It does seem that fashion brands have been fusing F&B experiences amidst their retail concepts — a recent example being that of the pop-up Coach Cafe by Brawn & Brains Coffee in the Coach Play store at Keong Saik Road. Ralph Lauren’s Ralph’s Coffee however has a more global presence before having their very first Ralph’s Coffee in Singapore with outlets located in major cities such as New York City (where they had their first location globally), Doha, Hong Kong , Tokyo etc.; their very first location in Singapore was set up at the Ralph Lauren store at Marina Bay Sands. That being said, Ralph’s Coffee has expanded their operations with a second outlet that is being set within their store at Shaw Centre along Scotts Road; just walking distance away from Orchard MRT Station. Their location at Shaw Centre is bigger than the Marina Bay Sands outlet; this time comprising of a slightly larger seating space as well. The entire space is set in the middle of the Ralph Lauren store; this effectively splits up the retail space into two sections, flanking Ralph’s Coffee on both sides with the main entrance of the store from Scotts Road directly leading into Ralph’s Coffee instead. Ralph’s Coffee comes decked with the rustic decor of traditional coffeehouses in Europe — the large use of wooden elements, as well as the same that has been painted white provides a chic, old-school look that is timeless against the dark green accents of the cushioned seats and black and white photographs that adorn the walls; quite the theme for Ralph’s Coffee’s locations. For those feeling peckish, the food menu does comprise of a few sandwich options; that being said, the offerings for food are more tuned towards the sweet-tooths with a variety of cakes, cookies and soft serve ice-creams — all these complimenting their beverage offerings such as espresso-based specialty coffee and teas, just to name a few.

One thing to note about Ralph’s Coffee is how they are using their very own blend of coffee beans for their coffee-related offerings here. Ralph’s Coffee calls their blend of coffee beans the “Ralph’s Blend”, with the Ralph’s Blend featuring beans sourced from South and Central America that they claim are from farms “emphasising the use of renewable resources”. They have also described the flavour profile of the blend to be “bold and classic”. Exclusive to the Singapore stores of Ralph’s Coffee is the Ralph’s Coffee Soft Serve; a twist of their original they comes as a vanilla soft serve. It is noted that the Ralph’s Coffee Soft Serve features an infusion of coffee that is brewed using the Ralph’s Blend — here, the soft serve is more on the slightly dense side and is creamy, though there are some areas that contained really tiny bits of ice that was not too much of a disturbance to the entire soft serve itself. The flavours of the soft serve is rich and milky with a subtle yet balanced caffeinated punch that lingers around the tastebuds; not too sweet as well.

We also managed to give the Sea Salt Chocolate Chip cookies a go during our trip to Ralph’s Coffee as well; the cookies here are all warmed up before being served to the table. As much as the Sea Salt Chocolate Cookies looking pretty heavy and dense, the cookie is actually rather loose and crumbly hence being rather easy to eat without being particularly jelak. Warming up the cookie meant that the chocolate chips have been melted, resulting in a gooey chocolate ganache that is swirled amidst the crumbly cookie; the inclusion of sea salt adding a hint of saltish note to provide a flavour contrast from the chocolate chip. The Espresso Tonic comes with a slice of orange sitting atop; the beverage is sufficiently fizzy and cold — the orange further enhancing the bold body and fruity flavour profile of the cuppa even further. Ralph’s Coffee is an brand created on the brand image of Ralph Lauren, and it seems that they have indeed stuck to the brand DNA with their F&B offerings — the food items are simple and understated; nothing too flashy or fluffy but also hits the sweet spot being quite balanced for the sweets that we had tried. The slightly higher price point as compared to other specialty cafes are rather expected due to its relation with a prominent fashion brand; that being said, Ralph’s Coffee is certainly an establishment worth making a visit to see what they are all about.