All you cafe hoppers should be well aware by now of the numerous cafes and eateries sprouting around Johor Bahru (JB) City Square in Malaysia. For the unfamiliar, JB City Square is considered a little one-day getaway for many Singaporeans to Malaysia and is one of the shopping malls in JB from which Singaporeans love to congregate at for shopping or dining due to the stronger Singapore: Malaysia exchange rates.
So for those who are not keen on shopping, there is this little area just outside the mall — along Jalan Dhoby area you can explore for a sub-culture expereince.

Need 3G SIM Card data to search for the places on the go?

In addition to my first compilation in 2014 where I had listed other eateries within walking distance from JB City Square  this post is an update, which sees the opening of brand new eateries, attracted by the influx of Singaporeans who readily made their way there for shopping and dining.
Who knows?
There might be more versions in the future too. But below are 7 places you should check out.

Standing at a prominent location by the corner of the street, it's easy to spot the majestic white-washed ground level cafe.
 High windows and bright sunlight streaming in?  Checked.
Pacamara Cafe makes for a good weekend chill spot and photography setting.. Located in the Upper Thomson area slightly down from Orchard, this cafe boots a long walk-in-only queue filled with hungry patrons.

Just look at the crowd. We waited for a good 15 mins on a Saturday.

Other than that, there's nothing much to whine about and if bouncing conversations off the walls from everyone else isn't a problem for you in any way, then "holler" on. 

With my sweetie.

The selections are aplenty and the menu changes varying from 9am-4pm and 5pm-9pm.

There will be bound to be something you love to have together with their coffee brew. 

ENJOY! 

GST 7% applicable.

The Egg Rules
( as of May 2016. Not sure if this still applies after the "hotcake" phase now)

Even the menu plays on the shape of Egg Tart!

Can't wait?

Neither can we. After patiently waiting in the queue we finally got our seats and can proceed to make orders.

Well, for one, the pastry tarts were handmade painstakingly (?) with 192 layers after layers of frozen dough. As claimed they won’t taste oily but rather goes on crispy flaky and smooth. What we had: For me, the crust was slightly too thick and when served,  was sadly, very minimally lukewarm. As the highlight of the cafe, it would be better to serve them hot.

The egg custard was silky and not overly sweet which was good.

Maybe I need a second try?

Honolulu Pineapple Bun with Butter 

Beef Brisket in Soup with Rice Noodle 

 $6

Drinks

Add on drinks hot or cold with every mains/ noodles order + $1.5

We had the milktea warm and cold respectively.

GST and service charge applies.

Still worth a visit once. Return rate really hard to say, for me at least.
Hits and misses, we shall see if there are more improvements once the business stabilizes.

Honolulu Café Singapore Facebook

Honolulu Cafe Singapore

176 Orchard Road, Centrepoint
 #01-33 
Singapore 238843

T: +65 6734 6609

11am-10pm daily

Oh Baby Baby how was I supposed to know.

Dutch Baby cafe is a pancake house created by Japan Food Holding, with sister brand Fruit Paradise under the same umbrella.

The café is filled with cherry Scottish like displays. Imagine cows roaming on farms and cottages in the grassland. It’s a laid-back countryside homely dining experience that you can look forward to. 

Totally inspired by the actual Dutch Baby Pancake from Germany- a traditional item over breakfast. The pancakes here are definitely not disappointing- soft and dense fluffy on the center and crisp at the edges. Each orders on the iron pans are made straight out from the oven, before adding of the toppings and condiments by another chef at another station outside the kitchen. 

Hit Me Baby 

There are many recipes online showing how the Dutch Baby Pancakes can be recreated at home but if all these is too troublesome, you can get a taste of this mildly sweet and crisp delight right here in Singapore at Dutch Baby Café, smack in the hearts of Orchard Paragon shopping mall. We were there early and were the 2^nd group of customers shortly after its opening at 10am. Subsequently however, customers began filtering in.

The café was totally very nicely done up with the decorations. Ordering was done via a mounted touch screen and adds to the’ fun’ intuitive element. The overall cafe menu is simple without much fanfare- mainly pancakes, cutlet sandwiches or curry rice dishes and of course, pie tarts from Fruit Paradise and drinks.

Though tempting to order more, we held the rein and ordered only the pancakes. With about 20 mins waiting time per pancake, we relaxed and chill on the cushy sofa seats. Big groups have no problems as they have long tables.

I did a little squeal upon seeing the pretty thing when served. The presentation was one of the prettier ones I have since in cafes since a long time.  It was minimal effort, but hits the right notes in enhancing the look of the serving. Panned with a “hankie” at the pan base and a matching checker handle cover – both for aesthetic and functionality uses, looking very dainty. 

Maple Grapefruit $13.80

Savoury. A salad base pancake mixed in with spinach, lettuce, and lemon chicken and savoury-sweet grapefruit bits. I love this- truly! All pancakes were served warm, with slight crisp at the edges. Not overly gluten with flour or pancake mix, these pancakes goes on light for the digestive system.

Banana Chocolate $11.80 

Sweet. Comparatively, much more sweet flavours to choose from- mixed berries, caramel apples and mango. Chocolate sauce drizzled on banana slices with blueberries on the top and whipped cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. The toppings were quite the norm and though was lovely to share, didn't wow me off. 

** Top up with a set for an additional drink (brewed coffee, or soft drinks). Water additional $0.50

OH Yea! 

By the end of the 2 pancakes, we were surprisingly full! So this makes for a satisfying happy. brunch indeed. Good ambiance too~ It's not easy to find a pancake house in Singapore that makes such authentic tasty ones. Strongly recommending this gem of a pancake house if you ever need a serene break in the midst of the fast paced Orchard Road. 

PARAGON

290 Orchard Road, #B1-13

Singapore 238859

Tel: 6836 9488

Opening: 10am-10 pm

https://www.dutchbabycafe.com.sg/

Facebook Dutch Baby Cafe

Mad About Sucre is an elegant petite place serves great daily handmade cakes which are not only pleasing to the eyes in terms of presentation but also tasted exquisitely fine in flavor and quality.

Only one 'strange' rule: To call in for reservations, you have to purchase at least 2 pieces of cakes which will then be paired with their tea range.

We went on a weekend afternoon about 3pm++ and I can tell you the cafe was almost empty with seats many available. However, come weekend night time and the cafe turned to full house. Guess because it's night time and most customers came in after dinner. My advice thus is to have a reservation for night time. And if you drop by in the afternoon, there is no need to reserve. Well in my opinion. 

Unknowingly we had a reservation in the afternoon and ordered 2 of their Autumn collections last year. Yes autumn, this post came late, apologies.. :)

It was a well-made choice to get 2 pieces because the taste was delicate and the fragrance and lightness just envelopes your taste buds. The cakes were really light, without the extra burden and guilt from cream and sugar overload. Goes on fluffy and soft and left with a tangy floral linger.

The 2 pots of tea that accompanied the cakes are $7.50 each and are refillable.

No GST but comes with service charge.

Montage de Niege $12.80

   

 Vent de Fleur ( Wind Flower) $10.80

Time for a happy tea time! Head to Mad About Sucre for different flavors of the seasons throughout the year.  Relaxing ambiance and fragrant tea accompaniment.

www.facebook.com/Mad-About-Sucre

http://madaboutsucre.com/

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