n i n e t y t w o %

Reviews on interiors, design concepts and ambiance. 92% cafe related.

[naititupercent]

The exclusive version of The Editor’s Market? 

Our Second Nature a boutique cafe, an avenue for the ladies to try out their not-so-cheap apparels. I’m not sure if the tipping basis is on a temporary or permanent basis. Basically they have a few seats and tables (which I will elaborate further cause they deserve the attention) in the cafe BUT the coffee and cakes & cookies are complimentary for the customers. So if you’re as shameless as us, grab a seat. Have a cuppa and maybe a slice of lemon drizzled cake and enjoy the ambiance. And not buy their apparel. 

The main concept of the boutique cafe is Scandinavian. Concrete screed flooring, all white walls with a touch of timber feature wall and furniture. Behind the feature wall (timber fins) actually hides the store room and the toilet. I did see a couple of customers trying to locate the door. They should probably place a small signage for the toilet but they probably wish to keep the minimalism concept. 

The furniture. Lets just say I would love to have every piece in my own abode. From the benches to the table to the side table; the walnut colour and its matte finish... my eyes are blessed. To be honest, if the intensity of my shamelessness is high enough, I would ask them the retail details. 

I spotted a few quirky touch to the boutique cafe. If you’ve seen photos on Instagram, you would see the huge ass mirror with a small (but apparent enough) decal; “Current Mood:” I mean, who wouldn’t want to snap a photo of their #OOTD with a mirror like that. Another would be the fitting rooms. It catches your attention due to it’s arc shaped entrance. I realised the interior has splashes of Moroccan style. The dark maroon carpets made good contrast with the grey-white interior.

Everything is so versatile here. From the complimentary coffee (yes they only serve coffee with double shots. No hot cocoa) and bakes to their cashier; a table and chair with the miscellaneous accessories. 

This is the kind of place I wouldn’t mind working for the entire day. Love the vibe, the ambiance, the coffee aroma... 

To be honest, the customer service is too good, I felt guilty for having their coffee and cake AND not getting any of their apparels. Nonetheless, I don’t lie when I say I’ve been thinking of that one particular dress in khaki. 

Maybe I should get it.

[naititupercent]

The Great Mischief by The Black Hole Group.

Catalan-inspired. One can say the cafe is inspired by this or that but to successfully execute it can be pretty tricky. You have to know what’s enough and what is too much.

Everything bout The Great Mischief is on point. From the colour scheme to the furnishings. I was greeted by the cafe waiter/barista cause someone was looking like a lost sheep. The cute thing bout this place is that it is very open. no walls separating the indoor and outdoor. Hence I find the entrance door amusing. It’s unnecessary but significant.

To be honest, I wouldn’t mind sitting anywhere because every part of the cafe is well designed. Picked the corner with the booth seats since it has more character compared to normal chairs actually more cushions. Had some time alone to take it all in; the interior, ambiance etc. I’ve never been to Cuba but based on my little knowledge of the country thanks to Pinterest and Hollywood, Mischief depicted the scene well. 

Firstly, it isn’t an enclosed space. Ventilation wise, fans and natural breeze from the street of Madras. No air-conditioner and I ain’t even complaining. Secondly, the colour scheme. From the green patterned flooring, to the beige rattan as the chairs’ backrest, not forgetting the neon lights that adds to the Cuba touch of this cafe. There’s also the pastel green/pink doors which compliments the dark coloured floor and furniture. 

The Black Hole Group diminished the boundary among spaces. Imagine this, the hotel lobby’s reception counter is found just beside the area where we were having our dinner. A barber shop is just round the corner within the cafe cum lobby. Oh and have I mentioned that there’s a launderette at this very same space? 

Service is great. The tapas are lovely. The mocktails are perfectly fine. I won’t review much on it though. You guys gotta experience it yourself. 

All in all I am very satisfied with the design concept of The Great Mischief. One of the best from The Black Hole Group, in my opinion. Maybe cause it suits my taste; colours, ambiance, space.

P.S.: Read the captions for each photo. 

[naititupercent]

Cafè Peony 

It's exactly what I imagined, only better. Peony is known for their strawberry shortcake (my favourite cake and the only cake I'd eat more than one serving). Oh not forgetting their signature strawberry bingsu.

Interior wise, it's clean, nothing fancy. And when I say clean, it includes baristas cladded in white (you should get the term clean by now). The clean and white space complements the bright red strawberries served on plates/trays. That's the whole point you see... The attraction is the strawberry desserts. Unless you deem the baristas as part of the attraction /wink wink/ 

The strawberry shortcakes I've eaten in SG, they're okay. I mean, sure I can taste strawberries, cream and cake. But Peony's strawberry shortcake is simply... the Cherry Strawberry Bomb. (pardon my NCT reference) 

Back to the interior, I love how there are huge ass windows to make the small space more spacious. Trust me windows does play a significant role in space-play does that word even exist. People watching was one of the things we did while enjoying the desserts but my cousin just HAD to people watch with the DSLR. 

Seats outside was a good call. I mean the Q was pretty long. We managed to grab a table cause we literally waited for the cafe to open. Can you feel our enthusiasm? 

Apart from the strawberry fortè, this cafè made a point that their cafè is a place where you can celebrate birthdays. So far I've not seen this concept being put forward (if any of you know of any cafès, do enlighten me!) They sell HAPPY BIRTHDAY candles and birthday cards! If there's something similar in SG, my significant other would have it easy on every special occasion. I legit don't mind having this cake on every occasion which requires cake. Oh and have I mentioned there's a flower bouquet vending machine down the street? Just a few stops away from Peony. How convenient.

Enough about me celebrating special occasions with my non-existent significant other. Basically Peony exceeded my expectations. I'd probably open my own Peony in SG in the future. #wishfulthinking

[naititupercent]

My 2 cents worth.

My thoughts on South Korea.

They say, travel. Travel to learn how other people live their lives in other parts of the world.

Frankly speaking, I didn't have any expectations of this country. My only purpose of travelling, if you know me well enough, is cafès. Now don't start judging me and call me a hipster (cause if you do, you don't know me well enough). I adore cafès that has a well-thought concept. South Korea has plenty of them. Sure I've seen (and collected) dozens of photos taken by OTHER people. But being there, seeing the cafè with my own eyes, absorbing the ambiance with my whole body, now that's o****m. (That's exactly how I behaved at cafè Onion. You can ask my sister. I was literally squealing while snapping photos and videos of every corner of the cafè)

However, being a tourist in South Korea, it opened my eyes to a lot more than just cafès. I did mentioned I love a well-thought concept cafè, didn't I? Well this country thought of EVERYTHING. Let's start with the subway. You know how we have handles on the train so we won't fall while standing (when there's jam brakes and etc). The handles in S.K are of different lengths. Which means people who are short don't have to strain their arms just to hold the handle. Oh and did I mention, we can eat and drink in the train? And not forgetting my favourite NECESSITY found in their train station; WASTEBINS. (Seriously though SG)

My other favourite part of S.K, which i strongly believe SG should implement to all buses. Charging point. Since we're on this transportation topic, taxis are apparently affordable. And wayyyyyyy easier hailing them compared to SG.

In terms of the people, from a tourist's point of view, they are generally polite and gracious. I mean, they greet you when you enter a convenience store!? And even if you don't buy anything, they will greet you when you leave. Like... I can't remember the last time a 711 cashier actually greeted me. Did they ever

The couple culture. I must admit, this is one culture shock I experienced myself from day 1. There were couples EVERYWHERE. And they made it a point to tell people they ARE a couple. From their couple wear to the PDA. And seeing it's S.K, they tend to look like models. Models going on casual dates at every corner of Seoul.

Last but not least, the hospital. My cousin and I fell sick right after our Busan trip due to weather conditions. We rushed to the nearest hospital which is a private one so do expect a HUGE bill. We ended up going to the emergency unit and guess what? We spent a whole THREE hours just cause they won't let us go unless our temperature drops. First was the IV drop. And then comes the penicillin jab OMG IT HURTS LIKE A BISH

Moral of the story is, get travel insurance cause you'd never know you feel like getting a jab while having your holiday.

That's bout it. I thought I'd just throw in my 2 cents worth. Thank you S.K! You've been wonderful.

[naititupercent]

The Bravery Cafè - Yet another industrial themed cafè? 

It's more than that. 

Imagine having your lunch in an air-conditioned space. It feels good cause it's scorching hot out in the streets. Few minutes later, the once brightly lited space, turns dark. Not pitch black but darker than before. Well guess what, it's raining outside. 

Hope you enjoyed that mini descriptive essay. Basically, this cafè's ambiance depends on the weather. Thanks to the full wall of windows (that sounds contradicting), the weather controls the amount of light in the cafè. Pretty cool if you ask me. 

They did some changes to the interior though. Their famous centrepiece AKA the horse has been removed and there's this nook where a bunch of hanging light bulbs which could camouflage as white butterflies? filled the entire upper space. In case my explanation isn't good enough, please refer to the photo above, thank you. 

Love how we can experience different ambiances in the same cafè. Also, I don't usually give reviews on food (cause food is subjective), HOWEVER, I would drag myself alllllllll...lllll the way to Lavender where Bravery is located at, just to have a cuppa of their Lavender Lattè. Don't ask me how it tastes i mean it's quite obvious innit. Will definitely be back! Secretly wishing for the horse to make a comeback.

[naititupercent]

Noshery - Into the Woods.

Most of you will see the words ‘hidden’ or ‘tucked’ when you google for reviews of this cafe. It is not that difficult to access this cafe to be honest. It’s surrounded by the greenery, basically. And guess what, the interior has greenery as well! Love how it ‘immerse’ itself with the location.

The interior has this classic traditional English house? If you ask me to describe this place in one word; Chic Barn. ok those are two words but take it as a name. Filled with furniture made of wood with a tinge of stone as a tabletop. Very classy yet humble. There is the indoor and outdoor seating (which I obviously forgot to snap). Will definitely be back!

I rarely give review on service but the two who attended my friend and I are very well-mannered and friendly. Thumbs up on the service!

[naititupercent]

I remember perspiring so bad, walking to the cafe in the humid weather with a friend of mine. This is what happens if you have terrible sense of direction (even with Google maps). Don’t be mistaken! the cafe is not as inaccessible as it sounds. Just don’t get lost.

Brawn & Brains has been on my list for the longest time. So you could imagine the sense of satisfaction when I stepped into the cafe. The interior, the vibe, the ambiance, the service did not disappoint me at all. I don’t usually comment on the food but the salmon with oven-baked molten eggs served with avocados by the side IS TO DIE FOR.

Cladded in cement screed and black stainless steel (frames and whatnot), it depicts an industrial themed cafe. What’s new right? If you ask me, it is a lot different. The spacing between seats are plenty = Personal space. Together with the longitude space we get (cause high ceiling), plenty of space around! Simultaneously the tables are huge so if there is no crowd, you have A HUGE SPACE. Ok enough bout space talk. Basically love the palette of Br square.

Would love to visit again during non-peak hours. Oh and they just opened a new branch called Brawn & Brains Coffee Run. Will do a follow-up!

[naititupercent]

Get your coffee fix. Oh don’t forget your bouquet of flowers! Simply love how they made use of the double volume space. The interior has one of the common look we see in cafes these days. Industrial Chic; cement screed for the floor and black frames (shelves, window frames etc). HOWEVER, imagine a typical industrial looking cafe filled with flowers. DRIED FLOWERS. Ok I might sound a little bias cause I LOVE dried flowers. I mean they’re as pretty as the live ones, only easier to manage (no need to water).

Apart from the floral shop in Stamping Ground Coffee which differentiates it from the normal cafes, the seats are rather ‘public’. Large tables. Be prepared to share table with strangers (unless you have a whole gang with you).

They provide pour-over and espresso so caffeine/coffee lovers, try out their freshly brewed beans!

Lovely place to sip on your cuppa. Especially when you’re into dried flowers (like yours truly). Service; thumbs up. Willing to entertain our enquiries on the brewing methods etc, they know their stuffs. Will definitely be back!