Located right on the first floor of The Cathay, Assembly Ground cafe is a spacious classic cafe with its brown hues, laidback vibe and hippie interior decor. Right beside it is the retail store, The Assembly Store from the same arm if you want to do some shopping first.
Compared to many other local cafes, this cafe is large and so, tables aren't cramped together. Great for catch-ups with friends (and not hearing other's people gossips at the same time). The ample seating also makes it possible for larger groups to get together.
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| Assembly Ground Food Menu |
Apart from the usual all-day breakfast, mains, and beverages, Assembly Ground also has an assortment of interesting cakes (think Thai Milk Tea/Earl Grey/Gula Melaka) for sweet tooths. There's no service charge and GST is already included in the prices listed, so you pay the amount as per the menu.
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| Truffle Fries ($10) |
While awaiting our friend who'd overslept, we ordered the Truffle Fries to satiate ourselves. The smell of the truffle can be whiffed from a table away when it passed us. We didn't regret this. The shoestring-cut fries came piping hot and crisp with a fluffy inside. Served in a steel shovel, it was so good. A friend even commented that this was better than P.S. Cafe's. If you need an appetiser, order this.
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| Iced Green Tea Latte ($6.50) and Green Tea Latte ($5.50) |
With a difference of a $1, the Iced Green Tea Latte comes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Apart from the temperature, both versions are the same. The drink was creamy, with the bitter-sweet Green Tea flavour there, but it would have been better less sweet.
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| Rosti Omelette ($15) - Eggs, Bratwurst, Grated Potatoes, Sausage, Sour Cream. |
The star of the Rosti Omelette is not the Rosti, but rather split between both. You will be disappointed if you expect Marche's standard of Rosti. This version is a little strange, with a part of the rosti too crispy (resembling crispy noodles in texture even) and lacking in the buttery fragrance rosti potato strips have. The omelette was average. Other brunch mains would be better choices.
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| The Assembly Brunch ($19.50) - Scrambled eggs, bacon or salmon, wiener sausage, sauteed mushrooms, potato gratin, grilled cherry tomatoes, toast. |
The Assembly Brunch was happily, no letdown. The potato gratin was buttery and smooth with a slightly charred exterior. The 2 slices of toast that accompanied it seems to be the multi-grain variety, Scrambled eggs were done to a balanced consistency that wasn't too wet nor too cooked. You also get to choose between smoked salmon and bacon. For the price point, it may be slightly higher than most cafes, but it evens out if you consider the GST included already. This dish is reliably good, and though it may sound big, the portion is just right for one with a normal appetite.
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| Earl Grey Cake ($4.50) |
The Earl Grey loaf cake slice was crumbly in exterior and evidently perfumed with Earl Grey scent. However, it was too sweet right from the first mouthful. Unless you are an ultimate sugar consumer, skip.
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| Thai Milk Tea Slice ($4.50) |
Much better was the Thai Milk Tea loaf slice. It had the same consistency (same recipe?) as the Earl Grey cake without being overly sweet. We also enjoyed the crumbly Thai milk tea flavoured "crust" on the surface of the cake. The cake itself is more of the dense texture than fluffy.
Going by cafe standards, the food definitely didn't pale in taste. I guess it shows since one of the chefs was from Wild Honey. The service here was friendly, and the staff didn't hurry us after we'd finished our food. Ok perhaps that's because it was not crowded on the Saturday noon we were there too. Great atmosphere, spacious and decent bites and drinks - all assembled here. This place definitely makes my list of cafes to return to.
The Assembly Ground
#01-21, The Cathay
2 Handy Rd, S229233
6733-3375
Closed on Mondays.
Nearest MRT: Dhoby Ghaut
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