Tag Archives: Bukit Timah

KARA Cafe and Dessert Bar – Bukit Timah Road

Bukit Timah road has shophouses situated at frequent intervals along its length. One such pretty cafe is KARA Cafe and Dessert Bar, tucked away in the cluster near Coronation Plaza. The team behind Sogurt have opened this cafe and its all-day dining menu will appeal to visitors instantly. The warm hues of the interiors, wooden furniture, and long mirrors on the walls add to the aesthetic appeal of this quaint cafe. The cafe is perfect for a weekend brunch or a quick catch-up with a small group of friends. If you are alone and looking to grab some grub, you can settle in a cozy corner of the cafe with a novel and watch passers-by.

Kara Cafe

Kara Cafe


Kara Cafe

Kara Cafe

The Orders
The menu consists of grain bowls, toasties and snacks along with some desserts. The menu is focused on being health conscious with no compromise on taste. We ordered the Tomato Soup to begin our brunch. In a twist on the classic comforting soup, the tomatoes are smoked before being puréed. The soup has a thicker consistency and pairs well with cheese toasties. The Kara version was well-flavored and a befitting start to the meal.

Tomato Soup

Tomato Soup at $5


As recommended by the staff, the signature Kara dish for vegetarians would be the ‘Classic Grilled Cheese Toasties’. The cheese blend and zesty sweet pickle relish are sandwiched in sourdough and grilled to perfection. The caramelized top with gooey cheese will pull the strings of your heart with ease. Dab the toast gently into your bowl of soup and you are bound to relish this combination. Highly recommended.
Grilled Cheese Toasties

Classic Grilled Cheese Toasties at $10


To have a substantial meal, we ordered the ‘Taco Mexx’ grain bowl. For the vegetarians, this offering can be made without chicken. For the choice of grain base, we opted for the garlic Japanese rice which is the default version. For a healthy recharge, you can go for the fluffy quinoa salad. The grain bowl comes with the creamy avocado, chipotle salsa, crema, jalapeno and crisp corn tortilla chips. The freshness of the ingredients came to the forefront in this Mexican-inspired grain bowl. Do not miss this if you like these flavours.
Taco Mexx

Taco Mexx Grain Bowl at $14


The service can be improved since the meal came in dribs and drabs even when the cafe was not crowded. We received our dishes with at least a lag of 25 mins between both the dishes and the sandwich was served much before the soup. On the whole, if you are looking for a relaxed outing along with healthy and simple food, head to KARA Cafe and Dessert bar if you are in the area.

In a Nutshell Deelightful Rating
Cuisine Type: All-day dining ★★★
Nearest MRT: Tan Kah Kee
Address: 617 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 269718
Timings: Mon-Sun: 11am – 10pm
Website: https://www.karacafeanddessertbar.com/
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Boyle’s Coffee – Bukit Timah Plaza

Do not underestimate the power of the coffee, especially when its situated next to a taxi stand! Yes, that’s how I spotted the newly opened Boyle’s Coffee – when the wait for a cab seemed endless. Situated in the old shopping mall of Bukit Timah Plaza, Boyle’s Coffee lures you inside with its warm decor and robust coffee aroma. The seats are in the form of long communal tables which makes it great to strike up conversations with coffee aficionados.

boyles coffee

Boyle’s Coffee


boyles coffee

Boyle’s Coffee cake display

The Orders
They have a three page menu serving hot and cold coffees and light bites. Their cake display boasts of a variety of cakes with different flavours. Apart from the standard offerings, this artisanal cafe has a variety of specialty brews across the spectrum – from the Ethiopian and Kenyan beans to the adventurous Yuzu Latte. For the tea lovers, they have some TWG teas on the menu.

When I want the perfect coffee fix filled with warm flavors, I tend to go for the ‘Caramel Latte’. Since it was a rainy day, I ordered the hot version. This was well-made with the subtle flavor of caramel cutting through the thick creamy milk and foam layers and made me happy. The latte art was also very good. Highly recommended.

Hot Caramel Latte

Hot Caramel Latte at $6


What’s perfect with a good cup of coffee? The answer is a cake, especially when the cafe offers an assortment of them. I got drawn to the ‘Tiramisu Cake’ instantly due to its presentation. The checkered coffee effect on top with a mille crêpe bottom had immense visual appeal. Its on the lower side on the sweetness quotient and hence pairs well with coffee. On its own, I found it to be less sweet and a bit dry.
Tiramisu cake

Tiramisu cake at $7


In the form of vegetarian light bites they have the ‘Cheese Grilled Sandwich’ and the ‘Butter Jam Toast’. Savour the goodness of simple toast along with your cup of coffee or tea. I wish they had softened the butter before serving it.
butter jam toast

Butter and Jam Toast at $4


Boyle’s Coffee is famous for their cold water drip Dutch coffee which I definitely intend to try sometime soon. For their coffee quality, quick service and welcoming ambiance, Boyle’s Coffee is worth visiting.

In a Nutshell Deelightful Rating
Cuisine Type: Coffee and light bites ★★★1/2
Nearest MRT: Beauty World
Address: L1 Near Bukit Timah Plaza Taxi Stand, 1 Jalan Anak Bukit, Singapore 588996
Timings: Mon-Fri: 9.30am – 9.30pm ; Sat-Sun: 9am – 9.30pm
Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Boyles-Coffee/1135634869814118

Slappy Cakes – Grandstand

When you are racking your brains on what to do on the weekend with your kids, friends, or your SO, head over to Slappy Cakes situated in Grandstand in the Bukit Timah area. Here you can cook pancakes at your own table! The idea is to simply create, design and have loads of fun. Each table contains a high-quality non-stick griddle that is attached to the table.

The Orders
This make-it-yourself place has a variety of pancake batters to choose from – Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Wholegrain, Zucchini and Buttermilk. The process is to choose your pancake batter, then the add-ons and finally the toppings. We ordered the Chocolate and Buttermilk pancake batter priced at $8 each. When you go as a group, you can order more batter mixes to share among yourselves. The Zucchini batter might sound weird, but makes a good choice if you don’t mind experimenting with new flavours. For add-ons, we went with strawberries, hazelnuts and toasted almonds and topped it off with homemade chocolate hazelnut spread. The squeeze bottle makes it very easy to dispense the batter. Complimentary butter is provided on the side if you want to add more taste to your pancake. You can be creative and go crazy by trying out smileys, alphabets and get pancake doodling!

Pancake griddle

Pancake griddle


Apart from the pancakes, their menu has all-day breakfast items. From the classic favourites section, we went for the ‘Potato Soup’ which turned out to be great comfort food. It was a creamy soup with chunks of baked potatoes, leeks and onions. It was rich and velvety and made for a nice start to the meal.
Potato soup

Potato soup at $7


If you are a fan of eggs in your breakfast, try the ‘Vegetable Scramble’ served with mixed greens and toast. My husband ordered this dish and he was quite satisfied with it. The scramble consists of roasted zucchini, leek, corn, capsicum, onions and scrambled eggs topped with blue cheese. If you are not a fan of blue cheese because of its hard-hitting taste, you can ask it to be removed or replaced while ordering.
Vegetable scramble

Vegetable Scramble at $14.5


To beat the heat, we tried the ‘Pink Thyme Lemonade’ which was refreshing and very good. The pleasant colour added to the visual appeal of the drink.
pink thyme lemonade

Pink thyme lemonade at $4.3


On the whole, its a fun place for a brunch out with family and a good way to engage kids. And even as adults, we can be kids at heart and try out our artistic skills. Just for a different experience with fluffy pancakes, Slappy Pancakes is worth a visit.

In a Nutshell Deelightful Rating
Cuisine Type: Western ★★★
Nearest MRT: Clementi (shuttle bus to Grandstand)
Address: The Grandstand, 200 Turf Club Road, #01-20/21, Singapore 287994
Timings: Tue-Fri: 10am – 9.30pm ; Sat-Sun: 8am – 9.30pm
Website: http://www.slappycakes.com.sg/

The Living Cafe – Bukit Timah

As you stroll around Bukit Timah, you will notice a lot of eateries tucked away in various streets. I was happy to come across The Living Cafe who take pride in offering healthy and delicious raw organic food. This place is not fully vegan, but has all kind of options and steers away from artificial preservatives, white sugar and red meat. The ambiance of the cafe is really nice – well-lit, spacious, a dessert counter with variety and a retail shop on the second level selling organic products. The coffee and wine display racks were neat.

Living Cafe decor

Living Cafe decor

The Orders
To begin the Sunday morning by warming my tummy with coffee, I ordered the ‘Cinnamon Latte’ which was soothing and good. The cinnamon was infused in right proportion with the milk and was not too intense.

Cinnamon latte

Cinnamon latte at $5


For starters, we tried the ‘Sweet Potato Wedges’ lightly baked in olive oil. If you are used to the wedges from fast food outlets, you will find these quite different. The taste of coriander seeds will hit you strongly as they form a coating along the length of the wedges. The fries taste great with the eggless mayonnaise dip served alongside.
Sweet potato wedges

Sweet potato wedges at $6.5


Since I hail from India, Indian food always catches my attention. On their blackboard, as part of their daily specials, there was ‘Bhakri Roti with Tofu Curry’ which sounded very interesting. The plate looked gorgeous when it was served. Bhakri roti is basically a flour roti with a slightly hard texture. The Tofu curry had almost no salt and I brought it to the notice of the chef. It was interesting to understand his perspective that a low salt content is considered a healthy option. He did toss the curry again and add salt for my version which tasted much better. As a side, there was Coconut Chutney which would have tasted better without the pomegranate.
Bhakri roti with tofu curry

Bhakri roti with tofu curry


The all day brunch menu presents a myriad of options for vegetarians and vegans. If you eat eggs, then the ‘Mediterranean Omelette’ is a really healthy option. Made from organic eggs, bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, onions and tomatoes with goat cheese and arugula, this is a filling and vibrant dish.
Mediterranean omelette

Mediterranean omelette at $16


They have an awesome dessert counter filled with raw cakes and cheesecakes. Since we were quite full, we did not taste the desserts. I definitely do plan to come and try their desserts, burrito and rice options next time. For their calm setting, healthy food options, a variety of vegetarian options on menu and friendly service – do give the Living Cafe a shot, it is good food with a different perspective.

In a Nutshell Deelightful Rating
Cuisine Type: Healthy, raw food and raw fusion ★★★1/2
Nearest MRT: Sixth Avenue
Address: 779 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 269758
Timings: Mon-Thu: 11am – 7pm ; Fri: 11am – 10pm ; Sat: 9am – 10pm ; Sun: 9am – 8pm
Website: http://www.balancedlivingasia.com/living-cafe-and-deli/