“Can we meet at house downstairs?
“Your house or my house?”
I mean the cafe named “House Downstairs”. Okay, pardon this.
The café at Ghim Moh is not to be confused with void deck-themed cafe Downstairs 楼下 at Suntec City selling local favourites.
I initially thought House Downstairs will be located below a housing block as their name implies, but it turned out that that they are located within Ulu Pandan Community Club (required to scan SafeEntry at the entrance of the CC to enter.)
Stepping inside, House Downstairs is designed Scandinavian style, decked in white and brown interior that exudes a warm and cosy vibe.
There are a total of 42 seats with a coffee bar counter, tall communal tables, windows seats and sofa seats. Well, considered quite homely.
Their menu features both Asian (East) and Western food, with a play of the pun Eat Some Dong Xi, whereby Dong means East, Xi means West in Chinese.
There are 5 different sandwiches offered on their menu, think Mushroom ($10), Cheese PBJ ($10), Ham & Cheese ($10), Bacon, Egg & Cheese ($10), Kaya Butter ($6).
The Asian dishes included Homemade Scallion Pancakes ($6), Korean Riceballs ($9), Mantou with Sweet Sambal Sauce ($12), Gochujang Chicken with Rice ($16), Laksa Goreng ($16) and House Signature Craygee ($18).
I was recommended the House Signature Craygee ($18), their version of Pao Fan with short-grained egg fried rice, clams, Thai Feiji prawns and crayfish.
There was that seafood aroma when the dish was served with spring onions and puff rice sprinkled over for that extra texture.
I enjoyed the fresh and chunky crayfish with tender meat whereas the Thai Feiji prawns were grilled to give that added smokey flavour.
The egg fried rice and puff rice turned out to be on the softer side, similar to that of porridge and lacked a certain crispiness.
Unfortunately, the soup turned out to be a tad salty, and lacked the intended seafood fresh flavours.
House Downstairs also offer a Sandwich menu such as Mushroom ($10), Cheesy PBJ ($10), Ham & Cheese ($10), Kaya Toast ($6) and Bacon, Egg & Cheese ($10).
I expected brioche to be used in my Bacon, Egg & Cheese Sandwich ($10) and instead, it surprisingly came in the form of a croissant.
The sunny side up was well executed, lightly seasoned with aioli and flows well.
The croissant was flaky, a textural contrast to the gooey egg.
Bakes include Croissant ($4), Almond Croissant ($5), Almond Chocolate Croissant ($5), Pain au Chocolat ($4), Classic Financier ($4) and Earl Grey Pounder ($4).
For the sweet tooth, desserts such as Ondeh Ondeh Cake ($8), Red Velvet Cheesecake ($8), Yogurt Bowl ($4) and Ice Cream ($4) are available.
A 2-beans-blend of Ethiopia and Costa Rica, roasted by Strangers Reunion is used for their espresso-based drinks.
The usual drinks: Espresso ($3.50), Black (Hot $4.50, Iced $5), White (Hot $5, Iced $6), Piccolo ($4) and Affogato ($6.50) can be found on the drinks menu.
My cup of White ($5) was medium bodied with bright, robust and acidic notes that may not be suitable for everyone.
On the other hand, they also offered single origin coffee beans from Brazil with a chocolatey and nutty taste, which I personally find that It will go better with milk-based espresso drinks.
House Downstairs
170 Ghim Moh Road, Ulu Pandan CC, #01-03, Singapore 279621
Opening Hours: 10am – 5pm (Mon – Sun)
Other Related Entries
Downstairs (Suntec City)
Prawn Noodle Bar (Duxton Hill)
The Hainan Story (Hillion Mall)
SOCIEATY (Farrer Park)
Moments’ 木萌 (Serangoon)
* Written by Nicholas Tan @stormscape who loves all things [NEW]. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.