Miss Clarity Café @ Purvis Street

It was ages ago since we went back to Miss Clarity Café which was located near to the National Library at Bugis. The shop has been there for quite some time and I remembered how long my girlfriend and I had to wait to get a table; it wasn’t the same as before though. For a weekend evening, it was rather quiet and we immediately got a table.

Interior of the Café

This place is good for gatherings and the crowds are mostly youngsters or working adults. The pricing of the menu is still considered affordable and you won’t have to crack your head thinking since the prices are inclusive of GST.

Premium Set Menu

The menu had been through several changes: some names, prices and set menu. I used to order either the chicken/fish cordon bleu or their ‘Old Macdonald have a farm’ which had been renamed to Palette of Cuts (Mixed Grill). We ordered the fish cordon bleu and the mixed grill to share so that we can have a taste of different varieties of meat.

The barley drink which tasted bland


The Amuse Bouche (Pre-Starter) – inclusive in the set

I am not sure if the pre-starter changes everyday but you might want to avoid having too much of it. The amuse bouche we had was a base of onions that has gone through the process of sweating (but still a bit raw) and topped with what we think is egg white. My fiancée and I didn’t fancy it too much due to the onions.

The Lobster Bisque – inclusive in the set

Not too bad, but maybe only to an average soup standard. A bit too salty and slightly sour, there isn’t much of a thing to tell that it is lobster bisque. There is a hint of fragrance of cream in the aftertaste and the cheese crostini is slightly warmed up. I find it a rather fresh taste comparing to have garlic bread over and over again. Overall, I think Jack’s Place Lobster Bisque will win this anytime.

Palette of Cuts (Mixed Grill) – S$18.80/-

My fiancée and I used to order this and share it as the portion can be too much for a single person to finish. This time we ordered another main just in case it has shrink in size. The portion no doubt has shrunk by a small fraction but it can still be a challenge for a lady to handle alone. Use to be named ‘Old Macdonald have a farm’, it contains sunny-side egg, potato wedges, grilled steak, lamb, pork, chicken, ham, bacon and chipolata.

This time it was not as well executed as before. The chicken was discovered to be raw in the center when we cut it. The staff whom we alerted about this took my plate and went off into the kitchen. He didn’t have the courtesy of giving me another plate and I ended up plateless until I could ask for it from another staff. About 5 minutes later, the same guy came back with my plate and the same pieces of chicken on it. The pieces of chicken went through a make-over course in the grill and came back drenched with more sauce. Now that the chicken was fully cooked, the skin became charred and it caused the taste to turn bitter. They never even apologized or say anything about it. The medium rare steak also came out to be rather raw but it was still acceptable and we wouldn’t want to risk it to end up like the chicken.

Fish Cordon Bleu – S$11.80/-

A sandwich of breaded fish fillet sandwiched with ham and cheese, the fish cordon bleu suffered less criticism compared to the mixed grill. Then again, I’m not saying that it doesn’t have its flaws too. This dish used to be one of our favourite as I think they were more generous with the cheese back then. Maybe we had set the expectation too high but I think it would have worked for me if there is more cheese in the center.

Mud Ooz – inclusive in the set

Warm and Creamy Center of Valrhona Chocolate

Hot chocolate dessert with vanilla ice-cream, this dessert works wonders for me. I like the warm and creamy texture of the Valrhona chocolate and it went well with the ice-cream as it is not too sweet. Just ordering this dessert cost S$5.00/- and I think that it is justified.

Overall, I think this place will deserve a second chance from us considering we had visited several times before and this was the only time we aren’t that satisfied. The total bill for this dinner came to a total of S$36.60/- for one premium set and one ala carte main. Hopefully they won’t do so badly the next time we come back.