Coffeehouse by Kobashi: Famous sourdough bakery opens its first dine-in cafe at Clarke Quay

Paging all cafe-hoppers in Singapore — there’s a new gem that has just joined the fray of cafes along South Bridge Road and it’s a highly-anticipated one, to boot!

It’s Coffeehouse by Kobashi, the brainchild of the folks at Kobashi Bakery. 

Opened on Aug 10, this is the popular sourdough bakery’s first dine-in outlet. Besides its signature sourdough donuts (called here “sourdo’nuts”), it serves as a pitstop for those craving a hearty pick-me-up, brunch mains or artisanal bakes.

Previously, Kobashi Bakery — helmed by co-founders Adam Sin and Kenji Teo — operated as an online home-based business, right out of a condominium near Yio Chu Kang. 

Only sourdough bakes and fluffy sourdo’nuts — their creative take on bomboloni, also known as Italian donuts — were on Kobashi’s menu and were for pre-orders only. 

Now, the brand has finally moved to a physical location that it can call home. 

Diners can savour its freshly-made goods on the spot here, sans the hassle of pre-purchasing them online and arranging for delivery.

The team wanted to build a comforting space where cafe-goers and sourdough lovers alike could bond over tantalising food — beyond just bakes — and chat over coffee.

Thus, Coffeehouse by Kobashi, a full-fledged cafe with an extensive all-day menu, was born. There are toasts, pasta and light bites, depending on your preference. 

The crew takes great pride in their dishes, staying true to their ethos of whipping up creations that evoke the five senses — smell, taste and so on — so one can expect the food here to be of quality. 

We also understand that Coffeehouse by Kobashi also has a central kitchen at the back of the cafe, where the team crafts their bakes from scratch daily. 

They hope to expand the brand in the near future, with plans to open more cafe outlets and set up another central kitchen (so they have more room to work their sourdough magic!).

Coffeehouse by Kobashi’s menu

We’ve seen videos of Coffeehouse by Kobashi’s gorgeous pasta plates making its rounds on social media, so we knew we had to order it when we were here.

Among the list, we chose the seafood aglio olio (S$25) — though we were almost tempted by the chilled truffle capellini (S$28), which is another best-seller at the cafe. 

Here, chunks of squid and tiger prawns sit atop a mound of al dente linguine. The dish also originally comes peppered with chilli padi, but as we can’t tolerate spice well, we opted to have it without chilli. 

But even without the extra heat, the seafood aglio olio still holds its own with its robust flavour and aromatic fragrance and we appreciated the balanced ratio of fresh seafood to pasta.

When we were at the cafe, we noticed that many tables around us had also ordered the sunny avo toast (S$15), so we were raring to give it a try as well. 

From the moment the dish arrived at our table, we were immediately drawn to the gooey sunny-side-up egg that’s glazed with chilli crisp oil, atop a bed of crispy sourdough toast. 

Adding extra creaminess to the umami-laden dish are slices of avocado, which we enjoyed with the light and fluffy sourdough bread. 

The sunny avo toast is served with salad, though if you prefer, you can have it with tater tots or fries with a top-up of S$2.

When you’re at Coffeehouse by Kobashi, you can’t sleep on its famous, signature sourdo’nuts. 

If you’re a fan of its bakes, you may already be familiar with its classic flavours, which run the gamut of flavours, including fruity and chocolate treats. 

But if you’ve already tried its usual slate of wares, Kobashi Bakery has also come up with new creations, such as the ube white chocolate coconut (S$5.50), earl grey bergamot dark chocolate (S$6.50) and brown butter vanilla craquelin (S$6.50). 

We hear that these new flavours will rotate on a seasonal basis, with more in the pipeline!

For drinks, we strongly recommend the matcha strawberry (S$8.50), a milky blend of matcha and strawberry bits. 

It’s not too sweet and features just the right amount of fragrant matcha notes to balance out the sweetness of the fruit.

Overall, it’s a refreshing tea-based beverage that picks you up upon the first sip — it’s what we’d go for if we’re not feeling up for coffee.

If you’re someone who enjoys decadent coffee beverages, perhaps you’d like the whipped milo latte (S$7.50). 

It’s a unique local spin on the classic mocha drink at coffee spots, replacing the usual chocolate syrup with our favourite malt powder.

For the latest eats, read about new D.I.Y. instant noodle cafe Midnight Noodle Club and hidden coffee gem Hideout Coffee Bar. Alternatively, check out the newest openings in Singapore here. 

Do explore the GrabFood Dine Out service for awesome deals.

You can also book a ride to Coffeehouse by Kobashi to try its new all-day menu and signature sourdo’nuts.