PIVOT – Tamago Sandos & Dainty Cakes On North Canal Road

Another day of scrolling through Instagram means another new foodie discovery. This time round, it was a shot of a gorgeous egg sandwich that brought back memories of Japanese convenience stores (oh how I miss you, Lawson and 7-Eleven in Japan!). After a little detective work that took all of five minutes, I’ve traced it back to a fairly new cafe situated along North Canal Road called PIVOT. 

Barely a stone’s throw away from Clarke Quay and Raffles Place, PIVOT seems set to be a popular spot for busy CBD workers who can pick up a sandwich or two during their lunch break. I popped by around 10am on a Friday, and it was fairly quiet. The interior’s warm lighting combined with teal and stone-grey walls provided a chill and relaxing ambience.

Navigating through their menu was a fairly easy feat — plenty of sweets and bakes to choose from and only one savoury item. Something that intrigued me was an add-on of espresso butter ($1.50), which I’ll definitely be trying the next time I come by. Drinks-wise, they have your standard blacks and whites for coffee, chocolatey beverages and interesting teas by the pot like Apple Oolong ($8) and Lemon Verbena with Rose Buds ($8). 

I was super excited to get my hands on the Tamago Sando ($7) that looked every bit like it did on the photos I’ve seen. A liberal spread of homemade egg mayo surrounded two halves of a sous vide egg nestled within two slices of Shokupan bread. The egg mixture was creamy and savoury, speckled with black pepper to give it that tiny little oomph in flavour. The toasted milk bread was slightly sweet and I thought it was a fantastic combination of flavours overall. 

Although my main agenda was completed, I couldn’t just walk out without trying the pretty little cakes beckoning me from their display window. My first pick was the Oh! Gee Cha ($8.50), the Japanese-inspired Hojicha cake. Light in flavours, it was made up of hojicha genoise (otherwise known as an Italian sponge cake), hojicha mousse and apple compote. In fact, it was a bit too light for my liking as I would have liked to taste the flavours of the tea more. 

I also wasn’t too sure what to make of the garnishes of genoise. Personally, I would have preferred something with more bite to it. 

Next up was a seasonal special befitting the CNY festivities — the Orange Jumpsuit ($8.50). All I can say is that they really went heavy on the citrus. Very. If you’re someone who enjoys tart desserts, this is for you. This little one consists of orange sponge covered in mandarin orange mousse with mandarin orange compote and jam hidden within. 

The 1975 ($9) – not the band – is your classically rich chocolate cake. Chocolate sponge piped with milk and dark chocolate mousse sit on a little bed of chocolate feuilletine with layers of hazelnut dacquoise. I appreciate the crunch of the feuilletine and thought it made a good break between the rest of the dense treat. You might want to keep a drink handy to cleanse your palate every now and then in case it gets too jelak. 

Their coffees are brewed using a mix of beans from Brazil, Colombia and India, supplied by TAD Coffee. While I could taste hints of chocolate in my single-shot Flat White ($5), it wasn’t robust enough so I’ll probably be getting a double-shot the next time around. 

The Hot Chocolate ($6.50) was not overly rich but still tasty, so even non-sweet-toothed folks will be satisfied with this beverage. 

It’s a pity I wasn’t able to try more of the other cakes they had, particularly the matcha-and-black sesame-combo Oscar Boyle ($8.50) and Fields of Yellow ($8) tofu cheesecake, say whaaaaat. I’ll definitely be returning for that and of course, the Tamago Sando.

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

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