It does seem that it has been a while since the closure of Food For Thought at National Museum of Singapore, which left behind Cafe Reunion by Bakery Brera as the sole F&B tenant situated within the grounds of the museum. National Museum of Singapore had recently seen the opening of the new Dame Museum Cafe that had taken over the former premises that was home to the now-defunct Food for Thought — we do suspect that these folks are actually run by the same folks behind Food for Thought considering how they have reused the Instagram account and the Google Maps geolocation from Food for Thought. Located at one end of the museum at the first level after one goes past the main foyer, the entrance of Dame Museum Cafe is marked by its receptionist desk where patrons get to sit around the aisles of the museum where it is naturally lit by sunlight shining through the glass roofs — the area being segmented away from the museum with dried flora and fauna with a brown aesthetic that matches that of the cork and wood-accented furniture that is used in the “al-fresco dining area”. Dame Museum Cafe does have two other seating areas which are within the shop unit itself; one that is considered as the “bar area” where the espresso bar is also at, while there is also a dining room which would be pretty much the standard dining hall. Tables are generally configured for patrons dining in pairs to up to groups of four (4) pax. The food menu at Dame Museum Cafe is split into sections dedicated to Brunch, Soups & Salads, Pastas, Mains, Sides and Sweets; the beverage menu consists of categories such as Coffee & Cocoa (using beans roasted by Common Man Coffee Roasters), Tea, Juices and Smoothies, Coolers and Sodas, Beers and Wines.

Dame Museum Cafe describes itself as an establishment that “celebrates both classic favourites and local flavours”, and one thing that had caught our attention whilst skimming through the menu would be the Teochew Porridge Platter that is being listed as an item in the “Mains” section of the menu. These folks have described the Teochew Porridge Platter to come with elements such as braised pork belly, peanuts, salted egg, otah, garlic French beans and mustard greens — all these comes within a large Dim Sum basket, while the bowl of Teochew Porridge comes in a bowl on the side. We did find that the Teochew Porridge Platter to be a dish that serves up pretty comforting flavours to say the least — digging into the bowl of Teochew Porridge, we did notice that the Teochew Porridge does come with quite a bit of lumpy grains of rice; that being said, we did feel that these folks did nail the execution of the Teochew Porridge just about right considering that the consistency of the Teochew Porridge was pretty watery and certainly wasn’t the same as what one would expect out of Cantonese-style congee; not at all starchy whilst also tasting plain like how one would usually observe Teochew Porridge to be like. To give the Teochew Porridge more flavour, one can perhaps add the braising liquid that can be found in the plate of braised pork belly; the braised pork belly also came with braised beancurd. The braising liquid does come with a runny consistency and carries a note of savouriness that is just about right to be paired with the Teochew Porridge to give it sufficient flavour — the braised pork belly being simmered to a consistency where it is fatty, gelatinous and melt-in-the-mouth tender, while the soft braised beancurd had also absorbed the flavours of the braising liquid and was a good break away from all of the meat. The slab of Otah that is being served up does feel like one of those commercially-made Muar-style Otah that one can easily find being sold in supermarkets — that being said, such Otah usually comes with a nice fragrance of rempah spices used in the marination of the fish paste; all that whilst coming with a kick of spiciness that should be pretty manageable for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. We also quite liked the Garlic French Beans which carried an element of crunch; all that whilst featuring a garlicky note and a slight touch of saltishness. Other elements were pretty much a good-to-have and are classic combinations that are also seen as essential elements to be had together with Teochew Porridge; these being the braised peanuts, salted egg and the mustard greens.

We also found ourselves going for the Coconut French Toast which is listed in the “Brunch” section of the menu. A sweet item, the Coconut French Toast does find itself as a decent option to consider for dessert as well — the dish featuring elements such as that of caramalised banana, coconut ice-cream and Gula Melaka drizzle. The two slices of toast does come having absorbed the egg wash during its preparation process — the toast being sufficiently eggy and does carry a soft texture; there is also a slight drizzle of Gula Melaka sauce that gives an earthy sweetness to the French Toast without it going overly sweet as well. The caramalised banana does come with a layer of crystalised sugar over the top — much similar to that of what one would find in a creme brulee that also gives the banana a crackling texture on the surface while the banana carried its own sweetness with a soft texture. Pairing all of the elements up with the scoop of coconut ice-cream that had came along with it; creamy and smooth yet coming with a refreshing note of coconut that is suitably sweet which refreshes the tastebuds. During the same visit to Dame Museum Cafe, we had also tried the Chrysanthemum Lemonade from the Coolers and Sodas section of the beverage menu. Dame Museum Cafe does not describe the elements that went into the making of the beverage but it is worth noting that the Chrysanthemum Lemonade is actually a carbonated beverage that comes with a slight zing from the sourness of lemonade; all that whilst accompanied by a floral aroma. It is also noted that the Chrysanthemum Lemonade is not a sweetened beverage as well.

Dame Museum Cafe is an establishment that feels like one that is suitable for quite a number of occasions — the dining environment being conducive for dates, as well as catch up with friends and also family gatherings; we liked how these folks had kept their concept enticing to that of cafe-hoppers looking for comforting western brunch dishes whilst offering homely local favourites that remains familiar to locals. The availability of such local fare also blends in well to the concept considering how they are located within a building with a heritage. With prices of the dishes listed within the Brunch, Pastas, and Mains sections of the menu ranging from $12 (being the Two Eggs and Tropical Superfood Granola Bowl; both items on the “Brunch” section of the menu) to $25 (for the Black Pepper Crab Linguine in the “Pastas” section of the menu), Dame Museum Cafe does make for a pretty affordable spot for brunch located in the heart of town with quite the ambience that is worth checking out for both the vibes and the food to see what they are all about!