Cafes

Although slightly pricier than a usual cafe, it's easy to understand why. It's always a privilege to be able to spend your Saturday morning watching horses in a vast green expanse, while digging into a refreshing bowl of bircher museli and fresh berries. Coming to Riders is always a nice treat after a week of hardwork.

Homey ambience aside (great for weekday tête-à-têtes with friends), this west side cafe once again makes our list for its delicious, totally Instagrammable plates and creative cooking. Just check out their much talked about Berry Muffcakes ($20). An upgraded version of their once famous berry ricotta hotcakes, the gorgeous plate sees slightly dense muffcakes (a cross between muffins and hotcakes) topped with vanilla bean ice cream cubes, fresh berries, and chocolate crumbs. It's tasty but also rich and sweet, so don't hesitate to share with a friend or two. Balance off the sugar with Paddy Hills' stellar mains like the 黑 Rice ($22), a wok hei infused dish of squid ink rice drizzled with mentaiko mayo and served with flavourful fried chicken and egg, or the Green Papa ($26), which sees handmade herbed pappardelle slicked in a robust tomato sauce and topped with foie gras stuffed meatballs. On hot days, eschew coffee for the refreshing Autumn Iced Tea ($8), which surprises with umeshu jelly. Pro tip: Tucked in a quiet residential estate, this cafe is quite a trek from the nearest Haw Par Villa MRT station. Spare yourself the sweat and take a cab.
Avg Price: $40 per person
Photo by Burpple Tastemaker Rachel Xie

Located across Pinnacle @ Duxton (nearest MRT is Outram MRT Station), this gorgeous cafe decked out in hexagonal marbled tiles, rose gold finishings and modern wood panels serves tasty brunch items that we would definitely return for. Seats fill up pretty quickly on weekends, so swing by early with your friends. You must order the crowd favourite Populus Scramble ($17.50) that sees creamy scrambled eggs and feta chunks stuffed into a buttery croissant, spiced with sliced red chillies. Don't be fooled by the compact portion size, which belies how filling the combination is. For something healthier, go for the Pulled Pork Grain Bowl ($18), one of three grain bowls available. It's our favourite of the lot, considering how tender and well-seasoned the meat is. Served with a trio of quinoa, bulgur wheat and pearl barley, the well-balanced and nutritious bowl also comes loaded with lots of vegetables like mushrooms, tomatoes and pumpkin. End your meal with one of their excellent coffees made with a house blend of beans from El Savaldore, Guatemala and Brazil. If you like your coffee milky but strong, go for their Magic ($5.50). If not, ask the friendly baristas for recommendation on their Filter Coffee (from $6)!
Avg Price: $25 per person
Photo by Burppler Hilary See

Atlas is a great pitstop for coffee if you're on the go (they use a blend of Guatemalan and Brazilian beans from Two Degrees North Coffee Co.) or for long brunches with friends — just be sure to swing by early to snag a seat on weekends. For a downright comforting meal, go for the Creamy Mushrooms on Sourdough ($12) — a generous heap of mushrooms cooked with a splash of white wine and sundried tomatoes, which you must pair with the silky smooth Scrambled Eggs ($3 to add on, totally worth it). The ATLAS Super-Bowl ($17) loaded with toasted quinoa, beautifully oven-roasted squash and zucchini as well as shimeiji mushrooms is satisfying, yet light enough to not warrant a food coma after. If you still have space, you might be tempted by the irresistible pancakes, but we recommend the Mixed Berries Compote Waffles ($12.50) instead. They are similar in taste but the latter is lighter and more affordable.
Avg Price: $25 per person
Photo by Burpple Tastemaker Acamas Teo

This beautiful cafe along Neil Road (enter via the sidedoor at the alley) holds just as much Insta-potential as its popular sister cafe, Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters at Upper Thomson, and the food here is just as good. There are limited indoor seats, so dress cool to sit outdoors where draping plants line the wall, and order a five-ounce Flat White ($5, opt for Dark Matter as your preferred blend of beans — it's got hints of dark chocolate and macadamia nuts) while you deliberate your main. Portions run big, so it's best to share. The lusciously rich Slow Cooked Beef Cheek ($24) is the most expensive item on the menu and with good reason — set on a bed of truffle mash, the chunky slab of beef cheek is braised to be so unbelievably tender! The Breakfast Platter ($23) is a meat lover's breakfast dream come true. There's toast, bratwurst sausage, avocado, streaky bacon, mushroom, eggs — you name it, it's there! Prices are nett, there is no service charge and reservations are not allowed, so head down early.
Avg Price: $25 per person
Photo by Burpple Tastemaker Zhihui Lim

This beautiful cafe along Neil Road (enter via the sidedoor at the alley) holds just as much Insta-potential as its popular sister cafe, Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters at Upper Thomson, and the food here is just as good. There are limited indoor seats, so dress cool to sit outdoors where draping plants line the wall, and order a five-ounce Flat White ($5, opt for Dark Matter as your preferred blend of beans — it's got hints of dark chocolate and macadamia nuts) while you deliberate your main. Portions run big, so it's best to share. The lusciously rich Slow Cooked Beef Cheek ($24) is the most expensive item on the menu and with good reason — set on a bed of truffle mash, the chunky slab of beef cheek is braised to be so unbelievably tender! The Breakfast Platter ($23) is a meat lover's breakfast dream come true. There's toast, bratwurst sausage, avocado, streaky bacon, mushroom, eggs — you name it, it's there! Prices are nett, there is no service charge and reservations are not allowed, so head down early.
Avg Price: $25 per person
Photo by Burpple Tastemaker Zhihui Lim