”Daebak~ Korean cafe all day, Korean Fried Chicken at night, Obok Dabang is the latest brainchild of UTB Coffee Singapore who also owns Urban Table at Yio Chu Kang.
UTB Coffee first started in 2001 in South Korea, with the launch of their cold brew coffee brand – Boyle’s Coffee, a nitro cold brew dispensed from metallic taps instead of the usual espresso coffee machines.
Fun fact: Boyle’s Coffee was previously located at this exact same spot where Obok Dabang is now located at, right below Li Ka Shing Library at SMU.
Their 24-seaters space has undergone a transformation with both indoors and outdoors seating areas, from the white interior to a more earthly earthy tone decked in brown wooden furnitures.
Their cafe menu is available all day here, with Croffle ($4.50), Pastries, Cakes, Coffee ($3- $6) and Drinks ($5.50 – $6).
The Croffles ($4.50), a mix between Croissant and Waffle, are baked and displayed on the shelves, heated up before serving to give it a crispy crunch.
Come in both sweet and savoury options, flavours include Blueberry, Ang Butter, Cheese, Lotus Speculoos, Tiramisu and Basil Pesto.
I had the Ang Butter Croffle ($4.50) that comes with 2 scoops of red beans and a mini slab of butter, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and icing sugar.
Maple syrup is drizzled on it with bits of cranberries to give it an extra sweetness.
I enjoyed the textures of the Croffle which is crispy and flaky outside, chewy and buttery on the inside.
The Nest Baguettes ($6) on display sounds interesting, with 3 different flavours namely Garlic, Basil and Quattro.
The Garlic Nest Baguette ($6) has a generous amount of garlic cream cheese added to the garlic baguette, topped with cranberries and drizzled with condensed milk on the side.
Mashisoyo~
With a combination of sweet and citrus notes from the garlic cream cheese, the garlic taste is more prominent, well balanced by the sweetness from the condensed milk.
Using a 3-beans-blend from Costa Rica, Colombia and Indonesia roasted in-house by their parent company UTB Coffee, prices are reasonably priced at $3 for a cup of espresso.
The usual options can be found: Long Black/ Americano ($3.80), Flat White ($4.80), Latte ($5.30), Piccolo Latte ($4.50).
The Iced Einspänner Coffee ($6) is something not commonly found in Singapore, but well-received by Koreans and highly recommended by my Korean language teacher.
With hot espresso at the base of the cup, a thick layer of cool whipping cream is placed on top which took up almost half the cup size.
The barista recommended to taste the whipping cream on its own like a dessert before giving it a good mix prior to drinking.
Chowahaeyo!
The whipping cream is so light and fluffy, velvety smooth and sweetened which makes the Einspänner Coffee more creamy upon mixing.
Interestingly, the cocoa powder sprinkled on the surface reminds me of a tiramisu, except in the form of a beverage.
Their Korean Fried Chicken menu is only available after 5pm daily, available in either Half Chicken (7pcs $17.40) or in parts: Wings (3pcs $8.40), Drumsticks (3pcs $8.40), Tenders (4pcs $7.80).
There are two options, either one of the four different flavours: Soy Garlic, Sweet Spicy, Honey Butter Powder, Snowing Cheese or 5 different dipping sauces: Spicy Chili, Soy Garlic, Sweet Spicy, Honey Mustard and Wasabi Mayo.
For a more filling meal, diners can order their Ramen ($6 – $7), Tteokbokki ($9.50) and Fried Dumpling (10pcs $7).
For those who are not taking the VTL flight to Korea, Obok Dabang can probably satisfy your craving for some Korean food and drinks.
Obok Dabang
SMU, 70 Stamford Rd, Li Ka Shing Library, #01-22A, Singapore 178901
Opening Hours: 10:30am – 12:30am (Mon – Sat), Closed Sun
Other Related Entries
O.BBa BBQ & Jjajang (Tanjong Pagar)
NY Night Market (VivoCity)
Chir Chir Fusion Chicken Factory (Bugis Junction)
Seorae Korean Charcoal BBQ (NEX)
Hongdae Oppa Korean Dining House (Jurong Point)
* Written by Nicholas Tan @stormscape who loves all things [NEW]. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.
