Mmm…ricotta hotcakes. The stuff fluffy dreams are made of. At Curious Palette, this is rightly their shining star of a dish. A honey-coloured hotcake, with caramel-y, crisp edges that give way to a warm, fluffy inside and topped with berries, seeds and vanilla bean ice-cream, the twenty minute wait for the Berry Ricotta Hotcake ($14.90) is worth it.
And it seems like Curious Palette really does have a thing for waffles. From the basic with just maple syrup to the “exotic” with Gula Melaka, Coconut Cream and Red Bean, there’s quite a selection, if waffles are your go-to brunch dish.
But I’d probably start with some of their savoury items, which happy to say, are good too. Order up some nibbles to share, I especially recommend the Bacon Tempura ($13.90). It’s a treat especially with the kaffir lime mayo slathered on it. It’s like snacking on chips but way more decadent.
Speaking of chips, go for the Truffled Sweet Potato Fries ($12.90) – it’s a massive portion, and even the four of us couldn’t polish it off. We pretty much ordered it because the alluring truffle scent was wafting over from the table next to us, and the hot chips are delicious dipped into the rich truffle aioli that accompanies the dish.
Instead of going for the classic Full English Breakfast or Scrambled Eggs type of dish, we tried the Corned Beef Scotch Egg ($17.50). This is also a winner – the corned beef, mushed up into a protective shell, enveloping a just-runny egg, served with relish and avocado, you have the crispy, the creamy, the spicy, the salty, yeah you name it, it had it.
It was a toss-up between the Pulled Pork on Sourdough ($18.90) and the Soft Shell Crab Burger ($19.80), we chose the latter but maybe we should have tried the former. Don’t get me wrong, the crab was meaty and crispy but with all the items listed for the dish, like wasabi slaw, salted egg, chilli oil and homemade aioli, I was expecting a pop of flavor but that didn’t come through.
And then came the “dessert” – the ricotta hotcakes. As I said, this is yum, and perfect with a cuppa.
This place clearly prides itself on its coffee. No surprise, after all, Curious Palette is by the folks at Stranger’s Reunion. Walking in, you feel like you’re walking into a coffee lab. There are contraptions around that only the experts can probably identify but all you need to know is that they have a variety of different coffee styles to try, from Aeropress, Siphon to Wave Dripper. Well, I’m a simple, espresso-based coffee kind of girl, so enjoyed my cappuccino there too.
Make a reservation as it does get crowded, and be prepared to “share” tables, seats are generally laid out quite close but don’t fret – order your cuppa, get started on the bites, and enjoy a lazy weekend brunch!
Curious Palette
Address: 64 Prinsep St, 188667
Contact: 62381068
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/curiouspalette
Opening Hours:
Sun-Thurs: 9am – 10pm
Fri-Sat: 9am – 12am
Closed Tue