The Broers Cafe

Tucked away on a quiet side street between Jalan Besar and little India, and flanked by a quaint row of shophouses, The Broers cafe is a calm little corner that seems far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city. 

The espresso shot below had a dark crema, and an earthy, sweet aroma. The mouthfeel lacked the syrupy sweet consistency that some shots have, and was lighter and looser, more watery than viscous. My initial impression was of a strong and potent flavour, with tempered bitterness, and an aftertaste that builds after a few seconds. It's a straightforward shot that is ok, but one which lacks the complexity that I see in shots elsewhere, and does not stand out as a result. It may be that the shot is slightly over extracted, which would have an impact on the flavour and consistency. 

The cappuccino had a layer of smooth microbubbles, steamed to the right consistency, and imparts a silky smooth mouthfeel. The latte art is a nice touch, and is always good to see - it means that time and effort has gone into the process. Unfortunately, the underlying coffee character is almost entirely lost, and is drowned out by the milk and foam mixture - I just couldn't taste it. The dominant flavour is that of the milk, rather than the underlying espresso shot. It's fine for anyone who prefers a very light cappuccino, but if your preference is for stronger drinks, it's advisable to ask for an extra shot. 

There are some positives here though. There is a good menu selection for drinks, both hot and cold, as well some interesting brews that the crew have come up with themselves - they definitely score points for trying something new. There is also a very calm atmosphere, with soft, diffused light, and simple white walls contrasted against a dark wood floor - it's definitely a cafe to sit uninterrupted with a book.

It's a good choice for anyone who wants a calm, quiet place to sit uninterrupted with a book, but for complex shots, and  variety of different blends and single origin beans,  there is another well regarded cafe / roastery nearby on Tyrwhitt Road, with some very, very good coffee indeed. 

Symmetry Cafe, Singapore

It's an interesting street scene - a quiet backdrop of traditional fabric shops and food stalls, with the quiet of a weekday afternoon occasionally broken by the call to prayer from Kampong Glam mosque. It's been like that for years, with shops being passed down from generation to generation. Lately however, the area around Arab Street in Singapore has been transformed, with an increasing number of interesting cafes to be found. 

Symmetry is one such example. Located along a quiet side street (Jalan Kubor) just off Victoria Street, the nondescript exterior hides the contemporary bare brick walls and wood panelleling of the third wave cafe within.  

Symmetry is also home to the second Slayer machine in Singapore (at the time of writing) - the original is in Jimmy Monkey, at One North. The potential for good things exists - but has the potential been realised? As always, I ordered an espresso and cappuccino - two drinks that tell me a lot about the quality of coffee in any cafe. 

Espresso - there was a dark reddish brown crema, which indicates that the coffee beans used were roasted fairly recently. The volume was roughly correct for an espresso shot, maybe a little higher than in other third wave cafes though. The lack of white specks on the crema suggests that this was not an over extracted shot however, which would have an adverse effect on the quality of coffee. My first impressions were of a slight acidity, which faded slightly in the aftertaste - not uncommon with beans from South America. The shot is not too astringent, as the acidity seems to be tempered by the flavour of a more earthy, darker roasted bean in the mix. The end result is a balanced shot. 

The cappuccino arrived with well executed latte art, which is always a good sign - it shows that there is attention to detail, but more importantly that the barista has spent time and effort perfecting their craft. The microbubbles give a smooth mouthfeel, but the underlying characteristics of the espresso were still present - they were muted but not eliminated. This was a combination of milk, foam and espresso that complemented each other, rather than a mismatch of each. 

One things I did notice however - this was potent - I definitely felt the effects of caffeine afterwards. Slayer machines pack a double ristretto into each shot, rather than a conventional espresso shot - please bear this in mind when you order! 

Overall, there are well executed (but potent!) shots being served on a quiet corner of Jalan Kubor, and the presence of a slayer machine is certainly worth noting. The price was approximately $10 - $12 for an espresso and cappuccino, with a variety of food and drink options available also. 

EspressoLab, Singapore

Sometimes, less is more. The absence of certain qualities can be a positive thing - for example, a cafe that focuses on quality coffee, rather than one that sells tall skinny soy rotated twisted fruit infused concoctions, that if you close your eyes and concentrate, might even have some faint taste of coffee in there somewhere. On Bali lane in Singapore, a quiet haven for quality coffee has appeared, in the form of EspressoLab. 

The first thing I noticed was the atmosphere - some cafes have it, others don't. This is a laid back, bright and airy cafe, with light filtering onto a wooden floor. 

As always, I look for things that tell me about the owners intent and attitude towards coffee. The brew bar was a good place to start, with a syphon, a Chemex Woodneck brewer, a French press and a Hario Buono pourover kettle all on display. What does this tell me? It indicates that a variety of brewing methods are being practiced, from the clean extraction coffees of the Chemex and syphon, to the more potent and full bodied coffees of the pourover and French press. It's also a good setup for a coffee appreciation class, in which various brewing methods can be used to highlight differences in coffees from around the world. This is a good start - it suggests that the intent is to expose customers to different types of coffees and brewing methods. 

Two different coffees - an espresso and a cappuccino - tell me a lot about the quality of coffee used, and about the baristas also. 

The espresso shot was akin to a ristretto - a small volume of espresso topped with a dark reddish brown crema. A combination of beans from Brazil, Columbia, Guatemala and Indonesia, it's certainly one of the more interesting shots that I've tried lately. It was certainly potent, with the initial intensity slowly giving rise to wisps of earthy flavours, which were reminiscent of malt or cherry. It was a well executed shot, and it was obvious that the roasting process was tailored to bring out the flavours in each of the different beans used.  

The cappuccino below arrived with some impressive latte art, with sharp, defined edges of milky white foam contrasted against a dark brown background. Silky smooth microbubbles added the required mouthfeel, and  the correct ratio of milk to foam to coffee was present, so that all 3 combined perfectly. It was a little light though, with the double shot of espresso quite muted by the milk and foam - not all of the complexity of the espresso was evident. However, it's still a good, well executed cappuccino that I would have no problem ordering again. 

This is a good choice of cafe for lingering over a book with a cup of coffee to hand. The staff are friendly, knowledgeable about coffee, and contribute so much to the atmosphere - it's not something that every cafe can get right. Together with coffee, it's something that EspressoLab does well, and makes it worth a visit. 

In my case, this is probably true...