How’s your Monday starting out so far? Do you need some caffeine to get your through your day? Or how about a bowl of piping hot beef noodles to fill you up instead? If all these sounds good to you, do read on to see our coverage on The Coffee Cart, filled with delicious bakes and, as the name suggest, coffee, as well as LeNu, offering splendid selections for beef noodles and more!
The Coffee Cart
by Hong Ziru
A proverbial ‘gem in the neighbourhood’, The Coffee Cart comes off as quiet, simplistic and unassuming. The brainchild of the enigmatic duo that is Priscilla and her brother, coupled with the talented police turned baker Valerie, we were eager to delve in on the fare that this 4-month old establishment had to offer.
Food:
First up on our palates are, of course, their signature – coffee beverages! When the petite Priscilla served up the Mint Mocha ($5), she dropped us some friendly advice that we might develop a “love-or-hate relationship” with this beverage sitting so innocently in a simple ceramic setup.
In our case, we felt that it was a ‘love relationship’ as we in fact developed quite a liking for it as the refreshing mint coupled with the slightly bitter mocha. The cocoa powder dusted at the edges gave it a texture, and the taste was quite akin to our favourite After Eight dark chocolate mints.
Known for their reputation of serving bright coffee, we had to give their Cafe Latte ($4.50) a shot – no puns intended of course! Non-acidic and with a nutty edge to it, it went easy on our throats, along with the silky texture of milk. It was a perfect fit to the crunchy cookies they served as a standard side with their hot beverages, be it that you have it before or after your drink.
To balance out our coffee experience, what comes up next is of course, the desserts! Two visually stunning pastries leapt into our field of vision here – the Lychee Martini cake ($7) and the Rainbow cake ($6.50). Both of these cakes are signatures here, served up on quaint tile-like plates in the colour of hematite. On first sight, the Lychee Martini cake exuded feminine elegance upon the earthy tone of the plates, while the Rainbow cake in comparison had a more boisterous and cheery outlook.
The Lychee Martini cake version served up to us was pristine white, and decked in romantic tanzanite shells topped with a lychee, which was generously infused with martini. The result of this combination was pure bliss – soft sponge cake with the occasional bits of lychee that kept the whole texture constant. It was literally a Lychee Martini – deconstructed and re-imagined into the form of a delicate pastry.
As previously mentioned, the Rainbow cake was another sight to behold altogether – six cheerful layers of colours held together by delectable cream cheese, and sprinkled liberally with coloured hearts of icing sugar all around, giving a cheery carnival air around it. It might look formidable and cloyingly sweet at first sight, but we have to say looks are deceiving in this case, as the cake was light and fluffy, and the cream cheese spaced out nicely so that it does not come off as too much at one go.
At The Coffee Cart, besides the cakes, one can find waffles as a selection for sweets as well. Naturally, how can we give their waffles and ice-cream a miss, right? With that decision made up, we went for the Buttermilk Waffles ($4.50) with Caramel Ice-cream (single scoop, $3), drizzled generously with caramel sauce and topped with slices of bananas. Of course, for our dear ice-cream lovers, The Coffee Cart does provide options for double scoop ($5) and triple scoop ($7) as well if you are in the mood for more than one scoop of the icy delight!
What we really really like about the Buttermilk Waffles was how fragrant they were when served up to us fresh and piping hot. Not to mention, as our forks dug into the crispy on the outside and moist on the inside waffles, we were pleasantly surprised that it was not airy at all. Instead, it was satisfying and was a perfect match with the equally delicious caramel ice-cream and sauce.
Ambience
Their present location was once a bake house with limited seating of only 3, and through extensive brainstorming and major renovation, the cafe stands as it is today with its woody colours melding together to match the main attraction in the cafe – the coffee cart. Here’s a snippet of interesting news for you, as we had heard from them: they had wanted to start out as, literally, a mobile coffee cart. However, as they were unable to secure the licence for it, eventually, they found themselves happily settling in where they are today. Nonetheless, the coffee cart is still put in use for events nowadays – appearing as a mobile pop-up store with it’s amazing flexibility. Rates for events go for $200/hr for a minumum of 2hours, and should the event require the coffee cart, transport charges of $80 is needed for them to transport the cart there.
The setup surrounding the coffee cart was made up of simple wood-grained tables and comfortable chairs in matching black. On every table and every inch of the wall, one can discover treasures reflecting the owners’ fun personalities and their love for coffee. And of course, as the owners enjoy cycling too, that is also reflected in their cafe as a quote on their mainstay poster. We believe that this is an ideal cafe we would recommend for cyclists to converse over good cuppa and delicious cakes, while waiting for their bicycles to be repaired in the same space(we heard from the owner too, that the bicycle shop sharing their shop space is their friend as well).
All in all, it’s a small, cosy and quiet cafe with the warmth from homemade baking (Valerie bakes her cakes in-house) permeating with the ever-lingering fragrance of coffee, where one (and a few friends you have the mind) could while away and people-watch at leisure on a lazy weekend afternoon.
Pricing
Hot and cold beverages fall between the $3 – $6 range, while sweetmeats are between a comfortable $3.50 – $7. Definitely friendly on the wallet and worth the buck on such awesome quality, The Coffee Cart is open for cake commissions as well! Not to mention, they are currently having equally as awesome promos too! $9.90 for a set comprising of either a pie or a cake with a cuppa, that and their exclusive Oct promo of a 10% discount off your total bill whenever you Instagram or Facebook tag them!
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The Coffee Cart
465 Crawford Lane
#01-08
Singapore 190465
Opening hours: 10am – 9pm
LeNu
by Kirstin Sow
Aptly translated as “Happy Cow”, LeNu is a specialty shop that offers Chinese cuisine, and is located in the bustling Bugis Junction as well as VivoCity. Offering affordable and authentic street dishes that is reminiscent of those sold in Taiwan, LeNu sells Taiwanese braised beef noodles and a plethora of other side dishes, which allows customers the option to choose from three varieties of noodles and soup bases to customise their meal to suit their preferences.
Here at LeNu, in order to allow diners to enjoy the best of what they have to offer, only the freshest beef marrow, bones and other types of high end ingredients, and more than 18 hours is taken to prepare the flavourful braised beef broth. No MSG is used in the preparation of the broth too. For those who do not eat beef, fret not, as LeNu also offers other non-beef alternatives such as deep fried chicken cutlet in a tomato noodle soup base.
FOOD:
Most people would be more familiar with spicy sambal kang kong but here, what is served instead is something lighter in taste but just as flavourful. Drizzled with oyster sauce and topped off with deep-fried garlic, the stir-fried kang kong was extremely fragrant and crunchy, retaining the sweet taste of the vegetables, and definitely whetting our appetite for what was to come.
Served up warm, the beancurds were firm on the outside and smooth on the inside. To be paired with LeNu’s special sauce, the sauce further heightened the flavours of the braised beancurd cubes as one could taste the sweetness of the soy beans used to made the beancurds.
Consisting of the beef tendon, shank and brisket, the Braised Beef Combination Noodles is served in two separate bowls- one with generous amounts of broad noodles, beef tendon and shank served in spicy broth, the other with beef brisket chunks in braised beef broth. The broad noodles and bean sprouts were plentiful, however the former was too lumpy and tough to eat. The various beef portions were huge but our favorite has got to be the beef brisket with the right balance of meat and fat, making it extremely juicy and tender. The braised beef broth was a favourite as well with a tinge of sweetness and herbal flavor to it.
Topped with thinly sliced Wagyu beef, and paired with the selection of thin noodles, braised beef broth and pickled vegetables, the Wagyu beef noodles were pleasantly springy and had a good bite to it, while the broth was flavorful with a hint of sourness. Appetising and not too heavy on the palate, the wagyu beef was also smooth, delicate and tender, and almost melts in the mouth when you take a bite out of it.
Sprinkled with generous amounts of bonito flakes, chopped green onions and drizzled with oyster sauce, the combination of the chilled silken tofu and century egg was a match made in heaven. Slightly cold and very smooth, the plain tofu’s flavor was enhanced by the strong taste of the century egg and oyster sauce when combined together. Should you be looking for a unique side dish to complete your meal with, this dish definitely is a must try!
For those looking for a slightly more refreshing taste, the chilled crunchy cucumber would be an excellent choice. Though simple as it sounds, the chilled crunchy cucumber is topped with chilli slices and garlic pieces with a really mild and briny flavour to it. The pieces aren’t limp or floppy either, and the flavours cleanses your tastebuds nicely from the scent of beef well too.
Hailing from Taiwan, the Apple Black Tea was a great beverage to accompany your dishes with or to end off the meal on. Refreshing and light, the hint of apple isn’t too strong such that it covers the scent of the tea, and the combination of mild sweetness and tartness therefore makes it a really good thirst quencher.
The interior of the restaurant exudes a modern yet traditional feel, with the front of the restaurant having a bar counter top that is bathed in the warm glow of lights and high metal chairs for customers to consume their meal while watching the chefs at work. Near the entrance lies a vintage bicycle and a simple shelving for you to select your side dishes and further inwards, there are metal stools and larger seating that has a lamppost reminiscent of the street lighting in Taiwan.
PRICE:
The menu layout is simple – customers are to fill up a form with their orders and go straight to the cashier for payment. Service staff have a friendly, pleasant disposition and are prompt when asked for recommendations. A couple of dishes worth noting here are the braised beef brisket noodles and the braised beef combination noodles [brisket, tendon and shank]. Prices range from $6.90 to $16.90 for the noodle options while side dishes cost $2.80 for the appetizers and $4.90 for the vegetables respectively.
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LeNu
VivoCity #02-91, 1 Harbourfront Walk
Singapore 098585
Opening Hours: Mon- Sun 11am – 10pm (Last order at 9.30pm)
Giveaway time!
We are giving away 5 x pastry sets that each consist of a pastry and a drink from The Coffee Cart!
To win:
1. Like our Facebook post here
2. Tell us: Which dessert enticed you the most from our review of The Coffee Cart?
