New Pop-Up Minion Cafe In Singapore: Insta-Worthy Themed Food & Decor, Exclusive Merchandise
Everyone loves a good themed cafe, especially if it's dedicated to a character we love. Being surrounded by decor and food that scream our fav character is enough for any grown adult to squeal internally. Anime fans can go wild at the new DanMachi Anime Cafe, and those who love kawaii characters will have plenty of fun at the Hello Kitty Shabu Shabu Cafe and Crayon Shinchan Cafe.
Now, fans of the lovable Minions have a chance to experience this at the new Minion-themed cafe in Singapore, the first in South-East Asia.
Keep reading to check out our review and first look of Minion Cafe!
Opening on 28 October, the new two-storey Minion Cafe is conveniently located a six-minute walk from Clarke Quay MRT Station. It's hard to miss as the entrance has been invaded by the Minions' bright, cheerful presence.
Themed Decor at Minion Cafe
With similar artwork to the MINION SUMMER CAFE in Japan, the interior design of the cafe has an instant uplifting effect and offers plenty of photo opportunities.
At the entrance are two life-sized Minions against a feature wall, and the rest of the cafe is covered in colourful Minion-themed art.
Food at Minion Cafe
The menu at Minion Cafe was curated by 1-Group's Chef Tom Kung and his team to not only look Instagrammable but also taste good. It includes dishes based on PARCO Japan's menu as well as new local-inspired creations.
We started with the Minion Pumpkin Mantou with Chilli Crab Meat Dip ($14) which comes with four adorable Minion-shaped mantous. The Minion face looked almost too perfect, like a plastic sheet, but is in fact made of potato!
To my surprise, the mantou was soft and fluffy, a far cry from bread served at other themed cafes which are usually dry and rubbery. The gooey chilli crab dip had a medium-spicy kick and a hint of tanginess, with little chunks of tender crab meat.
Off to a good start, we moved on to our first main dish, the Minion Wagyu Lunch Plate ($28). This impressive-looking plate comes with a little bit of everything including two adorable Minion-shaped rice balls.
It was a good call to make the rice simple ball shapes as it not only looked cute but remained moist; the rice at themed cafes is usually dry and hard probably in order to hold their shape. It had quite a strong bitter turmeric taste but was balanced out when paired with the other ingredients.
Aside from the rice, this plate was flawless and exceeded the standards of a typical themed cafe. There's a bowl of creamy potato puree, a perfectly fried egg, crispy shrimp, mini chicken sausage cut in a Japanese-style octopus shape, and a tender and juicy beef patty cooked medium.
Next, we tried the Minion Keema Chicken Curry ($28), a minced chicken and vegetable curry with Minion-shaped rice and a sautéed portobello mushroom.
The curry has a very mild spice level which should be suitable for kids. We loved the turmeric rice in this dish as it had a sweeter and milder flavour compared to the rice in the lunch plate. The crunchy texture from the lotus root and banana chips was a nice touch! However, for the same price, we'd recommend going for the Lunch Plate instead for the variety of flavours and that juicy wagyu steak.
The cafe also serves Minion-themed drinks like the refreshing Minion Banana Drink ($9) topped with cornflakes and Yellow Bellow Pineapple ($9) with whipped cream and biscuit crumbles.
Diners will get a free coaster with a random design with every purchase from the drink menu.
We ended things on a sweet note, in more ways than one, with the picture-perfect Minion Banana Boat ($18). It comes with a split banana covered in white chocolate on a bed of sponge cake, topped with mango whipped cream, scoops of strawberry and cotton candy ice cream, cornflakes and blueberries.
First things first, this dessert looked gorgeous. It was plated beautifully and the pastel ice cream was the cherry on top. Taste wise, it was satisfying yet not too gelak as it had a lovely mix of flavours and textures, although we found both ice cream flavours a tad too sweet on their own.
Check out more of the menu offerings:
Minion Wagyu Cheese Burger ($28)
Minion Big Pan Breakfast ($28)
Minion Kelong Prawn & Scallop Pizza ($26)
Minion Mac and Cheese ($16)
Bob And Tim Ice Cake Plate ($18)
Minions Store
The cafe also has a dedicated Minions store where you can find everything you need to Minion-ify your life. There are Minion-themed water bottles, key chains, stationery, plush toys, cookies and more.
Instagrammers can take their time posing at the many photo areas at the store including this cute area with framed Minion art.
The store also houses exclusive items from Japan that are designed with a kawaii spin. Notice that the Minion plush toys have bigger eyes and a baby-like look!
An excited child who proclaimed the cafe as "the best place [he's] ever been" said it best, this new pop-up Minion Cafe is sure to be the new favourite spot for Minion fans, young and old, and impress the non-fans who are dragged along for the ride. Even though my dining partner and I are rather apathetic towards these gibbering yellow creatures, we found ourselves oohing and aahing over the aesthetically pleasing food and enjoying the feel-good vibes of the ambience.
If you fancy yourself a Minions-themed food, photo-taking and shopping experience, better make plans quickly as the Minion Cafe will only be open for about two months from 28 October 2021 to 2 January 2022.
Minion Cafe
Address: 3A River Valley Road, Merchant's Court, #01-01C to 01D, Block A, Singapore 179020 (Clarke Quay MRT Station)
Opening hours: 11am - 10pm daily
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Menu | Reservations
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Text by: GirlStyle SG
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