The Outram Park area near Chinatown is another place where café lovers can find many hipster cafes, located at Neil Road, Keong Saik, Bt Pasoh, Kampong Bahru, to Kreta Ayer.
Some of the well-known places include The Populus, The Lokal, Keong Saik Bakery, Baker’s Bench Bakery, to Bao Makers.
Here are 10 new Outram cafes you can head to, many along the Kampong Bahru stretch for easier navigation:
Chez Suzette
5 Teck Lim Road, Singapore 088383
Opening Hours: 8:30am – 10pm (Mon, Wed – Sat), 8:30am – 5pm (Sun), Closed Tues
Gorgeous French-Style Double-Storey Cafe With Crepes and Pancakes
This new French-style café is nestled near the popular street of Keong Saik with wide selection of cafes and restaurants, Chez Suzette has opened along Teck Lim Road, diagonally across the popular Burnt Ends.
My favourite corner is their alfresco dining space, the patio which is the paved outdoor area with tall ceilings, hanging fans, huge plants and ample sunlight shining through in the morning that create the lush space.
Their menu starts from 8.30am with All-Day Breakfast such as Egg Mayo Croissant ($8), Avocado Toast ($14), Eggs Benedict with Parma Ham or Salmon ($16), Croque Monsieur ($14), Beetroot Burrata Salad (2 pax $32), Dippy Eggs with Toast Soldiers ($7), Pancakes with Berries ($16) and Homemade Granola Bowls with Yogurt ($13).
I particularly enjoyed the Eggs Benedict ($16) that comes with a choice of Parma Ham or Salmon, which is considered a staple in most brunch places. Chez Suzette (Teck Lim Road)
Acoustics Coffee Bar
61 Neil Road, Singapore 088895
Opening Hours: 8:30am – 5:30pm (Mon – Thurs), 8:30am – 9:30pm (Fri – Sun)
Pet-Friendly Botanical Themed Cafe With All-Day-Brunch
Acoustics Coffee Bar, previously known as Acoustic Cafe at Ang Mo Kio , has shifted to Neil Road (right opposite Apiary).
Natural elements are incorporated using green plants, wooden flooring and rattan seats, with the space at the entrance being pet-friendly.
Using fresh produce for all their dishes, expect All-Day-Brunch With Breakfast At Acoustics ($24), Acoustics’ Fluffy Pancakes ($12), Brie & Mushroom Croissant ($13), and Egg in A Hole ($14).
The Breakfast At Acoustics ($24) comes with a choice of Egg (Ramen Egg/ Scrambled/ Sunny Side Up), Cheese Sausage, Slow Baked Tomato, Maple Glaze Bacon, Roasted mushroom, Kale salad on a slice of sourdough.
The Mains menu starts from 11:30am with recommended dishes such as Roasted Chicken Pita Pouch ($14), Arrabiata ($16) and Laksa Cream ($20).
The crowd’s favourite was the Laksa Cream ($20), a dry version of our heritage local food, using spaghetti instead, topped with prawns and crispy tofu puffs. Acoustics Coffee Bar (Neil Road)
Plain Vanilla
167 Neil Road, Singapore 088888
Opening Hours: 7:30am – 7pm (Mon – Sun)
Popular Bakery Cafe Opens From 7:30AM
Plain Vanilla Bakery is no stranger to many people, known for its cupcakes and bakes, and has 4 outlets at Tiong Bahru, Cluny Court, Telok Ayer and In Good Company within ION Orchard.
There are currently no new outlet-exclusive dishes at the time of visit, with a menu comprising of best sellers from their other outlets.
For the breakfast menu, there are House/ Chocolate. Maple Granola Bowl (Small $8, Regular $12), Banana Nutella Toast ($9) and “PBJ” ($7).
Their Brunch & Lunch menu consisted of the usual selections such as Eggs Benedict ($22), Eggs Hemingway ($24), Scrambled Eggs on Sourdough with Avocado ($20), French Toast with Mixed Berries ($20) and Pappardelle with Spicy Beef Ragu ($22).
The Scrambled Eggs on Sourdough with Avocado ($20) comes with smooth, creamy and buttery scrambled egg with pepper sprinkled on the buttered granary sourdough
The sourdough was lightly toasted till golden brown before serving to give it a light crisp, topped with watercress salad for the crunch in contrast to the tangy salad.
Plain Vanilla (Neil Road)
Nuage Patisserie & Boulangerie
47 Kampong Bahru Road, Singapore 169361
Opening Hours: 11am – 6pm (Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri), 8:30am – 5pm (Sat – Sun), Closed Wed
French Pastry Cafe With Instagrammable Elmo Cupcakes, Daisy Tarts & Boba Swiss Roll
Nuage, pronounced as “nu-age”, means “cloud” in French and is a representation of the owners ideology in being carefree without restrictions in their bakes and pastries.
Classic French pastries can be found here, namely Croissant ($4), Pain Au Chocolate ($4.50), Ham & Cheese Croissant ($6.90), Kouign Amann ($5.50), Plain Bagel ($3.50) and Bacon Onion Cheese Focaccia ($8.90).
Their cakes menu is on a rotating basis and there were Pistachio Strawberry ($9.20), Strawberry Popcorn ($9.80), Brown Sugar Boba ($9.60), Blueberry Cheesecake ($8.50) and Elmo/ Cookie Monster Cupcake ($6.50).
My favourite was the Brown Sugar Boba ($9.60) with a brown sugar Swiss roll sandwiched between 2 butter cookies.
Remove the butter cookies to reveal the soft and fluffy brown sugar sponge, generously piped with brown sugar Chantilly and brown sugar boba that gives it a nice contrast in textures. Nuage Patisserie & Boulangerie (Kampong Bahru)
HaengBok CakeYo
41 Kampong Bahru Rd, Singapore 168358
Opening Hours: 11am – 7pm (Thurs – Mon), Closed Tues, Wed
Korean-Style Dessert Shop With Orh Nee & Ondeh Ondeh Fat Macarons
HaengBok CakeYo 행복해요 means “Happiness” in Korean, and is a dessert takeaway shop located at Kampong Bahru near Outram.
Opened under the same roof by the folks behind baking studio Nanatang, HaengBok CakeYo focuses on Korean-inspired bakes such as supersized macarons (Also known as FatFatCarons or ddung-carons).
Unlike the French-style macaron that is usually piped with a layer of buttercream, a Korean ddung-caron is stuffed with all sorts of ingredients from whole berries to multi-layered buttercream and even jellies and mochis.
The K-style Fatfatcarons (priced at $5.80, or 4 pieces for $19.80) has interesting classic flavours such as Blueberry, Matcha, Double Citron, Strawberry and Oreo Cheesecake.
The Ondeh-Ondeh Fatfatcaron was my favourite flavour, made of a single pandan sponge, cream cheese with gula melaka and desiccated coconut flakes. HaengBok CakeYo (Kampong Bahru)
Three Point Two
85 Kampong Bahru Road, Singapore 169380
Opening Hours: 12pm – 10pm (Mon – Thurs, Sun), 12pm – 2am (Fri – Sat)
Bubblegum Pink & Blue Gelato Cafe By Pang Zi Durian
Opened by Pang Zi Durian located at Jurong West, Three Point Two is their latest brainchild located directly opposite Singapore General Hospital.
The vibrant cafe offers both gelato and durian desserts. Don’t worry, it is not strong-smelling, yet.
Unlike most cafes that are styled in minimalist, Scandinavian, Kinfolk or MUJI-like style of like, Three Point Two uses 2 bold colours, blue and bubblegum pink that is indeed eye-catching once you enter the space.
All their gelato are made in-house with 18 different flavours (Single $4, Double $7.50, Premium +$1, Mao Shan Wang +$2) displayed on their sleek blue counter.
Interesting classic flavours (Single $4, Double $7.50) include Honey Lavender, Blue Vanilla, Chrysanthemum, Watermelon Mint and Soursop Mint.
For durian lovers, there are also desserts from D24 Durian Puffs (10pcs $10.90. 30pcs $30), D24 Durian Mochi (4pcs $10, 24pcs $55), Durian Mousse ($5.50) and Mao Shan Wang Craquelin Puffs (6pcs $13.80, 18pcs $39). Three Point Two (Kampong Bahru)
At3 (@3)
63 Kampong Bahru Road, Singapore 169369
Opening Hours: 8am – 4pm (Mon, Thurs), 8am – 6pm (Wed, Fri – Sun), Closed Tues
Nordic-Style Cafe With Swedish Daim Cake And Orh Nee Cake
As unique as their name sounds, At3 is a Nordic style cafe serving Nordic cuisine, not commonly seen in Singapore.
Their interior can be described Scandinavian-themed with simplicity, minimalism and functionality, which includes usage of natural materials such as leather and wood.
Food menu consists of Nordic cuisines, which include Smoked Salmon Salad ($17), Kale Salad ($17), Avo Shrimp Sandwich ($24), Skagen Toast ($18), Smoked Salmon Sandwich ($20) and Viking Breakfast ($21).
I noted that their (not-very-Nordic) dessert prices are on the higher side though, which include Earl Grey Lavender Tea Cake ($8), Pistachio Lemon Tea Cup ($9, Sliced Daim Cake ($4), Mini Tart ($7), Orh Nee Cake ($10) and Ondeh Ondeh Cake ($10). At3 (Kampong Bahru)
Dolc Patisserie
67 Kampong Bahru Road, #01-00, Singapore 169371
Opening Hours: 9am – 6pm (Mon, Wed – Sat), 10:30am – 5pm (Sun), Closed Tues
French Desserts And Pastry Cafe With Influences from Spain
Specialising in French techniques with modern flavours and incorporating influences from Spain, Dolc Patisserie wants to introduce a piece of Barcelona in their pastries to the locals.
It also hopes to provide a familiar taste of hometown to the Spanish expats residing in Singapore.
The desserts display features their current selection of the day, ranging from Fruit Tart ($8+) to Bananier ($8+) made from chocolate and banana, Elsie ($8.50+), Passionfruit Meringue ($7.50+), Charlotte ($8.50+), chocolate with coffee Royale ($8.50+) and Mango Shortcake ($8+).
I ended up with the velvety red Charlotte ($8.50+) made of Strawberry, Basil and Mascarpone.
Slice the Charlotte into halves and you will see layers of basil sponge cake with a strawberry core on top of a butter cookie.
I was intrigued with the first bite, mainly due to the basil sponge that resembled the savoury pesto pasta.
The basil taste was distinctive yet not overwhelming, pleasantly balanced with the sweet strawberry coulis with a touch of creaminess from the mascarpone layer. Dolc Patisserie (Kampong Bahru)
Kream & Kensho
33/35 Kampung Bahru Road Singapore 169354
Opening Hours: 10am – 6pm (Mon – Thurs), 10am – 10pm (Fri), 9am – 10pm (Sat), 9am – 6pm (Sun)
Japanese-Inspired Cafe With Instagrammable Drinks And Chio Interior
Kream & Kensho aims to have a brunch café and coffee place by day; dining with beer at night. (“Kenshō” is a Japanese term which implies “initial insight or awakening”.)
In terms of its interior and décor, they managed to hit the spot right with something contemporary with soft pastel finishes and a touch of Japanese here and there.
On its menu include Donburi, Salad, Sides and Dessert. Brunch items featureSteak & Eggs ($26.50), Sakura Ebi Capellini ($19.80), KNK Big Plate ($22), Maddy San Shokupan ($17.60), Mushroom on Toast ($17.60) and Chicken Salad & Avo Toast ($17.60).
Sides include Kombu Truffle Fries ($13.20), Crab Croquette ($6.60) and Spiced Corn ($8.80).
The Kombu Truffle Fries ($15) though not new in the trending-market, was a promising start to the meal.
The fries were crisp and light, the kombu adding a briny and earthy almost mushroom-like flavour Kream & Kensho (Kampung Bahru).
Strangers’ Reunion
37 Kampong Bahru Road, Singapore 169356
Tel: +65 6238 1068
Opening Hours: 9am – 6pm (Mon – Sun)
Makes A Return Next Door
Strangers’ Reunion is probably one of ‘pioneer’ hipster cafes in Singapore, but adding this here because they have moved (to next door) with a revamped menu.
What you can expect include an Ancient Grain Salad ($14.90), Roasted Cauliflower Salad ($14.90), Avocado on Sourdough ($16.90), and Roast Beef Melt ($18.90)
A popular favourite is the Strange Breakfast ($16.90) with poached eggs with homemade puff pastry, hollandaise and seasonal green.
The Father’s Favourite Sandwich ($16.90) should be well-liked by mums as well, coming looking like a sandwich made of croissant.
Filled within were oven-baked eggs, bacon and mustard slaw.
While it didn’t scream anything much out of the ordinary, the combination worked with interplay of textures – crispy pastry layer, supple Edam (a type of semi-hard cheese), and soft baked eggs. Strangers’ Reunion (Kampong Bahru)
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* Compiled by Daniel Ang @DanielFoodDiary and Nicholas Tan @stormscape.
