COCONUTS CRITIC'S TABLE—When did it happen? When did Hipsters lose their cool? When did anything branded hipster make in-the-know punters shake their heads and walk the other away, rather than be tarnished with this tired old trend. We’re not sure, maybe it was when hipsters started to become a parody of itself. After all, the term used to define people as edgy, individual and outside the mainstream. These days you can’t walk down Orchard Road without bumping into a vintage clad Bohemian type and can you think of any new bar that doesn’t serve up its drinks in mason jars? The mainstream is perilously close to swallowing the hipster sensibilities whole and serving a sterilised version back to the mainstream.
Hipsterism has probably suffered its worth denouement in the foodie realm. The rush by restaurants to appear ‘hip’ has seen a million cookie cutter venues rushing to cash in on the cachet by aping the surface style (retro touches, industrial fittings and, of course, those essential bare walls), with little consideration for the most important ingredients in any eatery, taste and substance.
Bearing this in mind, we must admit to approaching Rouse Café with plenty of trepidation and no shortage of prejudice. After all, this small shophouse eatery, tucked away amid the commercial chaos of Dunlop Street, ticks all those hipster café tropes. From the wooden crates and industrial metal door, to the steampunk light bulbs and, yes, even those faux distressed concrete walls, we’ve seen it all done many times before (and not always very well) in Singapore.
The short menu, secured to the requisite wooden board with a strip of industrial tape, also has alarm bells ringing. Its specific focus on breakfast and lunch friendly dishes is certainly not new (they even have a dish with quinoa in it) but at least there’s no sign of eggs Benedict and there are plenty of options to keep the most hardened bruncher interested.
Rouse also wins because it has a certain natural charm that’s hard to imitate. It’s trendy sure but it still manages to have the feel of a neighbourhood venue; and, despite our fears, there wasn’t a plaid shirt or pair of skinny jeans in sight amongst the mixed crowd of 30-somethings who are clearly here to eat not pose. From the polite note to be careful with the door (broken when we last visited) to the genuine warmth of the staff it’s hard not let those initial prejudices start to slide a little.
But it’s the food that really helps soothe any nagging concerns. Despite first impressions there are thankfully few pretensions here just decent down-to-earth cooking.
Beef wrapped asparagus ($16.90) is not a dish you get to try every day yet the result shows they have some idea what they’re doing in the kitchen. The generous bed of pumpkin mash is smooth, sweet and offers a nice counterpoint to the peppery beef and crunchy asparagus. We’d also read quite a few criticisms online about the consistency of the accompanying poached egg but you’ll get no complaint on that front from this reviewer.
The Crabby Patty ($17.90) topped with mango salsa doesn’t look to cut any corners either. It could have a slightly crunchier crust but it’s packed full of crab meat and provides a pleasantly piquant kick that cuts through the sweet mango salsa. The accompanying salad is also decent ,well-dressed and uses fresh and crispy romaine leaves.
Not every dish is such a success, the obligatory sweet potato fries ($7.90) are a good portion and the deep fried curry leaves are a nice touch but will sweet potato ever set the world alight? The mushrooms packed with ricotta and crispy bacon crumbs in the Shroom Shrooms ($11.90) have a nice, smoky aroma but the dish as a whole is a little bland.
The desserts are limited to cakes, and they are perhaps the biggest let down. For example, the giant slice of Caramel Crunch Cake ($8) we tried went beyond indulgent and just became cloying and coma-inducingly sweet. Indeed, the general size of the portions means this is a good place to come armed with friends to ensure that you’re able to walk out after your meal.
Sat close to Abdul Gaffoor Mosque, and run by a Malay celebrity couple there’s no booze on offer but on the plus side all the food is Halal. We’re also happy to skip an overpriced craft beer in favour of a pot or two of their pleasantly palate-cleansing blend of Heaven Garden tea ($7.50) from local tea blenders 1872 Clipper Tea Co. We just love the antique ceramic cups it’s served in and also appreciate the free refills too. Handily, for a café, the coffee, from Dutch Colony is particularly impressive, and pretty well priced at $3 for an espresso and $4 for a long black when compared with other similar venues.
Rouse is certainly not perfect, like the front door there are certain elements that could do with a little fixing. While the service is super friendly it can be a little haphazard. On our latest visit we made a point of highlighting what we wanted as starters and what were to be enjoyed as mains but everything still came out in a random order.
We’d also question the focus of the menu on pretty heavy brunch dishes. Not a problem per se but it’s a bit odd when the place stays open till 10pm on most nights. Maybe that just says something about our obsession with calorie counting rather than a general consensus among foodies. It certainly didn’t seem to be putting off the decent crowd of diners on the mid-week night we dropped by but we’ll be going back in daylight hours in the future, if only for the sake of our waistline.
Rouse has received a lot of buzz since it opened and for once it seems like most of that buzz is deserved. Unlike many similar hipster cafes they clearly care about what they’re doing here and understand that what’s on the plates is more important than what’s hanging from those distressed walls.
Coconut’s Critics Table reviews are written based on unannounced visits by our writers and paid for by Coconuts Singapore. No freebies here.
Rouse is at 36 Dunlop St., 6292-2642. Open Mon, Wed — Thu noon — 10pm, Fri — Sat noon — 11pm, Sun 11am — 7pm.
Photos: Nick Measures
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