The buzz: The stylish arm of S&P, Vanilla, has opened its fifth outlet. And this new venue aims to be something of a flagship, keeping the same cafe cuisine but in a more polished environment. 

 

The decor: The restaurant takes up the innermost space of Emquartier’s Helix building, next to the walkway connecting it to the Waterfall building. Compared to other Vanilla endeavors, it’s all rather moody and grown-up, with lots of dark marble and equally dark wood. In front of the open kitchen you’ll find casual high tables, while opposite are curvaceous, elegant dining tables with views of the waterfall. Outside sits a terrace with more seating. 

 

The food and drinks: The food here is adapted from other Vanilla outlets’ bestselling items. The focus is on hearty Western dishes with slight tweaks, like the flour tortilla quesadilla filled with spinach and Italian sausage (B290), roasted mushroom and brie cream soup (B320), pan-fried salmon with pesto linguine (B420), crunchy prawn quinoa salad served with Japanese-style tempura sauce (B480) and smoked pork chop with raspberry gravy on a bed of bacon sauteed red cabbage (B480). On top of new desserts like the charcoal pavlova (B220), Vanilla’s specialty crepes are still on the menu with options like mango sticky rice (B360) and Kahlua banoffee (B360). Out front is a coffee and tea station, where highlights include siphon coffee (B180-220) and tea (B220/pot). There are 10 tea blends to choose from including Vanilla Morning (white tea, vanilla, chamomile and mint) and Royal Star (green tea, oolong, peach and redcurrant) as well as coffee beans from Brazil, Kenya, Panama and Omkoi in Northern Thailand. 

 

Why you should care: This is definitely the best we’ve seen from the Vanilla chain. They keep the style strong while also making progress with the food.