Shrove Tuesday - Another Whimsical Cafe in the Heartlands of Toa Payoh

Toa Payoh is not known to be a hip area to find the latest cafes in, but recently, this has slowly started to change. Taking the cue from places like Everton Park, there are more and more shophouses being converted to modern dining fare.

Shrove Tuesday is just one of these new places that has sprouted on the fringe of Toa Payoh, where it is away from the central hub and nestled nicely among the heartlanders living there.

The cafe itself is not that big, and has a rather limited seating capacity, but the decor and setting is casual and cozy. And that is a sense of the whimsical about it.

It serves a mostly dessert menu and coffee, so do not expect to come here for a full meal and other savory treats. It is more suitable for a tea time break or a nice family breakfast outing.

Latte

The coffee was decent, and quite light for a coffee drinker like myself. The barista, despite handing the entire shop by himself, did manage to conjure up some pretty latte art for the customers.

Waffles with Gelato

The waffles are freshly made and they make their own gelato to pair with the waffles. Overall, the waffles were above average, and the raspberry with lychee gelato we had to go along was smooth and flavorful. And the pricing was just about right for a location like this. Nothing to complain, but it was not entirely spectacular either.

Baked Apple Pie

The apple was not that great, however. I suspect it was either outsourced or made overnight, as the owner had to take about 15 minutes or more to heat it up. Hence, the crust was rather dull and chewy, and lacked that freshness you would want from a homemade apple pie.

Profiterole

Similarly, the profiterole also tasted like it was an overnight pastry, and though the stuffed gelato was a nice change from the usual custard filling, the cold and hard texture of the pastry left a bit more to be desired.

While the pastries were a bit of a disappointment and a bit pricey, the homemade gelato and the waffles are the things to go for here. On a weekend morning, the place was already pretty packed and despite having only one staff that day, everything still came out pretty swift and smooth.

I gather that this is more of a family business and as such, it epitomizes what a heartlander cafe should be about. Operated by regular folks, and serving the residents around this area. It may not be the hippiest place around, but some of the whimsical touches inside Shrove Tuesday will have you leaving with a smile.

Hopefully, Shrove Tuesday will strive to improve the quality of their food and achieve an even better status among the new cafes that have popped up.

Shrove Tuesday
94 Toa Payoh Lorong 4
#01-32