Greyhound Cafe
Greyhound Cafe opened to much fanfare in Singapore. Originating from Bangkok, aka the land of smiles, the cafe is a big thing in its homeland and insanely popular with the millennial set. It's now over a year since its launch in Paragon Shopping Centre, the crowds have long dissipated, and I thought it finally time to visit the cafe.
You know, Greyhound Cafe is the perfect example of why I don't think an overseas outpost will ever fare as well as the original mothership. Greyhound Cafe may serve great food back in Thailand, but its sister outlet here in little ol' Singapore, was awfully pedestrian. And the business, or lack thereof, speaks for itself. Even with its one-for-one mains promotion for dinner, the cafe rarely operates at a full capacity.
Because the cafe hires the hearing-impaired, service at Greyhound requires patience and understanding. On the part of the customer. We weren't aware at first that our waiter was hearing impaired, so we rattled off our orders as usual. It took us a minute to notice our waiter's badge, which notified us of his impediment. That hiring policy was a nice touch. And we'd have tipped extra, if not for the waiter's grouchy surly attitude.
The Crispy Sweet Corn ($16), generously dotted with kernels galore, was bursting with a delicate sweetness. A must-try.
The Duck Wanton Soup ($16) was a half-and-half. It looked stodgy and its dull pallor less-than-appetizing, but the broth, rich in depth of duck bones, was delicious. As was the wanton filling. The wanton skins, on the other hand, was too thick and blah.
The Noodle Tom Yum Koong ($19) was so watered down, we requested and dunked in lashings of chilli padi just so this would have some kick.
The Mince Pork Basil Rice ($18) fared much better, punchy and robust but that egg was so rubbery you could bounce a basketball off it. This came in a set with winter melon soup, which made a lovely counter to the heat of the mince.
Greyhound Cafe
290 Orchard Road
#01-25
Tel: 6235 4078
Open daily from 11am to 10pm
You know, Greyhound Cafe is the perfect example of why I don't think an overseas outpost will ever fare as well as the original mothership. Greyhound Cafe may serve great food back in Thailand, but its sister outlet here in little ol' Singapore, was awfully pedestrian. And the business, or lack thereof, speaks for itself. Even with its one-for-one mains promotion for dinner, the cafe rarely operates at a full capacity.
Because the cafe hires the hearing-impaired, service at Greyhound requires patience and understanding. On the part of the customer. We weren't aware at first that our waiter was hearing impaired, so we rattled off our orders as usual. It took us a minute to notice our waiter's badge, which notified us of his impediment. That hiring policy was a nice touch. And we'd have tipped extra, if not for the waiter's grouchy surly attitude.
The Crispy Sweet Corn ($16), generously dotted with kernels galore, was bursting with a delicate sweetness. A must-try.
The Duck Wanton Soup ($16) was a half-and-half. It looked stodgy and its dull pallor less-than-appetizing, but the broth, rich in depth of duck bones, was delicious. As was the wanton filling. The wanton skins, on the other hand, was too thick and blah.
The Noodle Tom Yum Koong ($19) was so watered down, we requested and dunked in lashings of chilli padi just so this would have some kick.
The Mince Pork Basil Rice ($18) fared much better, punchy and robust but that egg was so rubbery you could bounce a basketball off it. This came in a set with winter melon soup, which made a lovely counter to the heat of the mince.
Greyhound Cafe
290 Orchard Road
#01-25
Tel: 6235 4078
Open daily from 11am to 10pm
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