Good stuff seems to name after TWO – in Singapore we have Two Bakers, Two Men Bagel House, Two Chefs, Two Blur Guys, Two Wings, and now Two Cranes.
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Inspired by Korean Café Scene, Two Cranes is a neighbourhood café found in Kovan which serves a focused selection of Korean-themed food, bingsu dessert and hand-crafted beverages.
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Apparently in Korean culture, cranes are viewed as iconic creatures which symbolizes good fortune and longevity.
So much so that there is even a crane portrait embedded on the back of the 500 Korean won coin.
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What makes them “Korean”?
Their hand-crafted beverages were what first caught my attention.
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Apart from the usual latte and cappuccino suspects, there were a range of coffee and tea mocktails served in sleek beverage glasswares, which improves the visual aesthetics and Korean-ish vibes.
Reminded me of the times when I was at back at Bunkasha in Seoul.
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Their signature coffee mocktail, Wonda-fu Drink ($6) was a potent mix concocted from espresso shot, coffee jelly and mint leaves served in a cocktail glass.
It was rather sweet with coffee aroma and had a lingering scent of mint. I liked this drink, but my dining companions had mixed opinions about it.
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The other two more acceptable options to them were the Sunset Cold Brew Tonic ($6) & Yuzu Cold Brew Cream ($6) which were fruitier in flavour.
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While my perception of ade is usually associated to sweet carbonated water, the Chamomile Lime Ade ($6) took me by pleasant surprise.
At first sip, it was rather just citrusy lime and at subsequent sips, the Chamomile tea flavour came as an aftertaste.
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Their food menu revolves around Korean food, with noodles and rice offerings such as Jjajangmyeon ($10), Naengmyeon (Cold Noodles) and Bibimbap.
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I went for the 8 Treasures Rice Bibimbap ($12) which came with an assortment of ingredients such as spicy chicken carrots, spinach, mushrooms topped with gochujang dressing and sesame oil.
Generally, I find bibimbap can hardly ever goes wrong. My only qualm is that it is too ordinary and can be easily replicated at home.
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The serving staff then recommended me their Naengmyeon (Cold Noodles) ($10) which came with a generous serving of chewy buckwheat noodles served in chilled pear broth, which I found slightly underwhelming due to lack of flavour.
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There were also some Korean-inspired brunch dishes such as Spicy Dakgalbi with Scrambled Eggs ($13.50), Poached Eggs with Flambé Champignons ($13.50) and Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings ($12)
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While Korean bingsu may be considered passé (to some), their flavours such as Tea Bingsu ($12) and Caramel Macchiato Bingsu ($13.50) are made using tea and coffee syrup concocted using their in-house blend.
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What caught my attention was the locally inspired Pulut Hitam Bingsu ($12) which came with snow-like ice shavings topped with black glutinous rice, condensed milk, oreo and crushed almond bits.
I think it is a great idea, but execution could probably be improved by doing away with oreo bits and perhaps addition of coconut milk to add more depth to its flavour.
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Overall, I liked the cosy ambience at Two Cranes and they have managed to leave an impression on their hand-crafted beverages, but some work needs to go into fine-tuning of their food menu to stay true to the “Korean” branding.
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Two Cranes
Blk 211 Hougang Street 21 #01-291, Singapore 530211
Opening Hours: 8.30am – 10pm (Mon – Sun), Closed Tues
https://www.facebook.com/twocranes.sg/
Other Related Entries
Two Bakers (Teck Chye Terrace)
Patbingsoo Korean Dining House (VivoCity)
Dosirak (313@somerset)
Yoogane Singapore (Westgate)
Masizzim (Westgate)
* Written by Lewis Tan @juicyfingers, a self-proclaimed coffee addict. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.