18 Cafés Near NUS

The Short Review

Price Range: $6-$14

Nearest MRT: Kent Ridge

Food:
1) Wildfire Cheeseburger [$5.30]
With 150grams of medium-rare Angus Chuck as its patty, my burger was so juicy that it made it hard to hold up for this snapshot.

Other components sandwiched between the two buttered, toasted brioche buns include melted American cheese, pickled cornichons and glazed, caramelized onions.

Got two of these badbois for $10.60, thanks to the off-peak Burpple Beyond app! There’re plenty of other 1-for-1 choices at Savourworld, so just head on down if you’re feeling a lil peckish at Kent Ridge MRT!

Come Here: Again.

The Short Review

Price Range: $11-$14

Nearest MRT: Labrador Park

Instagrammability: High -
Nestled amongst numerous art galleries, Creamier's second outlet barring Sunday Folks overlooks the iconic "Blue House" of Gillman Barracks.

Food:
1) Waffles & 2 Scoops [$12.00]
Waffles are as good as remembered. Topped up $3.40 for a premium scoop of Rum & Raisin to our basic $8.60 waffle & scoop, which was suitably alcoholic.

Our other scoop was Kaya Toast, exclusive to the Barracks, which was nicely pandan-y & studded with breadcrumbs?

Other Gillman-only flavours include Pomegranate Yoghurt & Macadamia Tropicana. Westies lamenting about only having soft serve with Creamier's waffles...lament no more.

Come Here: Again.

The Short Review

Price Range: $17-$23

Nearest MRT: Queenstown

Instagrammability: High -
Marbled surfaces, dainty utensils and a shop full of antique paraphernalia quietly lend ambience to the meal.

Food:
1) Buffalo Mozzarella & Parma Ham [$17.00]
To expectations. Parma Ham's always good. But we won't be rushing back to order this again.

2) Pulled Pork Risotto [$21.00]
Both risottos had a texture which could've been creamier, but the Pulled Pork plate consisted of more banal flavours. Who knew truffle oil, shaved Parmesan & pulled pork could be so unexciting?

3) Spiced Risotto & Grilled Prawns [$23.00]
Featuring Indian-inspired spices reminiscent of curry buns, this heavily Asian-leaning Italian dish's highlight were its fresh prawns.

The Bakehouse (by Carpenter & Cook) is probably better known for their pastries, such as the easily recognizable "stiff peaks" of the Passionfruit Meringue Tart, but hey, let's not let their April 2016 entry into the Entertainer catalogue go unnoticed.

Come Here: Maybe?

The Short Review

Price Range: $3-$24

Nearest MRT: one-north

Instagrammability: High -
Much care has been invested in the spray-painting of graffiti-esque murals; marrying a container concept with an industrial sheen.

The list of vendors pours on and on: Portico Platos (of Gillman & Dempsey fame), Teppei, Two Wings & Garçons (both hailing from Salute), Dancing Crab, The World is Flat (by Tanuki Raw), as well as a pantheon of well-loved hawker delights, some of which were there before one-north's resurrection.

Food:
1) Kaisendon - Teppei Daidokoro [$16.00]
Teppei's always reliable, and while its portion seems smaller than remembered, the standard still warrants a return visit.

2) Three Skewers & Onsen Egg Rice - Kush [$13.30]
We ordered the Soft Shell Chilli Crab Rice, but opening day issues plagued their deep fryer.

Essentially $13 for 3 average satays with a side of sambal kangkong & an onsen egg. We're looking forward to the next stall that replaces Kush.

3) Lobster Roll - Dancing Crab [$24.00]
Stale fries aside, the two brioche buns were a little on the over-buttered side. Lobster flesh and slaw was alright, though it's not spectacular.

4) Sticky Date Pudding - D. by Slake [$6.50]
While the date pudding was little too spongey and dense, the accompanying salted caramel gelato was pretty delicious.

Other outlets were still prepping, with The World is Flat opening during evening hours and Portico Platos launching on Monday, 4 April.
Dine-in items impose a $1 tray deposit, which can be refunded upon returning all utensils to a conveyor belt. Pretty cool stuff.

Live music during Wednesday to Saturday Nights. If you're feeling frugal, the adjacent cheap canteen food's got your back. Plus, it's just 1 bus stop away from Kent Ridge MRT; what a time to be alive in NUS.

Come Here: Again.

The Short Review

Price Range: $5-$11

Nearest MRT: Kent Ridge

Instagrammability: Moderate -
Previously occupied by Bing Bing, the space is buttered with yellow light, which is conducive for study pods but not so much for the gram.

Food:
1) All Day Breakfast [$7.00]
She chose Garlic Bread [$1.50], which was fragrantly garlicky but had the textural resolve of an ISIS militant; Mac & Cheese [$3.00], a squishy mound that's just okay; and Portobello Mushrooms [$2.50], which was aggressively salty.

2) All Day Breakfast [$10.50]
I chose Scrambled Eggs [$3.00], for the same price at Atlas Coffeehouse LOL; the same salty-inked Portobello Mushrooms [$2.50] and a very decent Waffle with Plain Honey [$5.00].

For 5 bucks, the waffle's actually quite good. Don't bother with the Truffled Honey version, which is distractingly overpowered.

No further student discount, unless you salaciously engage in the proverbial buttering of buns.

Come Here: Never (only buy waffles!).

The Short Review

Price Range: $9-$16

Nearest MRT: Kent Ridge

Instagrammability: High -
Taking over the late Late Plate's space in the NUS Shaw Foundation Alumni House, Waa Cow's outdoor verandah provides a nice spot for your photo op.

Food:
1) Wagyu Don - Main [$17.90]
Standards wise, it's on par with Tanuki Raw, but Waa Cow does throw in a bit more beef for its heftier price. Charring the tops of the rice is a little unusual, but the burnt taste hardly permeates through the bowl. The rest of the rice is better than Tanuki's.

At first glance, the shallot jam looks suspiciously like a dollop of chilli, but it was actually pretty delicious.
Any well-executed onsen egg is glorious, but perhaps swapping the common micro-roe for plump ikura could better justify its price.
Comes with token miso soup.

2) Soy Glazed Wings [$8.90]
Love at first bite. Crisp, flavourful; though my friend complained it was a tad oily.
Special thanks to Constance & Aaron for letting us try them!

Present & past NUS wayfarers enjoy 10% off. Though nearby joints like DSTLLRY may still triumph in the battle of the Dons, you can't beat being on campus. Waa Cow makes Wagyu Dons between tutorials a reality.

Their extended menu, which includes Chirashi Dons, launches today, so if The Deck's Japanese food is too sad for your liking, pop over to Waa Cow for a little splurge.

Come Here: Again.

The Short Review

Price Range: $10-$13

Nearest MRT: Holland Village

Instagrammability: High -
Waffles are still as pretty, and the cramped place is still as noisy.

Food:
1) Single Waffle - Earl Grey Lavender [$9.90]
Earl Grey's a great flavour, Earl Grey Lavender's a great potpourri scent. Add $1.50 for 4 cubes of Matcha Royce chocolate.

2) Double Waffle - Pistachio [$12.90]
Stuck to my familiar preference of flavour, that comes lightly dusted with pistachio crumbs. Waffles still maintain their standard from months ago, though it's now a dollar pricier.

With Daily Scoop & 2am:dessertbar sitting at both ends of the budget spectrum, Sunday Folks still firmly defends its position as the go-to dessert stop in HV.

Come Here: Again.

The Short Review

Price Range: $15-$20

Nearest MRT: Buona Vista

Instagrammability: Moderate -
Choose between gnarly lighting inside & the huge Bodacious logo, or enduring the heat outside.

Food:
1) Greek Meaty Balls [$15.80]
Portioned by Scrooge from A Christmas Carol. Nicely-toasted brioche to soak up whatever little tomato purée in the pan. Meatballs are okay.

2) Pulled Pork Burger [$14.80]
Serviceable. Fries are dusted lightly with Cajun powder, albeit lightly enough to not taste like Cajun fries.

3) Bodacious Signature Mocktail [$4.20]
One of the more impressive items on our table. A concoction of lime & ginger ale, littered with crunchy passionfruit, murdered mint leaves and slices of lemon & pink grapefruit, make for a very tropical, refreshing affair.

One-for-one-ed with The Entertainer. In times of perpetual inflation, it's nice to see cafés buck the trend. The last I visited, all prices excluded taxes, and the meatballs actually got a dollar cheaper.

Come Here: Never.

The Short Review

Price Range: $14-$20

Nearest MRT: one-north

Instagrammability: High -
Warehouse-esque furnishings with ventilation to match. I could literally smell food on my clothes after just walking in to grab some menus.

Food:
1) Gula Melaka Pancakes [$14.00]
Revolution's signature dish ticked the right boxes again. While noticeably more charred & dry than usual, Kieffer didn't seem to mind lel.

2) Café Latte [$5.50]
"Good" (Tay, 2015).

Come Here: Again (for Pancakes).

The Short Review

Price Range: $9-$12

Nearest MRT: Buona Vista

Instagrammability: Moderate -
Psychedelic tilework, marred by some very disposable utensils.

Food:
1) Grilled Steak Chipotle Quesadillas [$8.50]
Thicker slabs of beef, that are more balanced than the latter below. This would be my filling of choice.

2) Slow Cooked Beef Quesadillas [$8.50]
Intensely flavourful, which treads into oversalty territory after a few more bites. Still not as noticeable in the quesadillas, as with their rice bowls.

3) Slow Cooked Beef Burrito Bowl [$10.50]
Quite salty. Didn't really appreciate the abundance of black beans, and more Pico de Gallo could have been scooped in to lend a tart acidity to this assault of sodium.

It's interesting to observe their hustling food assembly line, though I'm not a big fan of limp quesadillas, which really could use better-grilled wraps & glorious cheddar.

Come Here: Never (until tweaks are made).

The Short Review

Price Range: $12-$16

Nearest MRT: Haw Par Villa

Instagrammability: Moderate -
Located on campus, in the Shaw Alumni House next to Mochtar Riady.

Food:
1) Foil Fish Set [$12.50]
Pretty run-of-the-mill. The frozen dory's standard reflects the shop's long-term prospects.

3) Tom Yum Cream Pasta [$11.60]
Recommended by NUS business students. It's not bad actually; the mussels taste foul but the cream sauce's generous & quite palatable.

Nothing said matters really, because this place closes TOMORROW (30/10/15). After competing more than a year with Reedz Café, it's time for Late Plate to become the late Late Plate.

Come Here: Not even if you wanted to. (CLOSED)

The Short Review

Price Range: $14-$20

Nearest MRT: one-north

Instagrammability: Moderate -
Decent lighting for its more recognizable DC figurine petri-dishes.

Food:
1) Sambal Prawn Paste Burger [$13.90]
Would've preferred more of the prawn paste flavour than sambal to come through, but the chicken's amply tender & marinated. Salad's okay, but the varying textures of the accompanying criss-cut fries ranged from acceptable to impenetrable with a fork.

2) Mushroom Soup [add $5.40 set]
Slightly above expectations; not out of place in a mid-level hotel buffet spread.

3) Hot Chocolate [add $5.40 set]
From the last visit, no change.

If nearby joints One Man Coffee or Bread Yard are too light on portion & price for you, while Envy's not necessarily better, its revamped menu does offer fuller meals.

Come Here: Maybe?