Coffee & Chirashi

The portion was filling. The udon was well-cooked and comes with carrot, potatoes and onions. I feel the udon was pricey since there wasn't any meat.

The North-West hadn’t really been the area that has seen much when it comes to cafes or indie F&B establishments, so it was pretty surprising when we first heard from a friend that a new cafe had sprouted up in Sunshine Place at Choa Chu Kang. Located right beside the outlet of Oh My Mango there, Coffee & Chirashi is a pretty recent opening — while the name of the F&B establishment suggests that they do have a focus on Donburi, the spot does serve up different menus in the morning and from mid afternoon onwards; the “Breakfast” menu runs from opening till 2pm and comprises of items such as the Classic Benedict, and Sando Sandwich while available only from 12pm to 8:30pm would be their sides, Japanese Rice Bowl and Japanese Udon offerings. Those looking for dessert will be glad to know that Coffee & Chirashi also do serve up cakes, as well as waffles and gelato. The list of beverages available here includes specialty coffee and tea (from both Roji Tea and Gryphon Tea Company) amongst a few other non-coffee options. The space isn’t particularly big — the indoor dining space, which is decked rather simply where function seems to be the emphasis over form, features four tables of four, while the outdoor dining space features another two tables of four.

Having tried a couple of dishes which included the Tamago Mentai Yaki, and the Chirashi Don, our favourite for the lot of dishes that we have ordered for the evening was probably the Mentaiko Salmon Don. Offering no surprises of its own, the Mentaiko Salmon Don is priced at $15.80, and does come with quite a decently-sized slab of salmon over a bed of short-grain rice along with pickled cucumber, cherry tomato and tamago. They were pretty generous with the Mentaiko sauce here — the drizzling of the sauce coats the slab of salmon in entirety, which was lightly torched before being served to the table; itself adding that slightly smoky, umami note to that characteristic flavour of salmon while the fish itself was also pretty flaky. The bed of rice that sits beneath it comes with a light drizzle of Teriyaki sauce for a good flavour, while the other elements attempt to add a more wholesome touch — the Tamago being soft and added a slight sweetness, while the pickled cucumbers providing more of a crunch and carried a slight tanginess; both providing a break in between all that Mentai goodness and the carbs.

There isn’t many of such eateries around this corner of the island so the opening of Coffee & Chirashi around Sunshine Place is likely to get residents around the area to get pretty excited. No doubt Coffee & Chirashi isn’t that must-go spot that is of the likes of probably say, Omoté — that being said, it does feel that Coffee & Chirashi is positioned to provide the residents in the area a full-service cafe with hot food options without having them travel all the way out of the neighbourhood to hang out. The location may be a little far out for most considering the effort needed for them to head here, but I do think that Coffee & Chirashi will likely be a favourite with the residents around the area for some reasonably-priced Japanese Rice Bowls just round the corner in their neighbourhood.