Always excited about the favourite place whenever they have something new on the menu or in their display case at the counter, or whenever they are opening at a new location; whilst their Guillemard Road outlet is temporarily closed at the moment, the folks behind Brawn & Brains had been working to open yet another outlet at Hamilton Road within the Jalan Besar neighbourhood. Situated at 16 Hamilton Road, Brawn & Brains’ latest location is along the same stretch of shophouses as The Lunar Rabbit Boulangerie and Missus; also being just right across from For The People as well. Currently in a really silent soft launch phase (do check their social media for whether they are open for the day), much of the works in the cafe have been completed — there are however some bits that are still in-progress. As such, their Hamilton Road location currently only serves specialty coffee and a very limited variety of pastries; think the Napoleon’s Hat, galettes, donuts and the Korvapuusti Pulla that are usually available at their East Coast Road location, with payment being by tipping basis at the time of writing. The interior decor at their Hamilton Road space does hark back to their Guillemard and East Coast Road outlets with familiar design cues that regulars would easily spot, though there have been further refinements to include a fresh touch to keep up with the times. The space is also smartly segregated into two different areas with the espresso/ordering counter sitting in between — the right side being more of a formal dine-in space with dining tables, while the left is more of a brew bar with smaller tables that allows one to get some work done over a cuppa or sit by the counter to watch the barista in-action.

We have previously written about the Rustic Apple Galette when we first encountered it at their East Coast Road outlet; turning out pretty much as consistent as how we have had it previously, we liked how the puff pastry isn’t particularly dense with the different galettes that we have tried, but gives enough chew as one tears it apart. The puff pastry also carries a nice doughy fragrance; in between the pastry and the slices of apples is a layer of cream cheese that provides a tang that attempts to bring the pastry and the apple slices together — the apple slices being sliced so thinly for a soft crunch and a slightly sweet zing that makes the pastry easy to finish overall.

Have been saying this for quite a number of times and that I am probably sounding like a broken record now — it is really amazing to see how these folks have started off from a hole-in-the-wall space from its original shop unit at Guillemard Road and have progressed so much ever since. 9 years in operations is a lot; this is especially so considering how so many F&B establishments have come and go over the years, and the current economic environment has made it even tougher for businesses these days — and here we do see the same folks being working on their business day-in and day-out to bring the very best to their patrons be it in terms of food or service. Congratulations to the folks behind Brawn & Brains for the launch (and a very soft one) of their new space at Hamilton Road — can’t wait to see what it would be like and also to try the hot food menu when it goes into full operations; also wishing them all the best in what has to come, as always!