Banana Tree (Cafe)
26 Keong Saik Road
https://www.facebook.com/bananatreesg
http://blog.naver.com/banana_526
Pretty Garden Themed Dessert Cafe
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 9
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 6
Value for Money: 9
Spent about SGD $8 per person.
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A popular franchise from South Korea, Banana Tree (Cafe) is known for their garden and banana themed decor, pretty presentation of traditional South Korean desserts, and clean, inviting, cheery atmosphere. Opening their 1st outlet in Singapore, along Keong Saik Road within the Outram Park area, in April 2015, Banana Tree (Cafe) immediately drew crowds eager to check out their fabulous desserts.
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Ambience at Banana Tree (Cafe) is garden themed. The interior is so pretty and photogenic, with small corners filled with trinkets or pictures, making for great pictures. Clean white walls, solid wooden furniture, cozy and inviting atmosphere, with touches that reference gardens and the banana fruit. However, this 'beautification' comes at the cost of seating space, which is not fully maximised, and thus, only limited seats are available. Queues tend to form at Banana Tree (Cafe), with waiting time up to 20 minutes, and you'll be standing while waiting at the cramped, crowded entrance.
Service at Banana Tree (Cafe) is partially self-service, where you order and make payment over the counter, but orders will be served to your table. Staff are pretty friendly and cheery (as befits the bright, welcoming atmosphere), and knowledgeable enough to describe the ingredients in each dessert / beverage. They also clear empty / dirty tables efficiently, and then quickly seat the people who were waiting in the queue. As a bonus, the Korean owners are also easy on the eye! However, I do wish they could put some thought into a structured queue system, or at least make guests comfortable while waiting, as it was an unpleasant experience.
Food at Banana Tree (Cafe) is focused on Korean desserts, presented in a novel, modern way. There is no main course whatsoever on the menu, so Banana Tree (Cafe) is a pure desserts cafe. Their take on popular Korean desserts is refeshing, and pretty well done, plating them in garden themed arrangements, great for photography. Taste is good, true to their Korean origins, and portions are mostly designed either for individuals, or for communal sharing of 4 or more people. Prices at typical of most affordable desserts places, budget about SGD $8 per person for a dessert here.
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The place is playful and vibrant, with a cheery atmosphere. But I wish that some thought could be put into how customers queue for a seat, instead of having everyone bunch up in a line and block the entrance.
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| Banana Tree (Cafe) Exterior |
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| Banana Tree (Cafe) Interior |
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| Banana Tree (Cafe) Seating |
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| Banana Tree (Cafe) Counter |
There are so many photo worthy corners and spaces here that it's almost a shame to visit without taking pictures! The menu is small, but pretty with concise descriptions, designed to resemble a sketchpad.
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| Quote |
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| Trinket Shelf |
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| Photo Wall & Lamps |
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| Banana Toy |
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| Banana Tree (Cafe) Menu 01 |
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| Banana Tree (Cafe) Menu 02 |
The garden / gardening theme extends even to the utensils and plating, such as use of a Dessert Spoon in the shape of a Shovel, and flower pots for bowls.
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| Garden Themed Korean Desserts 01 |
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| Garden Themed Korean Desserts 02 |
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| Garden Themed Korean Desserts 03 |
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| Dessert Spoon Shovel |
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| Magnetized Utensil Holder |
The Flower Paap Pudding Banana (SGD $6.50) is said to be inspired by a flower cupcake creation from Magnolia Bakery in New York, United States Of America. Luscious, light home made cream that is made fresh daily, layered in a small flower pot, on top of a soft sponge cake base, alternating with slices of fresh, sweet banana. Topped with a layer of oreo cookie crumbs resembling soil, candy rock pebbles, and a fake flower inserted into a straw, this heavenly dessert is creamy yet light, not too sweet, and simply a joy to eat. Divine, highly recommended!
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| Flower Paap Pudding Banana 01 |
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| Flower Paap Pudding Banana 02 |
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| Flower Paap Pudding Banana 03 |
The cleverly named Pot Bing Su Red Bean (SGD $12.50) is a take on the traditional Korean dessert of Pat Bing Su, which is normally made with shaved ice, red bean paste / adzuki red beans, condensed milk, almonds / peanuts, fruit syrup, cereal flakes, and fresh seasonal fruits. Ice cream is sometimes included. The version served here arrives in a huge flower pot, sufficient for 4 to share, and doesn't include fruits. But there is a generous amount of shaved ice, adzuki red beans, and chopped nuts, along with a huge scoop of delicious sea salt vanilla ice cream, giving this dessert a unique flavour. The large portion means it does get boring in terms of taste, as well as messy, halfway through when everything melts. Worth ordering at least once! Even Lego Batman approves!
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| Pot Bing Su Red Bean 01 |
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| Pot Bing Su Red Bean 02 |
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| Lego Batman |
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CONVERSATION