Review: Cafe Fufu is a quaint HDB cafe that delivers solid casual Italian fare

The backstory

Cafe Fufu was started by Canadian-born Anita Shewchuk, whose mother is Singaporean, and father, Ukrainian. Prior to Cafe Fufu, her career spanned interior design, jewellery, and running a nail business — none of which relate to her current culinary pursuits.

That changed when she picked up baking as a side hobby — one that quickly proved to be more than just a pastime as people began to respond positively to her bakes. 

Coupled with memories of a childhood spent in her family’s fusion restaurant in Canada, this endeavour grew into what would eventually become Cafe Fufu. 

In many ways, Cafe Fufu is also an ode to her late father, who passed away before the cafe opened, as he would share his dreams of the kind of restaurant he’d want to run with Anita.

At Cafe Fufu, the menu is lean and compact, with 11 pizza choices, five pasta options, a handful of small bites, and desserts — concise and focused on quality.

As for the dining space, it has both indoor and al fresco seating, although the indoor seating is also pretty much open and non-air-conditioned. Most of the seating is in low chairs, but there is a communal high table, ideal for larger groups.

However, if several large groups dine at the same time, I reckon it can get quite crowded.

At the heart of the cafe is a Gozney oven imported from Italy and fired with Australian hardwood. It shapes the texture of everything that comes out of the kitchen — from the hand-stretched sourdough pizza bases to the small plates.

Our verdict

Cafe Fufu is a genuinely easy place to grow fond of: The food is well-considered and consistent, the space is warm, and the service is attentive in the way a neighbourhood spot should be — present when you need it, never hovering.

When I visited for dinner on a weekday, the compact dining room had a relaxed, unhurried energy and immediately felt like the kind of place where conversations naturally stretch past the last course.

The focus here is clear and confident, with the kitchen leaning into what it knows it does best — pizzas — but there’s enough variety across the menu to cater to different appetites, too.

Where Cafe Fufu particularly earns its keep is on its value: Most dishes sit under S$20, its wallet-friendly weekday lunch set — two courses from S$16.90, with an optional third for just S$1.50 more — makes a strong case for a weekday visit, and there’s also a Happy Hour that runs daily from 4pm to 7pm, with beer and house wine at S$10.80 each.

Cafe Fufu also accepts CDC vouchers — it’s a detail that genuinely counts for something, especially in this trying economy. 

If you’re already in the Redhill neighbourhood, there’s little reason not to swing by, whether for a quick coffee or a proper sit-down meal.

What it’s good for

Settling in, it wasn’t too difficult to decide what to order — the menu is lean, and the signatures are clearly and efficiently marked with a little chef’s hat. The crabmeat pasta (S$20) immediately stood out as a crowd favourite.

Done aglio olio-style and tossed with crab meat, pine nuts, and crispy garlic, it’s a straightforward pasta dish that leans confidently on its simplicity — and is all the better for it.

The crabmeat here leans more flaky than chunky, which might disappoint if you’re after something more protein-forward. That said, it more than makes up for it in flavour — with toasted, garlicky notes lifted by a generous squeeze of fresh lemon from the wedge served alongside.

If you’re not into pizzas, this pasta dish might just be the reason you pop in for your next meal.

That said, if you are planning to settle in for a fuller spread, it’s worth starting with a drink. While the limoncello spritz (S$15.90) is the only house special cocktail on Cafe Fufu’s menu, it does its job well — both as a refresher on a balmy evening and as something to cut through the richness of the carbs.

It’s not overtly sour, with just the right amount of sweetness you’d expect from an easy spritz. If anything, a couple more cocktails on the menu would round things out nicely, especially if you’re dropping by with friends during the daily Happy Hour.

Now, for the pizza: A first visit wouldn’t be complete without a taste of the namesake Pizza Fufu (from S$20 for a 10-inch pizza). The pizzas here come in two sizes — a 10-inch (six pieces) or 12-inch (eight pieces) — in flatbread form, so even solo diners will find something suitable.

A signature dish, the Pizza Fufu comes topped with tiger prawns, coriander pesto, chillies, pine nuts, and sun-dried tomatoes.

It’s not one for cheese lovers (you might be better off with the four-cheese or the classic margherita) because the Pizza Fufu leans more herb-forward than indulgently cheesy — but that’s precisely what gives it its appeal. 

With fresh, bouncy tiger prawns and plenty of texture, from the pine nuts to the crisp sourdough crust, it’s an immensely satisfying pie. I found myself finishing every slice, crust included — always a good sign.

One note, though: If you’re not a fan of coriander, the pesto might be a sticking point. But if you are a fan of the green (as I am), it’s exactly what keeps you going back for another bite, with its fresh and aromatic pull.

And how can we forget dessert? Online reviews seem split on its 6-minute tiramisu (S$12) — some praise it, but others find it too watery and underwhelming — but I rarely pass up a chance for tiramisu, so that was an easy pick.

Served tableside, you can either assemble it yourself or have the staff do it for you. I opted for the latter — they probably know best!

The server poured what felt like two shots’ worth of espresso over Savoiardi lady fingers, then piled on mascarpone cream and finished with a dusting of cocoa powder.

It’s a relatively small portion — just three biscuits — but that felt about right, especially since I was teetering on being a little too full at this point.

Everything was well-balanced: The espresso carried a rounded, earthy depth, while the mascarpone was light and airy. One small gripe was that the biscuits weren’t fully soaked through, leaving some parts slightly crunchy.

That said, it wasn’t a dealbreaker for me. The dessert still came together nicely without tipping into overly watery or soggy territory as some reviewers had mentioned.

What it could improve on

I loved almost every dish I ordered at Cafe Fufu, but the one that I couldn’t let slide was the chilli mussels (S$20). Served with garlic bread, the black mussels come in a shallow bowl of tomato chilli sauce.

The mussels were great — a generous portion for two, coated in a chilli-tomato sauce whose spicy kick hits the back of your throat for a gratifying punch of heat.

Its biggest shortcoming, however, was the garlic bread that accompanied it. It was nearly inedible — rock hard, brittle, and lacking any real garlicky flavour. Dipping it into the sauce didn’t help much either.

Instead, I had the split decision to use my pizza crusts to mop up the remaining sauce, and that worked wonderfully. I brought up this hiccup to the staff towards the end of my meal, who swiftly responded that the garlic bread wasn’t meant to be that tough and took the feedback in their stride.

So, while it did put a small damper on my dinner, it wasn’t a complete letdown. (Thank you, pizza crusts, for saving the day!)

That said, my meal at Cafe Fufu was still a satisfying one. There were a few mishaps along the way, but nothing that would keep me from returning if I’m in the area. Next time, though, I’ll have to swing by in the day to try its coffees and other signature pizza creations.

Our quick takes

Is it conducive to conversation? It’s relatively quiet despite being a predominantly open-air spot. Though it is close to the main road, the traffic noise doesn’t impede my mealtime conversations either.

Is a reservation necessary? We’d recommend a reservation if you’re coming on Friday evenings or the weekend. Walk-ins on weekdays should be pretty quick and painless, as we experienced!

How to get there? Cafe Fufu is a five-minute walk from Redhill MRT Exit A.

HungryGoWhere paid for its meal at this restaurant for this review.

For the latest eats, read our story on Rodeo Table, a Tex-Mex joint in a museum basement, and Scarpetta’s new smash burger spot, Smash Street.