The Ambience
Located at Level 1 of the National Service Resort & Country Club (NSRCC), the Passion Cafe is a casual al-fresco dining spot specialising in a variety of local, Cantonese, and western delights and snacks. Tucked away in a club area, the Passion Cafe is a go-to spot for most golfers in the country club, yet remains hidden from most people. The natural setting and the golf club surroundings combined with the fantastic service takes you somewhere else. With an open floor plan, greenery was visible all over and the high ceilings contributed to the airy feel.
Unique Experience
Interestingly, dining at Passion Cafe’s NSRCC outlet will be a somewhat more futuristic experience as the chain uses robot for restaurant experience to serve customers. Upon entering the restaurant, we were fascinated by how “high-tech” the robot waiter is – it walks back and forth to deliver food, passes back empty dishes to the kitchen, and has (what we believe as) a spill prevention system to redirect itself when coming in close contact with another object. Seeing how cool the robot waiter is, we could not resist asking the manager! Apparently, the PuduBot was sourced from Ourglass Robotics and it has been helping with manpower saving and service quality enhancement ever since. But on top of those perks, the robots have since become a popularity gimmick at the cafe, with customers coming in out of curiosity and photographing the robot waiter in action. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, we did not witness much of PuduBot’s cool bustle as there was increased hygiene caution. But the trip to Changi would not be worth it without experiencing first-hand how it feels like getting served by a robot waiter, right? Thanks to the kind gestures of the manager, our wish was granted and PuduBot came to rescue us from hunger with Passion Cafe’s mouthwatering delights!
The Food
The menu is quite extensive and there are the usual crowd-pleasers in the diverse selection. We had the Truffle Fries ($7.50+), Chicken Satay ($17.8+), Stir-Fried Beef Hor Fun With Soya Sauce ($10.10+), and Pineapple Fried Rice ($10.10+). You can expect the usual local flavours - nothing too extraordinary, but definitely a good comfort food to a tiring golf session. Our favourite has got to be the chicken satay – the flavours and spices came together perfectly and they remind us of authentic comfort food. Unfortunately, the pineapple fried rice fell short of expectations – it lacked the intense flavour we were hoping for and came across as rather bland. This was a forgettable dish, though the portion was generous. Overall, the food quality definitely matches its affordability!
The Verdict
It is 2021 and we are not so far away from the wacky robotic future predicted by Back To The Future. We probably won't have flying cars for a while, but Singapore is right in the thick of their technological revolution, with robots and electronics taking over tasks like taking orders and serving food. We are starting to see the food industry evolve to make lives easier with automated kitchens and tech-embedded food delivery robots. Definitely looking forward to seeing similar technologies in more restaurants!
Introduction on the writer:
Started off as a freelance writer, Shella's love for food pushed her to start writing about her culinary journey. As a huge food enthusiast, she enjoys food from all around the world, from the heart-warming comfort food to the most mind-blowing molecular gastronomy dishes. After all, what’s more to life than good food and great companies?