Smitten is another of the hip Singaporean cafes to open recently. They do it right - good, rich coffee, nice cakes and snacks, cool contemporary interior. There's just one problem.... price. When they handed me the bill I almost had a heart attack.
A Fred Sanford type of heart attack! Only Americans of a certain age will appreciate this clip.
See, all I had was a piece of carrot cake. Damned good one too. Ok, I really only got about half of it because I date a girl who is always digging her little fork into my stuff.
Add to that another latte or two and a pot of tea for my girl Pirate Pixels. If I remember correctly the bill started with a 3! I blanked out, fell back, grabbed at my heart-sac through my shirt, stumbled and then almost started to cry.
I guess I had my warning, they're set up in Robertson Quay, where all the overpaid expats live. These type get their apartments paid for by their companies, charge through all their dining expenses and don't even blink when someone charges them up their ass. It's kinda, well, like, my set-up in Paris.....
So, in the end I don't blame Smitten, they are simply charging what the expat market can bear. It's good but I'm putting you on notice - if you're not a banker or a rich kid, keep it moving.
Singapore
I don't recall it being that ex... R u sure u got it right? The most ex is Jimmy Monkey.. Don't think this is there from price pov. Love the carrot cake, it is moist!
ReplyDelete@Dodo - you don't recall cuz I paid. I had to dig in all four pockets! Jimmy Monkey is even pricier, that's true.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried Oriole? I have no idea how expensive they are in relation to Smitten, but they sure look good: http://www.oriole.com.sg/
ReplyDelete@Omid - nope, haven't tried them yet. It's hard to keep up, there is a cafe explosion going onin Singapore.
ReplyDeleteWait, double digits right?
ReplyDeleteFYI, u did try Oriole. It's at some office building basement near raffles. Think we went together just your last trip here.
ReplyDelete@Yixiao - yeah, thirty something. You know how many cans I gotta collect to scrape together that kinda lucci?
ReplyDelete@Puffin - that was Oriole?? The spot where we had to wait for the guy to clean our table after we sat down?
ReplyDeleteHow is jimmy monkey expensive?? It is probably the best value for money for what you get, IMHO. Anyway, I always believe in 'you pay peanuts, you get monkeys', and thank god this is not the case for jimmy monkey. It is just absolutely lovely, a haven for me when I need somewhere that can entertain my kids while I relax !
ReplyDelete@Stephanie - Jimmy Monkey is lovely and they serve good stuff but it is ridiculously priced. Seven fifty for a triple shot latte?
ReplyDeleteAhh I see. I've never wanted to be that awake with 2 kids under 6 so never ordered a triple shot before. But I did think their regular menu prices were very decent - that was what I was referring to. How much do triple shots at other cafes cost?
ReplyDelete