Spruce

Hello!

First and foremost, I'd like to wish all teachers a very happy teachers' day! (: I hope that those involved will enjoy their teachers' day celebrations as well as teachers' day holiday! For the rest of us who do not have the luxury of enjoying a day off tomorrow, we can still bask in the teachers' day celebratory mood and celebrate teachers' day by going out with our teacher-friends for a meal or to catch up over coffee.

If you're looking for a place to have a slow and delicious brunch session with friends, I'd suggest visiting Spruce. Jeffrey and I went to Spruce a couple of days ago with two friends and we liked the restaurant and their food! =)

Situated along Tanglin Road, Spruce is relatively inaccessible but you should have no problem getting there via car or cab. My first impression of Spruce is that it's very PS Cafe-like because they're both located next to greenery and they provide indoor and outdoor seating. Personally, I'd pick Spruce over PS Cafe if I wanted somewhere with a more relaxed atmosphere because the latter tends to be a bit too crowded and it can get a bit noisy at times.

Outdoor seating area. Although it was an extremely sunny day, the outdoor seating area wasn't too warm because of the whirling fans and shade from the roof and surrounding trees.

You can choose to sit here if you want an unobstructed view of the greenery but I think most people won't want to sit here because you'll become food for the mozzies! In addition, I think it's easier to converse with your dining companion(s) if you face him/ her/ them.

The indoor seating area can be seen on the extreme right hand side of this photo. That's where we dined at! =) We usually chose to sit indoors because Jeffrey tends to perspire very easily!

IKEA cutlery at our table. We were wondering whether the salt and pepper shakers were from IKEA too.

As it was our first visit there, we didn't know what the portion sizes would be like. Both our friends ordered sides because they were feeling quite hungry. Surprisingly, the portion sizes for sides are relatively huge! Check them out!

Hotcakes ($5). As my friend couldn't finish her pancakes, I'd the pleasure of helping her finish her pancakes. The pancakes tasted thicker and fluffier than the ones served at PS Cafe but they were, in my opinion, not as good as Jones the Grocer's or Cedele. Nevertheless, the pancakes is a great side dish to share (:

French Toast ($5). Our second side dish is this plate of tantalizing french toast. I didn't get to sample the french toast but it definitely looks like something that we'll want to try in future.

Spruce Breakfast Sandwich ($12). Nicely toasted bread with egg, tomatoes, advocado and cheese, it's probably one of the nicest warm breakfast sandwich that I've tasted. The potato wedges at the side were pretty okay but they would have tasted better with a bit of seasoning.

Spruce Burger ($17). Unlike some burgers which only come with little vegetables, the Spruce burger has lettuce spilling out of its side! The sesame-sprinked top bun is magnificently toasted such that its surface is slightly crispy yet the bread is kept soft and moist. The thick cut fries were tasty and they will please anyone with a craving for thick, potato-ey fries.
Big Brekkie ($16). This dish consists of grilled mushrooms, a sausage, scrambled eggs, baked beans and two piececs of tosated bread. Our friend commented that the sausage tasted normal but the rest were yummy! (: Definitely a must-try if you're craving for a wholesome breakfast meal.

British Brekkie ($17). Alternatively, if you're feeling more carnivorous, you can order a British Brekkie, which consists of baked beans, scrambled egg, bacon, sausage and two slices of toast. This breakfast set promises to satiate your big breakfast cravings!

Chocolate Cake ($8). The richness of the chocolate cake hit us the moment we took our first bites. The chocolate cake was dense and it was locked with chocolate flavour! Chocolate lovers will love this cake but I'd advise ordering this cake to share, otherwise you may get too overwhelmed by the chocolatey taste to finish it!

Sprite ($5). After our visit to Prego, I told myself that I must remember to check the price of sprite before placing an order for it but unfortunately, my thirst for sprite got the better of me and I, regrettably, ordered this exorbitantly-priced cup of sprite without first checking the menu =( My two friends rubbed salt into the wound by commenting that this cup of sprite costs as much as one of our side dishes! =( I made it a point to drink most of it so that I won't feel that bad squandering my money away on this innocent-looking cup of sprite.

I'm thoroughly satisfied with the food served at Spruce =) The prices are reasonable and their portions are pretty generous. I'm glad that we've found an new place to have western brunches and we'll definitely return there in the near future.