Barracks Cafe is situated at the end of Dempsey Hill, and it very difficult to access the place if you are not driving. The Barracks Cafe is part of House, which offers a cafe, spa and bar.
The building is situated right next to the forest, Through the glass doors and windows, diners are able to enjoy the lush greenery. Something unique about this place is that there are different tables available. Some are long tables which can sit 16 diners, while others are just good for 2. Different designs of chairs are also used throughout the cafe. So it may seem a little messy.
I was quite surprised by the "menu". It came in the form of a newspaper! Browsing through the brunch menu is like reading through the newspaper. I have read from previous reviews that the sliders with truffle fries were good. So I just had to order 1 and even went on to "upsize" my truffle fries and sweet potato fries!
Also had a glass of organic apple cider. Nowadays everything with the label "organic" equals to fresh and healthy. =P Find it quite good. Fans of Zapple will like this too.
While we were there, spotted Jamie Yeo and her brand new Ang Mor boyfriend. The cafe owners arranged both of them to sit in the centre of the restaurant, thus becoming the centre of attention. A few diners were obviously pointing and gossiping about them, as Jamie Yeo was featured in that week's issue of 8 Days.
This is the Red Snapper. Cooked in a seafood broth. Suppose to come with clams, but the cafe ran out of it and replaced it with prawns. The red pieces of emat is sausages. There are also bits of some vegetables which I am quite unsure of. The consensus is that this dish is not worth ordering. The use of sausage in such a dish is weird. The fish is fresh but the dish appears to be a "rojak" of seafood and sausages.
This, is the STAR of the day. Sliders actually refers to "mini burgers". There were many different toppings for the sliders, but I chose the lettuce, tomatoes and secret sauce combo. And it was a good choice. The fresh vegetables went very well with the juicy beef patty and hamburger buns. And as it was bite-size, it wasn't difficult to eat at all.
And, I am glad to report that the beef patty they used is top grade. Instead of beef patties made of 50% minced beef and 50% flour and god-knows-what, this is made of 100% minced beef. You can taste the meat juice and fiber with every bite.
But what was more unique were the 2 sides of fries. The Truffle Fries is essentially normal french fries, but sprinkled with truffle oil. Truffle fans would love this. Although the truffle taste is faint, but I think it is sufficient as too much would make the fries too greasy and over-powering. The sweet potato fries were good too. Chunks of soft and sweet sweet potatoes dipped in tempura batter. Do remember to upsize your fries so that 2 person can share.
Barracks Cafe also serves excellent desserts. Had their highly recommended Tofu Green Tea Tiramisu (or something) as I wanted something light after the heavy burgers. It was a surprise hit as the light and creamy tofu went very well with green tea. The cake layer below is also equally light and sweet and gave a nice contrast to the creamy tofu.
Another highly recommended dessert is the strawberry shortcake. The pastry was warmed before serving, thus the outer layer was a little crunchy while the inner layers were soft, moist and heavenly. Dipping the warmed pastry into the cold vanilla cream gave the shortcake a cold and creamy coating.
Overall, I will definitely return to Barracks Cafe again for the Sliders and desserts.
Website: http://www.dempseyhouse.com/
Free Shuttle Bus: http://www.dempseyhouse.com/pop-up/shuttleBus.html