Paddy Hills

By Dejiki on March 14, 2015 in Food, The Café Tour

Paddy Hills – A gorgeous cafe serving fusion cuisine and handbrews in South Buona Vista.

Taking over a famous duck rice eatery, Paddy Hills brings a slice of Australian cafes to Singapore. Outside, it seemed quite non-descript – tucked in between a clean-cut mosque building, along a row of pedestrian shops.

Inside however, is a rich visual experience. Palette of strong colours in harmony. Opulent, but yet utilitarian textures. With a prep area that you can look right through, the space is refreshingly open, and free. This venue also has a vast seating capacity, atypical of the usual cafes.

Gold and Emerald, with a bit of wood. Many colours in play here. Not your usual industrial-hipster cafe. It’s industrial-chic here.

Hipster-Chic mags, because all cafes need them.

You don’t want to know how much everything costs here, because the luxurious look of Paddy Hills doesn’t come cheap. Even the coasters look expensive. Think you need $250,000 to open a cafe of such calibre? Not even close.

Wherever you choose to sit, you will get a glimpse of the very busy coffee prep area. The kitchen’s at the very end.

The counter seats are much more comfortable than that awkward bar at CCSH. Over at Paddy’s, it is spacious, comfortable – and it doesn’t feel like you’re intruding the staff at work. It’s a sight to see the drinks being brewed up close, of course.

Hario glassware? That’s right.

Luncheon with La Femme Mystérieuse. The seats along the windows are the most sought after – the natural lighting is just magic.

This cafe offers two menus – one for day (9:30AM – 5:30PM, with some lunch items available only after 11:00AM) and another for night (5:30PM – 10:30PM). You can say that the baristas become bartenders at night.

Yuzu Effervescence ($7) – Refreshing yuzu juice with plum sugar. Zesty, with a slight hint of salt and a very mild bitterness. Freshly squeezed, no concentrate. You deserve this if you’ve walked to Paddy Hills!

Big Breakfast ($24) – Lovely to share, except for the bacon steak that is the real beast on the dish. You can never get enough of it. Eggs prepped to your choice – they’re sous vide at 63°C here.

Berry Ricotta Hotcake ($19). Too beautiful to eat, especially when it’s so exquisitely plated. The hotcake, which is almost like a flat muffin, is plump with the fragrance of blueberries and maple syrup. A most thrilling pancake, perhaps. (Also, where can I buy this plate?)

Paddy Hills cafe - Berry Ricotta Hotcake 3

Paddy Hills cafe - Squid Ink Tagliatelle 2

Squid Ink Tagliatelle ($23) – A pasta dish offering strong contrasting flavours. Thick sauce, sweet scallops, drizzled with roe of salmon and cod.

Salmon Carpaccio ($18) – House cured salmon, rice crisps, seaweed and cream cheese. Quite flavourful but yet not filling. Better to share than have as a main.

Chicken in a Bag ($15) – This is simply fried chicken, in a paper bag. Hmm, no – Sorry, especially when we had to wait an hour for it.

For reviews of more dishes, hop over to Foodiepink!

With a bumper-sized menu and the cafe just starting out, the crew can be overwhelmed at times. The cafe is open all week, all day for breakfast to dinner. With just a single shift working all day, the staff barely crams in a few hours of rest every day.

Food at Paddy Hills is made from scratch, so prep time is longer than usual restaurants. We waited for about 45-60 minutes for our food to arrive. Well, we enjoyed the ambiance, it was comfortable and welcoming – a great place for meetups and afternoon chats. Patience is key when visiting the cafe that’s featured in lifestyle guru Annabel Porter’s weekly Bloosh. Yep, that woman – whose hair is genetic and unattainable.

There is one rather special seating area here, the one in the corner that faces the street.

Another highlight at this venue: The artwork right outside, created by a local artist. Even with the beautiful interiors at Paddy Hills, the cafe owners made its own (cheeky) instagram spot!