Just last week, I popped by the new Big Short Coffee in Joo Chiat – this specialty coffee bar serves innovative coffee specialty drinks by experimenting with techniques from molecular gastronomy, cocktail mixing, science labs and ingredients not normally used in coffee.
The creative drinks rotate on a seasonal basis and they are currently serving drinks from their Chapter 1: summer 2024 menu.
I tried 4 drinks from the summer menu. My first cup which also turned out to be my favourite was the Happy Valley Punch ($8.5). The highlight of this drink was the clear, clarified coconut milk, made using a milk clarification technique commonly used for cocktails. The natural sweetness of the coconut milk striked a balance with the acidity of blood orange and bergamot, and together with early grey and a shot of their own Big Short Blend espresso (50/50 brazil & Columbia blend natural process), made a refreshing drink with a subtle sweet tone.
The house blend espresso (a 50-50 blend of Brazil and Columbia naturally processed beans) has a lighter roasting style to accentuate the natural flavour and sweetness of the beans. It is also used in the normal coffees (white, black, mocha etc.) that are the mainstays of the menu.
Young Harry ($8) is a combination of a cold brew with jasmine green tea and raw fresh coconut water topped with roasted pistachio cream and corn flowers. This was much less sweet, with bitter tones from the tea.
Those who enjoy nutty flavours will like the Bee’s Knees ($8) – I loved the addition of roasted pine nuts in it. The unexpected combination with cold brew, fresh strawberry puree, coastal wildflower rare honey (from Western Australia) and fresh honeycomb was pleasantly unique.
Inspired by the coffee slushy the owner tried in Italy, the team recreated their own version, called the Crema Al Caffe ($8). Their house espresso blend is churned in the slushy machine with fresh and condensed milk, brown sugar and vanilla bean, resulting in a smooth and creamy emulsion. The slushy is then topped with almond and hazelnut praline, providing an added crunchy texture and nutty dimension to the sweet treat.
Work is going on behind the scenes by the R&D team to launch the Chapter 2: autumn 2024 menu and I honestly can’t wait to be back for that.
8am – 5pm Wed to Mon (closed on Tues)
2 Fowlie Rd, #01-01, Singapore 428505
Have you not known about my obsession with all things white? My day-to-day wearables, the places I like to immerse myself in, my photo-editing style of always increasing exposure. For me, it is synonymous to cleanliness, to light, to minimalism. As opposed to the antonymous dirtiness, darkness and clutter. Three words that put my mind to unrest, that sometimes put me in fear.
In consistency with my white obsession, I therefore like daytime – mornings, especially. Mornings where the sun is unobstructed in a cloudless sea, where the most part of my room is naturally lit up through translucent curtains, where light and shadows are juxtaposed appropriately for a photo. Such mornings are days where I gain more drive and inspiration to live more fulfilling-ly (moment of shock as I realise that this word does not exist).
On such mornings, there are a few options:
Recently, one of such mornings was spent at Apartment Coffee. It was my third time at the white-washed, minimally-themed coffee house since its opening in late 2018. On usual afternoons, the space is packed comfortably with customers and conversations spill across everywhere. All the more I have to be pressed to reach as early as possible, best if at 9am when the closed sign is flipped.
Like the previous two visits, I had perched myself on the wooden high stool for the coffee bar counter and called for my usual order of White. I am always fond of the smoothly textured milk + espresso here, though those who prefer very strong and robust flavours may not. One day I will get the filter. Oh, no takeaways here unless you bring your own tumbler.
Whilst waiting for my coffee, I would swoop up my phone and camera for a good round of photo-taking. This time a few people got caught in my photos, for I arrived an hour past 9.
Interior-wise, I dare say this space is my best-loved. The white walls, ceaseless coffee bar, brown wooden stools and tables and large windows put together remind me of Scandinavian design. Due to its location and windows, sunlight enters and leaves, creating brief moments of contrasting light and shadows that I so love to admire.
Despite gloominess from that global health situation which I will not go on to elaborate on, the first quarter of 2020 has seen a pretty fair boom in new cafes in Singapore. This is after a lull in the previous 2 years that had more than slightly depleted my usual excitement in café-hopping.
Opened last November without much fanfare is Double Up Coffee, located along Jalan Klapa in an enclave that houses several other well-known cafes. Just recently, it started to gain attention from social media postings.
Stepping through the glass doors, I was first greeted by the concrete coffee counter, followed by another sitting area furnished with small stools and tables. The minimalist concrete-themed setting was predominant.
Small and simple, the menu is has 3 sections – Business (i.e. coffee), Pleasure (i.e. non-coffee) and Chow (i.e. pastries). Having always been more of an espresso person (vs. filter), I opted for the Spro with Soy Milk ($5.50), while my friend got herself the Iced Spro with Milk ($6). Spro here refers to espresso. Though my soy espresso was a tad limp, I loved the iced espresso with milk for its smoothness and non-acidic aftertaste. I later found out that beans here are sourced from Bearded Bella.
The sole pastry available that day was the Blueberry Crust ($5.50), which I thoroughly enjoyed for its lightness and flakiness.
Rather than a comfortable spot to do “work from home” whilst sipping caffeine, I see this spot as one where I can hold light conversations and, from time to time, empty my mind and daydream.
