There really seems to be no stopping for the local cafe scene here in Singapore — the past few months have already seen quite a number of cafes sprouting up all across the island, with establishments of the likes of Caffe Affogato, Usagi Pan and Hey Slow Joe being cafes that had just opened their doors in the last couple of weeks. The Maxwell neighbourhood has seen a fair share of cafes having opened in the area as well; some names that come to our mind includes that of Fieldnotes by Zee & Elle, FiftyFive Coffee Bar, and Arc-en-ciel Pâtisserie — just to name a few. The Neil Road area is seeing yet another addition to its neighbourhood; this time being The Coffee Code, which occupies the ground floor of a shophouse unit located at 37 Neil Road. For those whom are unaware about the roots of The Coffee Code, The Coffee Code hails from Sibu, Sarawak in Malaysia (side note: why does it seem that there is a trend of Sarawakian establishments opening in Singapore these days?) and this would be their very first outlet that is situated in Singapore. The Coffee Code adopts a decor theme that is rather popular with the other cafes along Neil Road; the entrance being offset from the shop frontage so as to create an outdoor patio area for dine-in patrons to dine-in should they prefer al-fresco seating. Otherwise, the cafe is decked in a rather soothing tone if both white and wooden elements; a rather clean and European-inspired look that is warm and inviting without being pretentious or cliche — there is also a skylight above the counter area which allows natural light to flood into the space as well, giving the cafe a well-lit environment. The food menu at The Coffee Code is split into sections dedicated to Waffles, Bread and Focaccia; they also do have soft-serve ice-cream and a variety of cakes and quiches – the latter being predominantly displayed at the counter. The beverages revolve around hand brew and espresso-based specialty coffee, as well as hot tea and sodas; just to name a few.

Having read about The Coffee Code quite a fair bit from those whom have visited the spot before us, it was needless to say that the item which we were placing our attention on would be the Bak Kwa Waffle — this item also seemed to have stood out particularly from the rest, considering how most of the items on the menu does seem to lean closer to the safer side of things. It is of particular note that patrons are able to opt between the original batter or the Black Rice batter for all items that are listed on the Waffle menu; there is also an option for patrons to add Nian Gao (i.e. Chinese New Year Cake) to the waffle as well. For our order of the Bak Kwa Waffle, we went for the original batter and added the Nian Gao. The menu describes the Bak Kwa Waffle to come with elements such as chicken Bak Kwa, chicken floss, corn flakes and Quenelle cream. As strange as the combination might sound, this was a true delight to have — for one, we were really satisfied with how there was a balance of sweetness and savouriness going on with the Bak Kwa Waffle here. The addition of the Nian Gao did made it feel particularly festive; after all, Nian Gao and Bak Kwa are both items that the Chinese would enjoy during the Chinese New Year season — considering how the waffle is shaped like a flower, there is just a nib of Nian Gao embedded in the middle of each segment. This refrains the waffle from being overly jelat, especially when compared to those that comes with an entire slab of Nian Gao in between. The Original batter of the waffle that we had opted for was also pretty fragrant with a buttermilk aroma; plush but not overly dense. We liked how there was that balance of both sweet and savoury notes from the various elements; the chicken Bak Kwa giving that meaty, savoury bite with a hint of sweetness, while the chicken floss gave it yet another savoury contrast for a different dimension of flavours. The Quenelle cream felt like whipped cream that is laced with honey to provide that smooth and creamy texture with a bit of sweetness that brings all of the elements together; the cornflakes adding a crunch factor to finish things off nicely.

Whilst most of the other items at The Coffee Code did not really quite pique our interest considering how they were pretty much on the safe side, one thing that we could not resist would be the Uji Matcha Soft-Serve Ice-Cream. The Coffee Code serves their Uji Matcha Soft-Serve Ice-Cream in two different forms — patrons can either opt for their soft-serve ice-cream to come in either a cup or with a cone; for those whom do not have a liking for Uji-Matcha, that is also a Gianduja (i.e. Chocolate) soft-serve ice-cream that is available as well. Opting for our order of the Uji Matcha Soft-Serve Ice-Cream to come in a cup, we felt that the portion size was rather generous overall — the consistency of the soft-serve ice-cream was good; smooth and creamy in the way that we expect it to be, while the flavours of matcha was prominent with a very evident bitter undertone coming from the Japanese tea itself. While it is not quite the same as the ones that we had tried from pop-up stalls at Takashimaya featuring matcha from authentic Japanese tea-houses that specialises in Matcha and Houjicha, this was a rather respectable version nonetheless. Coffee was also well-pulled; the White (7 Oz) that we had opted for is essentially a latte — one with a medium body with an earthy and fruity flavour profile; smooth with quite a good proportion of milk to coffee, not forgetting the unique latte art as well. Given the items that we had went for during our visit to The Coffee Code, it does seem that The Coffee Code is able to capture the attention of local cafe-hoppers pretty well — sure enough; the Bak Kwa Waffle is probably the item that stands out from the rest on the menu, but it does seem that the folks at The Coffee Code had taken a lot of thought in the design of the Bak Kwa Waffle to say the least to ensure that the flavours and textures of the dish are well taken care of. The food items at The Coffee Code are priced between $6 to $24; the waffles being of the range of $8 to $19 — quite modestly priced for a cafe. Overall, a spot to add to their list of places to visit for cafe-hoppers.