With all the construction that is going on at the Bali Lane area, there has been quite a fair bit of change of the F&B tenants within the area — gone would be the likes of Brotherbird Bakehouse, an establishment that can be pretty much described as a F&B landmark of Bali Lane that has first established themselves as Stateland Cafe before its eventual re-branding into the Brotherbird Bakehouse that we now know specialising in mochi-infused danishes that are retailed through takeaway kiosks. The space has been left vacant for quite a while, though this is now occupied by the new Cafe Margaret; a name that hails from South Korea, Cafe Margaret operates several locations — this includes outlets that are situated in Hongdae and Yeonnam-dong. The Bali Lane location would be Cafe Margaret s very first outpost out of South Korea. The vibes of its Singapore outlet follows closely to what the South Korean outlets carry; since Cafe Margaret occupies the space of a two-storey shophouse at Bali Lane, the first floor is decked almost like that of an English cottage with rustic furnishings featuring wooden accents amidst tiled walls and floors — the bakes available for the day being display prominently all around the space. This theme is being carried throughout up to the second level, in which would be the dine-in space that is dedicated for patrons whom wish to consume the various pastries which they have at their premises. The variety of pastries which Cafe Margaret is quite aplenty — these includes bundt cakes that are sold by the slice, as well as cinnamon rolls, a wide range of cookies and some Cube Pies. Meanwhile, beverages available at Cafe Margaret comprises of espresso-based specialty coffee options and also a variety of tea as well.

Much has been heard about the various cube pie offerings which Cafe Margaret has to serve up via multiple social media posts on the place — that being said, this is the signature offering at Cafe Margaret that one should definitely order when making a visit there. There are actually quite a good variety of flavours of the Cube Pie that is made available at Cafe Margaret; this includes flavours such as that of the Injeolmi Cube Pie (also tagged as the best seller), Nutella Cube Pie and the Lotus Cream Cube Pie — just to name a few. Though we have wanted to give the Injeolmi Cube Pie a go, the item was not yet ready as we had made our visit to Cafe Margaret rather early in the morning — we found ourselves going for the Real Vanilla Cube Pie instead. For those who are unaware of what a Cube Pie is, the Cube Pie is essentially a Danish offering where it features a laminated pastry shaped in a form of a cube; the insides being piped with different fillings — this is also pretty similar to the range of Croissant Cubes which Keong Saik Bakery is serving. The shape of the Cube Pies at Cafe Margaret does look pretty uniformed across all flavours — the lamination process of the pastry being pretty obvious from the layered look which one can observe from its exterior. Slicing the pastry, we note that the Cube Pie was not particularly greasy from the butter used in the making of the pastry; the lamination also being very well-defined from the insides as well. The pastry held up to the slices of the knife pretty well; while the pastry is flaky, it does not crumble into a mess — the vanilla cream also eagerly oozes out of the Cube Pie as well. The cream filling was creamy and smooth; was also dense enough but not too sweet, carrying a hint of vanilla fragrance throughout — all that while the finishing note was that butteriness of the laminated pastry. Overall, something which definitely exceeded our expectations.

Considering how the Cube Pies at Cafe Margaret seem more like an item that is trendy and meant for the ‘gram, we were quite expecting the Real Vanilla Cube Pie which to be rather average-y. That being said, Cafe Margaret did manage to impress us with the quality of their bakes — we were very surprised by how the Real Vanilla Cube Pie that we have gotten turned out to be one of the most memorable items we have had at Cafe Margaret; one which was not only aesthetically pleasing, but also one that seems to be a good balance of textures and flavours that is combined with well-execution as well. The Juicy Lemon Pound Cake was yet another item which we were satisfied with — whilst this was one item which can be said as pretty safe and conventional, the Juicy Lemon Pound Cake was pretty on-point; a lemon pound cake being sufficiently moist and dense without being too sweet. The glaze also brought a slight note of sweetness and a bit of a zing from the infusion of lemon; there also bits of candied lemon that provides a bit of chew for a slight contrast of textures as well — a pretty thoughtful touch. With an interior that with a rustic, cottage vibe that is nothing short of Instagram-able, Cafe Margaret is probably a spot that we can imagine seeing hipsters and young families alike hanging out for a slice of cake and a cuppa to start the day with, or just head to for afternoon tea — the dainty surroundings definitely being a hit especially with such groups of people. The quality of the food largely exceeded expectations — a spot that is not only just about the looks, but also seemingly puts quite a lot of effort in the food that they serve, while service was pretty attentive even though they are pretty much a self-service spot for the most part. Prices of the bakes ranges between $4.90 to $8.30; the higher priced items being the Cube Pies and the range of cakes. Given how our experience at Cafe Margaret was, it is without a doubt that we would make a return visit to Cafe Margaret again — definitely a spot to add to the list of cafes to visit, and also a name to keep a look out for!