Breaking Bread, located at Marina South Pier, is like no other cafe in Singapore.
For one, it is the only cafe which is situated on the top deck of a genuine Mississippi Riverboat.
Secondly, one must make a deliberate effort to get there: unlike fashionable cafes and coffee places situated in the heartlands and busy town areas, Breaking Bread cannot rely on a steady flow of patrons from passerbys.
This means is that for the cafe to survive, it must offer something that people would want to drive all the way down to the Pier for, particularly on weekdays.
The menu offerings are wholesome and hearty, suitable for relaxing meals with friends and family. Take the First Fruit Kebab, which is available in either lamb or vegetarian options. I opted for the lamb, which was served with brown sauce and pita bread. The portions are generous, with sizeable chunks of lamb interspersed with onions and bell peppers. There was a very slight gamey odour, which marked it out as lamb, but it was not overwhelming and was actually rather agreeable.
Goliath's Satay lives up to its name - it is easily the largest, meatiest satay I've ever eaten. Served with little round loaves (a nod to the "pebbles" used by David to slay the giant Goliath), the chicken satay was tender to the bite, with a slightly smokey taste. The peanut sauce was decent, though I prefer my satay without it as the flavour is rich enough.
Another dish named after a famous personage is King Solomon's Stew (main picture). This rich chicken stew is packed with lots of tomatoes, dates and blackcurrants. The result: a unique sweet stew which makes excellent, unpretentious comfort food.
If all you want is a light snack to share with a friend, try the Five Loaves and Two Fishes (right). This dish, named after the miracle in which Jesus fed 5,000 people with only five loaves of bread and two small fishes, is a signature dish of Breaking Bread. The fish in question is pan-fried dory fillet, cut into chunks and served in two fish shaped dishes. The buns are baked together to form one huge loaf - so one has to literally "break bread" in order to eat this. A light, minty youghurt dip accompanies this dish.
The food at Breaking Bread is "fun food" - food that is meant to be shared, to be eaten with one's hands and fingers, to be enjoyed for how they taste rather than how they look. If you drive, enjoy dining al-fresco, and are looking for hearty, unpretentious food, this is one option to check out.
If all you want is a light snack to share with a friend, try the Five Loaves and Two Fishes (right). This dish, named after the miracle in which Jesus fed 5,000 people with only five loaves of bread and two small fishes, is a signature dish of Breaking Bread. The fish in question is pan-fried dory fillet, cut into chunks and served in two fish shaped dishes. The buns are baked together to form one huge loaf - so one has to literally "break bread" in order to eat this. A light, minty youghurt dip accompanies this dish.
