Nicolette Wong
The 1967 Aston Martin Mini Cooper Classic permanently parked in front, is a pricey prop that sets of Fullhouse cafe up like a friend’s 2-storey house you’d visit.
In its disarmingly welcoming approach lies the unique and homey character of this franchise café from Malaysia that is celebrating its official opening on Apr 16.
Fullhouse is nothing short of a girl’s dream house, within you’ll find Victorian décor, tasteful art pieces, warm white walls and parquet floors, built around 5 adorable characters the Fullhouse family- Dad and Mom Thomas and Tracy, children Tony and Tiffani, and pet dog Toy. Up on the second floor, you’ll find a lovely water fountain before the main dining area. There’s also a function room, which doubles as a great place for live band performances, or even movie screenings. Even more impressive is the “study room”, which comprises of lushly decorated rooms dedicated to private dining. For the ladies, there is a “bedroom” set aside solely for a little retail therapy, being stocked with the Spring/Summer collection from local designer Jo Soh’s brand, HANSEL.
Walk further in, and you’ll reach a quaint courtyard, with curious little doves perched atop lush hedges, where you’ll find the Fullhouse bar.
For the higher-end prices you pay, close to Fish & Co., Spizza and the likes, Fullhouse has every intention to make you feel of importance while you’re there; waitresses are dressed as chambermaids, while the waiters are dressed as chefs. However, Fullhouse has some room for improvement when it comes to customer service. While the staff are warm with great smiles, it seems they’re just a tad young and inexperienced- but that’s nothing some time and experience can’t change.
Apart from the décor concept, patrons will choose to come here for its quality fusion menu, which has culinary elements from French, Italian, and American, to Korean, Japanese and Chinese food. While the less adventurous might steer away from the sometimes tricky east-meets-west cuisine Fullhouse has a rather well put-together menu of tantalising creations.
The Salmon Salad ($16.90) is a great, although expensive, appetiser to start off with. The smoked salmon is just salty enough, and the tangy fresh blow-torched mangoes and boutique salad simply makes you salivate for your main course.
The best-selling dish here (as in all 5 branches in Malaysia) is the Wok-Sear Chicken Chop ($16.90). For sure, the chicken chop is a common dish, but Fullhouse lathers on a sauce that sets it apart from most – its black pepper raisin jus. Raisins sautéed in black pepper sauce are a sweet complement to the juicy grilled thigh meat, and with a side of mashed potato and their selection of daily vegetable, it’s a wholesome dish at a relatively affordable price compared to the other main course items in the menu.
The Braised Lamb Shank ($28.90) comes accompanied with a ratatouille and thyme emulsion and is lovingly braised for 3 to 4 hours every morning, and, according to Head Chef, Leo Sia, “each portion is heated up by slow-cooking it in gravy”. The hard work put into cooking this dish translates well on the palette; the meat is tender and carries the flavor of the sauce beautifully.
If you’re hankering more for pasta, their Alfredo Spaghetti ($17.90) is far better than most cream sauce pasta at this price. The al dente spaghetti, served with sliced chicken and shitake mushrooms, is served in a rich cream sauce that isn’t just about cheese unlike others, but is sweeter, and therefore more appetising.
Have a sweet tooth? Then you might enjoy the Smooties-Fruitees Fish ($22.90), which comes with a delightful passion berries fruit reduced sauce and sun-dried tomatoes on top. The pan-fried butterfish, however, was a little tough and overcooked when we tried it, and that, sadly, brings the dish down.
Drinks-wise, Fullhouse has a neat selection of creative ice blends. We tried the Peach + Yogurt Magic Ball Special Ice Blended ($8.90). The drink itself was alright, but what was great were the Magic Balls! Pop them in your mouth, and these little spheres burst into fizzy fun.
The Soda Blueberry Peppermint ($6.90) also has Magic Balls in them, but the drink didn’t really stand out for us. The soda was too fizzy for us to taste much of the blueberry and peppermint, which doesn’t do justice to its name.
What we loved most was the Peppermint + Chocolate topped with Chocolate Syrup ($6.90). Very reminiscent of childhood Mint Choc wrapped candies, this is refreshing, and does a pretty good side-job at cleansing your palette too!
For a café of just less than 2 months old, Fullhouse scores an A+ for effort, and it’s definitely worth coming back for more. We recommend calling in for reservations because it does become a full house (pun intended) from 6.30 pm to 9 pm. UrbanWire predicts this is going to be a hit for couple dates, girls’ nights, or just to wind down after a long day’s shopping.
Address: Rendezvous Galleria, Rendezvous Hotel,
9 Bras Basah Road, #01-04, #02-02/03
Telephone: 63366328
Opening Hours:
- 11.30am – 3pm
- 5.30pm – 9.30pm
Rating: ★★★★✩
Price rating (for a main course): $$-$$$
