The Lokal at Neil Road

The Lokal is the latest addition to the cafe scene in the Cantonment / Everton Park area. With a strong track record at its sister cafe - Sarnies at Telok Ayer Street - The Lokal is set to be the next big hit among the cafe-hopping enthusiasts.

The Lokal is situated in the shophouse at the corner of Neil Road and Bukit Pasoh. It is right next to Goethe-Institut Singapore, and near The Phantom Joker Escape. Perfect location for a cafe if you ask me - a healthy distance from the MRT station (Outram Park), a relatively quiet area plus there are many pretty historical architecture in the neighbourhood (the famous Dong Ya building which now houses Potato Head Folk is just a stone's throw away).

At The Lokal, breakfast is served from 8am to 1130am which lunch is served from 1130am to 3pm. The Lokal lunch menu consists of 4 sandwiches, 1 salad and 2 main courses. The Lokal prides themselves in offering comfort food that is made lovingly from scratch. Even the tiniest detail like butter and pickles are made by the chef from fresh ingredients.  Now, this is what we call passion and sincerity and we would definitely love to see more of these in the (almost saturated?) industry.

The Lokal uses coffee beans from their sister cafe, Sarnies. The coffee is handcrafted using a cool, super slick custom-built Slayer expresso machine. Apart from coffee, The Lokal also serves craft beers and ciders, as well as a selection of tea and homemade smoothies.

Apart from what is stated on the menus, do look out for the daily specials, dessert selection and happy hour promotions that are scribbled on the huge blackboard right behind the counter.

The Grilled Chicken Panini ($15) was such a feast on our eyes when it arrived. Set on a huge grainy wooden board, the sandwich was bursting with colours and oozing avocado and grilled chicken. There was a generous serving of pure avocado in the sandwich, and it was a little overpowering for us. The grilled chicken was nicely marinated and the panini was crisp and chewy.

We wondered where was the smoked mackerel and concluded that they must have ran out of it hence the two chunks of orangey smoked salmon ($22). The salmon was hot-smoked over cherry woodchips right at The Lokal itself, and we certainly could taste the sincerity and passion put into it. We could also identify the thought put into the creamy potato salad, and the perfectly toasted pita. Such an amazing combo!

The toastie of the day was mushroom, sundried tomatoes with parmesan and pesto sauce ($14). This was da bomb for me - best combination ever for a toast! There were generous portions of nicely sauteed mushrooms, with savoury sundried tomatoes nestled in between. The mushrooms and tomatoes were held together by a lovely blend of pesto and melted parmesan. I could eat this everyday!

The latte at The Lokal was very much to my liking. It was smooth, creamy with a nutty aftertaste. There are options to upsize the coffee to medium (+$1) or large (+$2), and I would definitely go for a bigger portion the next time we visit.

We settled for the Pear and Almond Tart with Ice Cream ($12) for dessert. While the vanilla ice-cream and pastry was lip-smacking, the caramelised pear was a little tough and bland. We felt that the price was also a tad steep for the size of the tart.

We certainly enjoyed the wholesome and hearty food at The Lokal, and the awesome laid-back atmosphere of the cafe. It is by far one of my favourite cafes, and I would definitely return to spend an indefinite amount of time lounging on one of the cushioned seats. Did I mention that they also have free wifi and electric sockets? And as if the level of awesomeness is not high enough, The Lokal will also be offering a dinner menu and extended dining hours come end July. Now, don't miss out.

SINGAPORE FOOD BLOG REVIEW BY KUMORY

☁☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

The Lokal

136 Neil Road Singapore

8am to 6pm (Mon to Fri, kitchen closes at 330pm)

10am to 4pm (Sat & Sun)