Common Man Stan
11 – 12 Stanley Street, 068730
commonmancoffeeroasters.com/pages/cmstan
There is a torrential downpour when my family visits Common Man Stan under the cover of umbrellas one quiet Saturday morning. We instantly feel cosy inside the sleek café, which combines touches of gold bling with natural tones of wood, rattan, marble and raw cement. We grab a booth and order a warming round of excellent coffee and hot chocolate, while slowly drying out. The Telok Ayer outlet of this popular café offers an impressive array of all-day breakfast dishes, along with glistening donuts, flaky croissants and other enticing pastries. Feeling nostalgic, we order the Australian Crumpets ($10), served with butter and a pot of creamed honey. It’s a fight to get a triangle of the gooey treat, which brings back memories of toasted crumpets on a winter’s day back home.
My daughter tries the Eggs Benedict ($25) with braised oxtail and chive hollandaise on toast. It’s a sophisticated choice for a 10-year-old, but she makes quick work of the perfectly cooked poached eggs and creamy sauce. The thick sourdough toast is declared an absolute winner – with the right amount of tartness, chewiness and crunch. The House Baked Cornbread ($26) is sweet and crumbly, served with creamy smashed avocado, black bean salsa, steaky bacon and a poached egg. It’s tasty, filling and full of South American flavours. My husband decides to order off menu, and we all have food envy when his sourdough toast arrives with thick cut bacon, scrambled eggs and slices of avocado.
Verdict: There’s tons of love and care put into the service and dishes at Common Man – and it shows. Brunch is satisfying, full of flavour, and the ambience is just right. We could’ve stayed all day.
DIMBULAH COFFEE
585 North Bridge Road, #01-01, 188770
dimbulahcoffee.com
What could possibly bring about a huge smile when keeping an unwell visiting overseas relative company in hospital over several days? Finding Dimbulah Coffee in the lobby of Raffles Hospital, with lamingtons enticingly displayed! I became a regular visitor at the 135-seat café, relaxing while imbibing aromatic coffee with just the right touch of acidity, and chocolate chip cookies. Try the big Aussie breakfast, sausage rolls and pork schnitzel. Bliss! Started in 2002 by ANZA Cycling Member Chris Wanden, originally from Palmerston North, New Zealand, Dimbulah’s coffee beans are grown in Australia’s pristine Atherton Tablelands. Harking back to the Aboriginal meaning, “the long watering hole”, Dimbulah uses home-tested family recipes that ooze comfort and goodness. Pair the dinner menu with wine from a wide selection, as you unwind at the long bar. For fun, pedal on the stationary ‘blender-bike’ and mix your own frozen margarita!
