Sarnies is an authentic Australian café in the heart of the CBD. It sits in a converted shop house along Telok Ayer Street – a hot spot for several other cafés and restaurants.
Ambience, Service and the Staff
The restaurant is in the ground level of a restored shop house. Sarnies is gritty and hip with a large mural on the wall, an exposed ceiling and barebones furniture. The restaurant offers an alfresco area outside which is very pleasant on a cool evening. The interior is air-conditioned.
I’ve been to Sarnies a few times, and have eaten both brunch and dinner here. On my more recent trip, I had booked my dinner reservation at 7:00pm through Chope.
There was a table inside reserved with my name on it. This is a typical café table that is small and low. There is something very authentic about it’s feel. It’s not fancy, and very down to earth.
I was immediately seated. The staff were very friendly and took the time to explain what the dishes on offer were. They took our orders quickly and the food came out quickly too.
The Food
Sarnies has a fairly sparse menu which is a good indication that it is a restaurant that does a few things very well.
We were a party of two and ordered the Roadkill Chicken, the Ribeye Steak, Truffle Fries, and Spinach as our mains, and iced water and Asahi Black for our drinks.
Food came out quickly – in about 10 minutes from when we placed our order. The truffle fries came out first. The mains followed about 5 minutes later.
Portions are generous. The Roadkill Chicken is a sous-vide preparation which is then grilled and coated with a blend of spices and mustard. It is juicy and tender with a zesty flavour, without being hot.
The grass fed ribeye is a similar sous-vide preparation served with truffle jus. The steak is served medium rare and remains juicy.
Both mains were perfectly complemented by the truffle fries which were ample.
The Price Point
We spent approximately just under $90 for two people. Considering that alcohol was part of this order, this a reasonable amount for the location and quality of food.
The Final Verdict
Sarnies is a down-to-earth, authentic, Australian style café that serves some great food at a decent price. It’s a great place to meet up with both small and large groups of friends after a long day at work, or on the weekend. Definitely worth trying out, and going back to.
Address: 136 Telok Ayer St, Singapore 068601.
Website: http://sarniescafe.com/
