The Daily Press at Toa Payoh is just 2 blocks away from Creamier. I don’t know why Creamier is always crowded no matter what time of the day you go; I can’t see its attraction. But when you compare the lunch crowd at The Daily Press and Creamier, it gets a little sad.

But the thing is the food at The Daily Press is rather good. Heart and effort are poured into the concept of the food. There is a Set Menu A ($18.90), which includes a soup, a pasta, and a beverage; and Set Menu B ($10) for a drink and a cake.

At first sight, it seems that the set menus give good value, but when the food came, we were disappointed at how small the portions are. The mushroom soup appears to be made from scratch, with granular mushroom floating. Tastewise, it is rather bland and uninspiring, but at least it doesn’t come from a can.

The anchovy fusilli  ($15 for a la carte) is rather innovative. It tastes exactly like how it is described, but it’s just that: pasta tossed in sauce, monotonous. No meat. No meat. No meat! Come on, throw some meat in the pasta.

The Korean Fried Chicken sandwich ($13) is delicious as it is creative. A thick, juicy chunk of fried chicken with very crispy skin, and spicy, piquant kim chi, in a superb, extremely crusty sandwich. I want to know the bread supplier; it’s fantastic.

I didn’t take notes, which I should, and I forgot how the coffee tasted. But I guess it is forgettable.

One incident did stand out for us. We ordered first. But coffee was served to 2 other customers who came in later than us. So we asked the waiter, and he said it was brewing. We waited for a while more. Still it didn’t come. We were rushing for a medical appointment. So I asked the barrista. She replied me rather impatiently that the cup was coming. Ok, that was unpleasant.

Instead of asking us to wait, maybe they could have explained why they served other people, who ordered after us, coffee first.

In any case, I don’t think they really care for their coffee; or rather we certainly don’t care much for it. The food, on the other hand, is rather good although the portions could have been way more substantial. I was still hungry and wanted to order a cake, but Mr Fitness was watching my diet for me. Oh well.

We paid $36.40 for two.

The Daily Press
126 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 #01-561, Singapore 310126
10.30am-9pm, closed M
T: +65 6258 0167
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Food: 6.75/10
Service: 6/10
Decor/ambience: 6.5/10
Price/value: 6/10
Overall rating: 3.156/5

Written by A. Nathanael Ho.