Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you would have seen or heard of Pokémon at least once. Having graced our Gameboys and TV screens for over two decades, the adorable Pocket Monsters recently invaded our shores and set up their first shop in the ASEAN region at EwF Bugis Junction!
Being an ardent fan of Pikachu and gang and having nothing better to do, I decided to visit the Pokémon Pop Up Cafe to see if it was *really* worth the seven hour wait.
Update June 2020: Pompompurin Cafe has closed.
There’s just something about character cafes that makes them so darned irresistible, even to us grown-ups. Hot on the heels of Japan, the mecca of kawaii-themed eateries and pop ups, Singapore is now home to not one, but two permanent Sanrio character cafes, including the Pompompurin Cafe at Orchard Central!
Voted as Sanrio’s most popular character in 2015, Pompompurin is a lovable golden retriever whose cream coloured skin and trademark brown beret make him resemble a pudding, hence his name.
As my first character cafe experience at the Gudetama Cafe in Osaka had left me eager for more, there was no way I could miss out on this.
Update June 2020: Angelina has moved to The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.
There are few things quite as charming as tea houses – the elegant furniture, the relaxed atmosphere, the attentive staff in quaint uniforms. And yes, the food. Let’s not forget the food.
Established in 1903 by Austrian confectioner Antoine Rumpelmayer and named after his daughter in law, Angelina is a Parisian tea house that is renowned for its signature hot chocolate and mont blanc. And just last year, the culinary icon made its way to Singapore, as one of the most highly anticipated F&B openings in the newly refurbished Capitol Piazza.
As I was pretty impressed at the Valentines Day tasting, I decided to return for my birthday lunch last weekend. It also helped that Angelina was one of the few places open during the Chinese New Year long weekend, which was when my birthday fell this year! #firstworldproblems.
Update June 2020: Angelina has moved to The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.
Angelina, the Parisian tearoom favoured by icons like Proust and Coco Chanel, is wooing diners in Singapore with a Valentines Day menu from 12th to 14th February. Fans of the old world elegance exuded by French cuisine can enjoy a romantic 3-course meal tailored specially for the occasion.
Update June 2020: 20F Specialty Coffeehouse has closed.
It’s a known fact that Singapore’s landscape is ever changing – with our thirst for change and progress in a limited land space, it’s not hard to imagine many of our forefathers’ domains disappearing into the tides of time.
So when word got out that a former family-run clinic was being converted into 20F Specialty Coffeehouse, a hipster cafe – with its interior embellishments intact – it no doubt caught the attention of cafe hoppers with a love for the old school. Check out the metal window grills and patterned tiles – typical of the traditional medical centres of old!
Stressed urbanites can definitely relate to the name of this one month old cafe. After all, who wouldn’t like to trade their mundane 9 to 5 routine for an afternoon in this quaint Telok Ayer space, surrounded by food and coffee?
Situated between Bugis and Lavender MRT, Symmetry is one of those long-running players in Singapore’s cafe scene, having been around for close to five years. The cafe is open seven days a week, with different operating hours on certain days to cater to the brunch crowd at different times of the week.
With a relocation in the works for a friend of mine, a farewell get-together for foodies and Instagrammers was in order, and what better place to celebrate Singapore’s cafe culture than a late brunch-cum-dinner preview on Symmetry’s alfresco area?
Chue On It 