As much as I love my hawker fare, an occasional brunch with the girls is one of my favourite ways to spend the weekend. So I headed down to The Marmalade Pantry at Oasia Hotel Downtown with an eager heart, hoping I could add this popular CBD cafe to my list of must-visit cafes with my girls.
My brunch started with the Whipped Feta Brulée ($18++), starring a plate of feta mixed with cream cheese, then topped with colourful ingredients that reminded me of Christmas: pomegranate, chopped pistachio, and dates. You also get two slices of sourdough to dip them in the velvety smooth mixture.
This dish tasted exactly like it looked—creamy, cheesy, and slightly sweet and tart thanks to the pomegranate jewels. There wasn’t much to shout about, but it made for a great sharing dish to have with my colleague nonetheless.
Their Beef & Potatoes ($30++) though, was incredibly delicious and memorable. This gorgeous dish saw Australian smoked beef brisket atop white bean puree, then joined with baby potatoes, arugula, chimichurri, and a key ingredient: roasted grapes.
Every cube of meat was tender and well-seasoned, which came as no surprise after I learned that the beef was brined for about 10 hours with salt, pepper, sugar, and onion powder, and then smoked for another 10. Also, I thought the addition of chimichurri and roasted grapes was really smart: the former gave the dish more personality with its flavourful blend of shallot, garlic, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar, while the latter added some natural sweetness to the savoury dish.
Moving on to toasts, the No Avo Avo Toast ($22++) was nothing like the other avocado toasts I’ve tried. This stunning garden-on-a-toast featured a sourdough slice with a special avo spread, topped with zucchini, edamame, stracciatella, and candied walnuts.
I write “special” as the base wasn’t just made of avocado, but a tasty blend of other ingredients including green zucchini, baby spinach, leeks, chickpeas, and roasted garlic. This medley gave the spread a full-bodied flavour that was distinctly different from the otherwise simple and buttery taste of avocados.
And it’d be remiss of me not to talk about the candied walnuts as this was the star ingredient that took the avo dish to the next level. These walnuts underwent a laborious process of being coated in sugar and then deep-fried, before they were sprinkled with some sea salt and sesame seeds! They were indispensable, adding textural variety and a lovely caramelised aftertaste.
Alas, I didn’t enjoy the Crab & Chili Scramble ($30++) as much as the avo toast. Here, you get sourdough toast topped with scrambled eggs mixed with chilli jam, crab meat seasoned with tarragon butter, and coriander leek salad on the side.
I really liked the idea of having chilli jam and crab in the scrambled eggs as the combination sounded like a breath of fresh air, but unfortunately, it was slightly too briny for my liking. Thankfully, the salad helped to mellow down the intense flavours, and I could still enjoy the delicate and buttery crab meat with it.
Now, time for desserts. Their Croissant French Toast ($18++) was a great finale to my meal as it was the perfect balance of sweet and tangy. You can expect two butter croissants soaked in custard and house-made ginger yuzu marmalade, then steam-baked to resemble French toast. They are then adorned with poached plums and chantilly cream as the finishing touches.
It’s been a while since I’ve been to a cafe that serves poached plums as they aren’t the most common choice of fruit for desserts in Singapore. The tangy plums tasted even better when joined with the viscous ginger yuzu marmalade, which thankfully was sweeter than sour.
Alternatively, there’s also the Skillet Pancake ($24++) for your consideration. This pancake is beautifully topped with fresh berries, a house-made berry jam, some granola, and chantilly cream. The only downside we had with this dessert was that the pancake was a tad dense and heavy after a filling meal.
The cafe is nestled within Oasia Hotel Downtown, which is a quick two-minute walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT Station. You get lots of natural sunlight here thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows, and seats are aplenty catering to hectic lunch crowds and weekend brunch-seekers. Plus, service is top-notch with an efficient team of staff here!
If you ever need an inviting space to welcome guests or treat your loved ones to a decent meal, The Marmalade Pantry is one for the books. Given that the cafe is conveniently located in the CBD, I can imagine the space to be ideal for corporate meals too!
For more eats in the area, read our Fortuna Singapore review, where we had wood-fired pizzas made by a famous pizza chef. Alternatively, check out Charim Korean BBQ for solid Korean fare.
Address: 100 Peck Seah Street, #01-01, Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore 079333
Opening hours: Daily 11:30am to 10pm
Website
The Marmalade Pantry is not a halal-certified eatery.
Photos taken by Maisie Chong.
This was a media tasting at The Marmalade Pantry.
Summary
Pros:
– Delicious Beef & Potatoes and No Avo Avo Toast
– Great location
Cons:
– Crab & Chili Scramble was too briny
– Skillet Pancake was slightly dense for a dessert
Recommended dish: Beef & Potatoes ($30++), No Avo Avo Toast ($22++)
Address: 100 Peck Seah Street, #01-01, Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore 079333
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