The development of Seletar Aerospace Park has forced the moving out of Sunset Grill and Bar to the nearby yet more accessible JalanKayu and this has no doubt left many diners disappointed; no longer would they be able to have small aircraft landing next to them, drowning their voices with booming engines.
Good news for those diners - the experience can now be replicated with the opening of Soek Seng 1954 Bicycle Cafe which, according to my memory, is somewhere near the old location of Seletar Aerospace Park!
That vintage atmosphere was inevitable right from the start although it was the car that caught our attention. By the way, the red and yellow car plate with white letters falls under the "classic car" category with an age of at least 35 years old.
Owner should be a serious bicycle enthusiast and the increasing popularity of cycling on the roads must have given rise to this bicycle cafe concept.
Look - there's even a water point for tired and parched cyclists with air pump for the tires! I was initially wondering why the operator didn't bother giving out cups until i realised any seasoned cyclist would along their bottle of H2O!
Seletar Airport just right across the fence!
Air conditioned interior - a dazzling display of beautiful bikes on the walls that would make any cyclist drool. Okay, maybe not everyone but i am sure i drool a bit.
I love this painting!
Stupid me thought these were skeletons of birds' beak and it was very much later that it dawned on me that they were bicycle seats. Gosh, i am quite appalled by this episode of stupidity.
Let's stop wasting time and start with food, which was my main focus as i am not one to go crazy about purposely-built themed cafes which be easily had with money and a good interior designer.
Lemon Grass Drink
On that bloody hot day that i visited, this was a godsend and an immediate thirst quencher! This should be quite easy to make and with me living on my own now, i should really find out the "recipe" for this refreshing beverage!
Fish and Chips
Alex's order and one he would remember for life; simply because he didn't like it and as he has always proclaimed, he is the fish and chips guru. Well, the Gang of Four always has their reservation on his self-proclamation.
For me, it tasted more like those deep fried fish fillet found at nasi lemak stalls; albeit chunkier and in my opinion inferred a certain level of satisfaction.
Gyu Don
My taste buds were tingling with excitement given my absolute love for gyu don, especially the pretty good one from Waa Cow at NUS!
The moment the wooden lid was removed, i had that flashing thought that this would not be the kind of gyu don i expected; the slices of beef were too similar to the ones i had at Singapore's Yoshinoya; overcooked and chewy.
I was right on my presumption even though there were more; the marination was lacking making the meat even less palatable. The sauce used to drench the rice wasn't our typical sweet sauce, with a taste alike to oyako don.
It would not be a problem for me to finish my rice at Megumi Japanese restaurant but i literally left the above portion untouched as i didn't see the need to increase my calorie count for a lackluster meal. To be fair, the gyu don might not be the chef's signature dishes and at only S$6.60 (or S$6 during lunch), it's a steal compared to the S$15 i forked out at Megumi.
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Location
80 Seletar Aerospace View
Map
As above (red star)
Opening / Closing Hours
Mondays - Closed
Tuesdays to Thursdays - 10am to 10pm
Fridays to Saturdays - 10am to 11pm
Sundays - 10am to 10pm
(Kitchen is closed daily from 3pm to 5pm)
Website
Menu
As above
Price
Lemon Grass Drink - S$3.20
Fish and Chips - S$10.80
Gyu Don - S$6.00
(No GST and No Service Charge)
Additional Information
Those who drive just need to note the General Aviation Centre as above with the MAJ logo. The directions to the cafe weren't clear and i almost missed the turn into the small road leading to the building where the cafe is housed.
Parking space is limited before 6pm on weekdays!