Brunch with Vanilla @ Spruce

22th May 2010. Written by Xin Li with Vinleon.

I always wanted to go to Spruce there for a meal. And thanks to BellaV’s early reservation, Vinleon, Janice and I had the chance to have brunch at Spruce.

Spruce is located at Old Phoenix Park along Tanglin Road, opposite this grand structure which is the Embassy of Brunei. This was where the Ministry of Home Affairs was housed from August 1977 to August 18, 2001 when it moved next to my secondary school at New Phoenix Park at 28 Irrawaddy Road. Apart from Wikipedia, I don’t find any obvious written articles about the move. This area is the lesser known part of the Tanglin spotlight (most of it was dedicated to Tanglin Camp/ Dempsey)

The restaurant was indeed nice. I like the overall decoration that makes heavy use of wood that evokes a natural feel around the place. The fact that it was surrounded by lush greens only makes the ambience even better. Unfortunately, brunch on weekends at Spruce seemed like a noisy affair, reservations were fully booked even for the outdoor seats and the peaceful environment was interrupted by the loud chatter of Spruce’s patrons.

Some were drinking tea, some were having their Eggs Benny, some were reading newspapers, these reminds me of a description of a Cha Chan Teng in Hong Kong! (in the case of Eggs Benny it will be Scrambled Eggs)

The menu has changed. The one on the website was outdated. The Blueberry Waffles was gone. I heard that it was removed because it wasn’t well-liked. The price of the Garden Brekkie has risen by 2 dollars and Ricotta cheese is no longer inside.

I shall leave the review of the Eggs Benny to Vanilla and Breakfast and focus on Vinleon’s and my order.

Vinleon had the Spruce Big Brekkie – Scrambled Eggs with Bacon, German Sausage, Roasted Tomato, Roasted Potato, Mushrooms and Foccacia Toast (18.00 SGD). According to Vinleon, the brekkie was filling but ordinary. Both of us find the texture of the German sausage consistent and smooth though (not to mention juicy too!), without the lumpy feeling we had with other kinds of “German sausages”. The Scrambled Egg was quite firm, not the creamy, softer version that some of us are accustomed to, I think it is a matter of preference. The mushrooms would have been better if they had used Button or Portobello mushrooms (but that would drive up the price a little bit). Vinleon’s verdict: Nothing extraordinary.

Banana Hotcakes with Honeycomb Butter and Blueberry Syrup (13.00 SGD) exceeded my expectations. I was expecting a very small serving of hotcakes with just banana, some blueberries and blueberry syrup on it. However, what arrived on my table was a feast (quite a generous portion!) for the eyes with lots of fresh blueberries, slices of banana and hotcakes drizzled with honeycomb butter resting on Blueberry syrup. I decided to skip dessert after eating this. The hotcakes are not that fluffy or crispy (the outer layer) as it was drenched in both the butter and the syrup, resulting it being quite soggy. The taste was good, it was on the sweeter side but the fresh blueberries and blueberry syrup compensate with their sourness. After a while, the hotcakes might feel a little heavy as it was quite a big serving. I recommend sharing this.

Spruce is a great place to spend a lazy afternoon or morning as long as you have the money to spare (be prepared to spend above $14) and the place is not too crowded.

The highlight for this brunch however is getting the chance to meet up with a fellow blogger, BellaV and have brunch together. Thanks BellaV for inviting us to join her for brunch and booking the table early =)

P.S Reservations are strongly recommended. Drinks ranged from $4 (milk) to $18 (wine).

Spruce

Address
320 Tanglin Road
Phoenix Park

Tel: +65 6836 5528

Opening hours
Weekdays
10.30am – 10.30pm
Weekends
8.30am – 10.30pm