Review: Cafe Gyoen finds a new home at Club Street, serving extra-rich matcha and hearty plates

In recent years, matcha has cemented its place in Singapore’s cafe culture, and with that, a bevy of matcha-centric cafes, each with their own ardent following, have ensued. 

While there are many places which claim to specialise in serving top-tier matcha drinks in its line-up, few take it as seriously as Cafe Gyoen.

Formerly nestled in Serangoon Gardens, the cafe recently relocated to Club Street, bringing with it its reputation for premium-grade Japanese tea powders and a menu that goes beyond your typical latte-and-cake combos.

Whether you’re a casual sipper or an all-in matcha obsessive, there’s bound to be a drink on Cafe Gyoen’s menu that caters to your matcha preference.

The backstory

Cafe Gyoen first opened in Serangoon Gardens in March last year, priding itself on serving higher-grade hojicha and matcha powders — both from Shizuoka, Japan — and first-flush tea leaves.

For the uninitiated, the first-flush tea leaves are from the initial tea harvest of the year, typically in the spring, when the leaves are the youngest and most tender. The result is usually a tea with delicate flavours, a lighter colour, and a more fragrant aroma.

So, why the new locale? Rental increases have become the norm here in Singapore and the move to Club Street was prompted by this very reason.

Even with its move, and a year on, it continues to hold the same high standards when serving up quality matcha. 

The matcha enthusiasts have also clarified on their socials that the term “ceremonial grade” isn’t something they abide by. Instead, they procure matcha powders based on exceptional taste and quality rather than relying on mere labelling.

One of the best ways to figure out what tickles your fancy is to try its variety of powders by ordering its matcha flight (S$21), where you can savour three regions’ flavours at one go. Do note that it’s only available on weekdays, however.

Apart from the numerous matcha beverage options that have made it famous, it also serves comforting cafe bites beyond the usual pastry and cake selection. Think Japanese teishoku (set meal), sandos, and noodles.

Our verdict

There are many reviews and reels talking about its long queues, and as expected, we encountered a queue at Cafe Gyoen, even though we had visited outside of the typical lunch hour on a Saturday afternoon, around 2.30pm. 

Still, it moved along quickly, and surprisingly, we managed to snag a seat after a 15-minute wait.

But hype and quality matcha aside, what really makes this cafe worth a trip is its comprehensive teishoku plates, which are filling enough for one person but can easily be shared with another — especially if you’re planning on ordering more.

And it almost goes without saying that its matcha drinks are absolutely delicious. 

There’s even an extra rich option, which uses a double dose of matcha, if you love a thicker consistency and stronger flavour.

For non-matcha-loving dining companions, there are other drink options here — coffees and non-coffee beverages — but is a visit here truly complete without having a matcha drink? 

If you’re deep into the matcha hype right now, Cafe Gyoen is worth getting caffeinated for.

What it’s good for

As far as matcha drinks here go, you can opt for a customised drink or head straight for its curated matcha drinks.

The former entails a process where diners can choose the intensity of their drink (latte, extra rich, or straight), their preferred region (from which the matcha powders come from), and the option to switch to oat milk, add ice, add a milk cloud, or add vanilla or hazelnut syrup.

We started strong with an extra rich matcha (S$9) and the raspberry matcha latte (S$8.50). 

We understand the extra rich option was a recent addition to the menu, as Cafe Gyoen had received feedback that the existing matcha-to-milk ratio didn’t provide enough oomph.

Think of it as a double espresso version of matcha, it’s precisely what you’d need if you’re in desperate need of a potent caffeinated drink. 

We enjoyed an iced rendition with oat milk and couldn’t think of a better way to cool off and refuel our energy on a warm, balmy Saturday afternoon.

As for the raspberry matcha latte, we didn’t see it coming, but we actually enjoyed it more than the currently trendy strawberry matcha latte. Cafe Gyoen’s version has more sweet-sour notes, which add more depth to the matcha’s bitter nuances.

Onto its food, it was tough to choose just a handful of savoury plates to try, but we figured that we couldn’t go wrong with the wagyu tataki beef (S$29) teishoku. It’s built similarly to a bento set, with a main protein complemented with small portions of carbs and pickles.

We received a truly wholesome serving, complete with tater tots, plain onigiri, miso soup, bits of scallop, and even some tamagoyaki (Japanese egg roll). 

The wagyu slices, which came drizzled with wafu sauce (typically made with Japanese soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, and vegetable oil), were exceptionally tender. 

Its accompanying scallop and tamagoyaki added a subtly sweet element to the plate, while the miso soup pulled the dish together, making it a homely affair. We also had quite a bit of fun taking small bites from the plate while enjoying our other dishes at the same time — something we observed other tables doing as well.

These other dishes we tried included the spicy rose ebi udon (S$23.90) and the egg mayo softshell crab sando (S$21.90).

The udon dish is a straightforward recipe of spicy tomato base, garlic prawns, charred asparagus, sanuki udon, and aged dashi, but it’s anything but plain.

The rose sauce brought plenty of heat to the table — enough for us to need pauses with sips of matcha to cool down. Even with all that spiciness going on, it was rich, savoury, and a great dish that works well for sharing.

As for the prawns, they were plump and seared perfectly — complete with a telling crunch that Cafe Gyoen used impeccably fresh prawns.

Speaking of sharing, the egg mayo soft shell crab sando is another great option. Made with buttery focaccia (instead of the usual Japanese milk bread) base, the sando is filled with an egg mayo filling that is mixed with shredded cabbage, and is addictively creamy.

There is a good amount of soft shell crab within to add some crunch, but don’t wait too long to take a bite, as the soft shell crab can lose its crispiness quickly. We learnt it the hard way when we spent too long on photos before digging into this dish. 

What it could improve on

Out of the six desserts at Cafe Gyeon, two are cakes, with the rest being affogato-style desserts, a jelly latte, and a gelato.

As it was our first visit, we knew we had to try the classic matcha burnt cheesecake (S$8). With Cafe Gyoen’s reputation as a matcha speciality cafe, we had prior expectations of a rich but balanced version.

However, while this one’s moist and creamy, with a texture that’s on point, we can’t say the same for the taste. 

The matcha flavour felt more like an afterthought, with it tasting more savoury from the cheese, than of matcha bitterness.

When queried, the crew shared that they bake their cakes in-house, and surmised that we might have a stronger preference for a more matcha-forward cake since most of their diners had actually given their cheesecake plenty of praise. 

We guess taste is truly a matter of preference here. Given a choice, we’d probably opt for another dessert had we known it would be less matcha-heavy, or skip it altogether. 

Our quick takes

Is it conducive to conversation? Yes. The cafe might get crowded on weekends, but it doesn’t get too noisy that you can’t hold intimate conversations here.

Is a reservation necessary? The cafe doesn’t take reservations. However, dropping by on a weekday afternoon would be a better option if you want to avoid the crowd (and a possible queue!).

How to get there? Cafe Gyoen is a 7-minute walk from Telok Ayer MRT station Exit, and a 4-minute walk from Maxwell MRT station Exit 1.

HungryGoWhere paid for its meal at this restaurant for this review.

For the latest eats, read our story on Puffy Bois’ new location at Duxton Road. Alternatively, check out our Jewel Changi food guide.

Do explore the GrabFood Dine Out service for awesome deals.

You can also book a ride to Cafe Gyoen at Club Street.