There was this cafe called Oh Wunder Cafe at Bras Basah Complex that, for my friend's birthday, I wanted us both to go and try.
What it was exactly that drew me to this cafe on the ground floor of this HDB retail complex, I cannot tell.
I mean, there was no single specific item on the menu that I wanted particularly to have, but based on the pictures the decor looked cozy, the place seemed popular, and there were many good (unsolicited) reviews on the Google site.
I had been attracted by a few different offerings on the menu.
First there was the Steak and Eggs that they had on the breakfast menu.
This one in particular intrigued me.
There aren't many places that offer a plate like this these days. In fact I don't think I have even seen one on a brunch menu for a long while, not after Dan Ryan's closed and died.
My friend likes steak at brunch.
He used to take the plate at Dan Ryan's.
I thought he might fancy this one.
I have different tastes when it comes to places like these.
The Breakfast Pancake Stack looked appealing- I like pancakes- but other items on the menu, like the Mentaiko Chicken Katsu Burger, the Angus Beef Burger and the Fish and Chips looked wonderful too.
I had thought we might get the Steak & Eggs to share, plus a waffle for dessert, which, by the way, they had.
Three kinds.
Buttermilk waffles, one with pistachio, one with dark chocolate and speculoos, one with strawberries and vanilla ice cream.
But our order this afternoon turned out to be completely different.
The first thing we got was an Ube Latte kind of drink.
It was something I wanted.
Not only does the drink come in a very pretty color of purple, ube (a kind of yam, I think) has also been touted as one of the upcoming trend foods either this year or next. I am familiar with yam the root vegetable. I am not so familiar with the variety of ube, and I thought it worth a try.
Shall I say it tasted similar to how I had anticipated it to be?
A strong taste of the yam root vegetable, a taste of the milk, and the hint of sweetness blended with the milk and the vegetable.
This was, literally, drinking down one's vegetables with plant-based milk.
For our main, we got the burger.
The Mentaiko Chicken Katsu Burger I had seen on the menu earlier.
My friend had gotten drawn in by the size of the katsu.
He was right.
The burger itself was huge, one thick, chonky piece of pork filet placed between two equally poufy brioche buns.
The burger felt big.
What's more, the filet was thickly battered, had just the right amount of breadcrumbs snugly covered over the piece of meat. The whole piece was fried just right. No shiny grease, no loopy batter dropping off the meat here and there.
Nothing too hard.
Nothing too soft either.
There was just the right crisp and crunch.
My friend liked the chonky piece of meat.
Very few places offered slabs of meat this thick and juicy and so well done that you didn't feel it dry one bit at all.
They were generous with it.
In fact they were generous with everything- the big poufy buttery brioche buns, the Mentaiko sauce that they literally slathered two layers over the filet. Also the fries and salad.
It certainly made things feel lovelier that brioche is one of my favorite when it comes to the fancy bread category.
You know, cynical me had thought that the burger would not be enough for the both of us.
But, despite it being split in half, we were both quite full by the time we finished.
I suppose that is what you call a good, satisfying meal.
Next time I come, I will want to have either the Breakfast Pancakes or the Waffle.
Oh Wunder Cafe here in the artsy, expressive Bras Basah Complex certainly drops the right vibes for it.