I’ve always had trouble finding good and affordable food in malls. That’s why when I chanced upon d’Good Café, I was relieved that I finally had a go-to place for when I’m feeling peckish after some retail therapy.

Decked in very British-esque deco, you’d immediately forget that you’re dining in a mall.

There are several interesting things about d’Good Café. One of which is that it does not only serve as a restaurant, but also an academy for those of you looking to be a coffee expert. Upon graduation, an international certification will be awarded.

I know that coffee is “all the rage” right now in Singapore, but there’s also an art to learning about tea. And you can do that right here at d’Good Café.

When we were done taking a tour around the café, we were itching to try out some of their teas and cold brew coffees.

Feeling a little adventurous, we tried a bottle of the D’Unknown ($7.50), which is cold brewed coffee, fresh Hokkaido milk and a secret surprise ingredient. Every once in a while, the secret ingredient changes. This time, it was something with a local flavour that I absolutely loved. I’m not telling you what it is, if you want to find out, try it out for yourself!

We had another surprise with the next drink, the Hot Chocolate Surprise ($7.50). Remember when your parents would tell you not to play with your food? Well, this does not apply here. Pour the hot chocolate over the chocolate ball and you’ll find a surprise for you once it melts. Once again, try it yourself to find out!

Here’s something with less surprise but with more “magic”. The Spiral Galaxy ($15) is a tea-based mocktail with glitter in the drink. Yes, glitter.

You pour the two “magical potions” one-by-one into the drink and watch as it changes colour and swirls! I definitely felt like a kid again. The green tea had hints of grape flavour that also tasted amazing. My favourite drink among the lot.

For starters, we had the Buttermilk Fried Chicken Wings ($8 for 4pcs/$14 for 8 pcs). And as I always say, how can you ever go wrong with fried chicken? These are definitely chicken wings done right with its crunchy and flavourful skin.

As for the mains, we tried one of d’Good’s signature LING Cod Fish and Chips ($22). I would definitely say that the fish fillet was nicely battered and fried, but in my opinion, I thought that it was a little overcooked. But it still tasted pretty good. And served with thick cut fries as well as malt vinegar and tartar sauce on the side, it kind of feels like I’m in London again.

For you health conscious ones out there, I think the Fresh Norwegian Salmon Grenbloise ($16) would be a good choice. I liked how the salmon had a nice crispy skin, but again I thought that it was a little overcooked. Maybe it’s just because I like my fish soft without the “chewy” texture. But with the delicious lemon caper sauce, this dish still got one thumbs up from me.

If you’re on a ravenous hunt for meat, the Slow Braised Cider Pork Cheek ($16) surely will not disappoint. And as the name of this dish suggests, the oh-so-tender pork cheek is cooked for several hours in cider. I initially thought that this would taste pretty weird but mmmm… it was amazing. The dish comes with a side of buttery cabbage that was just so good.

My absolute favourite dish of the night was the Poached Fresh Lobster Pasta ($26 for half lobster/$48 for full). You get to take your pick of pasta – Linguine, Capellini or Spaghettoni. I went for the classic Spaghettoni. The Boston lobster used in this dish was so fresh and juicy. The pasta sauce was cooked with a crustacean stock base that was bursting with seafood flavours. I absolutely cannot get enough. This dish is pretty pricey, but it’s definitely worth the price, I must say.

For dessert, we were recommended the d’Good Maple Sea Salt Cheesecake ($9 per slice). It’s “a precious gift from heaven” as the fine people here would say as the idea for this cake’s recipe came to founder and owner, Mike Chin, after heading to a prayer mountain in Korea to seek clarity. And true enough, just one bite of this cake will make you feel like you’re in heaven. It was so good, I even had another piece to bring home.

Is there ever such thing as “not enough room for dessert”? We saw the Apple Crumble Deutsch Skillet Pancakes ($12) and were smitten. I’ve never had such smooth and eggy pancakes in my life. But I personally wasn’t a big fan of the red apples used in this dish, instead of green apples in typical apple crumble dishes. The cinnamon sauce was still pretty yummy though.

We ate till pretty late and if we had the time, we would’ve wanted to try the Durian and Coconut Deutsch Skillet Pancakes ($13). It looked amazing and just sounds so good!

To settle our tummies after this feast, we had the Crème Brulee tea which did in fact give off a nice vanilla and caramel hint. I was told that the teas here contain no artificial flavouring and only natural herbs, fruits and other types of teas are specially blended by a tea master in Australia.

d’Good has stepped up its game and is joining the worldwide tea fad, while most Singaporean cafés are still stuck in the coffee craze. Apart from the teas available on the menu, you can experience a tea appreciation session with d’Good’s in house tea sommelier who will hand-pick teas for you.

This is only available by appointment, so make sure you call in and make your reservations. Two types of tea over 20 minutes will set you back to a reasonable $25 per person. But if you want a wholesome experience, you can get four teas over 40 minutes for just $40 per person. I definitely think that this is worth trying. I’ve never learnt so much about tea in my life till that day.

Every tea appreciation session may be different. As it was pretty late at night, we opted for teas that had no caffeine such as the Silver Needle Tea and the Wild Organic Sheng Pu Er. It was truly an educational experience for me, learning so much about teas.

d'Good Cafe

391 Orchard Road,

#B1-56, Takashimaya S.C.,

Ngee Ann City, 238872

#cafesinorchard #orchardroad #ngeeanncity #takashimaya