Nothing to Bark About

The only reason I am eating here is because it’s called ‘White Dog Café’.

I thought that this could be an interesting theme café, half expecting to have ‘doggy meals’ served in a serving dish.

When I asked the serving staff why the place is called White Dog Cafe, the response was “There’s no reason. It’s just so.”  

That was quite an anti-climax from my initial excitement. At least they didn’t cook up some fake stories about a dead best friend.

Black walls with circular motifs, white floor with strips, red booth seats, and purple chairs – this café does suffer an identity crisis with its interior. On last count, there were only 3 dogs in the whole place.

Even though it’s called a café, it serves heavy going main dishes such as Tenderloin Steak ($28.90), Herb Lamb Chop ($23.90), Pork Knuckle ($19.90) and Texan Beef Ribs ($25.90).

For starters,  I had a Clam Chowder ($6.50) which was described as ‘a delicious and flavourful potage’.  No to potage, but yes to thin broth. Although dashed with some bacon bits, the soup lacks favour and is too diluted for the experience to be wholesome.

It’s hard to find a signature dish on its menu, so I ordered a White Dog’s Chef Salad ($12.90). The salad was a hearty mix of honey-baked ham, smoked chicken and duck laced with tangy orange mayonnaise and greens. I must say the portion was generous, but this simplistic salad is not something I cannot whip up at home.

The Mango-Chicken Delight ($15.90) was a combination of chicken thigh, breaded and deep-fried till golden brown, and sweet mango filling then coated with a light lemon butter sauce. The blend was interesting enough, but the taste (or lack of taste) of frozen chicken dipped fried was a downer.  

Rather popular with youths, what this cafe lacks is a unique selling point. Unfortunately, there is nothing to bark about here.