Black & White Caffebar @ The Plaza, Beach Road ~ Fantastic Paninis!

Nothing beats the convenience of grabbing a sandwich for lunch especially during those times when work gets too busy and whips out its invisible chain slaving me to my laptop. Well, that's how I've always viewed sandwiches - no more than a necessity to fill up my hungry tummy - until I tasted the paninis from Black & White at Caffebar at The Plaza (formerly known as "Furniture Mall") along Beach Road. Its paninis are fantastically delicious!

When Derrick invited me to join Nat and him at Black & White Caffebar, I wasn't expecting much at all. I went because I was more keen on catching up with them my friends rather than the food, so whichever dinner venue doesn't really matter.

Let's be honest, the black and white themed caffebar is not situated in exactly the most exciting of locations, nor does it screamed "hipster" in any way. I believe its existence is to mainly serve the office crowd and Pan Pacific serviced apartment residents nearby with its repertoire of salads, soups, pastas and of course..... their specialty paninis.

Bread definitely does not stir my senses like how chicken wings does, but the paninis here at Black & White Caffebar are really worth the L.O.V.E. For the uninitiated, paninis literally means "little breads" in Italian and are essentially assembled sandwiches that are usually heated on a grill before serving.

Black & White Caffebar uses mostly ciabiatta bread sourced from an Italian restaurant in the east of Singapore. And boy, what difference it makes when one take the effort to use fresh and good quality bakes for the paninis! The ciabatta itself was soft with a crusty outer, utterly enjoyable especially when paired with my favorite combination of Wild Mushroom with Melted Cheese ($7.20). Warm and aromatic with earthy notes of spongy mushrooms, this panini proved that you do not need to pile on a whole load of ingredients to make it relishable. What a simple blissful delight in every bite!

But it's also not to say that I didn't enjoyed the ingredients-packed Roast Beef Panini ($11.80, tenderloin with avocado, tomato relish, cheese, lettuce with BBQ sauce) and Herb-grilled Chicken Panini ($8.50, chicken breast, zucchini, tomato, lettuce, avocado and red onions with mayonnaise sauce). The paninis were well-complemented with sauces that are all made in-house and gave a light, clean and wholesome taste. I felt healthier already.

Other choices of filling includes perennial favorites such as Smoked Salmon ($9.80), Tuna Mayo ($7.50), Baked Ham & Cheese ($7.50), as well as vegetarian options like Pesto Grilled Veggies ($7.20) and Egg Mayo ($6.50). Prices are not out-of-the-norm and best, there's no service charge or GST.

We also tried the appetite whetting Tomato Soup ($6). Baked Wild Mushroom Pasta with Cream & Cheese (9.80) was a comforting dish with a homey taste but the penne could be cooked more al-dente. Not to say they're not nice, but not exactly memorable either, though it does provide a dash of variety to an otherwise paninis centric menu.

A selection of sweet nibbles like brownies and carrot cakes are available too, they didn't looked appealing in the display counter and tastewise, it's still much to be desired. Can save your calories until the caffebar decides to change supplier. My Latte ($4/$4.50), made with coffee beans from local roaster Highlander, was nicely balanced and decent.

Black & White Caffebar's mission is to bring us delicious meals, made simply and wholeheartedly. Overall, I think they have managed it well. Don't missed the fantastic paninis if you are in the area.

Black & White Caffebar
Address: 7500A Beach Road, #B1-305 The Plaza, Singapore 199591
Contact: +65 62941163
Website: http://www.bwcaffebar.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlackWhiteCaffebar?ref=br_tf
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-8pm / Sat 9am-3pm / Sun & PH Closed