Shoebox Canteen @ North Canal Road | Esette Cafe

Headed for lunch one afternoon after work with Leon and Jo @ Shoebox Canteen. It wasn't our initial plan, but the 2 cafes we attempted to go before that were closed that day boooo.
Anyway if you haven't already known, Shoebox Canteen is a cafe in the day and transforms into a bar (known as Bitters & Love) at night!:















We ordered a 3-course Set Lunch (S$19) and a 4-course Set Lunch (S$25) as they were the only available items at that time. The menu isn't even extensive to begin with :/

Cream of Zucchini - the soup comes in a really small bowl and it tastes really bland. The only way to make it slightly better is to add in (a lot of) salt:



Rice with Grilled Chicken - strongly recommended by the staff which turned out to be the best dish of that day. The chicken's juicy and I love the Thai chilli sauce that comes with it. The rice is the typical hawker centre chicken rice which I like!:



Soft Shell Crab Chilli Pasta (bottom) - the crab is pretty crispy, but the chilli flavour isn't strong enough it feels more like black pepper to us:



Braised Beef Cheek Pasta (right) - we all agreed that the pasta has this weird smell/taste to it we only had about 2 bites each :(



Lemon Tart - I love lemon tarts and this isn't too bad, but the crust could be slightly crunchier!:




Shoebox Canteen
36 North Canal Road, Singapore 059292

Mon - Fri: 11:45am - 2:30pm / 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Sat: 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Tel: +65 9296 4836

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And this was another day after work with Leon and Edison at this lovely space we chanced upon (because the same cafe we wanted to go was closed AGAIN, this time for a meeting):







Stewart's Orange 'n Cream (~S$5) - we were expecting something special because of the name but it's actually just orange soda lolol:



Seaweed Nori Fries - why do thick fries even exist?? Hahaha I don't think they bring out flavours very well so these are a disappointment for me :(



Classic Eggs Benedict (S$13) - poached eggs with hollandaise sauce on toasted English muffin, honey baked ham, bacon and fresh salad. The eggs are nicely poached and the sauce is creamy and rich but not overpowering. The bacon's really really good (!!!) in my opinion, but Leon doesn't think so:





Mega Breakfast (S$16) - with your choice of eggs (omelette/poached/scrambled/sunny side-up), bacon, sausage, oven-roasted Rosemary tomatoes, baked beans, sauteed mushrooms, toasts and salad. The portion's really generous given the price, and taste-wise it meets the mark too. I also like how the sausage is cut!:







So glad to have stumbled upon this place! The menu's really extensive I'd probably be back to try more :9


Esette Cafe
47 Duxton Road, Singapore 089511

Mon - Sat: 11:00am - 9:00pm
Tel: +65 6221 5775