Brunch at Tea Leaf Beanstro

There are many coffee joints in Singapore, and I enjoy trying out different cafes for the beverages, chillout setting and delicious snacks / pastries.  Cafes are great places for catching up with friends or reading a good book in, and I am glad there are more choices sprouting up all over Singapore for consumers like us to pick and choose one that suits our mood for the day.

Though, nothing beats my decade-long devotion to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Besides serving my favorite Blackforest Iced Blended Mocha and mouthwatering hot chocolate, Coffee Bean also serves palatable pasta, salads and cakes. Plus, the relaxing settings never fail to soothe me in times of stress or distress.

Recently, they have opened the premier all-day casual  dining bistro, Tea Leaf Beanstro outlets, beginning with the flagship branch at Marina Bay Sands overlooking the magnificent fountain and canal. I love that place – one feels soothed by the scenic beauty of the (man-made, indoor)  water channels and gets to enjoy good food at reasonable prices at the same time. The service is rather slow, but the diners are usually in a lazy, relaxed mode so there probably shouldn’t be much complaints.

The trendy Tea Leaf Beanstro’s location is 2 Bayfront Avenue, B2-20 Canal Level, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore 018972 and the number to call is 6688 7001.

It was Christmastime, so I ordered their festive Red Velvet Mocha in lieu of the usual signature drinks I take at Coffee Bean (as aforementioned).  It was rather saccharine and the aroma was not as distinctive as the original flavors.

For brunch, I had the Corned Beef with Egg, Tomato and Salad on Wholemeal Toast. This was a rather homely, wholesome breakfast set that tasted surprisingly good – tender corned beef cubes juicily-flavored. When consumed together with the tomato, lettuce and fried egg, it was literally a gastronomical connoiseur of goodness.

Katherine* had the Tiger Prawn Risotto – which I got to sample as well. The rice dish came with huge Tiger prawns that were succulent, crunchy and immersed with the delicious tomato flavor the rice dish was cooked in. The rice was just the right texture – chew without being too hard or soggy, and the taste left a sweet-sour sensation in the mouth that leaves one craving for more.

The two main courses were indeed not bad for bistro standards; we enjoyed our food.

We also got a serving of Breaded Calamari Rings to share – this was rather disapointing as the layer of flour was thick, oily and rather tasteless – I ate one whole calamari and for the rest of them, removed the crusts so I could just devour on the chewy squids encased within.

We spent SGD$30.00 each on our lunch here. Overall it was a great experience – rather delectable dishes, serene settings and I loved the tiny splashes of water from the fountain (not everyone does, sadly).