Plant lovers might be familiar with The Nursery, an artisanal nursery and garden centre at King George’s Avenue where you can get some of the most aesthetic and beautiful plants. Due to popular demand, the folks behind The Nursery have finally ventured into the realm of F&B with The Nursery Café & Bar!
The Nursery Café & Bar is a “hidden” café, tucked away in the ulu industrial area of ARK@Gambas. While the café is pretty hard to get to by public transportation (expect a fair bit of walking to get there), we’re told that this is all intentional and part of the Nursery Café experience. If you happen to be in the area walking your pets, this is the perfect place to stop by for a cuppa as the outdoor area is pet-friendly (the indoor area is not)!
The founders of the café wanted the café to feel like an exclusive little club, someplace that’s quiet and away from all the hustle, an “if you know, you know” kind of place—and on this front, we say they’ve definitely achieved their goal. The place is very secluded and offers a lot of privacy, especially early in the day on weekdays when you’re likely to have most of the space to yourself.
As for the space, think uber high ceilings (a whopping 8-metres high!), lush greenery and a statement bar area for the ultimate nature-inspired aesthetic vibes befitting of The Nursery brand. The café is also inspired by the many cafés you’ll find along the streets of Paris, hence the more open, al fresco-style concept and Parisian bistro chairs. However, be warned that this also means that the café could get a little hot during the day as it’s entirely exposed to the outdoors (air conditioning is only switched on from 6pm onwards).
As the name suggests, Nursery Café & Bar is a cosy café during the day and an intimate bar at night. For food, the café currently offers a small range of breakfast and brunch-friendly items as well as bar bites. Their full-fledged menu is still in the works, but you can definitely expect more substantial and hearty mains to come in the near future. Note that the current menu they’re serving now is still in the soft launch stage and might be subject to change.
The Nursery HEC Croissant, $12.90
Classic Bacon & Egg Waffle, $12.90
The café offers some of your regular brunch staples, and we especially enjoyed the Classic Bacon & Egg Waffle ($12.90): soft and fluffy waffles, runny sunny side up egg and crispy strips of bacon, all drizzled with sweet maple syrup—you can’t go wrong with this classic combination. If you have a preference for crispy waffles, it’s worth noting that these are more on the soft side. We also wished there was more bacon included in the dish.
Crispy Mid-Wings, $9.90
Shibuya Toast, $15.90
The Crispy Mid-Wings ($9.90) were also delicious, perfectly battered and crisp chicken wings with a good crunch and slight heat thanks to the spiced batter. We’d easily order this again to share among friends. One item we found slightly lacking was the Shibuya Toast ($15.90), a thick toast topped with strawberries and vanilla gelato. The toast was a little too toasted for our liking, erring slightly towards burnt, which made it quite difficult to cut and bite into. We suggest digging into this as soon as possible before the ice cream melts and soaks into the bread resulting in a soggy, soppy mess.
Espresso Martini, $15
Bee’s Knees, $15
If you’re down for some day-drinking, you can opt for their handcrafted cocktails: the Espresso Martini ($15) makes for a great pick-me-up if you need a caffeine boost. If you’re looking for something lighter and easier to down during the day, you can try the Bee’s Knees ($15), a boozy take on the honey lemon drink that’s super drinkable and refreshing.
Don’t forget to stop by the in-house nursery on your way out and browse some of their plants, as well as other gardening tools and equipment like pots, shovels, garden forks and more. The nursery also acts as a mini wine cellar, where you can purchase bottles of wine from their specially curated selection.
The Nursery Café & Bar
Ambience: 4/5
Food/Drinks: 3/5
Service: 3.5/5
Price: $
Worth a visit: Definitely stop by if you’re in the area for the gorgeous Parisian & nature vibes!
Address: Gambas Cres, #01-16 ARK @Gambas, Singapore 757087
Opening Hours: Monday, Wednesday-Friday, 2pm-10pm; Saturday, 12pm-12am, Sunday, 2pm-10pm
