PS Cafe Paragon 2016 - Fashion is out, Wines are in

Something has changed at PS Cafe Paragon. The clothes and bags are gone and in their place are shelves full of wine and other alcoholic goodies. Has PS Cafe completed a full circle? From Projectshop fashion, to PS Cafe that initially occupied a small space in the apparel and bags shop, a space that gradually increased in size until it now engulfs the entire space. Is this a sign of the times? Will shopping malls eventually be converted into eating malls? Thank goodness we are just a food blog and we need not concern ourselves with serious questions like this.

One thing that has remained constant from the early days of the cafe at the early Projectshop at another part of Paragon is the folding metal gate and the hanging magazines. Except that the choice of magazines available seems to have shrunk. The range is still quite wide but if my memory does not fail me, there were more in those days and that alone was a good reason to eat at the Projectshop cafe.

Shelves of wine have taken over half of the shop. They are sold for retail and can be consumed at the PS Cafe Paragon, but a $30 corkage charge applies. There is an extension of PS Cafe adjoining the atrium area. More spacious and better for people watching than the enclosed cafe area.

Here are pages from the PS Cafe Paragon menu. We ordered the Chicken tau kwa ($21), the “Original” laksa pesto spaghettini ($22) and PS Crispy Onion Burger ($29).

To save your time, I can just say that all three items were very good. We are happy to eat these any day and to recommend all of them. But if forced to rank them, I would say that our favourite was the chicken tau kwa. Next the laksa pasta and then the burger. Not that there was anything wrong with the burger, it’s just that the mix of East and West in the other two are so well done that we tend to associate these dishes with PS Cafe.

The chicken tau kwa – was it previously known as tau kwa burger? Anyway it still tastes very good.

The burger was very good with a generous amount of crispy onions.

The laksa spaghetti had enough spiciness to deserve its “laksa” description, but at a level low enough to please most people.

We selected this bottle of Italian wine – Felsina Chianti 2011. It costs $59 on the shelf and $89 on the table. Why does wine have to be so expensive in Singapore restaurants?

For dessert, we shared this huge slice of double chocolate blackout cake ($16). The dark chocolate trimmings were very rich and good. The sponge cake part itself was dry and quite disappointing.

Overall, despite the changes to the shop, PS Cafe seem to have retained its magic in providing a pleasant dining environment. The food is (mostly) great and the staff very friendly.