Amber Ember – Yeley Building

Taking over the former premises of now-defunct C.A.N. Cafe at Yeley Building along Upper Serangoon Road is Amber Ember; a new cafe that is situated just right behind a bus stop along the road.

Whilst C.A.N. Cafe went for a whimsical and retro approach when they had occupied the space last time, Amber Ember had spruced up the interior with an extensive revamp to the space. Now, the interior of the cafe features faded pastel pink walls, whilst furnished with wood and marble elements that exudes a modern, yet Scandinavian vibe that is not too excessive. Featuring mostly four-seater tables and side-by-side seatings meant for two, Amber Ember also has a communal table situated at the end of the shop which can seat 10 pax. The menu revolves around brunch items, with an emphasis being placed on jaffles, while a limited variety of sides are also available; mostly different variants of fries. Specialty coffee is served here, using beans roasted by Cata Coffee (itself being situated at The Bakery at Woodlands Sourdough), with hot chocolate being available as well.

(Szechuan Spiced Fries)

Picking between one of the fries that they carry, we chose the Szechuan Spiced Fries. Essentially shoestring fries sprinkled with Szechuan pepper seasoning, the fries do carry a slight hint of savouriness and pepperiness that is signature of Szechuan pepper, though the numbness does start to tingle on the taste buds after a while. The fries were well-fried; crisp with a bite whilst coming with a yuzu aioli dip that provides a tanginess that refreshes the tastebuds

(Asian Risotto)

Going for something more substantial, we went for the Asian Risotto; the Asian Risotto came with elements such as Purple Rice Porridge, Braised Pork, Runny Egg, Fried Garlic and Pork Floss. Essentially an item that came with strong Asian roots, the Asian Risotto could be described as a congee served with a slight twist. The Purple Rice Porridge is done almost similar to how a congee would be; familiar in flavour, though texturally less mushy and wet than the typical congee; a little more starchy with well-defined grains that work for those who dislike the texture of the usual congee. Other elements, such as the braised pork and runny egg, provides flavour to the congee with a hint of savouriness and spiciness with a meaty bite; it is worth mentioning that the braised pork felt more of a rendition of black pepper pork, carrying a distinct peppery note that provides for the spiciness. Fried garlic and pork floss are added for both a contrast of flavours and texture. Overall, quite a simple yet comforting item for those who are looking for something meant for a lighter palate.

(Fu Yong Egg)

We also went for the Fu Yong Egg; a Chinese-style omelette with mushroom, Vegemite glaze with fried spinach served atop sourdough. Despite being a rendition of a classic tzechar dish, the said omelette felt no different from the usual scrambled eggs; all runny and plain, differing from the usually smoky, drier Fu Yong omelette that comes speckled with capsicum, greens and small chunks of mock crabmeat. That being said, the scrambled eggs were pretty well-executed, while the fried spinach gave a slight crispness similar to kale chips; the sourdough being all chewy and crisp on the exterior whilst carrying a slight hint of sourness from the fermented of the bread that makes it pretty delicious. We did feel that we would have preferred the bread and eggs to have come in an entire slab, however; the cut-up portion might make it seem easy to eat as though we were having a bruschetta, but seem to have visually decreased the portion size of the entire dish.

(White)

Going for our usual order of the White, the cuppa here is incredibly well-balanced; smooth and creamy with a nutty flavour profile and a medium body that is pretty soothing to have. As mentioned earlier, coffee is being brewed from a blend of beans roasted by Cata Coffee, comprising of 50% Brazil and 50% Colombia beans.

Amber Ember is one of the spots that residents in the area would grow to love; the hipster environment makes for a conducive spot to get some work done when the space is not too crowded, while they seem to do their coffee pretty well. While food is generally decent here, we felt that Amber Ember’s brunch menu may not fare too well with the older folks whom might find it a more expensive variant of a dish that we could easily find in local coffee shops or hawker centres. We also felt that the food also generally had areas of improvement; not that the execution was bad, but they often seemed to have missed a point or two. That being said, Amber Ember would probably do well in serving its target audience; the avid cafe-hoppers who are looking for a cafe with a character; something that Amber Ember seems to carry quite well with its vibes and unique offerings, as well as attentive service staff who are always ready to introduce items, make recommendations, talk to patrons and gather feedback. A place that one should probably check out at least once.

Amber Ember
Yeley Building
730 Upper Serangoon Road
#01-01
Singapore 534613

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/amberembersg/

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