Steep: Simple Comfort Brunch Cafe at Bustling Dunlop St
Jalan Besar is chock full of cafes, and a new upstart that opened in the second quarter of this year is Steep, located along the fringes of Little India.
Just steps away from the Abdul Gafoor Mosque on the busy thoroughfare of Dunlop Street is this quiet respite, and I was surprised that there were only 2 other tables when we arrived just after 11:30 on a Sunday morning.
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As you push through the glass doors, you’ll find a standard shophouse (read: narrow) space, so there aren’t many seats available, but it also does mean that the floor area doesn’t feel too cramped, as is common with many other cafes of the same ilk.
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With plain white walls, light wood furniture and accents of black in the seats and coffee machine, Steep is decidedly a little bare, but it works for the simplicity of the brand.
Food wise, dishes here are pretty, well, simple, with comfort brunch fare like the Steep Breakfast (S$17), which is essentially their version of a big breakfast plate, and the French Toast (S$17). You’ll find pasta dishes here too, as well as pastries and sides like Butter Croissants (S$3.50) and Truffle Fries (S$10).
We had the Mushroom Toast (S$12), with a slice of sourdough topped with melted edam cheese, mushrooms, tomato relish and a poached egg. The flavours were dependably good, and the dish was fine enough but nothing to particularly shout about.
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For pastas, I had the Crab Linguine (S$17) which was, to their credit, done well. Served with a decent portion of crab meat, the creamy pink sauce was delightful, and the zest of lemon in the dish refreshing on the palette.
Drinks wise, you’ll find all the usual suspects, and a cup of hot white at 7oz goes for S$5.50.
The Iced Matcha Latte (S$6.50) was good as well.
In a city absolutely saturated with cafes, Steep might get a little lost in the mix for not offering anything incredibly special, but if you’re looking for a simple cafe that will satisfy your brunch cravings, Steep does the job fine.
In essence, it feels like a reliable neighbourhood cafe mostly set up to serve those in the area rather than a buzzing must visit coffeehouse that will shake up the scene and be splashed all over your social media feeds.
And that’s perfectly fine.
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WHERE | 32 DUNLOP ST, #01-01, SINGAPORE 209360
