All posts tagged: Cafe

LOWERCASE @ Lasalle College of the Arts

Published by Beatrice

I had to give LOWERCASE 3 tries before I finally tried the food. The first time, we assumed the cafe would be open for coffee on a Sunday and we headed down and it was closed. The second time, on a Friday night, we headed down at 830pm since their Facebook said they were open till 1030pm but was told it was closed already!! I wrote to them to feedback on the opening hours, and one of their partners, Mr J, was nice enough to explain the situation and we decided to try LOWERCASE again with a group of friends on a Saturday evening. LOWERCASE is nestled in Lasalle College of the Arts and has a huge 5000 square feet space compared to the regular hipster cafes. Their mission statement – “Lowercase is a melting pot where food, art and community come together” – is a good summary of what they are starting to look like, where random art pieces are displayed among tables of people eating. LOWERCASE seeks to promote talent by setting the stage for budding …

Drury Lane Cafe @ Tanjong Pagar

Published by Beatrice

Drury Lane is another new hipster cafe (4-months-old), tucked in a bright red shop house unit along Tanjong Pagar, opposite the row of bridal studios. PS: This is NOT a real lane, but the name of the cafe. This was recommended by my Melbourne trained chiropractor so I trust his taste in food, given Melbourne’s proliferation of good cafes! Drury Cafe turned out to have pretty good food, decent coffee and a lot of space with a nice ambience compared to usual more squeezy hipster cafes. Fun fact: “Drury Lane” came from a nursery rhyme called “The Muffin Man” hence they serve a good selection of muffins! Drury Lane has spacious seating on the second floor! We had 4 mains, 1 side and 2 desserts to share. My personal favourite is the Steak and Cheese sandwich ($8). The chunky tender beef slices reminded me of the ones Mortons serve over their martini, while the onions were sweet and juicy. I ordered additional poached eggs ($1) on the side and dipping the sandwich into the eggs and hollandaise sauce was quite heavenly. Also fairly good …

The Provision Shop @ Everton

Published by Beatrice

The Provision Shop is a 2-week-old addition to the Everton Trail, and it was already crowded when we reached! The Provision Shop positions themselves as a gourmet deli with a focus on salads, sandwiches and light meals. Anthony Yeoh, executive chef of Cocotte at the Wanderlust hotel, is the culinary director of The Provision Shop and bring his vision of gourmet takeaway food to discerning clients. Hence, the dishes can be a full meal in itself or conveniently complement a meal at home.

Common Man Coffee Roasters @ Martin Road

Published by Beatrice

Common Man Coffee Roasters (CMCR) is a unique concept brewed from a partnership between Harry Grover, Five Senses Coffee (Australia), and the Spa Esprit Group. The cafe roots from the notion that great coffee should not be a privilege, but instead available for all to enjoy, hence, “common man”. But truth be told, the prices of the food is not the most “common”/affordable. Located at 22 Martin Road, Common Man Coffee Roasters houses a coffee roaster, a specialty coffee bar, a 60-seater cafe and a retail space that offers coffee accessories. Even though it has quite a lot of seats, they do not take reservations and the cafe was packed when we arrived on Sunday lunch time. However, they reassured me that there is usually no longer than 5-10min waiting time during busy hours for groups of 4 or less. I actually find this cafe a smart business partnership for all the partners. This is the first tieup that moves Spa Esprit in the wholesale business, an expansion from retail which they already do very well. …

Cad Café @ Kampong Glam

Published by Beatrice

Cad Café is a new coffee joint opened for just 3 months, set in extremely hipster Haji Lane! You will walk through a sea of graffiti walls to get to Cad Café! It is a very small café that can seat less than 20 people in total. Extremely artistic and grungy interiors, Cad Cafe has some good hand drawn paintings hanging for sale. I personally think they blend the décor perfectly with the Haji Lane esoteric atmosphere. It is a rushed breakfast coffee grab, so we tried the Flat White and Ice Coffee. They are using beans from Toby’s Estate, and I must say the coffee is better than I expected (7.5/10)! The Flat White ($5) is medium bodied – quite viscous. It is bitter and only slightly acidic, but is well balanced with the milk, with strong aroma. The Ice Coffee ($4.50) is not too acidic and had quite a long lingering taste. There are tourists sitting around chatting, and given the vibrancy of the café, if I was on a holiday, it would be a …

Cafe Melba @ Goodman Arts Centre

Published by Beatrice

We were looking for dog-friendly cafe after bringing my fluff to NEX, and Cafe Melba Cafe came to mind. Given that it was only a replacement Public Holiday on a Monday (half the people I know were still working), Melba Cafe was relatively crowded. By the way, I suspected and later confirmed that Melba stands for Melbourne (MELB) and Asia (A), so the food is supposed to be Asian interpretations of Australasian dishes. We sat outdoor where it was cosy but also quite warm, and my dog was happily pampered by the children around. We had the Haddock and Chips ($24), Crayfish Linguine ($27)and Chili Crab Calzone ($22). All 3 of us enjoyed the food! The Crayfish Linguine is cooked Al Dente, and the crayfish bisque was absorbed well into the linguine, giving the pasta a juicy texture. At the same time, the red peppers complemented the roasted crayfish, while the rocket gave the dish a bitter after taste. Complex dish with a Western-Asian blend indeed. The Chili Crab Calzone is like Cheese Prata with Chili Crab, angmoh style; crab meat, egg, …

Brawn and Brains Cafe

Published by Beatrice

Another off the beaten track, oh-no-my-gps-said-i-arrived-but-i-still-can’t-see-it cafe! So, first tip: for drivers, turn into the sports complex! Its there! Or if missed it, just turn left into Guillemard Crescent, and there are parking lots in front of the condominium called Cosmo. Very unassuming small cafe that sits only less than 15 people, which is also why they don’t allow reservations. We were greeted by friendly young server, who reminds me of local celebrity, Lim Peifen. Through our conversation, I learnt that the cafe is named Brawn and Brains because this cafe is in the same building as the rock climbing wall and tuition centre. How quaint! We tried both kinds of open face sandwiches – bacon molten egg and salmon. Both for $7. The Grilled Bacon open face sandwich, served with mozzarella, mixed greens, rocket, cherry tomatoes and a single molten egg. I really enjoyed the crispy bacon with melting yolk texture! The Salmon open face sandwich, on the other hand, is served with cottage cheese, rocket and cherry tomatoes, also served with a single molten …

The JB trail (Chye Seng Huat Coffee, Anythingz Cafe, Windowsill Cafe, Bravery Cafe, Tiramisu Hero)

Published by Beatrice

After some good feedback from the Everton trail post, I have decided to do another trail named JB trail by N. JB stands for Jalan Besar trail. A once sleepy neighborhood was awoken by Chye Seng Huat coffee, and now there is a series of interesting food places: Windowsill Cafe, Anythingz Cafe, Tiramisu Hero, Bravery Cafe. 1) Chye Seng Huat Hardware (Coffee) I don’t know any self proclaimed hippie that does not know about Chye Seng Huat Hardware (CSH) but JB trail was blaze started by Chye Seng Huat so I can’t not blog about it. Part of the team who founded Papa Pahleta and Loysel’s started up CSH. I personally feel the coffee culture spark, that is really starting to spread and light up Singapore scene now, started with Papa Pahleta. The original partners seem to have split into CSH and Nylon Coffee, which are 2 of my favourites in Singapore. With definitely above average coffee, CSH have become a cool place to hang out and also the place to go for coffee accessories. They …

III Café – Bring your Own Dog Café Review

Published by Beatrice

As my parents were on a short trip, N and I brought Fluff out to explore pet friendly café. III café doesn’t have many food reviews even on their Facebook, but I decided to check it out and I am so glad I did! We are greeted by the middle sister; she and the other staff are incredibly patient (my dog took about 10 minutes to be coaxed up the steps) and friendly, explaining the menu both for humans and dogs meticulously! The food for humans is ordered at the counter above, while the dog food is ordered at the ‘Barkery Café’, serving pork balls, chicken balls, liver paté, muffins among other foods. The café is also comfortable and cosy. Tip: Go early and get the black cushion booth seats – they are so comfortable for both human and dogs alike. III Café is opened by 3 sisters and their logo is designed after a pitbull dog. The “III” represents the 3 sisters but the middle sister explains that they also want the café to stand …

Lola’s Cafe @ Simon Road (Kovan) – New Cafe Review

Published by Beatrice

Food Quality: 8/10 Value for money: 7.5/10 Service: 7.5/10 Among the slew of new cafes listed by Asiaone as cafes high in hipster quotient, I think Lola’s Cafe has the best chance of flourishing in the long term. (Except Butter Studio which I can’t comment as it is the only one on the list I have not been too). On the decor front, its hipster quotient is on par with many other cafes. It has the usual chalkboard mission/vision. It has frames that are organized chaotically on the left wall as you enter, that to me, symbolizes many different windows of opportunities. Given that this vintage cafe is opened by 2 young budding entrepreneurs, co-owners Foo Choo Kiat, 26, and June Tan, 24, I do think they have many windows of opportunities ahead of them if they keep up the cafe quality. These are the reasons I think they are a sustainable business: 1) Great quality food and desserts, and not too pricey with no GST 2) Amazing beer and cider selection for the cafe size …