My first time eating at November 8 was not my first time at November 8. We have made plans to visit this cafe twice, however, both times, our plans were being thwarted. The first time we went, the cafe was holding a private event, while we mistook its opening hours on Sundays on our second attempt.
On the week of November 8, I made a ridiculous request to the boy to come here on November 8, cause I thought it would be funny. He relented, and this time, we made sure that we were able to have our meal at the cafe. If it isn’t already obvious, November 8 is called November 8 because that’s their opening anniversary of their cafe, pretty much like how I call my Dog, Dog.
The Place
November 8 is located at Upper Thompson, one of the best places for cafehoppers to be at, due to the close proximity of the popular cafes, such as Habitat Coffee, Pacamara, Brownice, One Man Coffee, Salted Caramel… etc., just to name a handful. However, they are located within a building, known as Thompson V Two. Which is apparently a really weird ass building, with weird locations for their escalators, entrances and exits. On our first visit, I believe we spent 15 minutes on a wild goose chase, trying to look for this cafe, but ended up walking into the restrooms, lifts or running into dead ends.
November 8 is a rather spacious cafe, with a large table accommodating to big groups occupying the centre stage of the cafe, and a cosy corner at a little extension to the space, where a 2-seater sofa, and a couple of really low tables and straw chairs are placed. I thought that the lighting of the cafe was a little too dim for comfort and picture-taking purposes in the evening.
As it was full-house on that day (because everyone else has the same sense of humor as me), the place got really crowded and noisy, which spoils the entire ambience of the cafe. It was also quite stuffy as well, a common complaint amongst the patrons, even when the cafe is not too packed.
The Food
Menu can be obtained from their Facebook page: here
We ordered a November Egg ($18.50), Salmon Benedict ($16.50), Baked Portobello Mushrooms ($10), and a Rainbow Cake ($9).
We waited for 40 minutes before our food was served to us, and even though we asked them to serve the Rainbow cake after our meal, they served it to us 20 minutes into the wait for our mains. Not too sure if we didn’t get our message across clearly, or is it their idea to help them to buy some time. Nevertheless, we were ravenous, so we just started on our cake without any complaint, but with much confusion.
Rainbow Cake ($9): This was one of the better rainbow cakes we’ve had because the cream cheese frosting was mixed with oreo crumbs, which gave the otherwise bland cake more flavor. The cake was also pretty moist, and hey, it’s a pretty huge slice!
Baked portobello mushrooms ($10): I don’t think this is worth $10. Baked portobello mushrooms with cheese and probably, a slice of bacon, cut divided into thirds. Not an outstanding dish, and even though it looked really cheesy, the taste of the cheese was somehow absent.
Salmon Benedict ($16.50): Your usual smoked salmon served atop of a brioche toast, with poached eggs. No wow factor, just a regular dish!
I thought this was a pretty good edit of the picture because the lighting sucked, so I might as well make use of it and make it into a more artistic photo. Hahaha!
November 8 ($18): this dish consisted of a brioche toast, with an avocado spread, served with runny scrambled eggs. It also served up smoked salmon, ham, tomato and a portobello mushroom, together with a side salad. A pretty filling dish, but I would say the standards of the food here at November 8 might just be mediocre.Since it’s November 8, the cafe had a pleasant surprise for its patrons by giving out a free rainbow cupcake to each table! I thought this was one of the worst cupcakes I’ve had, to be honest, because the cupcake was way too dry and the combination of the frosting with it just made the cupcake taste really artificial!
Closing Remarks
November 8 serves a rather regular breakfast fare, just like any other cafes around. What makes them stand out from the rest, is probably its rosti and waffles served with scrambled eggs and salad. It’s kinda, same same but different. Nothing too outstanding from this cafe. I would suggest for you to come here only if you’re craving for a brunch fix really late at night, as they are opened till 11.00pm from Sunday to Thursday, and till 12mn on Friday and Saturday. I believe they’ve revised their opening hours, and the one on burpple and other platforms do not reflect this, which caused us a wasted trip previously.
How to get there?
11, Sin Ming Road, #01-30 Thomson V two S(575629), Singapore 575629
Opening Hours
Mon: 12:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Wed – Thu: 12:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Fri – Sat: 12:00 pm – 12:00 am
Sun: 12:00 pm – 11:00 pm
No GST and Service Charge!
[…] at: A for Arbite: 66A Serangoon Garden Way The Quarters: 16 Enggor Street, Singapore 079717 November 8: 11 Sin Ming Road, Singapore […]