Five Oars Coffee Roasters: Creme Brulee French Toast & Mentaiko Royale At This Insta-worthy Cafe In Tanjong Pagar

Love all-white interiors? Here’s another cafe you have to check out.

Just a five-minute walk away from Tanjong Pagar MRT station, Five Oars Coffee Roasters is an Instagrammers’ haven from its neon shop sign to the interior.

Whitewashed walls, woody-industrial furnishing and an abundance of natural light (and greenery), the aesthetics of this cafe is pleasing to the eye and every inch of it screams Insta-worthy.

Five Oars Coffee Roasters offers outdoor seatings too, though it promises tonnes of beautiful photos, it can get pretty hot out there in the afternoon.

With a cup of Iced Mocha (S$6.50) and Iced Latte (S$6), we were ready to beat the heat — anything for the ’gram!

As fans of the coffee over at Botanist, the different types of coffee served here were nothing short of our expectations. I foresee myself heading back to get my caffeine-fix if I’m in the vicinity.

I must say, I was impressed by their fairly extensive menu.

You will find familiar crowd-favourites such as the Crab Nicoise (S$17.50) and Corn Fritters (S$18) available, as well as new items such as Salmon Ikura Rice Bowl (S$20) and Mentaiko Mac & Cheese (S$20.50).

It was already pretty late in the afternoon, but hey, it’s always a good time for brunch! And their Mentaiko Royale (S$21) definitely did not disappoint.

It is a tantalising combination comprising chunks of pan-seared salmon, avocado, asparagus and two wobbly sous vide soft-poached egg drizzled with mentaiko sauce. All these carefully perched atop two slices of English muffin.

For the finishing touch, Five Oars Coffee Roasters sprinkle sprigs of herbs and carefully place a crisp piece of salmon skin on the dish.

Presentation-wise, I was sold, and it tasted just as good as it looked. The salmon was succulent, the eggs were the ultimate #yolkporn and the lightly-torched mentaiko sauce brought the entire dish perfectly together.

Next up, we had the Creme Brûlée French Toast (S$18.50). Just like the previous dish, the presentation for this was a definite 10/10.

The thick brioche toast came with mixed berries, passionfruit, hazelnut, popcorn and a scoop of pistachio ice cream. It lived up to its name as a Creme Brûlée French Toast as there was a delightful crackle on top of the brioche when we attempted to cut into the toast.

My only gripe was that the brioche toast had a cakey texture, which was a tad too dense for my liking. It felt quite jelak after awhile.

That aside, I was still very impressed by their offerings. I’m already anticipating my next trip here to try out their night menu, which features fancier and heartier items, such as Beef Wellington (S$32) and Black Angus Burger (S$21). Mmm, can’t wait!

Expected Damage: S$16 – S$25 per pax