First 25 Cafe is a causal dinning environment with an elegant touch at Hoe Chiang Road. For those who find the street name alien, it is located in the vincinty of Tanjong Pagar. Pretty close to Pinnacle @ Duxton. The elegance is contributed by the Victorian mirror on the left of the cafe as you enter.
Besides the usual Ala Carte Menu which was pretty focused.
Set lunch was also offered. And the good news is that the set lunch menu is changed every 2 weeks.
Much of the dishes seems to be Japanese / Korean inspired such as Smoked Uni Carbonara, a dish recommended by the server. And you find Korean Paccheri and also Kome Mugi Miso Cod.
The 3 course set lunch priced at $16 was value for money and so I decided to go with it.
Among the choice of the salad and the soup, I chose Pumpkin Soup. The soup was full of creamy pumpkin goodness. Though I am not a fan of soup, I enjoyed it.
3 choices of Mains were offered with a vegetarian option. GanJangDak was my choice. It was a pepper-ish fried Chicken Thigh. Though it was a little too salty on some part of the thigh, it was tasty. It was served with Garlic Sauce by the Side, Rice and Kimichi too. The Garlic Sauce went very well with the rice. And interestingly the Kimichi reminded me of the spicy version of the Chinese Preserved vegetable. This dish is also found on the Ala Carte.
I appreciate that First 25 Cafe provided 2 selection of desserts. Cheesecake or Espresso Panna Cotta. My choice of the latter was fabulous. I could savour the coffee flavour and the coffee bean enhances the dessert.
The black coffee was the coffee of the day. It was more than decent cuppa. A cup of full body, medium acidity with berry and nutty flavour note.
NAHMJ Verdict
When I first scrutinized the First 25 Cafe Ala Carte Menu, I didn’t know what to order as it didn’t appeal appertising to me. After degusting in the set meal, it was tasty. Should I need to provide one feedback, be careful with the amount of salt on the chicken. Based on the food I tried at the First 25 Cafe, my verdict was delish.
First 25 Cafe
7 Hoe Chiang Road, Singapore 089313
Tel: +65 6221 2565
Opening Hours
Monday – Saturday 1100 to 2300; Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays
Getting There
By MRT:
- East West line – Tanjong Pagar station
By Bus:
- alight at The Amara or opp Fuji Xero Towers along Tanjong Pagar Road 80, 145
Rating: 8/10