The Populus Cafe: A Humble Cafe serving value for money and instagrammable food

This small and cosy cafe had such a nice vibe that makes you wanna come back in the mornings for just a cup of coffee, and then maybe for lunch and dessert. Best part about this cafe is all prices include GST and there is no service charge too!

We started our morning with a cup of White Cold Brew Coffee, a Populus Special Edition. It was brewed with Caldera Espresso Beans and then bottled before serving. The ice cold coffee was smooth and sweetened a little which was perfect for me because I don’t like bitter coffees. You really have to try this coffee if you visit The Populus.
If you aren’t a coffee drinker, you can go for their Cold Brewed Iced Tea range. Their Japanese Plum & Fresh Lime (left) was a really refreshing option as it was light and sweet.

Price: $7.50 (left), $7.50 (right)
Taste: 4.5/5 (left), 4/5 (right)

Other options available were the Smoothies and I really enjoyed the Mango + Yogurt + Fresh Mint Smoothie (right) which was recommended by one of their staffs. The mango taste was strong with a hint of mint, a really interesting combination.

Price: $8
Taste: 4/5

If you’re here for breakfast or brunch, please order The Populus Scramble. It features a signature soft creamy scrambled eggs folded with fresh herb melange and marinated feta then topped with lots of back bacon.
Have the option of making it Deluxe at $6. Lobster bisque and crab meat will be folded into the scramble on top of the herb and feta. This combination went so well together and we could taste the substantial amount of crab meat in the eggs. I don’t know if you can tell, but the portion of eggs on the toasted croissant was so huge you can’t even see the croissant and hence recommended for sharing.

Price: $18.50
Taste: 4/5
Heat: 0/5

For something heavier, the Spring Pancake & Fried Chicken was worth waiting the 20 minutes waiting time for. Though I wasn’t a fan of the spring onion & corn pancake, the signature crispy fried chicken thigh fillet was one of my favourite things on the menu. The 2 huge pieces of chicken were so tender and I enjoyed every bite of it, not jelak at all.
Be warned, the house special ranch dressing on top is a lil spicy so ask for it on the side if you want.

Price: $21
Taste: 4/5
Heat: 1.5/5 (from the ranch dressing)

Looking for a vegetarian option? The Buckwheat Pancakes were the most instagrammable out of the rest with its vibrant colours. This option felt more like a dessert for me even though it was in the mains section. The berry fruit compote had the perfect sweet-sour combination but to balance it out, the cornflake crumbs on top added a touch of savoury to the fluffy pancakes. Of course, if you have a sweet tooth like me, add more maple syrup to your pancakes for more flavour too.
Also recommended for sharing as this pancake was really thick and super substantial.

Price: $19.50
Taste: 4/5
Heat: 0/5

The Donburi Rice Bowls here are also one of the top sellers and the ‘Bounty of the Sea’ Mixed Grains Bowl was made for you seafood lovers. This dish features seafood like roasted cod loin, Japanese scallops and shredded crab meat on a bed of mixed brown rice & 3 grains (I tasted barley among the grains). The cod loin was cooked to perfection but a little underseasoned for me which could be because this is a healthier option. The crab meat was seasoned with spices that were a little spicy for me. The sides include a red cabbage salad, lightly pickled cucumbers and pickled ginger which were so refreshing.

Price: $22.50
Taste: 3.5/5
Heat: 1.5/5 (from the crab meat)