A new addition to the café scene in Singapore, Cafe Gui offers an unpretentious menu of Korean-Japanese fusion dishes at affordable prices. Its white-themed minimalist space is tucked away in Royal Square Novena, only a few minutes walk from Novena MRT station.
Quiet But Comfortable Modern Interior
When you first enter their space, you are greeted by a tiled coffee bar and a brightly lit store sign, making it hard to miss. The space is quaint and can only seat about 16 people, but it retains a spaciousness thanks to its all-white interior.
There’s group seating by their window-side accompanied by a white drape to diffuse the sunlight streaming into the café. We arrived in the morning when there was no crowd and the ambience was great – really gives the same vibes as those hidden cafes you see in Korea!
If you look close enough, you can also spot the cats hidden in the décor, from cups to pillows. Pretty picture perfect, if you ask us.
Affordable But Tasty Menu Offerings
Cafe Gui’s Korean-Japanese fusion menu starts with the familiar Dosirak Rice Bowl ($15.80). Their iteration comes with slices of spam, stir-fried kimchi pork, a sunny-side up egg and seaweed. You’ll have to work for your meal – to eat a dosirak the proper way, you have to close the lid and shake vigorously to mix everything together.
The dish was simple and satisfying. The kimchi pork was sour but savoury, further complemented with the creamy egg and seaweed. The price is slightly steep for how simple it is, but it’s still an honest representative of an authentic dorisak experience.
We also tried the Chicken ($16.90), a Japanese-inspired plate with three yakitori chicken skewers and two furikake rice balls. The chicken was tender and well-seasoned which went well with the savoury furikake rice, and it’s an aesthetically pleasing dish that is designed for pictures.
They have a lineup of appetizers and we got the Chicken Karaage ($8.90) in the Nanban sauce variation; it’s also available with a lemon-mayo dip. The boneless chicken pieces were crispy and went well with the sweet-sour sauce, with an added crunch from the pickled onions and carrots that come as garnish. They also offer a lineup of other main dishes for your choosing, like their recently released Japanese Canadian Premium Hotdogs ($13.90) and Ramen selection ($9.90).
For drinks, we tried the popular Dalgona Honeycomb ($7.90), reminiscent of the early dalgona craze. The coffee-based drink came with whole chunks of dalgona atop an iced white, making for a bittersweet drink that wasn’t too jelak. They also have non-coffee drinks like their house special iced Elderflower Tea ($5.50), which was refreshing but had a strong floral fragrance that might not appeal to everyone.
We also tried the Hojicha Pudding ($6.90) served in a cute glass jar, topped with a layer of caramel glaze and edible flowers. The pudding was creamy with a notable hojicha flavour that was present but not overwhelming, enough to enjoy in a dessert.
We felt the glaze made it a tad too sweet, but the pudding itself is well-made and worth the order. There’s also a Korean Black Soy Pudding ($7.90), which we didn’t try but sounded promising!
Cafe Gui provides a calming and enjoyable space to try their humble dishes that are pretty representative of their cuisines at great prices – all under $20 – and a stellar location. It’s worth a visit!
Cafe Gui
#02-10, Royal Square, 103 Irrawaddy Road
Singapore 329566
Tues-Fri: 9am to 6pm, Sat-Sun: 9am to 5pm
*Follow MiddleClass.sg on Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram for more food, travel, and trending stories
