The Place Popular Sanrio’s character Gudetama Cafe is finally opening its doors in Suntec City Mall Singapore this Wednesday, 30 November 2016. This popular character is often deemed the lazy egg, and has been a popular phenomenon in Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan. You can pretty much expect the space at Suntec to be a Gudetama fan haven, with cute posters on its walls and cute egg-like capsule tables to get into the mood of the lazy character. There will also be an extended space right beside the entrance of the mall, which will be slated to open soon.

The Food To set the record straight, we didn’t come to a character cafe expecting the food take precedence over the whole character dining experience. Although it is comforting to know that the cafe is a collaboration between popular The Soup Spoon and Joe & Dough. We started with the Gudetama Lobster Onsen (S$16) with poached egg in the soup. Served with side salad, the lobster bisque flavour could have been more intense and rich. The Truffle Fries in a cone (S$16.50) served with sriracha and garlic aloli dips was an addictive lot, and we especially loved the slightly spicy sriracha dip. 

For mains, we enjoyed the Rib-“I” Don’t Care (S$28.50) most amongst the others. Our medium done NZ Angus grass-fed steak was succulent, topped with creamy mushroom sauce. It is the most value for money mains on the menu for us, and was surprisingly very well executed.

Unfortunately, the “Shiok” Pork Ribs (S$38.50) was anything but. The texture was not as tender as what we would expect, while the flavour lacked the smoky flavour of a pork rib. We also found the ribs a tad on the pricey end, compared to the other offerings at the cafe.

Unfortunately wasn’t excited after trying the Eggcited Cajun Chicken with Waffle (S$23.90). The waffle texture was too soft, and failed to compliment the grilled chicken well. 

Desserts fared better than the savoury dishes in our opinion. The Gude Pudding (S$16.90) is our favourite of the lot, caramel flan with vanilla soft serve and Apple crumble. The overall flavour was harmonious, especially the crispy crumble and rich vanilla ice cream. Good for at least two to share.

If you just need an Instagram worthy dessert, you can’t go wrong with the Shoyu Ramen (S$21.50). This is basically chocolate mousse cake with Feuilletine, chestnut Mont Blanc and earl grey jelly, served with panna cottta paired with sweet rose tea. Sadly, the texture of the “ramen” was too dry and the overall combination didn’t quite work, not to mention the hefty price tag. 

The Ta-Ma-Go (S$17.90) was disappointing as well. The sushi is cheesecake coated with rice crackers in disguise, topped with egg sponge served with matcha curd and maple syrup. Overall, the rice cracker and cheesecake combination was akin to a forced marriage – awkward. 

Other notable sweets we had were the White chocolate mango roll (S$8.90), Strawberry yogurt egg shell (S$8.90) and Peanut butter chocolate cake (S$8.50), which I think were all fairly good in terms of taste and its tribute to the character.

Rants Prices are on the high side here. To be fair, the team is in the midst of collecting feedback and tweaking the menu so do expect some teething issues in terms of the consistency of the dishes, its execution and presentation at least for the initial few weeks of opening – all the efforts to ensure they deliver their best to the Gudetama fans.

Will I Return Again? We are usually skeptical of character cafes, even though we are almost certain kids and fans of the Gudetama cafes will enjoy the dining experience here. The food is not all bad, although keeping in mind that the pricing leans towards the higher end. Be here to soak in the fun atmosphere!

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

Make your reservation instantly at Gudetama Cafe here.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 3/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Overall Experience: 3/5

Gudetama Cafe
#01-61 Suntec City Mall
3 Temasek Boulevard
Singapore 038983

Opening Hours
Monday to Thursday: 9am to 10pm
Friday to Sunday: 8am to 10pm

Ranted by The Ranter