Tucked away inside Vanguard Campus in Kallang Avenue is a contender for coziest outdoor cafe. The inviting Banchong Cafe, which serves coffee & toast and simple local fare, is a place that you may feel like lingering.
Vanguard Campus
Vanguard Campus is a fairly new office building situated at the junction of Kallang Avenue and Kallang Junction. The building houses learning space for furniture and lifestyle designs professionals, co-working space, studios and the showroom and corporate office of Vanguard Interiors.
Banchong Cafe
Banchong Cafe sits on a space beside the driveway to the building’s car park but its interior design is so aesthetically pleasing that picturesque may not be an inapt adjective for the cafe. It has very high ceiling and the walls are white metal cages bedecked with green plants.
The black & white themed outdoor space is naturally ventilated and bathed by natural light. It has a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere. The cafe offers a very pleasant alternative to the usual confined air-conditioned space.
In case you are wondering about the name of the cafe, its Facebook Page explains that “Banchong Industries used to make corrugated cardboard boxes in their original Banchong Building where we are now. We have kept their name alive and you can see the original stone plaque embedded on our wall“.
Banchong Cafe’s Menu
Targeted at the office folks, Banchong Cafe’s Menu offers affordable breakfast and simple local fare. Freshly made kaya toasts, soft-boiled eggs and a few one dish meals, like mee siam and laksa, are on the menu. Below is a screenshot of the digital menu that appeared on the mobile phone when we scanned a QR code at the cafe.
Lunch at Banchong Cafe.
We visited Banchong Cafe for lunch and ordered the Tom Yum Battered Fish Set ($9.90) and Mee Siam Set ($8.60). The set included a hot drink and kaya toast. The cafe is a self service establishment. Order and pay at the counter and collect the food when your number is called.
The Tom Yum Battered Fish with Rice was attractively plated. The colours already made the dish looked appetising. The lightly battered fish had a nice delicate texture. The tom yum sauce was sour, savoury and just slightly spicy. There was a very pleasant mix of flavours. We liked the dish.
