State of Affairs (Clementi Arcade)

For those whom have been actively following the happenings of the local cafe scene, State of Affairs should not be a name that one would be unfamiliar with. Being an cafe that had only entered the local cafe scene since 2022, State of Affairs can be said as a name which is introduced to the local F&B scene pretty recently as compared to some of the other brands that have been around for close to a decade that one could possibly label them as veterans in the scene these days. Having established their very first outlet within 183 Longhaus along Upper Thomson Road, State of Affairs had since opened yet another outlet — this time round in the West. The location of its new outlet at Clementi Arcade may not quite be the most convenient of locations to visit for a cafe, located within the same building which houses an outlet of The Daily Scoop, an outlet of Baker & Cook, as well as Sunset Railway Cafe; that being said, it is located quite a short walk away from the cluster of eateries around the Sunset Way neighbourhood. Despite the smaller space that State of Affairs occupies at its new location, they had still managed to recreate that industrial look and feel with a dark interior colour scheme — there is also a feature of exposed bricks around the ceiling as well. Being a spot that takes pride in their specialty coffee offerings, State of Affairs does serve up both hand brews as well as espresso-based coffees, though State of Affairs also does not compromise on its food offerings as well — the items served up being split into categories like All Day Breakfast and Solos (i.e. individually-sized mains, available only from 11am); there are also sides to share across the table, as well as a small selection of pastries to choose from. Those whom are not into specialty coffee can also opt from various non-coffee beverages such as tea, chocolate and matcha as well.

Skimming through the hot food menu at State of Affairs’ outlet at Clementi Arcade, we note that most of the items on the menu here are pretty conventional offerings that are on the safe side of things — think items such as that of the Croissant with Scrambled Eggs and Breakfast is King (i.e. their rendition of a big breakfast platter) from the All Day Breakfast section of the menu, as well as the Bangers & Mash and the Chimichurri Steak Sandwich from the Solos section of the menu. The only item on the menu that really stood out to us was the Hungarian Beef Goulash from the Solos section of the menu; the Hungarian Beef Goulash is described on the menu to come with elements such as that of “slow-cooked oyster blade beef that is served with a side of toasted ciabatta bread”. Served in a way that is similar to that of a Shakshuka, the Hungarian Beef Goulash is served with the beef goulash being on the pan, while the toasted ciabatta bread is placed on top. The best way to go about enjoying the dish is to tear a little bit of that toasted ciabatta that has been seeming spread with butter(?), and get a bit of everything in the pan including the gravy, chunks of beef and carrots to be enjoyed in a single mouthful — this way, the ciabatta will be able to absorb the flavours of the gravy of the beef goulash for quite the comforting and luxurious breakfast that most would be looking forward to on the weekend. The beef goulash was actually pretty on-point; the gravy was savoury without being overly salty, while the slices of beef were chewy yet tender; provides a good bite close to that of braised beef cheeks without having been overly gamey. Meanwhile the chunks of carrot included came with a soft bite as well — a consistency that we quite liked considering how the other elements were in the Hungarian Beef Goulash. A dish that we were satisfied with.

One thing that we had quite liked about State of Affairs since having tried them at their Upper Thomson location when they had first opened their doors was how these folks seem to be so versatile in their food and specialty coffee offerings. Whilst State of Affairs seem to have placed a rather great emphasis on their specialty coffee offerings — these folks do roast their very own coffee beans and blends by themselves, they do not seem to compromise on the flavours and execution of their food offerings at the same time. There are many other establishments that do serve up great specialty coffee, but do not seem to place the same emphasis on their food and vice versa; we had always felt that State of Affairs was an establishment that could strike a good balance between the two. This remains true for our visit to their Clementi Arcade outlet; while the Hungarian Beef Goulash was the only food item which we had ordered during our visit made on a weekend afternoon, we had also tried the Sunrise from the Signature Creation sedition of the Bar menu a go as well — this was a concoction comprising of elements such as Soda, Orange Reduction, Coffee and Candied Orange in one beverage, which sounds close to being their own rendition of the espresso tonic. This was balanced where the fizziness from the soda and the zingy notes from the orange reduction and candied Orange come into play; a perfect match to the shot of espresso that went into the concoction — overall a bright and tangy drink which was refreshing despite the caffeine involved. Prices of the items listed in the All Day Breakfast and Solo sections of the hot food menu range between $8 to $22.90; the cheapest item being the Classic Toast (i.e. toast with butter & jam), while the priciest item would be the Chimichurri Steak Sandwich. For those staying around this part of the West; State of Affairs is definitely the spot to check out for those who love great coffee and a comforting brunch alike!