Monthly Archives: April 2010

Coffee in Singapore Part 2

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I don’t understand why so many Malaysians say that food in Singapore sucks. I think they are just jealous of our neighbour. Just because they use ketchup in their “chow kwei tiau”, this fact was repeated over and over again. Well, there are just as many food in Malaysia that sucks ok. You just need to know where to find good decent food.

I just had some really good food in Singapore. From the cheap SGD3 fish-ball noodles to lovely frog-porridge, SGD10+ gourmet burgers to excellent desserts and coffee.

Unfortunately, i don’t have any photos of coffee to show. Evertime I see some really good coffee, I was too enthralled that I totally forgot to take any pic. Once I finished and have those wonderful after-taste that I realized that I did not take any photos.

Let’s start with BLACK.


This is BLACK @ 111 Somerset. Love their logo.


Their Afogato (the original is Chocolate Ice Cream) with dark chocolate shavings.
But I asked to replace the Chocolate with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.
Their Vanilla ice cream is not very sweet which accentuate the taste from the espresso shots.


This plain looking “Honey Fig” Ice Cream is anything but plain.
Ok, it looks plain but the taste is really good with bits of fig inside.
As good as any Haagen Daz and priced lower too.


Banana Rum Crumble. Another must try.

Thank you Tony for the lovely treats. Can’t wait to come back for another visit.
Look for the Master Barista if you are going to Black (He is usually stationed at Black @ Hitachi Tower).
But if he is not around, I’m sure his apprentice is more than able to make you a cup of excellent coffee.

Next: Burgers… my favourite kinda food

Located @ 313 Somerset.
The name is HandBurger. If you like good quality burgers, this is the place to go.
McD, Burger King and Carl’s Junior taste like Ramlee Burger in comparison.

My last stop for coffee before coming back to Malaysia.

Spend some time at Highlander Coffee for some sweet espresso.

The lovely Simonelli Aurelia in GREEN.

Had espresso, ristretto and a machiato. All great but the ristretto is the best.
Thank you to Phil, Cedric and Guo Li for the lovely time and all the coffee.

Link to the post on Highlander Supremo Blend.

Bye-bye Singapore. I’ll be back.

Coffee in Singapore Part 1

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Visited Singapore FHA 2010.

As far as coffee is concern, not much new stuff.

Here are the highlights:

Asia Barista Championship
Did not really pay much attention to it. I heard the Winner is the Barista from Taiwan. I only saw the performance by Keith Loh which I like. Also heard (hearsay) that Scott Callaghan (Australia) was disqualified because he refused to use the Sponsored Blender for his signature beverage. Well, I salute you Scott. Some of this sponsorship rules are ridiculous. To be forced to use a blender or a specific “sponsored” coffee beans for the competition is just plain “duh”. I like how Keith “USE’ the blender by blending his ingredient for 2 seconds and quickly removing it. Nuff said.

Best Coffee

Had my best coffee at DaVinci’s booth. Guess what excellent coffee they are serving?

DaVinci is what you called the “syrups company”. All sorts of flavoured syrups. Vanilla, apple, hazelnut, almond, caramel, chocolate, strawberry and so on and on.

But here is their latest product:

Can you believe this? No need to have espresso machine anymore. No need barista. DaVinci’s  Coffee Shots to the rescue. 3 pumps, add milk and ice and you have a flavoured iced-latte. Can’t imagine myself or any serious coffee geeks going for this. But I give them full marks for creativity. What are they gonna think of next?

World Most Expensive Coffee?

With Najib’s spending millions of Ringgit, you don’t expect anything less than SHOCKING.

If this is what 1MALAYSIA is all about, sigh…. Tableware also want to proclaim as HALAL???


Though I’m not a big fan of OldTown White Coffee, they at least looked professional and decent. (Unlike the pretentious 1Malaysia joke)

Love for espresso on thestar

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Yeah… I’m a star… err.. I meant I was featured on The Star.

How many mm is that crema would you say 😀

Update:

Thanks to Joseph for the lovely photos. Step by steps brewing fresh serving of espresso and cappuccino.


Fresh roasted coffee from Highlander Coffee.


Grind it just before brewing.


Dose and distribute.


Tamp it.


A Decent Pour of Espresso


My favourite shot.


Another pull of espresso into bigger cups.


Stretching and Texturing.


Smooth, creamy and sweet cappuccino with a half decent latte art.

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Really Good Espresso in Malaysia

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I said that good espresso in Malaysia virtually DOES NOT EXIST go in year 2007.

It’s time to update the list. It is good to say that after more then 2 years since, there have been some improvement in the local GOURMET coffee scene.

Well, I have to say that I am regularly having very decent and good espresso. That is because I am making them myself. But we must understand that brewing coffee the espresso method is very different from other brewing methods. And it is one of the most expensive way to brew coffee.

You will need a decent espresso machine (not those toys you find in electronic shops), a decent grinder (again, not those toys in the electronic shops), good quality fresh roasted beans and good barista skills. Without these 4 elements, you will not get good espresso.

Good espresso is flavourful. Notes of chocolates, nuts, citrus fruits like orange and berries can be experienced. Do not be surprised (or maybe you should be surprised) if you even taste sweetness which I have had many times with good espresso. Usually too with subtle bitterness. Notice the word “subtle”. BITTERNESS is not a PRIMARY profile of good espresso… in fact, any high quality good coffee is not bitter at all. Merely subtle.

Hey, all you Home Barista… are you guys and gals enjoying good espresso at home? Tell us more about your good and great espresso moment.

Ok… back to the list. I can say that for myself, I have only tasted good espresso in two commercial settings.

Cafe Departure Lounge
I love their espresso from their House Blend. BUT be warned… It is on the acidic side of things. It is bright, fruity and sweet. Brightness is not something most people like in their coffee. I urge you to give them a try. Their coffee is fresh and roasted by the excellent people of Five Senses Coffee, Australia.

Espressamente
The only place I know that serves illy the way it should be served. Love their “mafia-Corleone-family” gang of baristas.  A well made illy espresso is chocolaty, nutty and sweet. Had one recently pulled my Roy-Corleone 😀

Anymore cafe out there serving good espresso??? To cafe owner, if you are serving good espresso, do let me know.

The Barista
If you are going to either of the two cafes, always ask for the name of the barista. If you find someone who can pull you a good shot of  espresso, remember their name man. These people are hard to find.