What are you supposed to do with a three star review? Does it mean you should go, or you shouldn’t? Is it just us hedging our bets? Are we not willing to take the plunge and make a real commitment? In the case of sandwich bar Sarnies (kudos on the plain and simple name) it simply means a middling experience: Great food, cute space, but marred by problems that we’d call teething if they hadn’t been open several months already. The grub we grabbed to go was genuinely good. A juicy Aussie steak sarnie ($15.50) on rye (an extra $1.50, which does feel a bit rich), stuffed to the brim and dripping with mushrooms and onions. Then a perfectly seasoned chicken sanger (if they’re looking for names for other outlets) packed with guacamole and bacon ($13.90). Coffee, prepared on the Synesso, was great; so too the fresh orange juice ($5). What about the tomato and bean soup ($9.90)? Can’t tell you. They’d sold out; only they didn’t realize it until they’d already charged our card. And while we’ll readily forgive little snafus like that (when they realized a good five minutes later that they were out, they did give us a cash refund), subsequently being charged $4 for an espresso, when the board clearly said $3, and insisting it was us who was wrong, suggests a disappointing degree of disorganization. It’s a shame, because it really could be a stellar spot. Staff are super friendly, ingredients are fresh and, while they could do with some more reading materials, we can well imagine ducking in here for an afternoon. But they need to tighten the ship up first.
For the coolest places to get a hot cup of coffee, check out the best spots for specialty coffee in Singapore
