Cafe Hopping - Paddy Hills

After seeing rave reviews of Paddy Hills on my social media feed, the Mum, the Younger Sister and I made the drive west to try out the place.

Even from afar, the shophouse housing the cafe exuded a hipster vibe, with kitschy colourful murals painted on the side wall.

Kitschy Murals

At the entrance to the cafe is a neon pink message, 'Rise and Grind', which I interpreted to mean that a cup of good coffee would help one get through the daily grind of life. But it is likely that I am reading too much into the message and these are just words thrown together at random, presented in a social-media friendly form.

Neon Greeting

The menu offered a myriad of interesting options and after perusing it for a while, I decided on The Maze, Mum got the Potato & Fish and the Sister got the Quesadillas. I also a cold pressed juice called Taste Like Purple.

Taste Like Purple

Taste Like Purple is made using cold pressed grapes, sweet basil and garnished with a dehydrated lemon slice and fresh blueberries. This was sweet, which I presume was due to the inherent sweetness of the dark grapes used. It tasted better once some of the ice melted and diluted the sweetness.

Quesadillas

Quesadillas featured pulled pork and homemade BBQ sauce between pressed tortillas. It came with a side of charred corn, roasted peppers, pickled shallot and cherries. I tried some and thought it tasted pretty decent.

The Maze

The Maze had lamb meatballs, cauliflower fritters, polenta chips, crumbled manchego and a sous vide egg laid atop a generous portion of creamy mash. This was a rich and hearty dish and I was stuffed by the time I was halfway through with it. This dish is more suitable for a strapping man with a hearty appetite than for a petite Asian lady like myself (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA).

Potato & Fish

Potato & Fish featured seared sea bass, fried egg, sauteed mushrooms and deconstructed bagna cauda atop pan-fried potato rosti in white cream sauce. Mum gave me a portion to try and I thought it was not too bad. The blurry photo of the dish is a result of Mum's superb photography skills.

To end the meal, we got a dessert called Lollies! to share and a cappuccino each.

Cappuccino

The cappuccinos were made from fresh-ground coffee and tasted great. 

Lollies!

Lollies! had a yuzu jello ice lolly and an earl grey lolly laid atop vanilla foam and drizzled with raspberry dust, crushed pistachios, sea salt caramel marcona almonds, fresh raspberries and edible yellow flower petals. The dish was visually stunning, but tasted so-so. The yuzu jello lolly had powdery sediments at the tip which I presume settled there during the freezing process and diluted icy crystals at the base. 

I would give an 'A' for the visual presentation of all the dishes and also for the warm and friendly service given. But taste-wise, nothing particularly wow-ed me even though the detailed descriptions on the menu promised much. If the owners/chefs worked on improving the taste of the dishes, this place can become a true gem in the local cafe scene.

Paddy Hills

Address: 38 South Buona Vista Road Singapore 118164
Phone: 6479 0800