All posts tagged: Latte

espressolab @ China Square

Published by Beatrice

I have been looking out for cafes that serve both good vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes so we can have a good meal with our friends who do not want to eat vegetarian dishes. So I am glad to find espressolab at China Square with good selection of vegetarian dishes. In fact, Ms Alicia Teoh, owner of espressolab at China Square, was a vegetarian for a few years before! Espressolab is conveniently located in the CBD with many seats, so this is an excellent choice for lunch. The cafe is also brightly lit so it is a good place to camp at if you need to do work or have work meetings. Alicia is extremely particular about the quality of her decor and even imported all the rubberwood tables from Penang to ensure quality of the furniture is not compromised for the customers. Generally, I find that when owners are very detailed about comforts for the customers, the food and service tends to be good and espressolab did not disappoint indeed! Vegetarian dishes: Vegetarian Aglio Olio ($9.80) …

Industry Beans (Melbourne)

Published by Leighton Cheng

Hi Guys, This is my very first post from Melbourne and I am really excited to share with you this cafe that was recommended by some of my local mates studying here. Industry Beans, located at Fitzroy. Having visited that place, my first impression of the cafe was a very modern outlook with an outdoor grassy lounge area which made it look a bit unusual amongst the studio apartments around this area. The seating area behind those glass doors were very humble in their arrangement and decorated with tiles/wooden panels and their stock piles of beans that they have roasted themselves, open for all customers to see (P.S. i will get more images of the interior the next time round i visit that place). My mates specifically told me to get the waiters to do a recommendation of the coffee you would normally drink and they would advice you on the type of beans that they have and which beans might go along better with your regular drink.  Being a difficult customer with my dietary …

bistrokai @ Purvis Street

Published by Beatrice

After a good breakfast at Cups N Canvas, we walked over to hunt for Kooka Cafe for coffee at Purvis Street only to realize it has closed! However, we chanced upon bistrokai, on Level 1 at Hotel kai, which was less than 1 month old. There was even a professional photoprapher taking shots of the beers, which I assume will be used for their website. bistrokai is housed in a shophouse, but its interior is deliberately modern, keeping only the original brick walls that reveals the age of the building. The tables and chairs are of gloss finishes. I must say this looks like a very good place for soccer matches, with 2 big TV screens to huddle around over drinks. The menu boasts of gourmet burgers, sandwiches, buffalo wings and cripsy pork belly and other delicious grub, but we already had our mains, so we settled for microbrewery beer (Brewerks Pilsner, $7.80 for half pint), pot of green tea ($4.50) and a cup of latte ($5.50) using arabica beans. There was also friendly service by a Sri …

Long Black Cafe @ Biopolis

Published by Beatrice

Went to meet my extended team in Biopolis so we decided to try Long Black Cafe over lunch. Nice cafe with a lot of al fresco seats, and given the quiet surroundings, Long Black Cafe is quite a nice chillout hidden find especially if you have to think about life and work. Food and coffee were both above average, with good value lunch sets (soup, main and drink for ~$15), and I suspect the only reason they haven’t made it to those top cafe lists in Singapore is because they don’t open on weekends and close by 730pm on weekdays! We also had ala carte mains and sides to share: Overall, I believe this is a good value alternative to Star VIsta and food court in the area! — Long Black Cafe @ Biopolis Address: 20 Biopolis Way, Centros Block, Singapore, Singapore 138668 Tel: 64789945 Operating Hours: Mon – Fri: 8:00 am – 7:30 pm

espressoLAB @ Bali Lane

Published by Beatrice

espressoLAB Bali Lane is now closed. But the same team who ran espressoLAB Bali Lane has set up Three Cups Coffee Co. I am sure the coffee quality still remains 🙂 Three Cups Coffee Co Address: #04-31, 1 Raffles Place, Singapore 048616 Phone: 6438 4108 Operating Hours: Mon – Fri: 8:00 am – 7:30 pm, Sat – Sun: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Website: http://www.threecups.sg — espressoLAB Singapore is opened by a colleague-friend and his wife, on 14th July 2012, who are both passionate about life, coffee and food.  I visited them when they first opened, but they have recently renovated to a hipster feel that blends in the neighbourhood better (and rightly so since they are situated in hippy Kampung Glam and with grungy CAD just at the back), so we went back to check it out as promised! I am really proud they have come so far in 1.5 years and they have received 2 recent awards – 1) Gold Plate Awards 2012 by The Singapore Women’s Weekly – “Get your coffee fix” category, 2) Best …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …