[CLOSED] Glean & Co

The 𝗦𝗺𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗮 ($18) came with a runny egg that provided the requisite egg porn. The savoury bacon and al dente spaghetti, tossed in the creamy sauce and mixed with the egg, was exquisite.

Finally the coffees we ordered (𝗞𝗼𝗽𝗶 $1.80, 𝗜𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗞𝗼𝗽𝗶 𝗖 $3.40) were abhorrent. Any random 2-in-1 would taste infinitely better. But go for the pastas, they’re definitely worth a try.

Popped by Glean Cafe because I saw they have 1-for-1 pastas on Burpple Beyond. Although the decor looks pretty, with lots of hanging lights and greenery, I doubt I’d be returning due to the paucity of options on the menu.

With only two pastas and three Asian-style dishes on the menu, we took literally one second to decide what to order. Tbh both pastas were well executed and we had no complaints.

The 𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗮 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶 𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗯 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗮 ($20), with angel hair pasta smothered in a reddish sauce, looked unappetising. But the crab meat was fresh and sweet, while the spicy, numbing sauce was fabulously fragrant.

Food was great, very quiet cafe, will be back

When we read about this place on food bloggers, we decided we just had to visit this place. The first impression about the cafe itself: it speaks loud about it's ambience. Industrial yet casual, somehow sleek yet managed to induce a sense of relaxation in any of your occasion.

However, the same loudness for ambience can't be found in their food and beverages.

We started off with Matcha Latte and Cappuccino, with Apple Galette. The matcha was concentrated and has a great balance with the milk, although it didn't came hot enough to our preference. The disappointment on this starter was the pastry, where it didn't arrive fresh and crispy enough to be enjoyed with the custard and fruit in the middle.

We went on with three other dishes: Scotch Eggs, Big Breakfast, and Salad. The quality of the food could be better for an average of $20-25 per dish.

The Scotch egg has a good sauce and herbs accompanying to it, however the smokiness that comes from the pork overwhelms and throws the balance off the dish. Unfortunately, the Scotch Egg arrived cold when it reached our table.

Glean's big breakfast is way more hearty than it looks. The sausage, along with the side salad, is the star of the show. It has a meaty, savory taste packed with herbs and pepper to it, and I believe the sausage they have here is rather unique to their own. However, the scrambled egg that came with it is rather questionable. Was it a soft-boiled egg, or was it a scrambled egg? We could see part of the egg whites still rather raw and not completely mixed in with the yoke. Nevertheless, the food came hot, and it was very hearty meal to start the day.

The outlier in our order was the salad, where the dressing compliments really well with the choices of fruits and vegetables accompanying it. The taste was very fruity and fresh, so much so that you could have this salad as both appetizer and sweet ending to your meal.

Our verdict:
🌸Ambience : 9 of 10
🥗Food : 8.5 of 10
💸Value for Money : 6.5 of 10

We will visit Glean again for their other food too! They deserve second chance and I believe they can improve their food quality. Thank you!

Exuding fiery heat, the sauce was more chilli than mala, with a generous amount of crab meat smothering swirls of toothsome capellini pasta. Whilst the flavour was veritably punchy, I for one felt the spiciness was bordering on overwhelming. It was clever to use deep-fried mantou croutons as a garnish, but they were closer to rock hard than crunchy.
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Taste: 2.5/5

do note that there are only 2 pastas available for burpple deal - smoked pork carbonara and mala chilli crab pasta! that said, both dishes were done well although the mala pasta was a little too spicy for our liking. the carbonara was creamy and flavourful, a great balance to the spicy mala pasta! however, the best part of the meal is the decor and design, as the exceptionally high ceiling and glass panels added to the ambience of the cafe.