Word Bistro Review: Halal Cafe With Rainbow Burgers At Upper Thomson

We all have that friend or two with an unlimited bank of puns just waiting to pour out. And if you were to pull those puns from the air and paste into a menu, it’d probably turn out a lot like the one at Word Bistro. With dish names such as Blur Like Sotong ($10+) for calamari and Cow-ch Potato ($24+) for steak and mash, we’re guessing Word’s excessive play on words is how they got their name.

Word Bistro - Halal Cafe With Rainbow Burgers At Upper Thomson Food at Word Bistro Although rainbow bagels have been Insta-famous for a while now, this was the first time I’ve heard of a Rainbow Burger ($20+) . Between two rainbow bagel halves lies a thick meat patty, crispy turkey bacon, kale, tomato, cheese and a huge dollop of spicy peanut butter that was oozing out. It pulled no punches and was strong in both flavours, making it the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Unlike typically dense bagels, theirs were surprisingly buttery and pillowy-soft, making it the perfect vehicle to soak up all the juices from the beef patty. I loved how they made the patty generously thick and well mixed with the sweetness of minced onion and herbs, making this one of the juiciest patties I’ve had in Singapore to date. It was balanced with the fresh crunch of vegetables and surprisingly, didn’t turn soggy throughout the time it sat on my plate – a winning streak for sure.

Word Concoction ($7+) looked pretty simple in its light bulb cup, but u pon closer inspection, I was de- light ed to find that it’s actually a combination of ice-cream soda, lemongrass, sour plum, lemon and mint. This unique combination of ice-cream soda and sour plum was ingenious.

It’s as if someone turned on the light bulb on the flavour-making machine for a sweet and sour drink with sharp hints of mint and zest. Altogether it was an enlightening experience, similar to the first time I tasted sugarcane juice with sour plum – I couldn’t believe I wasn’t introduced to this mix sooner!

This is a pick-me-up drink that’ll spoil your taste buds, ’cause once you’ve tried it, you’ll never see ice-cream soda in the same light again. We ended our meal with Original Sin ($12+) , and I was definitely not remorseful at all when cutting into the warm stewed apple topped with vanilla ice-cream and Oreo crumble.

I was glad the stewed apple flesh was not overly mushy beneath the skin and it held on to the right amount of crunch. The coarse crumble around the apple is made of caramelised brown sugar rolled with butter – like a biscuit base but amped up with crushed Oreos.

Along with the creamy vanilla ice-cream that melts over it, you can see why this is a gorgeously sinful dish all around. Ambience at Word Bistro When I first saw a photo of this red container-like bistro, I nearly thought it was one of the terrace cafes in Paddington, Australia.

Overall, I felt well at home and appreciated that the servers were attentive without being overbearing, making this an enjoyable meal to have in big groups or small. Though it might put a stretch on your wallet with a bill that can easily add up to $60 between two, don’t get too turned off as the food you get is definitely well worth its quotation.