The Confused Drink at The Bravery Cafe

The lions' first visit to The Bravery Cafe resulted in a somewhat hilarious and rather embarrassing incident. This happened during the first few weeks of the cafe's launch. Seeing that there were no visible doors, just a panel of windows at the front, they pushed past a brown door beside the mysterious joint (no signboard) which brought them all the way to the loading bay at the back. They soon spilled into the quiet joint via a back door to the amusement of a guy at the counter who proceeded to indicate with his finger that the door was right at the front!

Feeling rather silly the first time round (they did not try the coffee and food then), they were nudged back to the cafe again by Mr and Mrs Monster Cat who were adamant that the lions try the really good coffee there. Thank heavens for persistent friends!

The Bravery Cafe by the good ole folks behind The Plain.

A shabby chic vibe with unfinished raw edges.

New Comfy Chairs just imported in. Some patrons must have complained
about the previous crate chairs.

Smurfy giving it his firm butt stamp of approval.

Cuchi was ecstatically pleased with the Lavender Latte.
She loves anything and everything with the soothing
scent of the violet flower. Mrs Monster Cat christened it
a "confused" drink. It doesn't know if it wants to wake up
or fall asleep, she quipped.

Mr Monster Cat's cappuccino sat well with his fussy
palate. Kudos to the barista
for serving up such great reliable coffee!

Eggs and Toast with a side of chicken sausage.
The poached eggs had delightfully runny centres.
This dish could do better with a side of greens though.

The Brave Begedil. The lions would order this dish again
as they loved the corned beef hash below but pity
the rather dry turkey bacon. At $17, it was also pretty
pricey for the given portion.

The Jalan Besar district has indeed joined the Everton Park neighbourhood as THE place for cafe-hopping in Singapore these days with its mushrooming offbeat joints that offer great brunch options.

Here is our review for The Bravery Cafe:

Coffee Quality: 8.5 pawprints out of 10

Food Quality: 7.0 pawprints out of 10

Ambience: 6.5 pawprints out of 10

The Bravery Cafe
66 Horne Road
Singapore 209073

Literary Inspiration at The Little Prince Cafe

Hailed as the best book of the 20th century in France and also one of the most read and most translated novellas in the French language, The Little Prince is also one of the lions' favourite reads of all time. In fact, this little blog was partly inspired by this classic tale, with the lovely watercolour illustration of the whole lion tribe drawn by a talented friend. Just as the titular character loves his little planet, the lions leave their pawprints on this tiny island as they explore hidden nooks that conceal the best places to relax over a good cuppa and great bites.

So imagine their delight when they stumbled upon The Little Prince Cafe along Somme Road. This was somewhat tempered, at the same time, by the discovery that the unassuming Broers Cafe (usually doling out consistently good coffee) has ceased to exist along that quiet stretch of road.

The lions with their keen noses buried in their beloved books at home. 
They learn aphorisms such as "One sees clearly with the heart.
Anything essential is invisible to the eyes".

Revel in the deceptively simple wisdom and words of
Antoine de Saint-Exupery as you pore over different editions of the
classic tale in different languages (courtesy of the cafe).
The cafe is of such miniscule proportions that you start to wonder if
its size was inspired by the book as well. It's a tight squeeze with four tables
inside. Choose to sit by the breezy walkway if you want.

Doodles adorn the walls of the cafe.

Doodles crawl up the cooler too!

Smurfy Junior showing off products inspired by the book
that were on display. Not for sale though!

They spied a familiar character in the book. Is it a hat?

No silly, it's the boa constrictor digesting an elephant. Whew, elly manages
to escape here.

Cute Cute points to the exact page featuring the reptile
and the unfortunate mammal. The unfettered and creative
possibilities that a child imbues his drawings with are deemed
  of little value by insipid adults.

Rose Latte (with caffeine). Choose the non-caffeinated
version for a drink in cheery pink. This cuppa tastes
like a mixture of the local Bandung drink and coffee.
Serious coffee drinkers need not be scandalised;
choose from the usual, less adventurous list of latte,
cappuccino, flat white, long black, etc.

The normal latte is robust and full-bodied, making this
joint a mecca for indulging in that good cup of java as well.

Chicken Yakitori Sticks. Hmm skip this and pick the ....

Ham and Cheese Toastie instead.

Or you might want to catch the main star coming fresh
off the oven. Umami Scones with crunchy seaweed bits!
Yummy to the max!

Try other items from the illustrated menu board above the counter.

You are never alone with a good book in hand!

The lion agrees.

Here is our review for The Little Prince Cafe:

Coffee Quality: 8.0 pawprints out of 10

Food Quality: 7.0 pawprints out of 10

Ambience: 6.5 pawprints out of 10

The Little Prince Cafe
62 Somme Road
Singapore 207877

The Tiramisu Hero - Meow!

A day's holiday was spent with lovely friends over tea and cakes. The lions decided to head to the Jalan Besar district for their caffeine fix and to pay a feline personality (who has become a celebrity of sorts) a visit at his newly-minted joint named after... ...hmmm his humble self. The inimitable masked cat, Mr San Antonio, has finally opened a full-fledged cafe showcasing his nutty obsession with the Italian sweet treat.

People, people everywhere... it was a bustling day at this cafe but it was not
the exception. The day's holiday saw rest-deprived souls swarming most of
the island's cafes for a relaxing cuppa. It did not help that some joints chose
to take the day off as well. 

Kitty loves grass - a perfect way to greet amused patrons.

Patiently waiting for a seat at the entrance?

Kitty loves random knick knacks.

Kitty loves himself as well. Hand-drawn caricatures of the masked feline
fill the walls. Grab a chance to be the mysterious cat as well - but
do not hoard the mega-ass head for those kodak moments.

Mission Accomplished.

Grab a menu from the easel.

Love the whimsical ladders to nowhere dressed in fairy lights.

Thank goodness the lions' friends were there early to reserve
a bench for eight. Mr Business Times took the liberty of ordering
for everyone and the lions took the liberty of filling their stomachs
with the gorgeous sweets. Happy spoons were digging messily
into the saccharine sweet treats. Ironically, this molten lava
baby was unanimously deemed to be the best on the table.
How did the rest of the actual tiramisu treats score?

Tiramisu in a Jar: The way the textures were layered was
interesting, pity the lack of alcohol.

Tiramisu Holicks Cake: Light, delightfully creamy with
a hint of sweet malty goodness. Fared better than the
Milo version below.

Mr Causeway deemed these treats child's play as he prefers
his Italian treats drenched in stronger spirits.

Coffee quality was a little inconsistent that day. Coffee
was too acidic for consumption lamented the lions and
Mr Business Times while Mr London was perfectly
satisfied with his cup of latte.

With quite a few food items on the menu, you might want
to brunch here as well. The more substantial items are
dished out through this wooden window from the kitchen.
Then again, you might want to ring for a Loo Roll here lol.

Here is our review for The Tiramisu Hero:

Coffee Quality: 6.5 pawprints out of 10

Dessert Quality: 7.0 pawprints out of 10

Ambience: 7.5 pawprints out of 10

The Tiramisu Hero
121 Tyrwhitt Road
Singapore 207548

Compl(e)ments of: A Pop-Up Cafe

Temporium is a too-cool-for-words pop-up store, cafe and gallery featuring pieces from local designers and brands like Books Actually and Stolen, that sits in defiant contrast to the beautiful mess of Little India outside. Its less than desirable postal code seems to add to the hipster quotient here. Visit before everything disappears in March next year. The pop-up cafe portion of the two-storey space is a collaboration between "3 Singaporean craftsmen who complement each other" (the "e" in compl(e)ments also written to resemble an "i"). Expect coffee from Papa Palheta and mains from Wild Rocket served on elegant ceramics by Weekend Worker.

Step inside and take in the serene Muji-like minimalism
and interior that can be described as industrial chic with
its raw finishes.

A pared-down menu with only one main dish available to fill
hungry tum-tums. The main of the month is Chili Soft Shell Crab Burger
served with squid ink buns. Dessert option is also highly limited with a
very lonely Sugee Cake with Coconut ice-cream.

Coffee is served with a glass of water and two dainty cookies.
Can find no fault with the almost flawless presentation.

Long Black and Latte hit the right notes.
Coffee seems to taste much better in these
lovely ceramics lol.

Thank you for letting us sample the pungent
hebi hiam cookies on sale by Wild Rocket.
Highly Addictive with the cheese bits.

What? Only these?
Pity the limited variety of pastries, cakes and desserts.

The vibe and feel of this place reminds the lions of The Monocle Cafe in London.

Temporium/
Compl(e)ments of
72-74 Dunlop Street
Singapore 209400

Opening Hours:
7 Sept 2013 - 8 Mar 2014
Store / Gallery
Tue to Sun 10am - 8pm
Closed every Monday
Diner
Tue to Sun 9am - 10pm
Closed every Monday