Eden is a bright and modern cafe that serves up a mix of local fare as well as some contemporary twists on cafe favourites in the shadows of the Cloud Pagoda at Chinese Garden.
The Eden cafe is located at Pagoda Plaza in a standalone building. With large glass windows and plants decorating the outside, the cafe looks modern and inviting. It has both outdoor and indoor seating.
We paid it a visit and made our way inside to the air-conditioned area.
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The interior features a mix of low table seating and high counter seating. The large windows let in the views from the outside. On onside is the expanse of the Pagoda Plaza while the other side is the view of the narrow stretch of water that separates the island that Chinese Garden is built on from the shore.
Ordering from the counter where a glass display of cakes tempt the eyes.
Menu at Eden, Chinese Garden, Jurong Lake Gardens
The menu at Eden is a mix of local breakfast favourites like kaya toast and Nyonya Mee Siam, along with favourites like Peranakan Laksa and Mom’s Chicken Porridge.
It also serves up all day brunch items including Creamy Avocado & Buttermilk Fried Cod Fish Pasta, Meatball Pasta, Curry Creamy Pasta and a Rendang Burger.
Food at Eden, Chinese Garden
We arrived mid morning at Eden and were ready to fuel up with some food.
With a decent sized party, we all decided to try out different menu items at the Eden cafe.
Thankfully, the food and drinks menu available at Eden had a sufficiently wide selection of options to cater to what everyone wanted.
We ordered the kaya toast. This arrived shortly and featured decently thick bread that had been nicely toasted to a brown exterior. In between the two pieces of bread was a generous layer of green kaya. A thick slab of creamy yellow butter added a touch of decadence to the plate of kaya toast. Soft boiled eggs are also available but we did not order them.
In terms of beverages, a variety of local drinks are available. To accompany the local toast, you can get traditional black coffee Kopi O or the usual condensed milk sweetened Kopi, or the Kopi C with evaporated milk.
In addition, if your preference is for western style coffee, there is also the options of espresso, black, white, mocha and lattes with vanilla and caramel variations.
Local Delights: Curry Chicken, Nasi Lemak and More
For the more ravenous of us, we ordered some of the more substantial menu items.
The Grandma’s Signature Nyonya Curry Chicken with Mantou based on a family recipe. It feature slow cooked chicken in rich nyonya curry.
Perhaps what distinguishes are the fried mantous that come with the bowl of curry chicken. There are five of these fried mantous that accompany the curry chicken and they make a nice accompaniment that can be dipped into and soak up the rich curry.
Another dish that we tried was the Eden Nasi Lemak. This features coconut rice with sambal, anchovies, hard boiled eggs, peanuts, and a fried chicken wing. This combination provides comfort food vibes and at $8.90 for a plate, it was not too expensive for the cafe type setting.
We also had the Nyonya Mee Siam. This came in a bowl filled with tangy tamarind gravy. It has shredded chicken, a hard boiled egg along with fish cake and tofu puffs. It will appeal to those who enjoy sour and spicy flavours.
Brunch Items
For those who are looking for brunch items, Eden cafe has menu items to satisfy their palates too.
The Avocado Toast Delight ($16) features a creamy avocado spread on top of slices of sourdough toast. This was topped off with a poached egg and sauce. It is dressed with some salad and mushrooms too.
Another item that falls under the Local Delights section of the menu but we would personally classify as a brunch item is the Singaporean Har Cheong Gai Waffles ($22). This is a signature dish at Eden and features crisp shrimp paste fried chicken. This is presented on top of fluffy Belgian waffles. It comes drizzled with spiced maple syrup. We must say that the serving of Har Cheong Gai or shrimp paste fried chicken was quite generous. The dish was a satisfying combination of sweet, savoury and salty.
Enjoying a Meal at Eden Cafe Chinese Garden
Eden Chinese Garden is a serene and relaxing spot within the revamped section of Jurong Lake Gardens where you can take a pause from your explorations of the themed garden.
It provides an alternative to the other dining options at Jurong Lake Gardens such as Canopy Jurong Lake Gardens and Fusion Spoon.
Its location is also in proximity to the Chinese Garden MRT station and you can easily walk in to Eden Cafe from the MRT station.
There are several things that we appreciated about the Eden cafe.
Firstly, we appreciated that the cafe offers both local and western style food options. This meant that no matter what the preference or leaning of the party, there was something on the menu that everyone could order.
They even have an ice cream counter where you can pick up a sweet cool treat to enjoy while you are exploring Jurong Lake Gardens.
Secondly, we appreciated how there was both outdoor and indoor seating available at Eden cafe. This provided the option of either escaping the heat on a hot day where air conditioning is appreciated, or the choice of sitting outside to enjoy the fresh air. The outdoor seating area is also shaded. Even when choosing to sit inside, the large windows make you feel connected to the outdoors.
The third thing that we appreciated about Eden cafe at Jurong Lake Gardens is its location. It can be easily reached from Chinese Garden MRT station. On the other hand, it is a bit of walk from the closest Jurong Lake Gardens car park.
Eden Cafe
Where: 70B Yuan Ching Road 01-04, S619629, Jurong Lake Garden, beside the Cloud Pagoda tower.
Operating Hours: Sunday to Thursday: 8 am to 8 pm; Eve of Public Holidays, Friday to Saturday: 8 am to 9 pm.
Website: Eden Cafe
