Simple Cafe Review: Charming Cafe Near Bugis With Dainty Desserts And Taiwan Vibes

Simple Cafe in Crawford Lane for cakes and pastries

Previously located in the West, Simple Cafe has now moved to Lavender where it occupies the unit previously taken up by Olsen Bakehouse. The cafe is known for their dainty Taiwan-style pastries with unique flavours such as wintermelon. While they’ve recently launched a hot food menu, their fluffy bakes are what you should come down for!

Food at Simple Cafe

My eyes were drawn towards the Lemon Cake ($9+), which, despite its name, looked more like a tart. There was also a mini lemon pound cake sitting on top of the pastry.

The lemon curd had a runny, custard-like texture with a good sweet-to-sour ratio. I wasn’t a big fan of the mini pound cake as it did not offer much taste-wise, but it did give the tart an elevated look.

We also had the Wintermelon Cake ($9+)—choux with lemon curd, watermelon cream, and brown sugar jelly. Visually, the puff was cute and looked like it was wearing a small hat!

I found the choux to be light and puffy with a thin, crispy exterior. The winter melon cream was also light in texture and taste, which allowed the sweetness of the brown sugar jelly to shine through.

The cafe also has a new hot food menu with breakfast sets, bagels, and soups. We tried the Simple Breakfast ($17+), which came with eggs, chicken cheese sausages, and salad. Pick your choice of bread and egg; you get to choose from a bagel, croissant, brioche bread, or sourdough toast, and scrambled eggs or sunny-side up.

While the sausage was juicy and oozed with cheese, I thought it could have benefited from a touch of salt. Nonetheless, the savoury sausage paired well with the tangy jam. As for our chosen bread, the sourdough, it was on the chewy side and did not have much tang. Upon spreading some butter on the slices of toast, the knife made a satisfying sound, which instantly proved how crispy the crust was.

I liked how the scrambled eggs were soft and fluffy, but would have preferred if they were more salty. Perhaps, they would have tasted better if they were paired with a creamy sauce. Or maybe the eggs were meant to taste more plain so as to let the sourdough shine. 

For drinks, we ordered the Lemon Wintermelon ($6.50+), a refreshing beverage that’s made in-house. The drink was more sour than sweet and got increasingly acidic as I stirred the slice of lime. Here, the wintermelon flavours took a back seat and were subtler than the zesty lime.

Ambience at Simple Cafe

Just like its name, Simple Cafe sports a simple, minimalist interior with wooden accents. Upon stepping into the cafe, we immediately felt a sense of homeliness among the lively chatter. Some customers even brought along their books and laptops for their cuppa! There’s also a retail section where you can pick up some coffee beans and tableware for your home. But if all that and the food aren’t enough to keep you here, the vibey Jay Chou tunes most probably will.

Simple Cafe is a 10-minute walk from Lavender MRT Station.

The verdict

Simple Cafe is a great place to have brunch or tea. While their range of mains is limited, the unique desserts are worth coming down for. The Lemon Cake and Wintermelon Cake were both memorable, albeit rather pricey. If you’re looking to be temporarily transported to Taiwan, visiting this cafe would be a good and simple decision.

If you’re looking for more brunch cafes, read our Apricus Cafe review. For more food in Bugis, check out our 20 Bugis food places guide.

Address: 462A Crawford Lane, #01-73, Singapore 191462
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 9am to 6pm
Tel: 9618 1572
Website
Simple Cafe is not a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Casandra Nicholas and edited by Chew Yi En.
This was an independent review by Eatbook.sg