Monk's Brew Club

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Heard all about the new Monk’s Brew Club which had recently opened its doors along the buzzy section of East Coast Road; that same stretch of shophouses where one can also find other F&B establishments such as Birds of Paradise Gelato Boutique, as well as Micro Bakery’s outlet at Katong. Monk’s Brew Club takes over the former premises of the now-defunct Beer Basket outlet that is located 57 East Coast Road — for those whom have been in the area before, Monk’s Brew Club had not changed up much of the renovations and fittings that Beer Basket had done to the shop unit. With the exception of a splash of green paint for the shop’s facade as well as a few walls leading to the back door exit in the interior, Monk’s Brew Club has mainly retained the cement-esque walls and floors that was done by the previous tenant prior to them moving out of the premises; the interior features wooden dining chairs and black dining tables — all these alongside a marble-esque counter table that is pretty much the centrepiece before the espresso counter. The use of plants in the decor helps to create a livelier look against the otherwise cold aesthetics of the space. Monk’s Brew Club describes themselves as a “blend of coffee, conversations and community” on their social media accounts — they had also labelled themselves as a coffee shop as well. The menu here comprises of sections that are dedicated to Mains (which includes burgers / sliders, brunch-y items, pancakes, waffles, French Toast and salads), Cereals and Sides. There is also a selection of pastries on display at the counter for those looking for a light bite. Monk’s Brew Club’s beverage menu is pretty extensive; while they do serve up espresso-based coffee that features two beans of different origins, they do also serve up filter coffees as well as a range of teas as well. For those whom are looking for something different, the Monk’s Brews section features some special concoctions of coffee that Monk’s Brew Club has to offer.

One thing that we seemed to have noticed on the menu at Monk’s Brew Club was how the hot food menu does seem to be a limited on savoury items in general — this is particularly so especially if one is not craving for salads; the menu does have an extensive selection of pancakes and salads to choose from however. We found ourselves gravitating towards the Breakfast Hot Plate whilst skimming through the menu to decide on what we would like to have at Monk’s Brew Club for brunch. The Breakfast Hot Plate is essentially a big breakfast platter that is served in a hot, personal-sized skillet. Based on the description on the menu, it comes with elements such as Chicken Sausages, Grilled Tomatoes, Crispy Bacon, Tater Tots, Cucumber Pickles, Toasted Olive Bread, Baked Beans, and the patron’s choice of eggs on how they would like for it to be done — some examples quoted by the wait staff includes sunny side-up, poached eggs, scrambled eggs and over easy eggs. Truth to be told, this was much like a typical breakfast fry-up; items like the baked beans and tater tots being pretty commercial and pedestrian to say the least, though the tater tots were sufficiently crisp and not greasy. On the other hand, the scrambled eggs were fluffy and runny within; the chicken sausage coming with a snappy bite and is all savoury and smoky on its own. The crispy bacon was a bit of a letdown however; the bacon was more chewy than crispy here, though carries that typical saltish-ness that one would associate with cured meat. The inclusion of cucumber pickles is a really smart move; these were sliced in a way that one would usually expect as a garnish to a cocktail — delivered a light, juicy crunch with a tangy note that cuts through the savoury notes of the other elements here. We also liked that the hot plate comes hot as how it should have been here rather than being used as just crockery to serve the food on; definitely helped to keep the food warm whilst we slowly work our way around the entire hot plate.

Given our experience with the food at Monk’s Brew Club, we did feel that there the food is a little bit pedestrian to say the least — it could also be due to the nature of the item that we had decided to go for here, but we did appreciate how some attention-to-detail has been placed in some of the intricacies here. This would include the addition of the pickled cucumbers; something which one would usually not expect in a breakfast fry-up like the Breakfast Hot Plate — another thing we liked about the Breakfast Hot Plate was the hot plate being served hot as well. Considering all these, perhaps it would be the other dishes at Monk’s Brew Club that shows the kitchen crew’s skill in the execution of the food here. Apart from the Breakfast Hot Plate that we had went for, we were also pretty intrigued with their offerings that are part of the “Monk’s Brew” section of the menu. It was actually rather difficult for make a choice between the various beverages being listed on the “Monk’s Brew” section of the menu; we did find the Spicy Mocha being the most intriguing of the lot and settled for just that. The idea of a Spicy Mocha isn’t new — there are also establishments out there that serves up a Chili Mocha; the Spicy Mocha at Monk’s Brew Club does come with cracked black pepper and cinnamon which lends its flavour to provide for a spiced note amidst the chocolatey sweetness that is accompanied with a lightly spicy kick to tingle the taste buds. For a cafe that is situated in the heart of Katong, the prices of the items on the Mains section of the menu are pretty competitively-priced between the range of $18 to $24 though most cafes in the area do serve up more artisanal fare in comparison. Service from the barista and wait staff were also pretty warm, friendly and sincere. A cafe with a strong community vibe and fun concoctions of coffee to boast, Monk’s Brew Club is a spot that is likely to be well-patronised by residents around the East Coast neighbourhood in time to come!