And as the first month of 2020 flies by, what an ‘interesting’ month it has been.
If you are feeling down, here are 10 NEW Cafes openings in Singapore to look forward to:
Hongdae Oppa
68 Orchard Road #B2-47 Plaza Singapura Singapore 238839
Tel: +65 9181 3038
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 10pm Last Order 9.30pm (Sun – Thurs), 11:30am – 10:30pm Last Order 10pm (Fri – Sat, Eve PH, PH)
Colourful Korean Restaurant With Sizzling Hotplates And Fried Chicken
Hongdae Oppa Korean Dining House serves a broad selection of Urban K-Food including its signature Sizzlers (Bokkeumbap), Korean Fried Chicken, Hot Stone Jjigae, Tteokbokki, Ramyeon and side dishes.
These and many more Korean street food offerings are inspired by the founder’s extensive visits to the Hongdae Food Street and Night Market in Korea.
Start off with a hot plate Bokkeumbap Sizzlers ($12.90) to delight your palate with a variety of flavours and textures.
This Korean stir-fry rice dish is served with 80 grams of meats (you have pork, chicken and beef options), fried chicken skin, sweet corn kernels, onions, scallions, fried egg, and of course, rice.
You can choose between the non-spicy egg fried rice, or the spicy with kimchi.
What I enjoyed was that the Sizzlers were serving literally sizzling hot to the table, and the friendly staff will help add the sauces and mix the ingredients up (or you can do it your own). Hongdae Oppa (Plaza Singapura)
Burger+ – Clarke Quay Central
#01-07, Clarke Quay Central, 6 Eu Tong Sen Street, Singapore 059817
Tel: +65 6909 5684
Opening Hours: 8am – 1am (Sun – Thu), 8am – 3am (Fri – Sat)
Largest Korean Burger Bar With Fluffy Egg Toasts At Clarke Quay Central
Burger+ has just launched the largest Korean Burger Bar in Singapore at Clarke Quay Central, with an expansive space that can sit up to 200 diners.
It opens from 8am daily offering newly-introduced Korean breakfast toasts; has a menu of burgers, fried chicken and sides throughout the day; and opens till 3am on Friday and Saturday (1am on the other days.)
In terms of the food, expect Korean breakfast toasts, soft burgers, to authentic Korean fried chicken.
The Korean Egg Toasts are a new introduction from Burger+ available from 8am till 5pm, though I feel that should just offer this at night as well.
While there are a number of Korean toast shops in Singapore, I do think what they have to offer is one of the most hearty around.
What was appealing was the fluffy brioche that was pan-grilled till they are slightly crisp on the outside. Burger+ (Clarke Quay Central)
Lucid
38 Hamilton Road Singapore 209208
Opening Hours: 10am – 6pm (Mon – Sun)
Minimalist Grey Café At Jalan Besar Has The Right Look And Vibes
Newcomer Lucid which is also found at the Jalan Besar area, will likely attract café-hoppers to visit soon. The reasons are plenty.
Its location at Hamilton Road is considered ‘off-beat’ yet central enough.
And its industrial-grey look with cement flooring, modern matt-silver furniture and a minimalist look will appeal to the Instagram generation.
Lucid is a collaboration between 37 waves – a distributor for professional coffee equipment and tools; and Thought Bakes.
The menu is kept lean, with offerings of coffee drinks such as Black Coffee ($3.50), Iced Black ($5.50), Strong White ($5.00), Iced White ($6.00), Mocha ($5.50) and Chocolate ($5.00) for non-coffee drinkers. Lucid (Hamilton Road)
Alchemist Design Orchard (DO)
250 Orchard Road, Singapore 238905
Opening Hours: 10am – 7pm
Hidden Café At A Rooftop Garden In The Heart Of Orchard Road
Local specialty coffee chain Alchemist has opened a café in The Cocoon Space @ Design Orchard.
You can walk the steps up to “The Cocoon Space” and it is hidden behind greenery; or take the elevator at the back of the building to Level 3.
Alchemist DO will be to many, the ‘perfect Instagram spot’ with concrete interiors, a swanky terrazzo tile coffee bar along with stainless steel finishing, along with some natural daylight at certain angles.
Their signature espresso beverages are brewed with coffee beans fresh from their roastery, and include the usual Black ($5, $6), White ($5, $6), Mocha ($5.50, $7), Pourover ($6), and Iced versions ($6 – $7).
The two house-blends available are the more chocolatey Dark Matter (which I personally prefer), and Kotowa which is more fruity. Alchemist Design Orchard (Orchard Road)
%Arabica Singapore – Holland Village
44 Jalan Merah Saga #01-58 Singapore 278116
Opening hours: 8am – 8pm (Mon – Sun) (subject to changes)
Famous Cafe Opens At Holland Village Chip Bee Gardens
The popular %Arabica has opened its 3rd outlet in Singapore, located at Chip Bee Gardens Holland Village.
Depending on the season and availability, you can find coffees from Japan, Guatemala, Brazil, El Salvador, Ethiopia and Panama.
If you like a little sweetness to your coffee, you can try the Spanish Latte ($9 for iced) which was first created by % Arabica Kuwait, and includes sweetened condensed milk.
There are nuances that reminded me of the local kopi peng, so for a more unadulterated taste, go for the Caffe Latte or Americano.
There are also plans to introduce food in this cafe mid-February. %Arabica (Holland Village)
Grillhood
603 Ang Mo Kio Ave 5, #01-2661 Block 603, Singapore 560603
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
Hidden Café At Ang Mo Kio, Serving Mains & Pastas From $7.90 Onwards
Located at the heart of a matured estate, Grillhood Café is the place to visit if you are looking for a ‘chillout’ spot with home-recipe cafe dishes at affordable prices.
Some of the prices you are looking at: Veggie Pasta ($7.90), Classic Tuna Sandwich ($7.90), Spicy Chicken Burger ($8.90), Cajun Chicken ($9.90), and Pan-seared Barramundi ($12.90).
What was recommended included the Chicken Quesadilla ($8.90) with sautéed onions and capsicum; Pan-Seared Barramundi ($12.90) served with wedges, garden salad and salsa; and Spicy Chicken Burger ($8.90) with sides of side of tortilla chips.
In addition, you can top-up $5.90 to get a soup of the day or coffee with a single scoop of ice cream. Grillhood Café (Ang Mo Kio)
Steeped Tea Bar
2 Tan Quee Lan Street, #01-01, Singapore 188091 (Bugis MRT Station)
Tel: +65 9120 1169
Opening Hours: 11am – 9pm (Mon – Sun)
Minimalist Tea Café At Bugis With Unique Flavours
Steeped Tea Bar which is located at Tan Quee Lan Street (next to Kin Moo), uses espresso machines to brew tea to order.
The signature drinks are the fruit tea “mocktails”, with offerings of Pear High Mountain Oolong ($6.30), Grapefruit Sencha or Genmaicha ($5.80), Soursop Sencha ($6.60), Lavender Blueberry ($6.30), Rose Lychee Raspberry ($7.20), and Lime Mint Sencha ($6.30).
What will appeal to customers is that only real botanicals and fruit juices or purees are used, and not any flavoured syrups, colouring, or concentrates.
Also, whole tea leaves are used, instead of ‘tea dust’ or pre-ground tea that allows you to savour the natural taste of the tea better. Steeped Tea Bar (Tan Quee Lan Street)
Monarchs & Milkweed Gelato
802 North Bridge Road, #01-01, Singapore 198770
Tel: +65 9665 7534
Opening Hours: 12pm – 10:30pm (Sun – Thurs), 12pm – 11pm (Fri – Sat)
Gelato Cafe With Unique Flavours Such As Burnt White Chocolate
Monarchs & Milkweed Gelato serves up gelato, waffles and coffee along North Bridge Road.
Good to know that owners had varied culinary experience – one with the renowned Blue Hills at Stone Barns at New York; the other worked at Le Clarence Paris. They both crossed paths at the former Cheek by Jowl.
The gelato is made in small batches, with interesting and unique flavours such as Brown Butter Sage, Burnt White Chocolate, Soursop Mint, Ispahan, Roasted Sesame, Sea Salt Gula Jawa, Rhubarb Buttermilk, Soursop Mint to Lavender.
They also offer the more ‘conventional’ flavours such as Match, Tahitian Vanilla, Lavender, Chocolate Sorbet, and Pistachio. Monarchs & Milkweed Gelato (North Bridge Road)
(Photo credit: @__sy_g)
Korio
135 Amoy Street, Far East Square #01-03, Singapore 049964
Tel +65 9771 6491
Opening Hours: 8am – 4pm (Mon – Fri), 9am – 3pm (Sat), Closed Sun
Doughnut and Sandwich Shop At Far East Square
Korio is a doughnut and sandwich takeaway shop located in the CBD founded by a husband and wife team Myron and Shaz.
Having had some of the best doughnuts in New York, the couple set out to recreate something similar for Singaporeans.
They also wanted to serve up sandwiches on the menu to provide convenient and hearty lunch options for busy workers in the CBD.
Some of their signature items include the Peanut Butter & Jelly Doughnut ($4.50) containing runchy peanuts folded into a peanut butter glaze, topped with house made raspberry jam; and White Chocolate & Coconut Doughnut with Hazelnuts ($4.50) of toasted coconut flakes and hazelnuts folded into a white chocolate glaze, reminiscent of a Raffaello.
JLD Dragon
Waterway Point, #B1-43, 83 Punggol Central, Singapore 828761
Bubble Tea Chain JLD 吉龙糖 Dragon Opening In Singapore
Known for its use of 1646 traditional Okinawa Brown Sugar from Japan, JLD Dragon will be opening in Singapore at Waterway Point.
Its signature Brown Sugar Milk is said to be crafted in a “golden ratio” and topped with whipped cream and crème fraiche, so that customers get a good proportion of brown-sugar-coated warm pearls and creamy milk.
Other Related Entries
10 NEW Cafes In Singapore Jan 2020
10 NEW Cafes In Singapore Dec 2019
10 NEW Cafes In Singapore Nov 2019
10 NEW Cafes In Singapore Oct 2019
10 NEW Cafes In Singapore Sep 2019
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