Isle Cafe is probably a name that will ring a bell for students and office workers around the Selegie area alike — serving up food meant for the mass market, I know of folks who swears by their Chinese economic mixed vegetable rice for an affordable lunch — and I also do find it a pretty appealing option for those days where I don’t really want to fuss over what to have for a decent weekday lunch whenever I return back to the office.

It’s not news that they do have two locations within Parklane Shopping Mall — the original being situated at Level 2 but it’s the spot at Level 1 that is the one where they do serve up more “upscale” fare at pretty pocket-friendly prices; the selection spreads far and wide with Thai cuisine such as Basil Minced Pork Rice, Vietnamese Fish Soup Vermicelli, and even salad/rice bowls. Quite intrigued by their Pork Katsu Sandwich which costs $5.50 — no doubt a simple sandwich to put together and nothing particularly artisanal; the pork cutlet and bread used doesn’t lie, but it’s a good attempt with its toasted bread, sweet-ish and slightly vinegary Tonkatsu sauce that is mixed with a bit of Dijon mustard and crisp panko-battered fried pork cutlets (though a little thin and not particularly juicy). Coupled with crisp and well-seasoned fries and a garden salad drizzled with Thousand Island dressing (would prefer a Goma salad dressing to keep with the Japanese theme though; but come on ...), I think it does work as an accessible cheap thrill that does help to cure some cravings for a decent Japanese-inspired sandwich if one does manage their expectations well especially with its price point.

If anything, Isle Cafe is a true saviour for the folks in this part of town — ask any Kaplan student from their city campus or office worker in the area and you would find plenty who are regulars here; despite it being a rather economic option, they have actually never been disappointing be it when it comes to allowing patrons to drizzle braised sauce and curry sauce to their mixed vegetable economy rice to their own whim and fancy, or serving up their roast meat noodles with both fried and soup wantons by default. Their more hipster counterpart at Level 1 of Parklane Shopping Mall follows the same exact philosophy — still aiming for the mass market but with a more cafe-esque approach with more themed dishes served on porcelain plates; heck, they even serve some pretty decent supplied cakes here. And it’s little wonder how they have captured the heart of the masses here — providing true value to the common folk; they do certainly deserve more attention for feeding people well with a wide variety of dishes at wallet-friendly prices.