Beef Katsu Sando Have seen the news about the new Wild Crumbs that had opened fairly recently within the Biopolis neighbourhood around Buona Vista — for those whom are not aware, Wild Crumbs is a concept which is co-founded by Jason Chua (along with two others) of the now-defunct Beng Who Cooks; an establishment which had first started off at Hong Lim Complex Food Centre before its subsequent move to a ground-level shophouse unit at Neil Road. Wild Crumbs is located at Immunos; the address of which being 8A Biomedical Grove for those whom are not too familiar with the confusing naming conventions of the various buildings within the neighbourhood. Taking up a space with a triple glass frontage at the building, one thing they can be said about Wild Crumbs’ interior is how open it seems; there is a good stream of natural lighting that fills up the shop space from at least two sides of the shop unit — the ceiling is also pretty high, whilst the kitchen is of an open-concept design that brings the patrons close to the action going on behind the counter. The space can be said to be simply decked with wooden furniture and fittings, though there is a playful side to it with the use of neon lightings for its signage and orange cabinet doors that doubles up as a menu board behind the counter. Wild Crumbs’ menu consists of various hot food choices; think Sandos and Brioche Buns, though they do offer seasonal specials that are dependent on the day of the week one visits Wild Crumbs on. There is also a section on the menu that is dedicated to Sharing Sides; these are absolutely fit for those whom are visiting Wild Crumbs in groups since they are good for two to three pax, “or maybe sometimes four” — desserts are also available in the form of tarts in different flavours. Beverages available at Wild Crumbs include specialty coffee, sodas and seasonal teas.
Skimming through the menu, we decided to go for the Beef Katsu Sando from the Sando section of the menu since it is an item that is not too common a find in most places and does take some skill to get it right — the Beef Katsu Sando is also pretty affordable on the menu considering how this item is priced below $15; other establishments serving up the same would likely charge higher for the item. The Beef Katsu Sando at Wild Crumbs doesn’t differ much from what we were expecting out of a Japanese-style Beef Katsu Sando — it is not described on the menu of the elements that came within the Beef Katsu Sando, though one could notice that in between the two slices of milk bread, there is a deep-fried Beef Katsu patty that comes with shredded cabbage; the Sando comes with a bit of heft considering how it features a double-patty by the default. Sinking our teeth into the Beef Katsu Sando, we found the Beef Katsu Sando to be one that is easy to love though does still have some room for improvement. One thing we absolutely loved about the Beef Katsu Sando is the proportion of all of the elements in the Sando; there wasn’t too much of a single element — the milk bread is toasted and slightly crisp, yet maintained a light fluff at the same time without being soggy from grease or sauces. This itself is already very much worth commending on its own. Thereafter, one would be able to crunch on the shredded cabbage; a good, refreshing note alongside a bit of Japanese Mayonnaise (?) and Tonkatsu sauce that provides just enough creaminess and a slight note of vinegary savouriness that cuts right through the Beef Katsu patty beneath. Here, the Beef Katsu patty is fried till to the point that the meat is of a shade of brown; the panko-crusted patty was undeniably crisp on the outside, though the Beef Katsu patty carried some bite here. Whilst isn’t too much of an issue to us, one thing we did note about the Beef Katsu Patty seems to be how the meat seemed to disintegrate from the panko crust rather easily; thus leaving only the deep-fried golden brown crust within the Sando as one chews further.
Having only tried just one savoury item amongst the many that are actually available on the menu at Wild Crumbs, it might not be entirely representative of the quality of the food being served here — that being said, we do feel that the Beef Katsu Sando fared better than what we had expected out of it. No doubt that there is some room for improvement where the doneness of the beef is of concern, and how the panko crust and the beef could be more “integrated” per se; that being said, we were pretty satisfied with how the flavours of the dish did turned out to be — a pretty delicious and well-proportioned offering that would certainly go well with most tastebuds. Apart from the Beef Katsu Sando, we had also given the Ondeh Ondeh Tart a go as well; no doubt the Ondeh Ondeh Tart was an Ondeh Ondeh-inspired item that skipped out on the “mochi” component here, but one could most certainly feel that the item is made in-house here with its freshly-baked tart base that crumbles neatly with a soft, cookie-like texture, and that light note of Pandan in the Pandan-infused curd layer that comes atop Gula Melaka-drenched desiccated coconut that comes between the Pandan-infused curd and the tart base. Whilst Wild Crumbs is not the only spot that serves up Sparkling Espresso around, the Sparkling Espresso is a hit for us, especially for a spot where specialty coffee isn’t seen as their biggest focus — their Sparkling Espresso comes with a light and fruity body; nicely carbonated enough for it ti be refreshing without being too gassy. Prices of the Sando and Brioche Buns offering at Wild Crumbs are mostly below $15; the priciest item is at $16 — the Crab Roll from the Brioche Buns section of the menu being the sole item priced above $15 from the afore-mentioned section of the menu. Overall, Wild Crumbs does feel like a laid-back spot that is great to chill at within Biopolis for a good lunch; one can definitely feel a light touch of Beng Who Cooks’ fun and playful side lingering around here despite a slight change in the items they have to offer. Here’s us congratulating them on their opening, and wishing them the best in what is to come!
