For The Café Hoppers: Top 5 Cafés To Visit
- an lyn
- Sep 10, 2018
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 8, 2019
If you’re anything like me, a good meal at an aesthetic quaint eatery with a friend is enough to make your day - if not your entire week. Singapore is rife with these little cafés, and they’re not all that hard to find. So if you’re currently deciding on straying away from shopping mall restaurants or typically overcrowded Starbucks outlets, read on and I’ll share with you my top 5 favourite food places that could fill, not only fill your stomach, but your Instagram feed.
1. Merci Marcel
A beautifully chic bistro for an afternoon of French dining, Merci Marcel serves everything from tarte flambée (a fancy french pizza) to crème brûlée. Not to mention the classic crisp croissants and to-die-for cheese platters. All for a reasonable average price of $20/pax (I never said these cafés were cheap).
I must applaud the restaurant for its interior design; aesthetics-wise it’s one of my favourites. The indoor seating area is abundant with wicker chairs, throw pillows and house plants, with an exquisite bar in the middle of it all showcasing various wines and other beverages. For those who prefer dining alfresco, the outdoor section of the café is just as pretty and gives off just as much of a Parisian feel as the rest of the café.
Merci Marcel
Tiong Bahru, 56 Eng Hoon St, #01-68, 160056
2. PLUSEIGHTTWO +82
This one is for the bingsu lovers. And for those who may live under a rock, bingsu (by my definition) is the Korean version of ice kacang (our local shaved-ice dessert). PLUSEIGHTTWO specialises in serving a diverse range of flavoured ice: oreo, matcha and fruit. If you’re looking for something to lessen your risk of getting brain-freeze, the Korean café serves hot drinks as well as other desserts. The average price is about $15/pax, but they are not stingy on portions, so one serving could very well fill two.
With its unique minimalist/nature inspired design, PLUSEIGHTTWO ranks second on my list of good-food-good-feed cafés. It’s quiet and calming interior makes for a great location to study, especially so for SMU students due to its close proximity from the university. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of cold desserts, but I have to say I fell head-over-heels for the oreo bingsu. I guess I could understand why youths prefer this chilly dessert to our own Singaporean version, much to the dismay of our local ice kacang uncles.
PLUSEIGHTTWO +82
9 Bras Basah Rd, #01-02 Rendezvous Gallery, 189559
3. Wakey Wakey
If you love natural lighting for your photos, Wakey Wakey is the perfect place to visit to have a photoshoot of the waffles and coffee you ordered. What’s more, their all-day breakfast and lunch menu could satisfy your craving for buttermilk waffles at 3pm in the afternoon. Savoury dishes include salad bowls and dips. For an average price of $10/pax, this is definitely one of the more affordable of these places to eat.
Similar to PLUSEIGHTTWO, the café takes on a minimalist design, but with less false flora and more sunlight streaming in from the ceiling to floor windows that overlook the street. Such a setting makes for good photos or even just a comfy place to settle down with a good book and a cuppa.
Wakey Wakey
302 Beach Rd, Singapore 199600
4. Central Perk Singapore
For all the F.R.I.E.N.D.S fanatics out there, this one will overwhelm you with absolute awe. At least, that’s how I felt stepping into this real-life remake of Central Perk. They’ve got everything on display including Monica’s kitchen, Joey and Chandler’s foosball table, Rachel’s wedding gown, Phoebe’s artwork of Gladys and Ross’s fossil collection. Not only is the floor set-up almost exactly like the one in the popular 90’s TV show, they screen back-to-back episodes on a huge projector screen to keep the café-goers laughing - which makes it pretty hard to leave after that. Talk about major bingeing.
But enough fangirling over the restaurant’s displays already. Central Perk is best known for their gigantic cups of coffee and frappuccinos. Each of these types of beverages come in 6 different flavours, named after each of the characters. Pizza, pasta, dessert and alcohol are also served, for those looking for a more all-rounded meal. Believe it or not, they also offer Barista courses. Fair warning though, this place is not for the light-walleted. The frappuccinos go for $10 each and a main dish could go up to $30+. However, if you do love this show, I highly recommend a visit as it makes for a great photo opportunity. If you have no idea what F.R.I.E.N.D.S is, then please immediately pull it up on Netflix and watch all 10 seasons. I promise it won’t disappoint.
Central Perk Singapore
1 Magazine Road, Central Mall #01-01, 059567
5. Santap
The last on my list (but not the least) is halal restaurant Santap. Best visited for brunch, it serves rice bowls, nachos, pizza, sandwiches and other hearty breakfast foods. A word of advice, if deciding between the smoked salmon sandwich or the cheesesteak sandwich, go for the cheesesteak. The garnishing and overall presentation of the dishes makes them all the more delicious and great for photos. On top of that, question cards are available at each table and may be used as conversation starters with your friends while waiting for your food to be served.
Santap is situated on the first floor of The Daulat, a quaint but modern boutique hotel. Majority of the dining area is outdoors, which gives it a nice ambience of dining in someone’s well-furnished front porch. To top it all off, you can present your receipt from Santap at its neighbouring restaurant (The Great Madras) and receive 20% off the bill [may be subject to change]. Another great place to snap a few photos and spend a lazy afternoon!
16 Madras St, Singapore 208413 Madras St, Singapore 208413
So there you have it, my top 5 choices of cafés that can satisfy your Instagram as much as they do your stomach. If you liked this post, do give it a like, and feel free to leave a comment below if you have any cafes of your own that you would like to share because I'm always on the hunt for more food. Not to worry though, as soon as I discover more cafés worthy of mention, I'll be sure to write about it!
an lyn xx
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