Next Door Deli & Pine Garden's Cake | ThumbsForFood

It is comforting to find cafes opening up in neighborhoods, providing a place for cafe lovers to seek solace in. Today, I'll be introducing readers to a cafe nestled in Ang Mo Kio as well as a unique bakery just next to it. 

Next Door Deli

Next Door Deli is unpretentious in it's decorations and furniture. It preserves some of the old school neighbourhood elements, yet infuse some of new age concept. 

As you walk into the cafe and find yourself a table, you will realise that there is a laminated sheet placed on the table that gives you an introduction to how to order food and drinks. The whole cafe is self serve from its drinks to desserts to main courses. That is the order you proceed through the cafe. We immediately thought of Ikea, like how you move through the different stations to get your food. 

Interior

We decided to upgrade to a set for one of our main course which is approximately an additional of $3.80. It consists of an eclair and a drink. The eclair is nothing extraordinary but well, a definite classic favorite amongst children.

Eclair

Wok Fried Laksa ($6) was a recommendation by one of the patrons in the cafe. She told us that she would come to the cafe for this dish and Wok-fried Mee Siam, which alternates with Laksa every week. As such, I decided to give it a try! Laksa comes with a chicken wing as well. The laksa taste was fragrant and the food was comforting. It's worth a try for those who are seeking an alternative to the Western-style brunch.

Wok-fried Laksa

Their Chicken Wings ($0.90 per piece) also seemed very much raved about. It really feels like Ikea's chicken wing. The one here is really juicy as well. I will definitely come back for more of their tasty chicken wings!

Chicken Wings

Crispy-grilled Chicken Steak ($7.80) was another popular dish of Next Door Deli. We felt that the chicken was quite well-cooked, juicy and tender. However, we felt that the dish could do with more oomph to make it stand out from other Western food places.

Crispy Char-grilled chicken steak

Overall, we felt that the food at Next Door Deli is priced at an affordable price. They offer discounts for students and teachers on weekdays as well. We reckon that it will be a popular hangout for students studying in nearby institutions. We feel that Next Door Deli has the potential to grow into something bigger if it adds more oomph and uniqueness to its menu. One good way would be offering self-made coffee to increase its attractiveness. For more info on Next Door Deli, do visit their website. 

For all who are wondering where Next Door Deli got its name, we are about to introduce you the "Deli" beside it. Yes, it got its name as it is situated just next to a bakery, called Pine Garden's Cake. On first look, the bakery seems to be quite the ordinary bakery you will find in any neighbourhood.

Exterior of Bakery

Upon taking a closer look at the Glass Displays situated at the entrance of the shop, you will realize that the bakery actually has very special creations! Besides the usual old school cream cakes, they have New Age creations such as Bailey's Chocolate Crunch, Nuttymisu and much more. It even has local-flavored cakes such as Gula Melaka Avocado cake and Pulut Hitam cake.

Cakes on Display

We decided to try two of it's popular cakes. The first is the Lychee Martini Cake. Despite its New Age flavor, the cake is made into an Old School Swiss Roll like shape. The Lychee Martini is light in flavor, where it's alcohol taste is rather non-existent. The cake is not too sweet and the cream is not too oily. We were quite pleased with how the cream and sponge complemented each other. They even have Lychee Martini Log Cake for sale during this Christmas Period. 

Lychee Martini Cake

We decided to try the Avocado and Gula Melaka cake as I was really quite piqued by the Avocado flavor! I got to say, it is really suprisingly good how they made the avocado cream. It felt natural in flavor by being not too sweet. My personal favorite out of the two cakes we tried.

Avocado and Gula Melaka Cake

We find that Pine Garden's Cake offers really creative creations and is definitely a must-try for cake lovers. It is not as grand or visually palatable as many established cake houses but, it's creativity and unique flavors makes it interesting and refreshing.

If you have any hidden neighbourhood finds, do share them with us! We would love to uncover more hidden neighbourhood finds!

Next Door Deli
529 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10
#01-2369

Pine Garden's Cakes
529 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10
#01-2329 

Love,
Y