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Pronto Caffe & Bar
Japanese fusion cafe chain Pronto has made its way to Singapore. with over 300 stores across Japan, the outlet concept is essentially a pasta place serving up coffees, teas and bar top drinks. its first store in Singapore is located within the CBD at Capital Square, as part of the Japanese offerings at the curated Gochi Church Street. while it might be busier on the weekdays, the cafe sure makes a cosy place to chill on weekends, to have leisurely coffee or a beer on a Sunday afternoon.
The menu at Pronto is fairly compact, with a selection of fusion Japanese pastas and cakes to choose from at lunch. We understand there are abit more bar bites options for dinner but since we visited around noon, we'll focus on the lunch menu. the interiors are bright and creates a very relaxed atmosphere. Japanese do think of everything and the drinks range from the healthy to the alcoholic; for coffee they included the recently popular brown sugar variant as well as a coffee stand facing the walkway for weekday take-outs. 
we tried the pasta and they come in very generous servings. the ingredients are also generally fairly healthy such as this Crab & Broccoli Arrabiata which is served in spicy tomato sauce with shredded crab meat, tomatoes and broccoli. chilli bits within the sauce gives the dish a pretty spicy kick and i personally found the meal wholesome and satisfying. from a straightforward single page menu, it wasn't difficult to make your choice. 
probably one of the surprise finds of this visit is their Chicken & Mushroom Cream Soup Spaghetti. maybe because its rare to find this dish locally, or because the cream-based soup is really tasty, this led us to unanimously decide that this is a good dish. despite its plain ingredients, the mix of chicken hax, mushrooms, corn and spaghetti in a thick cream based broth combined to make very flavourful comfort food. we had it with an Acai Berry smoothie, another drink choice for the more health-conscious. 
i guess when you're in a Japanese inspired cafe, we should have gone for tea and probably with Matcha. our iced Latte was fine, nothing too fancy but perhaps we should have tried their Pronto Special blend or the brown sugar coffee. Nonetheless, this place proved to be a nice place to chill out, with its comfy interior and wide drink selection. in fact, during our lunch there, we did see individuals coming in to have a beer or read a book. in all, although the food are a tad pricey for simple dishes, its delivery, quality and ambience would ensure that they would have their market of followers in time to come. 
Pronto Caffe & Bar 23 Church St #01-02/03 Capital Square Singapore 049481 Opening Hours Mondays to Thursdays: 7.30 am to 11.30 pm Fridays: 7.30 am to 2 am Saturdays & Sundays: 11 am to 10 pm ready to serve you throughout the day.. Labels: #asianfusion, #capitalsquare, #pastaplace, #prontocaffe&bar The Palmary
Enter the new year and in a flash, it's 2018. we start the year talking about an up and coming district in Singapore - Farrer Park. with a string of new restaurants and cafes opening up in the area, we think that Rangoon Road and Owen Road may one day become the new Keong Saik. Of course, they have still some way to go, as the area is still relatively less discovered, with more of the second generation shop owners still occupying the conservation shop-houses.
The Palmary along Owen Road is less than a year old as this is written, but the Mediterranean-Asian fusion bar and restaurant has already racked up a host of print and social media coverage. To some extent, the founding group of young entrepreneurs seem to have built alot of traction with their interesting food menu, unique blend of drinks and very Instagrammable interpretations of their dishes. to top it off, they seem to be earnest in going back to their roots by both including local flavours into their menu and in remembering the previous shop-house owner - a vintage bicycle shop. 
we could have disappointed the bartender a little, by ordering a bottled craft beer after his strenuous efforts introducing several blends. do read this beer as you see it, but at the same time, please Google its meaning, lest you think we are being offensive on a family-friendly webpage. to be fair, The Palmary has quite an extensive selection of signature blended drinks, from its cocktails to its hard liquor mixtures. we recommend the Palmary's Bicicletta - and do ask them about the story that inspired the drink. 
we thoroughly enjoyed the food, and this standout dish practically made every visitor's hero-shot when they covered this restaurant. The Mentaiko Cream Lobster Linguine is a very popular dish here, served on a large jaw-bowl with a generous serving of cream-based linguine, a large Boston lobster and sprinkles of garnish, the dish is as tasty as it is attractive. do note the chef's recommendations for wine-pairing to go with the main dishes that you order, they are listed on the menu itself. we also ordered the "must-try" Mediterranean Duck Confit which was served with quinoa salad, kale and a Mediterranean spice mix. we've read mixed reviews about this dish, but it was probably our lucky day. the duck skin was crispy, the meat tender and the well-seasoned spices gave the leg its needed flavour. 
in fact, we enjoyed the food and drinks here so much that in our opinion, the slight let-down was the dessert. The Earl Grey cake we had lacked the flavour of the earl grey finish and the almond pecan brownie wasn't quite warm enough. anyways, we don't think this restaurant should be measured by their desserts when the starters, entree and drinks are already more than ample to provide a hearty meal. the staff are friendly and the cosy dim setting makes this restaurant perfect for dates and gatherings. watch this space, as we think The Palmary would get bigger in 2018. 
The Palmary 142 Owen Road Singapore 218941 Opening Hours Mondays to Thursdays: 6 pm to 11 pm Fridays and Saturdays: 12 pm to 11 pm (closed on Sundays) Asian Fusion Cuisine with an artisanal range of cocktails and craft beers Labels: #asianfusion, #cocktails, #fusionfood, #lobsterlinguine, #owenroad, #thepalmary |
..ThE lEgEnD..
Last Movie: Ad Astra
Golden Village, Singpost Centre 
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