Bravo, Breko

It’s hard to find a good café that’s opened at 11.30 on a Monday night, especially in the Bugis area. I ended work late, and my boyfriend and I were searching for a nice, casual, not-too-expensive place to have dinner and celebrate our anniversary.

We stumbled upon Breko Café after walking past the closed Swensen’s, Fish & Co., Ajisen and other ‘mainstream’ eateries. And I’m glad we did. The portions at Breko were satisfyingly hearty and more than substantial – and priced affordably too!

Breko’s service staff have to be awarded for the best late-night service. You know how F&B staff tend to get grouchy when customers walk in half an hour before closing time? Well you won’t get the same treatment here. Although the opening hours were stated to be opened until 12am, Breko’s staff were more than happy to seat us, take our orders and serve us with utter sincerity. I really appreciated that, given that it was after all, a special day for my boyfriend and I.

We ordered a drink, an appetizer and two mains – all of which cost us just under $50, taxes included.

The drinks came first. We ordered a Dutch Mint Ice ($6.90), which was a mint ice tea with vanilla ice cream. Out of the four items we ordered, this was the only let down. We felt that the tea was too bland. There was no sweetness to it and we couldn’t taste the mint at all. The plop of vanilla ice cream also did nothing to sweeten things up. However, Breko has many other beverage items that would have probably fared much better, like their signature Twister drinks, which are essentially yummy ice-blended concoctions. Just be sure to steer clear of this one.

The Buffalo Wings ($7.90 for 6) arrived, along with the Country-Styled Pork Chop ($12.90). Despite being on the small side, the portion of Buffalo Wings fared very well. Freshly-fried, each wing was seasoned well and evenly-covered in smokey, crispy but light batter. Quite pricey considering the small portion though.

The breaded Country-Styled Pork Chop came with sides of coleslaw and cheesy mash. Servings of both the meat and sides were substantial; probably even more so than Café Cartel’s. The pork chop was very tasty, partially because it was tender and well-seasoned, and also because it was smothered in a thick brown sauce. The mashed potatoes, despite being a tad too salty for my taste, were a pleaser because it was noticeably cheesy, and went well with the brown sauce.

The second main dish arrived soon after. I ordered the Mushroom Chez Burger ($12.90), which came with a huge serving of fries and coleslaw. You’re probably thinking that this dish is nothing out of the ordinary, because that was also my initial thought. But when this plate arrived, I knew I was in for a treat that I probably didn’t deserve. The burger came on two halves of perfectly-toasted buns, the usual vegetable works of lettuce and tomatoes, cheddar, patty and mushrooms. But the two things that set this burger apart from the rest were the beef patty and the mushrooms.

The beef patty was so well-seasoned and so tasty. I admire the burgers at Billy Bomber’s for their patty height, but not only was Breko’s patty thick, it also packed a taste explosion. The mushrooms that topped the patty were also freshly-sauteed, but not overcooked, so that it still retained a bit of crunchiness left.

I can also vouch that every single fry on that plate was crispy and beautifully golden. Soggy fries are one of my culinary pet peeves, and I was the blessed recipient of not a single soggy spud. Bravo!

The service staff at Breko weren’t especially attentive - we had quite a difficult time trying to get their attention (read: frantic flailing of arms). However, their friendliness and sincerity made up for all that.

Breko offers both indoor and outdoor al fresco seating areas. We sat at the al fresco dining area. No complaints about that; it was cooling, with a great, laid-back atmosphere for conversation. It’s the perfect after-work hang out to chill with a bunch of friends, swig beers and munch on snacks.

They have an all-day beer promotion too - $10 nett gets a choice of any two beers. Cheap beer, reasonably-priced great-tasting food, late opening hours and ultra-friendly service makes Breko a superb western café (beating the other similar "cafes" hands-down any day!) to return to time and again.