It is interesting how Woodlands had been seeing the opening of some cafes within the neighbourhood in recent times such as the likes of Scoop In The Woods, quansont., Parched by Parchmen & Co., an outlet of Tomoro Coffee and an outlet of Tim Hortons in the past couple of years. There is yet another new cafe that had recently opened at the heart of Woodlands — this time being that of the new On’Lee Cafe which is situated within Woodlands MRT Station inside the Stellar@TE2 retail space in the non-paid area of the Thomson-East Coast Line wing of Woodlands MRT Station . This is the same area where one would be able to find Parched by Parchmen & Co. and an outlet of Killiney Kopitiam — these folks had taken over the former space of the Staytion co-working office space that had once operated there. For those whom find the namesake familiar — yes, On’Lee Cafe is a concept by the same folks behind On’Lee Artisan Bakery which is also located within Stellar@TE2 with On’Lee Artisan Bakery situated right beside On’Lee Cafe. On’Lee Cafe has pretty much retained the dark green facade that Staytion had left behind; the space is divided into two parts where there is both an “outdoor” and indoor seating space following the same fashion as how Staytion was segmented out previously. The space can be said as simply decked; the interior featuring regular dining tables and chairs sporting wooden accents which can seat around two (2) to four (4) pax each. There are also longer tables that are paired with long benches that can seat larger groups as well. The food menu at On’Lee Cafe is augmented into categories such as Salads, Soups, Burgers, Brunch, Pastas, Sharing, Sweet Treats and Kid’s Friendly — the drinks menu in the meanwhile is categorised into sections dedicated to espresso-based specialty coffee and tea. It does seem that the menu at On’Lee Cafe is veered towards being Muslim-friendly, considering how the food menu seems to lack dishes featuring pork elements.

It is interesting to note that the food menu comprises of items that seems to carry some sort of local fusion elements to them — one such item that had caught our attention very early on whilst skimming through the menu at On’Lee Cafe would be that of the Lemak Sedap (Spaghetti) which is being listed in the Pastas section of the menu. On’Lee Cafe describes the elements featured in the Lemak Sedap (Spaghetti) to be inclusive of “Grilled Chicken Thigh, Assorted Vegetables and Fresh Coconut”. Our order of the Lemak Sedap (Spaghetti) does seem to be missing of the assorted vegetables however. Giving the Lemak Sedap (Spaghetti) a little bit of a toss before digging in, the highlight of the Lemak Sedap (Spaghetti) was probably in the Lemak Chili Padi sauce that the pasta was being tossed in; the grilled chicken thigh is also topped off with the same sauce as well. For one, there is definitely a hint of turmeric and other aromatics such as garlic and ginger going on with the sauce; all that whilst the addition of coconut milk does add quite a bit of depth to give it some richness. The inclusion of chili padi within the sauce also provides a kick of spiciness that should be manageable to those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. The pasta was decently executed; nothing much to shout about, while the grilled chicken thigh was a wee bit dry and did get a bit jelak towards the end. The lack of assorted vegetables for our order also meant that there wasn’t much of an element to balance out the meat and the carbs to strike a balance for the dish.

We also managed to try the Ciabatta during our visit to On’Lee Cafe; the Ciabatta is an item that is listed in the Brunch section of the menu. This turns out to be more of a sandwich offering rather than that of an open-faced toast; a pretty basic but hearty offering that features elements like butter, Roma Tomato, Sliced Lettuce, Sous Vide Chicken Breast, Pickled Red Onions, Honey Mustard and Cashew Nuts. An item that seems like one that would fit well for those whom are more conscious about eating clean, the various elements featured within the Ciabatta does come clean; even the Sous Vide Chicken Breast comes plain — the only element binding everything together being the honey mustard that adds an earthy, lightly sweet and slightly numbing note that brings all of the elements together. The various elements come with a bite of a bite and a crunch, while the Ciabatta itself comes soft — would have preferred it to come toasted with a slight crunch for better texture, all that whilst being paired with a garden salad on the side.

We were actually pretty intrigued with their offering of the Crispy Cempedak Balls — these comes in a single portion size of eight (8) pieces; another variant of the item comes in the form of the Crispy Durian Balls, which comes with Vanilla Ice-Cream and Toffee Sauce rather than that of the Mango Sauce that the Crispy Cempedak Balls are served with. The Crispy Cempedak Balls and Crispy Durian Balls can be found in the Sweet Treats section of the menu. The portion size of each Crispy Cempedak Ball was quite huge; the inside seemingly stuffed with both jackfruit that provides a sweet note and a soft bite; the texture of the jackfruit being similar to that of ripened bananas. The breaded batter of the Crispy Cempedak Balls was fried to a shade of beautiful golden-brown; being all crisp even after leaving it at the table for a while and did not feel particularly greasy. The addition of mango sauce helps to add another dimension or sweetness to the Crispy Cempedak Balls for some contrast as well.

On’Lee Cafe had also placed some emphasis in the curation of its beverage menu as well; the Salted Condensed Milk Cream is more of an espresso-based specialty coffee beverage that seems the use of a salted condensed milk cream that is dusted with cocoa powder that sits atop a regular latte. This can be said as a beverage that is loosely inspired from that of the Vietnamese-style coffee with sea salt foam; the inclusion of condensed milk helps to add a slight sweetness that bridges the saltishness to the latte beneath — the latte carrying an earthy and roasty flavour profile with a light body.

Having tried a number of what On’Lee Cafe has to offer, we did feel that On’Lee Cafe’s offerings aren’t exactly the best in terms of its executions — we did feel that some of its items could be plated slightly better or come with slightly more attention to detail. That being said, these folks did certainly put in quite a bit of effort in the curation of its menu; there is some effort trying to create an identity unique to its own with the infusion of local elements into the cafe fare that they serve — something that isn’t quite seen in the cafes situated within Woodlands considering how the cafes here do not tend to serve up hot food; they do seem to provide the residents here a viable option for those seeking for a decent spot to hangout for catchups with friends without exiting the neighbourhood. Prices of their offerings listed in the Burgers, Brunch, and Pastas section of the menu range from $12 to $22; the lowest-priced item being the French Toast while the priciest would be the Grilled Wagyu Patty Burger. If anything, On’Lee Bakery is an establishment that adds on to the diversity of the local F&B scene within the North side of the island.