summertime happiness at Jap-inspired Cafe Natsu 🌞🌾

located at the heart of Joo Chiat, my east-side gals had been raving about Cafe Natsu for a good week before we finally headed down 😄 while we were fortunate to get a table 5 minutes after arriving (around 3pm), they currently do not accept reservations and the queues can get quite long so try to avoid peak timings! if you do need to queue however, there is a houseware store connected to the cafe's first floor where you can easily spend an hour browsing, as well as a hole-in-the-wall coffee bar in the back alley - the number of things to do in the east really never fails to surprise me 😮

📍 283 Joo Chiat Rd, Singapore 427537

⏰ 8.30pm - 5.30pm daily (Closed on Monday!)

💸 $20-25/ pax

⭐️ 8/10 - very nice but once is good enough! 😋

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HONEST VERDICT 🙏:

— FOOD 🥪

👍 their egg mayo sando ($18) is perhaps their most featured menu item on social media, and there is a GOOD reason why - the flavours mix in together really well and let you experience a whole ass party in your mouth 🎉 for us, the MVP was the yuzu mayonnaise sauce paired with the crunchy togarashi fries, they did a perfect job whetting our appetities before the main, and served as a worthy companion before and after the sando (9/10 dish)

👎 the sandos were too big too fit into our mouths in one bite, and required some minor fork-and-knife surgery before being allowed inside, which was a missed opportunity for the egg to burst in our mouths as devised by the chefs

👍 their smoked salmon ochazuke ($19) was a pleasure to our tastebuds as well, with the salmon being the highlight of the dish - the crunchy seaweed is a good accompaniment as well 🐠 (8/10 dish)

👎 the crunchiness of the salmon, seaweed and even the rice disappeared pretty fast due to them being immersed in the soy milk, so as enticing as it might be, try not to spend too long taking photos and jump right into this dish when it arrives for an optimal experience 🍽

— AMBIENCE ✨

the japanese inspired layout, furniture and general vibes of the cafe really stood out, some might say even more so that the food! “natsu” means summer in japanese, and the warm lighting and tropical decor rightfully create an environment perfect for your OOTDs and to bless your followers’ feeds 🤩

overall, you have to visit Cafe Natsu at least once to witness their aesthetic, we are strongly against gatekeeping this little slice of beauty 💫 that being said, most of their menu items lie on the pricier side 💰 we would definitely recommend going in a larger group and splitting a few mains to make the most of your experience!

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