Sloth & Messenger Coffee: A Geylang back-alley cafe run by an Englishman who moved here for love

Geylang is known for many things. The comforting frog leg porridge, a legendary zi char, and…some other stuff. 

One thing it’s not known for, however, is specialty coffee.

That’s changing as more quaint coffee joints spring up in the vicinity, with one in particular that’s quite intriguing: Sloth & Messenger Coffee, a cafe hidden in a back alley.

Finding it may be a little confusing for some — it’s located in an alley off Lorong 35, beside popular hawker haunts New Scissor-cut Curry Rice Restaurant and Sean Kee Duck Rice.

You won’t miss it once you pass it, though. Sloth & Messenger’s entrance is marked by a bike and signboard — both dyed in a turquoise and pop strikingly against the greys of the bare cement backdrop.

Once you head in, you are greeted by a very simply furnished space and a tall Englishman lurking behind the counter, wearing a gentle smirk and raring to make you some coffee.

A new start in Singapore

The man behind the counter is 34-year-old Joshua Farley from Manchester, England — the one-man show that runs everything at Sloth & Messenger Coffee.

Sloth & Messenger is rather new, having opened just in September. Josh essentially runs the entire place by himself, though he has started enlisting part-time help on weekends, when things get a bit hectic in the small shop. 

It’s impressive, considering this is actually Josh’s first rodeo in the F&B industry. His main trade — before his move here — was as a motor mechanic, too.

But for him, coffee has always been at the back of his mind: “Coffee has been an interest of mine for a long time and I roast and brew coffee for myself at home.”

All it took was finding the love of his life.

He says: “I met a Singaporean girl in the UK and, after we got married last year, she wanted to move back here.”

“I agreed, but I decided to start from scratch here and turn my hobby into a career,” he adds.

Coffee-truck dreams, localised

All that said, Sloth & Messenger in its current form wasn’t what he originally envisioned for his coffee business: “In England, I thought of opening a coffee truck, since I lived in a rural area in the south-west back then.”

After moving here, he realised that was not a very feasible business model and looked into alternative arrangements.

In the one year he’s been here, he visited many local cafes to try the brews and build up friendships. Eventually, he was given an opportunity by popular local coffee brand Brawn & Brains.

“I fell into this. When I was looking for some part-time work, I told Gwen Peh (the owner) about my plan and she offered me this space,” Josh recalls.

Brawn & Brains offered Josh a chance to run his own outfit for six months at the back of their office unit along Geylang Road.

“She brought me over and I could immediately see myself in this place,” he adds.

To him, many cafes in Singapore feel too fancy, but this barebones space tucked away in Geylang had good potential for a joint that’s more focused on coffee — something reminiscent of the Australian cafe scene.

Cosy neighbourhood coffee takeaway

And that is exactly what this laidback takeaway coffee nook embodies

The name “Sloth & Messenger” encapsulates what Josh thinks best embodies coffee culture — drinkers who take it slow and derive enjoyment from every sip, those who need a quick fix and are always on the move, and of course, everything in between.

The minimalist cafe is an extremely intimate space that has only a few seats inside — though there’s also a camper chair outside, if you prefer sipping your coffee out in the open.

Most of the space is focused around the coffee counter, which features an array of coffee beans with diverse tasting notes, all roasted by Josh himself (save for a reliable Brawn & Brains roast he uses for espressos).

On how he likes to present his coffee, he explains: “It’s not like I have ten years of experience under my belt — I’m new and like to try out new things, so I can develop my palate for the future.”

He’s also making it a point to steer away from overly fancy coffee, such as the more up-market geishas (a premium coffee varietal) and highly acidic coffee, to make things more accessible.

So far, it seems like what Josh is doing has resonated with his customers and reception has been positive.

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“People like the fact that it has a neighbourhood cafe feel, especially since there aren’t many coffee options in Geylang,” he says, beaming.

When asked if Sloth & Messenger will turn into something more long-term, Josh says: “I feel like the six months are going to fly by. Nothing is set in stone yet, but the dream is to have my own place!”

Having opened in September, the collaboration with Brawn & Brains will be expiring around March, 2025, hopefully we’ll see Josh come back with an extension or a new space by then!

Sloth & Messenger’s coffee

Since Sloth & Messenger takes its cue from cafes Down Under, it’s only apt that the first drink we tried was the flat white (S$5.50), a quintessential Aussie-style milk coffee.

Espresso-based drinks here come with either a roast from Brawn & Brains or Josh’s own rotating roast. Right now, he has just put on a Costa Rica single-origin.

As with any good cup of flat white, the mouthfeel is super silky and light. At the same time, the coffee’s bright fruit notes come true elegantly for a balanced and comforting cuppa.

Besides espresso coffee, Josh does something different at Sloth & Messenger: For filter coffees, he uses an aeropress, instead of the usual pourover cones.

In case you haven’t heard of it, the aeropress is a coffee-maker where the coffee is immersed and extracted through a piston — the results are similar to your usual pourover.

For the aeropress filter (S$6), we got a Bali Kintamani single-origin — the result was an elegantly acidic and slightly winey cup that’s a bit more complex with its fruity notes.

Beyond just coffee, Sloth & Messenger also collaborates with Brawn & Brains for its food, with the established brands supplying the takeaway kiosk with an assortment of bakes.

A popular one is the sticky bun (S$5.20) — fragrant and chewy with a pleasant dose of sweetness that should make for a great pairing with Sloth & Messenger’s coffees.

Quaint ambience, solid coffee and a friendly owner — to us, Sloth & Messenger is a great place to check out, if you’re craving a much more intimate and laidback cafe vibe.

For more ideas on what to eat, we recommend easties on the best food finds in Bedok Mall and also take a look at the deep-fried hor fun at old-school zi char Yalong Bay.

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

You can also book a ride to Sloth & Messenger Coffee in Geylang.