Visited the new Ambling Turtle at The Flow just beside Roxy Square along East Coast Road over the past weekend — the new cafe had taken over the former premises of the mattress shop that previously occupied the same unit; the menu features a limited number of Peranakan-inspired mains mostly revolving around sandwiches, as well as desserts such as waffles and bakes.

Went with the Pulled Beef Rendang Sourdough Sandwich; there is also a choice of the croissant sandwich that seems to be more popular an option for those who have seemingly visited this spot and posted on social media. The sourdough toast was decent, though given how Micro Bakery & Kitchen is located just right across the road, the sourdough just isn’t the element that i would head down to Ambling Turtle for. Coming with elements such as cucumber, lettuce, chili padi and pulled beef rendang sandwiched in between, the pulled beef rendang did carry an evident hint of the spices whilst the meat is considerably tender, though was mild in terms of spiciness — some may also find it a tad dry considering the nature of the original dish but it does seem rather fitting here since their variants comes in a form of a sandwich and that would have caused the bread to soak up too much liquid anyway. Liked how the Peranakan touch here goes all the way to the items served on the side — the Achar providing a refreshing, tangy crunch in between morsels of the sandwich to reset the taste buds.

Felt that the croissant sandwich would have been a better option than the sourdough sandwich here, considering how the butteriness and flakiness of the pastry would probably have went together with the pulled beef rendang better as compared to the sourdough toast. That being said, Ambling Turtle is a spot to be commended for its effort to incorporate the neighbourhood’s Peranakan heritage into its theme — from the decor, to the dining ware and to its food menu; something which sets it apart from other cafes in the vicinity.