Gentle Roast – New Cafe With a Classy Splash of White-Gold in Upper Thomson

Another cafe in Upper Thomson? And, practically right next to Habitat Coffee, no less. Gentle Roast is the newest addition to the cafe family in one of the best brunch neighbourhoods around. But is it as good as it looks? This ex-resident of Upper Thomson decided to check out the new face to see how it fares in an area where competition is stiff. 

It was a very cosy space with splashes of white and gold to give off classy, almost-boujee vibes. Even more so when you head towards the little alcove at the back (no pictures because it was occupied and I didn’t want to look like a creep). Just picture two chairs with golden birdcage-like backings and royal-blue cushions. 

“Gentle soft serves & Roasted Coffee” was inscribed on the wall, and this was where the cafe’s name was derived from — Gentle Roast. 

The cafe boasts quite the diverse menu, and it was hard for me to decide what to have. There were your standard brunch favourites like Egg Benedict ($18) and locally-inspired creations such as the Ducky Indon ($18). But when in doubt? You can’t go wrong with the ones marked as “signature”, so those were what I went with. 

We started off on a sweet note with the Burnt Toast ($18). The fluffy brioche French toast was heaped with lots of goodies (almost too much?) that made it quite the aesthetically-pleasing dish to look at. It came topped with burnt caramelised bananas, avocado slices, strawberries, toasted walnuts and corn flakes, all on a thick spread of cream cheese and drizzles of maple syrup. 

Despite the generous amount of ingredients, the taste of cream cheese was so overwhelming that it was a little hard to focus on everything else. Maybe go a little lighter on it? Otherwise, this was quite a yummy dish thanks to the brioche and fresh fruits. 

My savoury pick ended up being the Chilli Crabby ($18). Each strand of pasta was evenly coated with their house-made chilli crab sauce that perfectly married spice and sweetness. Sitting proudly atop the spaghetti mound was a crisp-looking deep-fried battered soft-shell crab, which had a satisfying crunch when I bit into it. Minced crab meat was also tossed into the mixture, so you can’t say it’s not worth the price. 

I was wondering why they were called Gentle Roast (this was before I saw the inscription) because their coffee was anything but gentle. More accurately, the Latte ($5) was robust and full-bodied with slight chocolatey tones, and leaned towards the acidic side. The Iced Mocha ($6) was the perfect thirst-quencher that gave me a brief respite from the heat and curbed my caffeine cravings at the same time. 

Gentle Roast is still young, but there’s definitely potential there so give them some time to fine-tune everything. They are still a good addition to your cafe-hopping list!

MissTamChiak.com made an anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

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