October 10, 2013

The Providore ~ A Gourmet Café At Mandarin Gallery, Orchard Road



Conceptualized by the guys behind Jones The Grocer, The Providore is first known for their retail warehouse at Tan Boon Liat Building carrying its local brand of specially developed gourmet delights, as well as an exclusive selection of finest products carefully curated from around the world. Their café debuted soon after at Mandarin Gallery, right in the heart of bustling Orchard Road. With such an convenience of location near my office, it's no excuse not to pop over to The Providore café for a visit.


I like what I saw as my footsteps approached the gourmet café. Outfitted with exposed light fixtures, wooden elements, metal furnishings and rustic white panels, the look is simple, modern and timeless, or if you prefer me to summarize it in one term, that would be industrial chic. The bright, spacious space radiates an inviting vibe, a soothingly perfect setting for having a quiet lunch or restful coffee timeout from the stretch of retail heaven below. The Providore's coffee beans are roasted and blended locally, exclusively supplied by Toby's Estate.


The retail shelves caught my attention with its rows and rows of colorfully packaged gourmet supplies! It's easy to fall into spending temptation with the attractive smorgasbord selection of The Providore tea, jams, chocolates and pasta sauces and even made-in-Japan tea cups. I wanna buy it all and at the same time, stuff myself silly with those in-house specialty cakes, pastries and artisan breads on display lol!! Fortunately, the spirit is strong in restraining the wilful imagination, and I was quickly subdued with some sensible choices for a mid-day meal.


The food is inspired by Providore's own product range, together with the freshest seasonal ingredients. Adopting an all day dining concept means a continuous offering of food, albeit different menus, throughout their opening hours: Breakfast (9am-12pm), Lunch (12pm-3pm) and Dinner (3pm-11pm). Brunch is only served on weekends and public holidays. Not wanting to fall into the mode of heavy lunch food coma, we shared a Poached Salmon Nicoise Salad ($18.50) and Steak Sandwich ($14.50).


The salad was delightfully healthy and refreshing! Love the soft buttery salmon and the medley of crisp greens, french beans, black olives, capers, baby tomatoes, potatoes in citrusy vinaigrette dressing. The pair of poached quail eggs was impossibly cute! Our choice of sandwich was equally delectable and provided a more substantial bite. Each mouthful was a scrumptious combination of warmed toasted focaccia bread, grilled bavette steak, crispy bacon, melted gruyere and baby spinach with balsamic onion jam and whole grain green mustard. This was simply delicious and highly satisfying!

The waiting time for food can be shorter and service can be friendlier, but it's not gonna stop me from coming to The Providore again for their tasty steak sandwich and to try out the brunch items. Prices are reasonable and the ambience is good. I'd be back.



The Providore Mandarin Gallery
Address: 333A Orchard Road, Mandarin Gallery #02-05, Singapore 238897
Contact: +65 67321565
Website: http://www.theprovidore.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheProvidoreMandarinGallery
Opening Hours: 9am-11pm Daily


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