Japanese cream puffs. They taste like heaven, cherub’s kisses, and sweet dreams come true. Okay, I may have exaggerated a little, but that’s the feeling I get whenever I bite into one of ‘em pastries: soft, puffy shell with rich cream, fresh custard and I think I just drooled over my keyboard typing that last sentence.
And then, there’s Kitakaro Cafe’s cream puffs.
Update 20 Jan 2025: Cat Cafe Neko no Niwa has closed.
Cake, cats and jazz by the window on a lazy weekend morning; it sounds like a scene straight out of a Korean stationery set. Yet this purr-fect slice of heaven exists amid a stretch of bustling F&B and pub joints along the scenic route of Boat Quay.
The cat cafe concept is no stranger to Asia; hundreds of furry-themed franchises dot Japan and Korea, with even a sheep cafe of bleating, four legged darlings drawing patrons by the dozens.
So does Cat Cafe Neko no Niwa (which is Japanese for ‘cat garden’) live up to its cutesy, cuddly counterparts in the East Asia? There’s only one way to find out. 😉
Tucked away in a discreet corner off the beaten track from Kovan MRT Station, Lola’s Cafe appears little more than one of those run-of-the-mill coffee-and-cake joints that have been springing up all over Singapore as of late. Its nondescript exterior bears a simple sign embellished with its name, and from afar, gave me the impression of housing a dusty bookstore that had been left behind in this ever-speedy age of technology.
But looks can be deceiving. 😉
Walking past the glass doors that separated Lola’s interior from the hustle and bustle of its neighbouring housing estates, I found myself immersed in what can only be described as a perfect blend of coziness and that hard-to-find promise of good things to come. I was there to meet up with an old friend from primary school, and what better place to catch up than in this welcoming abode of Lola’s? 😉
Chue On It 