Review: Layup Cafe

This cafe should be renamed Laydown cafe. As after eating at Layup, you will enter a food coma so big that you need to lay down.

2 friends, Miss C and Miss A, and I ventured out to this cafe, one early (and very cold) morning for Miss C's 22nd birthday! (cue Taylor Swift's 22 song). Despite being the one that lives the closest to the cafe, I was running my standard 10 minutes behind. But luckily for me, and as a bonus, there's plenty of free residential parking close by! As I rushed in, I loved how spacious and airy it was with its simple decor and displays of greenery, giving a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.

Okay, now let's get down to the important stuff. The food!

I ordered the guacamole pico de gallo with slow cooked eggs, charred sourdough, smoked corn and jalapeno custard($20). After seeing this dish pop up numerous times on my Instagram, I was keen to try it. But because of how advertised this dish was, I may have gone in with my expectations too high as I did find the dish kind of average. It didn't wow me. On the positive size, the eggs were perfectly cooked, satisfyingly oozing out when opened. But I found the jalapeno custard quite mild and I think the ratios of components were not as balanced as they could have been or as I have seen in previous Instagram pics. I could have done with a little less tomato in the pico de gallo as the dish tasted more like bruschetta and a little more guacamole and corn, which could have been charred more. I may have chosen the wrong dish for the morning as I think it could be great for a warm summer morning as it is refreshing and light. 

Guacamole pico de gallo with slow cooked egg, charred sourdough, smoked corn and jalapeno custard

One of the reasons why we picked this cafe is as Miss A is gluten intolerant, and this cafe offers many gluten free dishes and options. She opted for the baked prosciutto with herbed potato hash, manchego, poached egg ($19) with added spinach ($4). She found her dish a bit too heavy with the cheese, and was only able to eat half. Miss A is my chai expert. She was a bit disappointed as they used a chai syrup rather than loose tea leaves as it releases less tannins? (Sorry, I was only half listening as I was still busy perusing the menu but I can follow up on this, if anyone is interested). However, Miss C ordered a bagel with a fried egg, avocado and bacon. She absolutely loved it, demolishing the generous portion.

Baked Prosciutto with Herbed Potato Hash, Manchego and Poached Egg

Bagel with Fried Egg, Avocado and Bacon

One of the best things about the food were the generous portions! Hence, we inevitably were left in food comas and so we continued to sit around and talk. The staff were absolutely in accommodating in refilling our water glasses and taking photos of us. Furthermore split billing is offered! On a side note, I do love their tableware with tiffany blue teapots and cups and the different plates our meals were delivered on.

In summary, I had an enjoyable morning at the cafe and I would return back to try some of the other options that people have said I might enjoy more. Plus, those donuts I spied in the cabinet looked pretty tasty!

Love always, 

Sammy K