Benjamin Barker Outlet (IMM)

IMM has been going through a little bit of a revamp on its own in recent times and it does seem that there has been a bit of a change in both the layout of the mall as well as the tenants that are operating within as well. Those whom are familiar with the mall might have noticed how the area belonging to McDonald’s in the past has been through a bit of a change, and a Benjamin Barker Outlet has seem to have taken its place. Interestingly, the Benjamin Barker Outlet does seem to have a cafe element that is being attached to it, occupying a small space on the left-side of the store. This isn’t Benjamin Barker’s first attempt into the running a cafe however; they are also the same folks that run The Assembly Ground at Cathay Cineleisure Orchard. Featuring just a few dine-in seats that seats patrons visiting the establishment in pairs of in groups of four (4) pax, the dine-in area does feel rather posh with its marble-esque table tops and solid wood furniture; there is also be use of plants that help inject an element of life within the space as well. The area around the counter also sees shelvings with vinyls on display, adding to the slightly upmarket vibes of the space. Unlike The Assembly Ground which is the brand’s full-service cafe concept, the cafe within Benjamin Barker Outlet at IMM is one that only serves up light bites and espresso-based specialty coffee, non-coffee beverages and tea — the light bites mainly comprising of loaf cakes and a small variety of danishes.

Skimming through the different bakes that they have stocked up in the display case, the Red Velvet Cheese Loaf was an item that caught our attention given the aesthetics of the cake. Despite being described as a loaf cake, the Red Velvet Cheese Loaf was something that was on the slightly smaller side of things. Benjamin Barker Outlet does not describe on the elements featured in their offerings, but it is interesting to see how the Red Velvet Cheese Loaf does come with a cheesecake base. As with all Red Velvet cakes out there, the top layer which consists of the cake itself was moist and fluffy — a good density with the right amount of moisture whilst carrying a hue of dark red that one would expect from the namesake of the cake. There are some hints of cooca that can be detected from the cake itself; all that whilst the cheesecake layer comes with a slight tang whilst carrying a bit of a smoothness and creaminess — somehow replicating the usual notes of mascarpone that one would typically find in a typical slice of a Red Velvet Cake. During the same visit, we had also went for the Orange Espresso Tonic — this would be a drink that is listed in the Signature section of the menu. A concoction that comprises of orange juice, tonic water and a shot of espresso, this is pretty much similar to that of the typical espresso tonic with lesser carbonation, whilst coming slightly sweetened with a tang from the orange juice that was added — a good thirst quencher for a hot day whilst still delivering a caffeinated kick.

Whilst not being Benjamin Barker’s first foray into the local F&B scene here, the cafe within Benjamin Barker Outlet at IMM is an interesting addition integrating food and retail under one roof — a concept that is slowly catching up on with international fashion brands for their operations in Singapore. It does seem that Benjamin Barker is jumping onto this bandwagon especially with their expertise in running cafes already at this stage — using the Benjamin Barker Outlet to provide a more curated cafe experience as compared to what they have done with The Assembly Ground. The location they have picked is also a rather interesting choice — this is considering how Jurong East is a neighbourhood without much of a presence of indie cafes, and Benjamin Barker Outlet likely answers to this untapped demand with its cafe operations at its IMM outlet. Somewhere that one can stop by for some cakes and espresso-based specialty coffee whilst doing shopping around the Jurong East area.