Tag: coffee
If you were someone getting into coffee during the 2010s, there’s one name that wouldn’t have escaped you — Nylon Coffee Roasters. The Everton Park cafe was, and still is, one of the most respected names in Singapore’s speciality coffee scene, and for a good reason. Continue reading “Nylon Coffee Roasters”
There’s not much more needed to be said about Kurasu, a familiar pillar of Singapore’s specialty coffee scene. They’ve always had legions of fans, even from the days when they were hidden out of sight in a co-working space at Odeon Towers. Continue reading “Kurasu”
Dreams don’t have to stay dreams, something perfectly encapsulated by the rise of Whiskdom from a home-based business to the conception of their third concept, Ooze, smack dab in the heart of town at Orchard Central.
It takes some time to find your way to Abseil, sited on the quiet periphery of Tanjong Pagar and just barely out of sight of the frenetic mobs of the CBD. Continue reading “Abseil Coffee”
In Singapore’s crowded speciality coffee scene, Apartment is one of the few brands that managed to build up a devout cult following for themselves. Not many cafes match up to the cosiness of its clean whites, soothing neutral tones, and minimalist charm. Even fewer cafes can rival its expertise in hand-pour coffee. Continue reading “Apartment Coffee”
Nestled along a bustling lane, Just a stone’s throw away from Tanjong Pagar MRT, you’ll find a verdant panelled door at 51 Tras Street that leads inward into a spacious, industrial space. A space where, as you pass through the door arch, you can feel the distinct rumblings of electronic music vibrating through your body.
Despite the name, you’d find that Balestier Market Collective isn’t located in the Balestier neighbourhood — or a location bearing any semblance to a market. In fact, this speciality coffee bar is actually hidden within the uppity vicinage of SAM at Tanjong Pagar.
Brewing coffee is a lucrative business to some, and to others, a passion. For the mastermind behind Shake Coffee, Ong Shi Chun (better known as “Scong”), his passion for coffee is blindingly apparent.
A sleek black glass monolith protrudes out of the ground, fenced in by an outer area populated with sleek white marble fittings and two dainty trees that extended skyward undeviatingly. Only a cryptic logo of Waga Waga Den is emblazoned onto the facade of the enigmatic glass enclosure as a hint of what’s inside.
The interior is yet another striking minimalist marvel — svelte black tables are welded to the metallic structural skeleton while zen garden pebbles lined the perimeter to give it a distinct cyberpunk edge.
What ties Waga Waga Den’s futurist aesthetic together succinctly is a cluster of overhanging geometric lights which flicker and snake vividly, like you’re sitting in a futuristic Tokyo district or something out of Westworld.
Waga Waga Den’s lavish sense of aesthetic is unrivalled by even the chicest brunch spots in Singapore — that said, it’s not designed as a mere cafe for coffee runs.
Conceived by the Black Cow team, this new spot at South Beach is envisioned as a tranquil unwinding hangout and lifestyle concept for CBD denizens.
While still figuring out operation nuances currently, they will progressively modify and eventually roll out after-work luxuries such as Sake that come straight from Black Cow itself.
It is with that vision in mind that all the intricacies are planned out and crafted into the space, especially the picturesque garden featuring oblique marble benches that actually draw out their insignia when viewed from above.
Ultimately, Waga Waga Den is meant to be a holistic hybrid that will allow customers to lounge in its vogueish premises round the clock — so even the shadows in the bar area will evolve based on the Sun’s position of the day and how daylight trickles in through their ceiling-height glass panes.
As with Black Cow, their new concept places a lot of pride in procuring premium ingredients to ensure pristine quality is translated into their offerings.
Provenance is assiduously planned for at Waga Waga Den, where premium ingredients like Japanese red sugar and some of the best quality Kyoto Matcha are sourced for.
At this fledgling phase, the main focus is funnelled into fine-tuning their coffee for the vicinity’s daytime crowd. In the long run, offerings will change with the seasons, as is the norm with speciality coffee, but the espresso blend will persist as a Brazilian-Guatamelan blend to ensure quality control.
The menu at Waga Waga Den is considerably varied but the unique creations that will probably capture your attention are their unique “cloud” drinks.
Extremely unique in presentation, the Cloud ($9) is a coffee that’s adorned with luscious mounds of chocolate-dusted clouds at the brim. A rare sight of the unique cloud as the progenitor of the style, Omotesando, had already ceased operations in Singapore.
Being milk-based, Waga Waga Den’s speciality is blessed with a soft creamy body to match the medium roast profile of the espresso. The overall profile is balanced, robust, and enriched by a beautiful dose of fragrant chocolate. No artificial sweetener, just good quality chocolate.
Atop their drinks, Waga Waga Den also has a few food items on the menu —mainly Japanese in scope— and their Warabi Mochi ($10) was what jumped out at me. Mochi is a simple tidbit but that also means deficiencies are made even more glaring.
Suffice to say, the Warabi Mochi here is executed to perfection. To the teeth, they are fluffy, light, and delightfully chewy while to the tongue, the coating and syrup imparted a brand of toasted sweetness that was bright but elegant.
Aesthetics wise, Waga Waga Den blows most of its Singapore competition away — very few cafes are given this elaborate attention to detail. In a way, it’s a small enclave in the CBD area where you’d feel spirited away to a futuristic Japan or Korean suburb.
Operations are still in process of fine-tuning, so this isn’t the finished product yet. But if they remain steadfast in their devotion to fine quality, I can’t wait to see what the future will bring.
*Operating hours are still being tweaked so check before heading down.
“There is a method to my madness.” Said Junior, owner and head barista of the newly opened Rookie’s Coffee Shop at Queensway. The usual bells and whistles of a typical new cafe opening aren’t present — the space is as unpretentious as you can get. (Read my interview and profile piece on Junior here.) Continue reading “Rookie’s Coffee Shop”
