Tomato Veggie Stew with Fluffy Scrambled Egg + Thick Toast PAWA Bakery is one of those establishments that had slowly gained quite a following ever since they had first made their appearance in the Singapore food scene just a little more than a year ago; these folks had first started out being a takeaway bakery situated at the foot of PLUS at Raffles Place before expanding their operations further with an outlet within the basement of Plaza Singapura. These folks are going a little further with the opening of PAWA Bakery Bagel & Cafe; their latest concept that had just opened their doors at The Star Vista. These folks are situated between the outlet of Supergreen and Plan A Dessert Cafe there; this is also the establishment’s very first attempt in running a sit-in cafe with dine-in operations as well. The interior of PAWA Bakery Bagel & Cafe can be split into two sections; one that is dedicated to their takeaway bakery operations where one can pick up their various bakes for grab-and-go / dine-in, while there is also a small dining area where one can sit around comprising of tables and chairs that are configured to seat groups of up to four (4) pax. Considering how this is the very first time that PAWA Bakery is operating a dine-in cafe, PAWA Bakery Bagel & Cafe also offers a savoury hot food menu aside from its various bagel and other bakery offerings that one can find at their other existing locations; the food menu is being split into sections dedicated to Bagel & Eggs, Schmear Bagel, Bagel Bowl, Bagelwich, Salad and Dessert. Beverages available at PAWA Bakery Bagel & Cafe would include a variety of coffee and tea options, including unique concoctions like the Ladyfinger Tiramisu Latte.
One thing interesting about PAWA Bakery Bagel & Cafe is how they are big about their Bagels even in the hot food that they are serving up; perhaps their way of evolving their menu further whilst still keeping their most popular items at the center of what they do. We found ourselves opting for the Tomato Veggie Stew with Fluffy Scrambled Egg — this would be an item that can be found in the Bagel Bowl section of the menu. Patrons do get the flexibility to opt between three (3) different types of bagels; for those whom do not necessarily prefer bagels as their option of bread, PAWA Bakery Bagel & Cafe also allows for one to go for the Thick Toast — the option of bread that we had also went with for our order. PAWA Bakery Bagel & Cafe does not describe the various elements that comes with their dishes on the menu; that being said, it can be observed that the Tomato Veggie Stew with Fluffy Scrambled Egg does come with diced root vegetables that includes potatoes and carrots in pretty small cubes. Digging into the stew, we did find the tomato stew itself to be fairly hearty; quite rich in terms of how it carried the refreshing and tangy notes of tomato while the diced root vegetables do carry a soft consistency — the richness of the tomato stew also meant that it clings fairly well onto the thick toast as well. The Thick Toast does come spread with butter for a bit of fragrance; the toast also lightly crisp at the same time whilst still being light and fluffy with a good tension when pulled apart. The scrambled eggs do come soft and fluffy with an evidently eggy note; seasoned with pepper for flavour. Overall a light but hearty item to go for that feels adequately breakfast-y to say the least.
During the same visit, we had also went for the Bacon Scallion Potato Bowl which is an item that is being listed in the Bagel Bowl section of the menu as well. Similar to the Tomato Veggie Stew with Fluffy Scrambled Egg, patrons also do get the option to go for either bagels or Thick Toast along with the Bacon Scallion Potato Bowl. The creamy potato soup does feel quite like a commercially-made Potage that carried a savoury note; a rather familiar flavour whilst also comes served with a strip of grilled bacon over the top. We opted for the Plain Bagel to go alongside with the Bacon Scallion Potato Bowl; the Bagel carrying a soft and firm bite that makes it a good vehicle to mop up all of that creamy potato soup that comes in the bowl. We also grabbed the Black Truffle Shio Pan from the self-service area in the takeaway bakery section of the space. It comes with a jet black appearance with a patch of melted cheese over the top. Sinking our teeth into the Shio Pan, the Shio Pan does come light but also with a firm bite and a hollow centre — it does hint perfume of a slight whiff of truffle aroma that lingers at the back of the tongue, all that whilst the melted cheese provides a savouriness that provide a little bit more depth of flavours to the truffle much akin to how sea salt atop a regular Shio Pan does to the bread itself.
Going for a cuppa to pair up with all of the items that we had ordered, we went with the Lava Iced Americano — the “Lava” in its namesake seems to be derived from its frothy appearance on the surface. Otherwise, the cuppa was pretty much a regular Americano coming with a medium body and a fruity flavour profile. PAWA Bakery does seem to have come a long way since their early days where they had just opened at PLUS in Raffles Place; PAWA Bakery Bagel & Cafe being a timely expansion with the brand exploring the possibilities of hot food being served up with the bagels that they are now pretty much known for. Whilst we only had a small variety of items that they have to offer, we did feel that the hot food produced at PAWA Bakery Bagel & Cafe felt somewhat limited to the sort of kitchen space that they have; thereby also limiting on their potential. That being said, PAWA Bakery Bagel & Cafe at The Star Vista does at least provide patrons with a space to sit around and enjoy their bakes; something that isn’t an option that is available at their other locations around the island. Prices of the items listed in the Bagel Bowl, Bagelwich and Salad sections of the menu range from $9.50 to $13; makes PAWA Bakery Bagel & Cafe pretty reasonably-priced and thus an option that is worthy to consider for a light meal if around The Star Vista and craving for a good bagel whilst at it.
