Review: PS.Cafe One Fullerton

Let’s cut right to the chase shall we? PS.Cafe One Fullerton is a restaurant you will visit, whether you love (or hate) their truffle fries.

Why? Because it ticks a lot of boxes.

First date restaurant: Definitely. This is their most beautiful outpost yet (banquet seating, bay-front views, flattering lighting) but not so pretty it’s intimidating for a first date.

Eatery with a view: They have an uninterrupted, almost panoramic, view of Marina Bay and the nightly laser show from MBS – not to mention all future fireworks display. 

Waterfront venue to bring out of town guests: Can. There’s refined hawker dishes like crab mee goreng ($26) and crab and prawn laksa ($26).

Sunset drink spot: Did we mention the view? Throw in the 12 craft beers (shame there’s not one draft option), bottles of cava from $96 and the Fullerton Sours ($21) and you’ve got yourself a winner.

Date night that won’t burn a hole in your pocket: Budgets vary but with mains from $25 and desserts from $13, that’s sizable enough to share – it’s likely you’ll come here at least once. 

Birthday celebrations for big/small groups: There’s a private dining room (seats 10) and if you need book out the restaurant, it holds 160.

Dinner with the parents somewhere nice (but not too nice): The menu has something for everyone, failing which, share some pizzas (just order more of their more-ish crunchy chilli oil) and desserts.

Weekend boozy brunch: A no-brainer. The brunch menu caters to the healthy (smoothies, granola, cold pressed juices) and the not so healthy (3 styles of eggs benedict, fish and chips, steak sandwiches), not to mention all that gorgeous natural light.

Now that we’ve covered the likely scenarios, what about the grub?

BREAKDOWN OF THE FOOD

As always, the food at PS.Cafe is dependable. It’s not Michelin star (nor are their prices) but you’ll have a good meal – much better than a gamut of other copycat eateries that shall go unnamed – and service is better than expected: service staff who know the menu and take the initiative to manage customer expectations; our waiter, without prompting, informed us that mains would take 10 to 15 minutes longer.

The usual suspects (we won’t name them) are all on the menu and while it’s temping to order old favourites (disclaimer: I had to stop myself from ordering the PS. Pad Thai Salad or the PS. Steak Sandwich) it’s recommended you give the new dishes a try.

Those exclusive to the One Fullerton branch include the Chargrilled Skate ($34) – it’s a white fish – with green harissa and broccolini, Moules Vin Blanc ($28) and with crusty dipping bread, and the must-order Chargrilled Chunky Prawn Sandwich ($27).

This was the surprise of the evening, a dish best described as a modern take on a bahn mi sandwich. It’s better (and more complex) than a lobster roll. The prawns come minced in a chunky patty (almost otak-like) that’s lightly barbecued – the aroma is divine – and served with pickled mango, kaffir lime leaves and lashes of coriander, all on crusty-yet-soft sourdough bread. Simply delicious.

Another standout was the kashmiri lamb chops ($39), which isn’t a new dish. But at One Fullerton, it’s cooked over a charcoal grill so the meat is extra tender and served with a brilliant caramelised sauce. Our only issue was with the portion size – with a dish this good, it’s hard to stop at just three chops.

Other new menu items include the Grilled Sticks (from $6) which makes for a great accompaniment to their signature salads – we liked the Pumpkin and Chickpea Falafel ($6). Also the Baked Greek Spinach Pie ($27) with ricotta, feta and mint, an ideal #meatlessmonday order, and the Steak and Beef Dripping Mash served with corn-fed or grain fed beef (from $39) done over the charcoal grill – another time.

On to desserts, while their Sticky Date Pudding ($15) is incredibly hard to resist, hold out instead for the Mrs. J’s Trifle Bomb ($16). It doesn’t come with any description so you’re going to have to trust us when we say this is the mother of all trifles.

Presented like a pavlova “bomb,” it looks like a diabetics nightmare. But it’s far from it. In fact, it’s a balanced dessert with heaps of texture. Dig in past the cream and you’re rewarded with a smooth mixture of marshmellow, pineapple and bananas together with the expected ladyfingers sponge. What’s enjoyable about this dessert is also the surprise element: every spoonful brings a little more of the good stuff, rough chopped nuts, chunks of jelly, light as air cream.

It’s the details that PS.Cafe excels in – from the food, service the décor, even the handsoap (to understand what I mean, make time for a toilet break) –  and that’s why they’ve survived and thrived for 18 long years. As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – and they haven’t, thank God.

1 Fullerton Road, #02-03B/04 One Fullerton, +65 8812 3198