Cafe ☕🍵

Common Man Fluffy Pancakes ($24)
I was honestly really excited for the pancakes, considering these were thick! The pancakes came with caramelised bananas and walnuts, salted caramel sauce, nutty crumble & berry coulis. Ngl this didn't taste like a pancake, but more like a cakey texture, which was dense and slightly dry esp at parts without the sauce. It also got jelak so you gotta share this.

Kinda expected more for the price, and I'd defo prefer some fluffy pancakes for brunch! Their other dishes might be better tho!

Overall Rating: 6/10

It was extremely crowded during brunch on weekends, but since it was near the area we decided to give their food a try.

Croissant Croque Monsieur ($18)
Look at that cheese! This croissant was filled with Ham, Bechamel & aged cheddar cheese. Certainly a hearty option for brunch, and it's a combination of flavours and texture that can't really go wrong. The portion might not be enough for some though!

We picked Maple Syrup & Earl Grey Icecream, and I have to say this was really pretty! NGL I don't have high expectations of instagrammable food, because most of the time it's just for the gram, but this surprised me! The waffles were crispy, and the maple syrup added good flavour as well. Only qualm is it might be a tad sweet for some.

Angus Beef, Brioche Bun, Smoked Cheddar, Bacon, Sunny Egg, Fries, Pink Onion, BBQ sauce. Personally quite enjoyed this burger - because although the ingredients sounded simple, the flavours came together pretty well. I liked that the smoked cheddar flavour was evident, and the beef patty was thick but not dry, and was well-seasoned. Fries also remained crispy throughout - a good side to have!

This was pretty creamy with a good strong mushroom flavour, and linguine was also cooked al-dente! Only wouldn't mind an even stronger truffle flavour here! 🤭

@dvinecafe_sg recently opened 1 month ago just opposite Chye Seng Huat, and beside Sweet Cheeks at Lavender!

Mains
🌟 Creamy Baked Mac & Cheese ($15)
This was our our favourite dish that night. The cheese crust was flavourful, and beneath it was really cheesy, creamy, molten cheese that coated the well-baked Mac, making it such a great dish to have, and share.

🥯 Portobello Truffle Bagel (V) ($15)
+$1 for Gruyère bagel
Toasted bagel with roasted Portobello mushroom, arugula, black truffle cream cheese.
We bought one Bagel to try since we came during lunch time and was really hungry 🤭. NGL we were expecting a much larger portion, but flavourwise the Portobello mushroom was pretty flavourful. The Black Truffle Cream Cheese could do with more truffle flavour tho!

There are many other exciting affogato flavours to choose from, and I was really spoilt for choice trying to pick just 2 from the menu 🤭. Definitely recommend coffee (and matcha) lovers to give their affogatos a try!

Smoked Salmon Hash ($22)
This came with 2 poached eggs, and a generous amount of smoked salmon on top of crispy rosti, topped with Tobiko! The smoked salmon was slightly salty, but had a nice flavour too, altho it did overpower the rosti flavour a little.

Overall a nice place to chill at, and you might need to queue for seats during weekends & lunch timings. Much preferred the vibes over the food, so go with managed expectations!

Overall Rating: 7/10

Established in 2013, @knockhousecafe is located a few minutes walk from Upper Thomson MRT. Previously known as Pacamara, they have rebranded to Knockhouse Cafe since 2020.

Mentaiko Mac and Cheese ($20)
Slightly cheesy and creamy, but would prefer a much stronger Mentaiko flavour and more generous sauce! Didn't particularly enjoy the chicken that was within because of the texture and flavour.

Delicious Rosti w/ Egg & Sausage ($9.90)
Thought this looked promising, but we were pretty shocked to find the potato to be undercooked. It was literally crunchy (not crispy) - similar to biting into raw or semi-raw potatoes. Was left confused, and I'm really not sure if it was just their bad day I chanced upon? :')

There'll always be a long queue during the weekends especially if you come slightly later - because this American-style retro Diner serves up breakfast/ brunch food just a few minutes walk from Serangoon MRT.

All Star Plate ($12.90)
Scrambled eggs, sausage, baked beans, cherry tomatoes, hashbrown, wild mushrooms, bacon
(+$2 for pancakes)
I was honestly looking forward to the pancakes, but these were kinda dry, and they sprinkled cinnamon on top of the pancakes here. Not a taste I'm used to, ngl I'd rather have McDonald's :'). I did enjoy the sausage, and although it was slightly hard, the flavour was there. Best component of the entire dish is honestly just their "hashbrowns".

Black Goma Latte Iced ($8+)
Tbh this was more milky rather than the gao (thick) black ssm flavour I was expecting. Personally much prefer it to be more grainy and stronger in flavour - so this is not really worth its price.