Growing up, if there’s anything I like more than leisurely weekend breakfasts, it’s gotta be the cartoons that they used to air on those mornings. Pokémon, Powerpuff Girls – you name it. Few things were as good as watching my favourite onscreen heroes and heroines with a plateful of home cooked goodness in front of the telly. 😀

With themed cafe’s like the Charlie Brown Cafe at Orchard Cineleisure and 313 Somerset, there’s no need to wait around all week for the opportune moment. At both its alfresco and indoor outlets, the simple-minded, yellow shirt-donning boy stands tall with his pet beagle, promising a slice of childhood for shoppers and office workers alike in Singapore’s busiest commercial district.

The cafe’s interior seemed cheery enough, with brightly hued walls and furniture embellished with Charlie Brown and co. Floor to ceiling windows made the area seem more spacious while allowing for a view of bustling Orchard Road down below.

Both of us had Charlie’s All-Time Favourite, the most comprehensive Western breakfast set with juicy chicken chipolatas , turkey ham and 2 sunny side ups, served with crêpe, pancake or toasted foccacia. There are other choices like English and American, among others, albeit with fewer items on the plate.

And yes, a themed cafe dish is not complete without the mark of its respective icon. Charlie Brown and Woodstock graced our crêpes for the night. 😉

The so-called all time favourite is a filling all-day breakfast, but beyond that? Just.. meh.

The taste, though satisfactory, is nothing much to rave about and doesn’t quite make the mark for its hefty $12+ price tag. Eggs and ham bordered on oily, resulting in a dirtier looking plate that took away its otherwise simple visual appeal.

And those “juicy” chicken chipolatas? Hardly juicy at all; they looked more like shriveled up prunes, though the meat was still juicy enough on the inside.

Its saving grace might have been the crêpe; doused with maple syrup, it tasted somewhat like pancakes, but the texture was a tad too gooey for my liking.

If the Western breakfast sets are anything to go by, it looks like the Charlie Brown Cafe is riding on little more than the hype of its titular comic book slash cartoon icons. Being an ardent Peanuts fan myself, it is truly a waste to see dishes not living to its name.

Budget conscious diners would probably delight in the fact that there is no GST or service charge here. Unfortunately, quality of food and service does not exactly seem to be in their favour, and they could risk losing out to more diligent and innovative themed cafe chains in the long run.

Website/ Facebook: http://www.charliebrowncafe.com.sg/ / https://www.facebook.com/charliebrowncafe
Menu: http://www.charliebrowncafe.com.sg/?page_id=30
Address: 8 Grange Road, 04-01 Cathay Cineleisure Orchard / 313 Orchard Road, 01-25/25A
Contact: 6836 5344
Opening Hours:
Monday to Thursday: 10am – 11pm
Friday: 10am – 1am
Saturday: 9am – 1am
Sunday: 9am – 11pm

chueonit.