Island Cafe

Upon ending a short stint in MCYS, my very kind and generous bosses decided to treat me to a meal each. One of them told me, through his Personal Assistant (everyone should get one!), to meet him at Island Cafe. Right in the middle of town.

I thought I had a good knowledge of where to go and what to eat, especially in town. Yet this little cafe escaped my radar, which is really miraculous considering that it is actually situated in the middle of Tangs Department Store where I often go to to oogle at kitchenware. Speaking of which, someone recently reminded me that I had to update my little wishlist at the side of this panel.

Anyway, it is no wonder I had no clue of the existence of this cafe since it is on the top floor. In fact, just a floor below it is a small and rather inconspicuous bar for yuppies to get a mid-day drink to unwind a little. The concept of Island Cafe is not novel. It serves local food, with a more luxurious touch, beautifully presented amidst a tropical surrounding. Panel after panel of light wood surrounded us, while the wide floor to ceiling windows let in natural light and gave a good view of Orchard Road.

I actually felt a little spoilt for choice while browsing the menu, because there was so much that I wanted to try. In the end, I chose the Black Pepper Soft-Shell Crab Tung Hoon (pictured above) over the Crayfish Laksa. I'm sure you get what I mean now, when I said they served food with a touch of luxury.

My dish had so much potential and could have been mind-blowing, but unfortunately it was executed poorly. When the tung hoon arrived at my table, it looked spectacular with a whole soft shell crab staring straight at me, lightly encased in a tempura batter. Something about seeing whole animals, or crustaceans in this case, on my plate that appeals to me. Suckling pig, whole steamed fish, whole chickens, whole ducks. While the noodles was flavourful, it was disappointingly dry. Even the crab was not much of an enjoyment, and I'm a big soft shell crab fan.

What was worse was the ice kacang that I had after dinner, willing myself to give the place another chance. Even the ice kacang was not let off and was given an extra touch of barley and gingko. But that was not the letdown. Instead, it was the fact that the shaved ice was coarse. I swear even the ice kacang I made manually with my friends was of better quality. How could they screw up the NATIONAL dessert?

It had a nice environment though. That must be the reason why the place usually gets crowded on weekends. I must admit I loved the vibe they emit there. Their waiters and waitresses were also extremely friendly and polite, more than I can say for alot of other 'better' restaurants. I would go back again just to kick off my heels and rest my feet from shopping, with one of their cocktails perhaps.

Island Cafe

Level 4, Tangs Shopping Centre, Orchard Road

Tel: 6737 5500