Benjamin Browns Bistro & Bakery / The Benjamins
583 Orchard Road
#01-20 Forum The Shopping Mall
http://benjaminbrowns.com/
Pretty Milkshakes, Average Taste
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 6
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 5
Service: 3
Value for Money: 6
Spent about SGD $9 per person.
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The Benjamin Browns Bistro & Bakery / The Benjamins has been around for a few years now, having opened in Forum The Shopping Mall since 2013. But they've flown relatively under the rader, with mostly sub-par food... up until 2015, when they reinvented themselves. These days, they're known for their 'Over-The-Top' milkshakes, an eye-catching, towering dessert, of heart-stopping and photo-worthy proportions. Overall though, I think I'll visit for photo opportunities, or for being 'trendy', and not return again.
Ambience at Benjamin Browns Bistro & Bakery / The Benjamins is casual European, akin to small Italian bistros. Warm, decorative lighting hang over the small, cramped, floor space. Sturdy wooden and metal furniture, packed closely within the area, result in less privacy for conversations, and the ambient noise level can be quite loud when the place is packed. Queues can stretch up to 15 minutes or more during peak periods. Still, I find a sense of calmness in the midst of chaos, I especially like people-watching from the corner seats here... it's relaxing.
Service at Benjamin Browns Bistro & Bakery / The Benjamins can be brusque. The mostly young staff are usually busy, rushing around the small space. Still, they're friendly enough in greetings, though they might show signs of impatience if you take too long to order. At least they have basic product knowledge, which is good, and can provide brief descriptions of menu items. Order fulfillment usually takes about 10 minutes, decent. However, I'm disappointed in the construction consistency of their 'Over-The-Top' milkshakes, peak periods means a rushed job, which results in a milkshake that isn't built well. One of our milkshake orders actually fell over on its own within 3 minutes of being served. Terrible.
Food at Benjamin Browns Bistro & Bakery / The Benjamins is casual Italian. Taste is mostly decent, as is their portion size, which is slightly large for 1 person. But most people visit Benjamin Browns Bistro & Bakery / The Benjamins for their 'Over-The-Top' milkshakes. In my opinion, these dessert towers look incredibly beautiful and photo-worthy, but the taste isn't as outstanding, being average at best. Pretty to look at, but no real substance. Prices are reasonable for a cafe, budget about SGD $9 per person for a shared milkshake dessert.
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| Benjamin Browns Bistro & Bakery Exterior |
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| Benjamin Browns Bistro & Bakery Interior |
The Over The Top Milkshakes is what people visit this place for! But generally, the milkshakes look better than they taste.
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| Benjamin Browns Bistro & Bakery Menu Over The Top Milkshakes |
The Nutella Banana Milkshake (SGD $16) is possibly the most popular item here, it seems nearly every table ordered it. A sweet, thick, decadent chocolate and nutella / hazelnut spread milkshake, topped with sliced bananas, 3 plain biscuits, 2 chocolate wafer rolls / sticks, 1 chocolate wafer, 2 chunks of chocolate brownies, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream. Furthermore, the rim was coated in a thick layer of nutella / hazelnut spread, and studded with salted pretzels. I absolutely loved the flavours of this milkshake, in particular, the combination of salted pretzels with sweet nutella / hazelnut spread... genius!
A towering tower of dessert decadence. A statement on the excess of life. A heart stopping ode to the pursuit of vanity.
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| Nutella Banana Milkshake 01 |
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| Nutella Banana Milkshake 02 |
The Old School Vanilla Milkshake (SGD $16) is possibly the prettiest looking dessert here, with a classic, thick, sweet vanilla bean milkshake, topped with fluffy cotton candy in a plain ice cream cone, 1 vanilla wafer roll / stick, 1 biscuit piring / retro coloured disc biscuit, colourful gem biscuits, whipped cream, and a rim of chocolate fudge studded with rainbow sprinkles. Taste is average, as most of the ingredients are from processed sources. But I was most disappointed with the shoddy construction of this dessert, the cone fell over on its own within 3 minutes of being served. Messed up my hands and the table, and staff didn't come to assist. As a result, I didn't manage to get a photo of this, so big thanks to my friends who contributed! You can see from the initial photos that the cone was already threatening to fall over. Terrible experience.
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| Old School Vanilla Milkshake 01 Photo Source Credit: Purple Taste |
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| Old School Vanilla Milkshake 02 Photo Source Credit: Chubby Botak Koala |
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