Average Service cafe at Jalan Besar is a sleek lifestyle dining concept that opens until midnight

There’s a new chic spot in town that’s about turning everyday moments into something special: Average Service cafe at Jalan Besar.

Launched on January 22, it melds both lifestyle and dining elements in one space — something that you don’t see very often in most traditional cafes. 

It also opens until midnight, so diners can savour its hearty fare all day, be it for brunch, dinner or supper. (You’ll also be hard-pressed to find cafes in the area that operate that late.) 

The man behind it all is entrepreneur Jerls Su, 35, whose portfolio includes ChaTraMue, Potato Head and street festival Keongsaik Carnival.

With these projects under his belt, Jerls has set his eyes on running his first-ever venture: Average Service. He started the project in hopes of offering a unique, multi-faceted dining experience for patrons.

What does that mean, though?

For starters, it’s meant to deliver more than “just average” service.

The cafe was always intended to be a community-driven space. There’s a sunken conversation pit in a corner, meant to facilitate conversations and interactions between peers, as well as play host to creative workshops and community events.

There’s also an open-bar kitchen seating, where diners can watch the culinary team in action.

Tying it all together is a vibrant colour palette of royal blue accents and chic copper browns, which highlights the clean lines and playfulness of the space.

All-day fare on Average Service cafe’s menu 

The first dish to arrive at our table was the bread and butter (S$12) platter, loaded with a rack of sourdough bread and a trio of housemade butters. Just like its namesake, it’s a reliable staple that kicked off what soon proved to be an unforgettable meal.

There’s the spicy chilli butter infused with housemade chilli oil, truffle butter and furikake butter. Our pick is the latter, which is fragrant and packs a savoury punch.

The toasted sourdough brioche, chewy on the inside and delightfully crispy on the edges, also makes an appearance in several of Average Service’s dishes: Average chilli egg toast (S$20) and thick slab bacon (S$26).

That’s how you can tell the folks here are serious about their sourdough.

While croissants are typically breakfast or tea-time essentials, the scallion croissant (S$7) is a pastry that we’ll happily devour at any point of the day! 

It’s Average Service’s unique rendition of the Taiwanese scallion pancake, and boy, is it a great addition to the menu, especially if you prefer savoury flavours. We found it brimming with umami and enriched with the mild fragrance of fresh scallions.

And as we’d expect from any decent croissant, it’s also flaky on the outside, while its body is light and airy.

Taking centrestage is the thick slab bacon, a dish that propelled Average Service cafe at Jalan Besar to recent online stardom.

And it’s easy to see why, too. It’s a showstopper in its own right, featuring a humongous, juicy slab of maple-glazed bacon, and weighing in at a whopping 180g, at that!

The protein is then draped across a creamy mound of folded eggs, as well as the cafe’s signature sourdough brioche bread. If you’re a true-blue meat lover, then this dish is made for you.

If you’re a fan of pasta, indulge in the mouthwatering mentaiko handkerchief pasta (S$24)! 

Instead of your run-of-the-mill spaghetti, thick, creamy sheets of pasta are used instead, which are then slathered in a velvety, housemade mentaiko cream sauce.

We thought it might be a tad cloying (especially after we’d filled our tummies with other dishes), but it was surprisingly light on the palate. The mentaiko cream sauce wasn’t too heavy, and imbued the dish with gentle umami notes. 

The little bits of crispy bacon at the top added another dimension of texture and flavour, too.

Dessert is a luscious affair with the Average maple toast (S$16), which has been quite the hit among diners. Something about the fluffy, golden-brown toast, crowned with a silky, housemade whipped cream, has our mouths watering. 

The toast is baked, then torched to a caramelised exterior, so it has a crisp, slightly smoky edge to it. We also recommend that you go light on the maple syrup that’s served on the side, so that the maple toast isn’t overwhelmingly sweet.

Besides its good food, Average Service’s sips and brews are worth checking out, too. 

Those looking for their next matcha fix can try the strawberry cold foam matcha latte (S$7), a pretty-in-pink beverage with aromatic matcha and sweet strawberry foam. Or, if you’d like some punch to your drink, the Coffee My Kingdom (S$18) blends coffee with whisky. 

Tea-based cocktails and mocktails are also on the menu, so there’s plenty of variety to satisfy you, regardless of the hour!

This was an invited tasting.

For the latest eats, read about new Chinese dessert spot Lantine at Farrer Park, and Bao Bao at Ion Orchard for homemade baos. Alternatively, check out the newest openings in Singapore here. 

Enjoy up to 50% off when you dine with GrabFood Dine Out.

You can also book a ride to Average Service cafe at Jalan Besar to savour its fare.