*note* 13.10.2013 Kooka Cafe has closed down already! 🙁
Cafe-hoppin’ has become one of my favourite things to do of late. With so many little cafes and joints popping up all over the island, there are always so many choices to explore! Had an afternoon date with the sissy Gina, and since both of us were around Bugis/Bras Basah area, I posted a shout-out for recommendations nearby on my IG, and ended up at Kooka Cafe, located along Purvis Street.
It only took me a short 5-6 minutes walk from Bras Basah Complex, and I found myself in front of a vintage green shophouse facade, which was utterly charming.
Sissy reached before I did and fortunately got us a table, the space does not house many tables, and was almost fully occupied at 1.30PM in the afternoon.
Kooka Cafe’s opening hours scrawled on a framed chalk board. Cute!
The interior of Kooka Cafe: A somewhat rustic, laid-back air with paintings by local artists up on the walls for sale, simple wooden furniture and little pieces of quirkiness here and there, like a barrel that served as a water/utensils stand (self-service), a Vespa motorcycle that held a basket of oranges, and a set of drawers displaying some odds and ends. Nothing very fanciful nor overly pretentious, which made me feel very at ease right away! 🙂
Tips jar and a line of cookies and biscuits.
Self-service station with iced water. Fuss-free is good!
Some of the tarts and cakes lurking within the refrigerated display!
This tart was lying on top of the display refridgerator. Looked so goooood. Almond tart?
Here’s the Vespa I was talking about. I wonder if the owner rides it to work @.@
I took a few sneak shots of some other customers at Kooka Cafe, there were pairs of friends engaged in intimate conversations, the solo coffee drinker who was plugged into a pair of headphones, and a pretty young mother who was playing with her adorable baby. Made such picturesque photos against the oil paintings that were mounted on the green walls!
Kooka Cafe’s menu is quite modest, and the prices are also more affordable than most. Which is really great! 🙂
Gina’s Iced Mocha. It was good! I took a sip and thought that the coffee was fragrant and chocolatey-ly yummy with chocolate sauce drizzled on the inside of the glass.
From what I read, Kooka Cafe serves organic fair trade coffee, which is coffee that is certified as having been produced and marketed to a stated set of standards. (From Wikipedia: Many customers pay a higher price when buying coffee with the certification logo or brand in the belief that, by doing so, they are helping farmers in the Third World. In particular, the fair trade coffee movement gives a reasonable price to the farmers who were being a low-wage labor exploitation.)
They serve Gryphon Teas, so I got my Earl Grey Lavender! The tea came with a lemon thin (also available for sale!) and the lemon thin was surprisingly tasty, with a zesty flavour and crisp-ness.
We spotted a Truffle Fries on the menu for only $8 (It was on the Day’s Specials, I think!) and of course had to order it! 🙂
They were crinkle-cut fries (not my preference) but were fresh out of the fryer and piping hot. The truffle smell/taste wasn’t very strong though, and the saltiness of the fries was more overwhelming than the truffle. Didn’t make it for a spot on my re-order list, unfortunately.
As for the minced beef lasagna, the flavour and taste was great! However, it was dry around the edges (probably because it was not freshly baked and had been re-heated before serving?) so I was a little disappointed 🙁
Requisitory pose with food picture lalala.
After we finished off the lasagna and fries, we moved on to something sweet! It was a tough choice between a few of the choice items like the Blueberry Cheesecake and Sticky Date Pudding.. Gina had cravings for Sticky Date Pudding so we got that instead! It’s very affordable too, $8 (I think?) only! One of the cheapest Sticky Date Puddings I’ve tried.
And if you’re wondering how this dish fared, we both loved it! The butterscotch sauce was so decadently rich, and the sticky date pudding was moist and delicious.
Gotta try this if you’re a fan of sticky date pudding!
Half-way through the dish. Yum yum!
Anyways, we got a change of table when one of the nicer tables got vacated hehe.
Here’s a nice shot of Gina! Not bad ah.
And pictures of me haha #poserbutIdon’tcare
We spent quite a few hours at the cafe, I had a productive afternoon editing photos for TheVelvetDolls while Gina revised her Korean homework hehe. Yayness to awesome work time!
Shots with Gina! True blue sisters, but we so totally don’t look alike. Weird genes.
I really like Kooka Cafe!
It’s a very convenient location for me (near where I teach my vocal classes) and I’d definitely want to go back on other days, and try the other food on the menu. I adore the simplicity and unassuming air to the cafe, and I’m sure I could spend many hours just sitting in there armed with a good book or my laptop to work on. Thanks to the great recommendation from the lovely people on my IG! 🙂
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Kooka Cafe
18 Purvis Street, Singapore
Mon-Wed: 10:00am – 7:00 pm
Thu: 10:00am – 9:00 pm
Fri – Sat: 10:00am -10:00 pm
https://www.facebook.com/kookacafe
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Outfit of the day!
Denim shirt as outerwear from Zara
Floral tube bustier from TheVelvetDolls
Random black bandage skirt
Sam Edelrman loafers from OnPedder
Vintage Chanel 2.55
Love the floral prints! This bustier top from TheVelvetDolls comes in a matching skirt print too! Hehe.
Spend the evening at the Bras Basah Bugis Arts Flea Market which I blogged about in the previous here! Super happy when I get to have such a fulfilling day out. And that’s not even the end of the day.. Had awesome dinner night and KTV after that too! Hahaha. SO FUN!
And randomly, loving how my skin has been looking of late! Been getting compliments on having a flawless complexion, even from a reader who spotted me on the streets. Well, it’s nothing magical, but I’ll be sharing more in the next entry in regards to the skin!
Be right back with more blog posts. #bloggingmojoohyeah!
Thank you for reading! 😀
xoxo