Cafe Hangout: Paddy Hills at 38 South Buona Vista Road, Singapore 118164

Paddy Hills at 38 South Buona Vista Road is a three-week old cafe and bistro that has exploded on social media for their instagrammability, and in real for being one of the few F&B joints in a landed housing estate. I paid the cafe a visit last Saturday afternoon and like what DanielFoodDiary said, take your OOTD at the wall outside, and then go in for a cuppa. It was packed to almost full house at that time, so if you are hungry you might not want to wait for food there. Coffee is just fine. They must have spent a lot on the reno including investing in a Slayer, and it sure looked good! Hopefully they will be able to stay on.

Food is actually pretty pricey for what you get, - drinks start from $5.50 for a latte, to 11 for a milkshake. There's a huge selection available, which might not be the best thing for the kitchen (nor profitability). I rather have a simple but good menu. (Click to expand menu)

Have not really tried their dinner menu, but was pretty impressed that the kitchen is able to do morning, noon and evening service. No break! There's yakitori, food for sharing and single portion Lu Rou Fan which looked interesting. Paddy Hills seem to be leaning towards the Asian fusion style.

 The decor is really comfortable, New York loft type of style with chipboard and brick walls, plants and chrome piping. I am happy to report that there is zero grease smell even though the air con didn't seem strong enough for a bit at the beginning. Ventilation was well-done!

 We had the chance to sit by the window, where there's plenty of light for photos :)

 I already had coffee that day, so I didn't order one, but my brother did and got a swan!

I had the "Tastes Like Purple" ($7) cooler instead, which would be so much better with some alcohol. At $7 a glass, it also wasn't really worth it, even if the berry fruit juice was quite refreshing.

For food, we ordered two dishes, which took 1 hour and 15 mins to arrive. I kid you not. But we were warned when we ordered that it will take an hour, because the kitchen makes each portion when ordered. Still, I thought it was pretty long for something which could be assembled. 

The Golden Man Tou Sliders was $23 - but only had 3 sliders and some sweet potato chips (too oily). While the mantous themselves were nice and fluffy, we all can't help but feel that the sweetness from the buns overwhelmed the taste of the steak patty inside. Would I eat it again if it is free? Yes. Would I pay and wait for it again? No.

Then came the most instagrammable dessert in Singapore - the Berry Ricotta Hotcake ($19). Yes it looked pretty and fresh, it was, but... well firstly the portion was odd-sized. It simply cannot be just for two people because it's a lot. The hotcake itself tasted exactly like a flatted corn muffin (just less rough) but it was slightly on the dry side. Unfortunately, no ice cream around -- while the ricotta cheese was pleasant and creamy, it wasn't the best combination. Like I said on Instagram, I would probably only recommend it if it costs $9.50, is half the size, and comes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Otherwise, rest assured that you won't be missing out.

Overall I would definitely recommend any self-respecting hipster to check Paddy Hills out but just don't have any high expectations for the food, and be sure to have a wallet full of cash. Oh, and charge your phone/camera so you can take plenty of instagram #foodporn photos and OOTDs. I might go back for coffee and more photos, but probably unlikely due to its location and price.

Paddy Hills

38 South Buona Vista Road, Singapore 118164
Tel: +65 6479 0800
8.30am – 10pm daily (no food orders from 5-6pm)
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