Was scrolling around social media and caught wind of the opening of Oh Wunder Cafe — these folks had just recently moved into a shop unit that is located at the ground floor of Bras Basah Complex along the same line of shops as one would find Crust and Crumbs at Blk 231 Bain Street. For those whom find the mention of “Wunder” in its namesake very familiar; yes, this is an establishment by the same folks behind Wunderfolks that had first started out as a takeaway-only kiosk serving up artisanal tarts. These folks had expanded quite a fair bit since their initial days of operations, with one outlet of Wunderfolks at Tampines Mall having a dine-in space, while they also do run Café Barco by Wunderfolks that is located in Kaki Bukit. Oh Wunder Folks takes over the former premises that was once tenanted by WOW Bistro SG 威旺美食酒馆 that is located within a corner at the foot of Blk 231 Bain Street; the shop space is well-sized for F&B operations with a decent amount of space dedicated for its dining hall. It does seem that Oh Wunder Folks had kept part of the decor that was previously used for by the former tenant — largely being that of the walls made from compressed wooden chips that gives the space a bit of a “raw” vibe. Otherwise, Oh Wunder Folks had made the space uniquely theirs with the use of posters and murals that adorn its walls, while the dining furniture used comprises of wooden accents as well as shades of black and white that blends in pretty naturally with the environment here. There are also colourful and playful elements found throughout the entire space that makes the space feel cheery and lively — this is despite the space being dimly lit in some areas. Whilst being somewhat conceptually similar in terms of how Oh Wunder Folks is being run as a dine-in cafe much like Café Barco by Wunderfolks, the menu at Oh Wunder Folks differs from that of what is being served at Café Barco by Wunderfolks; the menu comprises of sections dedicated to Breakfast, Toasties, Burger, Pasta, Mains and Sides, while dessert offerings includes Tarts and Tiramisu, as well as Ice-Cream and Waffles (sourced from Denzy Gelato). For beverage, the menu is categorised into sections such as Coffee, Matcha and Hojicha, Speciality and Tea.

Skimming through the menu on the variety of main dishes that they have to offer at Oh Wunder Cafe, one of the items that caught our attention fairly early on would be the Breakfast Pancake Stack from the Breakfast section of the menu. The menu at Oh Wunder Cafe describes the dish to come with elements such as crispy turkey bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs, mayonnaise and cheddar cheese between homemade pancakes, and also being accompanied with sautéed mushrooms. There is also the mention of a Mesculun Salad that comes with the dish based on the description of the dish on the menu, though the illustration of the dish on the online point-of-sale system is also missing of it just like how it is as observed for our order. Conceptually, the Breakfast Pancake Stack is largely similar to the McGriddles in a way that the stack includes pancakes that substitutes the use of buns / English muffins. The folks at Oh Wunder Cafe leaves the options open for patrons one whether they prefer to have the pancakes as-is or to be doused with maple syrup — a saucer of maple syrup does accompany the dish on the side. The pancakes do definitely feel lighter, fluffier and less dense than the pancakes that would accompany the McGriddles; one that soaks up the maple syrup pretty well for it to carry a hint of sweetness that matches the inherently savoury notes from the turkey bacon that is typical of cured meat. Coming with quite a fair bit of cheddar that comes all gooey and melted with a rather noticeable hint of savouriness, one can still manage to get a hint of that egginess from the sunny side-up (listed as fluffy scrambled eggs in the menu description however) with the runny egg yolks and soft egg whites. The sautéed mushrooms on the side comes as a crowd-pleaser being all bouncy with a distinct earthiness on its own.

Given how Oh Wunder Folks is an establishment opened by the same folks behind Wunderfolks, we found ourselves also wanting to give one of the tarts that they have to offer a go. The tart that we went for would be the Lychee Tart which comes with elements such as Lychee Rose Mousse and Lychee Flesh. The illustration of the Lychee Tart on the menu differs from that of the actual Lychee Tart that is being served up in-person; the actual presentation of the Lychee Tart bearing a simpler aesthetic, while it also seems to be missing of the raspberry ganache which is also an element that is being mentioned in the description of the item in the online point-of-sale system. It was a bit of a shame that the Lychee Tart was served to us in a temperature that was still frozen — we weren’t informed about it being so, and it does seem that a lot more time was required for it to be thawed even though we had left the Lychee Tart sitting on the desk for quite a while before digging in. Considering so, the layer of mousse at the bottom which is filled into the tart base was icy; the flavours of the mousse not being exactly prominent due to the temperature that it was being served in. That being said, one could definitely feel nibs of lychee flesh within, while the top of the tart is being piped with Lychee Rose Mousse that adds a fruity and floral note to the tart. The tart base did surprisingly retain its intended texture; a little cookie-like but does hold up the elements within it fairly well.

Opting for a cuppa to go alongside with our food orders during our visit to Oh Wunder Folks, we found ourselves going for the Cream Cheese Foam Coffee; this would be an espresso-based specialty coffee offerings that can be found in the Speciality section of the menu. The Cream Cheese Foam Coffee does come in the form of a Long Black with a layer of cream cheese foam topping everything off on the surface; there seems to be enough cream within the Cream Cheese Foam Coffee given how the cream eventually settles down into the coffee rather quickly, making the Cream Cheese Foam Coffee look more like a beverage that consists of a base of a latte / Flat White instead. The coffee does come with a nutty flavour profile and a pretty light body, while the cream cheese foam though sufficiently dense, lacks that saltish note of cream cheese as one would expect out of cheese foam that is typically served up at other establishments specialising in bubble tea.

Wunderfolks is a brand that has come quite a long way in the local F&B scene here — this is considering with how they have started out being just a simple kiosk all the way to being a full-fledged cafe at this current juncture. It does seem that the folks at Oh Wunder Cafe had also grown with a bit more experience with its food items as compared to the times when Café Barco by Wunderfolks had just opened. That being said, we do wish that Oh Wunder Cafe could have looked into the details a little more especially with the way of how their tarts are being served (and more so since this is a core product of theirs) as well as the way the dishes are being described in the menu as opposed to how they are actually served up — discrepancies such as these should have been avoided for a better dining experience for its patrons. Nonetheless, it does seem that Oh Wunder Cafe is yet another cafe in town that probably would work well as a family-oriented dining establishment considering the cheery environment here; one that is probably worthy to check out if they are able to sort out their initial kinks as they smooth out their operations in the days to come.