Neato received some buzz on Instagram for their ‘lava custard puff’, choux puffs with flavoured custard that would ooze out when cut apart.
Good video material for IG. Sales went well, though not to the extent of rocketed.
The café with its initial outlet at Burlington Square, has just opened another at 10 North Canal Road.
10 North Canal Road.
I have been taking note of this address, and probably seen it change hands 3 times, over a short period of a year.
While some may attribute this to the factor of ’feng shui’, I would prefer to think the publicity, publicity, publicity (or lack of) were some of the key contributing factors. (The landlord don’t come and find me hor.)
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Good Food Heals, Ivory Coffee, then Neato.
With no offence to any of the 3 sets of owners… heard of them?
Gone are the days when you can open a shop (especially one which appeals to the younger crowd) and wait for things to miraculously happen.
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(Photo credit: Nicholas Tan @stormscape)
Neato has expanded its menu in this outlet to include Sandwiches, Salads, and Pastas. That includes Kimchi Pasta, Spicy Buttermilk Pasta Salad, Beef Bolognese, and Truffle Pasta.
The Kimchi Pasta ($14.90) caught my attention first. While the idea seemed interesting on paper, the kimchi taste was muted, and not well infused with the pasta.
Portion was also considered small for the price tag (maybe they want to promote healthy living) and the saving grace was the grilled pork.
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I also wondered about the consideration behind a Pasta Salad ($14.90).
Wanting to eat lighter that day, I ordered this dish which contained other healthier ingredients such as kalian, oven dried tomatoes, charred corn and carrot. But the spicy buttermilk sauce used made the entire combination heavy in the end.
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The recommended dessert was the Neato’s “Legendary Custard Puffs” ($4.00), in flavours of Malted milk, Earl grey, Matcha, Chocolate malt and Cream cheese maple.
The first time I went, early in the morning, I was told, “We run out of puffs…” (WHAT?! Actually, it was the owner who told the server to tell us, which I thought could have been done directly, or at least with more tact, because the owner was only 2 metres away.)
Anyway… I advised the server to update their Facebook as customers could come disappointed… (of course, it wasn’t done in the end.)
If I see a shop with potential, I would return, and I did.
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The Matcha Puff ordered didn’t flow. No big deal, but could suggest some consistency issues – in both sense of the word.
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Neato
10 North Canal Road Singapore 048823
Opening Hours: 9am – 7pm (Mon – Sat), Closed Sun
175 Bencoolen Street #01-55, Burlington Square, Singapore 189649
Opening Hours: 10am – 6pm (Mon – Fri), 1pm – 6pm (Sat), Closed Sun
Other Related Entries
Clinton St Baking Company & Restaurant (Purvis St)
Non Entrée Desserts (Rangoon Road)
Wanna Cuppa (New Bridge Road)
Punch (North Canal Road)
Atlas Coffeehouse (Duke’s Road)
* Daniel’s Food Diary pays for food reviewed unless otherwise stated. Written by Daniel Ang @DanielFoodDiary, with input from Nicholas Tan @stormscape
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