Ambush (Cafe)

Ambush (Cafe)
9 Bishan Place
#02-19 Junction 8

391 Orchard Road
#B2-01 Ngee Ann City

1 Jurong West Central 2
#02-24 Jurong Point

50 Jurong Gateway Road
#04-13 JEM Mall

68 Orchard Road
#04-64 Plaza Singapura

http://www.ambush.com.sg/


Quick, Casual European Dining

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 8
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $18 / $24 per person.


.....


Ambush (Cafe) offers a smorgasbord of European influenced food. Reading almost like a travel list of Europe, their menu covers dishes from England, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France, Russia and Spain.

Service at Ambush (Cafe) is excellent, food arrives quickly, and the staff are polite and courteous, even at peak periods.

Food is done relatively well, while not the best I've had, it's still better than many higher-priced restaurants, providing good value for money.

I particularly like Ambush (Cafe) Mixed Pot of Black Mussels and White Clams, where you can choose from 4 different preparation styles.

Will definitely come back to Ambush (Cafe) to try the rest of their items.

Duck Breast Salad

Breaded Oysters

Breaded Prawns

Calamari

Seafood Trio

Fries

Marinera Paella

Mixed Pot Black Mussels & White Clams Aglio Olio Style

Smoked Bratwurst Pork With Rosti

.....


Update Apr-2013: Been a while since I dined at Ambush (Cafe), and I'm pleased that they still offer the same great tasting, good quality, fresh food, at inexpensive and reasonable prices. Do note that the menu for Ambush (Cafe) differs from outlet to outlet, with the newer outlets having a much wider range of options.

Ambush (Cafe) promises fast, casual European dining, and they do a fine job living up to that promise. Ambience is bright with clean lines, and minimalist decor. Furniture is comfortable and inviting, and you wouldn't feel out of place even if you're dressed down.

Staff at Ambush (Cafe) are polite and professional. They'll repeat your orders, a small thing which is often overlooked, and are willing to accomodate changes to your order, like special requests. Living up to its theme, food is served very quickly, typically within 10 minutes.

Their menu has expanded since my last visit, and is heavily influenced by cuisines from England, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France, Russia and Spain. This gives Ambush (Cafe) a wide range of options on their menu, but I find that they still manage to pull off great tasting and flavourful dishes. Prices are more affordable than elsewhere, making Ambush (Cafe) one of the cheapest places in Singapore to get a European meal.

La Trappe Quadrupel is a beer from the Netherlands. Has an aroma of fruits, coffee and chocolate, with an earthy, silky taste and mouthfeel.

La Trappe Quadrupel

Nicley done Confit Duck Leg / Duck Leg Confit, with onion compote, potato puree, sauteed vegetables and orange marmalade pork jus. A well known French specialty from Gascony, France, the meat is tender and juicy, and the vegetables were nicely cooked. The sauce didn't really add much flavour to the dish though.

Confit Duck Leg

Confit Duck Leg

A Swiss / German dish, the Potato Rosti was grilled till crisp on the outside, but still soft inside. The French Chicken Garlic Sausage had a well balanced tasted, the Cheese Cracker Sausage was meaty and the cheese was evenly spread thoughout, while the Pork Spicy Sausage had a subtle heat from the spices. The overall dish was slightly oily for me though.

Sausage Platter With French Chicken Garlic Sausage, Cheese Cracker Sausage, Pork Spicy Sausage And Potato Rosti

Sausage Platter With French Chicken Garlic Sausage, Cheese Cracker Sausage, Pork Spicy Sausage And Potato Rosti

The Herb And Parmesan Crusted Mushrooms With Cheese Puffs And Home Made Salsa surprised me, as I liked it better than I thought I would initially. It doesn't look like much, but is quite flavourful. The Herb And Parmesan Crusted Mushrooms was nicely crusted, and the mushrooms were plump and juicy, not dry. The Cheese Puffs were tightly packed with potato and cheese, and I felt is was quite nice with the dipping sauce.

Herb And Parmesan Crusted Mushrooms

Cheese Puffs

Herb And Parmesan Crusted Mushrooms With Cheese Puffs And Home Made Salsa

The Baby Calamari Fritti Skewers had a nice crunch, and makes for a good appetizer, though the actual meat on the squid is quite little. It's slighlty oily too.

Baby Calamari Fritti Skewers

Baby Calamari Fritti Skewers

The Clams Pot had a generous helping of clams, and they made sure to select only fresh clams. The Vin Blanc And Smoked Streaky Bacon sauce is made with white wine, onions, garlic, parley and bacon. This results in a light, clear, savoury soup, which I drank down to the last drop!

Clams Pot Vin Blanc And Smoked Streaky Bacon

Clams Pot Vin Blanc And Smoked Streaky Bacon

Clams Pot Vin Blanc And Smoked Streaky Bacon

The Moules / Fries is nicely spiced, and I like the thickness and crunch it has.

Moules Fries

Moules Fries

The Mussels Pot has fresh, plump mussels, though I felt they could have given slighlty more mussels. The Mariniere sauce is made with cream, white wine, sauteed onions, garlic and celery. This results in a light, creamy, savoury sauce, which can be drunk as a soup, though I didn't finish all of it because of the cream.

Mussels Pot Mariniere

Mussels Pot Mariniere

Mussels Pot Mariniere

I liked the smooth and creamy texture of the Palourde / Mashed Potato. The savoury brown meat gravy was generous, and enhanced the overall dish.

Palourde Mashed Potato

Palourde Mashed Potato

A classic French dish from Burgundy, France, Coq Au Vin is made with chicken leg slow braised in red wine with potatoes, carrots, garlic, smoked bacon and mushrooms, and served on a bed of mashed potato and garnished with french beans. I liked the earthy, rice taste of the sauce, and the chicken meat had absorbed the essence of the tannic wine. Surprisingly, the mashed potato was quite firm, and held up well despite the liquid sauce.

Coq Au Vin

Coq Au Vin

The Ambush Paella is a take on the classic Spanish dish, with a few twists, such as the addition of bacon. While the seafood was fresh and the rice was cooked till nicely al-dente, I thought there was too much tomato sauce, such that the rice was drowning / overwhelmed by it.

Ambush Paella

.....


Update Jun-2019: More than 8 years on, and Ambush (Cafe) is still drawing in crowds. The ambience remains bright, inviting, and casual. The service is still professional and efficient, serving orders and cleaning up tables quickly. The food is focused on Modern European cuisine, and portions remain large and filling. Prices at Ambush (Cafe) have naturally kept pace with the cost of living, budget about SGD $24 per person for a meal here.

Named for the iconic German festival, the Oktoberfest Platter (SGD $18.80) is a mash-up of German and Swiss influences. The base is a crisp potato rosti, with good salty potato flavour, served with a dollop of sour cream. On the side is a fresh crisp mesclun salad (spinach, chard, curly endive / frisee), with good vegetal earthy bitter sweet flavour. A sweet pickled gherkin relish helps cut through the heavy flavours of the meat. Ah, but the meat is the star. There's slices of pork knuckle, with moist tender pork belly meat that holds good savoury salty flavour. The pig skin crackling has a thin layer of fat, and crunches satisfyingly. The juicy snappy veal and pork bockwurst sausage has a delicate savoury sweet flavour. The smoked pork bratwurst sausage has a juicy bouncy texture, with bold salty smoky savoury flavour. I like to pair these with the rich brown meat gravy too. Good!

Oktoberfest Platter (SGD $18.80)

Oktoberfest Platter

.....

Reserve a table now @ Ambush (Cafe) - Junction 8

Reserve a table now @ Ambush (Cafe) - Plaza Singapura

.....