As an avid Grouponer (there I've said it), I have a healthy scepticism for food places featured on Groupon. I seldom buy food Groupons unless the menu piques my curiosity or the place has had good reviews. On this occasion, the menu interested me that I bought it without doing much research. Interestingly enough, this little café became featured on multiple blog reviews and the Sunday Times Lifestyle Section after I purchased the Groupon for this café.

Located at Bali Lane near Arab St, it is on the same stretch of road as Choo Choo Chicken. The signage is not as conspicuous and you might pass by without realizing it. Needless to say, the crowd will guide you there as it did on a Sunday afternoon.Interior

The capacity of the café is limited because the café is really small. Be prepared to wait if you want to sit inside. There is a communal table with tall chairs outside on the corridor if you are less inclined to wait to dine in the comforts of the air-conditioned interior of the café.Table Settings

According to the news, the three young owners of this café did not have to spend much on decorating the café because their families are in the construction, metal and woodworks industries that they got the materials at cost price or for free. The interior of the café is quite minimal but it worked to provide a cosy ambience. Little touches like these gave the café some character and it shows that you do not need to spend a lot to decorate a place tastefully.Strawberry Lemonade (Left) and Mint Lemonade (Right)- $6.90 each

Since R and I had trekked some distance to get to the cafe, we were hot and sweaty given Singapore's humid conditions. It was especially humid that day that we foregone our coffee orders in favour of cold lemonades. We ordered it with the expectations that the lemonades would quench our thirst and quell the heat we were faced with. The "lemonades" looked pretty, quenched our thirst and quelled the heat but they caused a surge of disappointment. WHAT LEMONADE?! The slices of lemon were probably the closest we got to having LEMON in our ADE. These were glasses of cordial topped with soda water masquerading as lemonades. Darn, I should have stayed with my coffee order!Eggs Benedict $14.90

What is brunch without the quintessential brunch food item- Eggs Benedict? Two poached eggs on top of ham and brioche toast, topped with hollandaise, home-made tomato chilli jam and stewed Mushrooms. To be honest, the appearance of the ham threw me off. It looked very processed and scared me. However, the pillowy soft and sweet brioche, runny poached eggs, creamy and well-flavoured hollandaise, sweet and not-at-all spicy tomato chilli jam and the utterly delicious stewed mushrooms made up for it. They are the true stars of the dish! When you eat everything together, the ham is lost in the equation and a wonderful symphony of flavours will engulf your tastebuds instead. Never judge a dish by its looks!Red velvet waffles $14.90

For those uninitiated to the famed Red Velvet cake, it is a chocolate cake coloured red with cream cheese frosting. Stateland reinvents the traditional Red Velvet Cake into a waffle. Here, the way the waffle is served takes top marks. The Red Velvet waffle is a chocolate-flavoured waffle coloured deep-red. I like the bits of chocolate chip that came with every bite of waffle. The waffle was crisp on the outside and soft inside. It was relatively light and the toppings (cream cheese glaze, vanilla ice-cream and dehydrated raspberries) complemented the waffle well.Red velvet waffle (top) and Black Forest Waffles with the poached cherry compote on the side (below)The Black Forest $14.90

The Black Forest Waffle is a take on the traditional Black Forest Cake. It is essentially a dark chocolate waffle rippled with chocolate chips, topped with whipped cream, Belgium chocolate ice-cream and poached cherry compote. Since my dear friend does not like cherries, we asked for the compote to be served on the side. She tasted the compote and said she couldn't really taste the cherry flavour and that it is like a jam! As such, she said it was okay to put them on the waffle since we were sharing. we rarely agree when it comes to food but on this occasion, I concur with her. Until you bite into the pitted cherries hidden amongst the compote, the compote does not bear any distinct cherry flavour on its own. There is also a slight gelatinous feel to it- probably from the pectin from the cherries- that makes this compote more jam-like.

At the end, we concluded that the only dish that we truly enjoyed was the Eggs Benedict. While the waffles were very photogenic, the flavours failed to wow. They impressed R less than they did for me. There is no novelty in the flavour of the waffles because once you take away the fancy names, the Black Forest waffle is a dark chocolate waffle with chocolate ice-cream, cream and a compote. It is a combination that is common enough. Similarly, it applies to the Red Velvet waffle though I will concede that a cream cheese glaze is not common. Overall, the concept is good but more needs to be done to the waffles for me to order them again. Also, the "lemonades" are misleading and feels like a rip off for $6.90 each. If I ever do return again, I will try the thick toasts and order coffee instead!

The outlet at 100AM is an open set-up near the escalator on Level 2. The place is hard to miss and reservations are recommended especially during weekday lunch hours.Sambal Balachan and Keropok Barinjau

Each table is decked with small plates of piquant sambal balachan and baskets of crispy keropok barinjau. Despite being set out in the open for however long it has been left there, the keropok barinjau was shatteringly crisp and went brilliantly well with the sambal. Do note that they are not free.

We considered ordering dishes to share but eventually succumbed to the charming maitre'd's suggestion to go for a set lunch for 3-4 pax. For 4 office ladies, a set lunch for 3-4pax was more than sufficient for us. Part of the advantages of having the set lunch is the free flow of rice which came wrapped in the banana leaf.Steamed white rice wrapped in banana leafThe smell of freshly steamed white rice in a banana leaf is heavenly.Tahu Telor (Deep-Fried Tower of Beancurd & Egg) (not part of the set lunch menu)

The Tahu Telor was not part of the set menu but we couldn't resist ordering it. It was a towering heap of fried tofu and egg nets with a sweet peanut studded sauce and julienned carrots. The crisp outerior housed the egg tofu which broke apart to reveal a steaming hot interior that wobbled and slid down the throats like a kid on a slide. The egg nets soaked up the sweet savoury sauce and when eaten together with the tofu, the egg nets gave the subtle egg tofu bursts of flavour. (7.5/10)Ayam Bali (Bali Styled Barbeque Chicken)

The smell was incredible when the Ayam Bali arrived at our table. The burnished caramelized skin beckoned and resistance was futile as we sank our teeth into slices of juicy and succulent chicken thigh. The marinade reminded me a lot of satay with its sweet and savoury nuances. (7.5/10)Tumis KangKong Balachan (Stir-Fried Kangkong Balachan)

I like to think I'm more carnivorous than herbivorous but when you dine with ladies with more lady-like dietary inclinations, vegetables are bound to creep onto your dining table. Not that I minded in this instance because this Stir-Fried Kangkong Balachan provided a welcome distraction from all the meats on our table. While it was not the best I have ever tried, Pagi Sore serves a decent rendition of this famed dish. I think this dish lacked a certain wok-hei (the kiss of the wok's breath) to make it a stellar rendition. (6.5/10)Ikan Ota Kukus (Steamed Whole Leather Jacket Fish in Ota Gravy)

The star item of our meal was the Ikan Ota Kukus. We marvelled at the uniqueness of the dish and I don't think I have ever come across this dish at other Indonesian restaurants before. The sizealso amazed us because it came with a whole fish and a whole fish usually costs a lot at a restaurant. I think we were expecting just a portion of the fish or a really small fish but this was a sizeable fresh and meaty fish that was steamed to perfection. The accompanying Ota gravy was lemak (coconut milk-like) without being overwhelming. The essence of this dish is that it borrows its concept and flavours from a fish otah but served in a deconstructed and steamed version instead. I would highly recommend ordering this dish and I'm salivating as I type. (8.5/10)Alpukat Gula Melaka (Fresh Blended Avocado topped with Gula Melaka)

Nothing ends the meal better than with dessert. All of us wanted the Alpukat Gula Melaka instead of the Chendol because we all love avocadoes. However, upon ordering, we were told that they sold out. As we ate our meals and were ready for dessert, the waiter informed us that they went to buy more avocadoes so we could have the Alpukat Gula Melaka if we wanted. Needless to say, we were stoked and said yes! I've tried many avocado blends with gula melaka and/or chocolate sauce that I know it would taste fabulous but the coarsely shaved ice knocked off points off this dessert. The coarse ice made me feel like I was constantly biting into ice and towards the end, it diluted the creaminess of the avocado. Had the ice been fine or if the avocado blend been chilled instead of topping the avocado blend with coarse ice, it would have been a well executed dessert. (6/10)

Not shown but included in the set meal is the Lime Juice (one glass per guest). You have a choice between Refreshing Lime Juice and Homemade Barley Water in case you were wondering.

We paid approximately $30 after taxes per person. While it ain't cheap, we felt like it was every penny well spent. I must say that any criticisms written here is because I'm being picky for the purposes of reviewing the food but if you are after good Indonesian food in general, Pagi Sore is one to check out especially if you are in the CBD area. I liked the dishes I ate that day. I just feel that there is always room for improvement because cooking is an art that can always be improved upon and never perfected.