Food Printers: L'etoile Cafe

Setting up a cafe has been on everyone's dream somehow in some part of our lives. Instead of slogging in the offices, who wouldn't like the idea of having one's own cafe, serving small bites, coffee & tea, and lazing in them? I had mine since years ago. But how many actually took action, and put in efforts into setting up one?

With the countless cafes popping out in this food scene over the years, not many enjoyed an eternal lifespan. Chris Tea House was one good one which was closed (not because of poor business, but because of the owner's decision). To enter into this 'cafe competition', good food and drinks are no longer the only criteria. Themed interiors, quirky ideas, originality, media publicity etc are just some areas in which you need to be unique in before you get a share in this pie.

L'etoile Cafe at Owen road has certainly met many of these. Hidden in the midst of old hardware shophouses, this cafe definitely left an impression in those looking for it for the first time. For the clueless foodies, I can only comment that L'etoile is located somewhere near to the famous Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh. Got an impression now?

The exterior

When I first reached this place, my thought was " Such a pretty cafe"! Makes me dying to check it out!

It was a Saturday afternoon. Before I entered, I saw a few outdoor customers reading newspapers, sipping L'etoile coffee, with their dogs sitting next to them. What a nice afternoon to laze in!

Corner selling some cute accessories

Stepping into L'etoile, a bright and clean environment welcomes you. This French-themed Japanese cafe makes one eager and curious to venture in. The first floor was packed (they have less than 10 tables on on level one). We walked all the way, bypassing bookshelves and some unique furniture and found a carpeted staircase leading up to the second floor.

L'etoile Cafe- The Upstairs

The eclectic interior with different pieces of vintage furniture and soft music playing in the background, Oh my! What an interesting place to hang out! The big windows allow ample light to fill the cafe, yet not too glaring with their French-themed lace curtains.

Table by the windows

One of the largest seats around for bigger groups

The staff do not allocate tables. We were free to choose any available tables that we like. Since we will be having food, we opted for a dinner table, rather than those sofa seats with low coffee tables.

Bird Cage hand-drawn on the wall

Many couples and small groups of friends gathered here just to read some books, surf the net with their laptops and simply just hanging out, looking like they are gonna be there for a least a couple of hours. I can't agree better. A few book shelves filled with books ranging from motivational books, novels, to recipe books are provided for reading free-of-charge! Its such an inviting cafe, cosy and comfortable, you just feel like lazing here for an afternoon.

You may now ask: How about the food and drinks?

Let's take a look at the menu.

The Menu

They certainly have a good range of food, ranging from the weekend English breakfast sets to main dishes like Fish & Chips, to Pasta and even Vietnamese Beef Pho. Prices are steeper than before I heard.

Fish & Chips- $15.90

I wasn't very adventurous with the food options since I haven hear much reviews about the food served here. Ordered the safest choice- Fish & Chips. Surprising, it is much better than an average Fish & Chips! The white fish was fresh and thick, and the crust being very light! Fried to such a nice golden color, not many can resist having a bite at it! Its definitely a 9/10 rating!

Nutella French Crepes

Instead of ordering the cakes, I decided to try their French crepes.

They serve their French Crepes in 3 ways:

1. Butter & Sugar ($6)

2. Strawberry Jam ($6.50)

3. Nutella ($6.90)

Being a Nutella fan, option 3 was a natural choice!

Two Sweet French crepes were served with grapes and apples. The choice of fruits being served was a bit strange to me since the apple may brown after being in the open for some time, and the combination of local fruits on a french crepe looks kinda mismatched too.

Earl Grey Tea

Loved the way they put the 2 retro biscuits beside the cup!

Ice Mocha

It cost us $38 for the 2 drinks, 1 main dish and the dessert.

Prices are not steep but not exactly that cheap after all.

However, for the efforts in putting up such a nice cosy cafe (Best thing is the staff are polite and attentive, and they don't make you feel like "you have stayed too long, its time to go" kind of attitude despite most customers ordering only a drink and cake, and hanging there for hours......

I would definitely come again, and I bet the next catch-up sessions with the BFFS should be done here!

More pictures before I end it off here!