Newly opened One Man Coffee is pretty non descript and easy to walk past. They share the same space as Crust Pizza, and so operate only during the day time. It works, because their all-day brunch and coffee offerings are perfect for us ladies who brunch (with kids)!

The interior is simple, consisting of a few large wooden tables to sit at. There is also seating outside with gorgeous rattan swings, but it’s too hot a day and so we cower inside in the air conditioning.

Their menu is limited but still enticing. A selection of pastries and cakes is displayed in a cabinet against the wall, which are from Bakery Artisan Original Bakery (BAO).

We are totally blown away when our kids are served a complimentary babycino each. I’m shocked. Usually cafes will charge for this, and it makes me realise that I am already in love with One Man Coffee for being just so damn nice. 

Here they are, looking like a little hipster couple, enjoying their babycinos 😉

Their beans are from Melbourne’s Axil Coffee Roasters and I am happy to see my Flat White arrive in a large-ish cup. It’s flavourful with a subtle aftertaste, and I almost order another one because I enjoy it so much.

I think I’ll get the Grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough rye ($6) with ham ($2) and avocado ($2) for myself when I’m next here. It’s a very basic sandwich and technically do-able at home, but they somehow just nail it. I had a small bite and loved it!

Special shout out to their avocado. We noticed that every single person that ordered it had perfect looking avocado on their plates.

I found the Gashouse egg ($10) a little less exciting. The bread was a little too dry (it really needed some sort of hollandaise or creamy sauce to break through the dryness), though the baked egg in the middle was done well. The bacon jam served on the side was delicious!

 
 
Last Bite: One Man Coffee no frills vibe and excellent coffee make it a great hang out for brunch. Kids get a complimentary babycino, which is absolutely tops in our book!
 
Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: Yes
Change tables: No
Kids’ menu: No

One Man Coffee
215R Upper Thomson Road
Singapore 574349
Phone: 6456 1555
Prices: $$
Hours:
Mon: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wed – Sun: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
 
 

We’ve been in Singapore for over two years, and only just discovered the Singapore Polo Club. And…. it is an absolute HIT with the kids! Seriously, it is more of an entertainment-playground that it is a cafe.

The Singapore Polo Club is open to the public on Mon-Fri. But, on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5PM onward, there is something special for the little ones – POLO MATCH! With horses! (obviously)

So here’s what we do.

We rock up at 5PM and the kids get more and more excited as we turn into the parking lot, because they know what’s coming (we’ve been here a few times already). They immediately run into The Verandah, the el fresco cafe that overlooks a huge race track and makes it feel like you’re in the of nowhere – it is so tranquil and chill. It’s very casual so we can rock up in our sleeveless tops, shorts and flip flops, and feel right at ease.

The kids spend most of the time hanging on the balcony railing, all wide-eyed, fascinated with the horses trotting right past their noses. And yes, there’s a polo match that starts at 5PM which is great fun for the kids to watch. Only problem is that Hunter always pines for and asks to sit on a horse the whole time.

But, beyond the horse-y parts, there is also a swimming pool. Complete with a big tank of free-flow iced water by the side. Wonderful for a splish-splash in the afternoon before you sit down for an early dinner.

But wait, there’s more! There’s even a shaded playground that is neat and clean, and offers a great way to get rid of excess energy (parents, you’ll know by now kids need to do this, so they’ll be able to sit still for their meal afterwards).

The Singapore Polo Club also has a spacious bathroom (that is, oddly, well air-conditioned) with shower facilities as well as a changing table. Very handy if you have kids in diapers with you.

The food is reasonably priced (most dishes range from $10-$15 for the public, members are a dollar or two cheaper), and quite tasty. Both kids always eat very well when we’re there – partly due to the fact that they spend most of the time distracted, gawking at the horses!

The Chicken Satay is always a winner, as the kids love holding the sticks and nibbling on the meat. The satay sauce is not too spicy, so Carter actually eats it (not Hunter, he’s morbidly afraid of spicy food).

I personally love their KL Hokkien Noodles, which come in a large serving and is studded with lots of seafood. It’s lovely comfort food, very tasty, and easy for me to eat with one hand if I’m dealing with a kid with the other. I want to note, however, that one of the times I ordered it, it was a little too salty for our liking.

We always order this Horfun (with seafood or beef) with gravy for both kids. They pretty much polish this off between the two of them. The noodles are silky and slippery, and beautifully charred. The gravy is rich and thick with egg, and is very tasty without being overly salty. I also like to snip up the green veg and mix it in for them.

The only dish I didn’t like was the Fish and Chips. I’ve only ordered it once, so perhaps I just lucked out and it’s better other times. At first I was really impressed that it came in a HUGE serving size – two fat chunks of fish on a big bed of fries. The fish was moist and well-done, however, the batter was just so oily! Let’s be clear here – I love deep fried food and eat it all the time. But even for me, this was a doozy. It just oozed oil and I had to cut off the batter and dig out the fish. It was a shame as I’d ordered this, thinking the kids could have some too, but I didn’t dare let them near so much oil.

Last Bite: Bring your kids to the Singapore Polo Club to watch a polo match and check out the horses over a casual el fresco dinner. One of the best ways to spend a late afternoon and evening with the kids! Go on Tuesdays or Thursdays at 5PM onwards to watch the polo match.

Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: Yes
Change tables: No
Kids’ menu: No

The Verandah @ Singapore Polo Club
80 Mount Pleasant Road
Singapore 298334
Phone: 6854 3999
Prices: $$
Hours: Tue – Sun: 7:00 am – 11:00 pm

They say good service goes a long way in the F&B industry. I absolutely, wholeheartedly, agree. A little place that absolutely blew me away is Habitat Coffee. It’s been around for a little over a year, but is far from where we live, so I never got round to checking it out til last week. I’m really glad I did.

Habitat Coffee is located right near my favourite chicken rice joint Nam Kee. It’s a cosy little cafe that has a comfy couch in a little nook – this section is excellent for kids by the way, so grab it if you have a kid(s) in tow! They can wander around the little area and sit back on the couch, so they don’t feel as constrained as they would in a high chair. Plus, they have direct view of the coffee-making and people-watching, which might keep them quiet for awhile 😉

I enjoyed the food too. It was very reasonably priced, and arrived swiftly. The Shepherd’s Pie arrived piping hot in a ramekin, and looked small but was actually pretty filling. I enjoyed the buttery and fluffy potato mash, though the filling is a tad salty. I also liked the bruchetta served on the side, with juicy diced tomatoes.

The Shrooms dish (poached eggs and sauteed mushrooms on English muffin, topped with hollandaise sauce) was superb. The eggs were perfectly poached with creamy molten yolks, and the grilled mushrooms make an excellent accompaniment. I actually think I prefer this grilled mushrooms version to the traditional smoked salmon one! On thing is that between the juicy mushrooms, sauce and egg.. you can’t leave this dish standing there for long, or the muffin underneath will get soggy. Something to note if you have kids that need feeding first or require your attention so you eat slowly.

Their Cheesynara was lusciously covered in a cream sauce and dotted with lots of sliced chicken cheese sausage and bacon. And this is incredible to say, but I wish they had given more pasta because there was so much ingredients! It was delish.

Their Latte is smooth, rich and delicious. I loved it! What else can I say?

I was most impressed with their Plain waffles. At a ridiculous price of $4.50, it was 4 quarters served with a pot of chocolate and a pot of syrup. Man, these Belgium waffles were good! Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Perfect. I would absolutely go back and order this again.

Upon recommendation, I also had their Warm brownie with salted caramel ice cream. The brownie was done very well – moist and chocolately. I actually don’t remember the ice cream being stand out, but I liked that they were generous with their scoop.

Not satisfied, I ordered yet another dessert – this time for takeaway. It was a GIGANTIC slice of Red velvet cake. It doesn’t look bit in the photo, but trust me, this cake is huge. One of the nicest red velvet cakes I’ve had.. this one was spongey and moist, and absolutely delicious. Only downside is that they put some cherries in there, and I can’t stand fruit in my dessert, but that’s just me!

There’s also a different rendition of red velvet cake, which they call Baileys black velvet. OH MY GOODNESS YOU MUST ORDER THIS.

The Bailey’s gives a punch to the chocolate cake, and the icing is brilliant. It’s moist and full of flavour, and Hunter absolutely loved it (here’s hoping there wasn’t TOO much alcohol in it, hah!).

Oh yeah, and about the service. They folk working there are simply lovely! They were very good with Hunter when he was wandering around exploring their cafe.. taking the time to talk to him and amuse him. Kind behaviour and willingness to amuse kids goes a L-O-N-G way in my book. They didn’t mind us parking ourselves on the couch, and the kids scrambling around on it. They were patient when cleaning up our table, and very sweet to the kids. That, in my book, is reason enough to go back. And happily, they’re near where our church is, so we can go there for lunch!

 
 
Last Bite: Habitat Coffee boasts excellent food and coffee, with friendly staff. It’s a lovely place to chill out with the kids over brunch.
 
Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: Yes, though with two or three steps to get in
Change tables: No
Kids’ menu: No

Habitat Coffee
223 Upper Thomson Road
Singapore 574355
Phone: 6456 2567
Prices: $$
Hours: Tue – Fri: 11:00 am – 10:30 pm, Sat – Sun: 10:30 am – 10:30 pm
 
This food review was first published at Beverly’s Adventures!