Technically we went to Beanstro on that 19th Jan after we went to the SG Handmade Movement. The branch we went to was the one at Ngee Ann City, the one with Takashimaya. Mind you, this is our experience with Beanstro for that day and it was awesome.
A few notes, Beanstro is the fancier version of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. It’s got more food than their regular cafes. From the moment at this post, we only know that there’s one at Marina Bay Sands and just this one at Ngee Ann City. That’s it.
Also, wanted to put in the whole menu of Beanstro in this post but decided it was too much so heck that. You’ll get the price range idea with what we ordered cause we ordered quite a bit anyway!
Click to enlarge pictures as always.
Now, let’s get to it.
Mozarella fritters with tomato salsa ($7). This was a side but we had it as a starter because we all knew I liked cheese and good grief. It’s freaking mozarella. Best to eat it while it is hot and do try it with the salsa. It’s too much for one person because it does start to get to you for eating that much mozarella.
Yeah ok. We were hungry that day, OKAY? Skinny fries with mesquite aioli ($6). If there’s a side to share or eat by yourself, this is the one. It’s been highly rated by a heck load of reviews and other people. The sauce, oh my goodness. The mesquite aioli is such an addictive delicious sauce. You will want to dip your fries in it and no lie, we finished them both.
When in doubt, get the skinny fries with mesquite aioli.
Sides range from $5 to $9 where the most expensive one is calamari with dill honey mustard. I don’t like calamari so you guys tell me how it is if you chose to eat that.
French toast ($11), Breakfast steak and eggs ($19)Â and the Beanstro breakfast platter ($18).
You can’t see from that angle but there’s strawberries above those banana slices. The french toast is made of soft brioche soaked with egg then cooked, sprinkled with white icing sugar and cinnamon. It’s sweet and lovely and somehow such a cute dish. Get it if you’re not TOO hungry but want something that will satiate you.
For the breakfast steak and eggs, do tell the server how you would like your steak cooked. Buttered baguette, corn… The sweetness of the blackcurrant onion bulb cuts through the taste of the bearnaise sauce covering the steak and egg.
Ok, technically it should be called steak and egg since it’s singular but that sounds so weird.
The last one there is the Beanstro breakfast platter. You can have your eggs the way you like it. Scrambled or sunny side up, that’s up to you. Chipotle sausages, turkey bacon, marinated tomatoes, buttered baguette and mushroom ragout. Hungry? Get this. In fact, it is a tough choice between their steak and eggs and breakfast platter if you want something super substantial.
If you want more meat, go with the steak and eggs (obviously) but if you want a more varied palate of tastes, go for the breakfast platter.
Cod fish ($26). While the dish is so unimaginatively titled, I wouldn’t know what else to call it. I’d probably call it “HNNGHGHHH OH MY GOODNESS THIS. EAT THIS” instead so it’s best that this was called Cod Fish on the menu. Interestingly, this is what the description is on the menu:
Pan-seared Chilean cod with mashed potatoes and sauteed greens in a seafood broth.
Yeah ok.
What they didn’t tell you was that the fish was cooked beautifully, the cod flaked easily at the piercing of my fork. Yet, the skin was crispy that I wonder, did they use a blowtorch for this? Cause it was not overcooked yet they could get that specific crunch for the top. The greens with the bed of mashed potatoes with the seafood broth was sweet. Whoever cooked this was experienced because too long or too short of a cooking time, this would have been so meh.
And now, after typing that, I revisit the memory of my cod fish and want to eat it again. Darn it.
I called dibs on the Bread & Butter Pudding ($9). I’ve always been fond of bread and butter pudding because it’s so simple yet it can be quite complex when you think about it. If you ever mess up a bread and butter pudding, shaaaaaaaaaaaaame and sadnessss.
Thus, Beanstro brought HONOUR BY MAKING THE MOST GORGEOUS BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING I have tasted. It was GLORIOUS. It was soft and the pudding wasn’t too milky either. So they got the balance right with this. It is not too sweet nor too plain. While we all shared desserts, this was my main pick of the lot.
By the way, the desserts that we ordered had the strawberries and strawberry/orange sauce to go with it with a little almond biscuit wafer thing stuck in the whipped cream. So that is their style.
Tiramisu ($10) was Mintea’s choice. It was coffee, it was biscuity, it was creamy. We didn’t take a “layer” picture once we all dug in because we just dug in. This is one of the better tiramisu-s I have tasted. Mintea totally approved of this too. So if you really like the coffee with mascarpone cheese with a bottom layer of biscuits, this is it.
Also, if you are trying out other desserts, taste the tiramisu last or clean your palate because the coffee is strong.
There was a hush of silence as the creme brulee ($10) was placed on our table. After taking pictures, I got the honour of using my fork. Creme brulee is french for burnt cream and we wanted to know if it was brulee-ed enough. The silence and then I tapped my fork on the surface, piercing through the exterior and yes it made a cracking sound as I pushed through into pale yellow custard.
Oh gosh.
It is not too sweet but a more subtle neutral taste of “Yes, this is creme brulee. I am eating it”. It won’t make you jelak. It easy to plow through it, dipping your fork or spoon now and then to savour it.
If you’re the type that doesn’t want too strong flavours for your dessert, this creme brulee should be for you. You can eat it with the sauce or whip cream if you want a tangier or sweeter flavour but this is it. The base taste that makes you appreciate what all you have eaten.
This is how they serve their teas. Hot tea is their usual price like in all their cafes. While you only saw what we just ate there, they have salads, sandwiches, quiches, chicken roasts and a few more desserts.
Naturally they would have their usual signature tea or coffee ice blended drinks too. Whatever you usually have at their CBTLs are there.
The service that day for us was great! Good grief, they served the mains pretty much nearly at the same time for everyone? Except mine cause mine was the cod fish and that took longer to cook but woah. It was fast service. I think the staff was more amused that us bunch of girls ate all that and were SUPER appreciative of the food because it was good.
We are totally coming back to Beanstro. It’ll be a difficult choice in wanting to try something new and wanting to eat something we know we already like.
In the words of Adele, “WE COULD HAVE HAD IT ALL” but no, we’d probably be stuffed if we did it.
