Frankie & Ferns has been on my list for months and I finally found the opportunity to visit. Despite being touted as a “hidden” café in Holland Village, it was seemingly easy to locate, with a signboard being placed right outside Holland Village MRT station’s Exit C. Take the lift of Holland Village Shopping Centre up to the 4th floor and it will be just on the left.
The café was bright and airy, with ample sunlight streaming in and illuminating the Scandinavian-inspired interior. I loved the attention to small details such as the addition of plants and small flowers to each table.
With brunch, lunch and dinner menus, the café serves as an all-day dining destination, versatile to your different occasions. For me, I went for a slow and relaxed breakfast with a book in hand, as part of my self-care day. However, do note that there is a 90-minute dining limit on weekends and public holidays due to the crowd and reservations are highly recommended.
I started with a Latte ($5.50) which was just so so, so I will recommend to try other drinks instead.
From the breakfast/brunch menu, I ordered one of the recommended items, the Roasted Short Rib Toast ($23), beautifully topped with provolone, Russian dressing, chimichurri and chilli-pickled cucumber. The short ribs are brined for a day, sous vide overnight and finished in the Josper oven, resulting in a tender texture, though I wished the cut could be leaner and less fatty. The sourdough was chewy with a crisp crust, and surprisingly very addictive with chimichurri as a spread.
The portion of the short rib toast was fairly small so I also got the more substantial Frankie’s Breakfast ($28) that came with scrambled eggs, wilted kale with crumbled feta, thick-cut bacon, pork fennel sausage, rosemary-pickled soy tomatoes, roasted portobello and toasted sourdough. The highlight was the scrambled eggs, being smooth and creamy, while the pickled tomatoes had an interesting sweet-sour juicy flesh.
I had a lovely experience since I stayed and left before the crowd started to fill the place with conversations. It felt like I was transported back to a Scandinavian café where I could indulge in a blank space on my schedule – just focusing on the present moment.
211 Holland Ave, #04-03 Holland Road Shopping Centre, Singapore 278967
Mon – Thur 9.30am to 5pm, closed Tuesday
Fri 9.30am to 9.30pm
Sat – Sun 9am to 9.30pm
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