Cafe Idaki: Holland Village’s newest teahouse-inspired cafe with solid bakes and an in-house roastery

In mid-July, Cafe Idaki opened shop along Lorong Liput in Holland Village, taking over the unit that housed Siam Mookata.

East Asian-inspired fixtures, stone walkways and high ceilings come together to create a cafe that feels spacious and relaxing. Tables are tucked into small nooks for a cosier dine-in experience.

Cafe Idaki is founded by an avid traveller and coffee enthusiast who has incorporated her Chinese roots and frequent travels to Japan into one zen, teahouse-inspired haven. (She declined to share her name or age.)

It’s also where the name comes from — Idaki is a shortened version of the Japanese word for “hug.”

Looking for somewhere to park yourself for a WFH day ahead? You’ll be glad to know that the cafe also has study rooms available! 

Fully decked out with power plugs and free Wi-Fi, the rooms are available on a minimum spend basis — smaller rooms require a drink and pastry purchase, while bigger meeting rooms require a minimum spend of S$50.

You might also notice the cute mascot peeking around the cafe. It’s inspired by the owner’s plush toy weasel, a companion she brings along on all her travels. 

The drink selection at Cafe Idaki

The cafe prides itself on roasting all its beans in-house, currently carrying only single-origin beans, such as the El Salvador Finca El Izotal from Latin America, and the Ethiopia West Arsi Dew from Africa. Beans are roasted up to twice a week with the cafe’s industrial-grade roaster.  

The menu boasts a healthy mix of caffeinated drinks alongside a non-coffee selection, plus a small selection of bakes if you’re feeling peckish.  

As first-timers to the cafe, we were recommended one of the filter coffees. We settled on the China Yun Nan osmanthus Breeze (S$10), which was served in a set-up reminiscent of traditional Chinese tea ceremonies.

The first thing you’ll notice is the aromatic osmanthus — its sweet, floral scent permeating the air. Served with a sweet fig on the side, the coffee itself is light and bright with peachy notes, and a rounded body.

If you’re more of a milk-coffee person, go for the Dirty (S$8) instead. Cafe Idaki’s Dirty is made with your espresso of choice — from its in-house roasted collection — and freeze-distilled milk. This is frozen milk that is distilled to remove the water content, creating a rich and creamy cuppa with a caffeinated punch. 

Non-coffee drinkers can choose from a decently sized selection of matcha, genmaicha (brown rice tea) and hojicha supplied by Niko Neko matcha, with non-dairy milk options available.

We went for the iced hojicha latte (S$8) — a nutty, roasted green tea blend poured over milk for a creamy, slightly toasted flavour profile. Compared to other hojicha lattes we’ve had, this one was carefully bittersweet — neither too much nor little.

A slice of the Daily Ground in Holland Village

For its bakes, Cafe Idaki is working with the team from the Daily Ground cafe — it’s not the full range of treats from the Bukit Timah cafe, but it’s still a pretty good selection of sweet and savoury bakes.

The spicy bacon loaf (S$6.50) emerged as a frontrunner, with a soft and fluffy interior topped with chunky bacon bits and a delectable spicy-sweet glaze. 

It carries a maple syrup-like sweetness, with a slight peppery aftertaste — even if you’re not a huge fan of spices, this is worth a try!

Daily Ground’s signature muah otah & cheese croissant (S$7.50) also makes an appearance here. 

The version here still boasts a delightful flaky exterior, albeit with a little less otah and a milder spice level than the one we tried at its home cafe.

With new cafes such as Cafe Idaki enlivening the neighbourhood, does this mark the start of something new for the Holland V neighbourhood? You’ll just have to head down to find out for yourself and grab a cuppa while you’re at it! 

For more ideas on what to eat, check out Mohamed Sultan’s new Mediterranean-Japanese spot, or this HDB bakehouse serving loaded bagels!