Some of you may be wondering what happened to Five Oars Coffee Roasters, which has moved out of its 39 Tanjong Pagar Road unit earlier in the year.
The Melbourne-inspired cafe has moved to 6 Upper East Coast, closer to the Siglap side.
“Is this in the East again?”
It has joined the exciting East Coast Plan of new cafes in the which hood includes Neptune, Seng Coffee Bar, The Brewing Ground, East Coast Commune and Sundays Ice Cream.
If you are cafe-hopping at Siglap, then La Fez and Chanterelle Cafe are right in the vicinity.
While the previous outlet at Tanjong Pagar had both an alfresco dining space and an air-conditioned indoor seating area, the 90-seaters space has a stark contrast in terms of the colours and finishing comparatively.
Their outlook has transited from the white industrial look, to the use of darker and earthly green and brown tones in a rustic setting, complete with red bricked walls and cemented grey surfaces.
One thing that never changed is incorporation of plants and them being Instagram-worthy and charming in a different vibe, with multiple #OOTD spots.
Their Melbourne-inspired menu remains more or less unchanged, with a few additions to the old favourites.
The daytime menu starts from 8.30am till 5.30pm whereas dinner service starts from 6pm.
On the daytime menu, there are Light Bites ($14 – $18), Sides ($8 – $16), Brunch ($12 – $25), Mains ($20 – $25) and Desserts ($12 – $18).
Egg-centric brunch offerings can be found here: poached eggs in Avocado Toast ($18), Corn Fritters ($18), Sriracha Chicken Benedict ($18), Pork Benedict ($19) and Bacon & Hash ($21); Baked Eggs ($20); scrambled eggs in Crab Scramble ($23) and Salmon Royale ($23) and sunny side-up for Hanging Tender Steak ($25).
If you are looking for something different from their previous menu, keep a lookout for Mushroom Scramble ($16) and Hanging Tender Steak ($25).
The former comes with an assortment of toppings such as soft and creamy scrambled eggs, crunchy cauliflower, feta and crispy kale on top of a single slice of homemade chewy sourdough, well balanced in textures.
I expected the dish to taste “healthy” especially with the lack of meats in the dish, but turned out to be flavourful and satisfying with the contrast of sweet cauliflowers and savoury mushrooms.
Their dessert menu has undergone a bigger revamp, with new inclusions such as the French Toast ($16), Buckwheat Pancakes ($16), Salted Caramel Banana Waffles ($18) and Summer Fruits Waffles ($18).
Being vegan in nature, the Summer Fruits Waffles ($18) was served with strawberries, blueberries, cherries, caramelised fig, housemade granola, whipped cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of the sourdough waffles.
We are beginning to see more sourdough waffles in various new cafes other than the usual buttermilk selection, the former slightly on the citrus and sour side.
The overall combination tasted just like berries jam on bread, with the waffle being denser, more chewy and bread-like.
2 types of coffee beans are used for their espresso-based drink, one is a 2-beans-blend: Mahogany (Brazil & Colombia) and the other is a single origin Ethiopia, both roasted in-house.
Personally, I felt that the Brazil and Colombia blend could be more suitable for espresso-drinks with milk due to the cacao nibs, milk chocolate and hazelnut tasting notes.
The single origin of Ethiopia with floral, strawberry and honeydew may work better for black coffee.
Coffee starts from $3 for a single shot of espresso, with the usual items Black ($4.50), White (3oz $4.50, 6oz $5, 8oz $6), Mocha ($6), Cold Brew (Black $6, White $7, Oat $8).
My cup of Flat White ($5) crafted using the Brazil and Colombia blend was smooth and robust.
The 6oz which consisted of a single shot espresso was of the right intensity, with chocolatey and nutty notes.
One thing to note is that dine-in customers are not allowed to order over the counter according to the staff (and I was brushed off curtly when I tried to make my orders directly at the cashier.)
This was my only concern as it was difficult to get the attention of the service crew even when the cafe was only 20% filled. Perhaps opening jitters.
Welcome to the East, Five Oars Coffee Roasters.
Five Oars Coffee Roasters
6 Upper East Coast, Singapore 455200
Opening Hours: 8am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
Other Related Entries
La Fez (Siglap)
Chanterelle Cafe (Siglap)
Neptune (East Coast Road)
Seng Coffee Bar (Changi Road)
The Brewing Ground (Joo Chiat)
* Written by Nicholas Tan @stormscape who loves all things [NEW]. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.
