There’s just something about coffee…
Having spent the last 12 years in a country that strongly embodies the words- coffee culture, coming back to Singapore felt different- a good kind of different.
When I was younger, coffee for me was either a strongly brewed kopi while at a coffee shop, or a chocolate ice blended from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf with espresso shots instead of a dairy base. However, when I began my life in Australia 12 years ago, that introduced me to the depth of what coffee culture could be.
Changing the mindset from a sweltering coffee shop, to a roaster type venue- I would find myself spending time with excellent company at coffee roasters, enjoying the variety of coffee beans along with food, talking for almost hours over an Iced Long Black or a Cold Brew.
Since my return, it has been nice seeing the same curiosity infect Singapore- allowing for truly unique concepts to appear all over Singapore in the form of limited time pop-ups or shared spaces.
Slow Boat, 45A Craig Road
By this point of the year, everyone I have spoken to has come across the plethora of social media videos shot both in Shanghai and more recently in Singapore, of a double shot of espresso being poured into a frosted glass retrieved straight from a freezer.
Curiosity- as they say, kills the cat because that started the flurry of questions in my mind that felt increasingly urgent to solve for science. Thus a trip down to Craig Road was made.
With a small pop-up Design Orchard from Thursdays to Sunday, Slow Boat also offers a location-exclusive order- their signature drink style but with matcha, giving rise to easily the creamiest and beautifully decadent dirty matcha I’ve had. I was informed that though unconfirmed, they are likely to remain at this location until January.
In this modern world, all it takes is a moment of virality to capture interests, but it takes something else to keep them hooked- and Slow Boat with their freeze distilled milk definitely has something unique that I want to keep returning for.
Corner Corner, 16 Duxton Road
After having had the first dirty coffee and a lengthy chat with the barista at Slow Boat, she recommended another nearby coffee venue in close proximity to Maxwell MRT station. In search for the coffee culture I missed, I decided to explore and have what would have been my second cup for the day, meandering from Craig Road down to Duxton Road.
For those who are unaware- by day, the venue for RPM by D.Bespoke is a coffee focused venue- offering a small selection of carefully selected coffee beans that are ground fresh, with accompaniments on the menu for the best pairing.
I found myself ordering the pudding that came highly recommended by the barista at Slow Boat despite usually being really picky with my sweets.
If you are in a search for coffee culture, I don’t think Singapore is quite on par with countries such as Melbourne or Thailand in terms of experimentation and creativity just yet, however- we have begun to embrace it and if more places like Corner Corner, Slow Boat and Mad Roasters Slow Bar keep coming up- I think there is a chance we could turn it into something unique.
