Hey there fellow Picky Eaters! 

To kick off this food blog covering my foodie adventures around this tiny red dot we call Singapore, I've decided to review one of Singapore's most talked about cafes - Strangers' Reunion! 

I paid a visit to Strangers' Reunion with 3 friends after hearing so many good things about it. We arrived at about 1.30pm on a Sunday afternoon only to find the quaint restaurant fully packed. We had to wait about 10 minutes before we could get a table. A young and friendly waiter handed us a menu and ushered us to the benches outside the restaurant to wait while our table was being prepared for us. 

Upon being seated at our table, we were pretty impressed by how well the place was decorated. The restaurant was furnished with rustic wooden tables and chairs, giving it a very cosy feel. It felt like we were dining in a modern day cottage. 

I was slightly disappointed with the choices on the menu as they only served "All Day Breakfast" until 5pm. Despite the breakfast menu being quite extensive, I was hoping for proper mains such as Pasta. Being a picky eater who doesn't eat eggs, the choices were rather limited for me as 90% of the breakfast items contained eggs. However, I was spoilt for choice while looking at their drink menu, especially at the coffee section. If you aren't an egg-lover like me, I would suggest paying them a visit after 6pm as they have a different menu.

The young waiter who took our order was very pleasant and polite. He answered all our enquiries with great confidence and accuracy. We ordered the Fluffy Savoury Crepe, 2 Florentines, Eggs on Toast & Buttermilk Waffle, with some Spam Fries to be shared. I was rather impressed when the waiter came back after a minute to make sure we knew that the spam fries was actually luncheon meat (it's understandable that some customers may not exactly know what it is). For the drinks, we ordered Magic, a Cafe Latte, as well as a Mocha. Our drinks arrived within 4 minutes of ordering.

MAGIC; Double Ristretto + Milk - Said to be a magical ratio of coffee to milk ($5.50)

CAFE LATTE ($4.90)

MOCHA ($5.50)

Being a barista-in-training, I must say that I was thoroughly impressed with their latte art, especially the amazingly detailed Rosetta on my Mocha. The coffee was very fragrant, and wasn't too bitter. It was just right. The aroma was the best part, I couldn't stop inhaling the beautiful scent of the freshly ground coffee beans. We really enjoyed the coffee, and it wasn't surprising as Strangers' Reunion is known for their amazing coffee & latte art.

Our food arrived relatively quickly, which was a pleasant surprise given that the restaurant was so busy. However, the portions were rather small, which was upsetting as the food was not cheap (with GST charges).


FLUFFY SAVOURY CREPE; With mozzarella, sour cream, beet root relish & mixed greens ($12.50)

You could pick ingredients to add on to your crepe, with additional cost. Their recommended add-ons were Sauteed Mushrooms, Bacon, Parma Ham & Smoked Salmon. As for me, I picked the Honey-baked Ham (+$4.50). The crepe itself tasted pleasant, but it did not wow me. There wasn't enough filling, thus my tummy was not filled after eating it. However, the crepe was indeed, fluffy and had a very nice texture. It's not hard to notice that they were very generous with the sour cream, but I felt that they were a bit too generous, resulting in an over-kill. I had to remove some of the sour cream to make my meal more satisfying. But hey, if you're a sour cream addict, then this dish is just right for you! The Beet root relish was yummy, it had just the right amount of sweetness and really complimented the crepe. My friend even tried it with some toast and it worked our magnificently. I would say that it was an interesting spin on jam. The mixed greens were fresh and had balsamic vinegar as the dressing. 


FLORENTINE; With smoked salmon, spinach, hollandaise sauce, poached eggs & a side of mixed greens ($17.90)

Having said that I'm not a huge fan of eggs, I did not try this, however, my 2 friends who did, gobbled it up so quickly. They really enjoyed this dish, but complained that the portion was too small and was not filling enough. The poached eggs were cooked perfectly and all the elements from the saltiness of the smoked salmon to the crunchy vegetables, to the runny poached eggs, as well as the crispy bread base all complimented each other well. This was definitely a hit.


EGGS ON TOAST; Scrambled (with tomato relish) or poached (with hollandaise sauce) + Ciabatta, english muffins, focaccia or olive bread ($10.50)

Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to take a picture of it.This dish was very average and, like the other dishes, was not enough to fill one's belly (especially for an army boy)


SPAM FRIES; With Kaffir Lime Mayo ($10.90)

This was my first time sampling Spam fries, and we had to order it because it was something unusual. Honestly, the combination of the lime mayo with the luncheon meat fries was an interesting one; a new sensation to my taste buds. Unfortunately, it didn't blow me away. It tasted rather average. I don't think that I will be eating it again anytime soon, but if you have not tried it before, it's worth a try. 


BUTTERMILK WAFFLES; With strawberry maceration & vanilla ice-cream ($13.90)

One word: WOW.
This was amazing. This was the only thing (apart from the coffee) which I would willingly pay its price for. The waffles were simply perfection. It was crispy on the outside, and soft and fluffy on the inside. It had just the right amount of crunch and sweetness. The vanilla ice-cream was delicious and was of great quality; you could even see the little vanilla beans in the ice-cream. Creamy and not too sweet, it worked magically with the waffles. The strawberries were not sour at all, adding a whole new dimension to the dessert. What a beautiful pairing, eh? I was devastated when I finished the last bite. I'll definitely be back for more. I give this an A+.

The service was not consistent as some staff were very polite and efficient, but others gave sub-standard service. We had to ask for the bill twice before we actually got it (we asked 2 different waitresses).

Overall, the whole experience did not blow me away, it was merely okay. The cafe was rather noisy and cramped, which is not really a suitable environment to have a relaxing lunch. Perhaps the atmosphere would be better if you went during the non-peak hours. The portions of food was small, and it was a little over-priced. However, the quality of food was good. If you're looking for good quality food and have a loaded wallet, then Strangers Reunion is the place for you! If you haven't been here, it's definitely worth a shot.

Despite all this, I will definitely be back during non-peak hours to be reunited with their buttermilk waffles which sent my taste buds to heaven. 

Strangers’ Reunion

33/35/37 Kampong Bahru Rd
Singapore 169356
T: 6222 4869

 

Opening hours:
Mon: 09:00 – 22:00
Wed – Sun: 09:00 – 22:00

That's all for now! Till my next adventure! :)