All posts tagged: Coffee

Artisan Boulangerie Co. @ Killiney Road

Published by Beatrice

After reading about the 6 new bakeries in Singapore, and having a big hit with Bread King, we went to check out Artisan Boulangerie Co. at Killiney Road after Sunday gym session. Artisan Boulangerie Co. is a contemporary bakery, helmed by award-winning artisan baker, Eran Mayer. When Eran Mayer was in Paris, he was a member of the Paris Chamber of Commerce for Professional Artisan Bakers,  which sounds very pro. The food and bread are no doubt, good. I had the Chicken Fusilli ($10.50) with extra Scrambled Eggs ($4). The chicken fusilli serving was small, but the fusilli was fresh, chewy and served cold. The scrambled eggs were well textured and milky. N had the ABC Breakfast (18.50), with the standard – sausage, Mesclun salad, eggs and mushrooms, which was tasty too.

Nylon Coffee @ Everton

Published by Beatrice

I should have started this blog a long time ago when Nylon first opened and when they were still hipster. I dare say they started the Everton Trail. Now they are so crowded that they are almost mainstream! Nonetheless, one of our favourite coffees in Singapore, we love the coffee and the 2 bosses – D and JM =) For those who may not be aware, NYLON = New York and London, because D and JM spent time in both cities and loved the coffee and culture and hence incorporated the 2 cities into their brand name. This couple is the most passionate and involved people I know in the coffee business. They travel to faraway remote places to visit farms and cooperatives to actually see the beans they are buying. They try to understand from their peers the entire journey that the coffee takes –  harvesting,  processing of coffee cherries, the transportation process of the coffees. They talk and spew all their knowledge to their customers who are interested to learn. Just to be clear, …

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 …

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 …

Butter Studio @ Jalan Besar

Published by Beatrice

After a disappointment along the Jalan Besar trail with Tiramisu Hero, I was a little sceptical to try another new Butter Studio Bakery. I was wondering if it was just another nicely decorated Hipster Bakery with no real substance. But Butter Studio caught my eye from across the road when I was having lunch at the Jalan Besar Food centre (which, btw, has very nice Pahang “sashimi” for $3 at the congee shop), and we decided to cross the road to try Butter Studio out. One is welcomed into the shop house by a tent over grass turf and outdoor table made from stacked up pallets. It is an easy to do set up for people to hang out outdoors. The layout of the cakes and cupcakes is very welcoming at the entrance. There are also very ornate articles like a bicycle outdoors with nice flowers in the front basket. Definitely good impressions from the decoration effort! I am welcomed by rows of interesting cakes, cupcakes, food and tarts on the left when I enter the …

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 …

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 …

The Marshmallow Tree @ Telok Blangah Drive – New Cafe Review

Published by Beatrice

Coffee Quality: 6/10 Value for Money: 7/10 (Cuppa for $4.50) Service: 7/10 The Marshmallow Tree has just opened for 4 months now. It is in a very quiet neighbourhood, and I think the low human traffic allows cheaper rental which means a spacious cafe! The owners put in a lot of thought and effort into the cafe decor. When you enter the cafe, there is a swing for 2-3 to sit on to relax and enjoy the drinks. There is a big chalk wall on the left that is now Halloween-themed. On the right, there is a nice antiquey clock with lifestyle/travel shots. Right in the middle is this communal wooden table and benches. Overall, the cafe feels like an indoor chillout camping area on grass with aircon! There are 2 very cute box fake shrubs that welcome you at the door, which I think look like big versions of the marshmallows they will serve with every free drink. The Marshmallow Tree also tried to differentiate their cafe and coffee by serving a roasted marshmallow with …