You know what to expect from a Vanilla offshoot. Throw in a handful of chic ambience, a smidge of tasteful décor, a lot of fair-to-middling food with eye-catching presentation, and voila, a sure-fire recipe to lure in diners. Vanilla Café, the latest offering from the ever-growing Vanilla empire, adheres strictly to that tried-and-trusted formula. Sharing the spacious compound with bookstore Sauce and striking dim sum house Royal Vanilla, Vanilla Café is set in a charming low-rise building replete with vintage toys, Japanese comics and graceful wooden furniture. During the day, the space is filled with lots of natural light thanks to the large glass windows before taking on a muted glow at night, when it bustles with after-work hipsters and couples on dates. Reservation is a good idea. But, contrary to the lovely setting, the service is indifferent. We could do with more food knowledge and the occasional smile. The menu is a mix of modern Japanese and Italian, and like its sister branches, some dishes are fantastic, others are overpriced, and almost everything is a tad too salty. You are generally safe with its sushi creations. Topped with heaps of tempura flakes and a handful of shrimp roes, the tempura crispy rolls are gigantic and reasonably priced. But, we can’t say the same for the pasta dishes, which are overpriced. The recommended linguini pesto with prawns and zucchini is okay, but really, at these prices you are better off at an authentic Italian restaurant. Six set menus are on offer with prices ranging from for a tiny omurice (fried rice wrapped with omelet) set to the much steeper or a grilled snow fish set. With a luscious selection of crepes and sweets, Vanilla Café fares better with desserts. So if originality and adventure are what you are after, then look elsewhere. But if you don’t like to be surprised, Vanilla Café’s predictability is somewhat reassuring. After all, a meal at this charming restaurant is more about the comforting and cozy atmosphere than anything else. Corkage B300.
