TL;DR: Something quite unique beholden here. Open early for breakfast, with the possibility of some good Thai grub at that time, what really gives it the distinction is the entire coffee shop vibe within the walls. Plus, it is some of the nicest coffee you will find.
Right within the Pinelands Plaza, somewhere I have somehow not penetrated one bit from memory, sits what could be a crowning jewel in the general area. Slightly inconspicuous bar for a sleek wooden door frame, it would be to find somewhere inside that is both as cosy and as spacious as the Phat Pantry. It seems every place with enough businesses needs it coffee shop, and brother - you got a real treat of one right here.
It was that funny time of the year, just after Christmas Day and not quite into the new year. While all kinds of businesses are closed, for most people the rituals and schedules still go on as they are needed. One of these for my house mate and I is getting the groceries, even in a small shop since something is always needed. Since there was not any place to be, and things could be taken more leisurely I threw the idea out there to find somewhere for coffee. At first it seemed that there was nowhere new at the time, but lady luck was on our side.
Part of it could be chalked up to luck, a lot of it is persistence - he had an idea of somewhere not visited just yet. Off it was to Pinelands Plaza, and as of this review it will soon be the place I penetrate when the Asian cravings persist. Driving around the car park, he may have had an idea what he was looking out for; when I noted that this place was open, he thought to give a closer inspection.
About the week beforehand, I had heard that this place was open for breakfast. Either having what Thais have for breakfast, or eating Thai for breakfast - that would all be good to me. Nevertheless, the idea was for getting a coffee. Having a looking inside, there was a big billboard of drink options so in we went.
Walking right into the Phat Pantry, you know that it is something special with the whole vibe it has going on. This is something a bit hard to pinpoint why, since a number of factors contribute to it in their own way. It has an ambient atmosphere, with low lighting, the air condition at a mild temperature, and comfortable furniture. Off to the side, they have couches for sitting. You don't get more "coffee shop" than that. A thick, sliding glass door becomes the key component here, blocking outside out from the clients and transporting them into another part of town. The magic is felt when a heatwave is going on outside.
Service was okay and a bit green. Granted, it was not at a high time with plenty to do, and requests here were pretty low-key. While friendliness was there in part, the waitstaff are more on the introverted side hence are usually quieter and doing their job in the background. While the standard is not up to the pinnacle of what comes to mind with Thai restaurants, they certainly have kept up the style earning themselves points in that regard. When it comes to style and presentation, they do not let up.
When it comes to the fare they serve here, you can rest assured the reliable favourites will be present. Most of them, since it is more modest this time around. This is one more place that puts the chef's specials right at the front of the menu, which makes a lot more sense upon thinking about it - everybody knows first impressions are important, plus the first impression here does wonders. Each one of the specials is bound to set the mouth watering, and a couple of them even show fusion techniques. It does not end with that, as the walls will advertise new chef's specials on a regular basis.
All that Thai food is one part of what is offered, the second part of what they offer is their take on "coffee and cake". For what they have with the cake part, the cabinet is full of different kinds of pastries, different styles of cake, plus whatever else is on special. Specials will be written on the cabinet, many of them desserts. With drinks, did I say this was a coffee house or what? Tea and coffee are both options off the bat, but not the major stars. The stars were cold drinks, all the kinds you could think of. They have frappes, smoothies, milkshakes, and their own experimental juice bar.
It was hot outside, so the drink of choice went cold yet again. An iced coffee it was.
Whatever bean they used, they made a good choice. From the cappuccino my house mate ordered, I could tell that it was a strong blend with a slight toffee note behind it. Alongside that, they textured the milk perfectly. Many times you can tell where the foam ends, and when the milk begins, plus the layer on top of the milk. Not here, since all three components blended seamlessly into one another creating a velvety texture that went smoothly down the throat. It was a little thick, due to some quite creamy milk. This was fairly simple as it got, some espresso then mixed with the milk getting a hit of caffeine, and getting cooled down. This was great in the hot weather.
As for something to have on the side, a specials board on the counter pointed the right way for me. The popular dessert, black sticky rice, was offered with durian, and they practically went all out with this sweet. On the side was a bottle of coconut milk, some ice cream, and several cubes of lychee jelly.
Durian is one of those Vegemite sort of foods, meaning that people either really like it or absolutely hate it. This time around, I don't believe there is a neutral area regarding the fruit. It took me a couple of goes with it, and I have come around to taking a liking to it. Concerning the flavour, it is surprisingly mild considering its reputable scent (after-taste is a different story). The texture leads itself well to desserts such as this, which reminded me of warmed up custard. This mixed in well with the black sticky rice, which does have a small bit of flavour but is best done mixing in with whatever it is served with.
On the side, the extras were a treat upon the treat. A small bit of coconut milk did well to drink, warm and sweet as it was. The ice cream could well have been served on its own and been an effective dessert. It was vanilla flavoured, had some coconut shavings topping it, and was alongside what I presumed to be jelly cubes which tasted of lychee. The ice cream was smooth, creamy, and actually got that vanilla flavour into its bones for once. Those lychee jelly cubes were a great addition, and possibly are getting extra credit since I did not expect them. All up, this would make an excellent finish to dinner.
To get with his coffee, my house mate went for an apple danish. This was definitely one pastry that certainly was made in-house. The pastry was soft, and had quite a bit of butter in it. What really was good about the sweet though was the apple. It wasn't in any kind of jam-like substance, but freshly sliced pieces of the fruit laid out on the surface. From memory the apples were Granny Smiths, and gave of a sweet bite amongst the flaky pastry. They really got it going here, having both halves of the snack being delicious and high quality.
They might well be onto something really good with the Phat Pantry. Often I take notice with a Thai place is there is some sort of distinction about it from most others, and the route taken right here is creating a coffee shop vibe. The finger was on the pulse with many of the smaller aspects, including the music being played, the metallic cups for the water, plus the structural architecture. They have done a wonderful job combining the elements of an ideal coffee shop into a place that can guarantee a good bite to eat.
Final score: 4.5. Albeit, if the savoury food does live up to the standard that the other reviews say it is, this dessert would be good enough to push it to that elusive 5.0-score. Few have been as nice as this, particularly without overt sweetness.
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