Get me outta here!

December 14, 2014

Ollie Cafe @Somerset, Orchard Gateway

Wondering what to early eat in town one day, we suddenly remembered this oddly-located cafe. It is oddly located, because it is surrounded by restaurants and this is the only one that has a totally different décor. That's not the only thing that caught our attention. In fact, we have walked past this cafe several times, and were debating whether the truffle aroma came from this cafe, or Saizeriya just beside. But we do not remember Saizeriya serving Truffle-related dishes, hence we deduced this place, and made a mental note to come here, (but definitely not top of the list...) The cafe has quite brand new equipment and are definitely not cheap, so we hoped the food is just as good! They serve all-day brunch, salads and burgers. There's quite a well-stocked coffee work-station, and we even spied some exotic coffee tins.

The waitress was really friendly and helpful, serving us iced waters the first thing we arrived. The water comes from the most interesting jug ever. Inside the jug, there are lots of mint leaves, lemon slices and ice. The end result of the water? It could pass off as a diluted Mojito. In the end, we had three glasses of that water each.

Not really hungry, we ordered an Ollie Signature Salad ($11.90) and a Pied-a-piper Burger ($17.90).

Ollie Signature Salad ($11.90)

When the Ollie Signature Salad ($11.90) came, we were impressed-- with the portion and the presentation. It's pretty colourful and vibrant. Like the presentation, the flavour is also an interesting mix- there's sweet juicy beetroot chips (looking much like Dorito's wavy chips), very fresh crispy varieties of greens, a tad sourish sun dried tomatoes, and plus tender bites of grilled chicken breast chunks. And nope, I'm not yet done. Atop this wonderful mix, there is a layer of fresh blended creamy avocados, plus a half-jiggly 63 degree egg (all that hype!), and finally, rounded off (literally) with triangles of toasted Pullman sliced loaves. I suppose you had to spread the avocado on top the toasts, and maybe the egg, and then pile it with the greens and reds (tomatoes, beetroot) and take a big bite. But there just wasn't enough toasts to go around for the entire bowl. So we had to finish the rest with our fork and spoons. It's perfect for a girl's dinner, but definitely not for those who are looking for a light meal. It's very filling! Not only that, you will feel very healthy. And probably the best thing is the price. For $11.90++, the quality is quite above average. We didn't catch any withered leaves among that garden!

Pied-a-piper Burger ($17.90)
Choice of beef or chicken patty. Upgrade to Wagyu for an additional $8.

Well, the Pied-a-piper Burger ($17.90) is a slightly different story, having picky taste buds for good beef burgers. It took abit of time to arrive, but when it did, we were once again, impressed with the presentation and portion for a cafe. First thing, it's huge. The cheddar flowing down from the middle of the burger made it looked like some spewing yellow volcano. The fries were slightly over fried and excessively crunchy, perhaps due to the way it was fried- with an air-fryer. Like the salad, the greens, Portobello mushrooms, onions and even the toasted buns were really generous. If you are not picky about beef and are a cheese lover, then this dish will suit you. If you're those who love, say Triple O's Burgers, you will know what I am talking about. The beef patty is tough and rubbery. Yep, you have the choice of having the patty chicken or beef, or have the beef upgraded to Wagyu beef for an additional $8. But that's a total of $25.90, which is something I can possibly eat at &made. Well, probably not the burgers here.

As the kitchen adopts an open concept (not that there's any crazy fires or smokes), the truffle oil could get overpowering. Sitting too close to the kitchen will possibly cause the smell to stick to your hair. Nope, not the Truffle smell, but the oily kind of smell. Opt to sit slightly further away, and have a better view of what's happening over the interesting coffee and kitchen stations. If you're looking for chill-out cafes in the bustling heart of town, this's the place to be.


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Verdict:
Food: 2.5/5
Service: 3/5
Ambiance: 3/5
Total Score: 3/5
[1- Never visit again, 2-Won't visit unless there's no other option, 3-Perhaps, 4 & 5- Yes!]

Good for? Couples, Groups, Family

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About it:
Ollie Cafe
Address: #B2-10, Orchard Gateway, 277 Orchard Rd