Marmalade Pantry at Turf Club

It was a lazy Saturday again, and let it be known, we detest going out on Saturdays because we both hate crowds. The Wife wanted to cafe-hop again, so I suggested Rider's Cafe at Turf Club. So we took a drive there, but alas, she did not get to try the awesome burgers at Rider's Cafe (I did, but that will be a story for another time hehe). It was too crowded and we were told that it would have a wait time of 30mins or more.

We being the impatient brats that we are, decided to to head to next door neighbour The Marmalade Pantry. We really love the quaint surroundings. The Wife loves refurbished buildings that carry a rustic country feel.
The interior does feel like somebody's summer home, and the soothing music and soft lighting make for a great place to bring a date!

As always, The Wife needed her coffee fix, so she ordered an affogato. It combines a love of hers (ice cream) and a need of hers (coffee), so she is getting the best of both worlds! The cute little shot cup scored brownie points immediately on presentation, and I think we might just end up getting a few of these for our new home!

Ok, so a shot of expresso is no laughing matter (to me at least!). But according to the wife, it could have been a little stronger. The vanilla ice cream didn't do much to sweeten the deal for me, but then again, I have a very low tolerance for bitterness, so my opinion is extremely biased.

While The Wife needed her caffeine rush, I needed my sugar rush. Most of my friends know I have a penchant for strawberry-flavoured drinks. So it's not hard to guess what I ordered! Actually, I forgot what I was drinking hahahahahah! I think it was a Strawberry-Banana concoction. Unfortunately, I forgot to take picture of the milkshake itself, but here is a picture of me drinking the thing!

 LOL, I never said anything about showing my face!

And now comes the food...I have mixed feelings about this. Read on.

Since it was still brunch hour, they were still serving pancakes. I love pancakes. ADORE them. I have thought about opening my own pancake outlet, but I never did find a good recipe. And honestly, out of all the pancakes I have tried, I don't think any of the local establishments cut it. Marmalade Pantry is no exception.

When it was served, myself and The Wife were all like 'WHOA LOOK AT THAT!' NICE!'. Sure the presentation was good, but that's because they had A LOT to make up for in the taste department. The texture of the pancake was nowhere near fluffy. It seemed kind of stale honestly. Texture aside, there wasn't much taste as well. It came with honey instead of my beloved maple syrup, but no amount of honey could mask the blandness of the pancake. If anything, it enhanced it because I could still taste the staleness through the generous amount of honey I took with every slice. Needless to say, I didn't make it past 1 and a half pancakes.

The Wife ordered Seared Scallop and Prawn, with prawn bisque sauce. She has fond memories of The Disgruntled Chef and is ready to assume any prawn and scallop are like the ones we had there. Luckily for both of us, she saved the meal! The pasta was astounding. Much better than the one I cook. And that is saying a lot! Ok, maybe I'm stretching the imagination when it comes to my culinary prowess :p

The prawns and scallops were seared to perfection, staying juicy and moist without having any of the seafood stench The Wife abhors. I could have 20 of each without getting sick of them, though probably I'd need to swear off seafood for awhile after that hehe. There was a light hint of pepper, but it did not interfere with the freshness of the seafood.
The pasta itself was QQ enough and it had a special quality to it. I can't really describe in words but I believe it had something to do with the pasta used instead of cooking method. Je Ne Sai Quois! I shall need to do some experiments with the different brands of pasta before I can elaborate further!
I do know one of the secrets to good pasta though, and it is exercised here. Truffle oil! Myself and The Wife both love truffle oil, and we think it can instantly enhance almost anything!

One thing that caught our eye immediately upon entry to the restaurant was the selection of cupcakes. I am not a huge fan, and I was too put off by the pancakes to try dessert anyway. The Wife was also stuffed, but we were still intrigued by the cupcakes.

They look pretty don't they? You can't tell from my photo, but they are larger than normal...I don't think they would make a good dessert after a fulfilling meal. We shall return to try one day when The Wife has a cupcake craving (which might jolly well be never).

Although I had a bad experience with the pancakes, I wouldn't advise dismissing this place entirely. The pasta is excellent, and the ambience is also great. We will be back some day to try the other dishes! But maybe we'll visit their Orchard Road branch instead, more accessible lah!

Price range - $30-50++ per person

Find them at http://www.themarmaladepantry.com.sg/ 

Address : 55 Fairways Drive Singapore 286846
T: +65 6467 9328
F: +65 6467 1608
Reservations: +65 6467 7748
enquiry.stables@themarmaladepantry.com.sg
  
Signing off,
The Lunatic