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Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Vanilla Bar & Cafe - Pork Belly Don, Mentaiko Pasta & Dirt Cake! @ No 3, Boon Tat Street

Voted one of the top five finalists for the Epicurean Star Award 2012 under the "Casual Dining" category, i was totally unaware of Vanilla Bar and Cafe until my sister decided to treat me for my birthday! 

Quaint little cafes are the rage nowadays and most have a similar setting; decor to reflect a very comfortable atmosphere. At Vanilla Cafe, it went a bit further; a nice vanilla fragrance surrounds you as soon as you step in! 

By the way, that pleasant aroma dissipates as more and more customers step in. For a truly enjoyable session, do visit before the noisy office crowd swarms in from 12 noon. 

Although the cafe was famous for serving great coffee and delicious sandwiches, there were more than just Western fares. You can also find a limited range of Japanese fusion food on the main or special menu. 

Mentaiko and Tobikko Pasta w Bacon Bits
Joyce, like me, didn't have any inkling on what to have but i remembered a blogger who could not resist mentaiko and hence, suggested this pasta.

Surprisingly, this was very flavourful (helped by the strong bacon bits and spicy fish roes) and definitely not as light as i expected a non-cream based pasta to be. 

The only disadvantage, as far as health goes, was the generous amount of oil residue at the end of the meal! Joyce was explaining it could likely be the olive oil which means it would not be as harmful. Well, i have my reservations.

Pork Belly Don w Soft Boiled Egg
Coming from a man who was complaining about excessive oil a moment ago, my order was the super fattening pork belly don! 

Why did i request for a Japanese don in a cafe? Simply because i was in the mood to have Japanese. In fact, i have been craving for Japanese cuisine for the longest time. 

The soft boiled resulted in a consistency that was wet, sticky and thick; conditions complementing  the juicy pork belly that could have better benefited from a longer searing. 

I licked clean the whole don! Yet, i could not help comparing this to the super epic Katsudon at Ginza Bairin.

Vanilla Dirt Cake
Our dessert for the day; the visually unappetising dirt cake. 

To most of us, the novel presentation appeared realistic (albeit as a fake plant with two gummy worms) and if you ever serve this cake for an event, the likelihood of your guests brushing it off as a decorative item is very high. 

Taste wise, i wasn't sold. It was clearly just an uninspiring Oreo ice cream cake topped with Oreo crumbs looking like dirt in a pot.

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Location
3, Boon Tat Street, #01-01
[Near to historical Thian Hock Keng temple] 

Map
As above


Website


Price
Mentaiko Pasta - S$16.90
Pork Belly Don - S$14.90
Dirt Cake - S$9.50
[Subject to Service Charge. No GST]

Additional Information
Closed on Sundays! 

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