The Gal Dines: Cakes in Singapore

A friend and myself decided to take a half day just to hang out and have coffee at Orchard Road. How luxurious is that! However due to our busy schedules that's the only way to catch up. She suggested Orchard Central, a perfect place for those wanting peace and quiet in the heart of Orchard Road. And I decided on Dean and Deluca, a place I tried the year before. It is a perfect dine in and chill out place for an afternoon of rest. With chairs spaced far out for privacy of conversation. One could choose to sit in the main dining area or along the lane where shelves of Dean and Deluca dried purchases can be made. A pity that we had to collect our own orders, which cuts down the serving for the staff, but if one ordered multiple items that came at different times, you could literally get a workout bringing food back and forth. Nicely enough, one of the staff heard my gently worded comment and served our mains after having already made 2 trips for drinks and soup.

Because it was a weekday we did had a wide variety of salad, pie, cakes and bread to choose from. I tried the set lunch which came with cauliflower soup and charcoal bread (which was superb), crab cakes (which was a little hard and overly crispy on the outside). My friend had a sandwich with thick stabs of ham and a lovely tasty side of fries. Lunch was good, as one would expect with such a brand name as Dean and Deluca.

We ended lunch with a lovely moist carrot cake and tea. Definitely a place I would come back again with friends if we wanted a good quiet conversation and hearty food in the heart of Orchard Road.

Dean and Deluca
Orchard Central #04-23
MRT: Somerset

Opening Hours:
11am - 10pm

Dean and Deluca Crab Cake

Dean and Deluca Carrot Cake

Considering that Katong is well known for its wide selection of food, and many who reside there tend to be foodies, it is quite a surprise there isn't a whole chain of cafes sprouting out in the East. One of the better known cafes that has an endless stream of customers is Penny University. They don't have fancy coffee, just plain Eespresso with or without milk. However the froth is well done, and it does not have the strong acidic aftertaste as I have tasted in other coffee joints like Toby's Estate or Department of Caffeine.

Coffee is served with breakfast eggs or pick from a wide selection of cakes. What is a winner is the cakes that make choosing a tough choice. We finally chose the zucchini and coconut cake as it sounded exotic and something not commonly found in other cafes.

I like the very relaxed air about Penny University even though the place has an endless stream of visitors, even a queue forming outside in the hot weather. The vibe is so different from the to-be-seen cafes like Common Man. I even saw cyclists decked in their gear with bikes coming in for a cuppa before continuing their ride.

Personally I was not so impressed with the eggs, perhaps because I was too adventurous and tried the Turkish eggs which had some exotic sauce with eggs and yogurt. Prefer the breakfast fare at the Plain or Common Man any day!

I definitely think the East has still great potential for cafes and do hope to see more coming up soon.

Penny University
402 East Coast Road
Singapore 428997
Tel: 6765 4531

Opening Hours:
Tues-Thur 8.30am-6pm
Fri-Sat 8.30am-12am
Sun 8.30am-9pm