Gula Aren Latte It does seem that the wave of Indonesian-originated coffee shops have not quite ended in Singapore as yet; while Tanamera Coffee has and Kenangan Coffee are two brands that are massively expanding their footprint across the island of the late, there has been yet another new brand name from Indonesia that has entered our shores. Fore Coffee is the newest Indonesian-originated coffee shop brand to have come into the local F&B scene here; their very first outpost in Singapore situated at Bugis Junction had pretty opened to much fanfare considering how they were also running a 1-for-1 promotion in the initial days of opening as well. For those whom are looking for more background information about Fore Coffee, the brand itself was established in 2018 and their very first store is one that is located in Jakarta, Indonesia. The brand does seem to be big on its efforts on serving up coffee that is sourced locally in its home country, and trying to bring Singaporeans a cuppa that comes with a touch of Indonesian coffee culture; equally emphasised in their brand would be their efforts in sustainability — one distinct feature would be their feature wall which is decorated using real moss. While the store takes over the former premises of the now-defunct ShareTea Premium outlet at Bugis Junction located outside of the mall, there is a small dine-in area situated both inside and outside of its premises for those whom intend to have their cuppa and pastries on the spot. Coffee is pretty central to what Fore Coffee has to offer, and the beverage menu at Fore Coffee is split into categories such as Signature, Americano series, Non-Coffee, Coffee , Refreshers, Iced Frappe, and Indonesian Coffee of the Day and Tea. For those feeling peckish, one can also pick from the variety of danishes and tarts which they have stocked in the display shelf at the counter — these include items such as the Creamy Chicken Pain Suisse, Ube Mochi Croissant and a Cempedak Crumble Tart, amongst many others.
We have been pretty much into Gula Aren Latte lately with the opening of many of such Indonesian-originated coffee houses that had sprouted up all across the island in recent times; this includes establishments such as Kopiteori within Hotel Clover at North Bridge Road, as well as Kenangan Coffee which had recently opened more outlets including one at Changi Airport Terminal 2 as well as at Ngee Ann City. For those whom are unaware of what Gula Aren is, Gula Aren is essentially Palm Sugar — something that is rather similar to the Gula Melaka which we are more familiar with in our local context. Here, the menu description for the Gula Aren Latte also mentions it to be an item that is of “100% Indonesian coffee taste”. Going for the iced version of the Gula Aren Latte here, one thing that we felt about the Gula Aren Latte did taste a little flat here as compared to other similar offerings that we have had in the local setting — the earthy and nutty notes of the coffee wasn’t particularly strong with the Gula Aren Latte here; what seemed to be more evident here was the sweetness of the Gula Aren, though this was also not quite as deep and earthy as what we would have expected it to be as well. Overall, it is not a bad cuppa, though we did feel that the Gula Aren Latte here is probably better to be treated as a beverage rather than a serious cuppa as what we have tasted from other Indonesian establishments locally that serves up a similar offering. Still, there are quite a number of other interesting offerings that Fore Coffee does offer — think Berry Manuka Americano and the Pandan Oat Latte; both of which being items that we wouldn’t mind trying on another visit. Fore Coffee also does boasts of the most interesting light food options amongst the Indonesian-originated coffee houses for now; something which we are likely to give a try if we are able to snag a dine-in seat to enjoy them on the spot in the near future!