The concept of The Providore is rather intriguing to me. The way that it was situated at the basement of Tanjong Pagar‘s OUE Downtown, coupled with the contrast of its garden theme decors against the concrete jungle that is the Central Business District, made it feel like an exclusive refuge from the stressful working environment; A new Babylon, perhaps.
No All-Day Breakfast?
I was honestly really disappointed that The Providore didn’t serve an all-day breakfast. Yes, for anyone that was hyping themselves up for their Breakfast Platter, do note that breakfast is only served until 11:30am. Similarly, mains and sandwiches are only available after 11:30am. Petition for all-day breakfasts, anyone? Anyway, we settled for the Steak Sandwich and Smoked Salmon Bagel.
Visually, the Woodbridge Smoked Salmon Bagel (S$17.5) won by a mile. It was an open-faced sandwich concept and it was topped with a dill and shallot salsa that shared the same vibrant notes of pico de gallo. The addition of watercress enhances the salsa with a stroke of spiciness. It was an enhanced version of the classic pickled onions, capers and tomato slices. A decent bagel, but nothing much to scream about.
On the other hand, the Steak Sandwich (S$24.5) was like the middle child, a disappointment. It only hit me when I saw the sandwich, that the waiter never asked me how well I wanted my steak to be. The ribeye they served was well done- not excellent, I meant overcooked- and was insanely chewy. It didn’t help that it was underseasoned as well. The saving grace of the dish was honestly the ciabatta that had nice pockets of air with a lightly crisped up crust. To further illustrate how bad the steak sandwich was, let’s just say I was more delighted by the salad on the side. It was fresh and nicely seasoned.
Coffee
It’s a little unfair of me to say that the coffee at The Providore was bad. It’s catered to the masses like the roasts at Starbucks and Coffee Bean does. Straightforward, generic tasting, it’s really just a cup of coffee. Don’t expect any prominent tasting notes (or actually, any tasting notes at all). If you’re a pretentious coffee connoisseur like I am who spends S$10 for a cup of filtered coffee at Narrative Coffee bar or S$7 for a bottle of Cold Brew at Chye Seng Huat Hardware, you’re better off somewhere. And fortunately for you, The Providore is located at the heart of Tanjong Pagar. Here’s a list of cafes you can consider for your daily dose of caffeine in the area.
Verdict
Despite its enchanting atmosphere, this place is a no from me at the moment. The Steak Sandwich was simply traumatizing and the coffee and Smoked Salmon Bagel did little to salvage the experience. I would, however, return for their breakfast menu. So we’ll see how from then.
Location: 6A Shenton WayOUE Downtown Gallery #B1-07
Singapore 068815
Tel: +65 6221 7056
Opening hours: 8am- 10:30pm (Mon – Fri); 9am – 6pm (Sat- Sun)
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