Another month, another mall opening in Singapore.
The opening of Funan should bring out some excitement for “NEW F&B” hunters in Singapore.
Some of these new names include Afuri Ramen,
NOKA by Open Farm Community, Godmama (modern Peranakan restaurant), POPs (rice bowl shop by the people behind Populus), The Oyster Bar, PPP Coffee, Fireless Kitchen and Nasty Cookie.
As for the cafes and dessert shops, here are 10 of them:
% Arabica Singapore
56 Arab Street Singapore 199753
Opening Hours: 8am – 8pm (Mon – Sun)
Famous Kyoto Cafe Finally Opens At Arab Street
%Arabica which first announced its opening in Singapore last August 2018, has finally opened at 56 Arab Street.
The Arab Street branch is a small 20-seater, designed in minimalist white similar to many of the other stores world-wide.
Caffe Latte is priced here at $7 for short, $8 for tall, while the iced version is priced at $8.
If you prefer something sweeter, also available is the Spanish Latte ($7.80. $9.00) which is included with condensed milk.
I enjoyed the Iced Caffe Latte, it was as pleasurable as how I remembered it to be – the smooth milky feeling, aromatic coffee, and balanced robustness.
Everything is slightly pricey though. Oh well. %Arabica Singapore (Arab Street)
Dosirak – Somerset
313@Somerset #B2-15 Singapore 238895
Opening hours: 10am – 10pm (Mon – Sun, including PH)
https://www.facebook.com/DosirakSG
Korean Bibimbap Shop At 313@Somerset
Dosirak is a modern bibimbap concept that is newly opened at 313@Somerset basement 2 (next to Popeyes).
Dosirak, which refers to the traditional Korean lunchbox, is part of the product concept. Here, they serve the Bibimbap and all its ingredients inside your “lunchbox’, in this case, a capped pint.
The colourful pints which may remind you of those which store ice cream, making it easy for takeaways as well.
The fun part happens when you add the sauce and shake the Bibimbap until all the ingredients mix up and come together.
Their Bibimbap veers away from tradition, mixed by shaking, inspired by the traditional Korean lunchbox. Dosirak (313@somerset)
Pronto Singapore
Capital Square #01-02/08, 23 Church Street Singapore S049481
Opening Hours: 7:30am – 11:30pm (Mon – Thurs), 7:30am – 2am (Fri), 11am – 10pm (Sat, Sun)
Popular Japanese-Italian Cafe From Japan Opens In Singapore
You may have walked past one of these Caffe Pronto in Japan, but may not have paid special attention.
Pronto has opened in Singapore, within Capital Square along Church Street.
It is located within a Japanese-themed gourmet space called GOCHI – which houses six different Japanese food concepts. These include Chojiro (sushi), Unaemon (unagi), Suage Express (soup curry), Morozoff (cheesecakes and chocolates), and Paletas (popsicle).
It changes its menu and service style according to the time of the day. This is where you can enjoy Italian-style coffee and bread in the morning, then a plate of pasta for lunch and dinner.
Pasta choices include the classic Bolognese ($11), Porcini Cream Sauce with Truffle Oil ($15), Scallop & Bottarga Aglio Olio ($13), Crab & Broccoli Arrabiata ($18), and Mozzarella Tomato Sauce ($15). Pronto (Capital Square)
KURA Singapore
46 Kim Yam Road, The Herencia #01-07 Singapore 239351
Tel: +65 9722 2996
Opening Hours: 9am – 5pm (Mon), 9am – 6:30pm (Tues – Fri), 10:30am – 5pm (Sat, Sun)
Well-Hidden Café Offering $4 Cakes At Kim Yam Road
KURA 蔵 in Japanese stands for a “storehouse”, a place where the owners would ‘store’ treasured pastries for customers.
Some of their signature offerings include the Key Lime Tart ($4, $6), Earl Grey Chocolate Tart ($4, $6), Dark Black Forest ($6.50) and Brown Butter Madeleines ($1.50 per piece).
Prices are considered pretty affordable.
The Dark Black Forest ($6.50) which is a contemporary twist on nostalgic flavours comes recommended.
While it didn’t look like a black forest cake at all, it kept its ‘cherried’ essence within, and I enjoyed the soft chocolatey mousse-like texture. Kura (Kim Yam Road)
Asian Rad Afters
33 Bali Lane, Singapore 189869
Opening Hours: 11.30am – 7pm (Wed – Sun), Closed Mon, Tue, Opened on PH
Insta-worthy Bubble Waffle From Osaka Japan
From Osaka to Singapore, Asian Rad Afters is one distinctive shop, in terms of its cyan-green colour and offering of Bubble Waffle. You can call this an “egglet”.
The menu includes offerings of Bubble Waffle ($12 – $13), Iced Asian Tea ($4.80), Fruit Cup ($8.50) and Ice Cream (Single scoop $4.50/ Double Scoops $6.50).
The Bubble Waffle is prepared ala minute upon order, with multiple flavours of fanciful names.
Unlike the usual Hong Kong style egglet, the Bubble Waffle is crispy on the edges, with moist and fluffy texture on the inside. You can say the mouthfeel is almost similar to a cake. Asian Rad Afters (Bali Lane)
Jin Yu Man Tang Dessert Shop 金玉满堂甜品
66 East Coast Road, The Flow #01-03 Singapore 428778
Tel: +65 6214 3380
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 10:30pm (Mon – Sun)
Jin Yu Man Tang Dessert Shop 金玉满堂甜品 a Hong Kong dessert house located at East Coast, has the potential to be a hit with families.
Some of its specialties include the Ginger Milk Pudding 姜撞奶 ($4.00), Shun De Double Layer Milk 顺德双皮奶 ($3.60), Peach Gum with Milk 桃胶鲜牛奶 ($4.50), Mango with Mini Rice Ball 芒果小丸子 ($5.00), and Deep Fried Milk 炸牛奶 ($5.50).
The signature Shun De Double Layer Milk ($3.60) originated from Shunde in Foshan China. You can also choose other toppings such as red bean, mango, lotus seeds, walnut, almond, and papaya.
The milk pudding was incredibly soft, and melt-in-your-mouth. Jin Yu Man Tang Dessert Shop (East Coast Road)
Wu Pao Chun Bakery
Capitol Piazza, 13 Stamford Rd #01-19/20, Singapore 178905
Opening Hours: 8:30am – 9pm (Mon – Sun)
Famous Taiwanese Bakery Opens In Singapore
The famous Wu Pao Chun Bakery from Taiwan has opened in Singapore at Capitol Piazza.
Baker Wu Pao-chun 吳寶春 himself found fame when he won the Les Masters de la Boulangerie world-championship held in Paris.
He is known for the Lychee Rose Royal bread created, which included rose petals, dried lychees and millet wine.
Walking in, you may feel that Wu Pao Chun Bakery is “BreadTalk 2.0” with its décor, shelf displays, bread offerings and even the Toast Box nearby. Just FYI, BreadTalk has an 80% stake in this joint venture.
The two main breads to look out for are the award-winning Lychee Rose Royale and Red Wine Longan ($20.80 each), handcrafted in small batches, available only at specific timings.
PPP Coffee by Papa Palheta
Funan #02-19, 107 North Bridge Road Singapore 179105
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
We have not heard from specialty coffee roaster Papa Palheta in a while. The group who is also behind the famous hipster coffee place Chye Seng Huat Hardware, will be launching Singapore’s first employee-store PPP Coffee. That means a portion of the profits will go to the staff.
A highlight of the space is an experiential brew bar for customers to have a go at brewing and interacting with coffee apparatus
The selection also incorporates some local Nonya Kuehs (applied by One Kueh At A Time), and you can look out for the Ondeh Ondeh ($5 for 5 pieces) with coffee infused gula melaka filling.
Butterknife Folk
Funan #02-02, 107 North Bridge Road Singapore 179105
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
Gelato Cafe With Creative Flavours Opens At Funan
Butterknife Folk at Funan will also feature a “no menu” concept.
Instead of a fixed menu board selection of flavours, customers will be greeted with a large 2.2m mirror hung above the gelato cabinet reflecting the 16 flavours of the day.
The gelato is made in-house from scratch, with a strong emphasis placed on the selection of raw ingredients.
Scoops are priced at $5 single and $9 for double.
For Funan’s outlet, some of the opening flavours you can look forward to include Ondeh Ondeh, Goma, Citrus Bitters, Blueberry Lavender, Dulce & Banana, Jasmine Tea Amarena, Madagascan Vanilla, Roasted Pistachio, Brown Butter Pecan, and… Chicken Rice Gelato.
It does taste like the local hawker dish, in a strange way. Butterknife Folk (Funan)
What’s Pide
22 Cross Street #01-63, China Square Central, Singapore 048421
Tel: +65 9389 0863
Opening Hours: 8am – 9pm (Mon – Fri), Closed Sun
1st Pocket Pide From Seoul Arrives in Singapore
What’s Pide at China Square Central is a South Korean brand with 11 outlets in Seoul.
offering 5 types of Pide – Hey! Lu Lu ($6.50), Sofia’s Meatballs ($7.50), Prawn Star ($8.50), Mrs Park ($9.00), and Eda-san ($7.50).
Good to know that the pides are hand-kneaded using a specially formulated flour from Korea which are created with a secret mix of dry ingredients, and baked fresh every day.
The recipe and technique combined is said to give the traditionally firmer flatbread a spongier texture.
What’s Pide also offers its own coffee, a Pide’s Brew ($5.50) brewed fresh with a splash of coconut water. What’s Pide (China Square Central)
Other Related Entries
10 New Cafes In Singapore January 2019
10 New Cafes In Singapore February 2019
10 NEW Cafes In Singapore March 2019
10 NEW Cafes In Singapore April 2019
10 NEW Cafes In Singapore May 2019
* Compiled by Daniel Ang @DanielFoodDiary and Nicholas Tan @stormscape.