Nylon Coffee Roasters

White: 7oz (left) and 5oz (right) pictured together with 72 Smalldive Neo Vintage Handbag

 

 

I am painfully aware of the backlog I have but a Sunday trip to Everton Park resulted in the discovery of a coffee joint that I am excited about enough that warrants this post.

Coffee aficionados lament the lack of a coffee scene like those down under especially places like Melbourne. Having lived in Perth for the past 8 years, I got a coffee shock when I came back to Singapore to work. While it was the norm for cafes in Perth to serve decent to good cuppas, I found it rare for cafes in Singapore to serve cuppas of similar quality and standard. So can you imagine my excitement when I find a place in Singapore that serves a good cuppa? But for the fact that I already had coffee prior to going to Nylon Coffee Roasters and would be fidgety if I consume too much caffeine, I would have gladly overdosed on the coffee there.

The Maillard Project i.e. In-House Coffee Roasting

Nylon Coffee Roasters is a name that is known in Singapore for its bean to cup approach i.e. they source, blend, roast and brew their coffees. I'm also very much impressed by their efforts to source for the best beans that they travel to visit coffee farms in faraway places like Brazil and Africa to see the coffee in its natural habitat. Their personal approach to coffee is such that they see and taste the coffee in their natural habitats. They understand the coffee's characteristics as affected by the weather conditions, methods of processing at the farm, and TLC (tender loving care) from the farmers etc. before they are transported to Singapore to be roasted in-house.

Because of the above, they are able to bring out each coffee's full characteristics to create the ultimate blend to achieve its maximum potential. To me, this is what artisanal coffee is all about.

Four Chairs Coffee Beans. Santa Rosa was unavailable.

With all the available blends at sight, I was overwhelmed by the choices that I asked the lovely barista which blend would be suitable if I wanted a latte. Notwithstanding that the Santa Rosa was unavailable that day, she recommended Four Chairs as being a good blend to pull an espresso shot for a latte.

Coffee Machine

She also explained the differences between ordering the 3oz, 5oz and 7oz. They refer to the amount of liquids the varying sized coffee cups can hold. All contain 1 shot of espresso and are topped with steamed milk. For the best balance of milk and coffee, she recommended the 5oz. Nonetheless, taste is subjective and if you prefer more milk in your coffee, go for the 7oz.

I heeded her advice and went for the 5oz while my milk loving friend Su went for the 7oz. When our coffees arrived, Su offered me the opportunity to taste hers to draw the comparison between the 5oz and 7oz.

At that point, I understood why the barista suggested the 5oz.

Coffee works as such. Connoisseurs balk at putting milk into coffee because milk detracts the taste of the coffee. However, unadulterated coffee is an acquired taste and my personal preference is coffee with milk. It is not necessarily a bad thing to put milk in coffee because it helps create a creamier and smoother mouth feel. The disadvantage is that there is the potential for the milk to overwhelm the coffee and blanket over the nuances of the coffee.

The 5oz had the perfect balance such that the berry notes from the coffee were fluttering ever so lightly on my palate while the milk provided the smooth and creamy mouth feel that I had a mental image of berry fairies dancing lightly on the surface of gentle waves of milk. The two components had complemented each other perfectly. There was a lingering smoothness at the end of each sip that I thoroughly enjoyed as well.

That is not to say that the 7oz was bad. With the 7oz, it was significantly milkier and the smooth mouth feel remained the same. However, it lacked the coffee notes that were peeking out in the 5oz. I felt that the coffee and milk components had fused into one that the coffee notes were masked and indistinguishable and felt more like milk coffee.

For those who balk at adding milk to your coffee, be rest assured that Nylon Coffee Roasters also have their recommended blends for your filtered cup.

Cupping room

If you are still not convinced as to their dedication to their craft and coffee, this cupping room should change your mind. From what I know, there are only a few places in Singapore that conduct coffee cupping. (Coffee cupping is the equivalent of coffee tasting where the tastes and aromas of brewed coffee are determined. Imagine wine tasting but with coffee instead.)

Standing coffee bar with products on display on shelves

Since coffee is all they offer and it is not recommended for one to consume copious amounts of coffee consecutively, the standing coffee bar is a clever concept to ensure that customers do not overstay given that the premises are small. The place fills up quickly and can get noisy so do get your coffee and leave quickly so that others can get their coffee fix too.

Nylon Coffee Roasters
Address: 4 Everton Park, Singapore 080004
Tel: 6220 2330

Opening Hours:
Weekdays: 8.30am to 5.30pm
Weekends: 9am to 6pm
Closed on Tuesdays

Nearest MRT Station: Outram Park

Stateland Cafe: It's WAaaaaaaaaaaafffle Time!

Stateland Café Patisserie

As an avid Grouponer (there I've said it), I have a healthy scepticism for food places featured on Groupon. I seldom buy food Groupons unless the menu piques my curiosity or the place has had good reviews. On this occasion, the menu interested me that I bought it without doing much research. Interestingly enough, this little café became featured on multiple blog reviews and the Sunday Times Lifestyle Section after I purchased the Groupon for this café.

Located at Bali Lane near Arab St, it is on the same stretch of road as Choo Choo Chicken. The signage is not as conspicuous and you might pass by without realizing it. Needless to say, the crowd will guide you there as it did on a Sunday afternoon.

 



Interior

The capacity of the café is limited because the café is really small. Be prepared to wait if you want to sit inside. There is a communal table with tall chairs outside on the corridor if you are less inclined to wait to dine in the comforts of the air-conditioned interior of the café.

Table settings

According to the news, the three young owners of this café did not have to spend much on decorating the café because their families are in the construction, metal and woodworks industries that they got the materials at cost price or for free. The interior of the café is quite minimal but it worked to provide a cosy ambience. Little touches like these gave the café some character and it shows that you do not need to spend a lot to decorate a place tastefully.

Strawberry Lemonade (Left) and Mint Lemonade (Right)- both $6.90 each.

Since R and I had trekked some distance to get to the cafe, we were hot and sweaty given Singapore's humid conditions. It was especially humid that day that we foregone our coffee orders in favour of cold lemonades. We ordered it with the expectations that the lemonades would quench our thirst and quell the heat we were faced with. The "lemonades" looked pretty, quenched our thirst and quelled the heat but they caused a surge of disappointment. WHAT LEMONADE?! The slices of lemon were probably the closest we got to having LEMON in our ADE. These were glasses of cordial topped with soda water masquerading as lemonades. :( Darn, I should have stayed with my coffee order!

 



Eggs Benedict $14.90

What is brunch without the quintessential brunch food item- Eggs Benedict? Two poached eggs on top of ham and brioche toast, topped with hollandaise, home-made tomato chilli jam and stewed Mushrooms. To be honest, the appearance of the ham threw me off. It looked very processed and scared me. However, the pillowy soft and sweet brioche, runny poached eggs, creamy and well-flavoured hollandaise, sweet and not-at-all spicy tomato chilli jam and the utterly delicious stewed mushrooms made up for it. They are the true stars of the dish! When you eat everything together, the ham is lost in the equation and a wonderful symphony of flavours will engulf your tastebuds instead. Never judge a dish by its looks!

Red velvet waffles $14.90

For those uninitiated to the famed Red Velvet cake, it is a chocolate cake coloured red with cream cheese frosting. Stateland reinvents the traditional Red Velvet Cake into a waffle. Here, the way the waffle is served takes top marks. The Red Velvet waffle is a chocolate-flavoured waffle coloured deep-red. I like the bits of chocolate chip that came with every bite of waffle. The waffle was crisp on the outside and soft inside. It was relatively light and the toppings (cream cheese glaze, vanilla ice-cream and dehydrated raspberries) complemented the waffle well.




Red velvet waffle (top) and Black Forest Waffles with the poached cherry compote on the side (below)

The Black Forest $14.90

The Black Forest Waffle is a take on the traditional Black Forest Cake. It is essentially a dark chocolate waffle rippled with chocolate chips, topped with whipped cream, Belgium chocolate ice-cream and poached cherry compote. Since my dear friend does not like cherries, we asked for the compote to be served on the side. She tasted the compote and said she couldn't really taste the cherry flavour and that it is like a jam! As such, she said it was okay to put them on the waffle since we were sharing. we rarely agree when it comes to food but on this occasion, I concur with her. Until you bite into the pitted cherries hidden amongst the compote, the compote does not bear any distinct cherry flavour on its own. There is also a slight gelatinous feel to it- probably from the pectin from the cherries- that makes this compote more jam-like.


At the end, we concluded that the only dish that we truly enjoyed was the Eggs Benedict. While the waffles were very photogenic, the flavours failed to wow. They impressed R less than they did for me. There is no novelty in the flavour of the waffles because once you take away the fancy names, the Black Forest waffle is a dark chocolate waffle with chocolate ice-cream, cream and a compote. It is a combination that is common enough. Similarly, it applies to the Red Velvet waffle though I will concede that a cream cheese glaze is not common. Overall, the concept is good but more needs to be done to the waffles for me to order them again. Also, the "lemonades" are misleading and feels like a rip off for $6.90 each. If I ever do return again, I will try the thick toasts and order coffee instead!

Stateland Café Patissierie
Address: 30 Bali Lane, Singapore 189866.
Tel: 9296 4997

Opening Hours:
Open daily except Tuesdays.
Monday-Thursday: 12pm-10pm
Friday & Saturday: 12pm-12am
Sunday: 10am-6pm
Nearest MRT: Bugis MRT

Pagi Sore- Indonesian Halal Food- Sedap!

A feast.

Working in a multi-racial society like Singapore means that I have to take into account each and every colleague's dietary requirement when thinking of venues for our office lunches. Luckily, I have my best friend Google who did the job for me and I chanced upon Pagi Sore, a Halal Indonesian restaurant.

The outlet at 100AM is an open set-up near the escalator on Level 2. The place is hard to miss and reservations are recommended especially during weekday lunch hours. 

Sambal Balachan and Keropok Barinjau

Each table is decked with small plates of piquant sambal balachan and baskets of crispy keropok barinjau. Despite being set out in the open for however long it has been left there, the keropok barinjau was shatteringly crisp and went brilliantly well with the sambal. Do note that they are not free.

We considered ordering dishes to share but eventually succumbed to the charming maitre'd's suggestion to go for a set lunch for 3-4 pax. For 4 office ladies, a set lunch for 3-4pax was more than sufficient for us. Part of the advantages of having the set lunch is the free flow of rice which came wrapped in the banana leaf. 

Steamed white rice wrapped in banana leaf

The smell of freshly steamed white rice in a banana leaf is heavenly.

Tahu Telor (Deep-Fried Tower of Beancurd & Egg) (not part of the set lunch menu)

The Tahu Telor was not part of the set menu but we couldn't resist ordering it. It was a towering heap of fried tofu and egg nets with a sweet peanut studded sauce and julienned carrots. The crisp outerior housed the egg tofu which broke apart to reveal a steaming hot interior that wobbled and slid down the throats like a kid on a slide. The egg nets soaked up the sweet savoury sauce and when eaten together with the tofu, the egg nets gave the subtle egg tofu bursts of flavour. (7.5/10)

Ayam Bali (Bali Styled Barbeque Chicken)

The smell was incredible when the Ayam Bali arrived at our table. The burnished caramelized skin beckoned and resistance was futile as we sank our teeth into slices of juicy and succulent chicken thigh. The marinade reminded me a lot of satay with its sweet and savoury nuances. (7.5/10)

Tumis KangKong Balachan (Stir-Fried Kangkong Balachan)

I like to think I'm more carnivorous than herbivorous but when you dine with ladies with more lady-like dietary inclinations, vegetables are bound to creep onto your dining table. Not that I minded in this instance because this Stir-Fried Kangkong Balachan provided a welcome distraction from all the meats on our table. While it was not the best I have ever tried, Pagi Sore serves a decent rendition of this famed dish. I think this dish lacked a certain wok-hei (the kiss of the wok's breath) to make it a stellar rendition. (6.5/10)

Ikan Ota Kukus (Steamed Whole Leather Jacket Fish in Ota Gravy)

The star item of our meal was the Ikan Ota Kukus. We marvelled at the uniqueness of the dish and I don't think I have ever come across this dish at other Indonesian restaurants before. The sizealso amazed us because it came with a whole fish and a whole fish usually costs a lot at a restaurant. I think we were expecting just a portion of the fish or a really small fish but this was a sizeable fresh and meaty fish that was steamed to perfection. The accompanying Ota gravy was lemak (coconut milk-like) without being overwhelming. The essence of this dish is that it borrows its concept and flavours from a fish otah but served in a deconstructed and steamed version instead. I would highly recommend ordering this dish and I'm salivating as I type. (8.5/10)

Alpukat Gula Melaka (Fresh Blended Avocado topped with Gula Melaka)

Nothing ends the meal better than with dessert. All of us wanted the Alpukat Gula Melaka instead of the Chendol because we all love avocadoes. However, upon ordering, we were told that they sold out. As we ate our meals and were ready for dessert, the waiter informed us that they went to buy more avocadoes so we could have the Alpukat Gula Melaka if we wanted. Needless to say, we were stoked and said yes! I've tried many avocado blends with gula melaka and/or chocolate sauce that I know it would taste fabulous but the coarsely shaved ice knocked off points off this dessert. The coarse ice made me feel like I was constantly biting into ice and towards the end, it diluted the creaminess of the avocado. Had the ice been fine or if the avocado blend been chilled instead of topping the avocado blend with coarse ice, it would have been a well executed dessert. (6/10)

Not shown but included in the set meal is the Lime Juice (one glass per guest). You have a choice between Refreshing Lime Juice and Homemade Barley Water in case you were wondering.

We paid approximately $30 after taxes per person. While it ain't cheap, we felt like it was every penny well spent. I must say that any criticisms written here is because I'm being picky for the purposes of reviewing the food but if you are after good Indonesian food in general, Pagi Sore is one to check out especially if you are in the CBD area. I liked the dishes I ate that day. I just feel that there is always room for improvement because cooking is an art that can always be improved upon and never perfected.

Pagi Sore Indonesian Restaurant
Address: 100 Tras Street, #02-28, 100AM (Amara Shopping Center), Singapore 079027

Opening hours:
11am-9.30pm
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar

Another outlet:
Far East Square Outlet
Address: 88/90 Telok Ayer Street, Fast East Square, Singapore 048470

Opening Hours: 11am-2.30pm and 6pm- 9.30am
Nearest MRT Station: Raffles Place: 11am-2.30pm and 6pm-9pm.

Drury Lane

Located in a fire-engine red shophouse along the stretch of shophouses at Tanjong Pagar Road, Drury Lane is hard to miss. The setting is whimsical and there is much for your eyes and stomachs to feast on.

An interesting wall art displaying the various coffee blends from different companies.



If you're not a coffee drinker, there is always tea available.

 
The menu is full of enticing and delicious sounding items but since I went there after lunch, I ordered a White (espresso with milk). Then my eyes zoomed into the offerings on display. Muffins with cool flavours such as S'Mores and Kaya caught my attention. They were labelled as 'Pay-as-you-wish muffins' that I was wary about getting them since there wasn't any price tag. It did not matter because the salted caramel tarts captured my heart immediately.

The salted caramel tart is my new drug. The salted caramel was lusciously buttery and it was housed in an equally buttery flakey and crispy tart shell. I recommend eating it with your hands because any salted caramel spillover is 'finger-licking good'.

Salted Caramel Tart ($4)

As for the White, it was smooth, light and went down a treat. My only complain would be that there was too much air in my steamed milk/milk froth that went into my coffee. Once the air in the milk dissipated,  my cup was about two-thirds full and I was left wanting for more.

White (Espresso with milk) ($5)

If this is a teaser for what Drury Lane has to offer, I'm excited to visit Drury Lane to check out its all-day breakfast and the "Pay-as-you-wish" muffins!

Drury Lane
94 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088515

Opening Hours:
Monday, Wednesday & Thursday: 9am-8.30pm
Friday: 9am- 10pm
Saturday-Sunday: 10 am - 6pm
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar MRT station


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