Tokyo Brew Lab: Cosy city-pop aesthetic cafe with Japanese sandos at S$15 and below
Have you been to bars such as BOP and Pop City and thought: “This vibe would be perfect for coffee”?
As people who also enjoy that fun but sleek city pop-inspired aesthetic, we were excited to come across Tokyo Brew Lab at Concourse Skyline, near Nicoll Highway MRT.
Tokyo Brew Lab is a new addition to the eclectic collection of F&B establishments on the first floor, sitting in a row and facing Beach Road.
It’s a very cosy space, with high ceilings and a snazzy vinyl-littered counter giving it a glammed-up modern vibe, complemented by smooth city pop hits that serenade you throughout your visit.
Quirky little knick-knacks can also be found all around the cafe, including items from Human Made, a cult-favourite Japanese street fashion brand — very tasteful.
This spot fits in nicely with fun and intimate spots such as contemporary izakaya Omu Nomu and brunch spot Wakey Wakey.
Besides the decor, it is also one-half of a dual-concept establishment.
While Tokyo Brew Lab operates in the day, it turns into Hanoi Story Bar at night with a wildly different specialisation: craft beer and Hanoi-style street food.
Artisan Japanese and Vietnamese coffee
As the name would suggest, Tokyo Brew Lab is a cafe that is very serious about its coffee offerings — it includes not just hand-drip speciality and espresso-based brews, but also Vietnamese drip coffees.
Considering its nocturnal alter ego is literally named Hanoi Story Bar, it kinda makes sense.
However, Tokyo Brew Lab’s Vietnamese coffee is quite different from the usual in Singapore.
The cafe au lait (drip coffee with condensed milk and creamer, S$4.90) uses a special 50-50 arabica and robusta blend, and it comes with a stronger coffee kick than your usual Western-style lattes.
It sports a plush, milky mouthfeel, while the flavour profile is robust and sweet, but also deftly balanced so it isn’t as cloying as the usual ca phe sua da (Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk).
Besides the Vietnamese coffee, we were also quite enamoured with Tokyo Brew Lab’s hand-drip specialty coffee (from S$9), where you can choose from an assortment of premium beans.
Some options include the medium-roast Mori Mori (S$9) that promised herbal and black tea subtleties, and the Slow Beans (S$9) with notes of honey, fruits and caramel.
We eventually landed on the Kendama Candy (S$14), which boasts notes of soft volcanic candy and roasted nuts with light zest.
Although we aren’t sure what soft volcanic candy tastes like, we were thoroughly satisfied by the complex brew, which brimmed with a deep, roasted fragrance, and carried an understated savoury depth.
Tokyo Brew Lab’s Japanese sandos
Still, most people don’t visit cafes just for the coffee, and Tokyo Brew Lab has a pretty rock-solid lineup of grub.
Most notably, it serves up Japanese sandos that use bread that’s baked daily with premium Japanese flour, and they are quite affordable, ranging between S$7 and S$15.
Our favourite was the Sando Fat Cow grilled toast (S$15) — Tokyo Brew Lab gives you 130g of wagyu in a minced patty form, which is pretty good value for the price.
Sure, it’s not a straight steak cut, but we appreciate a nice wagyu patty just as much — we can’t remember the last time we’d seen wagyu sandos at this price range.
The beef is grilled to a gorgeous medium-rare pink in the centre and an enjoyable crust on its exterior, adding a bit of char and smoke to the mix.
Overall, an extremely hearty treat, since it’s also topped with cheese, mushroom, and a hashbrown.
For egg zealots, Tokyo Brew Lab actually has two different egg sandos on its menu: A sando egg toast sandwich (S$7), with egg mayo and Harajuku eggs, and mega egg toast (S$9) with scrambled eggs and an egg and potato salad base.
The mega egg toast is quite hefty, since you get a glut of scrambled eggs at the top, while the creamy and piquant base is quite dense.
It’s so decadent and we enjoyed the play of textures between the soft sando bread, silky scrambled eggs, and starchy egg and potato salad!
Is this a cafe we would return to? Definitely. Good coffee, good sandos, good vibes? What more can you ask for? Perhaps a more central location.
For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on the new pet-friendly cafe at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park and A Hot Hideout’s new concept working towards halal certification.
Tue 10am - 5pm
Wed 10am - 5pm
Thu 10am - 5pm
Fri 10am - 5pm
Sat 9.30am - 5pm
Sun 9.30am - 5pm
- Nicoll Highway
- Bugis
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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