Japanese Cemetery Park and The Coffee Daily

I haven't posted in so long and I do admit this is due to the severe lack of discipline. But here I am with a couple of updates. So today we went down to explore the Upper Serangoon area. The first destination that we headed to was the Japanese Cemetery Park. Little known to many Singaporeans, it is the largest Japanese cemetery in Southeast Asia which contains up to 910 tombs of young Japanese female prostitutes, soldiers, civilians as well as convicted war prisoners. Despite its history, it is actually a very peaceful and scenic walk through the park. It is approximately 1.4km walk from Kovan MRT through a private housing area.

Address: 825B Chuan Hoe Ave, 549853 
(Note: there is only one entrance as indicated by Google Map, so do not attempt to go in through other parts of the park)

Although you really can't do much within the cemetery (well technically it's a very pleasant place to relax and meditate if you are comfortable enough with it), i guess it's really quite cool and interesting to see. The whole place is very well-maintained and strolling through it was a rather pleasant experience. 

After the visit to the park we visited The Coffee Daily, which was a 800m walk away. The cafe is located at 75 Brighton Crescent.

It was a really nice cafe with somewhere for everyone to just sit and chill to enjoy a conversation, a book or just a cuppa coffee.

We got a cup of Mocha for $6 and it was oh-kay. If you're a fan of coffee, I would suggest Lola's or Forty Hands which serves coffee which are wayyy better. We also ordered a cup of Iced Mocha at $6.50 and our advice is: don't. It was bland, lack of flavor... bad. We also got a slice of the Berry Yoghurt Tart ($6.50) which had a nice crust but there wasn't anything wow about it. In all, it's a nice place for a chill but if you want better coffee and dessert, it's better to head somewhere else :)

Dong Po Colonial Cafe @ Kandahar Street

Dong Po Colonial Cafe

56 Kandahar Street 

Singapore 198904

(nearest MRT: Bugis)

opening hours: 

10am to 10pm daily

It was fortunate for us to chance upon this cozy little place while making our way towards vintage delicafe (which turned out to be closed, so I'll write about it when I get to eat there in future!). The black signboard that said: freshly baked SCONES drew me into the shop because i ABSOLUTELY love scones. And I definitely didn't regret the visit at all. 

They served lots of pasteries from cupcakes (with cream and deco on it for less than $2), cornish chicken pie, biscuits, tarts, LOTS OF COOL STUFF. And i forgot a shot of it:( will do it the very next time I get there!!

The best part of this cafe was the elegance, comfort and good food comes at an unreasonably cheap price! I got a scone set and an almond macaroon for $5. WHERE ELSE CAN YOU FIND A DEAL LIKE THAT IN SUCH AN ENVIRONMENT?! This cafe has officially become my favourite.

The interior of the shop was nicely renovated and beneath the tabletops were items from Singapore during the colonial times. The area was spacious and cooling, perfect for an afternoon tea if your legs get too tired from shopping at Haji Lane or sightseeing along Arab Street!

Almond macaroon: The top is crisp, the inside bottom crust tastes like a perfect egg-tart crust but with  a chewy, sugary, cotton-candy-like-tasting inside. In other words, if you have a sweet tooth, it is PERFECT. 

The scone (with fresh cream and homemade jam -strawberry, marmalade or lemon) came with teh/kopi at a very affordable $3.30. The scone was crusty on the outside and soft on the inside with a heavenly buttery taste. The only downside was that I think they microwaved the scone to heat it up so as it cooled down the texture of the scone because slightly chewy. Nonetheless, it was really really REALLY good. The teh was also really fragrant and not too sweet, balancing off the scone really well. 

So these, plus a teh, for only $5!!! 

//edit: I went back to check more pastries out :)

The one in the middle: three-hole cookie: $1.70
The one on the right: almond finger: $1.70

The Three-hole cookie lies on the buttery side. If you leave it overnight on a piece of kitchen towel, a lot of the oil will be absorbed. Having said that, the taste of the cookie is not compromised by having it left overnight on the kitchen towel. The jam-filled center are slightly tangy, off-setting the buttery taste and making it light for the palate. I love it for breakfast when I am rushing for work.

The almond finger lies on the sweet side, with its crisp meringue-like topping on a butter finger. With the recommendation of the owner, I paired the almond finger with kopi-o, which was thick, aromatic and not too sweet (the way I like it). This combination makes a perfect tea-time snack before getting back to the office. 

Kooka Cafe

Kooka Cafe

18 Purvis Street

Tel: 64670288

Tues-Thurs: 1030 - 1900

Fri - Sat: 1030 - 2200

Sun: 1030 - 1800

Kooka cafe sits Purvis Street, along the same side as Savour (a French dining place which I promise I'll try and write about!). The interior of the cafe is perfect for a chill with a pot of tea or coffee, especially on a lazy afternoon. 

They serve specialty menus everyday, so you would have to drop by to see what they are serving for the day! The last time I visited, they had omelettes on their menu and I went for the goat's cheese and mushrooms one. The omelette was perfectly cooked, with a little juiciness left on the inside, together with fresh mushrooms, tomato, parmesan and goat's cheese. It was supposed to include bacon but I'm not a fan so I asked for a vegetarian version of it! I can't exactly remember how much this cost but it should be approximately $7. 

So I visited the place at lunchtime yesterday. It was slightly crowded because of the lunchtime crowd around town. For a cafe as such, we were pleasantly surprised to find that they were serving set lunch meals for an affordable $9.90++.

The set includes:
A drink (tea/coffee/coke/sprite/iced lemone tea),
Soup of the day (which was carrot & onion broth for yesterday),

A Main (pasta/ sandwich)

My friend and I decided to jump at it! And we ordered: 

Focaccia with Vegetables and Goat's Cheese. The Foccacia was nicely toasted to be a little crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, thought it was a tad too sweet for my liking. There was grilled zuccini, eggplants, pepper within with melted goat's cheese, making it a light and flavourful sandwich at the same time. I loved it! If you're not a fan of the strong, milky taste carried with goat's cheese, perhaps you could request for an omission of the cheese/ask for an alternative. 

My friend went for the ham and cheese sandwich.  The sandwiches came with salad tossed in balsamic vinegar and fries, both of which were made to an excellent taste and texture. The iced lemon tea served was also homemade, which rich black tea and leaned towards the  sour side. 

After lunch we decided on a pot of tea: Pearl of the orient. It was jasmine tea with rose oil. If you're a fan of floral tea, this would be perfect for you. I loved the fragrant brew! And the cookie: don't look down on it. We were served with something like orange-peel cookies and it was crispy, light and fragrant. They do sell their cookies in jars at the cafe itself, making perfect gifts for others and they are home-made by the owners of the cafe!

My verdict: I'm definitely going back to check out what they have for the day, and for a chill with a pot of fragrantly brewed tea!