Cafe Culture

The vibrant colours of the Donburi were pleasing to the eyes. On a bed of fluffy white rice, it is topped with corn, cucumbers, tomatoes and crispy pieces of Japanese-style fried chicken. The fried chicken was light, juicy and without the greasy feeling, and the mentaiko sauce elevated the taste.

As coffee aficionados, we ordered the Black Creamu ($8.20) and the White Creamu ($8.70 for iced). Aesthetically IG-worthy as they came atop with dollops of smooth sweet cream and dusted with cocoa powder. The Plain Croffle ($5.50) was buttery sweet with a light crisp to it and a slightly chewy texture.

The Peanut Butter French Toast was served in cubes form stuffed with peanut butter, deep-fried to golden fluffy crispiness, and drizzled with maple syrup. They were a little savory, nutty and sweet. I wished it had more syrup or drizzled with condensed milk instead HK style.

A hearty dish, the Chicken Gumbo OG Version is packed full of flavour. It has marinated chicken in a spice-perfumed broth loaded with sausages, potatoes and veggies. Served with sourdough bread that was crusty, chewy and nutty with slight tanginess, they went very well with the spices of the broth.

One of the cafe's popular signatures, the Fried Chicken French Toast was a sweet and savoury combo with slices of fried chicken on a thick toast, and drizzled with spicy honey sauce. I had high expectations but disappointingly though the chicken was crispy and juicy, the toast was a tad dry and I wished that it was fluffier and more eggy. I also much preferred the sweet maple syrup as the spicy honey has a taste similar to that of apple cider vinegar.

A dinner-meets-breakfast "burger", the Wagyu Beef Patty Egg Benedict consists of a split English muffin that is pan-fried with eggs and topped with thick wagyu beef patties. It is completed with perfectly poached eggs sitting atop with some drizzle of the duo mustard hollandaise sauce. This eggs benedict variation had a much stronger taste and flavour, and it was disappointing as it felt too heavy and greasy after a while. The sauce was also salty though the beef patties by themselves were juicy and flavourful, and the eggs were poached perfectly.

The Seafood Sando brings together a crispy shrimp and potato katsu and some creamy mayo dressing sandwiched in between two toasted fluffy bread. Topped with tobiko and chunks of shrimps, the scrumptious seafood sando was a burst of flavour and texture. Overall a very solid and satisfying sando.

Instead of the usual smoked salmon, the Eggs Benedict version here is heavier as it comprised of braised ox cheeks served on a crusty sourdough bread and topped with two organic poached eggs that were drenched in hollandaise sauce. The braised ox cheeks were fork tender as the meat pulls off without much effort and very well-seasoned that it was packed full of flavour and wasn't gamey.

It's difficult to find decent baked eggs (i.e. shakshuka) in Singapore and I'm glad that the Baked Eggs with Mushrooms here did not disappoint. The dish had runny poached eggs in a rich, flavourful and slightly spiced chunky tomato sauce with baked beans and  generous serving of mushrooms. Served with toast bread, it was a savoury and  satisfying one-pan meal made complete with a cup of White that was smooth and medium-bodied with a nutty undertone.

Breakfast Your Way ($9)
The set comes with choice of bakes and eggs with add on options such as cheesy sausage (+$5). The croissant was decent though it was a bit chewy and wasn't as fluffy nor buttery as the croissants sold at cafes known for their bakes; while the eggs were moist but could do with more butter.

Chicken & Egg ($19)
The dish consisted of sunny side up egg placed on top of an orange infused chicken steak and served with broccolini. The sauce was light and tangy with a subtle taste of orange, and perhaps could be stickier and sweeter like a glaze so that it coats the meat.

The bakery-cafe offers a selection of breakfast toasts, and the Crab Aglio Scramble ($11) was probably the creamiest and most buttery scrambled eggs I've ever had. I could taste the flavour of aglio olio that was infused in the eggs and enhanced by the drizzle of chilli oil.

The Steak Sandwich was loaded with a generous portion of ribeye that were a little tough and chewy. Meat was well seasoned and tucked between crusty country bread with smoked cheddar, caramelised onion, truffle aioli and rocket, it was overall a hearty good sandwich.