A Beautiful Day Cafe: Gorgeous, Bridgerton-esque spot at Paya Lebar with ’gram-worthy fusion dishes and artisanal teas

If you’re an avid fan of the wildly popular historical romance series, Bridgerton, there’s a spot in the east that will remind you of its resplendent, Regency-era set: A Beautiful Day Cafe at Paya Lebar. 

If its name seems to jog a memory, that’s because the homegrown establishment originally hails from the further end of Singapore at Changi City Point. Originating in 2021, it was quite a hidden gem back then and it used to boast an all-pink, floral-themed outfit. 

A Beautiful Day Cafe then relocated to a more accessible location at Park Place Residences (a stone’s throw away from Paya Lebar MRT) in late 2022. It was a smart move, too — it opened its doors to a wider, much more hip crowd.

Along with its new space, came an aesthetic overhaul — whimsical, vintage themes were back in trend (all thanks to Bridgerton for popularising the look, when it made its debut), and A Beautiful Day Cafe followed suit. 

A Beautiful Day Cafe is very meticulous and deliberate with its branding — it certainly stays true to its namesake of being a “beautiful” cafe, with its gilded furnishings, antique memorabilia and impeccably embellished interiors. 

Every nook and corner is a photo-worthy spot, dressed to the nines in sophisticated mahogany and lavish brass ornaments. For those who’re keen on elevating their social media feed, this is undoubtedly the place to be. 

When we visited, though, we found its space to be pretty cramped, with not much room to move about. Most of the tables were close enough that we could easily overhear our neighbours’ conversations.

The menu

At first look, we were perplexed by A Beautiful Day Cafe’s menu — there was a variety of fusion dishes to choose from, with cuisines spanning the gamut from Chinese, western and Japanese. 

We learnt from one of the staff that A Beautiful Day’s main focus is its Japanese fare. Meanwhile, the Chinese and western dishes are from Zing by Xi Yan, a restaurant located just next door. 

This means that you’d have plenty to spoil your tastebuds with, but we do find that the menu isn’t as coherent or on-theme as we would prefer. First-timers here may find themselves a little bemused about the variety, too.

Chazuke (tea or dashi poured over rice) is one of A Beautiful Day’s signatures, so we decided to go for its aburi salmon chazuke (S$18.90). 

A fresh, succulent slab of aburi salmon is nestled on a bed of Japanese rice, with a sweet-salty mentaiko sauce drizzled over it. Crowning the dish are bits of brown crispy rice puffs, furikake and sesame seeds for extra crunch and texture. 

The rice was a tad too soggy for our liking, even without the addition of the broth, and the portion of the salmon was smaller than expected. For its price, we were hoping that the dish would be more substantial.

The jasmine dashi that the dish came with was very comforting, though. It’s light in flavour with a mild sweetness and is perfumed with a fragrant jasmine aroma. Moreover, the rice soaks up the broth well, which imbues it with a gentle herbaceousness that’s oh-so-heartwarming.

A neighbouring table had ordered a piping hot plate of mentaiko mac and cheese (S$19.90) and it looked absolutely delicious — so we had to give it a try as well.  

Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to its looks. As we dug in, we’d expected sweet, briny notes from the mentaiko sauce and lush, creaminess from the cheese, but neither of these came through.

Appetiser-wise, we adored the spicy smashed potatoes (S$6.90). It’s a classic, no-frills dish with baby potatoes as its star. It’s then generously blanketed in an addictive ginger-garlic chilli sauce and mayo, which is a surprisingly delicious, sweet and spicy pairing.

We moved on to desserts and had the brownie (S$13.90), which was adorned with a decadent scoop of cookie butter ice cream and dusted with cocoa powder (though we felt it was a tad too heavy-handed).

On the side is a Lotus Biscoff biscuit, which you can break into small pieces and enjoy with the ice cream as crunchy toppings. Overall, it’s a traditional dessert staple that tastes every bit as indulgent as it looks — it’s also an option that you can’t go wrong with.

A Beautiful Day Cafe is known for its artisanal, handcrafted teas, which come in a plethora of premium, single-origin blends, and are served in elegant decanters. 

But if you’re looking for a refreshing, fruitier alternative, its fruit teas are pretty delectable, too, such as its iced Earl Grey mango (S$10.90). 

Feeling up for coffee? Then, the signature nutty Cofftea latte (S$6.30) — A Beautiful Day Cafe’s iconic combination of coffee and tea with underlying nutty tones — is a fantastic pick-me-up on dreary days.

Our two cents 

A Beautiful Day Cafe, without a doubt, stands out from the crowd with its Bridgerton-inspired setting. However, we do find that its aesthetic is largely the main draw here and is what the crowd will likely return for.

For the latest eats, read about new Muslim-friendly scrambled egg rice concept Kawan Bowl and famous Dutch patisserie Huize van Wely’s opening in Singapore. Alternatively, check out the newest openings in Singapore here. 

You can also book a ride to A Beautiful Day Cafe to savour its fusion fare.

Do explore the GrabFood Dine Out service for awesome deals.