Great vibes at MU Parlour
On the street level looking up at MU Parlour, I knew it was a place I wanted to go. The floor-to-ceiling glass windows with the intricate decorations meant that the window seats are a great place to chill and people-watch. Once you enter, the cafe is a feast for the eyes. I love the garden-furniture feel of those metal chairs and some even have velvet upholstery that adds a touch of luxury to the cafe.
Their menu offers an all-day brunch, signature burgers, salads, platters, and waffles. Desserts come in the form of tarts and cakes, displayed at their counter. A whole side of their menu is dedicated to alcohol and coffee.
I'll only be looking at their burgers and desserts, for I've not tried any of their other fare (I will come back again to)!
"All burgers come with crisp iceberg lettuce, tomato, fresh onion, and side of garlic fries," declares their menu. Awesome. Another thing I like about their burgers is the customisability; you have the freedom to add or remove anything you dislike from their suggested burger options. The burgers happen to be numbered too - instead of named.
Here you see No. 71 - Portobello, Celery, and Fuji Apple Slaw (Vegetarian) ($17). This is a potent combination - we have the soft charcoal buns, the incredibly juicy portobello, the sweet crunchy apple strips, the juicy-as-well tomato slice, and rocket. It was good and my friend liked it, especially the apple strips. They were really fresh. I can't imagine ordering a vegetarian burger since I need my meat, but I would try adding the apple strips to the next burger I order from here.
I ordered No. 11 - Beef, Avocado, Streaky Bacon substituted by Portobello, and MU Secret Sauce ($15). I don't enjoy bacon, so I requested to swap it for portobello, and the cook very kindly agreed. The portobello on mine was, however, smaller than those burgers with portobello explicitly listed to be part of the ingredients. It was still yummy nonetheless. The beef was succulent and flavourful. Beef + cheese + portobello + tomatoes = Best cheeseburger. This reminds me of the cheeseburger I absolutely love from Five Guys, a burger joint in the United States. Plus, there was avocadoes. What's not to love?
This is the cross-section of my burger. Look at that oozy goodness! The only gripe I have with their burgers is their thickness, because of the amount of ingredients in there. This makes them almost impossible to eat as a whole. What I do is to separate it into top and bottom halves - tastes just as good.
For dessert, we ordered the Fromage Blanc ($8). The name means 'white cheese' in French. I'm a new and selective fan of cheese, preferring only milky cheeses that are not too salty or sourish. This fit the bill fairly well; it had a smooth consistency with a slightly 'bouncy' top layer (sorry for the lack of a better word). The biscuit base and pistachio nuts (I'm guessing from the colour) adds a nice touch of texture to it too. That said, the taste was a little too thick for me. This is not something I can finish on my own. I do prefer burrata appetisers better (another milky cheese).
I will always have the Raspberry Mousse ($8) when I visit. I cannot resist the smooth chocolate mousse inside, with a subtly sour raspberry crunch as an outer layer you see here. I don't particularly enjoy raspberries, but the chocolate mousse inside is enough for me to crave this one.
The Hot Chocolate ($3.50) is pretty standard. Can't go wrong with it.
There have been some bad reviews about MU Parlour's customer service, but I had a pleasant experience and the staff far exceeded expectations. We were told about all the food options at the beginning, the staff kindly accommodated our requests to customize our meals, and the plates were cleared quickly. We were there on a Saturday afternoon - maybe it was a non-peak period with few other customers. I would come back again; I want to try their waffles next!
MU Parlour
16A Lorong Mambong
Holland Village
Singapore 277677
Tel: (65) 6466 9336
Sun to Thu 11am – 11pm Fri & Sat 11am – 2am
