This article summarizes 5 specialty coffee shops that are spearheading Singapore's artisanal coffee wave. It describes the origins and offerings of each cafe - Oriole Coffee Roasters focuses on craft drinks and local snacks while conducting barista training; Jewel Coffee in the CBD serves exquisite single-origin coffees to executives; Loysel's Toy is named after an inventor and specializes in house-roasted beans and brunch; Open Door Policy combines coffee, food and wine in a rustic-chic space; and Maison Ikkoku takes inspiration from Tokyo and offers coffee alongside Japanese fashion. The article highlights each cafe's distinctive atmosphere, drinks, and beans.

1. insider Cafes
44 march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com
Fromtop:courtesyofJewelCoffee;COURTESYofLoysel'sToy;courtesyofMaisonIkkoku
n Oriole Coffee Roasters
Thanks to owner Keith Loh, one of the city’s
most respected baristas, this four-month-old
outpost has quickly become a favorite among the
coffee-drinking set. The three-story shop house
café offers a great merchandise lineup (siphon
coffee makers, steam thermometers), in addition
to an onsite roasting room and a “lab” facility for
experimenting with different blends. While the
focus is on craft drinks like piccolo latte and flat
white, the café also pays homage to Singapore’s
traditional kopitiam (coffee shop) culture with
nostalgic bric-a-brac—1970’s Guinness glasses,
tungsten light bulbs and porcelain tableware—and
a snacks menu featuring local classics such as tau
sar piah (mung bean pastry) and
kaya (pandanus jam) toast. Not only
does Oriole supply its locally roasted
beans to other cafés, it also conducts
training classes for baristas-to-be, so
this is definitely the place for coffee
enthusiasts to pick up tools of the
trade—check out its Facebook page
for the latest updates. 10/10A Jiak
Chuan Rd.; 65/6224-9131; oriolecoffee.
com; coffee and snacks for two S$18.
n Jewel Coffee
Occupying a brightly lit storefront
in the Raffles Place CBD, Jewel
Coffee has become a daily go-to for
the area’s executives since it arrived on the scene
last June. Former corporate banker turned café
founder Adrian Khong decorated the 84-square-
meter space with blackboards bearing explanatory
sketches and a blonde-wood counter crowned
with a cherry-red COFFEE sign. Barista Shin Hao
operates the small arsenal of high-end gadgetry—
the manual La Marzocco Strada espresso machine
and the precision-brewing Marco Über Boiler—to
deliver exquisite cups of joe like the Chemex (a
light, filtered brew) and Gibraltar (a double-shot
espresso with just a touch of milk). On offer are
single-origin beans from locations as diverse
as Brazil’s Fazenda Samambaia, Lintong in »
What’s Brewing. An artisanal coffee wave is underway
in Singapore, spearheaded by a new crop of homegrown specialty
shops and a few passionate caffeine addicts. Here’s where to drop
in to get your own craft cuppas. By Liang Xinyi
coffee culture From top: The light-filled interior of Jewel
Coffee; named after a 19th-century Frenchman, Loysel’s Toy
serves up craft brews; baristas toiling away at Maison Ikkoku.

2. Sumatra and Colombia’s
Huila. One Shenton Way,
#01-07; 65/6636-9452; coffee
and lunch for two S$30.
n Loysel’s Toy
Younger sister to cult
roaster Papa Palheta,
Loysel’s Toy—named
after a 19th century Frenchman who invented
the commercial espresso machine—is quirky but
serious about its beans. Its obscure location in
a renovated warehouse, a 10-minute walk from
the nearest MRT station, hasn’t deterred a loyal
following—ranging from iPhone-toting hipsters to
moms with strollers—from arriving in droves for
their caffeine fix. The high-ceilinged interior is
outfitted with a gleaming Synesso Cyncra espresso
machine, an elegant gold-and-black roaster and
paper bags stuffed with house-roasted beans
for sale. Besides espresso drinks made from its
insider Cafes
march 2012 | travelandleisureasia.com46
signature Terra Firma blend, this store also offers
filtered sets like Brewed Otherwise, a single-
origin coffee of the day brewed using a siphon
and French press, for the purists. To best enjoy
the laid-back charm, sit in the leafy courtyard
and order the tasty scrambled eggs and toast to
accompany your coffee. 66 Kampong Bugis, Ture,
#01-01; 65/6292-2306; loyselstoy.com; coffee and
brunch for two S$30.
n Open Door Policy
A trio of Singapore’s food and wine stalwarts—Spa
Esprit Group founder Cynthia Chua, Tippling
Club’s chef Ryan Clift and 40 Hands’ owner Harry
Grover—front this new addition to the increasingly
hip quarter of Tiong Bahru. In the rustic-chic
space, with exposed brick walls, mismatched steel
chairs, teakwood-planked floors and a glassed-in
show kitchen, the Asian-European fare shines
(mushroom risotto with truffle crumbs; pork belly
with braised quinoa). But what makes this buzzing
bistro a cut above the rest is its specialty coffee
bar—run by Grover and the skilled baristas at 40
Hands, just across the street, doing fresh brews
from single-origin beans sourced mainly from a
selected group of Australian roasters. Perch at the
coffee bar and watch the barista work his magic
to conjure up a Cold Drip—coffee brewed and
chilled drop-by-drop over a 12-hour cycle—served
in a Pyrex flask. 19 Yong Siak St.; 65/6221-9307;
odpsingapore.com; dinner and coffee for two S$70.
n Maison Ikkoku
Inspired by Tokyo’s hybrid spaces, two style-
savvy couples—Janice Ong and Thomas Song;
Shanie Teoh and Franz Chua—set up this café
cum fashion boutique last September, naming it
after the Japanese manga Maison Ikkoku. The
charming tri-level shop house packs a lot of
style within its 370 square meters, ranging from
whitewashed brick walls festooned with polished
copper pipes and pre-loved wooden dressers to
the collection of Japanese menswear labels. Head
barista Muhammad Rizuan is often behind the
Nuova Simonelli machine on the ground-floor
café, crafting coffee embellished with intricate
latte art. After 6 p.m., saunter up to the rooftop bar
for another round of drinks—this time alcoholic—
and soak in the views of the gold-domed Sultan
Mosque next door. 20 Kandahar St.; 65/6294-0078;
maison-ikkoku.net; coffee and snacks for two S$26.✚
bistro buzz From
top: Outside Oriole
Coffee Roasters
in Chinatown;
outdoor seats at
Loysel’s Toy are
surrounded by
lush greenery;
the coffee bar at
Open Door Policy.
Fromtop:courtesyofOrioleCoffeeROASTERS;courtesyofLoysel'sToy;courtesyofOpenDoorPolicy