April 17, 2014

My Awesome Café 真棒堂 @ Telok Ayer Street



I stopped and took a double look to see if I've arrived at the correct place, just to be sure. In front of my eyes is the facade of a shophouse unit which used to house Chung Hwa Free Clinic, but the spacious interior of high ceiling and bare cement walls is now fitted with vintage furniture, retro knick-knacks and people are seen having their cuppa. Yes, this is indeed my intended lunch venue, one of the best new cafés which my friends have been raving about - My Awesome Café 真棒堂!

Even before stepping into this latest hipster hangout along the bustling Telok Ayer street (near to Tanjong Pagar mrt station), I already like its nostalgia and laidback vibes. Some places try very hard to be cool, My Awesome Café effortlessly drips of awesome attractiveness.


This must be the most awesome post I've ever written, waxing lyrical about My Awesome Café in every other line lol. But it is indeed awesome in most parts! What else would you expect from an establishment where the team even confidently declares "I AM awesome" on their tees?

One of the awesome people you see in this photo here is Franck Hardy, who set up this cafe with a group of entrepreneurial friends, bringing together their vast experience in F&B and hotels. What they share is the same passion - they want to create a café where food is yummy, deco is cool and where customers share the same feeling: "That's an awesome place, a place where I belong!"


My Latte ($4.50), brewed from a blend of Columbia, Brazil and Sumatra coffee beans, was not the most awesome cup I've ever drank, but decent. My dining companions ordered Pineapple Crush ($8), which was as refreshing as it sounds. I took a sip (with permission ok haha) and I love it!

The specially crafted menu of mainly salads, sandwiches, croissants and scrambled eggs is kept concise with the focus placed on freshness and quality ingredients. Baked goods are churned out each morning by kitchen staffs who starts their day as early as 5am, dips and dressings are all made in-house as well. I always give plus points to business which puts in such efforts instead of going the convenient route of using mostly supplied products. There is more sincerity. Can you feel it too?


For an utmost satisfying munch, I would highly recommend My Awesome Salad ($15)! Certainly healthy but a no less tasty protein-packed threesome of smoked salmon, herbs chicken breast and duck rillettes, with avocado, tomatoes and crisp mesclun specially flown in from Australia. The dressing, made from Franck's grandma's homemade recipe, was light on the palate. Though the chicken breast was a tad dry, it became such a delight when paired with creaminess of the avocado. Duck rillettes was wonderfully tender and luscious with right note of saltiness. Awesome factor: Max!

But I must confessed we didn't finish the bread which came with the salad, finding it a tad hard for our liking. That's also why our Spicy Beef Sandwich ($14) suffered from the same fate. Perhaps we took too long with the photo-taking, as it was later explained that the texture of the bread was supposed to be crisp. The basil pesto spread was fantastic though, I ate more bread than intended because of its deliciousness!


The attentiveness of Franck made him noticed that we had left the Smoked Salmon Quiche ($9.50) untouched for quite awhile so he offered to heat it up again to ensure us of a warmer bite (thumbs up for his service!). It did make a positive difference to the savory egg custard pastry but I thought it could do with more moisture and a thinner crust.

One thing you wouldn't find at My Awesome Café is photogenic desserts like cupcakes, but good old-school classics such as Pineapple Upside Down Cake ($5) and Bread & Butter Pudding ($5) instead. We decided on the soft Mango Upside Down Cake ($5) and indulged in the richness of chocolatey Brownie ($5) which just need a dollop of ice cream by the side to make it perfect. Do check out their chalk board for what's available daily.

The use of vintage amber glass plates adds another alluring touch to this already awesome café. Ambience is great and I'd certainly return for more of its awesomeness!



My Awesome Café 真棒堂
Address: 202 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore 068639
Contact: +65 84280102
Website: http://www.myawesomecafe.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myawesomecafesingapore
Opening Hours: Mon-Tue 7.45am-9pm / Wed-Fri 7.45am-12am / Sat-Sun 10am-3pm


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