These past couple of months, it has sort of been a weekly mission to try different brunch places/cafes around the island.
The good thing about being here is that the country is quite tiny, so if one really wants to, one wouldn't mind travelling to other parts of the island. (I think the bigger challenge for most is getting up at 10AM on a lazy Sunday morning. Hehe!)
Yesterday, I dragged Pg Boy to Farrer Park so we can try the French-themed Japanese cafe L'etoile.
Farrer Park being so close to Little India, it's easy to assume that most dining places in the area would only be offering rich and delight ful South Asian cuisine.
Surprise, surprise, because you will find L'etoile in the neighborhood.
House in a two-storey shophouse at the corner of OWen Road and Dorset Road, one of the easiest ways to reach L'etoile is to take the Purple Line of the MRT and alight at Farrer Park station. Take Ext D which leads to Owen Road. The cafe is just a few minutes walk.
L'etoile is star in French, and I think it's quite an apt name for this new rising star, a French-themed Japanese café housed in a two-storey shophouse at the junction of Owen Road and Dorset Road. As it was the owner's intent to settle on an off-the-beaten track (read: ulu) location, having a GPS device with you on the first visit here is highly advisible.
When we arrived, it was just nearing 12noon. While most of the tables have already been occupied by fellow Sunday brunch people, Pg Boy and I managed to get a table at the second storey.
Whereas the first floor looks like a typical counter at a cafe, the second floor of the cafe is where the character and charm of L'etoile really is. One will find a mix of new and vintage items - an old Singer sewing machine (used as a table for two!), bookshelves with a mix of Western and Asian titles, crystalware, souvenirs from travels abroad. Certain sections of the wall have been painted playfully to make the place more memorable to the hungry soul. Hehe!
There were quite a number of things to order from the menu. Since it was brunch we came from, it was brunch that we ordered. The Big Breakfast ($14.90) consists of two bacon strips, two sausages, buttered toast, mushrooms, a side salad, and eggs cooked according to how you like it. Eggs Benedict was also on the menu, but Pg Boy did not see it. Hehe! We also ordered orange juice and a latte to go with the meal.
What was sort of a minor challenge was ordering. The friendly, kind lady who took our orders had a little difficulty speaking English. It even became more amusing because Pg Boy also struggled conversing with her in Mandarin, since he's not very fluent in Mandarin. Hehe! But thankfully, we managed and the food arrived after a few minutes of waiting.
For just $14.90, I must say that the brunch plate was quite filling. (Pg Boy and I, however, asked for some extra toasts because we were starving. LOL! I dun remember if they charged us for it though.)
Quite stuffed from brunch, I decided I'll try the pastries and homemade cakes some other time. After reading that the sweets are prepared by pastry chefs who trained at Le Cordon Bleu, that definitely gives me more reason to go back.
On my next visit to L' etoile, I'll make I'll bring a book with me as well. I can already picture myself just lounging on one of the comfy couches, reading a book (from a Kindle? hehe!), and enjoying the cakes and coffee.
L’etoile Cafe
160 Owen Road
Tel: +65 6298 2872
Tue to Sun: 9am – 8pm
(Closed on Mon)
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