Urban Sketchers Singapore
Urban Sketchers Singapore
Urban Sketchers Singapore
Urban Sketchers Singapore
Urban Sketchers Singapore
Urban Sketchers Singapore
Urban Sketchers Singapore
Urban Sketchers Singapore
Drips Bakery Café
Best for: tarts
White walls, natural light and artwork in Mexican
flag colours all give Drips a sophisticated desert
vibe, helped by the Nordic mod furniture which you
can buy. The real pull, however, is in the desserts:
former Shangri-La Hotel pastry chef Alfred Chan is
the co-owner, and the cool hand rolling out the flaky
croissants ($4.50) and rich, intricate tarts ($4.80-$7.50
per slice) at the back of house. The coffees ($3.80-
$6.80) are not bad, either – dripped through locally
roasted Graffeo beans, and topped with a sturdy head of foam. #01-05, 82 Tiong Poh Rd (6222 0400). Tiong Bahru. Sun-Thu except Tue
11am-9pm; Fri & Sat 11am-11pm.
Illustration by Don Low, www.donlowillustration.com/blog
Chock Full of Beans
Best for: an out-of-town drive
At the eastern tip of the island, before the jump to
Pulau Ubin, is this hip brick-and-dark wood café with
mostly outdoor seating. Carrying a range of locally
roasted beans from Highlander, this sister outlet to Valley Point’s Redmill Bakery is also known for its intricate latte art – Angry Birds and Hello Kitty
designs have been seen – and reasonably priced lunch
sets ($12-$14). #01-2090, Blk 4 Changi Village Rd
(6214 8839). Buses: 2,29,59,109. Tue-Fri 11am-
10pm; Sat, Sun & public holidays 9am-10pm. Coffees
$3.50-$6.50; teas $5.50 per pot.
Illustration by Don Low, www.donlowillustration.com/blog
Food for Thought
Best for: people watching
Located in a part-outdoor underground
space, it’s more about the cool crowd than
the surrounding Botanic Gardens at this
massive 300-seat café-bistro enclosed in
glass. The black, white and orange space
has a comprehensive menu of salads,
pastas, burgers, brunch and baked goods
to keep you full when you’re not gawping.
B1,Tanglin Gate, Botanic Gardens, 1 Cluny Rd (6338 4848). Botanic Gardens. Mon-Sat 9am-10pm, Sun 9am-9pm.
Illustration by James Tan Choon Kiang, www.akaidotto.blogspot.com
Maison Ikkoku
Best for: indie vibe
This ‘house of the moment’ (as its Franco-Japanese
name translates) serves artisanal coffees, Spam
onigiri ($3) and kong bak pau, a traditional Chinese
pork belly sandwich ($3.90). The indie magazines
and half-sawn furniture hanging from the ceiling
hint at the aching hipness of the whole thing. The
café is merely one-third of the entire outfit – a men’s
boutique sits on the second level, and on the rooftop,
a tiny cocktail bar peers out over
Kampong Glam. Bring high expectations, because
Japanese ‘latte-art specialist’ Hiroshi Sawada trained the baristas. 20 Kandahar St (6294 0078). Bugis. Mon-Thu 9am-9pm; Fri
& Sat 9am-11pm; Sun 9am-7pm. Food $3-$18.90;
coffees $3.50-$7.
Illustration by Drewscape, www.drewscape.net
Oriole Coffee Roasters
Best for: nostalgic afternoons
Keith Loh of Oriole Café and Bar (#01-01 Pan Pacific
Serviced Suites, 96 Somerset Rd; 6238 8348) tips a nod to the kopitiams of the
past with his third venture. Housed in an immaculate
shophouse on the outskirts of Chinatown with
saloon-style doors, Loh’s third café is a visual delight
with its vintage Guinness glasses, locally sourced
bric-à-brac and South American beansacks. The
Dietrich IR7 (nicknamed ‘Ella’) machine – moved over
from the Pan Pacific Serviced Suites branch – ups the QC quotient. It all looks, and tastes, fabulous – the light kaya toast ($2.40) served here is an updated version of the local breakfast favourite, made using Loh’s mother’s custard jam recipe.
10/10A Jiak
Chuan Rd (6224 5448). Outram Park. Tue-Sun
8.30am-6pm. Main courses $2-$10; coffees $4-$8.50.
Illustration by Paul Wang, www.flickr.com/photos/fireflyworkshop
The Muffinry
Best for: quick breads
The narrow space is flanked by light wood and
white bricks, but there is nothing slender about The
Muffinry’s offerings. Their batters are packed with
goodness: the therapeutic lavender lemon makes a
good afternoon tea companion, while the quiche-like Green Eggs & Ham (big chunks of ham, crisped-up cheddar cheese, mashed avocado, a generous handful
of chives and bacon) is a breakfast – or supper – all on its own. This sweet-smelling bakery has expanded its offerings to pies and sandwiches, and also has locally roasted sweet Brazilian, Sumatran and Guatemalan
house-coffee blends. There are only 15 seats, so grab
one if you’re lucky. 112 Telok Ayer St (6509 6462). Raffles Place. Mon-Fri
8am-6pm; Sat 10am-4pm. Muffins $2.40 each; pies
$6-$7; sandwiches $7.50-$8.50; coffees $4-$5.20.
Illustration by Jenny Sim, www.facebook.com/orchid5pots
Kooka Café
Best taste of: Oz
This sunny-walled Aussie-style café was set up by the people behind Chalk Restaurant (#01-54/56, Blk
106, Clementi St 12; 6883 2120), so expect to see
familiar smiles: co-owners Cheong Bei Jia and pastry
chef Lauren Chambers are on site every day to bake
the goods, panini-press the sandwiches and make
the organic fair-trade Graffeo coffee. The orange and almond cake ($6+) is our favourite of the lot: among
its dense, moist bites, the ground almonds lend it a
chewy texture. Those craving a taste of Australia
should make tracks for the Yo-Yo – a shortbread
cookie with cream cheese filling. 18 Purvis St
(6467 0288). Bugis. Mon-Wed 10am-7pm; Thu
10am-9pm; Fri & Sat 10am-10pm. Desserts $5.50-
$7.80; coffees $3.50-$6.80.
Illustration by Tia Boon Sim, www.tiastudio.blogspot.com
Brunetti
Best for: mallrats
This part-alfresco Italian-style gelateria, cioccolateria, pasticceria
and paninoteca (sandwich bar) is
an imported Melbourne institution.
Decorated with funky black-and-white mosaic-tiled surfaces, blown-up
wall photos of coffee sippers,
marble tops and wooden chairs, this
Tanglin Mall tenant’s already got its
foot in the door – the Australian Uni
alumni are known to stop by for the
lava-thick hot chocolate ($6). With
140 seats and a central location, it’s
a fitting, and convenient, place for
gatherings. #01-35 Tanglin Mall,
163 Tanglin Rd (6733 9088).
Orchard. Sun-Thu 8am-9pm; Fri
& Sat 8am-10pm. Main courses $15-$20; coffees $3.50-$5.
Illustration by Drewscape, www.drewscape.net
TOS RSS feed
TOS Twitter
TOS on Facebook
Print
Email
Carbon copy of Brunetti in Lygon Street, Melbourne. Food not so great if compared to original cafe
Posted on Wed 16 May 2012 12:09:31
Like the friendly staff, nice beer with great pizza. Just discover they also have nice wrap. Have been going there since they got their liquor licence.
Posted on Tue 08 May 2012 20:41:31
Great cafe! As pointed out above there are very limited seats but once you have one you can enjoy a quick cup of coffee or one of their many muffins/desserts. extremely friendly staff!
Posted on Tue 08 May 2012 15:03:38