Review On Cafe Q Classified: Pink Floral Cafe At Orchard With All-Day Brunch & Korean Dalgona Coffee
Cafe Q Classified, the new pink floral cafe at Orchard, is the talk of the town right now. Attracted by their pretty deco like everyone else, we headed down for ourselves to try out their all-day brunch to determine if their food tastes as good as how their decor looks.
Note: Our Editor visited Cafe Q Classified as a paying customer, and not as part of a media invitation. All opinions expressed are her own.
P.S.: You'll also love this pink dessert cafe at Dhoby Ghaut with carnival vibes, affordable desserts from $3, and bubble tea "hotpot"!
Read on for our review on Cafe Q Classified in Singapore!
Cafe Q Classified ambience & first impressions
Photo from Cafe Q Classified
Cafe Q Classified at Ngee Ann City (Takashimaya building) is the brainchild of the same people behind Greyhound Cafe, a brooding dark eatery in the same area. They also own MASA by Black Society, a forest-themed dim sum restaurant. While their existing brands are aesthetically-pleasing in their own right, they’ve clearly outdone themselves with this new venture - at least in terms of interior decor.
Photo from @saltyaaron via Instagram
Located next to French bakery Paul, Cafe Q Classified has its walls entirely washed in a pastel pink shade. Multicoloured flowers line the perimeter of the cafe, and are also fitted between tables for a burst of colour throughout the premises. Leafy vines alternated with purple Wisteria dangle from the ceiling, creating a whimsical atmosphere.
Photo from @saltyaaron via Instagram
There are a mix of long bar counter-like tables here, as well as booth seats. Perhaps the most coveted ones are the few booth seats next to the mirrored wall towards the back of the cafe (shown below), as they’re most immune from photobombs in the form of other diners or passers-by walking around outside.
Photo from @petalsinaglass via Instagram
There’s also a semi-private alcove for larger groups with velvet chairs, but this was understandably not open for customers during the time of our visit.
I visited on a Monday at around noon as I was on leave that day, thinking that it’d be relatively quiet. Surprisingly, the cafe was already almost packed to the brim. Luckily, we had made a prior reservation and didn’t have to wait for a seat.
Photo from @saltyaaron via Instagram
Something that was puzzling was the fact that I asked for a booth seat near the mirror feature wall, but was denied, because according to the staff, the seats were “reserved for 4 pax” - which didn’t make any sense to me since we can only dine in twos with the current restrictions.
Later on, we saw the seats being occupied by other groups of two. I was already comfortable in my space and didn’t want to be a Karen, so the matter was left unpursued. However, I’d be lying if I said that this didn’t cause me any dissatisfaction.
Photo from GirlStyle SG
Nevertheless, my booth seat near the cafe’s entrance and neon signage was satisfactory enough, and gave me a good dose of colourful florals at my direct disposal - all without having to get up from my seat. If you happen to snag a spot here too, try snapping your photo from an angle like I did, so that the rainbow blooms and pink pillar will block out any stores and shoppers behind.
Food at Cafe Q Classified: Our review
Photo from Cafe Q Classified
And now for the big question: Is the food here worth your money?
One glance at the menu and you’ll see that they have more than 50 items listed - and that’s excluding their drinks and Freak Shakes ($14). Clearly, this is a huge draw for those who love variety.
Things started on a positive note when we were served water in wine glasses. Albeit being made of plastic, this made the experience seem so much more luxe and princess-like - which was totally what I was there for.
I opted for the Q Classified Spud ($23.80) under their all-day breakfast section - basically rosti with bacon, eggs, and salad. This also comes with granola, blueberry yogurt with fresh fruits, and a bottle of milk. As the waitress approached my table with the food, I felt a leap of excitement just looking at the generous portions - it felt like I was sure to get my money’s worth.
The rosti was crispy, but seemed to be drenched in oil, though what was most disappointing for me was the absence of sour cream. The eggs, while fluffy, were not seasoned enough for my liking, but paired well with the sinful salty bacon and potato. Looking at the menu again while writing this piece, I only just realised that this dish is supposed to come with poached eggs rather than scrambled, but oh well.
I recommend mixing the yogurt with the granola, and drinking the milk on its own. These healthy sides added a refreshing touch to my meal, but it would have been better if the yogurt was served at a colder temperature; It was about room temperature by the time it reached me, which made it less palatable.
Photo from GirlStyle SG
My boyfriend opted for the Q Famous Truffle Lobsterwich ($26), which somehow came with regular shoestring fries despite the menu saying that it’s served with curly fries - which was part of the reason why he even ordered it in the first place. We alerted the staff on this, and they tried to “cover backside” at first by saying that the photo in the menu shows shoestring fries, even though the description clearly mentions curly ones in black and white.
After some dithering about on their backend, the staff offered us a swap of fries. By then, we were already too hungry to wait and didn’t want to waste food, so we politely declined. The gesture was appreciated, but our impression of their service had already been marred.
As for the lobster roll itself, let’s just say that you’re better off at Burger & Lobster for such a dish. We could be wrong, but we were quite sure that the lobster was mixed with prawn, which made us feel rather cheated. I was not a fan of the cucumber and raw onion filling, and felt that more care could have been put into the make up of the dish - starting with a more flavourful sauce. Any hints of truffle here were mild at best.
Photo from @saltyaaron via Instagram
To the cafe’s credit, one of the staff members asked for feedback without being prompted, and was receptive when we raised the various issues we had encountered.
She explained that because the cafe had just opened to the public, they still hadn’t been able to get their hands on any sour cream. That’s understandable, but it’s also what makes or breaks a rosti dish. They could have temporarily removed the item from their menu while procuring their supplies instead of serving a compromised version.
Photo from Cafe Q Classified
At the end of it all, we each got a $5 return voucher - presumably to make up for all the hiccups. It’ll probably be a while before we decide to head down again, for it seems like the cafe’s operations team needs time to iron stuff out, though we wouldn’t mind heading back again to give their desserts a chance in the future - just because we have $10 worth of vouchers to spend.
We hear their Dutch Baby Pancakes (from $9) are pretty popular, with both sweet and savoury toppings including Red Ruby and Coconut Ice Cream ($15) as well as Spinach & Egg ($15). Other items include Croffles ($12), Avocado Bacon & Cheese Stackwich ($16), Cold Caviar Somen ($28), and Quattro Moda Soup Shots ($13.80 for 4 flavours). They also have cold Korean Dalgona Coffee ($8.80) for the trend-seekers.
Cafe Q Classified
Address: 391 Orchard Road, #03-15 Ngee Ann City, Singapore 238872
Opening hours: 10am - 10pm daily
Telephone: 6235 8812
Website
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Text by: GirlStyle SG
