YUM YUM IN MY TUM TUM

With the number of cafes increasing around the island, it's easy to be spoilt for choice. Here's the CATCH rundown

Words by Belle Lim   |   Photos by Endi Haikal Sham

1. FRESH FRUITS LAB

Fresh Fruits Lab is a simple and elegant Bar & Bistro with a trademark fruity focus, artfully designed in a subtle laboratory style. The menu is specially designed and handcrafted to incorporate a fruity element in many of their dishes, adding a dash of tangy excitement to individual’s dining experience.

Nestled in a little corner of the quiet, friendly neighbourhood of Kembangan, it is just merely a five minutes stroll from the MRT station.

Their weekday set lunch consisted of a main dish (pork, fish or pasta). For just $12++, the meal was accompanied with a bowl of fruity salad.

2. CRAFTSMEN SPECIALTY COFFEE

Craftsmen Specialty Coffee sports a retro industrial look. Located at Siglap V, it is packed closely to a dim, warmly lit area. Their attractive display of baked goods caught my attention the moment I stepped into the store.

I ordered their fruity waffle because it looked so delectable. But sad to say, there wasn’t anything special to it. 

In fact, the picture looked far more appealing than the actual product. I’d be lying if I said I weren’t disappointed after taking the first bite.

All these for the price of $16? Definitely overpriced.

3. GROUP THERAPY (KATONG V)

Situated at a secluded corner within Katong V mall, this cafe gave off a really warm and homely feel.

Their poached eggs on toast didn’t disappoint. Not only was it well poached with egg yolk oozing out when sliced, there was also a generous amount of smoked salmon, and its saltiness helped to provide added flavour to the dish.

Above it all, the bread which was blanketed under the salmon and eggs, was toasted to perfection, being accompanied by the gruyere cheese and hollandaise sauce; All for just $15!

Overall, it was pretty impressive, though I wouldn’t travel the extra mile just for it because truthfully speaking, I wouldn’t say that the location was very accessible.

4. PENNY UNIVERSITY

Upon entering the cafe, one would be greeted with the coffee machine on their left, as well as a display of their selection of pretty cakes (and if you’re lucky enough, you might even catch a glimpse of their cute barista).

Another observation was that I realised upon ordering of food,  there were quite a handful of diners who were not assigned any table numbers or one of those markers so that the servers would know which table to send the food to once they are ready.

As a result, the servers would come bearing plates of food and just go from table to table asking if the diners had ordered those plates. It was pretty chaotic, and a lot of tables had to wait quite a bit for their food to come. It really was difficult to witness. The servers themselves were a little flustered and didn’t seem to manage the situation well.

All in all, the foods were priced reasonably and the ambience was great. I would definitely visit this cafe again (during non-peak hours of course) if I have the time, though I feel it’s a little out of the way.