It does seem that Alexandra Village hasn’t really seen much of a loss of specialty coffee spots even despite Venture Drive Coffee having moved out of its premises not too long ago; Rookie’s Coffee Shop does seem to have been holding up as a go-to spot for coffee lovers all around the island, while the ‘hood has also recently seen a new cafe opening up as well. Kyuukei Coffee had found home in a shop unit at Blk 121 Bukit Merah Lane 1; the shop unit of which that it occupies is rather prominent, considering its proximity to the overhead bridge that leads to Alexandra Central across the road, with its frontage facing Jalan Bukit Merah. Being a hole-in-the-wall space, Kyuukei Coffee is also a spot there has a story behind it — one can find a note placed right beside the door that narrates how Kyuukei Coffee was conceived by its founder; the brand had first started off as a coffee cart in April 2023 before transitioning into a brick-and-mortar store in November 2023. The interior of the cafe is rather tight but cosy — there is a bit of a Japandi design language adopted in its interior that gives a really zen environment good for a slow cuppa, though the interior also only consists of three bar counter seats facing the window; most of the dine-in seating area is actually located outside the shop space — comprises of a mix of outdoor coffee tables and wooden stools, as well as camping chairs and tables. Given the size of the space, Kyuukei Coffee’s menu is fairly lean — they do cater for those whom are feeling peckish, though their selection of toasties is limited to just a Mushroom Gremolata, a S.E.C.K., and a Ham, Cheese and Tomato. Otherwise, patrons can opt for the Cherry Tomato Focaccia, as well as the various danishes and other bakes stocked up in their display case at the counter. Beverages available at Kyuukei Coffee includes espresso-based specialty coffee, as well as tea and drinking chocolate.

We made our visit to Kyuukei Coffee on a Saturday afternoon — the only day in which it is open for business on the weekends. Whilst we were intending to give their variety of toasties a try, we were informed that they had already sold out of all their toasties even before lunch hour due to an unexpected increase in patronage as compared to usual on the day which he had made our visit; they weee also out of the Cherry Tomato Focaccia as well. Given how they were sold out of most of the items during our visit, we found ourselves resorting to giving their Canele a try — an item which we also found an interest in anyway that was still available at the time which we had made our visit. It is interesting to now that the Canele is actually warmed up before it is eventually served up at the table — a detail often missed out at other locations and even at big-name brands that serve up the same item. Slicing the Canele, we found that the Canele is crusty on the outside with a soft, honeycomb kueh-like texture for its interior. One thing to note about the Canele here was how it does carry that note of sweetness that one would expect out of a Canele, though this appears to be quite well-balanced since most Canele around might turn out to be a little bit sweet for the preferences of some. Overall, quite a well-executed Canele especially if this was something that was baked in-house. The Flat White we had went for was also pretty on point; a smooth and creamy cuppa that comes with a good proportion of milk — one with medium body that carried an earthy and nutty note that comes with a fruity finish. Still looking forward to give their line-up of toasties some day — Kyuukei Coffee is definitely a spot that works for somebody looking for a leisurely spot for a cuppa to spend a slow afternoon at!