Photo credit: Provided by the cafe

Twenty Eight Cafe at Wilkie Road is a quaint cafe run by Italian restaurant and bar 28Wilkie. Serving all-day brunch menu and specialty coffee, the 60-seater cafe is equipped with many charging ports, making it a potential spot for students from nearby schools to drop by and study. Coupled with generous serving portions at accessible prices (all at nett), this is a good spot for a daily visit if not for its not-so accessible location. It takes us around 15-minutes’ pilgrimage from Bugis mrt and about the same time back to Dhoby Ghaut mrt.

The serene location matches the interior. Clad in a façade of calming white walls and whitewashed window grilles, wooden furnishings with exposed beams, the clean, minimalist décor is met with an abundance of natural lighting flowing in – so much so that it can get pretty warm if you sit near the window. I love the fact that there are different seating options available – smacked right in the centre is one long communal table and surrounding it are tables for twos and fours, all thoughtfully spaced out. Thankfully, the high ceiling doesn’t amplify the noises from the convivial patrons.

I have a tendency to avoid health food for breakfast in preference for something more heartening, but this bowl I can accept. The Acai Smoothie Bowl ($14.90) has a milky sweetness with a smooth texture that resembles the Chinese purple rice pudding. The purplish puree is topped with neat rows of walnuts, granola, rolled oats, bananas and strawberries. We are encouraged to mixed if desired but we didn’t. After clearing the bowl, I felt myself brimming with nutritious ecstasy and unexplainable pride.

All the morning motivational colours are found in this Eggs Benedict ($16.90). This visually-pleasing dish comes with a pair of poached eggs coated with hollandaise sauce, resting on golden potato hash and fresh avocado slices plus a throw of salad. It is quite a meditative experience to burst the silky eggs and watch the yolk flows down the crispy hash.

The Smoked Salmon Igloo ($18.90) comes with two sourdough bread laid alongside a dome-shaped smoked salmon ‘igloo’. Encased within the pinkiness dome lies a runny poached egg that sits on a generous mound of avocado, which cleverly balanced off the saltiness of the smoked salmon. There’s also a nice contrast of textures from the crispy sourdough and the creamy sour-cream and onion spread. The flavours are well-balanced and on point.

Following the minimalist style is the Cold Truffle Pasta ($19.90). Made of angel hair pasta, truffle oil and Japanese Kombu seaweed, the pasta is refreshing to slurp and made al-dente. However, after a few mouthfuls, the taste became quite repetitive. Perhaps the previous dish is too playful to make this one appears substantially Zen.

For dessert we have the Indian Churros ($4.90). I expect something like you tiao but this is much lighter. Made with flaky dough and twisted to resemble a knot, the Indian churros is crispy and mellow sweet from the light dust of cinnamon sugar. To me anything fried and sugary is addictive.

Twenty Eight Cafe sources their special blend of coffee beans from Bali. I had the Flat White ($5.90) which is quite nutty and creamy.

To sum up, Twenty Eight Cafe grasps the wants of the millennials – simple, instagrammable dishes in a conducive environment at affordable prices. While the location is a distance from the commercial belt, the premise offers a respite from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Food: 6.5/10
Price/ Value: 6.5/10
Décor/ ambiance: 7/10
Service: NA

You may be interested in…
–Clan Cafe at Straits Clan, Bukit Pasoh: Chichi Cafe, Men with Straw Hats and Thin Women in Loose Blouses
–Old Hen Kitchen, Owen Road: Good but Only Really Requires One Visit
–Thus Coffee, Upper Thomson: Renews My Faith in Cafes
–Good Thyme Bistro, AMK: We Don’t Even Have to Try/ It’s Always a

Written by Alexius Chua. Alexius cannot live without his fix of morning coffee. When he is not daydreaming, he visits cafés, pats dogs, and watches movies. An eager traveler, he cannot wait for the next adventure, and aims to lead a happy and meaningful life.