With Hallyu taking over Singapore, Korean-inspired cafes and eateries have become increasingly commonplace in Singapore. While wandering around Ngee Ann City in Orchard, you may come across one of these cafes in the form of the botanical-themed You Are My Sunshine.
You Are My Sunshine is a cafe that also doubles as a hair salon. Decorated with lush green plants and rustic wooden furniture, the cafe was a sight to behold, with plenty of gorgeous photo-worthy spots.
Boasting an extensive menu consisting of Korean, Western and fusion dishes plus desserts, I was excited to dig in to my meal.
Chope: Save 20% at You Are My Sunshine
What I tried at You Are My Sunshine
First, we got the Korean Crispy Fried Chicken with Signature Yangnyeom Sauce (S$28), consisting of half a chicken coated in Yangnyeom sauce and served with homemade pickles, compressed apples, red radish, pickled carrots and pickled cucumbers.
The chicken meat was tender and juicy. The chicken pieces had been fried to a crispy perfection, while the Yangnyeom sauce was sweet and mildly spicy, covering the chicken pieces generously.
The bits of pickled carrots and pickled cucumbers also added a bit of tang and crunch to the dish. As far as Korean fried chicken goes, You Are My Sunshine certainly serves up an impressive version of the dish.
The Spicy Pork Pasta (S$26) was a fettucine dish cooked in spicy homemade cream sauce and served with pork belly, homemade Jeyuk sauce, shiitake mushrooms, onions, garlic, Japanese leek, melted cheese, spring onions and shaved parmesan cheese.
I liked how springy and chewy the fettucine was. The sauce was very creamy, and the flavours reminded me of a less milky version of carbonara. Each bite of the fettucine was flavourful and cheesy. I found the slices of pork belly to be quite average, but overall, the savoury and creamy Spicy Pork Pasta satisfied me.
My only gripe would be that I did not find the dish spicy at all, despite its name.
Next up was the Duck Confit (S$32), a grilled duck leg confit served with asparagus, marbled potatoes and red wine sauce.
The skin of the duck leg confit was crispy, while the meat was tender and rich with a slightly gamey taste. I found the duck to be satisfying, especially with its large size.
The potatoes were nicely salted while the asparagus was crunchy. However, I felt that there could have been a larger amount of potatoes and asparagus to make the whole dish more filling.
A dish at You Are My Sunshine that intrigued me was the Bulgogi Pizza 10″ (S$25), topped with homemade tomato sauce, sliced jalapeno, grilled onions, black olives, bulgogi beef, shredded cheddar cheese and sesame seeds. The bulgogi beef was served as a pile in the middle of the pizza.
I found the flatbread base of the Bulgogi Pizza to be a little underwhelming as it tasted like an ordinary store-bought pizza crust, but the toppings added a nice amount of savoury flavour and the pizza was delightfully not too salty.
The beef bulgogi was tender and coated nicely in a sweet sauce that complemented the savoury taste of the other ingredients.
The Barley Truffle Risotto (S$25), made with truffle oil, doenjang, barley, dashi stock and mixed mushrooms, was a bit on the less impressive side.
Instead of using rice like regular risotto dishes, You Are My Sunshine’s version used barley, making for a chewier dish.
I found the Barley Truffle Risotto to be a little too watery and slightly bland. The truffle taste was light, though it was drowned out a bit by the saltiness of the doenjang. I feel that the dish would have been improved if it had been less watery and more creamy, like traditional risotto.
Moving on to the desserts, we tried the Fluffy Souffle Pancake (S$25), which was topped with whipped cream, mixed fruits and honey granola. The souffle pancakes were incredibly soft, fluffy and moist, with a melt-in-the-mouth texture.
Even without the whipped cream, fruits and granola, the souffle pancakes were tasty and sweet on their own and not bland at all. I could taste the vanilla aroma embedded within each pancake.
This was easily my favourite dish of the day, and my dining companions were also extremely impressed with the Fluffy Souffle Pancake!
The Kroffle with Ice Cream (S$20) was the next dessert that we tried. The dish came with two kroffles served with a single scoop of ice cream, in which we decided to go for Strawberry Cheesecake.
The kroffles were crispy and warm, and the interior of each kroffle was still relatively flaky and not too doughy. The scoop of Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream was rich with a slight savouriness that balanced out the tanginess of the sweet strawberries.
The drinks at You Are My Sunshine are not to be missed either. A unique offering was the Ginseng Smoothie (S$14), made with ginseng, milk and honey. It was bitter, earthy and herby, yet surprisingly managed to work well as a drink. However, the strength of its flavours made it a bit jelak after a while.
The Flower Ade (S$8) stood out because of its gorgeous purple-blue hue. It tasted like a citrus-y soda and was utterly refreshing.
My favourite was the Sweet Potato Latte (S$7 for hot, S$7.50 for cold), in which the earthiness and natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes blended perfectly with the mild flavours of the milk.
Final thoughts
You Are My Sunshine offers a wide variety of delicious and Instagram-worthy dishes, as well as a calming and aesthetic dining space for a comfortable catch-up session with friends and loved ones.
The Korean Crispy Fried Chicken with Signature Yangnyeom Sauce and Fluffy Souffle Pancake are definitely not to be missed!
Expected damage: S$25 – S$50 per pax
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Price: $ $
Our Rating: 4 / 5
You Are My Sunshine Cafe
391B Orchard Road, Ngee Ann City, #05-05A, Singapore 238874
You Are My Sunshine Cafe
391B Orchard Road, Ngee Ann City, #05-05A, Singapore 238874