We visited Coffee Room, a vibrantly designed cafe in Serangoon with bakes & speciality coffee
Many cafes are looking quite similar these days — either elegant minimalism underscored by creams and whites, or a sleek mid-century chic affair with wooden tones in the starring role.
It’s rare to see a cafe in Singapore really break the mould, but the social media algorithm has recently blessed us with a new find: Coffee Room at Serangoon.
Operating out of Mber, a co-living serviced apartment, Coffee Room isn’t super accessible — it’s in a quiet area that’s a 10-minute walk from Serangoon MRT, or 15 from Kovan MRT.
But it might be worth the trek if you enjoy speciality coffee and unique aesthetics; it’s absolutely whimsical, with an abundance of maximalist design elements.
Coffee Room exemplifies a “trendy cafe with niche furniture”.
The cafe is outfitted with voguish furnishings, including contrasting coloured chairs paired with each table, endowing the space with pops of vibrance and pizzazz.
It’s not just chaos, though: Coffee Room ties these eclectic elements together with a glossy red floor, while most of the fixtures sport some shiny brass accents as a unifying motif.
There’s a lot of personality in this unorthodox setup, and it feels almost like a hipster spot you’d come across in chic cafe-littered cities such as Bangkok or Seoul.
Serangoon’s coolest cafe
Coffee Room’s initial allure is its decor, but the speciality coffee is a strong pull factor for return visits.
It has a pretty diverse menu, but our interest was piqued by the filter coffee (from S$9) section.
Boasting blueberry, strawberry, and yoghurt tasting notes, the Ethiopia Yirgacheffe sounded really intriguing, and the result was a delightful cuppa oozing bright, fruity acidity, with a hint of twang — but not quite yoghurt.
If you’re not quite into speciality coffee, Coffee Room also serves your usual black (S$5.50) and white (S$6).
Alongside the basics are house creations such as the Garden tonic (espresso tonic and homemade lemon sugar, S$8) and tiramisu (latte, honey salted cream, cocoa powder, boudoirs (ladyfinger biscuits), S$9)!
There’s also matcha (S$6.50) and a unique citrus tonic matcha (S$9).
We really enjoyed the latter — it leaned heavily on its refreshing citrus notes and effervescence, though, while the matcha took a more supporting role.
The cafe’s offerings go beyond just coffee and matcha, too. It also has an array of pastries for those who need some nibbles.
Our top pick was the banana bread (S$6). This bake can be seen almost everywhere these days, but Coffee Room’s rendition stands out as one of the better ones we’ve enjoyed in a while.
It’s not too sweet and has an elegant banana fragrance that’s not too overpowering, blending in nicely with a toasty note.
The banana bread is also heated up before service and arrives at the table with a nice mixture of dense and moist crumb, and a lightly crunchy exterior.
Otherwise, you can get Hyunwoo’s cheesecake (S$8) instead — a light and creamy Korean-inspired cheesecake.
Light, silky texture and a balanced flavour profile that’s mildly sweet, this is a good pairing for any beverage you’d get at Coffee Room.
Would we come back to this quiet part of Serangoon just for Coffee Room? You betcha. To us, the coffee is good, the pastries are solid, and the vibe is immaculate.
For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on Singapore’s best lor mee spots and the charming tale behind a 27 year-old Japanese Robertson Quay restaurant.
Tue 8am - 5pm
Wed 8am - 5pm
Thu 8am - 5pm
Fri 8am - 5pm
Sat 8am - 5pm
Sun 8am - 5pm
- Serangoon
- Kovan
Evan started off writing about food on Instagram, before joining outlets such as Buro and Confirm Good to pursue his passion. His best work usually comes after his first whisky shot in the morning.
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