Riders Cafe – A Brunch-time Escape

PUBLISHED March 22nd, 2012 05:59 pm | UPDATED June 1st, 2016 05:19 pm

After hearing on the wind mention of the Riders Cafe legendary brunch, the opportunity finally presented itself in the form a big Sunday brunch out with friends.

The first thing to say about Riders is that it is certainly out of the way, way down off Bukit Timah Rd, down the Fairways and next to the Saddle Club, you can actually see horses riding past the front entrance of the restaurant. It really feels a world away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Situated in a gorgeous old colonial-style building, the setting is perfect for brunch… There is outdoor seating but effectively the entire cafe is opened up, so there’s great lighting, and lots of ventilation by fans, but no air-conditioning. Surprisingly however, it’s really quite cool, to my relief.

Anyway with a rumbling tummy, I eargerly sat down and began examining the menu…First things first, drink! A latte for waking up, a bloody mary because it’s brunch, and a glass of their sparkling wine…because why not?

I probably shouldn’t go into detail about the drinks and honestly, I was not that impressed. While the latte was decent and the bloody mary was pretty good, a second and third one ordered by friends showed real inconsistency. The sparkling wine itself was unpleasant (I ended up mixing in my lime cooler to make it more drinkable).

The food, however, is definitely worthy of writing about. The menu was a brunch paradise and it took me over 10 minutess just to decide. Mercifully, with a table of 6, I knew I was going to get to try more than one item. 🙂 Hazar!

Below are what we considered to be the top 4 picks….

First is ‘The Usual’ – Eggs, Smoked Bacon, Breakfast Banger, Mushrooms, Grilled Tomato and Sourdough. The staple breakfast… Well sized, with a thick fried egg served on an even thicker slice of buttery brioche. Nice.

For a slightly alternative brunch, we ordered the Soft-Shell Crab Benedict with Poached Eggs, Spinach and Tomato. Again a hearty portion, with the crisp saltiness of the crab cutting right through the soft and buttery eggs and brioche. A wonderfully textured dish.

Next was my personal favourite (I am totally biased to smoked salmon)… The Smoked Salmon & Scrambled Eggs with Avocado and Asparagus on toasted Sourdough. Yes please! If you’re a salmon fiend this one is for you. Portion is decent, the salmon is salty but not overbearing, and the combination with the ripe avocado works a treat. Recommended.

If on the other hand, you’ve more of a sweet tooth, one option might be the Brioche French Toast Served with Berries and Mascarpone (the other option is Burnt Bananas and Smoked Bacon). It’s quite rare to see french toast on a menu in Singapore, and made with brioche was an excellent decision made by the Chef. It’s thicker, juicier and just better in every way!

It’s quite hard to get a table at Riders so make sure you book well in advance. From the time we arrived at about 11am, they were basically 80-100% full for the next few hours.

The only downside to brunch here is the service; while friendly, it is ‘leisurely’,  leading to a very ‘leisurely brunch’. You may have to repeat orders now and then (from what I’ve heard from my dining companions, this time was sadly not an exception).

Nonetheless, I would very much recommend Riders. The prices here are very reasonable, ranging from $12-20 for brunch items. Portions are generous and the quality is great. Looking at the rest of the items of their menu, I am keen to make a return trip, though at a less busy time.. (I did spy a Riders Burger and it looked fabulous!).