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“A good selection of in-house bread and food options”
Following the success of its very first outlet and bakery at Katong V mall, East Manhattan has introduced a new cafe at Lorong Kilat, serving not just baked goods but also a range of mains and beverages, as well as desserts.
The cafe and bakery has a Manhattan-themed decor (hence the name), such as the rugged red brick walls and the photos of towering skyscrapers hung on them. Besides that, their in house bakes are mainly American classics, as head chef and founder, John Wee spent a year in New York and learnt the skills there.
Some thirst quenchers before we began. We had Iced Honey Lemon ($6.50) which was, quite the familiar drink. The version here is quite sweet though.
I quite liked the Iced Honey Latte ($6.50 for single shot), on the other hand. It took some getting used to, the combination of coffee and honey, but it was an interesting twist. The coffee part which I could first taste, was very aromatic and just strong enough (for me). Trailing right behind was the sweetness of the honey.
The two drinks are not on the menu yet but will be during July.
We first had their soup, the popular Lobster Bisque ($8.00) which was served with their own artisanal bread. The soup had a very robust, lobster flavour and was just thick enough. A slice of the spinach and rosemary sourdough, which tasted fragrant with herbs was served with it. Not a fan? You can opt for their other breads, such as the tomato, walnut cheese, and many more.
There are mains as well. Other than the regular courses such as Manhattan All Day Breakfast and Aglio Olio Prawn, East Manhattan offers gluten free options as well.
The Basil Chicken Quinoa ($16.80), comprising of chicken marinated in basil pesto, plated with potato gratin, quinoa and a salad. Succulent and a slightly herby chicken was a good combination with the potato gratin, with the meat on the lighter side and the gratin which had a heavier, buttery taste.
Salmon Quinoa ($16.80) was surprisingly good. I do not usually order salmon dishes because they can be dry and tough. The fillet here however, had savoury, crispy skin and moist flesh, which easily came apart with some prodding from my fork.
Also served with their own sourdough was the Chicken Avocado Sandwich ($13.80), which came with a salad, fried egg and french fries. Between the two slices of spinach and rosemary bread were chicken and mashed up avocado.
I felt that the plain yet creamy avocado complemented the bread by not overpowering its flavour, but felt that the chicken could be seasoned more. While the meat was quite savoury on its own, I could not really taste it when I ate it with the avocado mash and bread.
Although we were stuffed from the mains, the thought of dessert kept me going. The French Toast Strawberry Ice Cream ($12.80), was a towering stack of toast, ice cream and strawberries. I really liked how the same spinach and rosemary bread was used for do the french toast as well. It was really fluffy and not too heavy. The tart and slightly icy strawberry ice cream lightened the dessert further.
Final dessert was the Rocky Mountain ($12.80), which was a brownie, with a scoop of chocolate ice cream and nuts. This may sound like too much after a meal, but the brownie was specially baked to be less dense, so that customers do not feel jelat when having it with the ice cream and chocolate sauce. I thought it was a nice way to put a spin on brownies, but thought that it was a little too dry for my liking.
East Manhattan Bakery Cafe has got a good start on their main courses and I quite look forward to trying out more of their items here, such as the pasta and the parfaits. If you are looking for a quiet place to relax and have some drinks, this place serves pretty decent coffee and is located at quite the serene area. Now you know where to go during your next weekend!
Expected Damage: $25 – $3521
East Manhattan Bakery Cafe: 19 Lorong Kilat, #01-03, Singapore 598120 | Tel: 9639 4179 | Website
