The Place As one of the established name in the cafe scene, the newest cafe to open in Paya Lebar is Jimmy Monkey at Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ). Their first outlet is located in One-North Residences, a good news for Easties with their second outlet in PLQ. The cafe and bar is located in PLQ3 on level 1 of Park Place Residences, so do not go around searching for it in the main shopping mall. The main draw for me is the alfresco dining space. The space is well-designed with counter and table seats, and there is some sort of lush greenery around despite being right beside the main road towards Geylang side. Even though it is sheltered alfresco dining, there is a cool morning breeze and the space is well-ventilated. I can imagine this being a popular space amongst cyclists, families with kids or pet goers.

The Food Dropped by for brunch and the brunch menu is a short one page selection, where you can choose to customise add-on sides to your choice.

I had the Eggs n Toast (S$10), adding on the Pork Chorizo (S$5). You get to choose the types of eggs, where I had the scrambled. The spread is also customisable, choose from vegemite, nutella, PB or preserves. A safe option from the menu which is hard to go wrong.

The other dish I had was the Cheesy Vegemite Toast Soldiers (S$14), which comes with buttered sourdough with melted cheese and duo poached eggs. I enjoyed the bread with vegemite and cheese, a refreshing change from the usual butter spread. The poached eggs are not exactly what I imagined it to be, as the texture is more similar to half-boiled eggs from local coffee chains.

Jimmy Monkey is well-known for its good coffee and the Flat White (S$5) I ordered boasts a smooth flavour.

Rants Service is definitely the weakest link here. Firstly, tap water which I requested at the start of the meal did not come at all. Secondly, the staff should have alerted diners from the start that there is no physical menu (via QR code). Thirdly, I always think it is basic service to inform diners of dishes which are sold out or unavailable for the day right at the onset. I requested for the roasted mushrooms while the staff took my order, and when my dish came, there was clearly no sight of the mushrooms. I immediately informed the staff that I ordered the mushrooms, and she then told me that the mushrooms are not available. Very reactive service attitude on the whole.

Will I Return Again? Frankly, there are not many cafes in Singapore with such a nice alfresco dining space. The service standard is a shame at Jimmy Monkey PLQ, unfortunately.

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

Jimmy Monkey
2 Paya Lebar Road
#01-10 Park Place Residences at PLQ
Singapore 409053

Opening Hours
Monday to Sunday: 8am to 10:30pm

Ranted by The Ranter