When Japanese-Italian Nigiro Café first launched at Suntec City) under the Eat At Seven (Suntec City) umbrella, honestly it didn’t capture my attention (as well as many other café lovers).
The lime light fell on Kohaku Tendon and other restaurants with more prominent exposure. Being located at the back of Eat At Seven didn’t help as well.
Fast forward few months, they decided to venture into a second outlet at the Esplanade.
As usual, I am being skeptical about food standards whenever F&B establishment opens more outlets.
Well, Nigiro proved me wrong.
For a start, being situated at second level of Esplanade Mall gave them the advantage of a Waterfront view.
Together with natural lighting and sleek furniture, it elevates the style and dining atmosphere to a different level.
A place which I could envisioned myself sipping a cup of coffee and spending my quiet afternoon away. Quite a contrast compared to the Suntec City outlet.
Also with the luxury of space, it is a possible dining place for big group gatherings as well as for family outings.
Some of their recommended dishes include Cobb Salad ($16), Mentaiko Potato Pizza ($19) and NIGIRO Hamburg Steak ($25).
By the way, the iPad ordering system wasn’t really intuitive because of the comprehensive menu. Just saying.
I ended up with the Hokkaido ($26), a prawn-based broth pasta loaded with fresh seafood such as snow crab meat, clams and sea urchin.
It was like having pasta in prawn bisque, with umami-ness on every bite.
While my expectation wasn’t high for Chicken Gorgonzola ($24), as it was not on the list of recommendations, it turned out to be a pleaser.
The grilled chicken was tender and juicy, added with a hint of charred fragrance. The meat was well complemented with the creamy gorgonzola cheese sauce which gave an enhanced robustness.
Served with a serving of greens and roasted potatoes, I liked how the overall presentation promotes healthy eating and gives an additional visual appealing factor to this dish. Very Japanese-style.
One can also choose to add on a Soup of the Day for $2.50.
There was also a wide selection of desserts to choose from but being an avid matcha lover, I dived straight for the Matcha Cheesecake ($8.90) without much consideration.
But only to be disappointed.
The matcha sponge was dry, and tasted like the cake has been sitting in the display fridge for a while. Pricey for this standard.
Fortunately, the Churros Cheese Tart ($4.80) was their saving grace.
A crumbly tart with overflowing lava cheese when cut open, I enjoyed having the cookie-like texture crust together with the cheesy content.
The must-order from this shop, if you could only pick one thing.
Nigiro Café Esplanade
8 Raffles Avenue #02-14, Esplanade Mall, Singapore 038983
Tel: +65 6238 1669
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 11pm (Sun – Thu), 11:30am – 1am (Fri & Sat)
https://www.facebook.com/nigirocafeesplanade
Other Related Entries
Suzette (Esplanade)
Japan Rail Café (Tanjong Pagar)
Matchaya (Tanjong Pagar)
LeTao (ION Orchard)
KOKI Tamagoyaki (Raffles City)
* Written by Lewis Tan @juicyfingers, a self-proclaimed coffee addict. Daniel’s Food Diary pays for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.
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