5/5 IAmThatIAm 10 months ago on Google • 42 reviews
I
ABSOLUTELY
love
this
place.i
call
it
one
of
my
happy
places.
So
back
in
May
my
mom
and
I
found
it
by
accident,
looking
for
plants,
Vanda
with
its
gorgeous
garden-scape
ambiance,
looked
like
it
was
part
of
the
garden
store
next
to
it.
The
curb
appeal
has
a
Secret
Garden
vibe
to
it
which
makes
you
want
to
enter
and
explore.
After
over
an
hour
of
plant
shopping
and
while
our
purchases
were
being
loaded
in
our
car,
we
decided
to
get
something
to
eat
at
Vanda.
We
learned
they
were
NOT
officially
open
yet
save
for
the
coffee
brewery
&
pastry.
Per
their
recommendation
we
got
their
signature
frappe
&
a
slice
of
blueberry
cheesecake.
Frappes
&
cheesecakes
are
NOT
typically
something
we
order.
They
tend
to
be
too
sweet
and
on
a
blistering,
extremely
humid
day,
sweet
is
never
refreshing.
Much
to
our
happy
surprise
both
were
sweetened
to
perfection.
We
were
refreshed
&
satiated.
I
was
quite
astonished
at
the
plating
of
our
cheesecake
--
a
gorgeously
patterned,
unusually
shaped
plate
garnished
with
a
sprig
and
flower
of
Blue
Ternate
(edible,
good
for
brain
health,
beneficial
for
skin
and
hair
and
yes,
we
ate
ours!).
My
curiosity
was
extremely
piqued
my
curiosity:
"Who
are
these
folks
who
have
hit
the
trifecta
of
ambiance,
quality
food
AND
attention
to
detail
in
plating??!".
Let
me
introduce:
Kate
and
Bob.
Kate
has
years
of
training
and
working
in
the
highly
meticulous,
perfectionist
market
of
Singaporean
dining.
She
was
so
good
at
it
that
she
had
several
offers
(pirated)
to
move
to
different
parts
of
North
America
but
instead,
she
felt,
"Hell
now,
I'm
running
my
own
show
when
I
am
ready
to
go
back
home!"
And
boy,
is
she
ready.
It
was
her
ideas
which
created
the
way
Vanda
looks
&
feels.
Singapore
in
Silang.
Meanwhile,
Bob,
her
first
cousin,
had
a
coffee
brewery
so
successful
that
it
expanded
to
three
locations
(these
became
pandemic
economic
casualties).
Having
tasted
his
signature
frappe
I
can
attest
to
the
formula.
My
mother
&
I,
btw,
were
the
first
customers
bec,
as
mentioned,
they
were
NOT
quite
open
yet...if
the
quality
is
already
this
excellent
BEFORE
the
grand
opening,
this
will
be
something
else
when
they
are!
A
couple
of
days
ago
my
mom
&
I
happily
returned
here
(yes,
garden
supply
shopping
once
more)
to
have
our
coffee
&
cheesecake
(after
seeing
the
Torralba's
garden
next
door).
Not
only
did
we
enjoy
our
coffee
&
cheesecake
but
our
conversation
with
Kate
was
lively,
intelligent,
heartwarming
and
inspiring.
Vanda
is
her
heart
and
soul
and
she
brings
her
A-game
in
how
she
runs
the
place,
how
she
shares
her
knowledge
with
her
staff,
and
her
commitment
that
her
guests
truly
experience
what
it
means
to
be
served
100%
with
head
and
heart
by
each
of
the
staff.
The
Singaporean
culinary
chef
who
has
been
written
up
and
recognized
in
Singaporean
dining
is
arriving
the
first
week
of
July...and
(drum
roll)....the
grand
opening
is
on
JULY
19th!
Mark
your
calendars,
folks,
bec
this
is
NOT
to
be
missed.
I
plan
to
be
there
to
enjoy
Singaporean
fine
dining
in
a
casual
ambiance.
The
stage
is
set
for
acoustic
music
and
some
poetry
reading
for
those
who
(like
me)
are
so
inclined.
I
promised
Kate
I'd
debut
my
own
poetry
(maybe,
possibly
read
one
or
two
from
my
favorite
poets
too?)
as
my
way
of
cheering
on
and
supporting
someone
who
courageously
follows
their
dreams
with
heart,
body,
mind
&
spirit
and
is
generous
in
sharing
their
knowledge
&
wisdom
with
others.
See
you
all
there!
PS.
I
am
NOT
affiliated
with
Vanda
in
any
way
other
than
as
a
paying
guest.
PPS.
Book
your
RESERVATION
to
be
able
to
guarantee
a
seat
(or
seats).
There
will
be
a
30-min
grace
period
before
the
table
is
given
to
walk-in's.
