NeWest seems to be pretty buzzy recently; the sleepy mixed-use development had recently seen an influx of tenants of the late with the reopening of Birdfolks, as well as other F&B tenants such as Springleaf Prata Place and Fatburger which had recently moved into the building.

Being a relatively minimalist space, the vibes at Simple Cafe does remind one of Taiwanese cafes — the space being adorned with wood furnishings with white walls and concrete floors. Serving up a good variety of cakes and pastries, I just could not simply give the Mont Blanc a miss — the classic French pastry is pretty well-executed here, featuring the standard chestnut vermicelli, chestnut paste, light pastry cream and a slight hint of alcohol with a berry compote within. Digging into the Mont Blanc, I liked how the dessert carried a very mild sweetness and booziness amidst all the earthiness; the pastry cream carrying a neutral flavour profile that strikes a good balance on the taste buds, all that whilst giving the dessert a light, fluffy texture while the tart base crumbles off neatly below. Somewhere in the middle, the berry compote is like a surprise element, providing the dessert with a flavour contrast of zippiness that cuts through the earthiness perfectly.

Despite having just two of the many cakes and pastries that they have to offer, Simple Cafe does not disappoint — very well-executed cakes that is certainly worth making the trek down; which is no wonder how the spot is pretty much filled up when we made our way down on a weekend afternoon. Still, Simple Cafe is pretty much a gem in the West; somewhere which we are most certain that residents in the area would appreciate having in their neighbourhood, and also a spot we are definitely looking forward to revisit again soon!