You probably remember the Coexist Coffee Co outlet in Hillview, with unique dual white and terracotta tiling! After a brief closure, they have reopened their space today (29 June 2023) with a new look and improved menu.
Brutalist, Grey Industrial Design
The most striking change to the Coexist Coffee Hillview outlet is the interior. This new space boasts a minimalist approach.
Everything follows a cool gray tone from the walls to the chairs. There are unpolished corners and edges that give texture, but remain clean and picturesque.
Combined with simple white tables and an open coffee bar, it remains just as Instagrammable as ever! There’s also some outside seating along the rooftop for an alfresco option.
Coexist Coffee Hillview Menu
We tried a small soft launch menu, but the full menu will have more options to try!
Their menu focuses on fusion dishes that incorporate Asian flavours, with items like the new Assam Baramundi ($28) and Herbal Chicken “Rice” ($22).
You can enjoy returning favourites like the Squid Ink Fried Rice ($28), which comes in a new updated presentation, Carrot Cake Fries ($12) and You Tiao ($14).
Their drink menu features their popular coffee in Black ($4.50), White ($5) and even a Coconut Brew ($7) with coconut water!
Non-coffee options include Matcha ($5.50), Hojicha ($5.50) and Teas ($7 for pot/$5 for cold brew) in Blueberry Bouquet and Lychee Black.
You Tiao
The You Tiao ($14) came with otah-stuffed charcoal you tiao and a Thai yellow coconut curry sauce.
The otah filling was fragrant and just the right amount of spicy, complemented by the slight tang and coconut from the sauce.
Satay Quesadilla
A homage to Chef’s love for pork satay is the Satay Quesadilla ($18) with a 6-hour braised pulled pork and housemade peanut sauce.
It was generously stuffed with pulled pork and cheese, making it sinful! The meat was tender with notes of turmeric and spice, pairing perfectly with their savoury peanut sauce.
This was heavily flavoured so it leaned towards the salty side, but a great bite nonetheless.
Assam Barramundi
The Assam Barramundi ($28) was quickly our favourite of the new dishes. It featured Orzo pasta cooked in an Assam sauce, topped with pan-seared locally farmed barramundi.
The orzo was the star of the dish! Each bite had a great texture, soaked fully with the savoury, spicy and slightly sour Assam. It was not overbearing despite the stronger flavours, and we found ourselves going back for more.
The barramundi was also perfectly cooked with crisp skin and tender meat. There was also pickled fennel which added an additional texture to the dish and elevated the overall taste.
Herbal Chicken “Rice”
A unique take on herbal chicken, Herbal Chicken “Rice” ($22) featured half a roasted chicken and chicken rice flavoured cous cous.
The gravy is a thickened herbal sauce cooked over 2 hours, and reminds us of the classic Empress Herbal Chicken seasoning! It was not as medicinal but had the familiar comforting flavour, pairing well with the juicy chicken.
The cous cous was fluffy, with goji berries providing a nice sweetness. We think the chicken rice flavour could be more pronounced to better pair with the protein.
Squid Ink Fried Rice
One of Coexist Coffee’s mainstay dishes, the Squid Ink Fried Rice ($28) debuts a new serving style in a clay pot!
It featured crispy squid and tiger prawns; garnished with garlic aioli and ikura. The texture of the crispy squid reminded us of the crispy, burnt bits we enjoy when eating clay pot rice.
This fried rice had a strong wok hey and umami from the squid ink! The combination of the pop from the ikura, creamy aioli and crunchy seafood made for an addictive dish.
Dessert
The first dessert was the Goreng Pisang ($12), with a banana cake, fried banana fritters, coconut ice cream and soy sauce caramel.
This was one of the best banana cakes we have tasted with a strong, almost caramelised flavour. When paired with the coconut ice cream and umami-packed caramel, it was perfect!
The banana fritters were crunchy and juicy, providing a textural contrast to the fluffy cake.
Next was the Milo Swiss Roll ($6), garnished with Feuilletine pieces.
It was a generous amount of milo cream but was not too sweet, paired with the crunch from the Feuilletine! We think the Milo flavour could be much stronger, which we feedbacked to the kitchen team.
Drinks
We tried the Black ($4.50) and Coconut Cold Brew ($7). The blend had a pleasant brightness and fruitiness, which we felt also paired well with the refreshing coconut water.
For non-coffee drinks, we got the Hojicha ($5.50). It came unsweetened so we could really taste the roasted tea flavour!
Industrial Aesthetic Cafe In Hillview
Coexist Coffee returns with a new look but the same quality of unique menu items, making it worth a visit despite its slightly out-of-the-way location! They also have an outlet in Paya Lebar you can visit.
Coexist Coffee Co (Hillview)
#08-00, 48 Hillview Ter, Singapore 669269
Open daily: 9am-6pm
*To get here, take the passenger lift to level 7 and then take the stairs up to level 8.
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