In this month’s edition of Hot New Cafes: Free The Robot, Arc Coffee, Fabulous Dough and more
It’s 2016 and we still love a good cuppa Joe, a delish eggs benedict and an uber sinful molten lava cake. And boy oh boy, we’re glad that there are several new cafés that have recently sprung up on our sunny island, to sustain our addiction to brunch, coffee and all that’s in between. Get ready to head over to Telok Ayer, Bugis, Tanjong Pagar and more to uncover these seven hot new cafés in Singapore.
Free The Robot
Nestled just across our office, we were really excited when we found out that there’ll be a hot new café near us. And when it officially opened, we weren’t disappointed at all. Not only is this cutesy robot-themed café provides kickass coffee and the like, it also offers an array of scrumptious Western-style brunch food. Must-tries include the Free The Robot burger ($12) and Surf & Turf Meatballs ($7.50). But what keeps us going back to Free The Robot is definitely its oh-so-adorable resident pooch, Bailey. Psst…he’s usually there on Saturdays (and other days if he’s all behaved).
Free the Robot, 118 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore 068587, Open Tue-Sat 8.30am-4.30pm. Closed on Mon & Sun.
A.R.C Coffee
A.R.C Coffee is not just a coffee hangout. For budding baristas, this three-in-one café has an academy that offers basic barista training ($200), brew methodology classes ($220), basic latte art training ($100) and coffee appreciation workshops ($38). Here, you can also find a small roastery area where their very own master Roaster, John Ting, will roast coffee beans to create unique blends for customers. Aside from its heavenly brewed Piccolo Latte ($5.50), its delicious take on Egg’s Benedict named Ray’s Ben ($19.80) and creamy Seafood Risotto ($23.80), its clean white brick walls and cosy space makes it a good spot to relax and catch up with friends. And just around the corner, you’ll find a wall painted with beautiful murals – perfect for an OOTD!
A.R.C Coffee, 29/31 Sultan Gate, Singapore 198477, p. 6291 6863. Open Tue-Fri 11.30am-9.30pm; Sat & Sun, 10.30am-9.30pm. Closed on Mon.
Dose!
Taking over the now defunct café – Anythingz Café, Dose! is a new brunch spot at Tyrwhitt Road. For its hot beverages, Dose! typically uses blends from Blacklist Coffee Roasters, which exude a subtle earthy taste. While Dose! takes pride in coffee-making by ensuring that the dose of every coffee is carefully measured to preserve its texture, Dose! is no less acclaimed for its food – particularly its savoury and crunchy waffles ($14-$16). Want to try something you’ll hardly find in Singapore? Then order its American style waffle with chicken fingers.
Dose!, #01-03, 139 Tyrwhitt Road, Singapore 207557, p. 91458103. Open Mon & Wed-Sun, 11am-9pm. Closed on Tue.
The Da Bang
Looking for a new brunch place in the CBD area? Lucky you, ‘cause there’s a new edgy Australian brunch and dessert café, but with a Korean twist, called The Da Bang. Located in Tanjong Pagar, you can get the usuals like coffee, tea and other beverages here. Its latte ice cubes are a hit amongst caffeine addicts in town. They also have other interesting offers to surprise your taste buds like Kimchi Panini ($12), and Monster Bingsu ($25). But hold up, it gets better! At night, The Da Bang will transform into Don’t Tell Mama – a Korean and Mexican fusion bistro that offers a plethora of snazzy cocktails.
The Da Bang, 52 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088473, p. 6221 2007. Open daily 7.30am -5pm.
Fabulous Dough
Tucked away in PoMo mall, Fabulous Dough is the spot for devilishly awesome and totally Instaworthy sweet treats. It’s hard to resist a spot that offers creatively glazed donuts ($5.50) and crazily crafted milkshakes ($6.80). If gula melaka pineapple, salted caramel nutella or salted yolk cereal are not your kind of flavours (be adventurous!), you can also pimp your own dough and create your very own donut – how fun! As for the milkshakes, don’t be surprised by crazy inventions such as PBM (peanut butter with mango) milkshake, and mango loco (mango and coconut) milkshake.
Fabulous Dough, #02-25 PoMo, 1 Selegie Road, Singapore 188306, p. Open Sun-Thu, 11am-10pm; Fri & Sat, 11am-12am.
Kraftwich
Want something that’s not overly hearty for your lunch break? Then Kraftwich, a brand new concept by Swissbake, is your answer. They serve sandwich, salad, pastries and cakes all day. What’s more? Considering that they’re located right smack in the middle of the CBD precinct – at One Raffles Place – its food and beverages are reasonably priced. A smoked duck kraftwich costs $8.90 while a cup of hot salted caramel coffee costs $5.50. Our recommendation? Try its poached egg & turkey ham crumpet ($5.90). And if you’re trying to eat clean, you can try its Kraft Your Salad ($7.90 for mixed veggies and five regular toppings).
Kraftwich, #B1-04/05, One Raffles Place, Singapore 048616, p. 6438 5730.
20F Specialty Coffeehouse
What was once a family-run clinic, this brand new fixture at Foch Road has turned into a stylish old-meets-new café, decked with classic retro tiles and old school windowpanes. Here, you can find its signature dish – duck & waffle ($22), which blends both savoury and sweet tastes. Other must-tries include pulled duck flatbread with fresh guacamole ($17), prawn and poached egg pasta ($17) and duck confit with red wine sauce ($24). 20F Specialty Coffeehouse also offers cakes, tarts and pastries if you are settling for something sweet. And if you dig waffles, you can pick from their medley of waffles such as espresso kahlua waffle ($12) or salty caramel & bacon ($12).
20F Specialty Coffeehouse, 20 Foch Road, Singapore 209261, p. 6291 4940. Open Mon 10am-7pm; Tue-Sun 10am-10pm.