Caffeine Junkie ☕️

Decided to try a new coffee place since we were in the city, and this had 5 stars on Google. Not impressed with the selection of bakes (muffins, scones and bagels) as they looked like they were from a mass supplier, plus some of the bagels were misshapen.

Service is almost non-existent, as the barista we encountered was curt, and bordered on unfriendly and unhelpful. You also just collect your own drinks from the counter although the place is just a tiny joint. I read another review commenting that SOMA Coffee was comfy and cozy but I beg to differ. Unlike the rustic Indonesian coffee joints which exude warmth and pride in their local crafts, this local Indonesian coffee joint seems devoid of personality and drab.

I did not enjoy their coffee, although a plus point is the choice of non-dairy options for soy and almond milk. Guess it still does appeal to many of the office crowd as this place has persisted in the CBD for years.

I would not be back.

Almost full house at the newly opened Butter Bean at Vivocity despite it being 3pm on a weekday!

We ordered via the QR code on the table instead of at the cashier so it’s great that there’s a contactless option, but you do miss the chance to pay via GrabPay if you’re looking to earn points.

Food and drinks were prepared quickly enough, but it’s self service. Counter staff weren’t very friendly or patient but maybe it was just down to bad luck or timing.

Anyway, I’ve been seeing such rave reviews of this signature drink but perhaps drinking it from the lid without a straw wasn’t the way to go. I went with the less sweet option, but felt the kopi latte wasn’t aromatic. The creme brûlée top was rather disappointing, until I used a spoon (after finishing my food) to scrape it out. Only then was i able to really appreciate the creamy, sweet, yet slightly salty so it’s not too jelak. Hmm. Might give it another try with a straw but I wouldn’t have high hopes. As a note, we also tried the ice teh latte and the milk tea was so diluted and tasteless. Despite the disappointing drinks, the food is well worth a return visit!

Been a fan of the chocolate orange combination lately, and it’s even better with coffee in Da Paolo’s version! The orange flavour is quite subtle, but that suits me just fine. It leaves a pleasant citrusy flavour, which balances perfectly with the mocha. None of the elements in this drink overpowered the other, and I really enjoyed the silky mouthfeel of this cup.

Enter Our Secret Garden, a true hidden gem in Bukit Timah Plaza.

They have a good menu and beverage selection, and the iced cappuccino I ordered was pretty good! They have a soy milk option for an additional $1 too.

The cafe also provides free wifi (password at the cashier counter), so we settled ourselves there for almost 3 hours to do work. They were really nice not to chase us out, hurry us to leave, or ask us to order more even after we finished our food and drinks. In my opinion, it’s a good place to “work from home” or for a change in environment considering the current situation.

Taking over from Rise and Grind, the place looks almost identical, but with a completely different menu. I very much appreciate the new menu, but things that still have to be improved would be the ventilation and exhaust system. When there’s frying some in the open kitchen, the smell of oil and frying tends to linger a fair bit. Also, it was really warm at some points, but the air conditioning did kick in to cool things down. These issues have been around ever since the previous cafe occupant, but hasn’t seemed to be solved yet. However, with delicious and reasonably priced food, Our Secret Garden is still a great choice if you’re looking for a quiet place to spend your day, meet up with a gal pal, or do work!

Headed over to Starbucks Reserve after having dinner at Fong Sheng Hao. We were originally looking for desserts at East of Eden but the service was pretty shitty and apparently their coffee machine was already closed for service at 9pm so only ice cream was available. While I didn’t exactly want coffee, I made it a point not to buy from them because of the poor service. Also, there’s a Starbucks Reserve literally a short walk away where I can get BOTH ice cream and coffee so why EoE?!

This was my virgin Starbucks Reserve experience. I’d walked around Reserve stalls many times to soak up the ambience and atas feelz but this was the first time I’d actually sat down and ordered something off the Reserve menu. They’ve got nitro cold brew on tap, as well as their own cold brew and vanilla ice creams. So to get the best of both worlds, I went with the nitro cold brew float. The barista dispensed the foamy nitro cold brew into the tall glass and topped it off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream - coffee AND dessert in a cup.

This is a less intense version of an affogato (which Reserve also serves), as the cold brew doesn’t have such a bitter hit as an espresso shot does. I love the creamy, smooth feel of the Starbucks nitro cold brew. Made me feel even higher SES than having regular cold brew. The vanilla ice cream, though a nice touch and something I wouldn’t have expected on the Starbucks menu, didn’t turn out the way I thought it would. It had a grainy texture, and wasn’t actually very creamy. Perhaps it just wasn’t a good mix with the cold brew. I would say to get the nitro cold brew - the texture really is lovely, but skip the float and maybe try the cold brew ice cream on the side.

A chat with the barista also revealed one of his personal favourite drinks was the cold brew malt which is essentially a cold brew with two scoops of ice cream inside and no other sweeteners. Hmm. Might try that on the next visit, or the Dark Chocolate Mocha!

Always a queue for BUNDT, but I got my iced white and it’s gonna be a good day!

Now I’ve learnt the beat way to appreciate the iced coffee at Bundt is to take your time and let the ice melt so it’s perfect for getting a cup to go and having the coffee cube melted by the time you get to the office!

One place I keep coming back to time and again because I really really love their smashed avocado, black cocoa brownies AND coffee.

Bundt has recently upgraded their kitchen and also swapped to new custom-made coffee cups with sippy lids that essentially negate the use of a straw! Hooray! Plus point for the extra thoughtful design that allows for capping the lid so that foreign stuff doesn’t drop in while you’re waiting for the coffee ball to melt.

The coffee is just as good as always, rich and full-bodied, but gets stronger and better the longer you wait for the ice to melt. If you can’t wait, make sure to keep the ice ball so you get this extra strong black coffee once it’s fully melted. Double doses of coffee in one - yes please!

For the many times I’ve visited Starbucks and ordered their drinks or cold brews, I’ve never tried this before.

The cold foam cold brew is for times when a regular cold brew just won’t cut it and you want to lux it up a bit more. A layer of light foam is topped on their cold brew coffee, and you’re given a special sipping lid so be prepared for a foam-stache. I wasn’t sure if the cold foam would actually make much of a difference to the drink, but surprisingly it did. The light and airy foam lent a very slight milkiness and sweetness to the cold brew, which mellowed out the black coffee. To me, it’s the perfect low sugar, low calorie alternative, for days when I don’t feel like drinking my coffee completely black or with too much milk.

This will probably be replacing my usual cold brew orders with coconut milk, as I found this a lot more enjoyable. Definitely give this a shot if you like Starbucks cold brews!

Been a regular of Narrative for a few months now ever since Tong joined forces with the original couple behind Dancing Goat and I was contemplating whether to review or not because I didn’t want this place to get more crowded than it already is. But I do want them to succeed so here’s my review!

I always order the dirty matcha with soy milk (not on the menu) and I love it unsweetened. The contrast between the bitter matcha, and distinct well-bodied espresso roast, is rounded off and goes great with soy milk.

After much feedback, they’ve also started to become more adventurous with their baked items and this was the first weekend they baked the sticky date pudding. I taste tested it the day before, and fortunately they decided to warm up the butterscotch sauce to drizzle and serve it today. The sticky date pudding isn’t too sweet, and it’s moist plus soft. Not the best I’ve had (that would still go to PS Cafe), but it’s pretty decent and makes a nice accompaniment with their drinks.

Found my new favourite drink stop along Orchard Road! I visited a long time back but the service seems to have improved tremendously. Our first visit had us waiting 20 minutes for our orders to be taken and prepared, but this time they were noticeably better staffed and we got our orders within minutes.

I opted for the Coconut Cappuccino Shake with 0% sugar and really really liked it. Even at 0% sugar, the Shake is naturally sweetened and I love the fragrant coconut milk with bits of coconut flesh blended into the mixture. I found that the cappuccino flavour helped to add an extra special flavour profile to the drink so it never got boring. Forget getting the medium, just go for the large!

In addition to their famed black cocoa brownies, brookies and smashed avocado, BUNDT is known for their coffee. Instead of getting a fancy toffee nut latte, I went for their signature iced white with soy milk instead and boy was it good. The iced white comes with cold brew, an espresso ice ball and milk, which ensures that your coffee doesn’t get diluted, but rather more potent as the ice melts. I found that my cup of coffee with soy milk was substantially darker brown and stronger than my friend’s cup with regular milk right from the moment this was served but I’m not sure if this is due to the request for soy milk or just batch variation. Either way, both cups were good. Great place to pick up breakfast, pack some lunch or snacks along with some good coffee for a day at work.

I’ve tried the Black Sesame Soy Latte before and I’m glad to say that the standard is consistently good at Craftsmen. The Black Sesame fragrance is strong, and the taste is prominent. It’s mixed nicely with the milk, resulting in an amazingly creamy and smooth beverage. Great for a non-caffeinated drink.

The butterscotch latte is just one of the many creative drinks available at Craftsmen. It indeed tastes of butterscotch, with a pleasant sweetness to balance the slight bitterness of the coffee. Craftsmen has achieved just the right level of sweetness in this beverage, resulting in a pleasant drink to go with your meal, or a nice beverage to have with your friends or family over a catch-up session.

I’ve loved all the drinks I’ve had at Craftsmen Coffee so far and will definitely be back for more and to try the food!