Drury Lane, Tanjong Pagar, Singapore

Drury lane 

Early Friday evening - the last of the days sunlight falls through a stairwell, landing on the dark wooden floors and furniture. The hustle and bustle of the traffic and the neon signage of the Korean BBQ places and minimarts are silenced by the tunes floating through the air, and the quiet murmur of conversations - it's its own little contained space, like a bubble of London transported to a shophouse in Tanjong Pagar. It feels like it could be anywhere - Rathmines in Dublin and Ximending in Taipei come to mind, to the extent where I would not be entirely surprised if I stepped out again and found myself in either one.

As interesting as the ambiance as, the whole point is (or certainly should be) decent coffee. A lot of places can pull shot as, but not all can pull customers back for more, particularly so in a market which appears to be approaching saturation point.

Fortunately, they delivered. 

Espresso - 40 mls that tells me a lot about what's happening behind the counter anywhere. Looking down, I could see the correct volume for a single, with a medium brown crema lining the rim of the cup. (No surprise there, one unintended consequence of the recent profusion of cafes is that any coffee place using stale beans simply won't last). It's an Interesting combination (I see exactly why the cappuccino worked) - potent without being burnt, robust without being overwhelming, acidic but not astringent. It might be too strong for some tastes though, or for anyone who prefers a less intense shot. From my point of view it's a good blend of beans for drinks as it's strong enough to retain its character when blended with milk. There's nothing wrong here - no grounds in the shot, no off flavours. Score one for the barista. 

The photo doesn't exactly do the cappuccino below justice - it was a beautiful pour, with intricate latte art 

layered over microfoam. It works as a combination of ingredients - strong potent coffee rips through the foam, no loss of flavour at all, milk hardly dilutes it - great combination of milk and foam working together. The latte art is intricate too. Serving size spot on. 

Also serves tea, if that's your thing. 

There is a small selection of cakes and baked goods downstairs, and the pricing is right where it should be - it's certainly not overpriced. One point if contention though - turkey bacon is used in sandwiches instead of real bacon, which might not appeal to everyone.

Overall, certainly worth a visit for anyone in the area, and tag late night opening means it's making regular appearances in my Friday nights.

Flat White, Berwick St, London

There was a stark contrast between the cold, grey and rainy London outside, and the bright primary coloured walls, with Beatles songs and the bustle of conversations in the background. 

Espresso - the volume was a double. There's a slight syrupy mouthfeel, and despite the volume, it doesn't feel watered down. A medium dark crema tells me that the beans are fresh. It's acidic but not hugely so, the aftertaste fades quickly, and gives rise to a more earthy flavour, but something's off - there's a noticeable aftertaste with each sip. Small, very fine particles of ground coffee in the shot are responsible - it's possible that the grind size in the grind size is responsible. I didn't finish the shot, which is rare. 

Latte - dark crema topped off with nice latte art, but some larger bubbles are present in some of the drinks, causing the foam to come apart, which affects the mouthfeel. There is very little smoothness imparted by the foam - although it is a latte so that's not what we are looking for. After a while, the foam falls apart entirely - steaming technique is not quite there.

The Piccollo latte suffers from excess acidity, it's quite sour, and the potency is not apparent through the sour taste. 

Overall it's not terrible but it does need work - fix the grind size and the acidity and this could be very good indeed. The potential is certainly there, the intent is there, the execution is slightly off though. It's a pity, because the effort that has been made is obvious, as is the potential for a hidden gem of a cafe.

Cafe Crema, Jurong

Cafe Crema is a new addition to the coffee scene in the West of Singapore, which until recently was lacking quality coffee (with Jimmy Monkey being a notable exception). 

Espresso - dark brown crema topped a potent and rich, syrupy shot. There was some acidity, but it was not overwhelming or astringent - this was a nicely balanced shot. The volume was just right, not over or under extracted, so that the intensity of the shot was not lost. In a nutshell, the baristas know what they're doing. They know the difference between a single and a double shot, with the barista correctly pointing out which was which when they were delivered.

Piccolo latte - this is advertised as a speciality of the cafe, with a prominent sign over the counter explaining what it is - even now, with an abundance of cafe's, they are not that common. Fortunately, the expectation lived up to the reality. The things that make up a good piccolo ate here - the correct size and layer of foam, smooth microfoam with competent latte art, with the foam imparting the correct mouthfeel and smoothness. Coffee taste is still there, as it should be in a Piccollo. 

One thing that I noticed - there are ristretto shots on the menu, which is something that is even less common than a piccolo. This tells me that there is a fundamental product knowledge amongst the staff - they know the difference between an espresso and ristretto - the basic building blocks of any coffee - it's harder to get a bad coffee when the fundamentals are correct.

I noticed two potential improvements though - there does not seem to be any drip / filter coffees on the menu. It would be good to have an option for V60 pourovers, Aeropress or Chemex coffees too - they don't take up a lot of space, and this will allow Cafe Crema to cater to a wider variety of tastes. Also, some of the serving sizes seen quite large - roughly around 7oz - so the coffee flavour may be lost. However, I have not tried those drinks, so I can't confirm that until I do.

This is definitely somewhere I'd come back to, and it's a pleasant surprise to find it amongst the usual selection of lookalike franchises. Simple, well crafted shots are all that I need.

La Ristretto's

Novena medical centre is exactly as you would expect - unremarkable corridors lined with doctors offices, waiting rooms, more doctors offices, yet more waiting rooms, and in the midst of all this, an unexpected outlier - a small and cosy Italian style cafe, serving up interesting ristretto shots. 

The inside is quite small and cosy, but the limited space is put to good use. A communal table lies in the centre of the room, flanked by counter seats, and a door that leads to a shaded outdoor seating area. Tampers and espresso shot cups line the shelves, while the staff pull shots at an open bar counter lined with espresso machines and grinders. I like the concept - it's always interesting to see the baristas at work, and for coffee geeks, to see the shots themselves being pulled. This can tell you a lot about the quality of coffee at a cafe - a spaghetti strand sized column of dark black liquid slowly lining a shot cup is a sign of good underlying espresso, while a 10 second downpour of pale brown liquid is a hint that you should quietly slip out the entrance without waiting for your drink. Fortunately, La Ristretto's shots were good examples of the former, with a 20 second extraction of potent espresso.  

The espresso shot had a medium brown crema, and a robust, full bodied flavour with distinct hints of chocolate. It was bright without being bitter, and potent without being burnt. The shot glass of water on the side is a nice touch also, and was used, as the serving size is a little larger than usual for a single shot. The coffee beans used were from Agust coffee roasters in Italy, which I haven't come across in Asia before, and are quite distinct in their own right. It's also interesting to be able to sample a robust Italian style espresso, which contrasts with the trend for citrusy single origin shots that are on offer in a number of cafes at present. 

The latte that I ordered had smooth foam, and a large serving size. It was quite mild, but the underlying espresso shot was muted rather than being completely lost, and could easily be detected in the aftertaste.  This may be the result of the larger espresso shot sizes mentioned earlier. The overall character was of coffee rather than warm milk, so despite the serving size, it avoids the easy mistake of serving warm caffeinated warm milk, rather than coffee. The foam maintained it's integrity throughout, without breaking up - a small detail, but one that's consistent with correct steaming temperature and duration, and something that I've seen a few cafes get wrong in recent weeks.

There is a good coffee menu on offer, with the usual combinations of espresso and milk, and brewed coffees. One thing that differs is the presence of shakerato on the menu (a shaken cold espresso), that I have not seen before, and something that I'm genuinely curious to see made. Prices were as expected, at 8.50 for the latte and espresso above.

Overall, La Ristretto's is interesting in that they are serving something genuinely different, and it's an opportunity to try a fairly authentic Italian espresso. The location may be an issue for some, in that it's in the middle of a medical centre, rather than in a standalone cafe. This should not deter you from visiting during non peak hours however, especially if you happen to be in the area. However do bear in mind that the cafe itself is quite small, so please let patients and staff take priority!

Loysel's Toy

The original Papa Palheta at Bukit Timah Road may have closed, but for those of us who miss the staff, the quiet courtyard, and the room that could have been from any city in any era, echoes and traces remain in a quiet cafe in a park by a river. Parts of it are still there, just slightly different than  before.

With songs from the 50's in the background, and old recycled wood given a new lease of life as tables and bar counters, Loysel's Toy in some respects resembles it's younger sibling, Chye Seng Huat Hardware. Loysel's Toy differs in that it has it's own identity, as a quiet haven in a riverside park. The busy interior section bustles with staff carrying coffees back and forth, with the cadence of conversations interrupted by the hiss of milk being steamed. Outside, the traffic and the city seem far away, as leaves rustle in in the breeze.

Loysel's Toy can be seen as an evolution of Papa Palheta. Papa Palheta was a coffee boutique, while Loysel's Toy was a full service cafe from it's very beginning. Some of the original concepts remain - a food menu which caters to what can be done well - but some new ideas have emerged over the years which have worked well. One is the bike rental option, which cleverly takes advantage of the riverside location. 

The most important part of any cafe is the quality of coffee, and regardless of location, this can make or break a cafe.  The espresso shot that I ordered consisted of a small volume of coffee, covered by a layer of medium dark brown crema. There was no bitterness evident, just a burst of robust, full bodied coffee, with hints of blackberry-like flavour present also. The potency never gave rise to burnt flavours - something that I have seen before in other cafes. This tells me that the roasting process has been very carefully controlled, and calibrated to bring out specific flavour elements in the coffee beans used. The mouthfeel is thicker than shots in other cafes, and tells me that the extraction time is right where it should be - not too long, bringing out bitterness, and not too short, leaving out some of the best parts of the ground coffee. It reminded me a lot of the espresso shots in the original Papa Palheta on Bukit Timah road, which remain as some of the best espresso shots that I have had in any city or country that I've been to. 

It's worth noting also that the water used in Loysel's Toy goes through an elaborate filtration process. It's an interesting touch that I don't see in every cafe, and speaks of the attention to detail, and the commitment to quality coffee, that was evident in the original Papa Palheta, and remains in Chye Seng Huat Hardware.

Lattes and milk based drinks in Loysel's Toy are single shot drinks. This is stated on the menu, and the option to add extra shots is available. This is certainly recommend, as the latte that I ordered was quite pale, and the robust espresso character above was lost, with milk as the dominant flavour. I added an extra espresso shot to the mix, and the difference was very, very evident. The potency was restored, but tempered by the milk, rather than being lost. Combined with the velvety smooth foam, and finished with some well executed latte art, the double shot latte combined the best elements of texture and flavour. 50 mls of fluid is a small volume of coffee, but it's sufficient to turn a very mild latte into a very good one indeed.



The coffee menu is exactly as expected - a good combination of espresso, milk based drinks, and brewed and filtered coffees. The addition of Chye Seng Huat Hardware has seen the coffee roaster move to Tyrwhitt Road, and the resulting space has been put to the good use with the addition of a brew bar. This allows for a variety of brewing methods to be catered for. A retail section is present also, with a mixture of coffee beans, keep cups, paper and chemex filters available. The retail section is smaller than Chye Seng Huat Hardware however, and does not contain the same extensive selection of items.

There were two different coffee blends available when I visited - the original Terra Firma blend, and the 1000 cups blend. Both are robust, but differ slightly in the levels of acidity evident in each.

It may be slightly out of the way, but the cafe in the park by the river is definitely worth visiting.