Jazz beats and warm coffee: Corner Corner is a new day-time cafe concept taking over Duxton vinyl bar RPM

Jazz beats blare out of the speakers and the aroma of coffee wafts through the air. 

Daylight seeps through the skyroof onto the dining room, one that’s surprisingly crowded for a Monday afternoon.

This is the scene at Duxton’s new viral cafe, Corner Corner.

The entire space is a vibe — elegantly done-up, featuring high roofs, hanging chandeliers and mahogony-hued wooden shelves populated with vinyl records.

It almost feels like you’re in a hipster basement hideout in Tokyo.

While Corner Corner itself is new, the space itself isn’t. Originally, the 16 Duxton Road space was only used by vinyl bar RPM by D.Bespoke.

The new arrangement sees Corner Corner taking over during the day, offering a quaint kissaten (Japanese coffeehouses or teahouses) experience where guests can slowly sip on coffee, while enjoying some dainty pastries.

After the sun sets though, it transforms into the same, good ol’ Japanese shochu-focused cocktail bar that had been operating out of the address since 2019.

No matter what time you choose to pop by, though, you’re guaranteed silky beats with a staggeringly diverse curation of records and a top-notch audio system to set the mood.

Chill vibes, comforting brews

Corner Corner’s menu is quite simple, featuring speciality coffee, Japanese tea, floats and snacks.

Coffee drinkers can choose from three options: coffee of the day (S$6), seasonal pour-over (S$8 to S$15) and cold brew white (S$8).

When we visited, the seasonal pour-overs consisted of two beans from beloved local coffee roasters Nylon Coffee and we went for a cup of El Savador La Cumbre.

Being a natural processed geisha bean (widely regarded in the coffee industry as one of the highest quality coffees), you get a lot of elegant fruity acidity from this — smooth and balanced, and perfect for a slow sipping coffee to pair with the smooth beats.

Those more inclined to have tea, on the other hand, have a choice between kukicha (S$8), cold brew gyokuro (S$9) and cold brew sencha (S$9).

However, the surprise star was actually Corner Corner’s housemade cola float (S$8). 

We don’t see artisanally made cola often in Singapore, so this was a pleasant surprise. 

It’s sweet and malty, with a comforting medley of spices in the mix, plus the ice cream gives it a wonderful creaminess and full-bodied mouthfeel. It’s something we would come back for.

To go with the drinks, Corner Corner offers a bunch of snacks, including mini orange pound cake (S$4), caramel pudding (S$8) and nama cream roll cake (S$8).

Or, if you prefer something much more decadent, there’s an off-menu chocolate fudge cake (S$8) that’s super rich and fudgy.

If you have time, swing by, grab a snack, sip on a piping hot cup of coffee or a refreshing coke float, sit back and relax while the vinyl records serenade you.

You won’t find vibes like this anywhere else.

For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on the behind-the-scenes secrets of Sushiro and Mexican restaurants to consider your next taco-tuesday night out. 

Enjoy up to 50% off when you dine with GrabFood Dine Out.

You can also book a ride to Corner Corner at Duxton.