Written and photographed by Peter Oh

 

Brunch was invented a long long time ago for many reasons. The first that comes to mind is the story where Adam (the first human who ate brunch), after a night of partying, woke up in the region between 10am-2pm feeling rather guilty he hadn’t done anything the whole morning. So instead of having lunch (where he would have inevitably admitted to wasting the whole morning), he invented brunch to refute others when they accused him of bumming around. He would then reply, “Nope. I took brunch and did some work after, thus not wasting the whole morning.”

I believe myself to be a direct descendant of Adam, finding myself on many an occasion having brunch. With the sprouting of so many cafes serving all-day brekkies and brunches, attempts to guilt trip me if I wake up at 4pm are now futile. “Yes. I took brunch and did some work after.”

 

1) Skyve Elementary Bistro & Bar

Expect to pay: $20/pax

 

Despite opening shop only late last year, Skyve already sees a stream of loyal patrons, myself included. This is no surprise though, since the team behind Skyve used to run the now defunct Table 66, one of my favourite European joints when it was still in operation.

While keeping true to what Table 66 is good at (namely Modern European fine-dining with a strong inclination towards sous vide style cooking), Skyve provides a more casual dining experience.

Compared to the conventional Eggs Benedict where the eggs are poached, the Skyve Sous Vide Eggs Benedict ($12++) here uses the sous vide style to cook their eggs, resulting in a more delicate egg white and runnier yolk, as the eggs are cooked under a vacuum at low temperatures. This dish is accompanied by a whole grilled Portobello mushroom slathered in creamy Hollandaise Sauce and crisp Brioche, useful in soaking up any excess yolk and Hollandaise.

Other items worth trying would be the Potato Rosti ($12++), which comes with slices of Smoked Salmon, Tomato and Avocado Salsa. The Rosti resembles the generic hashbrown only on the surface where it is fried to a nice crisp, whereas it retains a mash-like interior where the potato mash is mixed with bits of bacon.

The Ricotta Hotcakes ($12++) are awesome too!  The pancakes are light and goes well with the caramelized almond flakes and maple syrup that is served along with it. Definitely one of the best pancakes I have come across in Singapore.

My only gripes about Skyve are that it can get a little noisy once it gets filled and the coffees need some improvement, but the food is worth going for, any time!

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Address: 10 Winstedt Road, Blk E #01-17

Tel: +65 6225 6690

Opening Hours: Tues to Thur 8.30am-12am, Sat – Sun 10am-12am (Closed on Monday)

 

 

2) The Plain

Expect to pay: $15/pax

 

 Welcome to The Plain.

I like The Plain mainly because of its minimalistic concept and laid back ambience, where one can come in for a casual cuppa, coffee or sandwich without the need to dress up in anything fancy.

They have high ceilings and wide tables, making it easy to relax with a book or just enjoy some peace and quiet with a steaming cup of coffee.

They do very competent coffees here, which are fragrant, smooth and of the right thickness (or gao-ness, in colloquial terms).

Since The Plain is mostly about coffee, it is no surprise that there’s nothing distinctly special about the food there. The food menu is quite limited and the dishes can be prepared simply. For example, their Darling’s Eggs ($12), comprising “Poached Egg with Ham, Cheese and Roma Tomatoes on Sourdough Toast”, can be easily replicated at home. In my humble opinion, the trickiest part in preparing poached eggs for brunch is the preparation of the Hollandaise Sauce to go along with it but The Plain keeps it simple by using melted cheese instead.

My personal preference veers to the Dean’s Breakfast ($11), “Poached Eggs with Melted Cheese & Vegemite on Sourdough Toast”. This is my first time eating vegemite, a yeast extract that is supposedly nutritious. The vegemite went rather well with the toasted sourdough, intensifying the flavour of the melted cheese. My only quibble was that the eggs were noticeably over-poached so the yolk was solid instead of runny. It depends on how you like your eggs done.

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Address: 50 Craig Road, #01-01

Tel: +65 6225 4387

Opening Hours: Mon – Sun 7.30am-7.30pm (Closed 1^st and 2^nd Wed of the month)

 

 

3) Prive Bakery Café

Expect to pay: $25/pax

Wouldn’t it be nice to sit in full view of the marina, casually flipping through your textbook over a latte, while periodically letting your eyes wonder as you get distracted by the attractive young men and women as they frolick about in their berms and summer dresses around the private yachts.

Well, I did that a couple weekends ago at Prive Bakery Café and I got to say it does take some pain out of mugging.

 

If you love Hollandaise as I do, you will definitely like the Eggs Benedict here, which is served as Honey Baked Ham, Bacon and poached eggs in sourdough coated thickly in Hollandaise.

 

Fluffy Pancakes with Crème Fraiche, Caramelized Bananas are served here too, though I would say standards can’t quite compare to the ones at Skyve or Strictly Pancakes. The caramel is definitely for the sweet-toothed, so for those who prefer a less overwhelming taste, my advice is to share, as it can get really quite cloying and heavy after a while.

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Address: 2 Keppel Bay Vista, Ground Floor Marina @ Keppel Bay

Tel: +65 6776 0777

Opening Hours: Mon – Sun 9.30am-12am

 

 

4) Toby’s Estate

Expect to pay: $20/pax

 

Originating from Australia where it has already established its brand name, Toby’s Estate really does well with the whole communal dining thing, where the interior seating area comprises of just bar seats and a central table, providing a great avenue for friendly strangers to strike up random conversations.

Don’t expect a quiet place for brunch, though. After all, it’s a place for communal dining, so conversations and interactions are highly encouraged.

They pride themselves in their coffees and with good reason.  The Cuppaccino ($5+) I had carried with it a rich aroma and milky froth, just what I needed to get the day going.

 Toby’s Breakfast ($16+), comprising Free Range Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Roasted Tomatoes, Sauteed Mushrooms and Brioche was hearty enough to be considered lunch. Everything was pretty standard fare but I suppose extra credit has to be given to the scrambled eggs which were super creamy and evenly cooked.

However, personally I would suggest going for the Poached Eggs, Salmon with Brioche ($12+) instead if you get the chance.

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Address: 8 Rodyk Street, #01-03/04

Tel: +65 6636 7629

Opening hours: Mon – Sun 7.30am-6pm