Five & Dime Eatery @ 297 River Valley Road

“Good food, good drinks and good company.”

Inside the eatery.

Another view of the first level.

Remember to make a reservation. Especially on the weekends. They have three different seatings – 10AM, 12NN & 2PM for brunch.
I adored the reservation card. Very nice personal touch. It bumped my impression of the place up a notch.

The coveted weekend brunch menu of Five & Dime!

Matcha Latte ($6)
I’ve had my fair share of Matcha Lattes as I’ve mentioned in previous reviews. Five & Dime’s version failed to impress. There was too much Matcha power in it that made the drink too thick with a slight sandy texture. I do like the latte art though.

Ice Chocolate ($7)
My friend had this and mentioned that it was a tad too diluted. Price-wise, also seems kinda steep for a drink.

Big Brekkie ($22)
Scrambled Eggs, Crispy Bacon, Chicken Sausages, Baked Beans, Sauteed Mushrooms, Brioche
I remember reading a quote somewhere that said something like “Only in brunch, where people can be charged exorbitant prices & they are okay with it.” I can’t help but agree at times.
Apart from the price, my friend had this dish & he thought it was good. Hey, you can’t go wrong with a simple big brekkie.

Eggs Benny ($18)
Poached Eggs, Wagyu Beef Slices, Mesclun Greens, Brioche, Breakfast Potatoes, Fruit Salad
This was pretty good as well. One of the better Eggs Benny I’ve had. Love the inclusion of Wagyu Beef, probably the first for an Eggs Benny. Poached Eggs were perfect.

Mentaiko Pasta ($18)
Spaghetti, Cod Fish Roe, Creamy Mentaiko
My friend & I were sort of having a 3-course type of meal. We basically ordered two mains each & a dessert. (That’s the madness you get when you go cafehopping with me. I have almost no limits.)
By the time we got to our “second” main course, we were already pretty full. However, this was extremely delicious to the point that we MADE room for it.
I can’t describe how divine this pasta is, you need to try it out for yourself. Highly highly recommended.

Braised Pork Belly Sandwich ($18)
Black Berkshire Pork slow-cooked for 6 hours, Ciabatta, Sweet Potato Fries
This was another dish that caught my eye while I was perusing the menu before heading to Five & Dime. Being the typical “local” that I am, I basically “reserved” one of this before my visit. (Hey, the menu stated “Limited Portions Available”, I was trying to avoid disappointment.)

A closer look at the juicy slow-cooked pork.
This was pretty great as well. Lovely juicy black pork belly. The ciabatta was nicely soaked in the braised juices. The sweet potato fries were good as well. Another dish to try at Five & Dime.

Golden Custard Lava Cake ($12)
Molten Chocolate Lava Cake, Salted Egg Yolk Custard Center
Don’t let this small bundle of joy fool you with its size.

Only by cutting it open, will the amazing goodness reveal itself.
This was way way way too fantastic. I love salted egg custard & they managed to fuse it with a lava cake really well. It actually tasted more like chocolate rather than salted egg, which made it oh-so-delicious & oh-damn-this-is-horrible-for-my-waistline. Awesome presentation being served in a bamboo steamer as well. (My friend wasn’t a fan of salted egg & no matter how much I forced him to try it, he wouldn’t. That is what you call a crazy person.)
And oh… LIMITED PORTIONS again. Do remember to get this. A definite must-try!

Spiced Eton Mess ($12)
If you have no idea what Eton Mess is, it’s a traditional English dessert consisting of a mixture of strawberries, pieces of meringue, and cream. It’s a literal mess of delicious yet sweet. You’ll probably also make a mess after eating this.
This was one of the daily specials that day. I made a deal with my friend as I wanted to order their Red Velvet cake as well. Of course, we were totally stuffed by this point & so I said “If the cake is made in-house, it’s a go. If it’s from suppliers, you’re in luck.”
Unfortunately, I was told by the staff that their cakes were from suppliers, hence we just stuck with the Eton Mess instead.
I loved everything about the Spice Eton Mess. The combination of everything worked very well together to create this awesome dessert. The only thing that killed me was that I was too full to finish this & it ended up too much of a “mess” to be packed for takeaway. (Oh the agonies of a cafehopper.)

This way to Five & Dime. Free parking at the back if you’re driving there!