Little Part 1 Cafe

It was fortunate that E decided to have his pre-birthday dinner here which so happened to be on my places-to-go-eat-at list. Not so much of a hidden gem anymore, Little Part 1 Cafe was packing full house this Sunday evening.

Dinner started off on a good note. Sides of Curried Fries and Onion Rings are bound to whet the appetite. Didn't fancy the Fries as I did the Onion Rings though, the Onion Rings were coated with a layer of wasabi batter that tasted great with a small dip of mayo. Definitely one of the best onion rings around, ok it's the best. 

The staff was able to accomodate my request to swap my Chips for Mash, so I got Fish & Mash. The Fish didn't live up to the heightened expectations I had conjured up after seeing it was a chef's recommendation. Nonetheless, still a decent attempt in my book. The Mash here is interesting, buttered corn is mixed in and a light sprinkling of sweet basil is done over the mash but I found it a little on the dry side. The Garden Salad was without any dressing, a light vinegrette would have been good.

Little's Chicken Schnitzel was actually just a euphemism for Chicken Cutlet. Nothing to shout about.

A wide selection of Crepes is also found here. From what I tasted(Salmon, Ocean Catch and Crab), I wasn't impressed as the crepes lacked crispness. Among the trio, I liked the Salmon best since the mozarella and mushroom flavours was the most evident of the 3.

Soft mash, tomato puree with minced beef, a simple recipe for a hearty Shepherd's Pie. Easy to whip up and goes well with the palate.

Irish Beef Stew was not bad but instead of chunks, what was present was shreds and loose pieces of beef. We want chunks RAWR!

For dessert, Apple Crumble would be a safe bet but share it or you would possibly bust your ideal waistline.

Raves about the Hot Chocolate here are justified. One large mug of frothy, mushmellowy goodness, yes it totally owns Cedele's, TCC's, Gloria Jeans etc.

What most reviewers miss out about Little Part 1 is the awesome beers. The Petrus Double Bruin Ale came across as a sweeter version of Hoegarden. Best tasting but also worst smelling, I swear it smelled exactly like vomit but don't let this deter you, the taste more than makes up for it. Wittekerke Rose Fruity Pink Beer was just as it sounds; fruity and pink. The fruity smell was really great and it tasted a bit like sparkling wine rather than beer.

I like Little Part 1 Cafe. Just pick a book, plump your lazy ass on the sofa and get a mug of Hot Chocolate. Life just seems to be a little more meaningful.

This cafe is hidden within some terrance house beside Thomson shopping centre. The first thing I want to point out is there actually a little side door near the entrance for delivery. There's a small signboard near the fences so instead of going a big around to get there, look out for the small gate near the fences.

The place is rather small with a quite a variety in their menu. The place is very cosy despite it being small and a good place to go on a weekend if you want to do some book reading or internet surfing over a cup of nice hot chocolate with marshmellow.

The thing about this cafe that caught my attention? The name of this place. I guess the owner must have put in a great deal of effort to come up with the name. He/She must have the ambition to have his/her little part 1, 2,3... cafe.

We ordered a Italian crepe to share which consists of cheese, mushroom and ham. The crepe wasn't as nice as expected as the crepe was rather soggy and the filling were literally busting out of the crepe. We also ordered their buffolo wings which was spicy and had a unique taste to it. I guess the marination made the difference! We also ordered the breaded fish and warm apple pie to share. The breaded fish was of just the right amount of bread and came with wasabi. I didn't try the apple pie so no comments on that.

The thing that I really want to recommend is their hot chocolate. It came in a large mug and was delicious! I'm not a huge fan of hot chocolate as I'm always worried that it would be too sweet but alas, this isn't! I finished every last drop of it!

There's this dish that also attracted me and that is their draught beef that is supposed to be marinated for hours. I would really want to try that the next time I'm here and hope I won't get drunk eating it.

Overall, a very cosy place with nice armchairs to sit it. Though it seems a little messy, they do have books, magazines and boardgames for their customers. Service is prompt and we were well-taken care of.

I'll definitely look forward to my next visit. Hopefully this place keeps being such a quiet and secret place.

Nice ambience and a very cozy place. Was there for the first time juz a few days ago and will definitely go back there to try their food again. Love their Mud Pie! Yummy!

My fellow food lover from church, introduced me to this place one nice quiet Sunday. As you step into this little cafe, a cozy atmosphere greets you along with an unusual combination of books, 80s posters, Red Indian feathers, lanterns and the Chinese wedding metal plate (inside the cake display)that never fails to amuse and puzzle me.

It is a lovely place that focuses on the simplicity of food as well as the conversations you have with your friends. My personal fave have to be the Apple crumble with vanilla ice-cream ($7.50)...although the Mud pie with vanilla ice-cream looks really good too (I will try it some day!).

However, their savory dishes such as the Curry fries and Shepherd's pie were just normal. The curry-powered fries didn't really pack a punch with us (from the feedback I received by the guys) and the pie was too watery. I would prefer a more most yet firm texture for the pie's filling to match the potatoes firmness (top layer was good).

Not to miss is the lychee soda, which is a must for its refreshing taste of lychee soda couple with lychee sorbet that is one of the best for its taste and value for money =).

Back to the Apple crumble, it is warmed and has a nice thickness to its pastry and the apple filling that is not too thick or too thin. This lets the vanilla ice-cream melt over it in a burst of flavor as you eat the crumble and ice-cream together. It is even better than the Apple Crumble from Essential Brews for its traditional taste.

Service was a bit hard to catch and a bit irritating when they were engrossed in chit-chat and you are trying to place an order. Overall, a great place for its dessert and drinks and for late night dinners (especially after church service) =).

I thought I'd give this place a review since it's such a charming cafe, I hope it will stay in business! :)

After reading reviews about this place, I decided to go to Little Part 1 Cafe when we met up with my hubby's best friend and his girlfriend.

As I had never been there and the three of them were starving, I was pretty worried about the food. Worried because I read that it is a small place with games and stuffs - I immediately had the image of Settler's Cafe. And food served at such cafes aren't fantastic. They are typically convenient food. So, I had to explain that I was looking for a decent place that's nice to linger and catch-up. But keep expectations low for the food. Yes. I told them that.

When we got there, we walked in and I thought the interior was very nicely decorated. Nothing like the "Settler's Cafe" kinda' decoration. It was cosy, intimate and inviting. Although we had a reservation, we decided to take the sofa seat area as it was more cosy.

As I perused the menu, I realised that it might not be "convenient food" afterall. So we ordered and shared everything - cos I wanted to have a taste of everything. :)

- Tofu salad: It was light and nice. Good mix of leaves and tofu. I was impressed with the dressing used and the beetroot in the salad didn't taste bad at all! They managed to sweeten the beetroot and rid it of the "root" smell. It was good! I would have eaten the whole thing on my own if not because we were sharing. ;)

- Buffalo wings: Too chilli-spicy for me. But it was crispy on the outside but tender and juicy on the inside. I have never really tasted buffalo wings before so I am not sure if they were supposed to taste dry, without sauce. Anyway, they gave us some dips which I didn't use.

- The crepe with asparagus in it. Was it Crepe Italiano?: Woo.. I love this one, mainly because I love anything with asparagus. This was good! The melted cheese but a bit overpowering for the asparagus. I didn't taste any other taste except the crepe and the cheese.

- Chicken Schnitzel: Thumbs up for their signature. It was so crispy on the outside and so juicy on the inside. We loved this.

- Shepherd's Pie: Same thing. Thumbs up.

- Fish & Chips: Nice too.

- Lychee Sorbetto Soda: Good.

- Lime Sorbetto Soda: Good.

- Apple Crumble: Never a fan but it was so delicious we ditched our brownie. This is a must-eat.

- Mud Pie: All right.

- Beers (the guys had beers but I don't remember the names). I like how they serve their beers - in unique and nice glasses.

We also lingered for a long time there. We reached there at 8.15pm and left after closing. We were the last customers to leave and they did not even chase us. We had such a great time playing "Guessture". The acoustic of the restaurant was good. There were many people as it got later. Although people were talking and we were playing, it didn't feel noisy. It was bearable.

This is definitely a good place to linger except for:
- Too few lots to park car
- Difficult to get to. You can take a bus but it'll be quite a walk.

P.S. They have a nice alfresco.

Located in a row of shophouses next to Thomson Plaza, but within a residental estate so that it is hidden from the main road.

Had the kitsune udon ($12.90) which was vegetarian, it was quite light and refreshing. The fish & chips ($14.90) was decent. The apple crumble ($7.50) was the best. It comes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a generous dusting of cinnamon powder.

The ambience is very laidback and the decor reflects this. There are bookshelves and games, but these are the typical monopoly so I doubt anyone actually touches them. The decor is pretty kooky, with vintage TV sets and a photo wall. At night, they put fresh flowers on every table.

Overall, a pleasant place to while away the day, and a good alternative to the noisier restaurants nearby at Thomson Road.

Great place for a Sunday chillout. Serious. We spent our lunch till evening time there, just people watching, playing games and eating and breathing in the atmosphere.

It's got this really homely feel to the place the minute you step in - relaxing sofa, cluttered bookshelves, TVs, boardgames, big tables, and complete with framed photos on the wall. In the evening they even put candles to your tables, adding a warm glow to the comfortable ambience. We sat on the sofa and played games, while eating and chatting.

Food's not terrific, but it's not bad either. We had an Italian crepe first, that's pretty nice. Iced green tea was refreshingly smooth.Like it! Oreo smoothie was not too bad, though not the best we have drunk. Fish n Chips tasted too herb-ish,not very much to our liking. The fries were not tasteful enough. The Apple Crumble was a tad too sweet, maybe toning that down a little would help.

Generally value for money cos we practically stayed there the whole day =) and the staff was pretty nice about it, maybe cos we did order a fair bit of food. LOLX. Plus, they dun charge GST nor service charge!

DEfinitely good for a chillout and relaxing time. A small gathering is fine too with board games to kill the time or just chitchatting.

Finally, I got to try out this place (everytime I want to eat there its either a TUESDAY or between 3-5pm when they're closed)

Fell in love with their decor and the general setting instantly! Its really homely and 'cluttered' in a good way - like they have SO MANY things on display and their walls are pasted with all sorts of stuff but on the whole, its very pleasing to the eye. I'm such a sucker for these things :)

Food wise:

Their menu has ample variety though their main course section is a little limited. They have a CREPE section with flavors like hawaiian, italiano, salmon and crabmeat. I ordered the salmon one with mozzarella cheese, onions and mushrooms; it was so-so sadly. I'll give it a 6.5/10 because it was on the dry side. Even the old Marche crepes had some cream gravy to it.

So maybe a little gravy or sauce on the sides would make it easier to stomach :( They also don't have a PASTA section :(

However, their SMALL BITES and FISH & CHIPS did not disappoint.

Their ONION RINGS are not those meshed up and grounded kind that you may find in fast food places (except Carl's Jr) so their rings are literal slices of onions served with mayo mixed with wasabi. I'm a big fan of both genuine onion rings & wasabi mayo so yes, I was truly happy. The dish was also served within 10 minutes (maybe because we were the only ones there at 6pm) and the texture was really crispy.

Next, we tried the FRIES with CURRY POWDER - interesting taste I must say served with normal mayo. The only problem was that 3/4 of the fries were soft and I personally only like HARD fries. Other than that, it was not bad.

Finally, we had the LITTLE'S FISH & CHIPS. Serving size was worth the money (no more than $15) and there is this very unique taste to it; not to mention how it was crispy on the outside and yet moist/juicy on the inside. To me, it tasted like vinegarrate or maybe it was beer or HERBS. I could not pin point it but you know it's good when you can eat it on its own so for the first time ever, I ate the fish without any tomato sauce or mayo because that taste was quite addictive in itself. Warning: the fish is breaded and the quaint herb taste may overpower the fish (but that's how i like it :P)

According to July's CLEO edition, you must try the HOT CHOCOLATE and my friend recommends the APPLE CRUMBLE but I was TOO FULL to eat anymore. I even had to tar pao 1 piece of the crepe :(

Service-wise, the guy serving us was quite attentive but the moment we opened the door - one lady was sleeping on the table. Please, its not good to snooze right in full view of the front door?

Parking can be a pain especially if you're driving because the roads are tiny but do give it a visit. Just be careful which main course you choose.

Night time should be quite romantic because they start lighting candles at 7pm and there is also an Al fresco section at the back.

Will def drop by again sometime soon.

P.S I'm rating the food 6.9 only because of the crepe. If not I'll give them a 7.1

---------------------------------

2nd visit @ Night:

Friend had the Chicken Schnitzel $18.90 and it comes with a white wine sauce. I'm not a chicken fan but it was not bad (okay, I'm bias against chicken sorry)

We also tried the ROSE BEER $14+ (THIS ONE I LIKE) So sad, the contents of the bottle could only fill 2 cups worth

We sat outside (smoking allowed) though you may smell like fried oil after a while :p

Decided going on an adventure today. So off we went in search of hidden finds.

We made way to the Little Part 1 cafe - can't figure out why the name is as such. Is there a Part 2 restaurant somewhere?!?! We forgot to ask the staff.

Anyway, we ordered the chicken schnitzel and Irish beef stew.

As for the schnitzel, it came as breaded chicken cutlets with a side of salad greens and mash potatoes. It was a nice dish, especially the mash potatoes, which had sweet corn in it - nice buttery taste. Yum! The salad was fresh with a simple dressing.

For the stew, it was beef chunks with carrots and potatoes and came with salad greens and a few slices of toasted french loaf bread. The gravy was nice, beefy and flavourful. what was slightly disappointing was the beef, which came out a bit dry and stringy.

Overall, the food was alright. What is really nice about the place though is that it is cosy and has a really welcoming and relaxing feel to it. If you have a lazy day and wanted to take things nice and slow, this would be a perfect place to come to. There is nice 80s music, magazines and papers and thank god they don't make you pay for water, and oh yes, one more thing to note, lack of parking space.....it's a pain but it's not the restaurant's fault.

Nice and cosy place. Reasonable prices, a nice quiet alternative to the bustle of Thomson Plaza.

On the food, we had:

Shepherd's Pie - A little too watery and sour (tomato?) for my taste. But the mashed potato is well done and the spices are quite a good.

Salmon Crepe - Looks a little like the frozen prata you can buy at NTUC, but the flavour is different of course. The Crepes are better than average, and a little cheaper than the main courses, so I'd recommend them if you are going there.

Chicken Chop (can't remember the name) - Standard fried breaded chicken chop with herbs on the inside and lots of toasted garlic paste on top. Quite a unique flavour, but very strong taste so not recommended if you are drinking wine.

All in all, a place I'd recommend to people who are in that area.