The Playground Coffee – Hidden Cafe With A Playful Asian-inspired Menu

From donburis, eggs benedict, to fusion pasta dishes, it is hard to pin down what exactly The Playground Coffee serves. However, one thing is for certain: the menu is fun, and the food served is just as delightful. Located on the first floor of Nanyang Community Club, this cafe isn’t exactly the most accessible to everyone, but its close proximity to the Nanyang Technological University makes this a great place for students and residents looking for some hearty grub.

There is a strong Japanese element in the menu, clearly evident in the Miso Salmon Soba ($15) which comes with a (rather thin) fillet of miso-glazed salmon baked to the right doneness – with a pale pink middle.

Served chilled, this cold dish comes with soba noodles, pickled cucumber, cherry tomatoes, edamame, and mixed mushrooms tossed in a light sweet dressing reminiscent of Thai sweet chilli, making it a great option for the unforgiving weather.

We also tried the Pulled Beef Grain Bowl ($16), which features 24-hour stewed beef, sous-vide egg, mixed mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, slaw salad, and seasoned beansprouts resting on a bed of mixed grains. The beef was much more tender than it looks, but the unexpected star of the dish was the mixed grains with speckles of barley that made for an interesting texture.

If you’re planning to order the Truffle Fries ($9), we’ll recommend that you ask them to hold the salt. The fries came heavily seasoned, which made it hard to pick up the already faint trace of truffle perfuming the dish. They fries weren’t uniformly crisp as well, with some sticks limp and some golden brown. (which could be a good thing if you’re those who like their fries soft and soggy).

Their Sticky Date Pudding ($7) is a much better option to spend your calories on, so definitely save some space at the end of your meal. It might look like an unsuspecting brown blob, but the cake was soaked in a glistening sheen of caramel that made it wonderfully soft and moist. You’ll be polishing it off the plate in no time, just like we did.