Imaging starting your day with a cuppa in Copenhagen. Then strolling into Bangkok for brunch, before finishing off with dessert in Melbourne, the mecca of the third wave coffee movement in the Pacific. Well, Cafe Culture helped us do just that this weekend at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre!
This inaugural event brought together ten cafes and coffee joints from Melbourne, Bangkok, Shanghai, and even Tokyo and Copenhagen, all under one roof for us Singaporeans to take our weekly cafe-hopping jaunts to the next level.
While Cafe Culture has concluded, that doesn’t mean we can’t bookmark the exhibiting brands for our next overseas trip! Here are four cafes we discovered at Cafe Culture.
1. Coffee Collective, Copenhagen, Denmark
On top of snagging gold at the World Barista Championship and World Cup Tasting championships, this Danish micro roastery also operates two coffeehouses and a coffee school – not too shabby. The Double Cappuccino ($9) that we tried had a creamy finish and minimal acidity, a plus for us! Subscriptions and wholesale options are available on Coffee Collective’s website.
2. Auction Rooms, Melbourne, Australia
While there are no actual auction rooms at Auction Rooms, I’m willing to bet that every mouthwatering creation that comes out from their kitchen is worthy of the highest bid. This Melbourne-based cafe whips up exceptionally tasting brunch classics with a rustic touch.
While I’m normally one to shy away from thick toasts, their Brioche French Toast ($21) hits some pretty good notes, with fluffy bread that did not verge on overly dense.
The Breakfast Board ($21) is a sampler of all things good about breakfast – granola, sausage, soft-boiled eggs, and event a hash brown topped with chutney. Can I have breakfast served like this every day, please?
3. koi dessert Bar, Sydney, Australia
Helmed by brothers Ronald, Arnold and MasterChef Australia finalist Reynold Poernomo, KOI Dessert Bar is on the radar of every sweet-toothed dessert lover in Sydney and beyond. And looking at their phenomenally beautiful creations, it’s not hard to understand why!
Each element is put together with keen attention to detail, without neglecting the taste department. The result is a harmonious union of all the flavours that delights with every bite.
I would definitely love to give the actual cafe at Chippendale Sydney a try if I ever travel Down Under. Between the Berry Cheesecake ($12) and Lavender ($12), the former won me over with its perfect balance between its sweet and tarty flavours, while the latter was so photogenic I could hardly bear to dig in.
4. Lune Croissanterie, Melbourne, Australia
To be honest, we felt a little luny (pun intended) standing in line for over an hour for a box of Lune Croissanterie’s Plain Croissants ($22). But as soon as we bit into those freshly baked croissants, we were convinced.
Crisp on the outside, and warm and buttery on the inside, the croissants blend taste and precision in every bite. Best enjoyed fresh out of the oven, as the jovial team advised us! (You know when a cook is serious about the food when he or she tells you how best to savour it.)
For visitors to their Fitzroy warehouse, Lune Croissanterie also whips up cruffins, cookies, and other baked goods by the (baker’s) dozen.
To say we were thoroughly spoilt by the selection of cafes and roasters at Cafe Culture is an understatement. The cafe scene is truly on another level among our neighbours in Bali and Melbourne, and I can’t wait to expand my taste horizons and sample the perfect brunch in other parts of the world.
chueonit.
Chue On It 