She is the one who dreamt of a cafe culture in Singapore and made that happen with cafehopping.sg. She walks the streets and go hyper-mode behind her keyboard to discover and share new cafes in Singapore. She adores cafes with intricate interior and would die for divine desserts, droolicious brunch and great coffee. Other than cafes, she loves cats, marketing and ultimate frisbee.
Jewel Cafe & Bar has been one of the best hunts in Farrer Park, apart from L’etoile Cafe. It has a different draw – an extensive menu with thoughtfully crafted food.
This is one great hideout for those with a love for hidden cafes and intricate interior. To top it off, you get to enjoy good coffee and lovely desserts in a comfortable setting.
LOOK & FEEL
Personally, I really like the style of Jewel Cafe. It has hints of industrial feel to it, yet not to the extend it is shabby and uncomfortable. After all, it has to exhibit the prestige of a Jewel.
The lovely shop house has a second storey to it, with some cushy sofa seats.
In alignment with its brand, the light bulbs were meticulously picked. Our jaws dropped to hear the hefty price of each.
FOOD & DRINKS
To have ordered a Cold Drip in the evening, we knew we were bound for a sleepless night. It had a beautiful sweetness from the milk and it ended with a light bitterness. This would make a good drink on a hot afternoon.
We started the meal with French Onion Soup. It came topped with a crust of three cheeses – Swiss cheese, Parmesan and Emmental. This paired perfectly with the beef broth, which was filled with a generous serving of croutons. Our only gripe was that the onions seemed to be lost in the sea of croutons.
Another dish we had for starters would be the Red Mullet salad. The beautifully grilled fish that was soft and warm went in perfect harmony with the fresh and crunchy greens. The salad dressing was tangy and sweet, giving a light and appetizing finish to the dish. We loved the combination.
I admire Jewel’s creativity to bring uncommon dish to the table. The Fish Taco with sour cream mayo was a real good one. Nuggets of crispy golden fried fish wrapped in toasted corn shell exploded in the mouth with crunchiness and lovely spice flavours. The sauce soften the dish and rounded up the flavours very well. This left behind a deep impression on our palates.
The Singaporean in us cannot say no to the Chilli Crab Pasta. We could smell the waves of tantalising spices and we couldn’t wait to get started. I am a big fan of chilli crab sauce and the first thing I did was to take a big bite into the sliced fried bun dipped in the spicy sauce. I must say, this is not the conventional chilli crab sauce we have at seafood restaurants, but one of a brave creation by the owner, who is also a big fan of crabs. This version had a lot more sour kick to it, and the spice stung the tongue as we savoured it. Absolutely for the adventurous.
The carnivores at the table were rejoicing when the OMG! burger was served. This signature dish of Jewel Cafe had won the feed of many foodstagrammers with its massive appearance and rich use of ingredients. Just imagine – bacon, luncheon meat, handmade beef patty with a beautiful sunny side up egg as the piece de resistance. This is perfect for someone who has been deprived from meaty goodness for days, but more technically, the taste was quite the average. The patty could do better with more moist and seasoning.
The fries, on the other hand, was one of the best we had come across in our gazillion meals. They were crisp on the outside and fluffy inside, and retained this texture even after sitting on our table for half an hour. The fries on this plate put all the others to shame.
We were delighted at the arrival of the Homemade Apple Crumble. We couldn’t believe its serving portion but started digging in anyway. The differentiating point of this dish lies in its presentation. Rather than serving it in the conventional pie style, the crumble buries the layer of warm caramelized apple beneath. The great thing about this is that you have a huge amount of crumble to go with the apples, which is essential to create the perfect texture. Not to mention, the delicious ice cream – which was hand picked through a stringent blind tasting, mind you – that provided the flawless finishing. Overall, this was a well-balanced dish that is not overwhelmingly sweet. This is a must-try if you are considering a dessert to end off your meal.
Though we were filled to the brim, we couldn’t resist the temptation of the Chocolate Brownie. I thought we would have enough space to fit just one mouthful of this, but the fudge-like brownie with the creamy rich vanilla ice cream was so good, we had scoop after scoop. So it is indeed true that we have a separate compartment for desserts. This was definitely worth our calories.
IN A NUTSHELL
We had a lovely time at Jewel and we were stuffed! Our stomachs would have felt better with half the amount we have consumed, since each of them carried such a generous portion. With an extensive food menu, there are bound to be hits and misses and we were glad to have tried some of the best offerings here. Moreover, the lovely interior made a great environment for a hearty meal, or even a quiet coffee break if you come on a weekday afternoon.
