Lola's Cafe 2014
5 Simon Road
http://lolascafe.com.sg/
Wallet Friendly Meals In This Casual Cafe
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 7
Service: 8
Value for Money: 9
Spent about SGD $20 per person.
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Lola's Cafe need little introduction... This small cafe in the midst of Kovan is among the most ridiculously popular cafes in Singapore, with queues of up to 45 minutes just to get a seat. There are even queues during off peak hours! And why not? Young entrepreneurs June Tan and Foo Choo Kiat, who scratch make pastries in Lola's Cafe, have created a cozy, relaxing space for gatherings, with delicious, carefully prepared dishes, and wallet friendly prices.
Ambience at Lola's Cafe is relaxing and welcoming. The small layout is fully maximised, and tables are packed closely together, lending a bustling air. The quirky industrial wooden decor stands out with humourous touches, while the large display of desserts steals the eye. Lola's Cafe is cozy, but I find the interior lighting to be very dim. I also find the hipster wooden tables to be rather impractical for dining.
Service at Lola's Cafe is efficient. The predominately young staff are upbeat and cheerful, going about their tasks quickly. I noticed they're quite attentive, quick to respond to requests, and also fast at clearing away dirty / empty tables. The kitchen fulfills orders quickly even during peak periods, you'll seldom have to wait more than 10 minutes once seated. The main difficulty lies in actually getting a seat, queues can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 45 minutes, and there is no waiting area, so customers have to stand outside in the heat.
Food at Lola's Cafe is a mix of modern Western, with influences from America, England, France, and Italy. The menu is rather small, but they do each dish to perfection, taking great care in crafting the combination of tastes and texture, and presenting it beautifully. They offer an all day brunch menu from 10am - 3pm, while the dinner menu is from 6pm - 11pm. The desserts here are fantastic as well, made in house daily! Portions sizes are big for 1 person, but the main draw of Lola's Cafe is their affordable prices. All prices quoted are nett, without any tax / GST, and most main dishes cost SGD $16 or less.
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Even after more than 1 year, the persistently long queues to get in here are a testament to their constantly high quality of food, service, and wallet friendly prices.
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| Lola's Cafe Signage |
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| Lola's Cafe Exterior |
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| Lola's Cafe Interior |
A good, decent Caffe Latte (SGD $5), with solid coffee flavour. Not much better or worse than any other artisinal cafe out there, worth having if you're here.
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| Caffe Latte |
The Hot Chocolate (SGD $5) here is decent, neither too thick or too rich, rather balanced, with a good chocolate flavour that isn't too deep. However, the serving in the jar, while attractive, is rather small, and providing a straw means you consume it even quicker.
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| Hot Chocolate |
The Organic Chai Tea Latte (SGD $5) stood out for me. Rather uncommon in Singapore, this brought back memories of travel abroad. Fragrant and aromatic, the beautiful whiff of cinnamon hits you when it's served. Texture is so smooth, with a hint of the spice. Very good!
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| Organic Chai Tea Latte |
Beer Magic Hat Number 9 (SGD $9), appropriately priced at SGD $9, is an American fruit beer with a light amber colour, tastes of apricot, peach, and a hint of apple, with a smooth texture, some sweetness without any bitterness. Will appeal more to ladies, or those who like light, fruity beers, but serious drinkers may find this distasteful.
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| Beer Magic Hat Number 9 |
The Avocado Eggs Benedict (SGD $15) is often considered to be amongst the better renditions in Singapore, partially because it's also one of the cheapest in Singapore. Great value for money, you get a thick slice of brioche toast, topped with savoury ham, fresh creamy avocado, and 2 perfectly poached eggs with runny yolks, finished with hollandaise sauce. Accompanied by a fresh garden salad with balsamic dressing, the eggs benedict is so sexy, oozing the yolk when cut, only to be soaked up by the soft, fluffy brioche toast. Highly recommended!
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| Avocado Eggs Benedict |
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| Avocado Eggs Benedict |
The most value for money brunch item is the Farmer's Bratwurst Roll (SGD $8). A thick, juicy, meaty, pork bratwurst, bursting with excellent savoury, smokey flavour, is slot within a plain hot dog bun. Topped with a mix of savoury nacho cheese sauce, and sweet tomato sauce, served with a side of hot, herbed French fries. Very filling, classic American comfort food!
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| Farmer's Bratwurst Roll |
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| Farmer's Bratwurst Roll |
The Swimmer Crab Spaghetti In Spicy Tomato Cream Sauce (SGD $15) pasta features a good portion of deshelled crab meat, tossed in spaghetti with white wine, garlic, chili, basil, tomatoes, and cream, then garnished with arugula. Loved the sauce, it's thick without being watery, a sign of good skill, and is both fragrant and spicy. The ratio of crab to spaghetti in this pasta dish is balanced, and well portioned. Very good!
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| Swimmer Crab Spaghetti In Spicy Tomato Cream Sauce |
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| Swimmer Crab Spaghetti In Spicy Tomato Cream Sauce |
Loved the Sea Salt Chocolate Tart With Coffee Cream (SGD $5)! A rich, dense, thick dark chocolate ganache, with a dash of sea salt, sits in a crumbly pastry tart crust. Topped with a smooth coffee espresso cream enhanced with bailey's, this dessert hits all the taste notes of sweet, savoury, bitter, smooth, crunchy, sticky, and chewy. Complex, I like!
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| Sea Salt Chocolate Tart With Coffee Cream |
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| Sea Salt Chocolate Tart With Coffee Cream |
The French Vanilla Creme Brulee (SGD $6) is, oddly enough, served chilled. Made with French vanilla, the creme brulee is smooth and sweet, with a light floral fragrance. The caramelised sugar crust is slightly thick though, so instead of shattering when poked, it requires slightly more effort, and it cracks into large chunks.
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| French Vanilla Creme Brulee |
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| French Vanilla Creme Brulee |
The trend of excellent desserts continues with the Lemon Meringue Tart (SGD $5). There is just the right balance of sweetness to tangy sourness in the French lemon curd, which is smooth, with clear, refreshing lemon flavour. I like that the pastry tart crust has a nice buttery biscuit taste, almost like a light shortbread biscuit. The meringue is light but sticky, and pairs well with the tart. However, I felt the candied lemon zest was much too stringy and thick for my liking.
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| Lemon Meringue Tart |
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| Lemon Meringue Tart |
 Reserve a table now @ Lola's Cafe |
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