If anything, the folks behind the collective of cafes that are Atlas Coffeehouse, Lunar Coffee Brewers, Columbus Coffee Co., Apollo Coffee Bar, Neptune and Supernova are those who wouldn’t rest on their laurels — with the opening of Supernova only earlier this year, they have since did a total revamp of Columbus Coffee Co.; a similar move that they had done to Atlas Coffehouse previously. Having closed down the space for renovations that lasted a couple of months, Columbus Coffee Co. now sports a new look that is completely different from what it was in the past — it now bears vibes that can be said as a fusion of Supernova at Joo Chiat Road, and Neptune located at East Coast Road; one that features quite a bit of wooden elements in its furniture and fittings that carries a rustic feel in a modern, clean and contemporary design language. As with the revamps that they have undertaken, the food menu at Columbus Coffee Co. has also seen a bit of changes — with the food menu now split into two sections, the beloved Pancakes are no longer served up at Columbus Coffee Co.; the Brunch menu (served between 9am to 3pm) sees the introduction of several new dishes such as the Bacon & Potato Omelette and Pork & Potato Benedict, as well as the some items off Supernova’s menu such as the Fried Chicken French Toast. The “Lunch till late” section of the menu is available from 11am till closing; features four new dishes exclusive to Columbus Coffee Co., whilst there are familiar dishes previously available here such as the Wagyu Cheese Burger, and the entire range of pastas as well. A new addition to the menu at Columbus Coffee Co. would be the range of Donburi; some of them being re-worked items off the menu to Lunar Coffee Brewers; items available all-day includes the range of waffles and side dishes to share, while the bakes available for the day are on display in the display chiller at the counter. Their specialty coffee is brewed using beans roasted by themselves under their Sinister Coffee and Goods brand; while other beverages available here includes a good variety of teas, chocolate-based beverages, water kefir, kombucha and slow-pressed juices.

Visiting Columbus Coffee Co. for dinner, we were skimming through the various items available on the “Lunch till late” section of the menu and found the Halibut & Scallop "Pao Fan" to be the new item that just seemed to struck a note with us. The menu describes the Halibut & Scallop "Pao Fan" to come with elements such as halibut, scallops, white shimeji, tomato broth, crispy rice, green bullet sauce and lemongrass chilli — the tomato broth being served in a teapot for patrons to pour into the bowl of “Pao Fan” containing the rest of the other elements to their desire. On first look, the dish seemed rather unique; instead of having the rice served in the usual way, the rice comes in a form of a rice patty — think something similar to the rice in the rice burgers of MOS Burger with that slight chew, whilst the patty is also said to have been grilled for a slightly crispy touch. Pouring in the tomato broth, we were surprised how that rice patty managed to absorb those lightly tangy notes of the broth that was seemingly close to a borsch soup without having the rice turn soggy or soft; something which we found pretty interesting. As one goes for the lemongrass chili, the lemongrass chilli does add a umami touch to the entire dish — a little similar to what one would expect from hae bee hiam (i.e. spicy fried shrimp) on its own. Mixing up the lemongrass chilli into the tomato broth adds complexity to the entire dish however; gives that tomato broth a flavour almost akin to Tom Yum soup that was light and refreshing — all that while the green bullet sauce helps to further ante up the spiciness of the dish that packs a punch even for those who are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. The seafood featured in the dish are pretty fresh; the halibut being pretty flaky and smooth — free from any undesirable odour while the scallops were plump and bouncy. The white shimeiji helps to add a touch of savouriness with a soft crunch factor that further gives the dish complexity. Overall, the Halibut & Scallop "Pao Fan" does feel like a really comforting dish that is amazingly well-designed; so complex, yet so familiar whilst being light and easy to have when compared against the rich nature of the seafood stock for typical Pao Fans — a worthy spiritual successor to the Mussels with Coconut Lemongrass & Ale that was on the previous menu here at Columbus Coffee Co. before this revamp, and is also one of the most value-for-money dishes to order here in our opinion at $24.50++ considering the prices and composition of the other items on the menu.

One thing worth commending on the folks behind Columbus Coffee Co. is how they seem to be always moving on with the times. They have never seemed to have been afraid of tearing down what they have built up and reworking things again from the ground up; this can be said for the refreshed Atlas Coffeehouse, but this is even more evident in this current rendition of Columbus Coffee Co. — gone are the “canteen” vibes at the back of the shop where individual tables are lined up to form a long row of seating space for dine-in customers. Now, the same area is beautifully segmented away from the other seats located beside the windows, yet done in a smart way to maximise the dining space of the cafe. We also really liked how these folks have seemingly put the word “progressive” into the term “contemporary progressive cuisine” that best describes their food. Having been consistently researching and developing for new dishes to be introduced with every revamp, they are also not afraid to remove some of the old favourites that can be said as “dated” so as to maintain being current; a move that most cafes seem to abstain from making. Atlas Coffeehouse, Lunar Coffee Brewers, Columbus Coffee Co., Apollo Coffee Bar, Neptune and Supernova have often been called “expensive” over the years; while it is true that the prices of the dishes have been increasing over time with their concepts, one thing is certain about them — there is always that level of quality which is synonymous with their concepts that makes them a preferred spot to dine at. It is exciting to see how far they have come, and how Columbus Coffee Co. has turned out to be with this revamp; wishing the folks all the best with the re-opening — we would definitely be back for more!