Riders Café

Riders Café – 51 Fairways Drive, Bukit Timah Saddle Club

After a scenic drive down a narrow, meandering dirt road lined with “Dead Slow, Horses Walking” signs, one finds Riders Café overlooking a lush picket-fenced meadow teeming with massive hoofed animals galloping about. A sun-drenched open space, the fresh breeze replacing ubiquitous air conditioning and an expatriate crowd transports you far away from Singaporean urbanity into an authentic illusion of some British countryside. It is worth noting that service is very prompt and the owner himself noticed we were dallying over our dishes, expressing concern that we weren’t enjoying it. We were just revelling in the ambience. Expect simple, rustic and hearty fare with a quaint back-to-basics focus; a hearty breakfast for two amounted to $52.95.

My eyes were drawn at once to Affogato ($6) on the menu for my morning shot of caffeine, it did not disappoint. For the uninitiated, an affogato is a shot of espresso served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as pictured below:

One pours the strong, black elixir over the cold, creamy confection like so:

And what results is essentially a coffee milkshake on steroids that’ll give you an instantaneous caffeine and sugar high. Have I got you craving one yet? If not just observe the ice cream gradually melting and swirling with the strong black coffee here… if that isn’t food porn, I don’t know what is!

The Norwegian Benedict ($14) was good but undermined by one tragic flaw. The firm egg had a rich, gooey centre that was accented by the salty, fishy tang of smoked salmon and accompanied by tender asparagus spears as well as brilliantly herby potato chunks; but the hollandaise that brought it all together was a disappointment. The acidity and creaminess of the sauce were in disharmony, these disparate elements fighting for dominance were off key in an otherwise perfect flavour symphony.

The Eggs Florentine ($12) fared much better as this batch of Hollandaise was infinitely smoother with the creaminess and sourness working together for the balance characteristic of the classic sauce. Needless to say, the combination of soft wilted greens, rich egg and spectacular hollandaise was mind-blowingly good if simple.

The Morning Pancakes ($10) were just too beautiful too pass up; a picture of perfection with 3 thick buttermilk pancakes topped with soft butter and served with compote, whipped cream and maple syrup. The pancakes were a drier, firmer species that made them specifically suited to soaking up the deliciously tart blackcurrant compote that had its edge dulled by a touch of airy whipped cream.