[SG] Bettr Week Coffee Crawl 2012 (Part 2)
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Fourth stop: Smitten Coffee & Tea Bar
As our coffee journey continues for the day, we were half coffee-comatosed by the time we reached Smitten. A small cafe hidden in the rather obscure area of Robertson Quay, it's quite an inaccessible place to go if you're taking public transport. Unless, of course, you're looking for a leisurely walk and chill the rest of the day at the cafe.
We were smitten by the whimsical touch of the cafe, simple and unpretentious. It was definitely a great ambience for a Sunday afternoon, lazing around at the benches outside, catching the river breeze occasionally.
Fifth stop: Forty Hands
Well, this was perhaps the most raved about place when the Tiong Bahru estate just started its bloom of all the cafes. We've also done a review separately on their other dishes.
It was quite out of the way, hidden in the residential area of one-north. I've heard lots about the coffee here and this was one of the stops that I was looking forward to the most. Indeed, it didn't disappoint at all. It's definitely a place that's worth the visit despite the inaccessibility.
As our coffee journey continues for the day, we were half coffee-comatosed by the time we reached Smitten. A small cafe hidden in the rather obscure area of Robertson Quay, it's quite an inaccessible place to go if you're taking public transport. Unless, of course, you're looking for a leisurely walk and chill the rest of the day at the cafe.
We were smitten by the whimsical touch of the cafe, simple and unpretentious. It was definitely a great ambience for a Sunday afternoon, lazing around at the benches outside, catching the river breeze occasionally.
A small shop front that might be easily missed.
This menu reminded me of Handburger, but anyway, I still like the proper organisation for easy navigation. Would probably drop by for some of their light bites for another coffee session to try out!
Iced Mocha
Under the sweltering heat, this was quite a life saver. It may look very milky due to the colour, but the taste wasn't just what it looked like. It was bitter with the dark chocolate they used, somewhat too overwhelming that it masked the taste of the coffee. Just a personal preference though, I'd love to have a stronger dose of coffee in mochas, complemented with a touch of bittersweet chocolate, just like the one I've tried at Oriole. If you're a more dark chocolate person, you would probably enjoy this cup of mocha.
Affogato
This is the first time I see an affogato presented this way. The colour of the coffee looks like curry somehow but I thought it was quite a good brew. The slight bitterness of the espresso was very well complemented with the sweet creamy vanilla icecream. The icecream itself was very smooth and had a strong vanilla flavour to it, not just the essence kind. Perfect for the heat wave, very recommended (if you look past the melted presentation of it).
The table beside us ordered this for their kid. It sounds pretty magical from the description and unbelievably cute in the little glass it's served in! Will probably try this out the next time too (:
Nom Factor: 8.0/10
60 Robertson Quay, #01-11
The Quayside
Singapore 238252
60 Robertson Quay, #01-11
The Quayside
Singapore 238252
Fifth stop: Forty Hands
Well, this was perhaps the most raved about place when the Tiong Bahru estate just started its bloom of all the cafes. We've also done a review separately on their other dishes.
Iced Latte and Iced Mocha
Pardon the rather blurry photo as we were getting rather high after so many shots of coffee. The iced latte was a little too milky for my liking and it came with the small bottle of syrup which we were not too sure what it was. The iced mocha was too sweet for my liking and didn't have much coffee taste to it. I prefer the hot version of the latte that I tried previously, stated in our review too.
Last stop: Jimmy Monkey Cafe & Bar
It was quite out of the way, hidden in the residential area of one-north. I've heard lots about the coffee here and this was one of the stops that I was looking forward to the most. Indeed, it didn't disappoint at all. It's definitely a place that's worth the visit despite the inaccessibility.
Cosy interior where it's mostly self-service. There are different menus for day and night, which explains the bottles of drinks and jam conserves up there.
Cappuccino
This was the perfect blend for me at that point. Having had too much coffee, I was kinda 'wasted' but this managed to wake me up through its strong yet rounded flavour of the mix. The milk was light and didn't mask the taste of the beans. The combination was just right, imagine having a bowl of hot soup when you're having gastric - that's the kind the feeling I had when I first tried this. A very comforting cup of coffee. Presentation wise, I loved the latte art, though the foam was a tad rougher than the one we had at Bettr Barista so you could see the big foaming bubbles instead of an even uniform foam. Loved this still though!
Latte
My friend was puzzled when I said I woke up from my cappuccino and when I tried her latte, I realised why. It was a much milkier version, which covered the taste of the coffee in it. Slightly bitter, but you could still taste the rounded flavour of the blend. I still preferred my cappuccino after trying this, but perhaps it might sit well with those who like a milkier base to go with their coffee. The little snack that went along was a perfect complement to the coffee we had. With a strong cinnamon taste, it was rather refreshing and I liked the crunchy cookie texture to it. Second to the one we had at Bettr Barista though!
Raisin Scone ($4.30)
Had this for takeaway as we were too filled with coffee for anything else.
It's usually served with butter and jam but this raisin scone was just served like that for takeaways. I reheated it in the oven after getting back and it filled my kitchen with a rich buttery fragrance. The top was very crispy while it was hot and the I liked how it was filled with a generous amount of raisins. I would have preferred a more crumbly version though, as it tasted simply like a more condensed version of bread inside. The rich buttery fragrance stayed as fragrance too and didn't add much to the flavour. Not exactly a very recommended scone for those who like it crumbly and rich.
Nom Factor: 7.0/10
Coffee wise, this is definitely very much recommended. And looking at its brunch menu, I can't help but to be tempted to come back for it the next time. You might not get the level of service you'd expected over here, as the service crew seemed pretty cold that it makes you wonder if you're really important as a customer. But if you look beyond that, I guess it's still a pretty good experience with its great coffee.
Overall Nom Factor: 8.5/10
9 One-North Gateway #01-51
One-North Residences
Singapore 138643
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