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.
-86 Dirty Coffee
The dirty coffee style is where you take a shot of espresso (or two- in the case of Slow Boat) poured over the base of their signature cold, freeze distilled milk.
As someone who usually has an Iced Americano or a Cold Brew due to personal preference, this was a pleasant change.
Down the hatch!
After receiving the coffee, you are advised to consume it within 40 seconds of the pour to preserve both the creaminess of the milk, as well as the formation of the cream along the cold superchilled glass before it melts.
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.
Iced Coffee- Ethiopian beans
With a small selection of coffee beans, they are ground fresh and prepared in a pour over style.
I found myself ordering the pudding that came highly recommended by the barista at Slow Boat despite usually being really picky with my sweets.
Sweets to go with your coffee
The menu at Corner Corner is built for that perfect midday accompaniment to your cup of coffee.
From slices of castella to pudding, the menu leans towards the sweet but you will hear no complaints from me if the rest of the items are as good as this pudding.
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.