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Asian Fusion + Italian = First 25 Cafe
2015-12-02 24 views
This Tanjong Pagar spot is a fairly new kid on the block, serving premium fusion food in a casual cafe setting. Owner Lucius Ong was very friendly and kept checking up on the patrons, to see if anyone had feedback on the food.They have a pretty decent sized dining room. There's ample space between tables and can easily accomodate huge groups of patrons. The walls are lined with white glossy tiles with very rustic looking lamps mounted on the wall to provide lighting throughout the dining room.On
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 This Tanjong Pagar spot is a fairly new kid on the block, serving premium fusion food in a casual cafe setting. Owner Lucius Ong was very friendly and kept checking up on the patrons, to see if anyone had feedback on the food.
43 views
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0 comments
 They have a pretty decent sized dining room. There's ample space between tables and can easily accomodate huge groups of patrons. The walls are lined with white glossy tiles with very rustic looking lamps mounted on the wall to provide lighting throughout the dining room.

One glance at the menu and you spot things like Gnocchi with basil cream, wagyu bolognese, nacho cheese fries, truffle fries, smoked uni carbonara, 65 degree grilled ribeye. First 25 cafe definitely sets itself up as an Asian Fusion and Italian cafe.

1. Warm Mushroom Salad $9+
Warm Mushroom Salad
$9
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 When this dish was served, you could easily smell the truffle oil in the salad! I loved that they choose to use pine nuts as it added a crunchy aspect of the salad. The Baby spinach, shimeji mushroom together with their high grade butter made a very light but refreshing salad. The shimeji mushrooms were small in size, but every time I dug my fork into the salad, I was guaranteed a mushroom! First 25 cafe is pretty generous in ingredients!

2. La Rustichella Truffle Fries $12+
La Rustichella Truffle Fries
$12
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 What's a cafe without their rendition of truffle fries? The truffle fries were served on a wodden platter, sprawled out with cheese flakes over the top!  
La Rustichella Truffle Fries
$12
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 Okay, so the truffle smell for the fries for some reason wasn't as strong as the Warm Mushroom salad. The essence of the truffle oil was very evident in the fries either. But together with the white truffle pumpkin sauce, it did bring out the "truffle-ness" of the fries.
La Rustichella Truffle Fries
$12
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 The fries also didn't turn soggy either. So hurray! For non-soggy fry lovers.

3. Charlie's son Wings $13+
Charlie's son Wings
$13
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 Who doesn't love fried chicken wings? This was cooked more towards the asian style of "tze char" rather than your buffalo wings or honey wings. As First 25 Cafe tries to differentiate themselves from competitors by selling Asian Fusion with an Italian twists. I think these wings are lacking either in juiciness or it just need a sauce of some sort to spice things up! These wings were crispy but yet also slightly on the dry side.
Charlie's son Wings $13+
$13
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 The wings were decent in size and for this price, instead of a salad, maybe some celery sticks and carrots? The crispiness is spot on, and that's where the wow factor ends for this dish.

4. Smoked Uni Carbonara $27+
Smoked Uni Carbonara
$27
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 This dish was a very interesting one, seeing the roe perched ontop of the poached egg, sounded by carbonara. It made a very picturesque dish. But unlike typical carbonara dishes that make you gerlat, this was slightly more of a lighter dish with a lighter taste too. The flavour of the egg wasn't able to bring out any flavour of the pasta.
Smoked Uni Carbonara
$27
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 I was able to easily spot chunks of crayfish meat that tasted fresh and tender. The meat itself was able to absorb the carbonara sauce, hence giving the meat some flavour.

5. Eggplant Parmigiano $16+
Eggplant Parmigiano
$16
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 The browness of the bread crumbs was on-point! It made the parigiano look fuller in size and definitely made me excited to try this!
Eggplant Parmigiano
$16
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 Despite their simplistic presentation, the eggplant parmigiano was pretty sizeable and I felt decently full after consuming it. This is probably one of the main courses that I wouldn't mind ordering again the next time I'm here. You can also pick this out as a side to share.
Eggplant Parmigiano
$16
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 Once you cut it open, you will notice the eggplant black miso, parmigiano together with the spiced tomato sauce and layer of bread crumbs, this made a rather interesting and delightful main course. The eggplant was beautifully cooked in the center and it was very soft and yet juicy.

6. 65 Degree Grilled Ribeye 2006 $26+ *Highly Recommended*
65 Degree Grilled Ribeye 2006
$26
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 Grassfed auzi ribeye, baby carrots, mashed potato and mushroom sauce. On first look, this dish wasn't just simply thrown together, it was decorated with care. Just like the care it took to nurture this grassfed ribeye. The mashed potato was so smooth and creamy, it was like no other mashed potato I had ever tasted! It also gave me a lingering truffle after taste!
65 Degree Grilled Ribeye 2006
$26
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 Checkout the glorious pink colouration of the meat. The meat was so soft and juicy. Yes, it's making me hungry right now, as I write this review! The quality of the meat was enough to justify the price of this dish. As owner Lucius emphasized, that First 25 Cafe aims to serve premium quality food in a casual setting. This dish says it all!

7. Yuzukosho Pork Rack (Signature) $27+ *Highly Recommended*
Yuzukosho Pork Rack (Signature)
$27
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 Having visited a few fusion cafes recently, I know it's not easy to come up with a unique fusion dish that has both Asian and Western flavours. This Yuzukosho Pork Rack scores 10/10 on both ends of the east and west! The pork itself was super tender and juicy. Laid upon a creamy bacon sauce.
Yuzukosho Pork Rack (Signature)
$27
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 The Pork Rack itself is slightly chared on the edges giving it a beautiful browning colour on the exterior but yet on the inside, the meat is a consistent pale pink colour.
I think this is clear winner on their top signature main course dish.

I cannot help but notice the recent trend of Asian Fusion cafes that are moving away from the typical eggs benny and brunch. It takes alot more to attract the tastebuds of Singaporeans.

The cafe has a very cute and cosy environment, together with the free wifi, it makes a good hang out spot. Couple that with their location in Tanjong Pagar, they are sure to attract the office crowd during weekday lunches. They have a few good signature items and the owner is very open to feedback, to improve. Him and his team definitely put in the hours to make every dining experience a plesant one. 
Other Info. : No GST, only 10% service charge They serve Jewel Coffee :)
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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DETAILED RATING
Taste
Decor
Service
Hygiene
Value
Date of Visit
2015-12-01
Dining Method
Dine In
Dining Offer
Tasting Event
Recommended Dishes
Eggplant Parmigiano
$ 16
Eggplant Parmigiano
$ 16
Eggplant Parmigiano
$ 16
65 Degree Grilled Ribeye 2006
$ 26
65 Degree Grilled Ribeye 2006
$ 26
Yuzukosho Pork Rack (Signature)
$ 27
Yuzukosho Pork Rack (Signature)
$ 27