Hidden within the Forum Shopping Mall, The Benjamin Browns is a charming cafe that is better known for their signature O.T.T. milkshakes featuring decadent toppings piled high in a mason jar.
Proving that they are more than just freakshakes, they have recently reinvented themselves in the form of a new menu that is packed full of delicious Japanese/Western fusion mains, with the likes of massive Don Bowls and Molten Lava Cheese Burgers.
But that’s not to say that they don’t do exaggerated freakshakes anymore because they still do. In fact, they have upped their O.T.T. milkshake game with new renditions of Cereal Shakes, as inspired by popular breakfast cereals including, Lucky Charms, Fruity Pebbles and Cookie Crisp.
And hey, the food isn’t the only thing that draws you in. The industrial chic interior is something to shout about too — with light bulbs hanging from the ceiling and chalkboards plastered across the walls, the cafe certainly has a very inviting atmosphere to it.
The Molten Lava Cheese Burger ($25) met all our expectations taste-wise and most importantly, in the cheese department. With a choice of beef, fried chicken or soft shell crab to choose from, you’ll get to pair any of these with the fresh Ciabatta buns. In our case, we opted for the soft shell crab.
Before we even split the buns apart, the molten cheese was already oozing out on it’s own. And once we did, even more cheese started flowing out, coating the soft shell crab and tater tots perfectly.
You might think that anything this cheesy might get too jelak after awhile, but that’s not the case here; instead of the commonly used nacho cheese, the chef utilises aged cheddar cheese as a lighter-tasting alternative. Plus, each batch is freshly baked in-house daily, with the buns hollowed out before being stuffed with a decadent amount of cheese.
Our mission was to try all the new signatures on the menu so we had a go at the Moo Don ($29) next. Expect to be served 350gm worth of beef with different cuts all stacked atop one another on a fragrant bed of garlic fried rice. The regular rice bowls really do pale in comparison to this ingenious combination.
Each slice of the chunky beef was certainly tender and well-prepared. However, I was slightly dismayed at the fact that they were a tad too well done. Perhaps, they could have the meat done up according to each customer’s preference so the dish can be fully enjoyed by all (and no one will have beef with it).
While the beef may appear to be the highlight of the bowl, the garlic fried rice is definitely worth mentioning too. Mixed around with the egg omelette wedged in between, this is actually good enough to be a standalone dish on it’s own.
Sampling yet another rice bowl, we had the Seadon ($39), as well. Featuring seafood fried rice topped with a whole lobster doused in garlic butter sauce, the serving portion for this was comparable to that of the Moo Don. This one’s strongly recommended for all you seafood lovers!
Because everything was piled on in layers, we had to take apart the don before we could tackle the main components. Hidden underneath the lobster, you will find a slab of king salmon among a variety of other seafood ingredients including, squid, prawns, scallop and octopus. All of which, complements the seafood fried rice really well.
We couldn’t stomach any more mains, so we decided to go for the beverages to round off the meal. As one of the latest additions to the menu, the “25 cm Shakes” ($14 each) are a refreshing alternative to the super sweet milkshake options that some might not fancy as much.
Sampling four different flavours, we had the White Grape Smoothie Shake, Passionfruit Smoothie Shake, Strawberry Smoothie Shake and finally the Chocolate Smoothie Shake.
As your next cafe stop, you should most definitely hit up The Benjamin Browns. While they might put an end to your cafe hopping adventures for the day because of how filling the dishes are, I guarantee that you will leave feeling immensely satisfied from the more than substantial meal portions served here.
Expected Damage: $25 – $40++ per pax
