Tina’s Cafe

Another day and another establishment that seems to be serving up Orh Nee Butter Toast? Got to learn about the opening of the new Tina’s Cafe 翠芳咖啡室 from social media — they are the latest addition to the Everton Park neighbourhood, taking over the former premises of the now-defunct O Happi Place that was situated at Blk 5 Everton Park before its closure. For those whom are unaware Tina’s Cafe is a new concept by the same folks behind Edith Patisserie / Edith Patisserie Cake Bar; whilst these folks primarily do operate more as a takeaway establishment / orders-only basis during their initial years, the opening of Edith Patisserie Cake Bar at 9 Penang Road did see the brand go into cafe operations with a dine-in element. With that being said, Tina’s Cafe can be described as an operation into unfamiliar territory for these folks considering how it serves up savoury food; the establishment is being set-up as a tribute to the co-founder’s mother that “celebrates her life and legacy” serving up the comfort food that she used to enjoy whom has sadly passed due to cancer in 2024. The space had been through a fair bit of a revamp ever since its days of being O Happi Place; the entire space is now being sealed up more like the typical shop unit that one can find within Everton Park — now decked with a pastel pink facade, the shop unit keeps a vibrant look whilst still keeping a look that is still in-sync with its neighbours. Illustrations of Hainanese-style breakfast with a cup of Kopi can be found on the window that overlooks the interior of the space, while the space within is simply decked with tables with wooden tops, plastic chairs with a rattan-esque accent that is matched with walls featuring geometrical elements and a concrete flooring — simple yet modern with a slightly local touch. Most of the tables at Tina’s Cafe caters for group sizes between two (2) to four (4) pax. The menu at Tina’s Cafe is split across categories which includes Nanyang Breakfast Sets, Sandwiches, All Day Breakfast, Nasi Lemak, Snacks and Pandan Waffles. There is also quite a list of Cakes and Pastries that are available on the menu at Tina’s Cafe — there are also some sliced cakes from Edith Patisserie that can be found stocked within display fridge and the counter. Beverages available at Tina’s Cafe will include Nanyang-style Kopi and Teh, as well as Honey Lemon and Milo — just to name a few.

We have been going all around the island scouting for Orh Nee Butter Toast and we knew that we were definitely giving this a go when we were skimming through the menu of Tina’s Cafe. As per how most establishments serve up their Hainanese-style toast offerings, Tina’s Cafe does allow their patrons to either having the Orh Nee Butter Toast ala-carte or as part of a breakfast set — the breakfast set would see the toast coming with soft-boiled eggs and a choice of Hot Kopi / Teh that comes along at the side. Some waiting time is required for the Orh Nee Butter Toast; it is interesting to note that Tina’s Cafe serves up their Hainanese-style toast using white bread that has been grilled to a beautiful brown char on the surface. Whilst carrying a slightly crusty exterior, the white bread still retains a soft, fluffy consistency — it also seems to have been packed with quite a generous serving of yam paste that comes in a light, purple hue as well as a slab of chilled butter in the middle. Upon closer observation, we also noted specks of orange within the yam paste as well — seemingly suggesting the use of pumpkin puree which is also an element that one may find in the typical yam paste. The yam paste here does come a little dense but is still smooth in its texture; itself seemingly focusing more on the earthiness of yam while the specks of pumpkin does help to add a bit of a natural sweetness to the yam paste. With that being said, we did feel that the slab of butter was a little bit overly-generous; the saltish-ness of the butter does cut into the earthy notes of the yam paste causing the Orh Nee Butter Toast to feel a little off-balance at times in its flavour. That being said, we do still think that the Orh Nee Butter Toast is a good attempt to serve up a Hainanese-style breakfast toast with yam paste nonetheless.

Tina’s Cafe is an establishment where local-style breakfasts meets western-style breakfasts; perhaps a move that falls in line with serving up hearty, simple and comforting breakfast-style food to its patrons. For those wanting to try the different versions of its All Day Breakfast menu in one seating, the item to go for would be the Tina’s Breakfast Platter which is described in the menu to come with elements such as eggs, bacon, ham, chicken sausage, baked beans, hashbrown, toasted bread and mixed greens. That being said, we didn’t need that much of a variety of cured meats nor the baked beans; and so we have went with the Eggs with Bacon instead which comes with bacon, hashbrowns (seemingly replaced with toasted bread for our order instead; something which we were not informed of) and mixed greens. Patrons do get a choice to opt between sunny side-up and scrambled eggs for their choice of eggs — we found ourselves opting for the latter. The scrambled eggs do come in a runny consistency; pretty moist, whilst coming with a creamy undertone that pairs well with the toasted bread that is beautifully browned to a crisp. The strips of bacon that accompanied the Eggs with Bacon were turkey bacon and these came crisp with a slight chewiness to it; all that whilst being suitably savoury much like how one would expect cured meats to be. Meanwhile, the mixed greens provides a balance to the other elements on the same plate; the leafy greens having been lightly-drizzled with Goma dressing for a roasty note and a creamy consistency whilst coming along with good flavour.

During our visit, we had also given their Egg Tart a go. Sold in portion sizes of a single piece, the Egg Tart at Tina’s Cafe is definitely one of the better ones that are around. Served warm, the Egg Tart comes with a flaky pastry base that was light and crisp without being particularly greasy — also holds up the egg curd that sits in the middle pretty well. The egg curd within is also soft and jiggly with a beancurd-esque texture; all that whilst coming with a prominent eggy note that isn’t overly sweet — one of the egg tarts out there that is worth making a trip for. We also had the Kopi (Hot) — we weren’t expecting too much for the Kopi at Tina’s Cafe considering how Edith Patisserie is an establishment that serves up espresso-based specialty coffee; that being said, the Kopi at Tina’s Cafe seem to have better pulled than some that we have had at hawker centre stalls / coffeeshops. This was a roasty cuppa with a robust flavour profile that comes with a good caffeinated kick — all that without being overly sweet at the same time; very well-balanced and certainly a cuppa that we enjoyed.

Tina’s Cafe is an establishment that is stemmed from its desire to serve up comfort food in memory of a loved one who cherished the simplest things in life; one could definitely feel the sincerity behind the food that they have to offer, which is in itself rather different from what Edith Patisserie has been all about. Whilst we hadn’t given their Nasi Lemak offerings a go, we are definitely more impressed with the Egg Tart and the Kopi that we have had, while the Eggs with Bacon is something that pretty much embodied the spirit of Tina’s Cafe being a simple yet unpretentious offering that is predictable, yet satisfying. Prices of the food at Tina’s Cafe also seems to have been kept quite affordable to its patrons — the most expensive dish listed at Tina’s Cafe would be the Tina’s Breakfast Platter priced at $14.80; still below the price point of $15 while most items do not cross the $10 mark either. Service was a little slow with staff being a little confused when we dropped by the establishment on the first day of its operations; that being said, these do seem like teething issues that these folks should be able to resolve in the long run. We do think that Tina’s Cafe is a spot worthy to check out for those looking for a breakfast-style offerings within Everton Park that is familiar, yet with a modern twist — this is despite the area having quite a number of cafe options within the area offering more glitzier and hipster brunch fare such as the likes of Cafe Wabi Sabi and Hello Arigato. Looking forward to returning to Tina’s Cafe to give their various Nasi Lemak items and the Homemade Kaya Butter Toast a shot some time soon!