New in town: Café REN — Home-based business known for lava cookies to open cafe in Farrer Park

If you were a fan of the home-based business, KUKI, back when they were selling their unique open-faced lava cookies online, you’re in luck — after over a year of hiatus, the business is returning in the form of a cafe named Café REN.

The owners of KUKI announced the opening of Café Ren via their social media, with the cafe being slated for a 7 July 2023 opening. They also assured customers that their open-faced lava kukis would be on the menu too.

Café REN will be located along Race Course Road near Farrer Park MRT Station with a modern, minimalistic appearance. Their unique menu consists of fusion dishes that combine Eastern and Western flavours.

Tuck into their All-Day Brunch items, the Pulled Pork Roll (S$19), containing hoisin pulled pork, folded eggs, creamy slaw, a brioche roll, peanuts, sriracha and fries, and the Scotch Egg Grain Bowl (S$18), a vegetarian dish made with sweet potato mash, a gooey egg, cauliflower tabbouleh, almonds, pomegranate and mesclun.

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The Scallop & Truffle Cold Pasta (S$17) is a unique sharing dish made with Japanese elements like kombu, furikake and ikura, on top of torched scallop tartare and angel hair pasta.

I can’t wait to try Café REN’s mains, including the Asian Prawn & Clam Chili Pasta (S$22), containing tiger prawns, clams, fettucine, green chili sauce and cream, and the Pork & Burrata Ragu Pasta (S$21), which comes with pulled pork tomato ragu, burrata, conchiglie pasta and olive oil.

REN’s Fried Mac & Cheese Ball (S$19) is super interesting to me, as it is made with triple cheese bechamel, XO sauce, Lao Gan Ma chili, macaroni and pork ragu. What a unique fusion of flavours!

Dessert lovers, don’t fret, for KUKI’s Pistachio Lava Kuki makes a comeback in this menu. For S$10, you’ll be treated to a Valrhona chocolate cookie filled with pistachio praline lava and topped with oat milk vanilla gelato. How about some Sweet Potato Cheesecake (S$12), for something more unique?

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