What’s an “afterword”?
Not to be confused with afterwards, “afterword” is a noun and it refers to concluding statements.
Located along the main shopping street in Chinatown at MRT station Exit A, afterwords cafe at Pagoda Street is a new 50-seater space serving brunch, coffee and desserts.
Note that if you are “Grab-ing” there, this part of Pagoda Street is blocked from vehicles entering so you have to stop somewhere else and walk a short distance.
With the return of tourists post-pandemic, the Chinatown area is being revived with the entry of many new cafes.
They include Ri Ri Cha 日日茶, OnlyCreamery, Rough Guys Coffee, Plus Coffee Joint, September Coffee, and The Food Peeps Coffee & Deli.
Inside afterwords, the space has a dark and dim ambience, equipped with wooden walls, floorings and furniture pieces, and track lights passing through the compound.
A small section of brunch items is available, some coming with quirky, ‘punny’ names.
They include as Mini Blues Surprise ($11) consisting of mini blueberries pancakes and a sunny side-up, Breakfast of Champions ($22), The Land Before Avocado ($20), Everything on a Waffle ($17) and a Moveable Feast ($16) made of Smoked Salmon or Teriyaki Chicken Toastie.
There are also sides featuring an assortment of fried snacks, including Fries ($9), Truffle Fries ($12), Sweet Potato Fries ($10), Tater Tots ($10), Popcorn Chicken ($12) and Spicy Nuggets ($14).
The Everything on a Waffle ($17) included pandan waffles, choice of eggs, chicken sausage, and maple syrup which you could add to taste.
The pandan waffles was different from the usual and interestingly gave a sense of nostalgia, I wondered about the chicken sausages. Perhaps some customers would prefer a more premium sausage (at this price point) rather than the usual chicken franks you could get more easily.
2 desserts are available on their menu, For the Love of French Toast ($19) and The Sweetness of the Bottom ($15), the latter consisting of pandan waffles and blueberries.
For the Love of French Toast ($19, additional cost for ice cream) is essentially 2 slices of bread dipped in coffee before panfrying to give it a little crisp, topped with berries compote and almond flakes and drizzled with maple syrup.
Note that the dish I ordered came with an additional scoop of ice cream at an extra $4.
Waiting time takes about 30 minutes and for a price tag of $23, I was a little disappointed with the portion.
The French toast consisted of 2 slices of bread stacked together, which lacked the firm and chewy texture that I expected of a brioche French toast.
However, at least the coffee taste was distinctive and did add a nice aroma, whereas the berries were refreshing.
The scoop of watermelon sorbet did not disappoint as it is supplied by FATCAT ice cream bar – fruity and non-icy.
A rotating menu of pastries was on display, such as Pain au Chocolat ($4.50), Almond au Chocolat ($5), Biscoff Cheesecake ($7.50), Cheese Danish ($4.50), Black Out Brownie ($6) and Cookie Brownie ($6.50).
The Biscoff Cheesecake ($7.50) had 3 separate layers of chocolate as the biscuit base, cheesecake fillings and biscoff on the surface, topped with biscoff crumbles.
While there was a nice balance of malty biscoff with the creamy cheesecake, the chocolate base was unfortunately too soft and lacked the crumbly firm texture.
A cup of single shot Espresso starts from $4, and double shots at $4.80, whereas a cup of White is priced at $6.
Other espresso drinks include Affogato ($6.80), Mocha ($6.80), Espresso Matcha Fusion ($7) and Dirty Chai Latte ($6.80).
My glass of Iced Espresso Matcha Fusion ($8) had the unsweetened version, and could be a little bitter and flat in taste profile.
afterwords
Pagoda St, #24, Singapore 059186
Opening Hours: 11am – 6pm (Mon, Wed – Thurs, Sun), 10am – 7pm (Fri – Sat), Closed Tues
Other Related Entries
Ri Ri Cha 日日茶 (Sago Street)
September Coffee (South Bridge Road)
The Food Peeps Coffee & Deli (Chinatown)
OnlyCreamery (Temple Street)
Breakfast Hola 早餐好了 (South Bridge Road)
* Written by Nicholas Tan @stormscape who loves all things [NEW]. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.
