With many new restaurants and cafes at Orchard Road, I thought of compiling a cafe guide which focuses on openings near the Orchard MRT Station.
That includes new cafes at Ion Orchard, Ngee Ann City, Scotts Square, Wheelock Place, and Forum.
Check them out below:
Found
Takashimaya S.C., Ngee Ann City, 391 Orchard Road, #B1-16 to #B1-24, Singapore 238872
Opening Hours: 10am – 9:30pm (Mon – Sun)
Stylish ‘Korean-Style’ Minimalist Café At Orchard Ngee Ann City
A modern-day market for unique fashion, The Editor’s Market has opened their flagship outlet at Orchard Road within Ngee Ann City.
And within this fashion and lifestyle boutique, shoppers will be able to find this own gourmet cafe brand: Found.
The 16-seater space has a sleek, white and minimalist touch, equipped with Korean cafe elements such as the use of raw materials with a muted tone and an unfinished look.
A good mix of savoury and sweet pastries are all displayed on the counter, sourced from various cafes on a weekly rotational basis.
Savouries include Black Truffle Pie ($9.50), Spam & Potato Sourdough ($6), Black Garlic Sourdough ($5.50), Cheese Kurt ($6), Coffee Knot ($3.50) and Tomato Forcaccia ($5.50).
My new FOUND love was their Layered Cake ($8) like a tiramisu, in flavours of Banoffee and Matcha.
The latter comes with alternating layers of matcha ganache, cream cheese and matcha sponge topped with a layer of matcha powder and a layer of macadamia crust at the bottom. Found Café (Ngee Ann City)
Q Classified
Takashimaya S.C., Ngee Ann City, 391 Orchard Road #03-15, Singapore 238872
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
Baby-Pink Floral Cafe With Red Ruby Pancakes And Bunwich
Opened by the same team behind Greyhound Cafe Singapore, Black Society, Masa by Black Society, BreadStory and Central 中環, Q Classified is the latest brainchild at Ngee Ann City.
Their striking pink floral fantasy theme can be easily spotted, with a borderless design without the use of walls and glass doors.
This creates an open-concept space that looks visually bigger.
The cushioned couches are pretty comfy in shades of baby pink, and there are two private rooms conducive for small business meetings or gatherings.
Their menu is quite comprehensive, with a variety of Mains ($18 – $28), Sandwich ($14 – $28), Sides ($9 – $18), Salad ($12 – $26), Dutch Baby Pancakes ($9 – $15), Freakshakes ($14), Coffee ($7), Tea ($8) and Smoothies ($12).
There are Asian influences in the dishes served such as Bulgogi Beef Wagyuwich ($26), Tamagotchi Egg Uni Sandwich ($26), Seafood Laksa Toast ($16), Trio Xin Tian Di Chinese Bunwich ($16). Q Classified (Orchard Road)
You Are My Sunshine
Ngee Ann City, 391B Orchard Rd, #05-05A, Singapore 238874
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
Korean Brunch & Desserts Cafe With Botanical Interior Opens At Ngee Ann City
Newly opened Korean-inspired brunch and dessert café You Are My Sunshine recently opened at Ngee Ann City.
If you find the name sounding familiar, they have a sister outlet Walking on Sunshine located at Orchard Central.
Both outlets are Korean duo-concept store with both cafe and salon under one roof, with the same iconic lush greeneries and plants in their compound.
The entire space can be easily spotted from far, an entire green wall totally surrounded by potted plants and climbers just like a mini forest.
For now, their menu is exactly the same as their outlet at Orchard Central, with Korean elements added into the dishes.
It is categorised into Salad ($27), Brunch ($20 – $27), Mains ($24 – $33), Sides ($14 – $16), Sweets ($18 – $25), Coffee, Tea and Shakes, with prices on the higher side than most cafes.
Diners can look forward to Korean dishes such as Classic Bulgogi Salad ($27), Crispy Korean Fried Chicken with Yangnyeom Sauce ($28), Hake & Chips with Kimchi Tartare ($32), Popcorn Chicken with Yangnyeom ($16) and Kroffle ($18), a cross between croissant and waffle. You Are My Sunshine (Ngee Ann City)
Matchaya – Takashimaya
391 Orchard Road #03-10A Takashimaya Shopping Centre, Ngee Ann City, Singapore 238872
Opening Hours: 10am – 9:30pm (Mon – Sun)
Chio Japanese Tea Flagship Store With Tea+sserts, Brunch, And Sando
Matchaya has opened a new flagship store with a “Progressive Tea Bar” is located on Level 3 of Takashimaya, opposite ABC Cooking Studio, and will likely attract shoppers to rest their legs and have a cup of tea.
The interior design is based on the theme of artisanal tea they import – dark green to represent Matcha, orange to signify harvested Houjicha, and lamps designed to look like tea whisks.
Café goers can find an extensive range of Tea+sserts (tea+desserts) which are freshly bake in house.
The signature item is the Pate A Choux ($5 per pc, $28 for standard box of 6), coming in flavours of Matcha, Houjicha, Kurogoma, Chocolate, and Raspberry. I gave the more uncommon Kurogoma ($5) a go, pipped with roasty and earthy black sesame cream. The fillings were fresh and creamy, but not overly rich, with delightful taste of aromatic goma.
You can also expect a spread of Japanese-inspired brunch items and Sando, alongside exclusive cakes like Signature Matcha Yuzu Cake, Hazelnut Dacquoise, Matcha Mousse, Matcha Sponge, White Chocolate infused with Sake, and Yuzu Mango Jelly. Matchaya (Takashimaya)
Coconut Queen – Takashimaya
391A Orchard Road, #B2 08-7, Takashimaya Department Store, Singapore 238873
Opening Hours: 10am – 9:30pm (Mon – Sun)
Coconut Shake Shop With Refreshing Taro, Lychee And Earl Grey Flavours
Coconut shakes is the new buzz beverage in Singapore, and I love them for being decadently-creamy and refreshing – much needed when the weather gets crazy hot.
What’s special about Coconut Queen is other than the Original Coconut Shake, there are other fun and exciting flavours from Taro, Avocado, Strawberry, Lychee to the more unconventional Earl Grey and Jackfruit.
Get the Taro Coconut Shake ($4.80) which is a creamy light-purple coloured shake with the sweet nutty flavour of taro paired with refreshing coconut.
While taro flavour is typically found in Bubble Tea, the earthiness and distinct yam-my taste compliments quite well with the creaminess of the ice cream, though it may get slightly filling.
Bynd Artisan + Sunday Folks ION Experience Store
ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn, #04-11, Singapore 238801
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
Dessert Café With Ice Cream Parfaits At ION Orchard
Combining both retail and F&B, Bynd Artisan + Sunday Folks ION Experience Store is a collaboration between two craftsmen brands, the former in bookbinding and leather crafting, the latter in artisanal ice cream and desserts.
The entire space uses an earthly-coloured tone with shades of white, brown and gold, incorporated with wooden elements and equipped with terrazzo table tops.
Primarily focusing on their artisanal in-house ice cream, signature items are in the form of Ice Cream Parfaits ($16) and Ice Cream Petits Gateaux ($12 – $14).
3 different Ice Cream Parfaits ($16) can be found, namely Genmaicha Yuzu, Earl Grey Butterscotch and Rum Raisins & Apple.
Each item is served on place mats made from recycled food pulp papers by Bynd Artisan, with random inspirational quotes written on it.
The Earl Grey Butterscotch Ice Cream Parfait ($16) looks the most “instagrammable” due to the colours, with 2 scoops of Earl Grey Lavender and Butterscotch Almond Ice Cream that created an earthly yet aromatic tea profile.
The texture of the ice cream is smooth and creamy with bits of crispy crumbles and crunchy toasted almond, in contrast to the soft and pulpy strawberry compote. Bynd Artisan + Sunday Folks (ION Orchard)
Eggslut
Scotts Square #01-12, 6 Scotts Road, Singapore 228209 (Orchard MRT)
Opening Hours: 8am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
Famous LA Egg Sandwich At Scotts Square
Eggslut Singapore has opened at the striking corner of Scotts Square, the brand’s very first location in Southeast Asia.
For the uninitiated, the popular Eggslut started as a food truck in Los Angeles in 2011, and has expanded to cities of Las Vegas, London, Seoul, Tokyo and Kuwait City.
There are 6 sandwiches on Eggslut Singapore’s menu, namely Bacon, Egg & Cheese Sandwich ($12), Sausage, Egg & Cheese Sandwich ($12), Cheeseburger ($13.50 for single, $17 for double), Fairfax Sandwich ($12), Gaucho Sandwich ($23), and Egg Salad Sandwich ($10.50).
The signature would be the all-time favourite Fairfax ($12) which includes fluffy scrambled eggs over caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, and drizzled with sriracha mayonnaise.
Cage-free and soft-scrambled, the eggs are cooked ala minute to classic specifications.
The eggs would first be un-whisked into a cold pan, then brought up with plenty of cold butter and taken off the heat before they are fully set.
I would have personally wished the scrambled eggs to be more creamy, rich and flavourful, it was not bad but seemed something lacking there. Perhaps was wishing for more considering an internationally-renowned brand.
The breakfast combination with soft and slightly oily buns worked well, with the sriracha mayonnaise giving the surprise little kick at the end. Eggslut (Orchard Road)
Mr. Holmes Bakehouse Singapore
9 Scotts Rd, Pacific Plaza Level 1 #01-01/02/03, Singapore 228210
Opening Hours: 8am – 8pm (Mon – Sun)
Bakery Cafe At Orchard Road With Cruffins & Donuts
Mr. Holmes Bakehouse has arrived in Singapore, located in a street-facing unit at Pacific Plaza, Orchard Road.
Founded by co-owner and pastry chef Aaron Caddel, Mr. Holmes Bakehouse was first established in 2014 as a humble wholesale bakery along the bustling Tenderhill district in San Francisco, before it catapulted to fame on social media over its cruffins.
The name comes from the owner’s mother’s cats by the way – one’s called Sherlock, the other Holmes.
The other interesting fact: this Singapore outpost is the only Mr Holmes Bakehouse left in the world (The previously popular SF and Seoul’s outlets have closed.)
The menu includes Cruffins ($5.80), Donuts ($4 – $6.50), Croissants ($4 – 7.50), Danish ($7), Sweet Buns ($6), Sandwiches ($13), Salads ($16) and Beverages ($4.50 – $8).
There are 3 Cruffin flavours for now, including Mint Chocolate Chip ($5.80), Tiramisu Cream ($5.80) and a weekend special of Peanut Butter Milkshake ($5.80).
Croissants which come in flavours of Matcha, Chocolate and Ham & Cheese, were slightly on the dry side, but better than the average. Mr. Holmes Bakehouse Singapore (Pacific Plaza)
The Zall Bookstore 卓尔书店
Wheelock Place, 501 Orchard Road, #01-02/#02-18, Singapore 238880
Opening Hours: 11am – 9:30pm (Mon – Sun)
Coffee Place Within Famous Chinese Bookstore At Wheelock Place
Originated from Wuhan in 2013 and founded by billionaire Yan Zhi, The Zall Bookstore 卓爾書店 in Singapore is their first international outpost.
The Singapore branch is situated along Orchard Road at Wheelock Place, near to where the defunct Borders flagship store was previously located.
The cafe is located at the first floor, right below the spiral staircase, offering a selection of espresso-based drinks ($4 – $8), Flavoured Latte ($6.50 – $8), Tea ($12.90) and Pastries.
Apart from the usual Black ($4.60), White ($6) and Mocha ($7), both Vanilla Espresso ($7) and Matcha Espresso ($7.50) are also available in Ice Blended options at an additional $0.50.
My Iced Matcha Espresso ($7.50) comes in 3 different distinctive layers or espresso, milk and matcha, which was quite smooth and flavourful, but a tad too sweet.
A selection of sweet treats is also available at their counter.
These include the usual items of Brownie ($4.50) – Signature, Double Chocolate, Black & White, Chocolate/ Raspberry Tart ($6.50), Burnt Cheesecake ($7.90), Rainbow Cake ($7.50) and Ondeh Ondeh Cake ($7.50). The Zall Bookstore Cafe 卓爾書店 (Orchard Road)
LINO Restaurant and Cafe
583 Orchard Rd, #01-01/04, Singapore 238884
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 2:30pm, 6pm – 10pm (Mon – Fri), 11:30am – 10pm (Sat – Sun)
Contemporary Italian Restaurant and Cafe at Forum
The name LINO comes from the Italian word linen, which is used to cover pizza dough as it leavens. (Yes, they have replaced Jamie’s Italian previously in the same spot)
They specialise in handmade pizza, pasta, and a variety of other hearty Italian favourites, and offer a unique beverage program to go along with your meal. I found the pricing slightly on the higher side though.
This new outlet has a café menu which is available from 11:30am to 5pm.
Available desserts for sweet treats include Tiramisu ($12), Tortino Chocolate Lava Cake ($12), Panna Cotta ($12), Stuffed Italian Doughnuts with Hazelnut Cream ($12), Pecan Tart ($12), Profiteroles ($14) and Gelato ($5).
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* Compiled by Daniel Ang @DanielFoodDiary and Nicholas Tan @stormscape.
