It was nearing Coco's birthday. I am not a Sanrio or any character fan usually but I thought it could be fun for the teenager to have her birthday at a themed cafe, so I suggested going to Pompompurin Cafe for her birthday celebration. For a second, I'd thought she might dismiss it as being 'childish' but she said yes readily.
For the uninitiated, like me, Pompompurin is a Sanrio character in the form of a golden retriever wearing a brown beret.
When I reached Level 4 of Orchard Central with William and Baby at 5pm on its opening day, I was quite surprised to see a snake of people making a beeline for the entrance even before dinner's time.
It was a one-hour wait before we reached the threshold of the cafe.
A peep into the cafe
When we settled down, one of the staff brought us a Pompompurin plush toy 'to take photo with'.
We cam-whored with the toy for at least 15 minutes just for fun of it!
And I must commend the patience of the staff.
Not once did they interrupt to ask if we were ready to place our order.
Baby's order: Puru Puru Pudding Shake at $12.99
It was a glass of broken-up pudding with some sweet drink.
Baby and I did not take to it at all. It was left two-third un-drunk.
Coco's Love Love Hot Marshmallow Latte at $12.99
I did not ask her but she seemed to love it.
My Cookies & Cream Caramel Latte at $11.99
It tasted like ... passable, iced cappuccino?
Before we could place our order for our main course, the serving crew informed us that their signature Taco Rice in a Cup of Friendship was finished for the day:
I had wanted to try this. A major disappointment there but could not be helped.
Baby and William shared Mushroom & Bacon Carbonara ($26.99).
It comes with a free Pompompurin mug when you make payment later.
A little funny episode ensued when William requested the staff to wash up the mug on the plate to bring home and the staff assured him a clean one would be given to him later.
Both Coco and her cousin had Pompompurin's Beef Stroganoff ($18.99).
Coco liked it but could not elaborate on the taste except telling me that "It was nice."
And mine's Pompompurin Coconut Milk Chicken Curry ($17.99).
It looked cute but the taste was at most passable.
I told the kids and William that we were not there to pay for the food but rather the ambiance and novelty.
Coco and her cousin had a pudding that went by 'I am Purin. Pompompurin' ($9.99).
They enjoyed it.
I tried it too and I have to say that was the only item that was the closest resemblance to some nice pudding.
We had to take a picture of our food and ourselves since I am not sure if we would ever be back!
I had called and checked that I could bring a cake in and the crew sang "Happy Birthday" song to Coco as the manager placed the cake on the table.'
We were pleasantly surprised!
And we had the must-have picture of every patron before leaving the cafe!
Verdict:
The presentation of the food was cute and novel but the tastes were nothing out of the ordinary. We did not expect spectacular food at cafes like this though so we were not disappointed. However, we enjoyed our dinner very much as the service was great. Being the first night of their business, the crew were quick on their feet and rather attentive and patience.
Will we be back? Not likely to be in a big group anymore since an ordinary meal for 4 adults and 1 child cost a whopping $165.85. But if you haven't been there, it will be fun to have a cosy meal there with a friend or someone close for novelty's sake.
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