From kaya toast with soft-boiled eggs to full-on fry-ups with the works, we hunt down the city's best breakfasts available every day of the week so you'll never have to skip the most important meal of the day
This NYC chain arrived in Singapore with a splash in early 2012, touching down in Orchard Central. While it’s best known for its extensive selection of gourmet goods, its bistro also serves up some scrumptious brekkie. On offer are hot items including eggs ibérico ($25), oatmeal flapjacks with berries ($18) and brioche French toast accompanied by salted caramelised bananas ($22), as well as bakes like chocolate or azuki bean and green tea muffins ($3.50) and danishes (from $3.50). They also do mango and sticky rice shakes ($6.50) and one of the meanest dirty chais in town (from $6) – it’s a chai latte enhanced with a single shot of espresso, perfect for an ideal caffeine boost to get you going. #04-23/24 Orchard Central, 181 Orchard Rd (6509 7708). MRT: Somerset. Daily 11am-10pm. Breakfast served all day.
With two branches in town (we’re partial to the large, airy, 300-seater space at Singapore Botanic Gardens) this relaxed café is low-key and affordable, which explains its popularity with the 20-somethings and families (especially on the weekends). If you’re feeling ravenous, the Full Works ($18) – a plate of bacon, chicken sausage, scrambled eggs, hash brown, garlic mushrooms, roasted tomato salad and toast – should do you nicely, or try the banana and walnut pancake duo served with cream and gula melaka ($10). Lighter options include gula granola served with milk ($6), their take on granola made in-house that’s chock full of healthy ingredients including toasted rolled oats, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, almonds, cranberries and coconut sweetened with gula melaka. You’ll also find Singaporean eats such as mee rebus ($5) and chicken laksa ($5) at the Botanic Gardens branch; plus, an extra $1 gets you kopi or teh from 8-10am with your local breakfast order. #B1-00 Singapore Botanic Gardens, Tanglin Gate, 1 Cluny Rd (6338 4848). MRT: Botanic Gardens. Daily 8am-10pm. 8 Queen St (6338 9887). MRT: Bras Basah. Mon-Sat 9am-10pm; Sun 9am-9pm. Breakfast served from opening until 5pm at both outlets.
Don’t just dismiss this one-stop veggie/vegan café, health shop and nutrition space by Balanced Living founder Dana Heather as a place only for health freaks. While the dishes available in the white-washed, open-concept venue are certainly good for you, they’re no less tasty than their less healthy counterparts. Their breakfast menu offers options like wholemeal pancakes with caramelised bananas ($8), Acai Kickstart with banana and a superfood acai berry purée topped with buckwheat granola and rolled oats ($13) and organic eggs from New Zealand with multigrain toast ($11-$13). If you’re on an ultra-health kick, go with the chia seed porridge ($8) with homemade almond milk, fresh berries and flaxseed crackers, or their take on Bircher Muesli ($11), coconut yoghurt served alongside rolled oats with grated apple, banana, young coconut and a drizzle of honey. 779 Bukit Timah Rd (6762 8029). MRT: Botanic Gardens. Sun-Wed 8.30am-7pm; Thu-Sat 8.30am-10pm. Breakfast served 8.30am-noon.
A cheery, pretty space with floor to ceiling glass just off Bukit Timah Road, Skyve is one of those venues that lends itself perfectly to meals in the daytime (it’s surrounded by greenery, which is a nice touch). Winning dishes on ‘The Loafing Breakfast’ menu (available daily) include ricotta hot cakes with bananas, passion fruit butter, maple syrup and roasted almonds ($16) and their signature Skyve Sous Vide Eggs Benedict ($18) escorted by sourdough, grilled portobello mushroom, sweet corn and rocket. On the weekends, the Snoozy Brunch for One ($32) is the way to go. It includes a breakfast main or pizza, and unlimited soups, salads and baked goods from the Chef’s Table; another $30 scores you free-flowing Prosecco. #01-17 Block E, 10 Winstedt Rd (6225 6690). Newton MRT. Opening hours Mon-Sat 10am-1am; Sun 10am-11pm. Breakfast served daily 10am-4pm.
Another charming CBD joint, this bright and breezy glass-fronted art café-cum-corner store offers a slick but casual place to kick back for a relaxed coffee or meal amid the bustling business district. The food is simple but high quality – reflecting the products they stock on their retail side, as well as the seasonal produce which helps determine their daily menus. For a simple breakfast, their Set A offers a pastry or bread item (their homemade banana bread or muffin, all made in the store) served with jam and butter, plus a freshly made juice or coffee ($8). For a more substantial meal, there’s a good value fry-up (Set B), with two slices of toasted brioche, scrambled eggs, mushrooms and a choice of honeybaked ham or smoked salmon, also with juice or coffee ($11). Though the sets are only served until 11am, a la carte breakfast items such as Eggs Benedict ($14) and their sweet Yoghurt Berries Trifle ($10), mixed with a berry compote, honey and toasted crumble. 2 McCallum St (6221 2105). MRT: Tanjong Pagar. Mon-Fri 8am-9pm; Sat 9am-4pm. Breakfast served Mon-Fri 8-11am.
A bakery, bistro and bar all rolled into one, long communal tables, an open-concept kitchen and fresh-baked goods (courtesy of Audrey Tan, owner of Freshly Baked) are the order of the day here. Expect a handful of egg dishes, each made using only hormone-free Freedom Range eggs and accompanied by two pieces of toast, salad, butter and jam such as smoked Scottish salmon omelette ($18) with cream cheese and chives, or Hearty Scrambled Eggs ($19) with Swiss cheese, French Rosette de Lyon salami or prosciutto and their signature Grimbergen Ambrée beer bread (a homage to their Belgian suds on tap); there’s also the option of egg white only for an extra $3. Order up the wholemeal Belgian waffle ($16) with butter, maple syrup and your choice of beerbeiser sausage, bacon or honey baked ham, or almond brioche French toast ($12) for a sweet option. #01-03 Tanglin Post Office, 56 Tanglin Rd (6835 1128). Orchard MRT. Tue-Sun 8am-midnight. Breakfast served Tue-Sun 8am-5pm.
Its offbeat location at Marina at Keppel Bay affords this casual yet chic eatery a somewhat exclusive feel and a superb view of the waterfront (our tip: forgo the indoor seating in favour of an alfresco table so you can really take it all in). They easily do one of the top Eggs Benedicts ($16) in the city, but if that doesn’t tickle your fancy, how about an open-faced crabmeat omelette sprinkled with pine nuts alongside a dill-spiked shaved fennel salad ($17)? We’d happily chow down on a stack of their fluffy Homestyle Pancakes ($13) – with fresh strawberries, bananas, honeycomb, whipped cream and drizzled with maple syrup – anytime. Then again, the Black Beans & Eggs ($18), involving two sunny side ups on black bean ragout with jalapenos and crispy baby squid, and their Healthy Egg White Omelette ($16), filled with feta cheese and baby spinach, aren’t half bad either. While you’re there, slurp up a milkshake in flavours like peanut butter & jelly ($11) and mixed berries ($12) or grab some freshly baked items to go such as apple & oat muffins ($3) and banana walnut loaf ($3 a slice), just in case you get the munchies. 2 Keppel Bay Vista (6776 0777). HarbourFront MRT. Daily 9am-midnight. Breakfast served daily 9.30am-5pm.
© 2007 - 2013 Time Out Group Ltd. All rights reserved. All material on this site is © Time Out.
TOS RSS feed
TOS Twitter
TOS on Facebook
Print
Email