Food from cafes and restaurants in tourist attractions tend to be overpriced and lacking in quality. But not so for Bees Knees Cafe, the sister cafe of Botanico located at the 1st floor of the restored two-storey heritage building in Botanic Gardens.
Already attracting crowds of locals and expats alike during weekends, Bees Knees has expanded its menu to offer a plethora of hearty western dishes from pastas to bar bites. The Potato Chips Salad ($8) is a spinoff from Japanese Potato Salad with a familiar taste of Japanese mayonnaise mixed with Spanish Onions and mustard.
But this is a thousand times more addictive because the thin extra virgin oil fried potato chips make munching such an easy affair. Not to be missed is the crispy Boxing Chicken ($14) with Siracha mayonnaise and the Crispy Calamari ($14) with Chincalok Coriander. But the ultimate sinful indulgence was the "Beef Cheeky" Fries. With soggy fries drenched in rich beef ragout and mozzarella, it looked as if it popped out from American food shows. And the sodium level here is also no joke.
But rest assure that these aren't the only delicious food on the menu. For something light and healthy, try the "Veggie Goat" ($16) a refreshing quinoa salad tossed with cherry tomatoes, roasted pumpkins, figs, watercress and caramelized goat cheese. The balsamic reduction injects the right degree of acidity and livens up the flavors. For the sandwiches, they are interestingly served with the uncommon Turkey bread that has a crunchy crust and holds up wet ingredients very well.
The Tiger Prawn Pasta ($18) turned out to be totally different from what I imagined. Luscious dark brown pappardelle fully absorbed the seafood flavors with tiger prawns so fresh and plump that makes this almost as lavish as a lobster pasta. This self-service cafeteria also offers fresh croissants, cakes all baked in house. There's waffles and pancakes but I highly recommend the Five Spiced Churros. They are so delicately crisp on the outside and stretchy on the inside. Being neither too doughy nor greasy, these deep fried snacks are even better than the ones I had at Barrio.
Portions are huge for sharing so it is best to get a group of friends down to share the variety (and calories). But do pick the right time to come or be prepared to queue.
Currently, Bee's Knees is offering a promotion of 2 regular pints of beer and 1 pizza for $38. Don't miss this great deal! (p.s I don't drink but I had the Truffle Mushroom Pizza which was fragrant and delicious!)
Bee's Knees
50 Cluny Park Road
Botanic Gardens
Monday to Tuesday, 8 am - 6 pm
Wednesday to Sunday, 8 am - 10 pm
*'Live' band plays acoustic music every alternate Friday
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