Sometimes for lunch I'd have takeaway sandwiches from The Gourmet Bakery at Republic Plaza, Raffles Place. I was informed some time ago that they have a sit-in outlet in Millenia Walk. Didn't really consider going over until I saw a voucher for a 3-course meal there (
for just $9.90!).This cafe is nestled within Parco, and is quite hidden unless you use the entrance that links directly into the department store. But here it is, and what a charming/cute/feminine setup!
Honestly speaking the first thing that felt strange was the service. We had to reserve (to use the voucher) but there was a not a soul there besides us which was expected. Even then, after acknowledging us and after we sat down, nobody approached us or served water or said that we had to order at the counter (regardless of how obvious it was).Counter staff were visibly students working part-time and matter-of-fact-ly mentioned that the set comes with a soup, any choice of pasta or wrap, and a drink worth less than $5.
You get soup as a starter. There were about 4 choices that evening we were there, and I chose the minestrone but
lapped up most of it :)
{ Minestrone Soup (Small : $4)}
I was a little concerned about the state of the food, but my fears were allayed with the soup came. The soups were actually, really great! The minestrone was packed heap-ful of ingredients and the soup taste was very pronounced and naturally flavourful from all the ingredients. The minestrone is really flavourful.. look at how much ingredients are in there! Definitely tastes homemade with the sheer tomato-ness in every mouthful. Personally though I somehow preferred the broccoli soup that
picked out.
{ Cream of Broccoli (Small : $4) }
Now this really screams broccoli! There is no doubt in my mind that fresh REAL broccoli were used. Texture was just nice - smooth without being too thick nor creamy. It felt really healthy and nutritious. I picked the cream of broccoli which I passed to bunneh, and it wasn't broccoli cheese as I was used to, it was just cream of broccoli and again, really strong and sharp in broccoli flavour, a pleasant surprise.
{ Tuna Pesto Pasta ($8.50) }
Generous in basil (though not enough pinenuts or olive oil), it was a little too dry but again ingredients were generous. Jam packed with tuna and an interesting choice of vegetables, while I wouldn't call it pesto, it was still pretty tasty but it would have been a lot nicer with more olive oil. Ooh this was nice and extremely laden with tuna. While this is surely not 'traditional' pesto pasta, I appreciated the addition of snowpeas and green pepper for fibre and crunch! For $8.50 this is really value for money.
{ Mediterranean Wrap ($7.50) }
This is a vegetarian wrap. All kinds of veg in there, and I couldn't quite make out the dressing although it had a nice flavour. Liked this but probably should have tried the non-vego wraps! This tasted similar to the Salads & Wraps at ICON which we patronize regularly, I detected chickpeas, beetroot and some kind of yoghurt dressing that constituted this vegetarian wrap. Tasted healthy and pretty good.
{ Hot Cocoa ($5) }
We ended with a hot coca which was included in the set and man that's some nice latte art! The cocoa was a little cool by the time we finished our food, and overly sweet, but I guess I'd know next time to ask for less sweetness and to be served after. Was still a good end to a nice quiet dinner :)I thought the soups were pretty good and the my pasta was good (but dry), it was kinda like a pleasant surprise and the $10 set for all that was really worth the money. Glad to hear that they are packed on weekday lunches and I guess, weekends as well despite Parco not being a too popular spot.
Gourmet Bakery Cafe
9 Raffles Boulevard, #P1-11/12
Main website : http://www.thegourmetgp.com/index.html
HGW Link : http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/The_Gourmet_Bakery___Cafe/
Rating (out of 4) :
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