[ Food Review โ 20% off + no GST/SC too! ] Whatโs better than being able to get brunch food? Being able to grab brunch food at n i g h t, thatโs what! While C^2 and I were perusing the frankly disappointing cafรฉ dinner choices for the night, we realised/remembered that hey, Craftsmen is in Holland V, and they open until late!
Iโve only been to Craftsmen a couple of times, and only to their Siglap brunch โ where I had their salmon waffles which were pretty good for cafรฉ fare! โ so I wasnโt sure if this branch would live up to my prev exp. What I enjoyed about my prior visits was the ambience: the space was open, the atmosphere was relaxed, with the added bonus of pretty good coffee and food.
The Holland V branch was a lot narrower and closely packed, and while thatโs not the fault of the brand (gotta work that space, yo), it did impact my initial impression โ it just felt like any olโ cafรฉ spot. But on the plus side, the service was warm and friendly! (Take note F&B peeps, this is one of the best ways to cultivate not just customers, but regulars.)
I was originally looking forward to some waffle action, but since Iโm not feeling robust enough to risk buttermilk, had to make a 15-min decision detour before settling for their Kimchi Sourdough ($20) open โwich w/o cheese. After deliberating for equally long (heh), C^2 ordered the Smoked Salmon Brioche open โwich ($19) w/ a side of Tater Tots ($7).
What Iโd intended to be a light dinner went out the window when the plates arrived โ my goodness, theyโre bigger than weโd expected! Even the tater tots arrived as a tiny mound, and despite having two fans of fried potato present, we could not demolish more than half of it, welp.
One thing Iโll give Craftsmen is that they know how to make a plate pop. Not just visually (love when photos take themselves!), but the contrast of textures and flavours made the entire process a really fun one: The sausage+bacon anchored the dish; the bite of kimchi contrasted it; the rich, runny yolk tied it all together; the sprouts+pomegranate seeds lifted it back up. (Personally think the cheese wouldโve made it too heavy, Iโd suggest skipping it too.)
Guess this is my new fav dish here!