East Manhattan Bakery Cafe
19 Lorong Kilat #01-03
30 East Coast Road
#01-04 Katong V
http://eastmanhattan.net/
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| Rum & Raisin Cheesecake (SGD $6.90) |
Excellent Artisanal Bread & Pastries
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 6
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 5
Value for Money: 6
Spent about SGD $24 per person.
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Named for the borough in New York City, in New York, United States Of America, the East Manhattan Bakery Cafe is actually a Singaporean bakery cafe, founded by owner baker John Wee, who learnt the art of American baking in Manhattan. At East Manhattan Bakery Cafe, he produces some excellent artisanal bread, confectionery items, and pastries, all freshly made daily.
Ambience at East Manhattan Bakery Cafe is relaxing and inviting, with decor having a retro, rustic industrial feel. The spotlit place is spacious, with simple wooden furnishings against the rough exposed brick walls. Old-timey, retro devices are positioned around neatly, and there is a touch of American influence in the paintings and pictures on the walls. Very nice!
Service at East Manhattan Bakery Cafe is barely passable, with the mostly young staff being quite inexperienced. They seem to lack product knowledge, being unable to answer questions, though I commend their effort to run back and forth to check. At least they're efficient in greeting guests and taking orders, as well as quick to clear away empty / dirty tables. However, they lack the ability to carry out perfomance art on some dishes that need it.
Food at East Manhattan Bakery Cafe is largely American cuisine, with some elements of Modern Singaporean. The really good stuff here are their breads, soups, and dessert pastries. Fresh and tasty, these items are far better than elsewhere. Conversely, their main courses are only passable at best, and are a waste of calories. Portions are large, and prices are reasonable for a cafe, budget about SGD $24 per person for a meal here.
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| East Manhattan Bakery Cafe Facade |
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| East Manhattan Bakery Cafe Exterior |
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| East Manhattan Bakery Cafe Interior |
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| Decor |
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| Seating |
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| Saxophone Player |
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| Gluten Free, Dairy Free Bread |
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| Pastry Display |
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| Menu |
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| Menu |
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| Menu |
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| Menu |
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| Menu |
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| Menu |
Love the wide, unique selection of breads and pastries here. All made in-house fresh daily, these are the main reason for visiting the stores.
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| Red Wine Longan Loaf (SGD $5.80), Earl Grey Honey Loaf (SGD $5.40) |
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| Potato Cheese Baguette (SGD $5.40) |
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| Spicy Pineapple Cheese Baguette (SGD $5.40) |
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| Spicy Pineapple Cheese Baguette |
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| Onde-Onde Cake (SGD $6.90), Tiramisu (SGD $6.90) |
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| Salted Caramel Cheesecake (SGD $6.90) |
What better way to cure a hangover, then with more alcohol? The rum infused Rum Fired Latte (SGD $9) has a decent coffee, spiked with shots of rum. It's supposed to also be a performance piece, as staff would set the rum on fire at your table, however, this was a complete fail during my visit as the staff didn't know how to do it. Still, a pretty decent drink.
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| Rum Fired Latte (SGD $9) |
The Morning Dew Tea (SGD $5) is a blend of Japanese green tea leaves with pineapple, camomile, mallow, rose, sunflower, and calendula petals. The result is a calming tea with floral fruity notes.
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| Morning Dew Tea (SGD $5) |
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| Morning Dew Tea |
The Lobster Bisque (SGD $8) here is incredibly good, among the better versions I've had. Despite the lack of any prawn / shrimp / lobster meat within, the creamy thick soup / broth has a balanced savoury sweet taste, with good crustacean flavour that isn't overwhelming or intense. Served with a large slice of their excellent herb focaccia bread, which is fragrant and soft with a crisp crust, this was so good. Highly recommended!
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| Lobster Bisque (SGD $8) |
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| Lobster Bisque |
The large Manhattan Sandwich Ham (SGD $12.80) features crisp outside, soft inside, herb focaccia bread that is completely fragrant, served with a fresh salad of wild rocket leaves / arugula, cherry tomatoes, balsamic vinaigrette on the side, along with piping hot shoestring truffle fries, and a nice sunny side up egg with a runny yolk. You have a choice of 1 of 3 fillings, either grilled ham, sauteed mushrooms, or crispy bacon. I got the grilled ham, which was the absolute worst choice. Besides being tough and dry, the ham was also bland. Terrible, it ruined what could have been a great dish. Get another filling instead.
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| Manhattan Sandwich Ham (SGD $12.80) |
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| Manhattan Sandwich Ham |
Loved the Rum & Raisin Cheesecake (SGD $6.90), which has a smooth, creamy texture to the cheesecake, and a buttery grainy biscuit crumble base. Filled with sweet raisins and a touch of rum, topped with crunchy caramelised walnuts. The flavours work so well together. Highly recommended!
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| Rum & Raisin Cheesecake (SGD $6.90) |
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| Rum & Raisin Cheesecake |
Loved the Praline Chocolate Mousse Cake (SGD $6.90), with its smooth and creamy texture, and rich chocolate flavour that isn't overly sweet. The base of hazelnut feuilletine lends a nicely crisp texture, and a fragrant crunch. Highly recommended!
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| Praline Chocolate Mousse Cake (SGD $6.90) |
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| Praline Chocolate Mousse Cake |
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CONVERSATION