There’s more than just big-name restaurants and luxurious eateries at Raffles Hotel. Its latest addition, Gather, is by the team behind local favourites Punch and now-defunct Ronin. Unlike the latter's dark and broody vibe, Gather's sun-drenched interior is outfitted with marble tables and rattan-backed chairs – a nod to the building’s colonial past. There's also a small retail section that stocks a rotating selection of #hypebeast-approved lifestyle products.
The menu is concise, comprising different types of crêpe, or thin pancakes that come well-stuffed with sweet or savoury ingredients. Each is cooked to order – its steamy preparation process available for all to see at the open kitchen by the entrance of the café.
Made with buckwheat flour, galettes come darker in colour, and have a nuttier, richer flavour – making them ideal for savoury options. Here, they come folded with stewed tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant in Ratatouille ($18); garlic chicken mince and gherkin ($18); or salami and potatoes with melted brie ($18). But our favourite’s the Off The Bone ($18), with a winning combination of ham, gruyère, cheddar, and a runny egg in the middle.
Dessert options – there are just three – come in a softer crêpe. Depending on what you’re in the mood for, these blankets can come showered with sugar and lemon ($14); rolled with dollops of fig jam, camembert, and honey ($18); or drizzled with amber caramel and finished with a slab of Bordier butter ($18). The coffee here is equally dependable, with espresso-based brews ($4) and mocha ($7) made with a house-blend of beans from Brazil, India, and Sumatra.
