My first café visit in Singapore for the year was to Living Room – newly opened within a curated lifestyle store, Late Morning. The store has been around for nearly 2 years in Chinatown, bringing in aesthetic tableware, cutlery and home décor items from designer brands all over the world. Some of these boutique brands include APFR and Kinto.
Recently, they received the F&B license to operate the cozy nook at the back of the store as a café which is now in soft opening phase. Maintaining the same minimalist setup as the store, the café features a small coffee and matcha counter where orders are taken and drinks are made, a compact kitchen where simple food is prepared, and wooden chairs and tables in the humble dine-in area.
Though the space was narrow and probably would not fit more than 10, the atmosphere was snug and homely like a living room, a space to unwind.
The drinks menu was similar to what was previously being served from Late Morning. For coffee, I had the White ($7, +$1 for oat milk), made with light roasted beans from Costa Rica, with tasting notes of dried mango, orange and whipped cream. For filter coffee, there were 2 types of Ethiopian beans available.
While for matcha, I tried their Matcha Latte ($7, +$1 for oat milk) in both hot and iced versions. They were using matcha powder from Zhejiang which had a good intensity. Though many preferred the iced matcha, I personally liked the hot one better.
Both coffee and matcha were above average and I could see myself returning for a regular cup.
As for the food menu, it was kept simple, with a roasted capsicum salad, 4 types of open-faced sandwiches and a cheesecake for dessert. I had the Sun-dried tomato, pesto ricotta on sourdough ($13) and Charred chili, ricotta on sourdough ($13) in a Half & half arrangement (additional $3)
The sourdough was sourced from 174bingo, one of my favourite artisanal bakeries in Singapore, while the toppings were homemade in the kitchen. I liked the creamy, savoury pesto ricotta which paired with the sun-dried tomato, and the interesting charred chili which was smoky, sweet, with just a tinge of spiciness.
I ended with the Homemade Basque cheesecake ($8) with salt and pepper and lemon curd on the side. It paired best with the lemon curd (wished there was more!) for me.
Tues to Sun 11am – 7pm
1F, 230 South Bridge Road, Singapore 058779
Foodography: A Singapore Food Blog 