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The Providore Café in Somerset
The Providore Café in Mandarin Gallery
If getting lost in Orchard Road means finding the Providore Café, then let’s burn all the maps and city guides! Hahaha. We were actually looking for a different café that day, when we stumbled upon the Providore Café. It’s funny because it actually looks like a high-end market-grocery type of store from the sideway of this café. Kind of makes perfect sense, since the name itself means “one who makes provision and supplies provision”. This café is all about love of food, in its grocery-like approach kind of way: freshly-roasted coffee, exquisite tea blends, jams, relishes, sauces, and chocolates. A grocery-type café in the city? Yes, this is another good pick.
Although this is along Orchard Road, the nearest MRT would technically be the Somerset Red Line, since the Mandarin Gallery is nearer to it. It’s just one escalator away from the entrance floor and it’s easy to find it, because it’s beside the entrance. It’s a corner café along the second floor entrance, filled with nice grocery goods displays. Best time to go here will be during mornings until mid-afternoons, as the crowdedness of the café is just right – no crazy long queue, no empty seats, no deeply preoccupied staff.
The Providore Café is the perfect sundate place for social gatherings and classy meet-ups. It looks like an exclusive grocery-resto place. The walls with tea cans, coffee boxes, and all other good supplies gives that effect to it. The food choices, on the other hand, sets the café tone to this place. Though their prices are a little steep for a coffee place, can’t deny that the presentation and taste of the coffee picks are reasonable evidences for such prices. Not because it’s western food or Australian inspired or anything, but I think the Providore Café is nicely done overall.
First, they have the retail store in Tan Boon Liat Building at Outram Road, which is good; and now this Providore Café. Why the sudden fascination for Australian style coffee choices? Why the gradual shift to laidback coffee picks? Will it help if I go and see Australia next? LOL. Whatever the reason may be, I don’t mind getting lost to a few more Australian cafés here in Singapore. For as long as the cafés are as good as this one, that is.
Address: 333A Orchard Road #02-05 Mandarin Gallery Singapore 529536
Opening Hours: Daily 9:00 A.M. - 11:00 P.M.
Website: http://www.theprovidore.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheProvidore
[CAFÉ COFFEE] Read the rest of the Café-Coffee Features Series:
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