I’m a fan of kitty, though not a super die hard one. But I like kitty enough to definitely want to dine in the new Hello Kitty themed cafe when I knew that Singapore would be getting one!
In 2009, I went to Taipei for the first time and had my first Hello Kitty cafe experience. Everything was so cute and the food there was honestly not bad, on par with most family style western food restaurants. Back then in Taipei, it costs only about $20 for a 3 course meal. The price wasn’t really marked up compared to regular restaurants but some of their dishes didn’t include kitty elements. Still, the overall experience was cute enough to make my day. The kitty cafe in Taipei was very girly – think pink overload, upholstered sofa seats.
The cafe in Singapore was very different. The design was a lot less pink, girly or kiddish, but more like a rustic garden. As the name suggests, orchids are placed everywhere, making it uniquely Singapore. I’d say this design would cater more to grown up fans than children.
Hello Kitty holding onto a bunch of Vanda ‘Miss Joaquim’ and other orchids!
I liked how they designated a nice photo spot where there’ll be no photobombers!
I was very lucky to get these swing seats! There’s only one pair in the whole cafe. I wasn’t ambitious enough to aim these, so I thought I’ll just wait for seats with the Kitty bow chairs (there are like around 5 2-seaters with those), and rejected table which has a regular chair, waiting about 10mins extra. The wait was worth it! I loved my seat.
The menu looks super pretty. Many items on the menu has local Singaporean elements added to the dishes.
Kitty Blush – $7.90++
Watermelon, basil and soda water. It was kind of too sweet.
The Rainbow Salad – $15.90++
Nothing to complain about this, except it would be better if there were more pieces of portobello mushroom. The mushroom actually tasted good.
Enchanted Forest – $17.90++
Prawns and avocado quesadillas. Taste was alright, but I wish it was bigger and toasted to be more crispy!
Hide & Seek – $16.90++
See how Kitty is shyly hiding behind the mess of fruits? This dessert has a story!
Pandan panna cotta with gula melaka syrup and vanilla ice cream. The ice cream was surprisingly good. The panna cotta’s flavour was ok, but texture could be softer. Looking at other people’s photos, some actually had a whole flower placed on their ice cream. Why is mine just a mere rose petal? Hmm…
Merchandise on sale. They used to sell limited edition Hello Kitty plush, one which looks like the kitty in this shop, but of course by now it was sold out.
I arrived around 8pm on Sunday and my queue time was roughly 1hour. I noticed that from 9:30pm – 10pm onwards, there was no queue. The turnover was quite quick, with some diners spending less than an hour dining here. The cafe has only been opened for about a month, and I suppose in further months to come, when all Kitty fans have tried it, there wouldn’t be a long queue anymore.
The prices are a lot higher than what it’s worth if you compare it to normal restaurant prices in Singapore, but do take into consideration that this is at the airport and it is open 24h! These 2 conditions probably adds 50% to the price and if you do the math, the prices would be normal (like the $7.90 drink would be $5 in the city). Plus, this is a themed cafe so you’re definitely paying for the theme. Just like how the food at Universal Studios Singapore costs more than regular places. It’s unrealistic to expect normal prices here.
Ambiance: 8/10
Food: 6/10
Value: 6/10
Overall: Coming here once is enough, for the novelty, if you like Hello Kitty
Hello Kitty Orchid Garden Café
Singapore Changi Airport, Terminal 3
Arrival Meeting Hall Central, #01-22
Open daily 24h
Hungry Bird 