Apricus Cafe Review: New All-Day Brunch Cafe In Sengkang By People Behind The Populus

Apricus Cafe in Sengkang

Apricus Cafe has just opened its doors only a couple of days ago, showcasing an extensive menu of all-day brunch mains, desserts, sides, and coffee. If you’ve dined at the relatively long-standing cafe, The Populus at Outram, you’ll be happy to know that the food at Apricus is equally impressive, as it is founded by the same group.

Food at Apricus Cafe

Expect brunch mains to go beyond just the typical all-day breakfast platter—though they do have an All Day Big Breakkie ($26+)—featuring pasta, burgers, soft serve and more. 

I must say the Apricus French Toast ($22+) caught my eye, with its towering roasted rice soft serve, dressed in colourful fresh flowers and fruits. This is a course to endorse as the milky soft serve was an excellent accompaniment to the soft vanilla brioche toast. That being said, the pool of butterscotch sauce atop the toast did throw the otherwise addictive dish a little off-kilter with its sweetness.

We also tried the Norwegian Salmon Brown Butter Linguine ($23+), a must-try when visiting the cafe for the first time. The hefty portion of salmon was well-seared and cooked medium-well, with a tender and beautiful pink in the centre—as it should be.

Instead of swimming in a pool of sauce, each pasta strand was evenly coated with a nutty and creamy beurre noisette, along with a dusting of shio kombu that added a nice depth of umami to the dish.

Saving the best for the last, another must-try is their humbly named side: the Crispy Potato Stack ($12+). Take a bite of these Russet potato cubes and you’ll realise that they are actually made of thinly sliced potato tightly pressed together.

Behind this dish is an arduous and labour-intensive process, as you’ve to first run heaps of potatoes through a mandolin, cook them with butter and salt, press them down into cubes, and bake them in the oven till the sides are crisp. The end result is a butter bomb that’s crispy on the outside and almost melt-in-the-mouth on the inside. 

Let’s not forget to mention that every piece of potato is also made even more remarkable thanks to a sprinkling of the cafe’s ‘crack seasoning’.

Cafe lovers looking to get a caffeine fix are likewise in good hands. The coffee at Apricus was as good as I remembered the coffee at The Populus to be. Just like the food, the coffee is also reminiscent of those that you’ll find at cafes in Australia. Enjoy a robust yet smooth 6oz White ($6.50+), along with an IG-worthy latte art—maybe a charming seahorse if you’re lucky.

Ambience at Apricus Cafe

Unlike many cafes in Singapore, Apricus is actually considerably large with a capacity to accommodate more than 15 groups of diners. While the area nearer to the barista counter felt a little tacky with its fairy light fixtures hanging above, the area towards the back looked more like an aesthetic cafe that’s right up my alley. It has hanging plants and a shaded skylight roof for filtered natural light to stream through. 

The verdict

There’s just one pain point if you’re paying Apricus cafe a visit: you have to take a backbreaking journey to Sengkang. There aren’t any MRT stations nearby, so be prepared to take a bus, a walk, or a car-owning friend with you to the cafe. Alternatively, take the Sengkang LRT to Thanggam LRT Station and you’ll find yourself a five-minute walk away. 

This new kid on the block felt more like a restaurant than a cafe as the service was warm, the food was great, and the prices were steep but rightfully so. I’ll probably make a return when I’m in the area or looking for a place with good food to share.

If you’re looking for more new cafes to check out, read our Whisking Bakes review for a variety of taro desserts, or our ASPA review for quality Asian-Spanish food in the East!

Address: 248 Jalan Kayu, Singapore 799472
Opening hours: Mon, Wed-Thurs 10am to 6pm, Fri 10am to 9pm, Sat-Sun 9am to 9pm
Website
Apricus Cafe is not a halal-certified eatery, but their food contains no pork or lard.

Photos taken by Chiara Ang and edited by Melvin Mak.
This is an independent review by Eatbook.sg.