While Jalan Besar is already home to many cafes in Singapore, it never hurts to have more right? Asylum Coffeehouse calls Jalan Besar home, nestled in an iconic red and blue shophouse with a clean and aesthetic interior.
Must Visit Cafe in Jalan Besar
The cafe interior is nothing like an asylum but is filled with bright, happy vibes with elements of wood and a huge plant centrepiece.
Asylum Coffeehouse has both indoor and outdoor seating, with a capacity of around 25 customers. The seat arrangement is also perfect for 2pax since each table can only fit two people. The wooden elements near the ceiling kind of reminded us of Perception Coffee in Seoul.
We were slightly shocked when we heard the sound of chirping birds and waterfalls in the cafe (albeit very calming and soothing) – this is only temporary because F&B establishments cannot play recorded music during the calibrated opening.
Menu at Asylum Coffeehouse
The Jalan Besar cafe doesn’t have a wide menu, with typical drinks such as Black ($4), White ($5-5.50), Pour Overs ($6), Mocha ($6) and Hot Chocolate ($5.5).
They also have oat and macadamia options for those who do not take dairy.
Food-wise, you can expect sandwiches from the popular burger hawker, Hambaobao. They have a Turfoieken ($19), which consists of Turkey, Foie Gras and Chicken in sourdough with homemade Aioli and Apple Chutney.
The other sandwich is the Cubano ($16), a Mojo pulled pork ciabatta sandwich with gherkins, swiss cheese and mustard.
White
The white comes in two sizes, 3oz and 5oz. Priced a $5 and $5.50 respectively, we would say, just go for the 5oz.
Asylum Coffeehouse uses its own blend of espresso, Keluak, which is inspired by the Peranakan dish, Buah Keluak. The Keluak Espresso Blend boasts dominant chocolate, nutty and earthy notes.
When we took the first sip of the coffee, there was a rich and a rather intense flavour of coffee. We personally hate it when the coffee is too milky, but this was certainly not the case for Asylum.
A great (and strong) cup of coffee, and off to a great start.
Croissant
While the croissant ($5) is not made by the people from Asylum Coffeehouse, it sure tasted good. Made using French butter, the croissant was flaky, crispy and buttery. It certainly fared well as an accompaniment to the coffee.
The Block – OG
Made using the owner’s grandma’s recipe, the Block – OG ($6) is essentially a Sugee cake made from almonds, butter and rum.
The staff told us that the cake is made using cooked rum, which means that kids can actually consume it too!
The cake was moist and soft, with crunchy textures all throughout (probably due to crushed almonds in the cake). It was topped off with torched Italian meringue and an edible flower.
Great Coffee at Asylum Coffeehouse
Asylum is certainly going to be one of those places that might come to mind occasionally when we crave a great cuppa. The place is already a hot favourite on the Facebook Group – Coffee Snobs Singapore, with most heading over to try their weekly limited speciality beans.
It has a cosy environment, great coffee and pastries, and friendly staff which checks off most of our list. With an interior that’s said to welcome strangers and facilitate communication between the baristas and staff, we certainly had a great experience in the cafe (be it for only a short 30 mins).
One thing that the cafe needs to manage is probably the crowd near the counter that’s placed directly in front of the door.
Asylum Coffeehouse
311 Jln Besar, Singapore 208970
Mon-Sun, 8am-4.30pm
*This is an independent review by MiddleClass.sg.
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