*Update: Haven Coffee is now closed.
Tanjong Pagar is not only home to an array of Korean restaurants, but a wide selection of cafes as well. Joining the line of Tanjong Pagar cafes is Haven Coffee, located directly opposite On Dol Korean BBQ.
Minimalist White Aesthetic Cafe in Tanjong Pagar
Pretty much every surface that you could set your eyes on was decked out in white, down to the coffee mugs, which makes for a pleasing, minimalist aesthetic. If you have paid a visit to % Arabica, the popular Japanese coffee chain in Singapore, you will certainly find this design familiar. Apart from conveying simplicity, the predominantly white interior also makes the space, which seats about 20 people, look bigger and brighter.
If you need a change of environment to sit down for a couple of hours and get some work done, Haven Coffee presents itself as a great option. It has free wifi as well as sockets for you to charge your laptops!
The staff were pretty enthusiastic in welcoming customers and the service was generally okay.
Menu at Haven Coffee
Drinks
Haven Coffee offers the usual espresso-based staples: Espresso ($4.50), Macchiato ($5), Black ($5), White ($5), Mocha ($7) as well as some unique offerings like Piccolo ($5.50) and Dirty Matcha ($7). For your choice of beans, you can opt for a house-blend from Brazil and Guatemala, or single-origin beans from Ethiopia.
An added bit of customization is available as well – if you would like your drink Iced (+$1), with an Extra shot of espresso (+$1) or with oat milk (+$1).
As for their filtered coffees, you can have them brewed in two ways, Pourover ($7) and French Press ($7). You’ll be glad to know that Haven Coffee uses single-origin Arabica beans from either Ethiopia or Colombia. They are rotated every so often so that you will get a fresh new taste each time you pay Haven Coffee a visit!
If coffee is not your cup of tea (excuse the pun), you can also take your pick from their 70% Dark Cocoa ($7), Uji Matcha Latte ($6), Strawberry Latte ($7) or Strawberry Matcha Latte ($8)
Earl Grey, Jasmine Green, Chamomile and Peach Tea, priced at $5 per cup are also available if you’re looking for a good old fashioned cup of tea.
Food
Haven Coffee offers a streamlined selection of food as well, with their mains including the Scrambled Egg Croissant ($11), Ham and Cheese Croissant ($12), Scrambled Eggs Toast ($12) and Ham & Cheese Toasties ($14). All of these dishes come with a side of salad.
As for pastries, diners can choose from the Butter Croissant ($4.20), Pain Au Chocolate ($4.50), Almond Croissant ($5.0), or the Kouign Amann ($6), which directly translates to Butter Cake.
You can also enjoy Haven Coffee’s variety of Chocolate, Framboise (Raspberry) and Citron Meringuees tartelettes, which are priced at $7, $7.50 and $7.80 respectively.
White
For our White ($6), the coffee was decent, creamy, and not too acidic. The dark chocolate notes from the house blend certainly came through, and gave a nice body with a dominant flavour.
Scrambled Eggs Croissant
We went for the Scrambled Eggs Croissant ($11), which came with a side salad. Croissant-wise, it wasn’t the best croissant we had. It had a nice crispy exterior, but we found it to be lacking the airiness on the inside.
It seems that they get their pastries from a local supplier, The Bakehaus, so we can’t entirely blame the cafe for this.
The scrambled eggs had a nice runny texture but could have an increased creamy factor. The salad on the other hand used pretty fresh ingredients.
It’s worth noting both the Scrambled Eggs Croissant and the Ham & Cheese Croissant come in versions which use sourdough instead, priced at $12 and $14 respectively. We might give them a try the next time we head down to Haven Coffee.
Raspberry Tart
We wanted to order the Citron tart but got the Raspberry tart eventually as the former was not available.
The Raspberry Tart ($7.5) lacked the crispiness and crumbliness in the crust but had a soggy texture which created a really mushy and uncomfortable feeling. Flavour-wise, we found it okay, with a nice tinge of tartness from the berries.
New Cafe in Tanjong Pagar
While the food could use some fine-tuning, Haven Coffee proves to be a convenient place to grab some coffee. Their prices are certainly wallet-friendly as well, especially considering the quality of their ingredients.
Since it was their first day of operations, it’s understandable how they’re still in the process of fine-tuning the menu. We’re sure that as Haven Coffee continues to improve and perfect its menu, it will soon become the next hotspot for coffee lovers!
Haven Coffee
124 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088533
Mon-Sun, 9am-8pm
*This is an independent review by MiddleClass.sg.
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