Brunch purists will attest to the rarity of tucking into a flawlessly- executed eggs benedict, but you’re liable to get a pretty good hit rate at the new café, Hoopla, owned by folks with personalities as sunny as the massive space. With a whiff of Nordic minimalism and stylish quirkiness, it occupies the out-of- the-ways Infinite Studios.
Given that veteran chef and co- owner Didi Mulyadi hails from Bukit Timah brunch stalwart Choupinette, you’d expect him to know a thing or two about poaching the perfect egg.
There are your usual suspects: two poached numbers with either wilted baby spinach ($14), smoked salmon ($17) or honey-baked ham ($15) on sourdough toast with a deluge of classic, punchy hollandaise, but notable mains like the Didi chicken pie ($8.50), croque monsieur ($15) and show stopper The Alchemy, an open-faced sarnie with smashed avocado, bacon and a poached egg drizzled in balsamic vinaigrette ($15) round off a well- thought-out menu.
And while there’s java gratification from next-door hipster joint Revolution coffee, the Toby Estates’ brews offered in-house at Hoopla, lumped into espresso + milk, espresso + water and espresso with milk + chocolate categories ($4-$6), aren’t too shabby.
Having eschewed more buzzy, pricier locales for a shot at the Media Circle neighbourhood (charming, nostalgia-tinged Colbar’s just a short walk away), this is one place where all the unnecessary fuss – did we say hoopla? – is well worth the trip.