After trying Palates & Bagels by T.A.M, we were curious about Principle Cafe by T.A.M on Jalan Trus.
Same T.A.M family. Different mood. Palates & Bagels feels casual, brunchy and bagel-forward. Principle Cafe feels more polished, like it wants to be taken seriously beyond the usual JB cafe formula of nice light, soft tones and people photographing their drinks before taking a sip.
Also, Principle Cafe by T.A.M. has the kind of strong online reviews that makes you wonder: is it actually good, or is everyone just impressed by the room?
The space is clean, calm and very JB cafe. But pretty cafes are always slightly suspicious. The food still has to carry the meal. Otherwise, it is just furniture with coffee.
Although to be fair, not every café hides behind aesthetics. Some actually do both design and food properly, like those in our best cafes in Singapore list.
Truffle & Mushroom Risotto: The Dish That Made Sense
The Truffle & Mushroom Risotto was easily the best dish.
It was rich, creamy and properly savoury, without becoming mushroom porridge. The rice still had enough bite to feel intentional, not undercooked, not mushy, just nicely held together. The mushrooms gave the dish that earthy depth, while the cheese brought salt and body.
Most importantly, the truffle behaved.
This matters because truffle can go from “nice aroma” to “someone sprayed expensive candle into my lunch” very quickly. But in this dish, it stayed in balance: present, fragrant but never overpowering the rest of the dish.
This was the plate that made Principle Cafe feel like more than another photogenic JB cafe. Comforting, rounded, rich and actually memorable. If we had to order one thing again, this would be it.
Chunky Salmon Pasta: Good Flavour, Pasta With Unfinished Business
The Chunky Salmon Pasta had personality.
The sauce leaned savoury and slightly salty which makes sense because of the miso. It gave the pasta more depth than the usual sleepy cream sauce and the salmon made the dish feel properly substantial. There was also just enough heat to stop everything from becoming too flat and polite.
The issue was the rigatoni.
It was very al dente. Perhaps too al dente. The kind of firm where you wonder if the pasta still had something to prove. We like pasta with bite, but some pieces felt like they needed one more minute in the pot.
The saltiness also built up as we ate. First few bites were creamy, savoury and enjoyable. Later on, the miso started speaking louder than necessary.
Not a bad dish. Just slightly argumentative.
Poached Egg And English Muffins: Brunch Behaved, Portion Did Not
The Poached Egg and English Muffins was the safest-looking dish.
Flavour-wise, it was pleasant. Smoked salmon, runny egg, hollandaise and greens is a combination that usually behaves, and it behaved here. Salty, creamy, brunchy, easy to like. Nothing offensive. Nothing chaotic. Nobody was hurt.
But the portion was small.
Not elegant-small. More like “wait, is this the whole thing?” small. If you want a light brunch bite, fine. If you arrived hungry, this will not carry you very far. It looked nice, tasted decent, and then quietly left the conversation.
So, Is Principle Cafe By T.A.M Jalan Trus Worth Visiting?
Yes, but not at the same level as we would advocate for like the Dusk by Mok Mok. Principle Cafe is stylish, comfortable and more serious than the average photogenic JB cafe. The food is not perfect, but there is enough here to make it worth considering if you are already around Jalan Trus or JB city centre.
Would we return? Yes, but we would order carefully. This is not a “everything sure confirm good” cafe. It is the kind of place where the right dish makes the visit worthwhile, and the weaker orders remind you that nice lighting cannot season food.
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