Nestled amongst within the heartlands of Ang Mo Kio Ave 6, this hidden gem coffee bar serves up signature roasts and pastries for the perfect boost to that pesky mid-afternoon slump. Pair the classic Black ($4.50) or White ($5) with a side of Pain au Chocolat ($5.50) or sweeten your day with a Mocha ($5.50). If you're up for something special, why not give their Orange Espresso ($6) a try? You might be in for a surprise.
Photo by Burppler Julius Lim

*Eligible for takeaway till 30 June 2021.

Amazingly huge plate of fry up. Plate consists of two eggs (choice of scrambled or sunny side up) sausage, sautéed mushrooms, house made baked beans, fried potatoes, home-cured bacon, buttered sourdough toast. Everything on the plate was great except for the fried potatoes, which were slightly soggy and the spicy sauce on it felt out of place with the other components. Loved the mild smokiness of the baked beans, lovely surprise to find plump cherry tomatoes in there. Also enjoyed the the sautéed mushrooms and the non-greasy crispy bacon that has been thoughtfully pat dry. Of course, no brunch plate is complete without toasted sourdough (game changer when they are buttered!)

Just got out of bed, so the all day breakfast was great! Mushrooms were on point and bacon was done perfectly. Toast was nice as well, especially with the banana. Not as sweet as me, even though the whole thing looks sugary 🤪

The dish was actually very filling. Be careful when ordering the spicy flavour though!!

Heard about Clap Cafe at Waterloo Street — a new cafe that had opened their doors pretty recently just beside Kurasu, being in its soft launch for family and friends on 15 May 2021; just a day before the measures for COVID-19 Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) were implemented, where dine-in would be disallowed from 16 May 2021 to 13 June 2021 (tentatively). Apart from specialty coffee, Clap Cafe also serves up loose leaf tea, fizzy concoctions and cakes as well — quirky beverage options include Dirty Chocolate and Pumpkin Latte. Found ourselves going for the following:

- Basque Cheesecake;
- Maple Pecan Tart; and
- White

Wasn’t too much a fan of their Basque Cheesecake; lacks that oozy, melty texture that I would really like — their version was one that was somewhat loose and airy, missing out of the rich, velvety and near-jelak sinfulness that one often associated with the cake. In comparison, the Maple Pecan Tart fared much better — the pecan providing a soft crunch that reveals a nutty note that goes so well with the sweet fragrance of maple that is not overly saccharine beneath the top layer; all that against the buttery tart layer that actually holds up to the fork really well. A dessert that would work well with the Black; it’s flavour profile being pretty complimenting to the roasty aroma of well-brewed specialty coffee. The White was well-pulled here — a medium-bodied cuppa with an earthy and roasty note; a cuppa fit for a great mid-day perk-me-up.

Felt that the cafe’s high ceilings make for a great hangout over coffee with an environment that is well-lit and airy once they open for dine-in operations. But in the meanwhile, do give Clap Coffee a try if one is in the area — tough times it is now especially for a new entrant into the F&B scene; would really wish that more people can get to know of their existence for how there can never be one good coffee place too many around.

Spent my Christmas Eve afternoon with a cup of coffee at this new spot at 111 Somerset; a space that is tucked away at the back of the mall that I did not even knew that it existed — located just beside the entry/exit to the mall where So Good Hong Kong Char Chaan Teng is located.

Being predominantly a shop that caters to skaters retailing skateboard and related peripherals (a pretty apt location given it being beside the skate park at Somerset MRT Station), Halfpipe Skate Bar also serves as a small hangout (limited to two tables and a bar counter that seats five) which serves coffee and a rather wide variety of craft beers in the display chiller.

The Flat White was actually surprisingly well-pulled — smooth, creamy with a medium body and a roasty and earthy flavour profile, which came pretty unexpected from a place where coffee seems more to be their side gig.

My coffee lover of a friend, whom recently invested >$1k in a coffee machine & wares, vouched for the coffee here. Needless say we unequivocally enjoyed the different brews here; sorry I’m too amateur to critique on the technical details but rest assured I can tell a bad cuppa brew when I have one.

Thanks to Burpplebeyond u get to pair the brew with good bakes - from a home baker herself 😬

- Charcoal Chicken and Shrimp Siew Mai - This was not bad. Had quite a generous amount of meat and the roe on top added some flavour.
- Xiao Long Bao was alright, nothing too special
- Char Siew Chee Cheong Fun was good. Again, they were generous with the meat fillings, the flour was soft and nice to chew on.
Would be back, the overall quality of dimsum was good, but it's still rather pricey even with Burpple Beyond voucher claimed

Famed for their Cantonese style congee and chee cheong fun, we got the combination of Black Iberico Pork Congee ($5) and Zha Liang 炸兩 rice roll ($4). The congee was silky smooth, and rightfully so, the star of the dish, as the rice grains have been broken down to a thick consistency while the addition of thin slices of black iberico took a backseat. A very comforting bowl of congee that will warm your heart and soul on any time of the day.

My main reason for coming to Happy Congee is in fact for the Zha Liang 炸兩 as it’s not commonly found in dim sum places in Singapore. This dish is essentially taking the steamed rice roll and rolling it with youtiao before pouring a savoury soya sauce mixture over it. The freshly made rice roll has a translucent outlook to it while having a nice bite to contrast with the crispy youtiao inside.
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✨ Happy Congee 滿粥了
📍 380 Jalan Besar, ARC 380, Bgain Eating House, Singapore 209000
🍴 [Self Funded]

Loved discovering the different types of coffee served at Shift!!! It’s a tiny coffee bar with some seats outside to chill while watching cars drive by. The barista was really friendly, recommended us drinks according to our preferences :) Also, $3.50 for a cup of good joe in a chill cbd spot, what more could you ask for? 😂

The Dark Gallery never fails to satisfy me!!! Tried the ice cream sandwiches as my other choices -chocolate tasting platters and chocolate tarts- are currently not available. The ice cream was good, but I’ll still recommend either the chocolate tasting platters or the chocolate drinks over it :)

Got 2 of the 4oz cups for $5 on Burpple Beyond! Had Christmas flavours Toffee&Gingersnap and Smokey road in one cup and chocolate tea Angkor carrot cake in the other. Ice cream was Super Gao and really interesting!!