The Larder Cafe

A hidden gem located at the ground floor of low rise HDB shop houses in Toa Payoh, short distance from HDB Hub. Service staff was attentive even though the menu and payment was via a webpage using QR code. Nice retro rustic interior decor was nicely done. Menu selection was great and everything looked tempting. Quality of food was very good and serving portion was generous.

First time having lunch here today. I ordered from their Weekday Brunch Special Menu which is available from 11am to 3pm. I ordered Pan Fried Dory Fillet in Cilantro sauce with some greens and fries ($12.90++) plus $4.80++ for the Meal Upgrade to include the soup of the day and a drink. Rating for the main course: 4/5 (the fish portion is just nice it is well cooked but the fries are slightly salty. Rating for the spinach soup and bread: 4/5 (the soup is delicious and the bread is nice) Overall, this place is ideal for lunch and dinner with family or friends but it does not impress me enough to give a 5-star rating.

The larder cafe had garnered good reviews, despite being nestled in a relatively obscure part of Toa Payoh Central. I went there with some expectations of a decent meal. Initially, I had a set meal which comprised of Tom Yum Pasta, soup of the day and an iced lemon tea. The Tom Yum Pasta featured Spaghetti which was well seasoned and el dente. Unfortunately the praises end there. All the seafood were of the frozen variant and provided non of the umami i crave for in seafood. The portion of the spaghetti was also abysmal, incapable of filling a relatively small appetite, it felt finished in a few mouthfuls. I was barely sated. The soup of the day felt like some abomination between green tea powder and some variant of mushroom. It felt as if i was drinking a hot bowl of thickened green tea powder, i couldn't stomach more than a couple of spoonful. The iced lemon tea belonged to a typical commercial variant, alas it was overdiluted by ice and it was a pale shadow of its more delectable variant. The set meal cost approximately $25-27, pretty poor value for money. I was neither satisfied by the portion nor the food quality and my stomach was still rumbling. Upon recommendation of the staff, i ordered a portion of mushroom quesadilla. The earthy taste of the mushroom fused well with warm cheese and provided a pleasant dose of flavor. The tangy tomato salsa provided a nice contrast to mitigate the richness of the quesadilla. Alas, it came as 4 measly and thin slices, it did not do much in filling the tummy. At a cost of $12++, it presented poor value for money. Last but not least, i had a cup of gula melaka ice cream in an attempt to give the meal a sweet ending. Alas, it was on the sweet side and pretty one dimensional. There were plenty of seats but i was assigned to one besides the entrance to the toilet, as folks went to and fro to the washroom, it proved disruptive to my experience. That being said, the service staff were pleasant and polite, a tiny slice of a silver lining for an otherwise mediocre experience.

After staying in TPY for years, I finally decided to try this cafe and was so disappointed. 17+ dollars for fish and chips but when I got home I realised it was severely undercooked. The pic on the left is the cold centre that was gooey. I went to refry it again and just look at the difference. I've got a stomach ache from having eaten a few bites of the raw frozen fish. Probably better if y'all eat at the resto in case it happens to you too 🤢