Dine on Western, Asian and fusion dishes amongst antiques at Bukit Timah Railway Corridor’s new Cafe

1932 Story Cafe promises dining on a variety of Asian and Western fare amongst antiques, but is it as good as it sounds?

Written by Y.S. Chia

Bukit Timah Railway corridor is known for many things. A photogenic location, a heritage site full of history and a great hiking trail.

One thing it might not be known for is its quaint cafe-cum-gallery, named 1932 Story.

The cafe is situated within the Former Staff Quarters, conveniently located right across from the Bukit Timah Railway station. Given its location, it's no wonder the major selling point is dining amongst antiques from the railway’s glory days.

1932 Story cafe serves up Asian, Western and fusion fare. With Bukit Timah Railway Corridor’s opening, we checked out this new addition to see if there's a story to be told.

What We Ordered:

The first thing we got was a classic Hawaiian pizza($18.90). Portion wise it was your average restaurant pizza. It had a soft crust and chewy ham but nothing to write home about.

The next thing we tried was the Charred Seafood Laksa Pasta($14.90). While the presentation could be improved, the noodles were spicy, savoury and cooked to a nice al dente. The seafood however was disappointing with both clams and the squid tasting fishy.

As a coffee lover, it was only natural for me to try their Rose Latte($6.00) It was creamy and the rose flavour was a welcome change to your typical cafe coffee.

To cool off from the heat, we also had a Cookies and Cream frappe($8) which was mind-bogglingly small and definitely something we could whip up on our own with oreos.

Location and Service:

On the topic of the location, the restaurant does host some interesting antiques from the past and has great decorations throughout.

That said, none of these decorations is given room to breathe with tables going from one wall to the other. I couldn’t help but feel the area as a whole was very cramped and it felt like one of those Chinese New Year Reunions where you invite one too many relatives.

The outdoor seating fairs better, with wooden furniture, more spaced out throughout. That said it can get quite hot in the afternoon so do find a shady table.

Service-wise, our interaction with staff was very minimal. Entering the indoor dining area we managed to walk around the place without any staff bringing us to a table or asking us if we needed help. That said the place is also a gallery we can’t fault them there.

Our Honest Opinion

A train that went off the rails. - 2/5

1932 Story feels like they have the ingredients for something great: from the antiques, the outdoor sitting and even the menu. Unfortunately, they seem to fall short in execution. With prices rivalling more expensive cafes, the quality of food is sadly below expectations.

The pizza was average, pasta - was quite questionable. I heard some positive things about dessert but I didn’t stick around to find out.

As for aesthetics, there’s potential to be had but it's squandered by overcrowding the indoor space with tables. I’m by no means an expert in F&B but perhaps they could designate seats for customers. Lesser tables might work wonders too.

At the end of the day, this is just my opinion. If you want to try this place yourself, you can check out 1932 Story at 1005 Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 596121. They open every day from 9 AM to 9 PM.

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We’ve talked about the cafe, but what do we think of the Bukit Timah Railway corridor? You can check out our review here!

Have a place you want us to give an honest review about? Email us at Getahonestreview@gmail.com.

About the Writer: Y.S. Chia(he/him) is our 20-year-old Honest Agent who loves going on adventures - be it hiking nature trails or checking out Singapore's latest festivals. When he's not out and about, you can find him being a potato watching netflix or on the rare occasion - at the gym.

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