Moonchild: Stylish Jalan Besar cafe brings more of the same, but comforting, brunch vibes
Sitting at the edge of Jalan Besar, near Bendemeer MRT, is a new cafe that would grab the attention of any passer-by with its bustling crowds and outlandish animated floating signs, flashing with reds and blues and dangling from the ceiling on chains. Brunch lovers would have heard of this one: it’s the stylish Moonchild.
Opened by the same industry veterans behind Atlas Coffeehouse, Moonchild is part of a stable of popular brunch spots, including stalwarts such as Neptune, Apollo, and Supernova.
Besides the sharp floating signs that line the perimeter of the exterior, the sibling connection is apparent from the moment you’re brought in through the entrance as the new cafe bears some striking similarities to the other outlets just at first glance.
Similar to its siblings, chic minimalism is the main focus once again as the capacious space is built on a modish mixture of sleek industrial surfaces and rustic touches of wooden accents and clay tiles.
Al fresco dining here offers a touch more intimacy, set in a cosy nook with sparse seats, plenty of breeze, and a sleek centring communal table, crafted from granite and affixed with a sprouting tree.
Fittingly, the newest cafe from the group feels like a more refined and updated version of the group’s familiar aesthetics — Moonchild is more of the same, but slightly better.
While the Y2K aesthetic promised by its eye-catching signs turned out to be entirely disconnected from the rest of the decor with unfortunately wasted potential, the new concept overall still provides a perfectly laidback ambience for solo brunch dates or work-from-cafe sessions.
The classic Atlas Blueprint
Moonchild’s food, much like its decor, takes care not to deviate too much from the tried and tested. It follows the group’s patented style of comfort food injected with lovely Asian fusion influences — a safe dosage that’s enough to add excitement but refrains from convolution.
The perfect representation of that is the Potato Stack Smoked Salmon Poached Eggs ($21.90), a wonderful Eggs Benedict reimagination where crispy potato hashes are interchanged with the standard muffins.
There were no complaints as all the components came together perfectly: perfectly runny eggs, rich Hollandaise sauce, sharp caper vinaigrette, soft and silky smoked salmon, and the astoundingly crunchy base which broke apart into layers upon layers of airy potatoes.
Another dish that has garnered a slew of fanfare on social media is Moonchild’s Scallop Rose Mafaldine ($23.90) which is pretty decent for a cafe-style fusion pasta, doused in a creamy rose sauce.
This dish is pretty solid with similar casual outfits as a comparison — specifically the tragically pedestrian Tipo version. The base is comforting rich and creamy and complemented by the herbaceous kiss of basil oil, along with the faintest hint of gochujang spice.
Alas, the “aesthetic cafe premium” translates to a rather exorbitant price for slightly soggy and under-par pasta texture and rather mundane scallops that weren’t particularly luscious or well-seared.
With a price so uncomfortably close to that of proper artisan pasta bars, more enthusiastic aficionados would be aggrieved by the lack of finesse. To be fair, however, it does its job well for those brunches that call out for a plate of comforting and no-frills pasta.
Bakes can be also found in Moonchild’s display case but these are more standard bakes. For example, the Blueberry Lemon Vanilla ($6.80) was tangy and moist with a nice dense chew to it — not exactly artisan bakery standards but pretty solid.
There’s no doubt that the chic decor and Atlas pedigree are huge draws for most of the crowds mobbing the Jalan Besar hotspot currently — this will be a pleasant brunch experience if you count yourself amongst the group’s legion of loyal fans.
To me though, Moonchild was enjoyable but offers more of the same, merely with larger crowds — maybe don’t hastily plan for a special voyage down since the sibling concepts could probably indulge you all the same.
Moonchild
- Address: 351 Jln Besar, #01-01, Singapore 208988
- Hours: (Tues–Sat) 9am–10pm, (Sun) 9am–7pm