The Flat Whites of Shoreditch, Bethnal Green, Brick Lane, Leather Lane, The Square Mile etc

Or: Where There Are Hipsters, There Will Be Third Wave Independent Specialty Coffee.

A few weeks ago, I was attempting to explain to someone why freshly ground specialty coffee was not just a hipster/posh thing but about being able, with some knowledge, to get more enjoyment from that raw product. She said she’d never heard of such a thing in her life. Another person said the same thing to me last week, but this was in relation to the sermon we had just heard on 1 Peter 5 at St. Helen’s Church, Bishopsgate:

She said she’d never in her church-going life heard that God had said that Christians were to suffer. Well, I said after we’d discussed this for a little while, this adds weight to the Bible not being something made up by man, because if you wanted to start a religion for personal profit and gain, you’d never say anything like this. The rest of the series on 1 Peter (“Don’t Be Surprised At The Fiery Trial“) is well worth a listen.

Coffee jaunts in London so far have been made to coincide with meet-ups with people or limited to times when the Associates’ study church (yes, they have the immense privilege of a whole church building set aside for their use) has been far too cold or dark to do any work in.

Many of the joints visited were within walking distance (up to an hour’s Londoner-pace walk, that is) of the Placement Church – in Shoreditch and Bethnal Green, Brick Lane, Leather Lane, within The Square Mile, and elsewhere.

Shoreditch/Bethnal Green

Leila’s Shop (facebook. 15-17 Calvert Avenue, Shoreditch, E2 7JP) couldn’t fit many people. So not a place to expect to sit and read undisturbed. Those who managed to score a seat chatted over cooked breakfasts/brunches and polish platters of cured meats, pickles, rye. The coffee was decent.

Fix 126 Coffee (126 Curtain Road, EC2A 3PJ). Climpson and Sons Fix 126 Blend (50% Malawi Msese District, 33% Guatemala Co-op, 17% Brazil Fazenda Paraiso Pulped Natural) on a La Marzocco. Fairly decent but with a very slight bitter (burnt?) aftertaste. Very chilled out cafe with strategically placed lights and power sockets:

Shoreditch Grind (facebook. 213 Old Street, Old Street Roundabout, Islington, EC1V 9NR). Communal tables with barstools along the circular edge. I remember this being a good flat white (probably, amongst other things, the espresso to milk volume thing?) but was otherwise occupied so could not chat more with the baristas about provenance etc.

Brick Lane

Brick Lane Coffee (157 Brick Lane, E1 6SB):

Kahaila Cafe (135 Brick Lane). The cakes were lovely and the coffee sacks and wooden crates seating arrangements nicely quaint. But the flat white was rather weak and watery. To be fair, they seem to be aiming to be more of a third place (“a church” they say), rather than a coffee joint per se.

full stop cafe (facebook. 202 Brick Lane). Eclectic choice of furniture to chill out on. Square Mile beans were well-taken care of, producing a delicious cup. La Marzocco:

Leather Lane
Department of Coffee and Social Affairs (facebook. 4-16 Leather Lane, EC1N 7SU). Art exhibitions, meeting rooms, “social hub”. A rotating roster of roasters but it was Climpson & Sons on the hopper when i visited. I wonder if Climpson roasts slightly darker than Square Mile, but still a very decent cup:

Just across the way, Prufrock Coffee (facebook. 23 – 25 Leather Lane, EC1N 7TE). Standout coffee. Square Mile Coffee Roaster beans, Kees Van Der Westen. Appreciated the opportunity to geek chat about brewing parameters – had been trying to troubleshoot for some time. Also bit the bullet and indulged in a Hario kettle:

The Square Mile

Came upon Curators’ Coffee Studio on Cullum Street in The Square Mile, on the way back from the bank. The presence of a turquoise powder-coated three-group La Marzocco Strada and three hoppers of beans aroused enough interest for me to part with some change for a most interesting flat white from Square Mile Coffee Roaster’s Jirmiwachu Natural – like a strawberry coffeeshake.

The Liberty of Norton Folgate (facebook. Norton Folgate, Bishopsgate) – 50% Brazil Pulped Natural Finca Paraiso, 50% Ethiopia Sidamo Oromia Co-op:

Beany Green Gourmet Coffee (cart at the base of The Gherkin):

Elsewhere
The Black Lab (18 Clapham Common Southside, Clapham). Climpson & Sons beans – when I visited, they were still serving the Summer Espresso 2012 (20% Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Oromia Co-operative, 20% Sumatra Wahana Estate Natural, 20% Columbia Racafe Medellin Region, 20% Columbia Somondoco Boyaca Deparment, 20% Dominican Republic Cibao Altura Crilo Estate). Served at 62 degrees celcius:

Everbean (facebook. 30 Avery Row, Mayfair) – Climpson & Sons, La Marzocco:

Flat Cap (by Notes Coffee. Borough Market) – Square Mile’s Red Brick Espresso (in this expression, 30% El Cascajal (Guatemala), 30% El Majahual (El Salvador), 30% Sertao (Brazil), 10% Kagumoini  (Kenya)). Delicious with well-frothed milk:

Notes, Music and Coffee (31 Saint Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4ER) – nipped in here during the intermission at the London Coliseum next door. Requested Square Mile’s Sweetshop Espresso in my flat white. The barista was kind enough to calibrate this for a fantastic cup just bursting with fruit (in this incarnation, 50% Kiawamururu (Kenya), 50% Suke Quto (Ethiopia). Really made me smile:

Grind Coffee Bar (5C The Great Eastern Market, Westfield Shopping Centre, Stratford City, E20 1EH) – London Coffee Roasters (the baristas couldn’t remember what was in the blend). La Marzocco Strada MP with 3M Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration. Good coffee in a megamall:

A Death. Nylon Coffee Roasters.

A strange surreality to the day.

Fell asleep mid-sentence early last night after a few long days of dealing with Indo-China. Was awoken in the early hours by the insistent buzzing of SMSes and whatsapp messages coming in about the demise of Singapore theatre actress (or “actor” as they would insist) Emma Yong, and also from theatre friends suddenly arranging meet-ups. It was like this when a mutual friend committed suicide last year – the seeming need to share stories, to grieve together, to be badly comforted in face of the stark reality that death comes for us all…

And then, life went on. Got some ang ku kueh from Ji Xiang Confectionery (1 Everton Park, #01-33) for the girls at the office who are very fond of the sticky oily stuff.

And since i was in the vicinity, dropped by Nylon Coffee Roasters (4 Everton Park #01-40, tumblr, facebook, current hours: 8.30am to 5.30pm) where Dennis Tang and Lee Jia Min, formerly of Papa Palheta/Loysel’s Toy, set up a micro-roasting shop after a few months of travelling, providing coffee consultancy services, and working mobile coffee stations at weddings and other events. “Nylon” because New York and London figured majorly in their interest in coffee, and the moustache logo because the designer they hired didn’t figure on Jiamin being on the scene?!

A Probat roaster at the back which is put into use every other day. (Go maillard reactions!)

Well-wishes.

They’ve done away with the concept of cappuccinos, flat whites, etc and classify their drinks as either milk-based or non-milk-based.

The El Primero (first) blend was a mix of Brazilian and Peruvian – perky and bright in a way that makes one (or just me and my deluded mind) think of South America.

It’s not a cafe with food or other drinks, but the four chairs inside or the use of your two pegs provide loads of opportunity to chat about what’s central to the whole set-up, so somewhat like how it was with The Steeping Room. Good stuff.

(To affirm their coffee geekery, there was also a pin-up calendar with the barista of month being Tim Wendelboe of Norway (World Barista Champion 2004).)

Now, the day is ending with more buzzing from friends overseas, wanting to confirm the news, to grieve. But to what end all these platitudes of any deceased being “in God’s hands” and “with the angels”? If there was life after death, i would want to be sure that the people i love are really in a better place and are really right with God. i would want to be absolutely sure of seeing them again in happier circumstances. Well-meaning but ultimately superficial Hallmark card condolences are faint comfort to any one…

..nor the songs that we once made up and sang and taught others to sing. Despite all earnest sincerity, no friend can accompany us through death’s door (other than the Friend who has himself gone through it before us):

Dedication
We have shared our morning days,
and gone through all rainy nights,
even in the darkest of nights,
stars still light up our way.

Tomorrow is a beautiful dream,
a dream that could be fulfilled.
Cross the bridge of rainbow,
in search of the gold.

For here we stand,
our dearest friends.
Sincerely from our hearts we wish:
may streams of sunlight shine like rays of hope,
hand in hand we’ll work and strive,
for the best things in life.

Friends
Sometimes I wonder, if I’ve made a wrong step somewhere
and times don’t seem as good as they have been before.
It’s not so hard then, to want to lay down and cry,
but then I hear a chorus of voices calling from the other shore,
“Look up! Look up!”

These are my friends, my friends
just some people walking the same road
with hands joined as one together.
Cross the bridge, see the rainbow
feel the breeze, watch the flowers grow
touch the sky, don’t you know
we can go higher, higher, higher!

And through the years, as generations come and go,
yet still this flame inside burns strong despite the rain.
It’s not so hard then, to stumble and fall.
It’s then I hear a chorus of voices calling from the other shore,
“Look up, look up”

You are my friends, my friends,
just some people walking the same road
with hands joined as one together.
Cross the bridge, see the rainbow,
feel the breeze, watch the flowers grow,
touch the sky, don’t you know,
we can go higher, higher, higher…

My friends…

As One
We were once all strangers
Roaming near and far.
Lost in a world of fantasy
Don’t know who we are. [sic]
Then one day destined we were
To stand together here as one. (lalala)
We’ll be together, together as one.

Day by day our spirits grew
Bonding us with love.
Striving, working, never rest [sic]
Striving for the best.
‘Tis our story, ’tis our song
Filled with joy, spirit strong as one. (lalala)
We’ll be together, together as one.

As the years pass us by
In many ways we fly.
But the spirit still remains
It can never die.
‘Tis our story, ’tis our song
Filled with joy, spirit strong as one. (lalala)
We’ll be together, together as one.

Life, Liberty, Coffee

On the way to a wedding at Foochow Methodist Church in Little India last week, I wanted to check out a terrace house* on Starlight Road I’d visited many years ago, to see the gentrification of the area.

But we were delayed by an intriguing sign:
Naturally, an investigation was in order.

Liberty Coffee (facebook), at 131 Rangoon Road, diagonally across from L’Etoile Cafe on Owen Road, was set up by Terence Tay (ex-pilot cf Smitten Coffee and Tea Bar’s ex-naval officer). His description of the roastery as a speakeasy surely refers to its lack of regular opening hours or a barista to call its own, rather than any fly-by-night connotations or opium in the coffee.

With the Singapore “artisanal”, specialty, third wave coffee field already filling fast with players, Terence was right to start on a friendly note. For last week’s open house, he borrowed three baristas to helm the La Marzocco: Marcus Leong from Papa Palheta/Loysel’s Toy, Darren Chang (aforementioned ex-navy guy) from Smitten Coffee, and Pavan Khialani from Sarnies, Telok Ayer Street, and some chaps from Jewel Coffee dropped by for a chat.

They mainly retail “globally-sourced specialty beans, artisan-roasted to the highest standard in Singapore” on the big black Giesen coffee roaster (also seen in black at Smitten Coffee and blue at Jimmy Monkey) in the rear of the shophouse. A Mirage Veloce Coffee Machine and a smaller Giesen(?) sat on ledge in the back as well.

The house Speakeasy Espresso blend was lovely in a flat white made by Pav: tobacco at first then transiting to nutty goodness with slight spice. Brazil Fazenda Lagoa Mondo Novo, Guatemala Finca Santa Ana La Huerta, Ethiopia Sidamo. Terence said they had been cupping every day and the beans were best after a 2-3 week rest from their roast date.

They did single origin pour-overs too (11g a cup).

Also very decent:

banana walnut bread;

pecan date cookies; but we were too late for the Valrhona chocolate layer cake.

On the topic of liberty, we’ve had hilarious little discussions over the past week about the lawyers who help people fight for their freedom – not the society-approved human rights sort who claim to fight for the allegedly oppressed, poor and downtrodden; but the types who represent alleged murderers, rapists, rich corrupt politicians (whom, people forget, are also entitled to the same sort of “human rights” as the first category).

You really need the right advocate for the job, and a large part of this has to do with understanding the culture within which you will be judged: part of this has to do with the different laws in each jurisdiction (since each society may have differing definitions of what it considers to be just, and some laws are in place to deal with the unique issues in each place), another part of this is because different legal systems work in different ways, and yet another part of this is because the judge is human and therefore, not matter how hard he tries to be objective and how many safeguards are in place, exercises his discretion within a certain culture.

If you were in India, you would need an Indian lawyer who would be able to draft court papers in the most confident and self-righteous language possible (otherwise, you may not be taken seriously) but have the patience to wait a whole day to have your case heard; if you were in Indonesia, your lawyer would have to be able to navigate the queues to have your case heard some time this century (without bribery) etc. In these two instances, an American lawyer (for example), throwing his weight around and demanding his right to be heard and going to the media whining, might merely jeopardise your case, even if he knew the local laws like the back of his hand.

And if, like Dominique Strauss-Kahn, you were facing charges “abetting aggravated pimping by an organised gang” and “misuse of company funds”, and you’d actually attended an orgy party organised by the head of the local French police, perhaps you need to pay top Euro to a French lawyer like Henri Leclerc who will argue (not before an official judge but the judge that is the collective public) that you may not have known you were with prostitutes as “in these parties, you’re not necessarily dressed. I defy you to tell the difference between a nude prostitute and a nude woman of quality.”

While some of us may never have charges brought against us in a court of law in this world, we will all stand before God to be judged on the Last Day. And if the biblical accounts of human encounters with God is anything to go by, we will be trembling with fear and attempting to hide under mountains to avoid his wrath.

What a relief then that we have a supremely competent lawyer, an advocate, who will act for us and defend us in God’s court of law (1 John 2:1). And his plea will be that he himself has been the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2), so that whoever believed in him (before it was too late to do so) would not perish, but would have eternal life (John 3:16).

*

3 Starlight Road

12 Starlight Road

Christmas Road-trip: Perth – Margaret River

After duties to the relos had been concluded, it was difficult to decide what to indulge in, in Perth and its surrounds. Western Australia seemed to contain everything I love:

fresh crisp air of pine and eucalyptus that you just had to gulp with abandon; fresh organic fruit and vegetables whose delicious ripeness wafted out of fruit stands in the summer heat;

(Fremantle Beach; South Beach, Fremantle; Swan River in Perth City; Redgate Beach, Margaret River; Mandurah; Smiths Beach, Margaret River; Yallingup Beach, Margaret River; Gnarabup Beach, Margaret River; Gracetown, Margaret River; Cottesloe Beach)

clear blue-sky days out at sea or in rivers sailing (unfortunately, just missed the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships) and catamaran-ing and kayaking and canoeing and fishing and surfing and kite-surfing and snorkling and diving (clear waters, reefs, the scuttled HMAS Swan wreck, no flies!);

the freedom of wide open spaces and road trips down south and off-roading without detailed maps or sat nav; real sports, “survival” and “adventure” shops staffed by people who knew exactly what i was describing and so pointing me to exactly the sort of things i would fill the remaining 17kg of check-in baggage with (packed light); loads of like-minded outdoorsy types (including a rough and tough fellow passenger on train. Said he to his colleagues: I reckon I maight get maiself a wax to-naight, you know, before baiking tomorrow. Male colleague: yeah, that’s raight);

good coffee from several little holes in walls – eg.:

The Pony Espress O (21 Mayfair Street, West Perth. Housed in old stables. Slayer),

Cabin Fever (facebook. Shop 12 Bon Marche Arcade, 80 Barrack Street, Perth. Beans from Ristretto Coffee. Retro decor.),

Bench Espresso (471 Hay St Shop 191, East Perth. Five Senses beans, Bannister Downs milk.),

Yallingup Coffee Roastery (Shop 7b 233 Naturaliste Terrace Dunsborough 6281. The dredges tasted quite alright – lost the rest to the floor of the car when i had to jam the brakes at 110km/h);

loads of wineries in Swan Valley and Margaret River wine regions to stop off and taste wines at or just sit and nibble and sip and look at the verdant vineyards and their trellised vines. They were totally cool with me alternating surfing with wine-tasting, tracking fine white sand all over their cellar doors, and bobbing around with sea salt on my surf hat:

Vasse Felix,

Voyager Estate,

Cullen Wines,

Lamont’s,

Laurence Wines,

Knee Deep Wines;

good food made from locally-sourced fresh ingredients:

breakfast at Fidel’s Cafe (21 Essex Street, Fremantle),

White Elephant Beach Cafe (facebook. Gnarabup Road – By The Boat Ramp, Margaret River);

Clancy’s Fish Pub (City Beach. Beach towels as part of chandelier.);

dinner at Must Restaurant (107 Bussell Highway, Margaret River)

brewery tastings and chill-out nosh (Little Creatures, Fremantle);

immensely kind and courteous people – taxi drivers, bus drivers, wait-staff; the constellations so clearly visible in the pitch darkness.

But the way the relos tell it, Oz looks like this:
with every after-dinner story ending with “and he/she was Taken“, and a few murders and rapes thrown in for good measure. And did I mention the flies? They got in your car, your drinks, your food, and just about every available orifice.

But did i mention the sunsets over the Indian Ocean? Spectacular any where along the west coast, the popular choices being to toast the end of the day with some BYO at Sea Gardens (Mitchell Drive, Prevelly) or at the lookout point at Sugarloaf Rock. The heavily tattooed and multiple-y-pierced dead-ringer for Spud next to me clapped and whistled and cheered every time the colours in the sky changed. Very nicely done, God.

Every tourist spot hosts some errant tourist who came for a short holiday and liked it so much they just never left. Western Australia would have been my Hotel California, except that I understood, reluctantly, that nothing is perfect and much as I might claim to love nature and the great outdoors, ultimately it is scary because we can’t control it and even things we are trying to protect might harm/kill us anyway (in memoriam, Steve Irwin), a sad consequence of the Fall.

Results of controlled burning that went out of control to cause the devastating fire of Margaret River in late 2011.

The sermons at St. Matthew’s Shenton Park by Rory Shiner on Christmas Eve and Kanishka Raffel on Christmas Day were good reminders that though we celebrate that a baby was born some 2000 years ago, we do not coo sentimentally over his cradle – rather, we remember that this baby was the Creator of the universe himself who chose to humble himself by being conceived in the womb of a virgin, who came to die (which might be why one of the wise men gave him incense) to redeem all humans so that we can be what God first made us to be – reflections of God’s image to the rest of creation, to rule over it and take care of it, under God’s command.

Transportation


The only way to really see WA is with your own set of wheels. But beware wildlife crossings, especially the kangaroos at dawn and dusk. Apparently they take to headlights like moths to a flame. All advice upon encountering a rogue ‘roo says to brake if possible but never to swerve. Also, if you see a ‘roo, it’s likely his lemming-like friends aren’t far behind. But where do they hide in daytime, i’d asked, where do Kanga’s more sensible friends counsel him in calm slow voices that lights are not his friends and not to do the suicide hop? No answers until I passed a field of sheep and slowed to get a better look at some strange creatures – naked sheep sitting up on their hind legs, bending over to nibble on pasture with them rest of them…oh yeah…

The roads are just completely dark at night so make sure your headlights and batteries are go. Narrowly avoided running into a fox, but further squished a large black (?) snake that had already been hit and was lying across the road. Counted three ‘roos by the side. 😦

Next time, the rental car needs to have a roof rack for rental surf boards. Definitely.

Maps
Augusta Margaret River Tourism Black and White Map – didn’t have GPS. Relied on this and put an eye out for road signs instead.

Accommodation
Perth – YHA
Fremantle – Port Mill
Margaret River – Gilgara Resort

Wines
These are the wines i tried and rather liked:


Vasse Felix – Heytesbury 2008 (“A barrel selection of the very finest sections, of the best vineyards of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Cabernet Sauvignon is dominant and its restrained power is lifted by the distinctly perfumed and structured Petit Verdot and Malbec. It is matured in new and one year old French Oak barriques for 18 months”). Very good service by the friendly blonde-ish lady (with her hair tied back) at the cellar door who could remember my preferences a few days after the tasting.

Most of the Hamelin Bay Wines offerings including the 2011 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (“Lovely fresh citrus, stone fruit and nutty flavours completed with a dry, mineral finish”), 2007 Five Ashes Reserve Chardonnay (“Beautiful quince and honey glazed poached pears”), 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon (“Classic characters of plums and chocolaty cedar and hint of mint fill the nose. Sweet and fleshy in the mouth finishing with dry firm tannins”), 2007 Five Ashes Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (“A beguiling mix of primary fruit and complex earthy notes complimented by cedary oak nuances. Black cherry, cassis and mulberry aromatics are mixed with earthy, seaweed, cigar-box and cedar aromatics to deliver a classic Bordeaux like aromatic profile.”), and possibly the 2009 Merlot (“Beautiful aromas of chocolate, plum skin, red berry fruit and liquorice.”) though can’t quite remember this last one. The lady at the cellar door was also wonderfully enthusiastic about the loveliness of the wines.

Lenton Brae – the Wilyabrup Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (“26-year-old Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc vines on the estate vineyard in Wilyabrup. The 2010 vintage was warm and dry providing perfect conditions for these early-ripening white varieties. The grapes were hand picked, chilled, gently pressed and blended (60% Semillon, 40% Sauvignon Blanc) before fermentation in new French oak barrels. Post fermentation, the barrels were topped and stirred monthly. After 10 months maturation, the wine was stabilised and bottled without filtration. Aromatically, the wine displays restrained lemon and citrus notes with a subtle, savoury oak influence. On the palate, the wine’s entry is soft and creamy and finishes with bright acidity and persistence. Approachable now, the wine will soften and continue to integrate in the short to medium term, though it has the fruit concentration to suggest long-term cellaring is possible”) and Wilyabrup Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (“Cabernet Sauvignon with 7% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Cabernet Sauvignon gives the wine structure, with the Merlot contributing mid-palate richness and has a ‘softening’ effect on the tannin and astringency of Cabernet. This wine displays lifted aromatics of dark fruits, blue berries, black cherries and dark chocolate. The rich, full-bodied palate echoes these flavours displaying fantastic concentration and fruit definition while being gently supported with supple acidity and tannin.”). Jeanette, the wife of the architect who designed the place and lived on site, was most helpful and patient with advice on shipping and taxes. I regretted not having any more space to buy bottles from her.

Laurence Wines – Laurance of Margaret River 2009 Icon Cabernet (“Dark, distinct, with complex mulberries, blackberry and cassis notes interwoven with macerated cherry, a touch of anise and graphite.The firm and velvety tannins are filling, have nice impact and grip, yet dissolve nicely revealing a long focussed finish, kept lively by succulent acidity.”). The staff here were markedly begrudging even though this was a paid tasting.

Knee Deep Wines was my last stop as i beat a retreat back to Perth City. So many of the whites (2011 Chenin Blanc, 2011 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon which really tasted like honeydew, 2011 Sauvignon Blanc that was completely shot-through with passionfruit) would have been perfect for a summer picnic and the reds (2008 Kelsea’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon) were not shabby either. Young enthusiastic staff, even on Christmas eve. Salty popcorn offered as palate cleanser.

Chock Full of Beans

While recce-ing Changi Village for youth camp, I came upon Chock Full of Beans (facebook).

Not so much a specialty coffee joint as a cafe with very decent coffee (beans from Highlander Coffee i think) and it was quiet enough for a read. The chocolate cake wasn’t chocolatey enough, but apparently the cheesecake is their star. (It seems their breads and cakes are from Red Mill’s in Valley Point.)

Good to know that people renting holiday seaside chalets in the vicinity have the option of something better than instant for their morning cuppa.

A Sabbath Sunday

Overall, a happily fruitful Sunday:

$$

Malachi 2:17-3:18 for Sunday sermon – clarified some thinking about tithing which i hadn’t quite articulated to myself – the 10% tithing and co-relation between tithing and blessing was particular to the Old Testament when God still dealt with that people while they were living in a land he had brought them to – it was a direct commandment and a form of taxes for the upkeep of the nation’s temple and the Levites (priests). But all this was a foreshadowing of the reality that God’s people were more than just the nation of Israel and that God’s land was the heavenly kingdom not an earthly one. Therefore, the commendation at the present time is to give of one’s own accord, as much as one wishes. This should not be governed by any specific church regulations, though what one spends on is an indication of where one’s heart is, so there is the commendation of the church in Macedonia in 2 Corinthians 8 that they gave generously from their poverty because of the abundance of joy that came from knowing God and the eagerness to see God’s people taken care of) – that is to say, the motivation for giving was commended, rather than the generosity of the giving per se. What one’s credit card statement looks like would also show if one thinks like the fool of Luke 12:16-21 who, having ample goods, told his soul to relax, eat, drink and be merry, not realising that God would ask for the return of his soul. But a specific obligation of the church is to feed the people who take care of the church (1 Corinthians 9:7-11), though this is likened to feeding an ox treading the grain rather than stuffing the coffers of a dictator (furthermore, many of the apostles declined to make use of this right),

just not enough time to talk to all the people i wanted to catch up with between services, having a baby fall asleep on me after 30 seconds (i know i’m really boring but that’s really a new low, i said on facebook, and 30 people liked it),

a heart-threatening run along the Singapore River with the flu bug in the system, a grocery run at Meidiya supermarket in Liang Court, then an artery-clogging fry-up (advertised on the menu as “Heart-stopping Hashies: Two hash browns topped with wilted spinach, scrambled eggs, sautéed mushrooms, crispy bacon bits and creamy hollandaise sauce”) and a Bloody Mary for brunch at The Merry Men Kitchen + Bar (86 Robertson Quay, #01-02 Robertson Blue),

knuckling down and getting work done at Toby’s Estate (8 Rodyk Street, Robertson Quay) on the first study for the upcoming camp (Mark 1:1-15: (i) the prophets of old (Isaiah and Malachi) testify concerning John the Baptist and Jesus as messenger and the Lord respectively; (ii) God himself testifies concerning Jesus saying that he is his son with whom he is well-pleased; (iii) Jesus’ own actions testify that he is all the nation of Israel, also called God’s son, could not be),

taking delivery of a Jill Sander x UNIQLO +J pin-striped jacket, my old second generation ipod and a copy of Christopher Ash’s Remaking a Broken World,

having someone join me after choir practice so we could enjoy the short but fascinating Book of Ruth together – not the cheesy love story so many make it out to be, rather a narrative of how God sovereignly worked through the disobedience of Elimelech, Mahlon and Chilion (who were all Israelites who ought to have known God’s laws), and the obedience of Boaz (unlike his ancestor Judah – Tamar incident (Genesis 38)) and Ruth the Moabite (born into a nation that was an enemy of God’s people). The book repeatedly commends their insistence on doing right before God despite what seems to be detriment to self – Boaz impairing his own estate by marrying Ruth and giving the first boy to Naomi for her old age, and Ruth not just risking it as a foreigner in the violent Judges-era land of Judah  but also seemingly giving up her own happiness by not going after unrelated or younger men who were not Naomi’s redeemers. From this unlikely union would come Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of great king David, the father…many generations later of the greatest king, Jesus,

a shared dinner at Verre Wine Bar (facebook. 8 Rodyk Street. Dinner set at S$35 with a choice of starter and main or main and dessert, and a glass of wine), and a chat, then going home in the rain, inspired to cook beef bourguignon for tomorrow’s dinner. (Earworm: Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturne in E-flat Op. 9 No. 2. Played by Vladimir Ashkenazy, rather than, say, Arthur Rubinstein)

Coffee Joints for Mugger-toadery + Sunny Holidays for Pie and Good Old Isaiah

We were at different coffee places over the last few days, mugging hard. The seasonal blend (Columbia, Papua New Guinea, Guatemala, Costa Rica) at 40 Hands Coffee (facebook) was not half bad though the foam was slightly strange. Pity the cakes were obviously rather tired at the end of a Saturday.

The Thumper blend in a flat white at Smitten Coffee & Tea Bar (facebook) was much better than previously experienced. The barista this time was Darren Chang – roast was still dark but well-extracted in the milk. And the ET Artisan macarons were delicious as usual.

L’etoile Cafe (facebook) in a corner shophouse along Owen Road was the bomb: natural light during the day, space galore, power sockets in the wall, wifi, pleasant music, nice people who actually offered repeatedly to top up the hot water in the teapot, well-made coffee from Highlander Coffee blends.

When the sun came out and the skies were blue and the wind beckoning, it was too nice outside to be studying and i was extremely glad for a bit of croquet, frisbee and excellent Windowsill Pies (facebook. pecan and toffee, Christmas, morello cherry from the Farmers’ Market at Loewen Gardens, Dempsey), and also to have David Jackman give an Introduction to Isaiah.

Isaiah prophesised during reigns of 4 kings of Judah – Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah (Isaiah 1:1, about 732-686BC). During this time, the northern kingdom of Samaria (Israel) was besieged by Assyria and eventually overthrown at its people, God’s people, scattered. Isaiah was called on the year Azariah (father of Jotham) died (Azariah had fancied himself to be priest as well as king and tried to offer incense in the temple. He was struck with leprosy and co-reigned with Jotham his son before expiring (2 Kings 15)). At that time, Assyria was the top nation (2 Kings 15-17). But Babylon would get rid of them eventually. It was a time of  great political upheaval.

The prophesies of Isaiah were unsettling. They were warnings of judgment on the people of God in the north (Israel) and south (Judah, though also called Israel in Isaiah, metonymically, because “Israel” also refers to “God’s people” since they all came from Jacob who was renamed “Israel”)(Isaiah 1:2). What did God have against them?

The ox knows its owner,
and the donkey its master’s crib,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand.”
Ah, sinful nation,
a people laden with iniquity,
offspring of evildoers,
children who deal corruptly!
They have forsaken the LORD,
they have despised the Holy One of Israel,
they are utterly estranged. (Isaiah 1:3-4)

It’s the same issue that has been plaguing mankind since The Fall – creatures who don’t acknowledge their Creator, though God has already made himself known in many times and many ways to Israel. The faithful city has become the whore (Isaiah 1:21), the people who had entered into a covenant relationship with God had very quickly abandoned him. How will this sinful people become the holy righteous nation of Isaiah 66?

Isaiah tells us how. And again, it is the great promise of God willing to reach out to his own rebellious people instead of just destroying them as he could have as their Creator. Surely this is not what an almighty God does – humbly (or rather humiliatingly) sending prophet after prophet to call his people back to him? Isn’t that rather…needy? But this God isn’t a god thought up by humans and so is quite outside our expectations – he is all powerful and yet needlessly compassionate; he is all about both divine judgment and divine love, simultaneously:

Isaiah 1-12
Here, there are great promises of God reaching out to his people, but the severe threat from God of consequences for not turning back to him. Isaiah introduces the choices that people of God will have to make – accept that God is really God and obey him, or reject him and face judgment for rejecting him (Isaiah 1-5). But this is a reiteration of what so many of God’s servants and prophets from all the generations since Adam have been telling the people and nothing much has changed – the people just can’t snap out of their sinfulness. So Isaiah 6-12 contains that great hope that God is going to come himself to do something to change the situation. The focus is on a figure called the Immanuel (meaning “God with us”) who will come to do something for his people – God isn’t a distant deity but one who cares enough to be intimately involved in his creation. The Immanuel would be a shoot from stump of Jesse (that is, a human from the line of David. Jesse was the son of Boaz and Ruth and father of David), a great king who would be God’s witness, yet also God (Isaiah 9:6 – “Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace). (The people later called “Christians” didn’t make up the divinity of Jesus.)

But Jesus would come only 800 years in the future. Meanwhile, the message to God’s people was the same then as it is now – they had to choose whom they would trust – God, or themselves or other people. So God tells Ahaz is not to be afraid (Isaiah 7) that Syria and Israel (their own brother!) had devised evil against Judah:

if you are not firm in faith,
you will not be firm at all. (Isaiah 7:9b)

Are you going to believe in God’s promise that if you keep trusting him he will save you or will you rely on human promises to protect yourself? (Obviously, in all situations, it would be illogical to claim to “trust God” to provide things he never promised in the first place – like prosperity or health or a good marriage or a satisfying career.)

Isaiah 13-27
10 oracles are preached about various nations in 2 sets of 5. The nation of Babylon heads each set (Isaiah 13, 21). God will restore the Davidic monarchy who will rule Zion and also the world. Though in the short-term, Assyria threatens to destroy God’s people, it is but only a rod in God’s hands. People need to know that God isn’t just the national deity of Israel, and that all the nations are in the hands of God. No nation has any additional or independent power other than the power that God gives them. In the context of that era, if God can bring his promises to fruition by controlling even the great Babylon then nothing would be able stand in his way; God can do it in the face of human determination to resist him, fight against him and ignore that he is God. God has whole world in his hand; he is the lord of history of all nations, governs whole earth, and causes the rise and fall of nations. Why do the people of God rely on alliances or coalitions or human politics? They are useless because it is not other humans who are in control but God. And God had already given Judah pretty specific promises that he would not punish them with Babylon if only they trusted that same promise!

Isaiah 24-27 extends this idea to whole world in every period of history. God promises that he will eventually judge all human rebellion – everybody everywhere will come under judgment of God, not just creatures but all spiritual things in heaven as well (Isaiah 24:21). But there is never just the threat, but this is followed with the promise in Isaiah 25 that through judgment something better will come and eventually death itself (which came about only because of The Fall – Genesis 3) will be destroyed. The right reaction should then be great faith in what God will do (Isaiah 26-27).

Isaiah 28-39
In Hezekiah’s days, the threat is still from Assyria. Hezekiah faces same issues – does he stand firm in faith and believe God’s promises, or will he like Ahaz build alliances instead of relying on God? Would Hezekiah think that Egypt would work with him against Assyria? They would be a good ally since they were powerful and had the latest in military technology (horses and chariots – Isaiah 31). But why go to Egypt if you have God’s promises of protection if only you trust in his promises? Hezzy does the sensible thing when he receives a threatening letter from the Assyrians – he spreads it out before God, trusting in him to deliver (like he had promised) and there is indeed an amazing deliverance (because that’s what God had said he would do in this situation).

Unfortunately, this doesn’t end too well because Hezekiah, though generally faithful, isn’t perfect. And the next threat comes from Babylon and God tells Hezekiah that Babyloan will prevail and Judah will be destroyed (Isaiah 39)

Isaiah 40-55
But this isn’t the end of God’s people. Isaiah 40-55 centers around the second major character: the suffering servant, an individual who is again clearly divine as well as human. He will bring about a whole new community of redeemed people who will become citizens of a new Jerusalem. There are the great servant songs of suffering that we later realise (in the Gospels) is Jesus’ work of redemption on the cross. Because of his work, there will be a new international community – God’s people will come not just from the scattered children of Israel but from the whole world.

Isaiah 56-66
This we see in part in the church today, but complete fulfilment is only when Jesus (the Immanuel, the Suffering Servant and here also the Divine Conqueror) comes again. While we are waiting for this what should we be doing? Remember our human frailty and divine ability. We will never find the resources to live a godly life in ourselves; while we wait for him to return, we should know that we will always be sinful and weak and failing. But there is the promise of the divine conqueror/warrior who will eradicate all evil at the end of days. This extermination of evil includes the terrible destruction of those who do not ask for his mercy, with bloodstains on the garments of the anointed conqueror like the stains of those who tread the winepress. Only with this judgement will there be real justice and righteousness that we so crave.

In Isaiah 65-66, we are reminded again that God will do what he has promised as he has always done. We need only trust that he will save, to be saved from promised destruction and brought into the new heavens and new earth that God has said he will make.

Yet More Interesting Coffee Joints in Singapore

Previous posts on (specialty) coffee joints in Singapore:

• More Espressos, Lattes and Chemex Brews in Singapore
• It Must Be Raining Beans – Even More Specialty Coffee Joints in Singapore

Updates here.

***********

While waiting for the rest to arrive at dinner, we were chatting about the necessity of describing the entire experience of eating or drinking in any critique or review of a food or beverage. In wine, for example, one should describe the colour, the aroma and bouquet, and then the whole taste process from when the wine first enters the mouth till it reaches the back of the palate and is swallowed. To describe just part of the process would be confusing to a third party, like only one of the blind men feeling up the proverbial elephant describing what that elephant looked like. Also, when critiquing a beverage, it would be remiss to exclude mention of the circumstances in which that beverage was consumed – wine would taste different at the beginning of the day before breakfast and at the end of the day when accompanied by a medium rare ribeye. When the others came, they chimed in that the external circumstances in which consumption took place also mattered – even if the kitchen sent out it most wonderful dishes, one’s experience would be spoilt if service was rude or shoddy.

i should be more aware of these things when setting out experiences hereabouts, but will probably be unable to fully enunciate the entirety thereof. It’s absolutely magnificent how much sensory pleasure we can derive from what should merely be just feeding and hydrating for survival.

For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
…
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:13-17,23-24)

So, we are fortunate to enjoy another wave of interesting coffee places, all with rather varied concepts and offering different experiences:

Brunetti Singapore aims the bring the Italian coffee culture, via Melbourne, to Singapore. It is a full-service cafe in a mall (01-35 Tanglin Mall), offering soups and Italian savouries like panini and pizza, a good range of Italian confections like cannoli, a gelateria section and coffee serviced by a 5-group La Cimbali. The coffee was roasted Italian-style – dark, so that there is some bitterness on the tongue at first, but this roast profile on the Santa Chiara house-blend was well-tempered by the smooth sweet milk. My cup was made by [Fabio?], who seemed to be running things behind the counter as well. The other barista on that shift was a Chinese lady. There were also two attentive Indian ladies (probably with interests in Gill Capital?) bustling about to ensure that tables were cleared and people were taken care of. Loads international school kids came by for gelato and cakes and macarons.

Current opening times:
Daily: 9am – 10pm

Pause (fb) at Dominic Khoo’s 28th Fevrier (5 Jalan Kilang) is a different creature. Set within Dominic Khoo’s white indescribable space in an industrial estate, Pause shares the site with designer Kevin Seah and bespoke shoemaker Edwin Neo of Ed Et El. Dominic Khoo’s photographs line the walls and the seating at the coffee area consists of Flexiblelove Chairs made from recycled paper.

Haryanto Soemito trained at Cuppachoice and he and the other barista were quite intent on getting the extraction just right. The safe well-attested house blend of Columbian, Kenyan and Sumatran beans was earthy and nutty in the piccolo latte, and though latte art etching isn’t known to be quite as suave as free pour latte art, the kawaii-ness was appreciated.

Current opening times:
Weekdays: 8am – 11pm
Saturdays: 10am onwards
Sundays: 1pm – 8pm

At Drips bakery cafe at #01-05, Block 82 Tiong Poh Road in Tiong Bahru Estate, due attention is given to the Graffeo coffee beans which are ground in a Mazzer and brewed on a Unic. The piccolo latte is the piccolo-est est i’ve seen, and in the small milk, the Italian-roast was slightly dry (stringent?) and a tiny bit smokey. Decent enough, but really, the pastries (made fresh daily) are where one’s energies should be focused – the excellent shortcrust tart shells were buttery and sweet (but not too) and shattered properly, and the strawberries were appropriately sweet in their way and not choked with gelatin glaze. Alfred Chan of Fredo Galaxy is apparently a co-owner. Fortunate is the congregation at St. Matthew’s Church on Eng Hoon Street.

Current opening times:
Monday – Thursday (closed on Tuesdays), Saturday and Sunday: 10.30am – 9.30pm
Friday: 10.30am – 11pm

Open Door Policy (19 Yong Siak Street, Yong Siak View, Tiong Bahru Estate) is a bistro rather than a coffee joint but its coffee deserves mention. The “specialty coffee bar” next to the restaurant bar is helmed by folk from Harry Grover’s 40 Hands Coffee (all part of Cynthia Chua’s Spa Espirit group) and the flat white i had was excellent – the house blend of Brazilian (base), Papa New Guinean and Bali Kintamani was roasted complex enough to taste like it teetered on the knife-edge of being a nasty cup but the barista had balanced it just right in the milk so there were hints of spice (cinnamon?) and chocolate as the cup cooled.

Toby’s Estate Coffee Asia at #01-03, 8 Rodyk Street, finally opened after much anticipation. We knew from his blog that Suhaimie Sukiman (formerly from Cuppachoice) would be there but the other baristas looked somewhat familiar… Colin Loh saved a lot of brain-racking (thanks!) – there’s Terence Tan from Joe & Dough (Suntec), Andy from Jewel Coffee, Nizam from Black. Seating is either at the lovely long communal table with coffee plant in the middle of the space, at bar seats facing the river or outside under large brollies. There is a large Loring roaster in one corner and a range of Hario products and Toby’s Estate tea cannisters facing the brew bar in another, and you cannot help but notice the gleaming elegant Mirage next to the cashier.

The flat white from the Rodyk Street Blend (Guatemala Antigua Los Volcanes and Indonesian Sumatra Long Berry) was excellent (to my shame i was preoccupied with a book and forget to remember the specifics of how it tasted) and the Guatemala cold brew was like a refreshing glass of floral smoky oolong. Next time, i’ll want to try the cold brew neat. Many return trips are being planned.

It Must Be Raining Beans – Even More Specialty Coffee Joints in Singapore

Previous post on the subject: More Espressos, Lattes and Chemex Brews in Singapore
Updates on the subject: Yet More Interesting Coffee Joints In Singapore and here

**************

“Specialty coffee” didn’t quite make it to my vocabulary until recently, when many of the proprietors welcoming potential customers to their coffee places described the spaces as serving “specialty coffee”. It remains to be seen whether these go the way of other Singapore food fads like apple strudel, bubble tea (now making a re-appearance), roti boy (coffee-laced mexican buns).

But let’s enjoy the sprouting while it lasts! It’s incredibly exciting to taste and see all the different interpretations of what coffee shop owners and baristas consider good coffee:

93 degreesC coffee is tucked away at the foot of Mount Faber, at 16 Morse Road No. 207 (“enter by Wishart Road”) – something for the Merrill Lynch chaps and shipping and oil & gas folk at HarbourFront. They roast their beans slightly darker, in-house on a bright red Toper and brew on a Wega. The house blend had a Sumatran base and a couple of other beans including Guatemalan – this began with a faint interesting bright nutty taste but sadly it faded too soon in the milk. They also have an interesting range of beans at the brew bar – will be back to check this out.

Current opening hours:
11 am to 7 pm on weekdays (closed on Wednesdays)
8 am to 6 pm on weekends

Spotted Maison Ikkoku during weekly jaunt down Kandahar Street, near Arab Street. At 20 Kandahar Street, wooden cabinets hang from the ceilings, with their doors made into coffee tables. The beans on offer when I was there were a Brazilian Fazenda Santa Alina, Ethiopian Harrar, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and Jamaican Blue Mountain. Their house blend, brewed on a Nuova Simonelli and roasted by Cuppa Choice, was a mixture of the first three: quite a neutral cup but would have preferred something that would have made a better stand against the milk. It was my fault for choosing the single origin Brazilian for my second cup, a flat white – wasted the beans and the extra S$2 for a cup of excellence choice – would have been more respectful to have had it over at the brew bar instead. The carrot cake, made specially by a friend of the owner, was moist and had an ample amount of ingredients and taste. Looks like these guys are serious about attempting to get everything just right – they also had a Japanese latte artist, Hiroshi Sawada of Streamer Coffee, down for a bit of coaching.

Current opening hours:
Mon – Thu: 09:00 – 19:00
Fri – Sat: 09:00 – 22:00
Sun: 09:00 – 18:00

Sprouting up north(-ish) is The Coffee Daily at 75 Brighton Crescent. Minimalist 1970s interior with original tiled floor and a few retro records and tapes on display. They sell their house Gusto Gran blend concocted with the help of Highlander Coffee – a four-bean mix of Brazilian, Sumatran, Costa Rican and Ethiopian – probably a variation of Highlander’s own Gusto blend? In a flat white, it really held its own to the last drop – slightly spicy, citrusy, with good foundation.

Current opening hours:
Weekdays: 8am to 5pm (closed on Mondays)
Weekends: 9am to 6pm

Geisha Specialty Coffee at 175 Bencoolen Street, #01-55 Burlington Square
“Do you speak Mandarin?” asked Elsie Qian after she’d ushered me into a seat. Mandarin speakers are at an advantage at this joint because both Elsie and Wang Tao are China natives, and Wang Tao enthuses about his beans solely in that language. So i busted out the Chinese chops which last saw the light of day befuddling unfortunate parties in G2G Shanghai negotiations. And he was effusive: they imported very special beans from a supplier in Japan – beans which he believed could not be found anywhere else in Singapore. The beans were then roasted in small batches on-site in a table-top roaster. You could tell from the carbon dioxide blooms that the roasts were very fresh. Singaporeans roast their beans until they are too dark and oily, he said; he stopped before the oils emerged.

The joint was named for the couple’s favourite bean, the “Panama Finca Esmeralda Geisha” – probably referring to the famous Hacienda La Esmeralda farm since Wang Tao said the price of this bean went up after it won a competition in the mid-1990s. Tried this on a Hario V60 pourover at around 80°C. It was very sweet and incredibly fragrant – you could still smell a citrus flower fragrance in the cup 10 minutes after it was emptied. Slight sourness but in a bright citrusy, not a bean-gone-rancid, way. The fragrance actually seemed to intensify as the cup cooled.

Personal preference though was for the Ibrahim Yemen Mocha. This was planted and harvested by traditional methods and sun-dried. Its aroma was quite like a good Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, but on the tongue, nothing like – more full-bodied, complex, an exotic taste like spiced candied fruit. Wang Tao said he tasted cinnamon and a bit of heat. The effect on the tip of the tongue was indeed interesting – like the slight heat of chilli or, i thought, the tingle of grilled fugu fish.

It’s really great that they are reaching a demographic otherwise bypassed by the specialty third wave coffee movement – the aunties and uncles. One uncle asked for something very fragrant and was given a Blue Mountain pourover. His wife puzzled over the lack of milk or sugar, but was assured that the coffee was plenty sweet just taken plain. The uncle then asked for that nice coffee he had in Japan that came in a very small cup and was educated about espresso and espresso-based drinks. Lovely.

Long Black Cafe at 20 Biopolis Way, #01-02 Centros Block – Biopolis. The house blend consists of Brazilian, Indian, Guatemalan and Ethiopian. Had a cold so couldn’t tell how this tasted.

(Tasting notes: no i don’t really know what i’m talking about. Or rather i’m taking a leaf from Ronald Dworkins’ hedgehogs – i know what i’m tasting so telling it as it is, albeit in foolish ignorance of proper coffee-tasting terminology.)

There’s also:
Yahava Koffeeworks at 4 Jalan Gelanggang, Thomson Hill
Brunetti Singapore at 01-35 Tanglin Mall
Pause Cafe in Dominic Khoo’s 28th Fevrier at 5 Jalan Kilang
Toby’s Estate Singapore at 8 Rodyk Street

More Espressos, Lattes and Chemex Brews in Singapore

UPDATES:
It Must Be Raining Beans: Even More Specialty Coffee Joints in Singapore
Yet More Interesting Coffee Joints in Singapore
and here

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Happened upon a clutch of new coffee places the last few days. When asked by the barista at the first and third if the visits would be on a blog, i thought the photos would merely be available to a Facebook audience and said so. But coming upon 5 places all at once was too noteworthy not to, erm, note.

Smitten Coffee and Tea Bar
60 Robertson Quay, #01-11 The Quayside
Industrial chic* design with white brick walls, hanging light bulbs, concrete laminates for the tables facing the bar, wooden laminates on benches, unique antique-referencing wood-and-wire basket for coffee condiments and an overhead storage space that created cozy seating nook underneath. Well-designed logo. The owners are Darren and Hongyuan but the man behind the counter that day was Vic (Vignesh s/o Surandran) who’d worked at Oriole Cafe and Bar for 4 years and was placed 5th in the Singapore National Barista Championship in 2010.

On Tuesdays, they roast in-house on a Giesen roaster that stands next to the entrance.

Behind the counter, a beautiful shiny three-group Mirage Veloce.

The array of coffee and tea paraphernalia for sale included Pullman tampers, Grindenstein knockboxes, VST filter baskets and Rattleware pitchers for the home barista.

In the hoppers, the in-house Thumper espresso blend and Brazil Cup of Excellence Sitio A. Santos do Altemir, leaving the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and Bolivian Familia Mamani Mamani Organic for the Chemex.

For nibbles, macarons from ET Artisan, carrot cake (looked like it might be from Room With A View) were of usual good standard. 20% off after 9pm.

Also available were Broaderick’s bars and Firefly Tonics.

But back to the coffee: latte art was lovely to behold and well-defined. But the Thumper blend was harsh and caught at the back of the throat. Am not discerning enough to tell if beans were over-roasted or over-extracted. Having had many a Yirg, I wasn’t sure whether the lack of complexity and fragrance was just the Chemex doing its thing. But even with the calming effect of the Chemex filter, the brew was again harsh with bitter aftertaste. Perhaps roasting too dark might have masked any subtle flavours?

They’re probably still de-gassing from their opening a month ago so will return for another taste.

The Broers Cafe
3 Petain Road, Residences@Somme, Singapore 208108

Well-and-truly hidden under Residences@Somme near Farrer Park MRT,

across the road from the lovely shophouses of Petain Road.

Happened to be passing by and am glad the caffeine antennae were working enough that I did a double-take and went to investigate. Minimalist design. The man on the Vibiemme was Teo Hui Kiat (Kiat). Highlander‘s Supremo Espresso Blend in the latte and Costa Rican Strictly Hard Bean on Chemex.

The Costa Rican was smooth but not terribly interesting. The latte, though lacking the nice microfoam etching we have come to expect, was an explosion of intense flavours and acidity; the milk was well-done so produced a  pleasant round mouthfeel when combined with the coffee. This was just like how Phil (not the younger barista who now does weak ones during lunch hour) pulled it back in Highlander Coffee. Delicious. When asked about the lack of publicity about the place, Kiat said that they wanted to ensure consistency and quality before calling in the crowds. Good thinking.

The Orange Thimble
Blk 56, 01-68, Eng Hoon Street, Tiong Bahru
Was on the way to rendezvous with the rojak of my dreams when I saw this:

Naturally, it was necessary to return on National Day.

Befitting the whole yuppie-expat retro chic* of Tiong Bahru (where old flats with only 3 – 4 decades left to their land lease go for more than S$1,000,000), the raw concrete floor was complemented by the folding door and grills (preserved even though those things are a pain to open and close), an eclectic collection of chairs and stools, old timey crockery, Coca Cola in glass bottles, retro-looking cakes and prominently, on the shopfront table, Homespun‘s Taxi Lamp,

but updated with Melbourne cafe scene sensibility with the drinks menu on a large blackboard and a range of quiches, breads and sandwiches,

and a beeping device that lets you know when your order is ready for collection.

The Orange Thimble is certainly not an artisanal coffee joint (“What beans do you use?” “Uh, beans? Oh, Brazil.”) and does not market itself as such. Instead, opened by the same folk from White Canvas Gallery nearby, they say The Orange Thimble is where “art meets cafe”:

A corner for creativity fuelled by passion and espressos. It’s a slot between the walls for thinkers, believers, individuals, travellers and neighbours. It’s simple earnest food created by those people who grew up running and ducking through these very streets and alleys of Tiong Bahru. A place dedicated to ideals of honest neighbourhood living supporting the creative community.

Other than the art hanging on the wall, not sure what they have planned for the creativity side of things. (If indeed the designation of spaces for creativity is not antithetical to the concept of creativity.)

But food is certainly well done there – at least the spinach and tomato quiche and (no not the hyped-to-death red velvet) the Rasphody (raspberry and cream cheese) cake. Overheard several orders for the BBC (bacon brie cranberry).

For a cafe that isn’t enthusiastic on discussing coffee, it does a very well-balanced cup indeed. Lattes are single shot unless you ask for a double. You can eyeball the three-group La Marzocco GB/5 and Mazzer Elettronico when ordering at the counter.

Jimmy Monkey Café & Bar
9 One-North Gateway, #01-51 One-North Residences, Singapore 138643

Dripping-edge industrial chic*. At least there’s still toilet paper.

When asked, cautiously, if the lattes would have two shots in it, owner/barista Michael Ryan exclaimed,”Of course!” and said to trust him to do good coffee because he was from Melbourne and knew about good coffee. The marketing literature went along the same line describing the cafe as “arguably Singapore’s coolest third wave coffee destination. Come for the ultimate coffee experience.” Did The Slayer deliver?

The house blend was roasted in situ on a Giesen and intriguingly comprised solely of Central American beans: 20% Costa Rica, 80% blend of Guatemala Antigua and Guatemala Las Minas – reminiscent of Square Mile’s Summer Espresso, though not entirely alike of course.

In the espresso, sweet, citrus, almost bracingly lively (that’s the Antigua, said Mike) yet rich, velvety. Unexpectedly enjoyable in milk as well – testament to the skill of the barista for getting it just right. Jimmy Monkey’s chief employee can be counted on for a coffee conversation even if he looks really tired. Has cunning plans for a brew bar.

Food from equally bushed-looking chef very decent indeed.

Coffeesmith Singapore
62 Collyer Quay #02-11, Singapore, Singapore 049325


Double shots of Papa P’s Terra Firma blend delicious with inhouse lemon raspberry friands and slices of their best ever banana bread.

It’s fantastic that indie espresso fix-me-ups are blooming, and that the analogue coffee brewing scene in Singapore is certainly on the boil. Just last year, there wasn’t a Chemex to be had in Singapore and i had to have one specially imported via a coffee crack dealer. A few months later, there are suddenly loads more people to talk to about pulling and brewing and all sorts of coffee geekery.

None were quite as evangelistic as Mel and Chloe from The Steeping Room. But whereas TSR was about educating people about coffee, perhaps cafes have different aims. Still, the inability to observe the process of coffee filtered through a Chemex really deprives the customer a great chunk of the experience.

Other newcomers that have had some press are:
Jewel Coffee – La Marzocco Strada, Uberboiler and brew bar
Blackbird Cafe
Group Therapy Coffee

In the pipeline is 93 degreesC Coffee at 16 Morse Road No. 207 (edit: and also Toby’s Estate in Robertson Quay, says Business Times).

Consistently enjoyed the coffee at these places:
Highlander Coffee (if Phil is pulling)
Papa Palheta / Loysel’s Toy
Oriole Cafe & Bar – competition cups are very interesting indeed, especially Citrus Sin
The Plain – Graffeo beans
Viking Coffee – low profile but consistently good cuppa from the La Cimbali
The Pigeonhole – suspect it’s the novelty of a brown latte made with chocolate milk. Anyway, it’s more interested in being a “dynamic arts space”.
Espressoul – competition judge Danny Pang’s place

Found the following not quite to taste**:
Black (both the Hitachi and TripleOne branches) – apparently they get their beans from Highlander but since I’ve had good espressos from Highlander blends, the bitterness suggests something didn’t work out in the process. Fairly similar reviews on beanhunter.
EDIT: this chap at TripleOne does a very decent cup. But this isn’t his normal gig.

Joe & Dough – the one at Hitachi is usually underextracted but Terence at Suntec does a good cup
EDIT: this guy at Hitachi Tower also produced a very balanced cup indeed (and i’m not talking about the lovely triple rosetta pour art) with what tastes like Highlander’s blend

Forty Hands – the cups i’ve had there were bitter and harsh but they weren’t pulled by Harry Grover. Reviews on beanhunter suggest inconsistency.
The House of Robert Timms – weekend afternoon: flat, bitter, harsh
Dimbulah – lunchtime rush hour: harsh
Cuppachoice – weekday lunchtime: harsh and barely lukewarm. Not pulled by Suhaimie though.
Kith Café – bitter, harsh but very friendly folk

*on the assumption that if one tags on “chic” to the end of every string of adjectives, one might be able to communicate some sort of pandering to contemporary concept of fashion, which in the present means Old School neo-traditionalism and raw-ness

**hey, that’s just my personal preference and experience. Maybe my poison is your meat. Maybe it is, as one barista did,”Harsh? That’s just how coffee tastes, you know.”

Here is my beef with the infiltration of postmodern thought into daily life: Is it really solely a matter of personal subjective taste? Is there no such thing as good and bad coffee?

Ignoring the different visions of cafe operators (and hence their relative friendliness and enthusiasm for beans) and concentrating solely on the taste of the coffee, and assuming the sort of coffee one gets from a particular place is always consistent (it is not but that is irrelevant to this part of the exercise), the presence of concurring reviews suggest that there is some common experience of how coffee molecules are perceived by the tongue. If the vast majority of the population would consider bitter and harsh stuff to be unpleasant (distinguishable from coffee that is pleasurably strong or intense; meaning bitterness in a way that is a burnt bitter as opposed to natural bitterness; harshness similar to the nastiness of a smoke made of improperly cured tobacco not in a general manner of “heatiness”), and if certain actions in roasting, grinding, tamping and pulling produce a cup that tastes like that to most people, then:

• there can be such concepts as over-roasting or over-extracting,
• there can be such a thing as good and bad coffee
• there can be objective standards of right and wrong ways of preparing coffee

There is such a thing as truth.