Backstage Cafe @ Kallang Way, Singapore

Backstage Cafe is located at a industrial park in Kallang Way, somewhere between Kallang and Aljunied. Although it does sound slightly ulu, the ambience is beautifully crafted, accompanied by a spacious, industrial-style interior and high ceilings - definitely the kind of place where you can chill and watch the world goes by. One of the best things with cafes appearing in neighborhood locations is that people do not rush you. Ya know? Sometimes, you just wanna shout "kua simi kua?!"

For starters, try out their Backstage Benedict (S$18) - a beautiful rendition of the classic breakfast using charcoal bread (not chao-ta hor) instead of English muffins, smoked salmon, crispy cured ham, salad and of course, two gorgeous poached eggs. Presentation definitely scored high, however the hollandaise sauce was slightly bland and lacked depth in complementary of the eggs.

Oh yeah, runny egg yolk. Runny chocolate trickling down the warm chocolate cake. Humans love everything runny - except runny noses. For people who are wondering how a charcoal muffin tastes like, I would say it's pretty similar to the traditional ones, except for a slight earthy taste. Nevertheless, research has shown that charcoal has myriad of health properties. When you lao-sai non-stop, what will the doctor prescribe you? Yeah, charcoal pills.

Currently, there are lunch sets (from 11pm to 2pm) available, which includes a variety main courses, soup of the day and ice-cream. It's updated constantly to keep the experience fresh, so do check out their website once in a while. If you love the combination of savoury and spicy, then their Duck Aglio Olio (S$16) is perfect for you. The dish was nicely oiled, but not excessively, with the flavours of spices and herbs infused into one wonderful pasta. 

Looking for some comfort food? Forget your calories and try out their Carbonara (S$15) - al-dente pasta accompanied by cheesy cream sauce, smoked bacon and a poached egg. 

Their ice-cream is mediocre, similar to those buffet places that cater big tubs of low-quality ice-cream. Still, the pricing was quite reasonable and we did enjoy the lime sorbet, given the hot and humid weather. If you're looking for other munchies after the meal, indulge yourself with some beautifully crafted waffles (S$8), drizzled with maple syrup, no less. A scoop of chocolate or vanilla ice-cream can be added on for $2.50.

Did I mention that there are no GST and service charge? This means that the pricing listed are NETT PRICES! OHH YEAHHH. We had a good experience at Backstage Cafe and will definitely be back for more of their offerings. It's a good place to bring your books and mug all day as well. There are a lot of seats and the ambience is very conducive as well, which is definitely a plus point for students like myself.

Backstage Cafe

158 Kallang Way

#01-06

Performance Building