dogs
Treat Of The Week: Pawlicious Mooncakes
By now, many people
would know that I have been looking forward to the Mid-Autumn Festival this
year. More than just mooncakes for myself, is the choice of getting this
popular annual snack for Cory and Cole.
The Wong Dogs went
back to an old favourite and ordered Pawlicious’s many different flavours
available.
“Since all of our food is human-inspired, why can’t our four-legged
friends have mooncakes?” argues Jaster, who bakes these creations.
Besides a new flavour
(lamb!) this year, Pawlicious decided to use organic whole wheat flour (rich source
of calcium, iron and fiber), making this year’s mooncakes more nutritious for
all their doggie customers.
Paw parents, you guys
totally cannot miss is the addition of Snow Skin Mooncakes! Though Jaster is
tight-lipped on revealing how she came up with this popular delicacy, she tells
The Wong Dogs that the process was no walk in the park and required time for
her to perfect the recipe.
In fact, this tough cookie nearly gave up though she
is now glad that she didn’t. “It was difficult as I decided to do away with
shortening due to it not being food for dogs. Icing and sugar was also omitted
making Pawlicious’s Snow Skin Mooncakes totally safe for all our canine
customers,” she explains. This year, Pawliicous introduced Potato & Cheese as
their latest addition to the range.
When I cut open the
traditional mooncake, you can obviously see that there is no stinging on the
filling and each piece is chock-full with meats. As for the snow skin version,
the colouring is derived from ingredients that include beetroot, purple sweet
potato and cranberries.
What The Wong Dogs
realised was the difference in packaging this year. Granted it is not something
you will get from a high-end mooncake brand, but definitely beats plastic
boxes, right?
Obviously enough, Cory and Cole gobbled their portions as if they weren't fed for days (the greedy buggers)
The boys had their fill and now, their furry friends such as Sam, Pecan and Buxley will be
getting a portion too! Will your pet be chomping on a mooncake this year? Well,
there is always next year and from what Jaster revealed, there are many more
interesting flavours to look out for!
For more information
on purchasing these dog-friendly mooncakes, please visit Pawlicious
Facebook page.
You can also visit the Pawlicious website here.
Labels: dining, dogs, dogsofinstasg, miniature schnauzer, mixed breed, mooncakes, party, pawlicious, pet cafe, pet treats, pets, snowskin mooncakes, treat of the week, treats
East-Side Coffee - Percolate
Is Dempsey overhyped? Tiong Bahru
too hipster-mad? Or all too far away altogether? Well, those living in the east
of Singapore can hop down to Bedok North Avenue 3 and discover Percolate! Considering
the east seem to be lacking in coffee places, starting up here was a no-brainer
for co-founder, Avin Tan.
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A tiny outfit which serves one of
the best caffeine drinks around. Strictly not pretentious, serious coffee
drinkers will be lured by the aroma even before stepping into Percolate. “We
really love the staff and customer dynamics which can only be achieved through
small and intimate spaces. For some reason, a bigger floor plan makes it harder
to achieve such a relationship,” says Avin.
Opening shop earlier this year,
Percolate has steadily seen her customer base grow. Weekends see the café filled
to the brim, with barely enough seating for the ever-growing crowd that need
their caffeine fix. Maybe it is the current café-hopping craze that Singapore
is currently going through, but there must be something that makes Percolate
different?
Avin says he designed Percolate
to be a cosy and relaxing space which serves up honest and delicious coffee,
“Coming in, we hope visitors will feel welcomed, akin to stepping into their
own homes.” Percolate sources their beans from local coffee roaster partners,
which allows for a fresh cup in what Avin describes as “carefully selected
service ware”.
It also helps this earnest barista has interned at some of the
hippest coffee places (Loysel’s Toys and The Steeping Room) around Singapore. Previously in the airline industry,
he was also exposed to the different caffeine cultures around the world – which
makes for some impressive taste buds on what makes a good cup of coffee. “I
like the art of coffee-making as it is so much more than just pulling a shot of
expresso or steaming some milk. Being a barista also involves being social with
the customer while the coffee is being made. I always strive to make the right
cup of coffee, finding out the preference of customers and striking just the appropriate
conversation within a short time. Believe it or not, it can make someone’s day,”
says Avin.
Customers will also be able to
pick from a selection of cakes and pastries. With an ode to going local,
Percolate sources from local micro bakeries which count as the owners’ personal
favourites too. “We believe in building relationships so it was natural that we
integrate their products deeply into their menus too,” says Avin.
The Wong Dogs Review
Okay, disclaimer – Percolate is
not in the truest sense, pet-friendly.
But the owners are huge dog lovers and
will not chase away customers who wish to have a cuppa and spend some quality
time with pooch. Pet owners will prefer visiting Percolate during weekdays during
the late afternoon which The Wong Dogs did. This will also allow you the chance
to speak to the owners and know more about the café.
It was quite relaxing sitting
back with the two furkids as I tucked into an Expresso Tart and a 5oz cup
(similar to a latte).
I was expecting the former to taste extremely bitter but
I was pleasantly surprised that the tart had the perfect mix of sweetness intertwined
with a slight bitter aftertaste. Percolate also has a host of other pastries
though due to limited storage space, these sell out quite fast, especially
during the weekend.
The cup of coffee was your
standard fare of a delicious brew (Singapore’s standards are rather high) and
is attributed to Avin’s outlook on what is good coffee. “Percolate’s strives to
be meticulous, paying the most attention to our coffee-making,” he says. As
mentioned above, this is contributed by sourcing their beans locally, keeping
their stock as fresh as possible. The 5oz cup also counts as Percolate’s
best-seller to date. “We find that this is the coffee to milk ratio that is the
easiest to enjoy as it is creamy and sweet and can be taken without sugar,” he
says.
With such comfortable settings,
repeat visits are a confirm must!
Address
Bk 136 Bedok North Avenue 3
#01-152B
Singapore 460126
Operating Hours
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: 1030 – 2130
Tuesdays: CLOSED
Saturdays and Sundays: 0900 – 2130
For more information, visit Percolate’s Facebook page here.
Labels: dining, dogs, east, miniature schnauzer, mixed breed, pet cafe, pets, the wong dogs
Happenstance Cafe - My Cosy Corner
Tucked at little lane (Opal Crescent) along Serangoon Road, it is easy to see why this cosy outfit is gearing up to be a hit with pet owners in the area. At first glance, experienced furkid owners will wonder how the classy wooden flooring will hold up against ‘accidents’ (pee and poo don’t exactly do wonders for parquet) but owner Gigi tells me that she specially chose this Korean-brand of flooring which is known to be hardier and water-resistant – making it extremely pet friendly.
Besides the comfortable-looking interior and spacious floor space (a must for our furkids to mingle comfortably!), the menu had quite an interesting selection of light bites and main courses.
But what caught my eye was the option to ‘Create-Your-Own-Happensta
Dessert lovers will crave the Chocolate Lava Muffins ($3.50) which were moist yet not too rich for my palate. If you prefer to while your afternoon away over a pot of tea, Happenstance Café offers gourmet brews ($5.50) such as Hangzhou green tea, Long Jing and the interestingly named Happenstance Teh-O (blackcurrant and liquorice base). Oh, yes! We heard that there are two types of teas for wine aficionados – Mieriot and Nior though I will save that for my next visit.
For more information, visit their Facebook page here.
Labels: dogs, miniature schnauzer, mixed breed, party, pet cafe, pets, review, singapore special
Treat Of The Week – Superdog Kitchen Strawberry Jelly Mint Tart
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| Strawberry Jelly Mint Tart |
The Wong Dogs could hardly believe such beautiful-looking tarts were available exclusively for dogs! As such, I had Gwen Tan of Superdog Kitchen make a Strawberry Jelly Mint Tart.
Besides knowing the
boys will gobble every slice they are given, I was partially attracted to its
rich colour. Honestly, looking at the pictures, could you fault me?
Upon opening the box, the
Superdog Kitchen Strawberry Jelly Mint 9-inch tart was revealed. I loved how it
was sturdy and nicely formed (picture above) with a comfortable-looking brown crust. Even when
serving up the slices to Cory and Cole, it did not crumble into a sad-looking
mess – something I cannot say the same for many other tarts: even human ones.
The Strawberry Jelly Mint Tart
uses minimal ingredients and contains fresh strawberries, agar powder,
wheat-free and gluten-free flour, garbanzo bean flour, butter, honey and eggs.
Further research on what garbanzo bean flour is revealed it to be made of
chickpeas and are rich in protein, dietary fibre and a good source of iron.
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| Close my eyes and pray that my owner allows me to eat soon. |
Taste-wise, a small nibble
revealed a strong burst of strawberry flavour – proving that Superdog Kitchen are
no stingy poopers in the ingredients section! Also, just inspecting the tart up
close revealed.
“The Strawberry Jelly Mint Tart
was a fun idea that I came up with. I do know of some dogs that dislike fresh
fruits so making it into jam seems tastier for them. Additionally, topping it
with mint enhances the flavour too,” says Gwen.
Even after their second slice,
Cory and Cole were still begging for more. Sorry boys, it ain’t tea time every
day for you. Till Gwen does a low-fat and low-calorie version of her Superdog
Kitchen tarts for you, you will have to wait till special holidays and
birthdays!
ON SUPERDOG KITCHEN
“There is a need for dog owners
to know what they are feeding their pets!” That is what Gwen Tan of Superdog
Kitchen told The Wong Dogs what inspired her to start the business. Starting
out with a partner, this entrepreneur also said that it is high time that the
image of canine food is reimagined to be more enticing, “It need not be just
what is seen and sold at pet shops. Pet owners can shop for their dogs as well
as do their grocery shopping.”
In fact, Superdog Kitchen is so
particular about how their products affect their pets that they have special
considerations for dogs with allergies and have a custom order form on their website
where customers can tell Gwen more about their dog so that something unique and
safe be created for their precious furkid. “In fact, one of our products named
Bruno’s Bento was inspired due to a particular canine who doesn’t eat anything
but lamb and Cai Sim. This was also
one of my biggest challenges to make a birthday meat tart for him but Superdog
Kitchen did it,” she says.
Besides baking up a storm in the
kitchen, Gwen makes time to attend as many events as possible such as the
previous SOSD’s Pack Walk and the pets magazine picnic party. These events also
allow Gwen to introduce new products where she gamely gave me a portion of
Watermelon & Coconut Water for Cory and Cole. “Coconut and watermelon water
can keep them hydrated on a hot day. Coconut water has natural electrolytes
while chilled watermelon adds a certain sweetness, prompting dogs to munch on
the fruit.
When asked where Superdog Kitchen
sources their ingredients from, Gwen gamely said that everything is bought from
NTUC Finest due to their relatively small size, “It just does not make sense to
buy in bulk from a supplier yet. Of course, we hope this changes when we
expand.” She also adds that Superdog Kitchen’s philosophy is simple – genuine,
honesty, sincerity and ethics. “We never hide what goes into our food. We love
how our customer always tells us how our tarts look like what they get in the restaurant,”
says Gwen.
Moving on to future plans for
Superdog Kitchen, it was surprising to hear that they have not even turned one!
“Our anniversary is coming up so we do have some stuff in the works. For now,
we hope to educate and change the way dog owners feed their pets and getting
them to be more conscious about their dog’s health,” says Gwen.
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| Emma the Singapore Special and Marco the Golden Retriever enjoying a tart. Credit: Superdog Kitchen For more information, you can visit their website here or their Facebook page for more details. |
Labels: coconut oil, dogs, homemade, miniature schnauzer, mixed breed, pet cafe, pet treats, superdog kitchen, tarts, treat of the week
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