Woke by Wake The Crew: New cafe with speciality coffee at Punggol Digital District

If you’re a coffee or cafe enthusiast, you’re no stranger to new speciality coffee spots popping up in cafe hotbeds such as Tanjong Pagar, Tiong Bahru, and Joo Chiat. 

But a new cafe with speciality coffee opening at Punggol (specifically, Punggol Digital District at that)? Practically unheard of. 

Woke by Wake The Crew, the latest cafe on the Punggol block, is set to change that.  

Up till recently, Wake The Crew was mainly online-based, with occasional pop-ups at events and fairs. It focused mainly on cold-brew coffee and tea concentrates, along with coffee beans and other coffee-related products. 

Owner Christabel Cher, 30, tells us that it was actually their regulars at pop-up events — and their repeated questions about when they’ll finally open a brick-and-mortar store — that spurred them to find a physical space.

After a good opportunity popped up at Pungol Digital District, Christabel took the leap of faith to set up shop here. 

“After all, it’s always good to have a brick-and-mortar store because people still prefer coming down to see our products for themselves, before actually purchasing them,” adds Christabel.

Why Punggol?

As someone who hails from the northeast myself, I’m grateful Woke opened in a location near my ‘hood — cafe options are scarce here. But I’m sure others are as curious as I am — why open a speciality coffee shop in far-flung Punggol? 

“We didn’t want our physical cafe to be just another speciality coffee shop,” explains Christabel. She’d initially planned to model Woke after the sleek coffee spots that are a dime a dozen in the CBD, until she realised that didn’t match her true vision for the brand.  

By settling down in Punggol Digital District, Christabel hopes that Woke can become a part of the neighbourhood — the end goal is to build a community around its coffee. 

Though Christabel secured the lease a few years ago, Woke kept running into a series of unexpected difficulties — the team’s struggles have been documented on its social media, if you’re interested in checking that out — which is why the cafe only opened officially in early April.

“The hoarding at our cafe has been up for so long, it’s actually a Pokemon Go stop!” quips Christabel. 

When we visited the cafe during  Woke’s soft opening period in early April, the cafe was enjoying a better-than-expected daily turnout of customers.

The team was hopeful that the footfall would continue, as big tenants, such as OCBC and GovTech, slowly solidify their operations at Punggol Digital District.

The space at Woke

Woke is located at the first floor of Punggol Coast Mall, near to the FairPrice supermarket, on the opposite end of the mall where the MRT station is located. It’s also just a stone’s throw away from the newly opened Two Men Bagel House in Punggol. 

The space also strikes us as a welcoming one, with lots of dine-in tables. I loved how some benches were cheekily shaped like wooden pegs — a detail you’d miss if you don’t take a closer look. 

During our visit on a weekday afternoon, there was a good mix of office workers, young adults, and even uncles chatting away over their afternoon coffees. 

Coffee you’ll wake up for

Espresso-based coffee drinks here come with a choice of medium-roast house blend, single-origin Brazil dark roast, or decaf Colombia dark roast.

Of the three, we picked the first for both our espresso-based drinks, and found the bold aroma went well with milk-based coffees. 

I usually like my caffeine unsweetened, but the honey cinnamon latte (iced double espresso, S$8.90) changed my mind on sweetened cuppas. You’re first hit with the familiar fragrance of cinnamon, before the sweetness from the honey kicks in gently. If you’re like me, this drink’s worth the deviation from your usual order.

The Dirty latte (S$6.90) is another good option. You’re recommended to drink this, without stirring and directly from the cup, to enjoy both the strong bitterness of the espresso and the sweetness of the freeze-distilled milk. 

Compared to Dirty lattes I’ve had elsewhere, Woke’s version is notably thinner in profile, with the espresso almost seamlessly incorporated into the milk — a pleasant surprise since most renditions out there take on a more dense quality.  

Should you like your drinks with a non-dairy alternative, dairy milk can be substituted for Plant Projects’ No Ordinary Oat Milk at 50 cents. 

If you’re like me and don’t usually reach for filter coffee, Woke’s offerings on this front might just change your mind.

We tried the Zanya lavender filter coffee (S$8), which came accompanied with a little card full of tasting notes.

I must say: I could certainly taste the full range of flavours detailed in the notes — a mixture of floral and sweet notes, whilst still maintaining a strong coffee profile.

Christabel tells us that the team sourced these beans from Vietnam, and handcarried them back to Singapore for the cafe. 

“We want to show people that speciality coffee is for everyone — not just some highbrow niche,” she adds. 

Christabel recalls a recent heartwarming moment — the mall janitors were initially apprehensive about stepping into the cafe to have a cup of coffee, but after she introduced the world of speciality coffee to them, they now regularly gather at Wake for their afternoon coffee after their shifts. 

For those who prefer tea to coffee, the London Fog (S$6.90), a sweetened earl grey tea with steamed milk, is worth a try. 

Woke’s rendition is velvety and rich, and though it’s heavy on the milk to tea ratio, was neither cloying nor heavy.  

There’s also a retail section where you can pick up Wake The Crew’s signature coffee and tea concentrates, as well as espresso beans, if you make your cuppa at home. 

Nibbles for the hungry

The cafe also boasts a selection of pastries and dishes, if you’re looking for some nosh to pair with your cuppa. 

If there’s one thing you need to eat here, it’s definitely the Basque burnt cheesecake (S$7.90) that’s freshly made in-house. It pops up in every other Google review, and for good reason.

This cheesecake had us enamoured with how smoothly it melts in your mouth, and I liked how it’s creamy, without being underbaked, so if there’s one food item you’ve got to try here, make it this.

The sun-dried tomato & olives focaccia with cheese (S$8.90) is another dish that’s worth ordering. The bread is served in a rather unique manner — as thinner slices, with cheese layered in between. 

I liked how well the savouriness of the sun-dried tomatoes and olives came together, though olive-haters might find this a difficult dish. The sea-salt mixed-herbs compound butter, made in-house, is also adorably shaped like Disney characters Chip ‘n’ Dale — mainly to entertain the younger visitors.  

One key difference between opening a cafe in the “suburbs” of Singapore, as opposed to the city, is how wildly different the customer demographic is. 

“We have a lot of families with young kids frequent us because of the BTO flats around us, as well as a lot of elderly,” notes Christabel. 

With such a solid line-up of drinks and bites, I’m positive that Woke will be a mainstay within the Punggol Coast community!

Looking for new spots to check out? Check out this fish ramen spot at Tanjong Pagar, or this Muslim-owned bakery at Kovan with great shio pans and savoury breads.