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.

Chye Seng Huat Hardware

Chye Seng Huat Hardware, Singapore



CSHH is the new flagship venue of the Papa Palheta group. Located on Tyrwhitt Road (beside Jalan Besar stadium), CSHH is a roastery, retail space and coffee academy. The Steeping Room - previously a pop up space at Bras Basah - makes a welcome return in the form of the Annexe, a dedicated area for coffee and food pairing.  

Papa Palheta cafes tend to have a very distinct decor, feel and atmosphere - CSHH is no exception. The original shell of the hardware store is intact, with art deco lettering and exposed light fixtures enhancing the effect. The interior is bright, airy and contemporary - a new lease of life for one of the old workshops that was here before. Combined with a large retail space, this is not unlike Barista Jam in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong - a venue I like a lot.  

As always, I started by ordering an Espresso. The blend used was a combination of 

Brazilian Coromandel, Guatamelan Antigua and Ethiopian Sidamo. In general, Brazilian and Guatamelean coffees have hints of chocolate, and low acidity, while Ethiopian sidamo has a smooth aftertaste. The shot had an intense aroma, with a dark brown crema, indicitave of freshly roasted beans. There was a syrupy mouthfeel that I typically notice in shots from third wave outlets - this is an indicator that the shot has been extracted for the correct amount of time. The intensity and robust body of the shot was evident from the first tasting - the combination of dark chocolate paired with a citrus, floral notes gives rise to a complex, long lasting bouquet with perfect balance. The aftertaste lingers, and I could taste it long after I had finished my shot. Some things are simply better in their places of origin - like eating chicken rice in Singapore, or drinking Guinness in Dublin, drinking a Papa Palheta blend in CSHH was a coffee experience to savour. There were more notes, flavour and mouthfeel in the last few drops than in any number of shots from other cafes.

I ordered a Cappuccino also. It arrived with beautiful latte art and dark brown foam - a nice contrast of light and darkness. There was a lovely foamy, light texture with an intense coffee hit a few seconds later. The espresso did not dominate in this drink, even though it was a strong shot - the milk and espresso work in conjunction, a 1-2 punch straight to the pallete, where one hits right after the other. They accentuate each other rather than fight for dominance on your taste buds. The layer of foam on top was the correct thickness also - a simple thing, but not something that every cafe gets right.

This was one of the few coffees I've had where the espresso was clear and distinct in the aftertaste - you know it's a cappuccino that was made with a very specific blend - not something that I see everywhere - Oriole, Jimmy Monkey and Nylon would fall into this category also. You know that it's a Palheta shot in your cup when you taste it. I want to drag people here and say "You see? THAT's coffee! That thing! Not what you did!".

Viva la revolution 

  

The retail space is large and well stocked, with Chemex woodneck products, Hario Buono kettles paired with V60 pourover rigs, Aeropress and syphons all on display. There were 5 bean varities available also, which can be bought whole, or ground on request. Professional espresso machines and grinders are available. This is significant - the staff are are baristas who use machines such as these each day, rather than sales people who may receive comission for recommending a particular type.

Some other notable points are the menu, which has a wide variety of brewing types, and clever pairings of food to coffee. Also, I like the pairing of Jungle Beer (brewed in Admiralty) and Papa Palheta coffee - this is entirely consistent with the creative approach of Papa Palheta. I have not yet tried the Annexe, where food, coffee and alcohol pairings are explored more fully, but based on the work that has been done in CSHH to date (and from one or two experiments that are being prepared at present), this is something to look forward to.

In short, it's some of the best coffee that I've had. Papa Palheta may be no more, but the same intense, robust and complex shots live on in a quiet street at Jalan Besar.

Remembering Papa Palheta

Papa Palheta, Singapore

It was never just a coffee place.

 

 

 

It was a hidden gem, spread by word of mouth - a coffee roastery serving up fantastic shots behind an inconspicous row of shophouses on Bukit Timah Road. Hidden amongst the quiet conservation houses of Hooper Road, you would never suspect that it was there. Walking through the leafy courtyard rippling with conversations, into a busy serving area with a rich aroma of coffee in the air, and finally into the quieter, almost nostalgic indoor area 

was like walking into an underground coffee scene.

 

 

Papa Palheta had a unique atmosphere. This was partly due to the coffee and the location, but also due to the staff - they helped to make it what it was. Going to Papa Palheta every day (except Monday! Roasting day) was not just about going for coffee, it was going to a friends place. It was a coffee speakeasy where conversations about roasting profiles, extraction times, bean varieties - things that might be obscure to 99% of the population - were normal, and were coffee geekery was celebrated. The contrast between the enforced friendliness of franchise chains, and the genuine warm welcome - and passion for good coffee - from the staff at Papa Palheta - could not be more apparent.

 

I'm genuinely sorry to see Papa Palheta close, however the standard of coffee continues at CSHH, and the spirit of the place continues in the Annexe, and in some of the independent roasteries which have been set up since. 

A sincere and heartfelt thanks to the current and former staff for making Papa Palheta what was my favourite coffee roastery in any city, and in any country.

The last shots

The Hall Of Fame - Lattes, Part 1

The Hall Of Fame - Lattes, Part 1

Just occasionally, I have a craving for something other than espresso. A piccollo latte is never a bad option - it retains the intense flavour of a good espresso, but adds the smoothness of steamed milk foam. Unlike a regular latte, the coffee flavour is not lost - unfortunately, some cafes seem to forget this (franchise chains in particular), and end up serving warm caffeinated milk instead of coffee.

The piccollos (and regular lattes) below were fantastic, perfectly balanced combinations of flavour and texture. This is by no means an exhaustive list - for example, Oriole's Piccollo latte is superb, but unfortunately I don't have photo of it to post.  

Jimmy Monkey, One North Residences, Singapore

Papa Palheta, 140 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore

Maison Ikkoku, Kandahar Street, Singapore 

Again - by no means an exhaustive list, and one that I'll be updating over the coming weeks.