Checked out the new Balance Coffee at VIIO @ Balestier; a new cafe by the same folks behind Geisha Specialty Coffee which is situated at Burlington Square which serves up only beverages ranging from specialty coffee pulled from the espresso machine, to drip coffees and tea.

Was rather bummed that they weren’t serving their local coffee menu which features Kopi O and Kopi White when we visited Balance Coffee during their soft launch — would be interesting to see how their Nanyang-style Kopi is being done considering the various establishments such as Kopi More (Golden Mile Food Centre), Lim’s Kopi (Chinatown Complex Market), Generation Coffee (Tekka Market) and Keong Saik Bakery does their rendition of Nanyang coffee through the espresso machine. That being said, we found the Flat White to be a tad uninspiring as compared to the rave reviews from most — not just simply for the fact that it lacked latte art, but its a rather milky and acidic cuppa that wouldn’t fare quite as bad if they were an ice-cream parlour, but this is a spot with a focus on specialty coffee; the cuppa at Round Boy Roasters still maintains as the most complex and well-pulled Flat White I have had.

If anything, the Hongkong Yuenyuang is the item that deserves more mention that sees lesser talk on social media — Balance Coffee insists on brewing their milk tea with FrieslandCampina’s Black & White Full Cream Evaporated Milk; the very same evaporated milk that most tea rooms uses for their milk teas in Hong Kong. This results in the HongKong Yuenyuang carrying a light hint of tea aroma with hint of milkiness being the starting note of the beverage, while it finishes with a stronger punch of coffee that is brewed using the same beans used in their specialty coffee; all that whilst being silky smooth. Perhaps the beverage to go for here rather than the Flat White.