Plain Vanilla Bakery is no stranger to many people, known for its cupcakes and bakes, and has 4 outlets at Tiong Bahru, Cluny Court, Telok Ayer and In Good Company within ION Orchard.
The popular bakery has opened their fifth outlet in Outram Park, near where the hipster cafes cluster is.
While you are there, you may also consider visiting Nordic-style cafe At3, Dolc Patisserie, Kream & Kensho, and the revamped Strangers’ Reunion.
Other new cafes opened recently in the area include Ballad Of Anna May (Craig Road), Pickle Bakery (Everton Park), and Enclave (Keong Saik), all within short walking distance from one another.
Neil Road has a rich culture and history including home to our late Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and his grandfather in the 1900s, the location of the old Tiger Balm factory, Peranakan shophouses and The Baba House.
Located at the ending point of Neil Road, Plain Vanilla is a 40-seater space (24 seats indoors. 16 seats outdoors) that occupies the first storey of the last shophouse along the road.
Currently in their soft launch phase, the pet-friendly front porch alfresco dining area currently serves as a waiting area for takeaway customers.
Note that their soft-launch menu is also more streamlined and there are no cupcakes available for sale.
Each person is limited to one menu item and one bake per visit and everything is by tipping basis using cash.
Technically not true as the menu indicates the pricing of each item and the staff will reiterate the total amount for the bill.
There are currently no new outlet-exclusive dishes at the time of visit, with a menu comprising of best sellers from their other outlets.
For the breakfast menu, there are House/ Chocolate. Maple Granola Bowl (Small $8, Regular $12), Banana Nutella Toast ($9) and “PBJ” ($7).
Their Brunch & Lunch menu consisted of the usual selections such as Eggs Benedict ($22), Eggs Hemingway ($24), Scrambled Eggs on Sourdough with Avocado ($20), French Toast with Mixed Berries ($20) and Pappardelle with Spicy Beef Ragu ($22).
The Scrambled Eggs on Sourdough with Avocado ($20) comes with smooth, creamy and buttery scrambled egg with pepper sprinkled on the buttered granary sourdough
The sourdough was lightly toasted till golden brown before serving to give it a light crisp, topped with watercress salad for the crunch in contrast to the tangy salad.
My favourite was the French Toast with Mixed Berries ($20) served in a rather uncommon style, with brioche toast cut into various cubes.
The texture of the brioche was soft and chewy with distinctive milky taste in it.
Sour berry was drizzled onto the toast to give it a refreshing and citrus touch, finished off with icing sugar sprinkled on it.
A small selection of rotating bakes are available on display each day and there were Muffin – Blueberry Lemon/ Raspberry Dark Chocolate/ Banana Chocolate Bran ($3.90), Cinnamon Sugar Muffin (4pcs for $4.20), Galette – Apple/ Apricot & Pistachio/ Blueberry/ Summer Berry/ Peanut Butter & Grape ($5), Blueberry Loaf ($5), Flourless Chocolate Cake ($8.50) and Savoury Tart ($9).
The Blueberry Loaf ($5) was the perfect afternoon snack, being moist, crumbly and buttery with pandan infused within the icing sugar.
Using Browns Mill Organic, a 2-beans-blend (Honduras, Peru) roasted by Allpress Espresso for their espresso-based drinks, think Espresso ($4), Piccolo Latte ($4.50), Flat White/ Cappuccino/ Latte ($5), Mocha ($6) with options such as Espresso Shot (+$1), Soy and Oat Milk (+$0.80).
For the non-coffee drinkers, diners get to choose from Loose Leaf Tea (Hot $6, Iced $7.50), Tea Lattes ($8.50 – $9) and Cold Pressed Juice ($6 – $8).
My cup of Flat White ($5) contains a single espresso shot, single ristretto in 5oz cup.
It was smooth and medium-bodied, medium-dark roast, with a milk chocolate and a citrus taste.
Service was generally prompt and attentive with service staffs gathering feedbacks on the food.
But there were also awkward moments on different visits when we were stopped from taking photographs and were informed that we needed to seek “approval” from their management to do so.
Plain Vanilla
167 Neil Rd, Singapore 088888
Opening Hours: 8am – 2pm (Mon – Fri), 8am – 4pm (Sat – Sun) (Note: Soft launch hours)
Other Related Entries
At3 (Kampong Bahru)
Dolc Patisserie (Kampong Bahru)
Kream & Kensho (Kampung Bahru)
Strangers’ Reunion (Kampong Bahru)
Pickle Bakery (Everton Park)
* Written by Nicholas Tan @stormscape who loves all things [NEW]. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.
