Spruce

Spruce is really a pace for people who drive!!! Its so secluded but then again, this gives it the tranquil, laidback atmosphere that people are looking for nowadays. An escape from the concrete jungle in Singapore. They have outdoor seating and indoor, the outdoor's actually quite breezy and cooling!

Spruce Dips

Guacamoles, hummus, tuna conserva & tomato salsa served with our bread

$16

This was quite a huge portion!!! Enough for about 4-6 people to share? There were 2 kinds of bread, a thin crispy bread and a thick fluffy bread to go with the dips.

Guacamole - mainly avocado based, most of us liked this the most. Slightly creamy and tangy

Tuna conserva - tastes like tuna mayo haha

Tomato salsa - sweet and spicy kick! Tomato chunks

Hummus - think it was chickpea based! Not bad

4/5

Whole Roasted Snapper

Crusted with cumin and fennel seeds served with herb salad

$27

This was a HUGE piece of snapper!!! Haha think 2 people can share? The fish was super fresh, pristine white flesh (a way to tell the fish is fresh!) and nicely roasted. The seeds gave the skin a nice crunch. The herb salad was a little too oily for me though. Good fresh light fish. 4.2/5

Orecchiette served with chopped Sea Prawn

 In zucchini and garlic cream

$22

Didnt try this but the friends who ate this commented that this was really nice!! And its a kind of pasta you dont see often in Singapore, so why not give it a go? (: 4.5/5

Carnaroli Risotto 

Served with our Porcini Mushroom and truffled hen egg

$22

The truffle smell hits you once this dish is served. It is SO strong!!! Risotto was of good consistency, truffle aroma was the bomb and each spoonful was just a heavenly earthy mixture of mushrooms and truffle. However my friend found that it got a bit jia lat (too much) after awhile so she didnt really finish it! I suggest sharing with someone because the creamy taste can get a bit too much for some! But this was a good mushroom risotto. 4/5

Carrot Cake

$12

Now this is the MOST EXPENSIVE carrot cake I've ever eaten in Singapore so is it worth it? This carrot cake is not crumbly, quite dense and packed with many ingredients like raisins, walnuts, pineapple bits etc. The frosting was good, thin layers and slightly sour to offset the sweetness. Doesnt really taste like carrot cake to me, maybe because the cinnamon taste wasnt v strong? Definitely not the best carrot cake I've tried but passable. 3.7/5

Bomb Alaska

$10 (I think!)

There was only 1 ice cream flavour within, vanilla. The bomb alaska consists of a torched meringue outer covering, with a thin layer of sponge cake wrapped around ice cream. This dessert was light and refreshing, a great way the end to the meal. The friends really liked this!! 4.4/5

Service: Certain lapses in service, can be quite slow though they weren't full at all, at most 1/4 full only? Makes me wonder how they cope when its full house. Some things were forgotten - topping up water and dessert menu even though we asked for it. They were v happy to take pics for us though! Oh there was one guy who kept showing an unhappy/attitude face that I was q unhappy about.

Overall: Spruce and PS Cafe both give the same feel to me, but I very much prefer Spruce. Firstly cos I feel that the dishes are more value for money, PS Cafe is just so expensive and not really that good. However, desserts at both places are vvvv expensive so idk if it warrants such a high price tag! Like at Spruce, a rather small sized choc tart (1 layer of the carrot cake above) costs the SAME PRICE ie $12 and that is BEFORE GST + service charge! So yea, expensive~~

Spruce is well-liked by expats and even on a weekday lunch, it was 1/4 full despite its secluded location so I reckon reservations are a must for weekends!

Spruce

Phoenix Park