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Introduction
The Beanstro is a casual dining concept extension to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf brand.
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Opening Hours
Mon - Sun
08:30 - 22:30
Above information is for reference only. Please check details with the restaurant.
Signature Dishes
Set up just like a CBTL cafe with better chairs and tables, it may be hard to notice that it's a Beanstro and not just their usual cafe. To be honest, CBTL has never been on my favourite list, ever, for I'm really not a fan of their coffees. So, will the Beanstro impress me?Hmm, we'll see.And of course, no coffee for me, thank you very much. I'll go for a cuppa tea! For starters, we got a few 'finger food' snacks for sharing while we waited for our tardy queen to arrive. Hand-cut Calamari - $9Well, what can go wrong with a basket of well batter, deep fried squids? Near to nothing!The batter wasn't exactly very crispy and the squid wasn't exactly tender-chewy enough, but it was still packed with flavour to make this basket of fried squid pretty addictive.Mozzarella Fritters - $7I didn't really get to eat this, because the waiter came and cleared the plate even though there's still 1 whole, untouched fritter left on it. He didn't even bother to ask if he can clear it. Just reached in, grabbed the plate and left while we're engrossed in chit-chatting.BAD SERVICE, CBB, BAD SERVICE!Erm, any refund of the (perhaps) $2?But according to the rest who has eaten it, it's still 'not too bad' for a cheese lover.Morrocan Lamb Casserole - $16A pair of lamb Marquez in tomato stew done Moroccan style, overlaid with eggs and baked in a hot plate!CBB is quite a bad place to be taking pictures due to backlight in every corner and every single angle.But this dish is really delish! However, the serving is pretty small and if it's not for the 2 slices of toasted baguette and with the calamari, I might have left the place hungry. I can't really say I understand the point of adding 2 eggs on top of the dish, for it doesn't complement ANYTHING imo. Well, it might have been for the toasts, which were better off being paired with the tomato stew to begin with. So In the end, I pretty much gobbled down the runny yolks first (I really cannot imagine the taste of it getting mixed into the rest of the stew) before moving on with the rest of the dish. The lamb cubes were tender and savoury, and the tangy tomato stew simply brought out more of its flavour.If you're a lamb and tomato lover like me, I really recommend that you try this!Bangers and Mash - $18Oozing with cheese, grilled chicken snail sausage on Idaho mash with caraway sour cabbage and onion gravy.Classic Eggs Benedict - $17Two softly poached eggs built on toasted Vienna with chicken ham, lime vinaigrette mesclun and hollandaise sauce.Frankly speaking, I won't say that they're very affordable but the food quality is definitely there for a cafe (even though beanstro's concept is meant to be a casual dining restaurant, I still view CBB more as a cafe), and it makes the penny a little more worth spent. Service wise, they need to train the waiters not to clear off non-empty plates without asking the diners if it's alright to do so.
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I've heard quite a number of good reviews about it so I've decided to give it a shot but it has disappointed me a lot.As you know I'm a fan of sweet treats and cakes so I chose their opera cake which has been listed as the top seller. I had high expectations of it but upon my first mouth, I had the shock of my life. The sponge cake was very dry, the chocolate and nut batter can't even complement with each other. I've no idea if it's just this cake that doesn't appeal to my liking, or it's just that day. But no, I'm never trying their desserts anymore.
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this was my first foray into beanstro. the tealight cups on all the tables were a pretty sight. and although cosy, it got a lil chilly. the service was alright. the people at the counter were more fun than the waitstaff walking around. a chicago cheesecake with the addtional chocolate drizzles and a quarter of a sour strawberry saw a sizeable price increase to $8 from the usual $6.50 that I was used to paying at the regular coffee bean cafes.the ultimate ice blended with java chip was a lot more diluted here today, even with the addition of whipped cream. unless it's another attempt to try the food, i don't think i'll be back here soon.
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Beanstro located at B1 of Takashimaya Shopping Centre, is the second of two outlets in the whole world under The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® brand which prides itself for being a full-fledged table service concept restaurant. The moniker 'Beanstro' is an amalgamation of 'Bean' (Coffee Bean) and 'Bistro', with an American-style menu which boasts of a solid set of offerings ranging from All-Day-Breakfasts, Soups, Salads, Pastas, Sandwiches and Mains to Desserts. Beanstro has also just earned its Halal certification, which means that our Muslim friends can also enjoy a meal here.We started our meal with the Seafood Velvet $9 from the Soup section. Resembling the creamy texture of a chowder, the soup had a full-bodied seafood flavor, augmented by the gentle peach compote sweetness nuances and complete with whole scallops. Easy on the palate and delightful to the taste buds, this one has two thumbs up from me.Weight watchers will take to this Tuna Nicoise Salad $19 which is low in fat and extremely high in protein, gratuitous of the yellow-fin tuna loin coated with sesame seeds and hard boiled egg. Cuing on the healthy theme were a handful of fresh cherry tomatoes, few rings of raw onions as well as strings of Haricot Vert tossed in the salad for your daily dose of natural vitamins. Your dietician will certainly approve of the wholesome choice.And aforementioned above, Beanstro also offers All-Day-Breakfast from 8am, with complimentary coffee and tea until 11am daily. The breakfast menu is not limited at all, with extremely competitive pricings of under $10 for Cereals, under $15 for Griddles such as Pancakes, French Toast, Buttermilk Waffles and under $20 for all your Egg centered dishes.To be honest, I was quite hesitant about ordering the Classic Eggs Benedict $17 as it is such a humdrum breakfast staple that has been done and overdone everywhere. But with some cajoling from Steven, the general manager who insisted that Beanstro's Eggs Ben were something special, I decided to give it a try.And I am so glad I did because this Eggs Ben turned out to be one of the best Eggs Ben in Singapore that I have had by far. The poached eggs with the runny yolk and textured Hollandaise sauce was spot on but the real magic was in that layer of melted cheese on the toasted Vienna which made it near perfect. This is a must try.Desserts on the menu are all under $10 and portions are made for sharing. We tried the Bread & Butter Pudding $9 which was rightfully smooth and custardy with sweet milky undertones. Loved the contrast of the crispy crust and soft spongy layers. Now if only I had a scoop of ice-cream alongside...The Cherry Clafouti $10 was a simple cherry clad pudding with a custard base. Served warm and with a dust of powdered sugar, this classic French dessert was a lightly sweet and eggy end to the meal.Parents with little ones in tow will also be pleased to know that Beanstro is a family-friendly restaurant with highchairs and children cutlery all available to make that family outing a much more enjoyable and fuss-free one.
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We were there for an early dinner before attending the movie preview of 'Before Midnight' invited by omy.sg. I waited at the entrance. I was quickly ushered to a table for 3 quickly and presented with menu right after. We ordered The Ultimate ($7.60) and Cafe Caramel ($6.40). The Ultimate has got bits of coffee bean in it. Though it was served with the whipped cream but the level of sweetness was still well-balanced. The hot Cafe Caramel was another good choice. I enjoyed the comforting sweetness though could not taste much of the caramel.Then, decided to order a portion of Deep Fried Calamari Rings with Garlic Dip ($9.00). Surprisingly, this was the best dish. The batter was not too thick but amazingly crispy. It still tasted nicely crispy even after left it for a bit. It tasted nice when had it with the garlic sauce though the supposedly garlic sauce has got little garlic taste. It was served with a portion of salad. Another side order was Classic Quiche Lorraine ($7.50). The eggy and the cheese taste were not too strong. It served with a portion of salad too with a vinegar based dressing. Part of the quiche tasted of this dressing too. I thought it might be the worst dish of the night but got surprised later. The main was the 200 grams Ribeye Steak ($25.00). I wanted the doneness to be at medium. It served a bit too soon and too fast, right after the Fried Calamari Rings. The appearance of the steak did not look charred. It did not have a bit of smoky taste too. When i cut the steak, it was too raw to be done at Medium. It was likely to be at Medium-Rare instead. It was served with mushroom sauce but the mushroom sauce has got no distinctive taste. This was the worst steak that i ever eaten. Another main was Lamb Shank ($24.00). It was a decent dish. The texture of lamb shank was soft and not overly mushy. It was cooked well to omit the strange taste of lamb. It was seated on a pile of mashed potato but this pile of mashed potato tasted a bit too dry with no taste of butter. Dessert was Tiramisu ($10.00) to be shared. This ended up to be another disappointment. The texture of Tiramisu was too dry and ended up tasting like cake. There was a slight liquor-coffee taste but this was concentrated only right in the centre. Though the standard of food was disappointing but the customer service though a bit laid back initially but was pretty attentive later. The speed of serving the foods was a bit too fast as well. The Fried Calamari Rings, the Classic Quiche Lorraine, the Ribeye Steak and the Lamb Shank were served almost at the same time only difference in minutes. Though they are not fine dinning restaurant but they should be mindful as it would not be likely for us to eat the main and the starter at the same time. It would be appropriate for them to wait for us to finish the starter first before serving the main. If they really must do so perhaps it would be better to prepare the customers first. We were seated at a small square table meant for 2 with an additional chair added. The table was a bit too small for all the foods mentioned earlier with 2 drinks.On a side note, Steven Dason - the Restaurant Manager approached my table 3 times through the dining session. He came to check on the food when it was just served. He came again to offer to get us some plain water to dilute the sweet aftertaste of the coffee. He came again after we done eating. I told him the steak was rather raw when it supposed to be done at Medium. The total bill is $105.30 inclusive of GST and Service Charge. An expensive and not so memorable dinner. I had read many good reviews about Beanstro and these were the invited reviews for food tasting. That somewhat explained why there is such a difference in the standard of food?
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