Cafe Hopping: Department of Caffeine – Relatively new kid on the Block

After having lived in Tanjong Pagar for 2 years, it’s difficult to break the habit of walking up and down the Duxton Road area. It’s almost addictive to go down and hang out at the picturesque coffee houses. Further, being a work-from-home free lancer allows you the freedom to actually pick your place of work too! I find it much better to sit at some coffee house, especially when the weather is gloomy or just too sultry.

Department of Caffeine

Last week, after a meeting, I headed for a new, well relatively new kid on the block. Department of Caffeine at Duxton Road. Launched earlier this year, DOC is located in the same place where the cream-cake special Broadway Café used to be. The coffee place is started by an ex-Barista of Coffee Reunion Andrew Lek.

Ambiance:

Department of Caffeine

Like many other coffee places and restaurants on Duxton Road, DOC is situated in a heritage building and has a long, rectangular and rather large floor space. And while tables are situated relatively closely, a little nudging and pushing and you can make a decent space for yourself and your group. They have cleverly maintained the seating in such a way that in case of a large group, tables can be quickly pulled together.

Department of Caffeine

The entire place is full of wooden décor. Starting from the ceiling to the wall, to the tables… it has an old style coffee house feel to it…

Department of Caffeine

With some modern touches like the paintings on the wall.

Department of Caffeine

Like most coffee houses around, they also have an open plan serving station and kitchen, with large display counters for their special desserts and munchies.

Department of Caffeine

I like the simple décor with the heavy wood influence.

Department of Caffeine

And the small touches around.

Food:

Department of Caffeine

I was mostly there for the coffee… but they do seem to have a decent, if not extensive, collection of food. Their all day breakfast dishes look appealing enough… They also serve Shephard’s Pie… although from the one I saw being served, it did not look all that authentic in preparation… However, as they claim their main intention is the quality and their food they say is rather unpretentious.

Department of Caffeine

They also have a nice dessert spread with the usual suspects of Waffles and Tarts. They also have a couple of unique selections, Lavender Cake, Flourless Chocolate Cake. I was completely going to skip food, after the rather heavy lunch, but couldn’t resist:

Flourless Chocolate Cake – Department of Caffeine

Flourless Chocolate Cake: One of the things that attracted me to the cake was it looked so fresh and had an almost homemade look to it… a piece of delectable cake sprinkled with  ground sugar… The cake had a light crust too! I liked the cake… although for personal taste it was little too sweet… but it worked. It was definitely a good try.

Coffee:

Now coming down to the reason I was actually there… The coffee. The DOC sources their coffee beans from Australian company called Five Senses Coffee. They have their own blends and I liked it. The owner definitely knows his coffee.

Cafe Latte – Department of Caffeine

Café Latte: I tried their café latte and was surprised at how refreshing and tasty the coffee actually was. Very little acidity, smooth flavour, and the latte was nicely prepared. I would definitely recommend their coffee to those who like to try out newer coffee joints for sure.

How much will it cost me: The place is by no means cheap. The small piece of cake and coffee cost me around S$ 10++. Their food is on an average between S$ 10 to S$ 20… so it basically falls in most of your coffee, all day breakfast category. Nothing extravagant about the cost, but it ain’t cheap.

Verdict: The relatively new kid on the block has potential. Their food seems to be a hit around, and their coffee is definitely great. However, I have heard they have some issues with managing reservations and if a friend is to be believed, weekends are a mess. Having said that they do take reservations, so you might want to get yourself a table in advance. During weekends the place is open slightly longer than most other coffee places in that area, but for a coffee house, it opens rather late. Try it and let me know what you think.

Address: 15 Duxton Road, Tel: 6223 3426

Opening Hours: 10.30am – 7.30pm (Mon – Fri); 9.30am – 7.30pm (Sat – Sun)

Website: http://www.deptofcaffeine.com/

Cafe Hopping: Toby’s Estate at Robertson Quay

Robertson Quay is one of my favourite brunch spots in Singapore. The silence of the place, coupled with the calmness of the river, a boat passing by, kids riding their scooters, people sitting alfresco enjoying a quiet meal. It all paints a perfect setting to enjoy a relaxed weekend brunch.

So decided to start my coffee house hopping trail from Robertson Quay.

Toby’s Estate

A couple of weekends ago, me along with a few friends decided to meet at Robertson Quay for a coffee. With no real destination in mind, we were walking down the Rodyk Street enjoying the beautiful weather (it was cool and cloudy), when we spotted a black house painted with red windows. Ordinarily, such a tacky combination wouldn’t work, but the building does look attractive and elegant.

We were standing right outside Toby’s Estate. In fact you will not be able to tell that the place is in fact a café in a passing glance.

I have heard of Toby’s Estate from a couple of coffee addict friends who love the coffee there. We decided to give it a try.

The Ambiance:

The place was quite crowded and we were torn between sitting at the Alfresco sitting which overlooks the river or sit inside the elegant looking house.

Communal Table

If outside was appealing, the café inside was quite something too. The décor is quite unlike what I have seen. The first thing you notice when you enter the café is a huge communal table right in the middle. A perfect setting if you are in a large group. Might not be so perfect for those who are not a part of that group though.

Coffee Machine

On the right of the café is this huge coffee machine. Apparently, they source only the altitude Arabica coffees from around the world where weather and ripening conditions are perfect. They also blend coffee beans of different flavours to make what they consider perfect blends. And now we know where they blend it!

Counter at Toby’s Estate

Their coffee counter is quite tastefully done too. From the chalk drawings on the board, to the swanky looking coffee machines on the counter, you can see they want to put up a show.

Retail Products

There’s also a small display counter which displays coffee packs and coffee accessories for retail sale.

Overall the wooden tables and chairs add a countrified look to the overall décor. The huge wall glass with the bar stool settings also makes it a lovely place for solitary visit.

You can easily read a book while sipping your coffee and occasionally staring at the river and passer byers.

They have a few coffee tasting sessions, updates of which are available either in their coffee house or on their facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/TobysEstateCoffeeAsia

The Coffee & Drinks:

House Blend

Toby’s Blend: For someone who advertises the fact that they make their own blends after studying combinations, acidity, sweetness of the beans, I had to try their blend. Ever seen a coffee served in a wine glass? Well Toby’s Estate serves their own blends in a wine glass. Maybe it has something to do with the owner Toby Smith’s belief that “Coffee is becoming more like wine,” says Smith. “Some of these small producers and their micro-lots, like garage wine producers, are in higher demand. And this is good because farmers are able to show off their best beans and get a higher price for them.”

I like drinking my coffee without sugar quite often. However, the blend we tasted was a little too strong and a little sour too. I have not tasted sour coffee yet, and I thought of myself as a little short of being a coffee aficionado. Having said that I appreciate adventure, and this coffee was well made, despite it being strong.

Piccolo Latte

Piccolo Latte: I love Piccolo Latte and often order it over my normal cuppa Joe, provided it is actually available. This one was extremely well blended and brewed. The perfect amount of acidity and that innate sweetness made it a perfect enough that I didn’t feel the need to add sugar. The design on the coffee was very intricate too.

Orange & Green Apple Juice

Orange & Green Apple Juice: The juice was cool and refreshing… what attracted us the most to it was the combination. I have had orange with apples a lot of times… but never green apples as they are naturally slightly more sour. Hence, never really thought orange and green apple would go together so well.

The Food:

Scrambled Eggs

Scrambled Eggs: Having had no intentions of eating anything, I saw the server carrying a plate of delectable looking scrambled eggs and couldn’t resist it. The eggs were beautifully scrambled with just the right amount of creaminess. Lightly flavoured with basil and oregano, it was nicely balanced. They have some decent egg and sandwich spread, but their coffees are definitely better than their food.

The History of Toby’s Estate:

It’s not so much history as a story behind the coffee shop and someone has taken time off to beautifully describe it in a timeline on their website. Today Toby’s Estate is present in Australia, Singapore and New York.

Toby’s Estate Timeline (http://www.tobysestate.com.au/about-the-company/timeline/)

How much will it cost me: The coffee is decently priced (given the brand and the location) between S$ 4 to S$ 8 in most cases. And most other menu items are priced under S$ 20. A cuppa coffee and a sandwich can cost around S$ 20 – S$ 25.

Verdict:

Ambiance: They score brilliantly well on location and ambiance. I loved it. Rustic yet tastefully done.

Location: You cannot fault the location, even if you tried. The blue house across the river, the silent river, alfresco setting available, it’s perfect.

Their coffee: Their coffee is a definite thumbs up for me too. Their self-blended coffee was unique and adventurous too. Albeit too adventurous for those who not often enjoy their coffees too strong. But for those, they have the regular lattes and the likes, which I hear are quite good too. Their food isn’t their selling point, but having said that, it was quite nice and you wouldn’t be disappointed with your meal. It’s definitely worth a try, especially for a relaxed weekend morning or afternoon solitary or in company.

History: While you cannot really call it history, I love their story. Makes it for a good read.

Rating:  ***1/2
Address: 8 Rodyk Street #01-03/04 Singapore Tel: +65 6636 7629

Timings: 7:30am to 6:30pm

Brief History of the Coffee House Culture & Quick Look at What Makes a Coffee House Click!

It took me 20 posts to come to one of my favourite topics! Coffee!! This post has no review… But it is an attempt to shed some light on coffee culture across generations. And a quick analysis of what makes a coffee house click with me! The following synopsis is a work of internet and book research.

Kaldi – Graphic Depiction [1]

Legends believe that as early as the 10^th century, coffee the drink was first discovered by Kaldi, the goatherd in Ethiopia when he realized that his goats, after eating a certain type of “berries” became so active, that they stayed up all night. Locals made a drink from the berries, and saw similar effects and thus, began the journey of coffee… The Arabs were the first ones to actually cultivate coffee for trade, and the first known coffee cultivation started from Yemen and then spread to Persia, Egypt, Syria and Turkey.

The coffee house culture!

Qahveh Khaneh – Depiction [2]

The first recorded history of coffee houses is seen across 14^th and 15^th Century in near East, namely Istanbul… where they were called “Qahveh Khaneh” or “Kiva Han”. Coffee houses soon became a place where people socialized, engaged in active conversations, communicated news, rumours, information or even for passtimes like playing board games…

The popularity of the coffee houses grew so much, that they were even called “Schools of the wise”. So powerful was this interaction and exchange of information, that it is believed that in the mid-15^th century, the coffee house was banned in Mecca, and Muslims were banned from drinking coffee. However, the coffee houses did reopen, and the spread after that in Middle and Near East was unbounded. The Arabs even tried to maintain monopoly for production of the “Arabic Wine” as it was referred to at times.

However, travelers and traders from Britain and Europe to the Near East brought back stories of the Qahveh Khaneh, and the black hot Arabic Wine, thus, coffee slowly but surely made its way into Europe. The Arabic name qahuwa was transformed into kaweh (meaning strength) and Kaweh became coffee…

Coffee house culture reached England in 1650s, with the first coffee house opening in Oxford. Legend has it that the site of the first coffee shop in Oxford today has a coffee shop called ‘The Grand Café’. Oxford’s Queen’s Lane Coffee House, established in 1654, is also still in existence today.

Coffee House in England – Graphic Representation [3]

In the England of that time, Coffee houses became a place where businesses were carried out, London Gazatte (government announcements) were read out or the menfolk got together to discuss shortfalls of the rulers. By mid-1700s there were as many as 500 coffee houses, each catering to different strata of society, different types of trading communities etc.

Coffee reached Europe in the 16^th century, however, the first coffee shop of Europe was opened in Venice around the early 17^th Century.

Coffee houses culture, it is believed was brought to the United States in the 19^th Century by the Italian American migrants, and they started coffee houses across major US cities, namely, Little Italy in New York City, North End in Boston and North Beach in San Francisco. As the youth culture of the 1960s evolved, non-Italians consciously copied these coffeehouses.

Coffee House and Arts & Politics:

Coffee House in England [4]

A William Hazlitt’s Essay beautifully notes and explains the phenomena of “Coffee House Politicians and Politics”. Although politics was not the only topic of debate and talk, politics made its way into the coffee house culture and stayed there for years to come! Formally dressed men, wearing hats and carrying the newspapers sat around and discussed and opined about latest happenings. So much was the power of Coffee Houses that, King Charles II saw coffee houses as a threat to his rule and in 1670s tried to suppress this culture. However, he failed and coffee houses since grew into vital political, economic, and social institutions . In fact Anglo-European coffee houses have been instrumental in the starting up of organizations such as the London Stock Exchange and Lloyd’s of London. They also became critical forums through which the beliefs such as freedom of speech emerged.

Coffee House – Calcutta [5]

We often see the seeds of these coffee houses sown in Asia too. Coffee Houses had gained tremendous importance during the freedom struggle in India. In fact, the historical Indian Coffee House at Albert Hall in Calcutta was often frequented by the likes of Subhash Chandra Bose and other freedom fighters to plan, discuss and try to find solutions and paths to political upheavals in British-India.

Caffe Reggio in New York opened in 1927 – Bob Dylon Played Here [6]

Arts also played an important role in coffee house culture. Some of the coffee houses in Vienna, Austria like the Cafe Central and Hawelka, have been in operation for over a hundred years! In the late 1800′s and early 1900′s, coffee shops around the city welcomed and housed revolutionaries, scientists, writers and some of the brightest minds like Sigmund Freud, Stefan Zweig, Peter Altenberg, Leon Trotsky, and even Mark Twain. Then, in the mid-19^th century, a revolution took place in New York City’s Greenwich Village where coffeehouses became the stomping grounds for poets and revolutionaries and songwriters and musicians and artists like Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, Tom Paxton, etc.

Coffee Houses Today:

Coffee House today

While coffee houses or Café’s as they are referred to today are still prominent, their purpose has changed. With news and local gossip available at fingertips (internet, whatsapp, emails, facebook) the need for face-to-face exchange of ideas and information has disappeared. Discussions and debates are replaced with twitters, facebook likes and comments or social activism on the networking sites.

Today, coffee houses are places to read books, catch up with friends, a place to get out of rains, business meetings or even dates. There are even those who promote their “coffee” and “coffee beans” and “coffee making techniques”.

Further, coffee houses today are strictly divided into “Take your coffee and leave” and “Please stay and chat”. Starbucks and such other coffee chains depend largely on huge turnovers and take aways. Their coffee shops, in most parts of the world are decorated in the same way, minimal. But, thankfully, there are those that make you want to stay longer… and “just hang out”. They have spent time making the place comfortable, even homey, which encourages long chats. They have concentrated on giving you unique blends of coffees, that suit your palate.

I love spending time in coffee houses, and often go on hunts to search for those unique places I would like to sit and chat, read a book, if alone or generally sit and think while I enjoy the aromatic coffee! It is my dream to start a coffee house someday, a place where people meet, talk and interact. Having said that, over the next few days, intermittently, I will be reviewing coffee shops.

To that effect, I often ask myself the question, what will make a coffee shop click! Here’s what:

The location:

I am biased towards shops located street side to those located in the malls. A calm shop on a crowded street, a coffee house in a heritage building, a coffee house lake-side… The location matters to me.

The ambiance:

Do they have a theme to the décor? Is the music too loud or too soft? Are the seats comfortable enough for a long stay? Does the place have a character? Or is it just bunch of things haphazardly put together? Is the place tacky or classy… if it is tacky is there a theme to the tackiness!

The coffee:

There are times when I go to a coffee house for the aroma and the coffee itself. At such times, I like the coffee and its flavour to be the hero. Having said that, a great ambiance and location with run of the mill coffee is unacceptable. In that sense coffee has to be in the least, good.

 

The history:

London Coffee House [7]

Being a sucker for historical relevance, a coffee house with a history… matters. And when a place has history, and maintains a basic quality… in terms of the coffee they actually serve, the ambiance and even the location can fade away. The biggest examples being the Coffee House at Albert Hall in Calcutta, where the servers still wear the uniform they did during the colonial times. Someday soon, I shall do a feature on the place…

Over the next few weeks, intermittently, I shall try and review some unique coffee shops around Singapore that I absolutely loved… for one or all of the above clicks!

Image credits:

[1] historyspaces.blogspot.sg

[2] http://twitter.com/jack/status/253696836567719936

[3] www.telegraph.co.uk

[4] itech.dickinson.edu

[5] http://satyaki23.wordpress.com/category/culture/

[6] http://www.quora.com/Peter-Baskerville

[7] espressocoffee.quora.com/The-worlds-most-historic-coffee-houses