Joji’s Diner is a new American diner in Serangoon which offers all-day breakfast, burger, rosti, waffle, ice cream and milkshake from 10am to 10pm.

Located at 534 Upper Serangoon Road which is just 5 minutes away from NEX, Joji’s Diner stands out with its neon signboard and cute decor.

You can enjoy a classic American dining experience without breaking the bank. They serve affordable mains which are priced between S$5.90 to S$12.90.

Some of the dishes that you can find on the menu include:

• French Toast with peanut butter and strawberry jelly (S$5.90)
• Smashed Burger (S$11.90)
• Pancake Stake (S$7.90)
• Chicken N Waffle (S$12.90)
• Mac & Cheese (S$5.90)
• Big Breakfast Plate (S$12.90)

Photos credit: Joji’s Diner

Joji’s Diner
534 Upper Serangoon Rd, Singapore 534549
Tel: +65 8292 9478

Roadhouse Restaurant (formerly Cafe Hacienda) at Dempsey Road is a modern American Diner — opened by the Prive Group — that serves hearty food in a rustic yet contemporary setting. It is one of the few restaurants in Singapore that uses Josper Grill to char-grill their meats and burger patties.

While I’d been meaning to try the food for some time now, because of a busy schedule, I only managed to visit it recently. After eating there, I have to say Roadhouse is a place where you can go for weekend brunch with your family; or a nice dinner with a group of friends.

On the menu, it has a variety of burgers: from the signature bacon marinated burger ($23); to the cajun chicken burger ($20); and the miso cod burger ($27) – there is a choice for everyone. They also have quesadillas ($13), tacos ($12), salads ($13), and main courses ($16-48).

During the weekends, roadhouse has a brunch menu (available from 9am to 4pm) with selections like pancakes, eggs benedict ($16), ultimate breakfast ($22), fluffy pancakes ($14), and cheese omelette ($16).

When asked to recommend the best burger on the menu, the staff pointed us to the bacon marinated burger ($23).

It was indeed, a fantastic burger – homemade bun, streaky bacons, caramelised onions, sauteed mushrooms, and 170g Josper-grilled wagyu patty. Utterly delicious.

They also do very good milkshakes ($12) – chocolate, vanilla, and coffee. I probably would not pay so much for a milkshake, but there’s no denying that it is one of the better milkshakes in town.

We also ordered a side of mac & cheese ($18) to share. I think it is good enough to get a spot on my upcoming best mac & cheese post.

Then, we had pancakes. It was rather different from the usual ones. If you are a fan of light and fluffy pancakes, Roadhouse’s version is probably not your type. The pancakes ($14) here are thick, dense, and cake-y.

And what’s brunch without eggs benedict? Fans of Prive Bakery Cafe will be happy to know that Roadhouse has the same good and reliable eggs benedict ($16).

You are probably thinking that we had a big group to share the food, but no, there was only two of us. Even though we had already ordered a lot of food, I couldn’t stop myself when I saw the BBQ U.S spare ribs ($26 for half rack, $40 for whole rack) on the menu.

They turned out to be pretty awesome. Fork-tender, lick-your-fingers good ribs. YUM.

We were very full after finishing all the dishes, but I must have desserts. Out of the eight items on the dessert menu, the S’more ice cream cake ($12) caught my eyes. It was not fantastic, but decent enough to end the brunch on a sweet note.

Overall, a satisfying meal though I think the brunch items could have been a little more wow. That being said, Roadhouse has one of the best burgers in town; you must make a trip down if you love burgers. The meats, cooked using Josper grill, are also very good.

Roadhouse American Diner
13 Dempsey Road #01-07
Tel: +65 6476 2922
Mon to Fri: 10.30am – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 10pm
Sat & Sun: 9am – 4pm, 6.30pm – 10pm

Note: This was an invited media tasting.

For more recommendations, read my Guide to Restaurants in Dempsey Road

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Besides Marmalade Toast at Takashimaya, another place that I like to go whenever I am in town is Pique Nique American Cafe by Chef Pang Kok Keong.

I am a huge fan of Chef Pang. I’ve tried almost all his desserts while he was at Canele Patisserie (under the Les Amis group). Boy was I excited when I heard that he left the group late last year to set up his own company, the Sugar Daddy Group.

Pique Nique is located at the basement of Takashimaya where McDonald’s used to be. It serves favourite American comfort food like mac & cheese ($12-16), hot dogs ($8.5-11), burgers ($10-13), all day breakfast ($7.5-13.5), whoopie pies ($2) and desserts ($4-8).

Both Pique Nique and Anoinette (a French bistro-patisserie) are conceptualised by Chef Pang in his attempt to take over the dessert world in Singapore. I’ve been to both dessert places a few times so far, but more on Anoinette another day.

Among the desserts at Pique Nique, there are cupcakes with flavours like banana spilt, chocolate caramel, peanut butter, and carrot; cheesecakes like triple chocolate, American, oreo and strawberry; and an assortment of whoopie pies like maple walnut, caramel pecan, and peanut butter & jelly.

So far, I’ve tried the Lemon Meringue cupcake, Red Velvet Cupcake, Vanilla Cupcake ($4.8), Blackout Chocolate Cake ($8) and Oreo Cream Cheese Bar ($4.8) and Whoopie Pies ($2.15). While I don’t think they are fantastic enough to be listed as one of the  top 10 cakes in Singapore, I like that most of them are classic comfort desserts – ideal for afternoon tea.

Pique Nique at Ngee Ann City is also one of the few places that serve all day breakfast in Orchard road. The American Favourite breakfast with two eggs served with homemade English muffins or white toast starts at $7.5, and there is also the popular eggs benedict that comes with Pique Nique’s special fries at $12. They also have French toast ($7.5), buttermilk pancakes ($7.5) and waffles ($13.5) on the brunch menu.

There are not many restaurants in Orchard Road that serve decent food at pocket-friendly prices, and Pique Nique is one those few places. The food and desserts are not fantstic, but most of them are reasonably priced and I will definitely go there when I want a light snack in between meal times.

Pique Nique by Chef Pang Kok Keong
#B1-01 Takashimaya Shopping Centre
Ngee Ann City Tower A
391A Orchard Road
Tel: +65 6238 6705
Daily: 10am – 9.30pm
Nearest Station: Orchard