-- Written by Sarah Begum
Located at Block 13A, Dempsey Road, Café Hacienda offers a wide variety of western delicacies for every time of the day from breakfast to dinner, and even the most heavenly desserts.
However, despite the cliché of a hearty western meal, Hacienda bestows onto customers a well-thought out composition of ingredients which create the freshest and most table-cloth-grabbing experience your mouth has ever encountered.
Non-the-less, the dish called Eggs Royale was voted, from my table of friends, to be one of the Café’s best.
Even though the name does not do justice to the dish, nothing could possibly name two pillows of poached eggs, protected by a whirl of hollandaise sauce, waiting to explode in your mouth while they nestle in a bed of lightly toasted bread and salmon. Nothing!
The Café also brings to the table unique salads, pastas, sandwiches, pizzas and burgers; all with its own way of latching onto your tongue.
However, out of all the entrées that were tasted, probably the only one that fell short was the pasta as the order of Fusilli was undercooked.
Even then, the huge juicy chunks of crabmeat in the sauce of their Spicy Crabmeat Fusilli saved the meal.
As for their pizzas they use, a premium tomato base sauce called the San Marzano, a variety of cheeses and the use of olive oil for their base.
It gave the pizza a simple yet refreshing taste to it, however, Hacienda might want to consider adding more meat to their choices of pizzas as the entrée might not be filling for most.
A dish that was seen coming out of their kitchens often was surprisingly, their burgers. The Café never seems to skimp on the quality of their ingredients, as every burger patty on their menu is made from the famous Wagyu beef.
For those not familiar with Wagyu, it is considered as one of the most sought after type of beef, anywhere, for its amazingly tender and tasty meat.
In the case of their desserts such as the Hazelnut Praline and Luscious Peanut Butter Crunch Cake, the use of strong flavored ingredients puts them at a disadvantage as there was no real balance of texture and flavor.However, one dessert in particular managed to strike that balance and even went one step further. It was the most contradicting piece of cake, with cheese so deep and fulfilling yet so light and fluffy at the same time.
Everyone at the table called it a work of art, which was when I knew it had to be My Pick for the Week! The Yuzu Citron Light Cheese Cake priced at a very valuable SGD$6.80/piece.
Similar to the cake, which uses a Japanese citrus fruit called the Yuzu, their ‘Iconic Dishes’ is another category which does not endorse the Café’s western flair.
The only three entrées in this section are the Braised Beef Cheek Quesadillas, Grilled Shrimp and Sweet Onion Tacos and Marina Puff Pastry.
These entrées were supposed to be taken off the menu after the time of their promotion. However, according to Mrs. Su, a senior staff at the Café, the dishes got such outstanding reviews that they were actually incorporated into their menu as main courses.
It proves that not only can Hacienda push boundaries and deliver cuisines outside their comfort zone, but they can also do it well. A personal favorite out of the lot would be the Grilled Shrimp and Sweet Onion Tacos, with flavors like avocado guacamole and jalapenos surprising you in this dish; you will never want to turn back.
Their variety of beverages such as their beers also comes from places like Mexico, China, Japan and even Belgium.
Other than that, they even specialize in tea, harboring an extensive selection of teas from flavors like Crème Caramel to Royal Darjeeling (Indian Tea), which are made from 100% hand sewn cotton teabags. Talk about authentic!
Their set meals are very affordable, at SGD$20++ for a two course meal per person and SGD$22++ for a three course meal per person.It is a steal considering the choices are almost anything on their menu, with of course a SGD $2 – SGD $10 supplement for their more expensive main courses.
As for their À-la-carte prices, which range from SGD $13 – SGD $26 per dish, it is still not considered as too over-the-top for such fine quality food.
For those who have never been to the Café, however subtle Hacienda might seem with its selection, do not underestimate what it can do to your palate once a dish lands on your table. You will be scraping at it, regardless of whether you are the one who ordered it.
For those already hooked onto the Café, hopefully we will be seeing more from the innovative kitchens at Hacienda. Until then, their ‘All Day Breakfast’ menu of eggs will be very closely followed.
13A Dempsey Road, Singapore 249674
Telephone: (+65) 6476 2922
Fax: (+65) 6476 4892
Daily 9am – 11pm (Last order 10:30pm)
Website: http://haciendaconcepts.wordpress.com/
-- Edited by Stacey Lee
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