This Cafe @ 326 is likely one of those places that one wouldn’t have really heard about unless one is to be passing by or staying / working around the neighbourhood that it is situated in. Located at the void deck of Blk 326 Jurong East Street 31, This Cafe @ 326 is pretty much a mom-and-pop style establishment — the shop facade is pretty non-descript, though pretty telling that it is a F&B establishment considering how one can spot decals of pizza and pasta being stuck on their windows. Inside, the establishment is also being decked rather simply; one can find plastic chairs and tables with wooden table tops being used for the dining furniture — all that with white walls and flooring that mimicked that of wood that is pretty much chosen more for function than for form. This Cafe @ 326 is an establishment that centres itself around western fare — the menu is being split across several categories including that of Appetiser and Sides, Pasta, Rice, Pizza, and Western Delights. Beverages available at This Cafe @ 326 would include a list of iced beverages, floats, tea, coffee and milkshakes.

We actually dropped by This Cafe @ 326 after having a first dinner elsewhere that wasn’t quite filling — considering so, we found ourselves going for one of the smaller items that is being listed in the Western Delights category to share. The Boneless Chicken Thigh from the Ala-Carte Grilled section of the Western Delights category of the menu is essentially what some would dub the chicken chop; whilst the menu does not describe on the elements that the dish would feature, it can be observed from our order that the Boneless Chicken Thigh does come with a slab of grilled boneless chicken thigh, mashed potatoes and coleslaw on the side. Portion size of the dish can also be described as pretty generous as well. Digging into the Boneless Chicken Thigh, the slab of grilled boneless chicken thigh hit the spot with how tender and juicy the meat is. It seems that the folks behind This Cafe @ 326 had brined the chicken and also marinated it with a variety of herbs such as that of rosemary and garlic that gave it quite a fair bit of flavour; the brown gravy that is drenched over the slab of chicken gave it an added savouriness as well. While the coleslaw was decent without being too creamy and provided a crunch, it was the mashed potato which was more of the highlight here — the mashed potato carried a texture that was surprisingly smooth and wasn’t quite something that one would expect from a stall serving up western cuisine in a mom-and-pop store / hawker centre / food court / coffeeshop setting.

We also tried the Fried Calamari from the Appetisers and Sides section of the menu during our visit to This Cafe @ 326 — absolutely loved the light and crisp batter that wasn’t greasy, while the calamari itself wasn’t rubbery and easy to chew apart. Despite being a mom-and-pop style establishment, This Cafe @ 326 had definitely surprised us with the quality of their food which we found to be comparable or better than that of casual diners in shopping malls. Was also fairly intrigued by the offering of Duck Confit on the menu at This Cafe @ 326 — with prices of most of its dishes being kept below $15, This Cafe @ 326 is a spot that we will keep in mind to visit when we find ourselves being in the Jurong East area!